Today I experienced a first.  My husband checked the weather before going to work and said we had a storm warning – a dust storm warning.  When I checked the weather an hour later, this amazing footage is what I found.  And  I love the article below the video; here’s a bit of it:

Arizona’s monsoon season began June 15 and runs through Sept. 30

In recent years, it has produced massive dust storms called “haboobs.” Weather experts say haboobs only occur in Arizona, Africa’s Sahara desert and parts of the Middle East because of dry conditions and large amounts of sand.

 We are definitely ducks out of water here in the desert!  We are water folk…we know the River, the Gulf, the Lake.  In New Orleans, you didn’t have to say which river, gulf or lake – everyone just knew because the city is built around them.  We have lived in North Carolina, near “the beach”.  And we have lived in Mississippi on “the coast”.  We are used to storm warnings.  They just have a different meaning.  By the way, please continue to keep the Gulf South in your prayers as they are still recovering from a hurricane and bracing for the rest of “the season” (hurricane season, that is).

Our time in Arizona and in San Antonio is, and was, time apart.  Apart from what we know as home.  Apart from family.  Apart from water!  But I am reminded that nowhere on Earth is really our home.  Jesus is “preparing a place for us” (John 14:2)… a place where there are no more tears (Rev 21:4), a place where we will be in His presence and finally, completely, free of the Curse.

Peace, joy, holiness – these are fleeting glimpses of Heaven that we get to see from time to time here on Earth.  What a blessing to have the Holy Spirit abiding within us to keep us connected to the Father while we live here.  Having a personal relationship with Jesus is the closest we can get to Heaven here on Earth.  And this same Jesus, He is Master of the wind, the waves and even the dust.  With Him, the storms cannot destroy us, not weather-related storms and not storms of life.

On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him.  And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling.  But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”

Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.  But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”  And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!

Mark 4:35-41, ESV