• Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. – John 14:27

This is a first! I’m posting directly from my phone. This is my only option since both my computer and our Internet were fried – quite literally – by a rogue lightning strike early Saturday evening.

I was cooking, standing by the kitchen window, when a deafening crack split the air, accompanied by a brilliant flash. As a couple of pieces of smoking debris fell to the ground outside, the lights dimmed, burned bright, then returned to normal. I was able to continue cooking – after I stopped shaking – and I honestly thought we had dodged a bullet.

No such luck, however, as it didn’t take long to realize our air conditioning was the first casualty.  A quick survey revealed no Internet connection and a burned out router. Then, the absolute worst, I saw smoke coming from my trusty desktop iMac. Yes, friends, the machine is a loss.

it’s going to take several days, a lot of work, and a fair amount of money for Maul Hall to be properly connected, and  up and running again.

What bothers me most is not so much what happened as how easy it is for me to feel lost. It makes me question how grounded I am in what really matters, and where I find my peace…

Jesus offers peace that is unlike any other.  When the inconveniences of this life come between me and what Jesus promises then it’s time to recalibrate and refocus.

I guess I  feel lost when my faith is less compelling than the world around me. We all do. It’s not really the internet that is disconnected, it is my soul, the ground of my being.

I chug along happily most of the time, immersed in my priorities, unaware that I am inching away from my heart’s true home – unaware because I am simply not looking up. Then something gets my attention and I realize just how far I have drifted.

I need to interrupt the drift… daily. We all do.

Peace, and more peace – Derek