I would never want to be considered a cynical person, but there I was on a Saturday night, complaining to the Lord about the weather He had stirred up in North Carolina. The prediction that we might get a nasty snowfall had been monopolizing the airways for a couple of days. I was a pastor in my mid-20s concerned about the attendance and the offerings for the weekend. Generally, I would be happy for a snowstorm—just not on Saturday. God’s timing was way off. The weather, though, didn’t disappoint the many kids who had obviously been praying the opposite of me!
It snowed over 12 inches. In my entire ministry in Cornelius, there was only one other snowfall that exceeded this one. I think it started on a Saturday, too. Everybody in my neck of the woods headed to the grocery store, cleaned out the shelves of milk and bread and hunkered down, waiting for the storm. I was sure that God had not even considered the pickle that He had put me and many other pastors in.
There I was on Sunday morning, with a warm building and only my family as the audience. Suddenly, the door opened and three families came in. That would be it. No one else—and these were visiting families who had never been to the church before. The storm prevented them from driving to their home church in Charlotte, so there they were. Single moms led two of the families. A man named Ron, his wife, and two kids rounded out the visitors. I think I did a kind of devotional, and then we spent some time in prayer and conversation.
In the middle of a storm, God deposited a gift to Grace Covenant and to me. Though all of the families would remain the entire 12 years that we pastored there, Ron would become one of my most trusted friends and advisors, even to this day, as well as a very strong supporter of the church. God saw the bigger picture, and unfortunately, a lot was revealed about my dependence on crowds and weather. In the middle of (yet) another miracle, I was worried about Monday’s deposit! Once again, God proved that He could be trusted. “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matt. 6:10, NKJV)
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:9 (NKJV)
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By: Glenn Burris Jr., general supervisor
