show me something i've never seen before.

so i drove home tonight at the end of what ended up being a 18 hour day. 12 hours of working, 2 hours of Bible study, 1.5 hours of driving, 1.5 hours of eating, and one hour of who-knows-what. not in that order.

i don't know if i needed to see Lisa Booth, or if Lisa Booth needed to see me, but i felt compelled to make the trip to waukegan for Bible study tonight. Lisa is so good for the heart. i feel like she is my chicago-Goo. you two are totally different ladies, but i think we fulfill similar roles in each other's lives... anyway.

the Bible study was really good. it was the third in a series of arrows the Lord has just been directing at my heart in the past two days. i don't quite know how to explain it yet, so i'll save it for later... but it has to do with the functioning of the Body of Christ on earth as it relates to trials, persecution, mistreatment, martyrdom, etc., etc. vague, i know. like i said, my brain is mush.

but after Lisa and i had a too-short but much-needed conversation, i drove home as the storm began. Jesus, He knows how much i love big storms. if i hadn't gone to Bible study, i would have gone home, gone to bed early (because i have to open tomorrow), and missed the whole thing. the electricity started before i got on the highway. as i was on the entrance ramp it started to rain... i smiled because just days before, i got wiper blades that actually work! as i'm watching the sky light up like the fourth of july, i started laughing and thanking God for timing my trip perfectly so that i could watch all the activity on the way home. i said, "Jesus, show me something I've never seen before (but please, don't kill anybody)."

so i watched, and He delivered. it started to rain harder...harder...harder... hail... harder... wind... harder... and then, i saw lightning closer than i've ever seen it. one bolt struck the top of a lightning rod on a toll plaza near me. another bolt struck the ground at the end of an exit ramp less than a half a mile away. they were so close i could hear the sound the lightning made when it made contact-- not just from the thunder during and after. there i was in my car, fascinated and terrified at the same time, driving 20 mph down the interstate because it was raining so hard i could barely see the road. if anyone could have seen in my car, they probably would have made fun of me. i was in awe, jaw dropped, laughing nervously at how He answered my prayer. but it was awesome! He is so mighty! i love storms!

so you mean to tell me, Stephie, that God is making this huge storm cell rip through Chicago just for you?

well, He's in love with me. what do you expect?