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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: WEATHER (07/19/18)
It was early August 2005. My husband and I were on our way to the Biloxi VA for a doctor's appointment. As we traveled the scenic highway along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, we marveled at the beautiful majestic oaks that dotted the landscape, and the mansions that overlooked the sandy beaches. It was a gorgeous morning and the still gulf waters shimmered with the rays of the rising sun. Our thoughts suddenly turned to another trip in 1969, after Hurricane Camille devastated this area, leaving nothing in its wake. It had long since healed and restored to its former glory. 



We had no idea of the storm that was churning out in the Atlantic with its eye on the eastern United States. By late August, Hurricane Katrina entered the Gulf of Mexico, its landfall still a mystery. From Florida to Texas, thousands prepared for what proved to be one of the costliest and deadliest hurricanes to ever hit the United States, a CAT 3 at landfall with winds in excess of 130 mph. It came ashore on August 29th, killing more than 1,800 people and leaving millions homeless.



In Katrina's aftermath, the Mississippi Gulf Coast once again was left in shambles. The majestic oaks uprooted, the mansions nothing but empty slabs amid a desolate landscape. Cars and boats littered the highways for miles inland. The damage was catastrophic. So it is with nature's fury. 



So it is with life! Likened to the force of a hurricane, trials, and tribulations assail us with incredible force, often unexpected and every bit as frightening. Buffeted on all sides, tossed to and fro, and unable to maintain our balance, we yearn to evacuate our present situation, to seek shelter from the relentless forces that shattered the calm of our yesterdays. There is something, however, we can learn from a hurricane. It is found in the eye of the storm. Though the winds and rain can be extremely strong and deadly, the outer bands often extending hundreds of miles in diameter, the eye itself remains calm. When we are faced with insurmountable issues in our lives, we can find safety in the eye of our storms. It is found in Yeshua, who is our peace. The closer we draw to him, the safer we will be. We can take our problems to him, trusting that he will provide the answers we seek. He will shelter us in his protective care and put to rest all our doubts and fears. He is mightier than any storm and is waiting with open arms to lead us through them all.  Philippians 4:6-7, John 14:27 KJV
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Member Comments
Member
Date
Terry R A Eissfeldt 
07/26/18
Beautifully written - wonderful devotion. Thank you!
Lollie Hofer 
07/26/18
Our calm and safety is indeed found in Yeshua. You've offered me encouragement and lots to think about. A little red ink would be to break up your paragraphs. People are more apt to read your devotional, if it's in smaller bites. (Your devotional was personal for me too because our nephew and his family lived in New Orleans near one of the levies that broke after Hurricane Katrina went through. Fortunately, they evacuated before the storm hit but lost everything in the floods.) Thank you for sharing.
Jenny Fulton 
07/26/18
I really enjoyed the lessons you pulled and the descriptions you used.

Some things to think about for the future: try to introduce your topic with something that will really pull the reader in. For example, instead of beginning with a date, you could begin with a statement about the total destruction of hurricanes.
Elaine Hemingway
07/29/18
Well done, and good teaching to be in the eye of the storm where Jesus/Yeshua can find us.
Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom 
08/01/18
This is a beautiful devotion. It's timely too as we enter the new hurricane season, yet don't know how bad it will be. We do know God is with us to help us through any storm.

My main suggestion would be to not begin with in inactive sentence. Even better, maybe begin with a conflict. For example, I might suggest an edit like this: on a gorgeous morning in August 2005, my husband and I were driving on the highway next to the Mississippi Gulf Coast, totally unaware of what would happen next. As we chatted, we marveled at the beautiful majestic oaks that dotted the landscape and the mansions that overlooked the sandy beaches.
Just with these little adjustments, I tried to paint a picture for your reader while tightening the sentences up some. Although where you were driving and why are vivid in your mind, the reader really doesn't need these extra details. There's also a sense of a conflict and suspense.
You've done a great job of writing on topic while delivering a wonderful message. I think you have a great knack for writing devotions with powerful messages. You also have a great start on writing mental pictures for the reader. Keep writing and also I'd like to challenge you to read and comment on every story in your level and at least two in each of the other levels. The more you read and leave constructive criticism the more you'll hone your own writing skills. You need to do this because I really suspect God has great plans for your writing!