08.26.2018 – As you remember the bulletin last week was rather prophetic (see attached).  Red Tide had invaded our area and people in the community came unglued.  Protests at the beach, at the local Venice City Council meeting and through the news media, showed that PEOPLE were blaming PEOPLE for a natural red tide issue, and were DEMANDING that PEOPLE (elected officials) fix the problem.  Our Church was tapped and led by God to do the obvious with the clear words from God… “Why has no one acknowledged and asked ME to for help as the ONLY one who can?”  It was clear, men were looking to men to solve an impossible ‘no-man’ controllable issue.  We called for prayer!  I wrote a letter to the editor of the local paper and asked the community to join us.

Sunday Evening, August 26, we met at the church flag pole at 6:30pm. About 25 of us prayed and acknowledge God as creator and simply ASKED Him to “Turn the Tide.”  We didn’t demand, ask to destroy or seek to manipulate our God in any way with details our ‘how-to’s.’  We just asked our Father God… “Please Lord Turn the Tide.   At the ‘Amen,’ it started to rain and the wind began to blow from the east.

Fast forward to Today 9/3/18.  The rains came last week, EVERY DAY,’ in torrents.  The wind continued to blow.  On Monday August 27, and every day thereafter, the beach was clear, no smell, birds and baitfish came back and fish were being caught.  We had already had the beach pavilion scheduled for 4 months for a picnic (how would we have known) and planned on meeting and praying to THANK GOD for His answer and favor.  As the clouds began to roll in the early afternoon, I wondered, will God send the same rain upon us as we thank and praise Him?  Either way we were going to show up.

At 3:30pm Sunday September 2nd, the clouds were dark and the westward wind blew harder.   But by 4pm when people showed up for the Church picnic, the wind had died, and a cool breeze blew upon us.  No sweat, no bugs.  Just wonderful thanksgiving and fellowship.   Thank you God.

Know what???  “We”  our church members,  don’t REALLY care about red tide because we know it comes and goes.  But the lesson here was NOT about the Tide.  It was about ‘Acknowledgement!’  WHO IS GOD?  WHERE DO YOU TURN?  And DO YOU THANK HIM and LOOK TO HIM for EVERYTHING?  THAT is why we are here.  THAT is why He asked us to “Ask Him!”

The letter never got into the paper.  Hmmmm.  But our LED sign, all week, centered all around the the Red Tide prayer and reminders to pray to God ask God to Turn it!  And for the first time in all the years of owning that sign… it got stuck!  The messages are still up there and cannot be changed until we get a new part for it! The response to ‘Ask God CAME from God.. not ourselves.  We simply did what HE asked. And our sign stands as a reminder to our community that GOD is God and WE KNOW IT, WE asked and HE SHOWED it!!

Thank you for your prayers and Faith.  You are very special to Him

K.C.