Life is unpredictable.  So many unknowns.  So many unexpected twists and turns in the road. Times of amazing joy.  Times of deep distress and sorrow.  Times of routine and times of spontaneity.  Plans get made, but often they don't turn out quite the way we anticipate.  Sometimes they do, but more often than not, we face circumstances that we hadn't planned on dealing with.  These past few weeks have demonstrated that to me anew. Dear family and community members faced a difficult loss.  We had prayed long and hard for healing, but it didn't come the way we hoped.  A precious time together with our extended youth group, seeing God move among them in a unique way.  The tremendous devastation of powerful hurricanes and fires, repeating themselves far too often on our newscasts.  Nothing in this world is certain - and we are seeing over and over just how fragile life is.  The accumulations of a lifetime can be gone in a moment, and our best-laid plans can be shattered by the "storms" that surround us.  More than ever, we need an anchor; a rock; a solid foundation; a fortress; a shelter; a refuge.  There is only one place to find that.  There is only ONE who can sustain us through the uncertainties of life.  There is truly only one place our hope can rest. In Jesus.  He carries us through those raging waters, He lifts us in the times of discouragement, He comforts us in our sorrows, He shares in our greatest triumphs and joys, He holds us in His everlasting arms when all else is swept away.  We need to let our grip loosen on the things of this world and allow ourselves to be held by the Almighty hand.  God, and His word alone will never fail - we can depend on that.  As we reach out to help and encourage and lift up one another, we draw from the Source of all life, all hope, all love, all peace, all beauty, all strength, all joy, all comfort, all wisdom, all power.....He has a limitless supply and He is waiting to pour into us so that we can pour into others.  Our world in desperate need of some good news and a demonstration of God's grace, mercy, justice and love.  Let's be workers together, offering hope and faith, especially in these uncertain times.