I awoke early that
Thursday morning to the sound of sirens.
On this particular day, I had taken off of work to rest up for a
mid-week concert that night. As
I drove a short distance down the road to determine where the fire was, I
immediately saw smoke billowing from the back of our family farm.
While driving down the path to where the smoke was coming from, my
mind raced on the potential devastation that awaited me.
Just a month or so earlier, my wife and I had endured the heart
wrenching loss of our first unborn child.
As I arrived at the
scene of the fire I met my father, who had a look of despair on his face.
His primary storage barn was up in flames, along with a substantial
portion of his tobacco crop. He relayed how he had crawled in between some bales of hay to
try and put the fire out, but the flames began to race toward him, the
bales of hay fell and he was almost completely trapped and easily could
have burned to death. He
escaped with only his hair singed by the approaching flames, but no
physical harm. This would be
miracle #1.
While at the scene of
the fire, I called my wife who was at work and advised her she needed to
come home to be with the family due to the amount of devastation.
Approximately 30 minutes later, I received a frantic call on my
cell phone from her that she had just had a wreck and was trapped in her
car. My first thoughts due to
just seeing a fire, was her vehicle catching on fire with her in it, so I
sped away (an understatement), and when I came upon the scene, I realized
that her vehicle was upside down, in the woods, wedged in between some
trees, and I could not see the windows.
I called out to her and she told me to “get her out!!”, so I
felt she was at least alive and hopefully ok.
This would be miracle #2.
I
tried the first door which was jammed in the ground and wound up bending
the frame, but could not fully open.
I went to the next door which had a tree wedged up beside it.
Without much thought other than getting my wife out, I placed one
hand against the tree and bent it away from the door and with my other
hand, swung the door wide open for her to walk out….without a scratch!!
(I would later go back to that same location and attempt to move that same
tree as I did before, and find myself unable to budge it with both
hands..). This would be
miracle #3.
The physical loss that
morning, all within one hour was financially devastating, but no one died
and the Lord ultimately used these events in ways that I don’t have room
to elaborate on here, to bless in so many ways.
Thinking back to the
Christmas season, we are reminded of the pure joy and love that came to
earth in the form of a little child.
Thirty-three years later, that personification of pure love and joy
would be brutalized, tortured, whipped and unjustly killed.
He did nothing but love humanity, but through his death, God
accomplished the greatest miracle of all, enabling a payment for the
penalty of sin and paving the way for us to have eternal life.
We have all had and will
continue to experience trials much like my family endured this past year.
Sometimes they will not all have immediate happy endings.
Jesus’ crucifixion did not end as the disciples wanted and they
thought all was hopeless. God however, specializes in turning our deepest
moments of despair into ultimate blessing.
Sometimes these blessings are immediate and sometimes they take a
while to appear. If you are in the midst of a trial, first of all your
heavenly “Daddy” is just waiting to give you comfort and for you to
reach your arms up to him and he desires nothing more than to hold you in
his arms and love you. He is
just a prayer away and yes, He does still work miracles!!
Before I close, I’d
like to relay a few happenings and events within Legacy. Our latest CD has arrived and already we are hearing how it
has blessed and touched so many people.
To God be the glory!! On
Friday, February 4th mark your calendars for an exciting event.
Legacy will be hosting Dollywood’s own “KingdomHeirs” at
Pikeville PFWB church. The
church is located on Nahunta Rd in Pikeville, NC.
No admission will be charged, with just a love offering being
taken. We hope to see you all
there. Finally, our tenor
singer Walter Bass and his wife Cile, have announced that they will
finally be grandparents by their son Kevin and his wife Adrian (and yes, I
am now officially singing with all grandparents…which is one reason
I’ll never leave Legacy…I always feel so young!! hehehehe).
That’s it for Legacy
for this quarter. Please
check our schedule and we would love you see you if we are ever in your
area. May God richly bless
each of you in the days and weeks ahead.
In Christian Love,
Tim Perry for Legacy