Greetings from Sevierville, TN! What an action-packed week! One week ago, last Saturday night, November 26th, Larry and I decided to take a quick getaway to Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge, TN. We arrived that Saturday night, located our hotel room, unpacked and watched the evening news and weather (Larry claims I am a weather fanatic…he is 95% right…as living on the road, weather is important to me for traveling). The reports give me freedom to peace of mind or…panic – ha!

The local TV station out of Gatlinburg predicted rain on Monday and I groaned, "Oh no, we wanted to see the beautiful Smoky Mountains, Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, now it's going to rain on Monday and it will knock all the beautiful leaves off the trees. So I suggested, "Tomorrow after going to church, let's spend the afternoon site seeing." Indeed that's exactly what we did. We drove through PF, Gat, and a few miles in to the National Park. I was ecstatic as it was an absolutely beautiful day and every sight was so breathtaking. The color of the leaves, the quiet and quaintness of the area and the Smoky Mountains and all their beauty seemed to literally tranquilize me with peace. I kept telling Larry, "Honey, this is so beautiful; I can hardly take it all in." We weaved through the winding mountain roads and back to the busy bustling streets of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. As we drove out, we determined we would come back on Tuesday evening to enjoy all the Christmas lights and displays and I was amped! 

Monday morning we woke up, I walked out on the balcony and the sky looked so eerie, like a huge sand storm wall was moving in. In an hour, I stepped out again and the smoke was so overwhelming that I quickly went back into the room. Little did we know that a fire was raging out of control with 40-70 miles an hour winds, 9 miles from us. The alerts began to scroll across the TV screen of evacuation, etc. The smell was coming into our room so I put towels around the bottom and tops of the doors as it was getting hard to breathe. The high winds were literally blowing the smoke inside, any way it could get in. An hour later, the horizon that we could view from our balcony, turned into a flaming red blaze, it literally looked like all hell broke loose, which it did.

The rest of the story, you may already know by watching the news. So far 13 dead, 1,500 homes and hotels and business destroyed and thousands homeless. This area hadn't had any rain since the first of July. So it was a horrific tinderbox. The cities in this area have been on total lockdown and we were warned if the winds came up again to leave immediately as it would come to where we are in Sevierville. Praise the Lord, the rain came to help dampen the fires, but it's still only 35% contained.

Last Saturday, our daughter LaDawn drove down here with some of her employees of Verizon and brought a load of necessities to the main command station in PF. We went over there with her. There were staggering lines of people who had lost everything but the clothes on their backs. They were  shopping carts filled with essentials and food. The looks on their faces screamed out confusion, hopelessness and loss. The stories that were shared with us while we were there were heartbreaking. Person after person shared with us, "We were at home, and a sudden loud knock on the door came, we answered, and the police and fireman screamed only three words… GET OUT NOW!" With the wind spanning up to 70 miles an hour, they literally ran out the door with family members or a pet within a couple minutes. Within seconds, the impending flames were up to their homes as they frantically raced down the narrow mountain roads with flames on both sides and burning falling timbers.

Larry and I have been haunted by those three words "GET OUT…NOW!". Those were escape words, which meant live or die. Tragically so many people today are surrounded by the eternal hell fires of hell and damnation. We as believers need to be the spiritual fireman and police to warn them, "GET OUT NOW!" If they had not heeded the warning, they would have died in the fire.

Sadly, since then, story after story has surfaced in the past week of senseless police killings, unbelievable explosions, the Oakland warehouse fire, tornadoes in the South, shootings, etc. Every day is one tragedy after another. We do not know our future, but we need to always be ready and we need to pray always for those who are going through the loss and tragedies in their lives. Be that person and friend, if you know someone without Christ, to lovingly give them the warning.

Gloria

PS. While I am looking in shops, Larry is engaged in his favorite encounter.... sharing his soul winning illustration with a stranger on the bench! This is what I love about my man.... his love and zeal to win the lost, anywhere, anytime! I shot this thru a store window, so the pic is not clear, but what is clear is his urgency to share "The Way"......

Reflection

This morning I heard a story on the radio of a woman who was out Christmas shopping with her two children.  After many hours of looking at row after row of toys and everything else imaginable and after hours of hearing both her children asking for everything they saw on those many shelves, she finally made it to the elevator with her two kids.

She was feeling what so many of us feel during the holiday season time of the year. Overwhelming pressure to go to every party, every housewarming, taste all the holiday food and treats, getting the perfect gift for every single person on our shopping list, making sure we don't forget anyone on our card list, and the pressure of making sure we respond to everyone who sent us a card.

Finally, the elevator doors opened and there was already a crowd in the car. She pushed her way into the car and dragged her two kids in with her and all the bags of stuff. When the doors closed, she couldn't take it anymore and stated, "Whoever started this whole Christmas thing should be found, strung up and shot."

From the back of the car everyone heard a quiet calm voice respond, "Don't worry, we already crucified Him."

For the rest of the trip down the elevator it was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. Don't forget this year to keep the One who started this whole Christmas thing in your every thought, deed, purchase, and word. If we did it, just think of how different this whole world would be.

Recipe

Chicken Rice Soup

8 C. chicken broth

1 small onion, chopped

salt and pepper, to taste

3 celery ribs, sliced

2 C. cooked chicken, cubed

1 C. uncooked long grain rice

In a large saucepan, combine broth, celery, onion, salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add chicken and rice; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the rice is tender. Makes 8-10 servings.