The Storms of Life

Biblical Principles for Living Series THE STORMS OF LIFE DR. J.L. WILLIAMS Copyright © 2007 by Dr. J.L. Williams All Rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning or other – except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Published in Burlington, North Carolina by NDI Press Printed in India Table of Contents Dedication 1 Acknowledgement 5 Introduction 7 The Storm of Disappointment 15 The Storm of Disobedience 25 The Book of Jonah 61 The Storm of Discipleship 66 The Storm of Discovery 84 The Storm of Destiny 110 The Storm of Destruction 137 The Storm of Discernment 152 Summary of Life’s Storms 171 The Storms of Life Dr. J. L. Williams DEDICATION It is a joy to dedicate this book on the “Storms of Life” to my brother Eddy, or “Ed” as he is known by many. He is my “big brother” because he is both older than me and taller than me! As a result, I have looked up to him all of my life – physically, emotionally and spiritually! So it is appropriate that I dedicate this book to him for several reasons… First of all, because we have been partners in the ministry of NDI ever since its inception nearly four decades ago. In fact, it was Eddy who first invited Patt and me to join him in Burlington where he was the Youth Director at the YMCA at the time. This was to have been just a temporary summer assignment for us before our deployment to the foreign mission field for life. But God had another mission field in mind for Patt and me in the Youth Culture of America. So to paraphrase the Apostle Paul, NDI was “abnormally born” (I Cor. 15:8) during what we thought was a temporary hiatus in our tracking for the foreign mission field. And this birth also took place in the tumultuous and defining Civil Rights Era when America was forever changed racially, politically and 1 The Storms of Life Dr. J. L. Williams culturally. Little did we realize or imagine that God would use those early days of evangelism, discipleship and racial reconciliation through the “New Directions” musical ministry to open wider doors into other countries of the world. So without Eddy, NDI would never have been born! Secondly, our partnership is another demonstration of the fact that God has often called brothers into ministry together. One of the first brother ministry teams recorded in the Bible was that of Moses and Aaron. Also, according to the Gospel record, the very first Disciples that Jesus called to follow Him were two sets of brothers: Simon Peter and Andrew, followed by James and John – all fishermen (Matt. 4:18-22). And there have been other effective brother partnerships God has raised up down through the centuries – like John and Charles Wesley. In the realm of business there have also been many effective sibling partnerships like the “Wright Brothers,” Wilbur and Orville. In politics we think of George W. and Jeb Bush. In music the Smothers Brothers and Gatlin Brothers. In literature we think of the many fairy tales written by the Brothers Grimm. In the movies who can ever forget the infamous “Blues Brothers.” And in NASCAR there are several brother racing teams like Kyle and Kurt Busch, Bobby and Terry LaBonte, Michael and Darrell Waltrip, Jeff and Ward Burton and Mike, Rusty and Kenny Wallace. And in missions, NDI has been privileged to be in partnership with the twelve “VanWingerden Brothers” – along with their four brothers-in-law! Also, during the difficult pioneer days of this ministry when things were very uncertain organizationally and 2 The Storms of Life Dr. J. L. Williams unstable financially, Eddy was always there to help support and sustain us. After he left the YMCA, he worked for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. But during the time he did as much promotion of NDI as he did the BGEA! And over and over again his love was there when needed. He demonstrated to me the love expressed in one of the popular songs of the day that the New Directions often sang, “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother!” Finally, this book is dedicated to Eddy since he has been deeply involved in Relief Work after the devastation of many storms that have assaulted America in the last several decades. He first did this for Franklin Graham and Samaritan’s Purse. Later in his “retirement” he did the same for me and NDI. In the aftermath of hurricanes, floods and tornados, Eddy would quickly “move in” and live in tents, house trailers, motor homes, churches or cheap motel rooms to coordinate work teams and facilitate Disaster Relief, and he would stay there for as long as it took to get the job done. And through the years he did this in States like North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, George, Florida and the Gulf Coast. So Eddy has been used by the Lord to help bring practical love and compassion to thousands of people whose lives were forever scared spiritually, physically and emotionally through the “Storms of Life.” And he continues to demonstrate this ministry of mercy to people whose lives have been ravaged by the storms that have assaulted them as a result of debilitating sickness, terminal diseases, divorce, alcohol, drug addiction and depression. 3 The Storms of Life Dr. J. L. Williams So you could never have a better, wiser or more compassionate person come along side you in one of life’s storms than my brother, Eddy! Therefore, it is a joy to dedicate this book to him – with the prayer that God will give him many more years of physical strength and spiritual wisdom to minister to those facing one of the “Storms of Life.” With love and admiration for my “big brother,” Eddy, JL. 4 The Storms of Life Dr. J. L. Williams ACKNOWLEDGMENT No book is the product of one person. As a speaker and writer, I am the product of everything I have read or heard up to the time of writing a particular book. So all of my personal experience and knowledge have been consciously or unconsciously reflected in this book. Therefore, after my writing of this “stormy book” – it had to weather the technical assault and scrutiny of several other people before it could go to press! Typists, proof-readers and graphic designers at NDI have all had a hand in the production of this book. So as the Bible says, let me “…give honor where honor is due” (Rom. 12:10; 13:9). First, I am thankful for Debra Phillips for her several typings of this manuscript – a tedious and tiring job even in the computer age! Secondly, I am indebted to David Miller and Daniel Newby for their careful technical read-through of the book for printing. Thirdly, I am very appreciative to Vincent Graves for his design of the cover as well as for his artwork and graphics throughout the book. Finally, I am thankful for my wife, Patt, who “married this book” for a final proof-reading while I was on one of my many overseas mission trips! Each of these people weathered all of these storms many times in order to get it into your hands! 5 The Storms of Life Dr. J. L. Williams Now it is your turn. So I encourage you to get on your best “storm gear” and head into these universal Storms of Life with me! And in each storm you will meet some very familiar Biblical characters who will “ride out the storms” with you. Anchored in His love through the Storms of Life, J.L. Founder & CMO New Directions International 6 The Storms of Life Dr. J. L. Williams DISCERNING LIFE'S STORMS INTRODUCTION In the last few years, America has experienced the ravages of some of our worst storms in history. Not only has our country faced the savage fury of hurricanes, tornados and floods, but many parts of our world have experienced similar stormy weather! In America the names of hurricanes like Isabel, Andrew, Mitch, Katrina and Rita are forever etched in our memories – as well as on our landscape. Many of the worst hurricanes were “Category 5”, which distinguishes them as the most dangerous level of storm – and separates them from their less destructive Tropical Storm cousins. In addition to the increasing number of hurricanes that have assaulted America, who can ever forget the great Asian Tsunami, one of the largest natural disasters in recorded history? This “monster wave” not only leveled untold number of houses and buildings, it swept hundreds of thousands of people to a watery grave. As a result of each violent storm, lives were lost, businesses were destroyed, families were uprooted, farm crops were devastated in the fields and water sources were polluted. The work and dreams of a lifetime were dashed and devastated by a few hours 7 The Storms of Life Dr. J. L. Williams of intense wind, rain, assaulting waves, surging floods and spin-off tornadoes! As each storm cut its destructive path through vast areas of land, it left millions of people without electricity, running water, food or basic sanitation. After each storm was over, billions of dollars would be spent in rebuilding, repair and cleanup! As these storms approached our shores, thousands of hapless people could identify with King David when his enemies were moving against him like a raging storm.

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