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There we were, I was getting ready for bed when the storm hit at Belmar.  I was in my pajamas and decided to look out our back porch, the water was coming over the gutters at the back of the parsonage.  I put on my raincoat and proceeded to get up a ladder to try and clean out the gutters from leaves and other mud.  Fortunately, I was able to reach the entire gutter down the back of the house including cleaning out a clogged drain spout with the use of the hose and a stick.  I was so relieved when I saw the water bursting through the end of the spout.  Free, free, I’m free at last. Thank God almighty, I’m free at last! The rain continued to come as did the high winds and thunder and flashes of lightning, but the work in the basement of the parsonage to put in a French drain and seal off the room, had held.  No water came in.  And believe me, the water was getting to the threshold of the back door that would lead into the basement as it crept higher and higher.  For the moment, the crisis had been abated, but not for long.

The next day, Janet and I had to drive from Belmar to Cinnaminson to have our minivan repaired.  My wife had to take our other car in for a recall repair, so we were both over an hour away from the church when the next storm wave came by. Andrew and our daughter Sarah, who recently returned from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, were here to help when the water came down in buckets.  The front gutters, also being filled leaves filled up with water and were spilling over into the yard.  The two of them worked tirelessly to catch the water in a trashcan and divert it away from the house. 

More than our house was affected by the water that day.  Terri from the church told us that Route 35 was flooded and she had to come back from her trip to the doctor another way. It took her over two hours to get home after having to rest on high ground at a pizza place until the water subsided.  Finally, I heard through the prayer chain, about the roof at B.J.’s Wholesale store in Ocean Township collapsing over the bakery part of the store due to the rain.  My immediate thoughts were to find out if David, the husband of our church Administrative Assistant, Paula, had been working at B.J.’s when the roof collapsed.  I called Paula and she said that David was in the store at the time of the collapse and was now safe at home.  

Finally, I received the sad news that Diana and Mike Bascom lost Diana’s dad, Bill Keck that same day.  Bill died while holding the hands of Diana, peacefully.  It was a difficult day, I am sure for the Bascom family dealing with the death of a dad and father-in-law and also dealing with two feet of water in their basement. 

Life throws us all a lot of curve balls at us.  But, having the solid foundation of Jesus Christ under our feet is always a sure thing.  July started off with the bang of our nation’s 250th Celebration on July 4th, but also with a lot of other stormy seas.  Let’s us be thankful for our nation, families, church, and for the Lord to see us all through.

In Christ, Pastor Dwayne