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A Haboub for those who aren't familiar with the term, or the Sudan for that matter, is a fear inspiring term that means one thing: SAND STORM. Now in my time here I have seen light versions of dust in the air that look like a thick fog and taste, well, like sand. But they were nothing like what I experienced the other day. There is nothing like a good, old fashion natural phenomena to reveal God’s power and leave one in awe.

At approximately 7:00pm the sun was still shining bright as I glanced out the window. I got ready to leave and as I barely blinked the sky turned pitch black, some people let out a sigh and dove to close the windows and doors of where we were. We were at church nearing the end of the service. When I asked what was going on, someone calmly and matter-of-factly replied, "Haboub." To best describe this to you, you must imagine a scene from the movie “The Mummy,” when the pharaoh turns into a sand storm and literally cascades down on the people. This would be a very good depiction. For those who have not seen the movie, but follow history, an approaching Haboub can look kind of like a mushroom cloud from an atomic bomb. In utter silence a wave of sand towers and rolls as it picks up speed until it completely engulfs everything around it in utter darkness. Once in this storm, the dust is so thick it is nearly impossible to breathe or see. Nature at its most glorious can make us little humans quiver and multiple people remarked that it was the worst storm they had ever seen. Some even half-jokingly said, "It's the end of the world." And it can look like it in the moment--let me tell you. Three hours later, everything was covered in inches to feet of sand, the sky cleared, the air crisped and cooled and the sky parted to a light rain. The sand was washed away and I slept like a baby. <!-- D(["mb","u003c/p> u003cp> u003c/p> u003cp>Why do I share this? Well beside this being a phenomenal experience all in itself, for me it revealed a side of God that I have only read about in the Old Testament. It reminded me of God's wrath and His glory. As I have been finishing reading the Sacred Romance, a book about finding your own epic adventure as part of the ultimate love story between God and me, I picked up a new book to start, The Alchemist. It is very ironic that of all the many books I could have and did bring with me to Sudan I would pick this very book up next, as it too embarks on a quest to follow one's own "Personal Legend" and gold figure the main character of this story, is taken to Africa. I see that God is trying to reveal a peace of my Epic, or Legend to me. He has littearly been screaming for me to pay attention and just trsut him but I have not always succeded in listening. I think sometimes God sends me signs and I just can't see them, but trust me when a Haboub hits there is no way someone could miss it!? Even if you sleep through it, when you wake up in the morning and find yourself and your house covered in a think layer of dust you would have known it hit!u003cspan> u003c/span>u003c/p> u003cp> u003c/p> u003cp>So I saw my own insignificants in this act of nature. I saw how truly fragile we are as human begins. I was also able to reflect on some things and as the rains came I felt like God was sending yet another message: He will clear all things, he will wash away what needs to be washed away and He is the only one powerful enough to bring about change, peace, redemption.u003cspan> u003c/span>u003c/p> u003cp> u003c/p> u003cp>The storm hit a few days after I had started reading Matt7:24-27.u003c/p> u003cp> u003c/p> u003cp>u003ci>Matt7:24-27 (The Message) "These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living.u003cspan> u003c/span>They are foundational words, words to build a life on.u003cspan> u003c/span>If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock.",1] ); //-->

Why do I share this? Well beside this being a phenomenal experience all in itself, for me it revealed a side of God that I have only read about in the Old Testament. It reminded me of God's wrath and His glory. Since I have finished The Sacred Romance, a book about finding your own epic adventure as part of the ultimate love story between God and me, I picked up a new book, The Alchemist. It is very ironic that of all the many books I brought with me to Sudan, that I picked this very book to read next, as it too embarks on a quest to follow one's own "Personal Legend." Furthermore, the main character of this story, is taken to Africa.

I see that God is trying to reveal a peace of my epic, or legend to me. He has literally been screaming for me to pay attention and just trust Him, but I have not always succeeded in listening. I think sometimes God sends me signs and I just can't see them, but trust me when a Haboub hits there is no way someone could miss it!? Even if you sleep through it, when you wake up in the morning and find yourself and your house covered in a thick layer of dust, you would have known it hit!

So I saw my own insignificance in this act of nature. I saw how truly fragile we are as human beings. I was also able to reflect on some things and as the rains came I felt like God was sending yet another message: He will clear all things. He will wash away what needs to be washed away and He is the only one powerful enough to bring about change, peace, redemption.

The storm hit a few days after I had started reading Matt7:24-27.

Matt7:24-27 (The Message) "These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. <!-- D(["mb","u003cspan> u003c/span>Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house.u003cspan> u003c/span>It was fixed to the rock.u003cspan> u003c/span>"But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don't work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up it collapsed like a house of cards. u003c/i>u003c/p> u003cp> u003c/p> u003cp>I used to think that this scripture only referred to a person who was becoming a Christina but as I read it recently, know I think it can also apply to a Christian builder, as we never quite stop building and at any point in the construction process we can mess the entire thing up or at least I know I can. u003c/p> u003cp> u003c/p> u003cp>I live in a very sturdy building. When the sand storm hit, it was crazy, despite all the closed windows and doors the sand seeped in and blanketed everything it touched. Despite this the house stood unbudged. I thought of how I am rooted in the word and in my Epic, because I have recently made this connection that unless I am rooted in the word there is no way I will see my epic.u003cspan> u003c/span>I was out in the sand storm for a very short period of time but in that time I managed to grasp how powerless I truly am and how powerful God is. When I build on Him nothing will move me, shake me, break me, distract me, or terrorize me. I will be able to get through the storm and see the sky clear and the rain wash away the residue and I can not look back because looking back is like running back into the storm and that's just ridiculous. I think there are times here where I have looked back and felt like time has gone by so quickly and I have not done enough; I have gotten caught up in the storms. I know that to continue to build on solid rock means that I have to continue to look forward and follow the blue prints and than I will make it through the storms. u003c/p> u003cbr clearu003d"all">u003cbr>-- u003cbr>",1] ); //--> Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock. "But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don't work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up it collapsed like a house of cards.

I used to think that this scripture only referred to a person who was becoming a Christian, but as I read it recently, now I think it can also apply to a Christian builder. We never quite stop building and at any point in the construction process we can mess the entire thing up or at least I know I can.

I live in a very sturdy building. When the sand storm hit, it was crazy and, despite all the closed windows and doors, the sand seeped in and blanketed everything it touched. Despite this, the house did not budge. I thought of how I am rooted in the Word and in my epic, because I have recently made this connection that unless I am rooted in the word there is no way I will see my epic.

I was out in the sand storm for a very short period of time, but in that time I managed to grasp how powerless I truly am and how powerful God is. When I build on Him nothing will move me, shake me, break me, distract me, or terrorize me. I will be able to get through the storm and see the sky clear and the rain wash away the residue. I can not look back because looking back is like running back into the storm and that's just ridiculous. I think there are times here where I have looked back and felt like time has gone by so quickly and I have not done enough; I have gotten caught up in the storms. I know that to continue to build on solid rock means that I have to continue to look forward and follow the blue prints and than I will make it through the storms.

"The Way" from Kevin Pauley

The Second Sin