There's A Storm Coming....

 This storm moved fast... the clouds were amazing, the colors were vibrant and the sky kept changing.
When big storms threaten, we need to figure out what to do... we need to evaluate how big it will be... we need to be prepared.

 We were working outside and noticed the clouds... they were beautiful, so I started to take pictures. We started watching the clouds and noticed they were moving really fast and the clouds changed quickly. It was beautiful.

My kids had been cooped up for many days with some sickness and they still had coughs, but this was an exciting reason to get OUT of the house! What a beautiful sunset....

 We left my husband working on the deck and the kids and I left in the vehicle to go where we could see the sky better... the kids were pretty excited... they seemed to feel like they had been set FREE. :) 

 We drove a ways to where there was more of the sky visible, away from so many houses, so that we could get better pictures. Just in the time we drove, the sky continued to change quickly....

 The sky was amazingly beautiful.





It was also looked a bit threatening...
the winds were picking up and the temperature was cooling.... a set up for a big storm...

 The top of the sky seemed to cap over the area.... The clouds looked like they were boiling...

Though beautiful, such clouds can signal bad storms... and sometimes here in the Midwest, storms blow up and strike with a vengence.

 We watched carefully as the sky continually changed since it was so exciting to watch...

We like watching the weather... after all we live in the Midwest where tornadoes and big thunderstorms happen. It makes for great Science study also. :)

 The colors had an odd quality to them... there was a glow and the colors were so intense... in the sky and on the ground. It was so wonderful to see.

After it got a bit lighter, then it got darker again... like I said, it was strange...

The winds were blowing a lot... changing between warm and hot.. and refreshingly cool, then we would feel the warm air again, so it was obviously mixing.

It made me think of the word blustery.....

As you look at the pictures, you can see some of the changes in the sky.... it was challenging to look in all directions for the changes... including over top of us. It was really quite a sight.

You can see that the pink/red color is diminishing and the light was fading also.

The colorful sky has changed... not much color left, but it was still interesting.

See the parallel lines in the clouds? This system was interesting because it contained various types of cloud formations.... and we had studied those last year in school. :)

This looked a bit ominous over the house.... no that is not our house. :)

By the way, if things would have turned dangerous.... we would have either hightailed it home... or taken cover in a ditch if necessary. We enjoy watching storms, but we are careful with them also. It is foolish not to have a respect for what the weather can do.... so please don't think I was taking chances with my kids.

By the time we got home, it was dark... really dark... and we weren't gone terribly long. We had to turn on lights... it had been light enough for no lights when we left. We were all geared up for a big storm... expecting to sleep with thunderstorms throughout the night. That little bit of excitement was there with the danger of the impending storm.

The kids were quite disappointed the next morning that the storms had moved on around us... and they felt "cheated".  :)  Now, they wouldn't want to have severe storms that cause great damage, but there is something majestic about a storm... where the winds and sky seem uncontrolled and yet we know the One who calms the storm.

We carefully watched the storm... and the next time one comes, we will also watch. We will take pictures of the beauty and we will take note of what weather is expected... the wind, rainfall, flooding, tornado, thunderstorm alerts. We will do what needs to be done... like we will put the cover over the solar panel on the shed when the sky turns green or when hail is expected. We will be ready..... but we will also trust God to take us through the storm. We will not allow our amazement of the weather lead us to foolishly take chances with it. We will also work to not live in fear of it. 

This storm had some qualities about it that we have seen before when very bad and dangerous storms came that spawned tornadoes.... but this one went around us. What if we had lived in fear and been trembling over it.... only to have it not even happen? We would have wasted the opportunity to see the amazing beauty of the storm around us.... God created the winds, clouds, light, rain, color and more. He sure put on quite a show the night I took these pictures... and I am so thankful we were able to see it. How nice of Him to show us all of that wild beauty... even when the storm was headed somewhere else.

What about when storms of life come? We know they will come....and they will come many times. Life is like that. When we see a "storm" threatening, whether it be a health crisis, a problem with a family member, money issues, or anything else.... we need to watch carefully. The enemy loves to use such times to lead us into fear, doubt, anger and more..... we need to be vigilant.... but God tells us not to fear. That can be so hard and sometimes it feels impossible.  No, we shouldn't be foolish in the way we treat such storms... but we should allow the fear or other emotions to drive us closer to God.... and to trust Him. 

Another post with cloud pictures:
Look at the Clouds!