Blown Away!

By Kelly Gordon

On April 27, 2011, at 5:53 p.m., their lives were forever changed. An EF-4 tornado destroyed everything they owned and tossed them one hundred twenty feet from where they sought shelter. They lost all of their material possessions, but they still had each other. They were hurtseriously hurt, but they would start over. God would provide. They had witnessed His provision before, as He sustained them through several miscarriages, the adoption of their son, and the custody suit that followed when their sons biological father tried to take him from them. The purpose of this book is to emphasize the importance of faith during the tough trials in the lives of believers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jan 30, 2012
• ISBN: 9781449736729

Kelly Gordon

Kelly Gordon has a master’s degree in biblical studies.  Through various trials in her life, specifically miscarriages, the adoption of her son, and the custody suit that followed and then the EF-4 tornado that left her, her husband, and her son seriously injured, she has relied upon the Lord to sustain her and knows the importance of exercising extreme faith.  She lives in Hueytown, Alabama, with her husband, Eddie, and their son, Eli, and works for a regional bank as a financial analyst.

Book preview

Contents

Introduction

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Endnotes

To my husband, Eddie, for being the greatest man on earth; to Brenda for being my right arm and my crutch when I needed you most; to Ginger for your phone ministry rallying the prayer warriors; to Jeff for being there for Eli when we couldn’t be; to Cora Lee for opening up your home to us and for putting up with me; to Eli’s Granny Lulu for being there to support Cora Lee when she needed a shoulder; to Brandon and his crew of volunteers for rummaging through our debris pile and salvaging what you could; to Laramie for finding Elvis after he had been trapped under that debris for three days; to the folks at Hueytown Veterinary Clinic who operated on Elvis and then boarded him for weeks (all free of charge to us!) until we found someone to take care of him for a while; to Melinda for giving Elvis a home for a few months; to David for taking care of Alex for us; to Matt and Rebecca for taking care of Scout for us; to Kathy and her family for sifting through debris; to Tammy and Rodney for finding Eddie for us the night of the tornado; to Matt for being my superhero; to Rebecca for coming to bathe Eli and help us out; to Dan for the hours you spent on our lot, day after day, trying to salvage what you could; to all the volunteers who worked on our lot and on our street; to the anonymous donor from New Orleans who sent a very generous donation to us; to our family at Concord Highland Baptist Church who, even though your church building was destroyed, saw to it that you blessed our family; to our church family at Hueytown Baptist for the prayers, donations, and food; to my adopted mom, Nelda, who made me smile, faithfully came to see us in the hospital, and brought us food; to my coworkers who offered prayers of support and contributed to the Kelly Gordon Family Fund; to Rodney, Sherry, Jake, Erin, Brigette, and Bill for taking care of the yard work at Cora Lee’s and Daddy’s while we healed from our injuries and for making so many trips to see us, just to give us that much needed emotional support; to other family members who came to stay with us and help Cora Lee take care of us; to everyone who prayed for us and the other tornado victims and who contributed money and other items; to George and Agnes for the grocery money and for the prayers; to the doctors, nurses, and staff at UAB and at Children’s Hospital for taking such good care of our family; to our family at Oakes Chapel Baptist Church for your generous support; to other churches throughout the Southeast for your prayers and financial support; to Mrs. Jean Morgan for your encouragement to write this book; and to God, my Father, who orchestrated all these trials in my life for a reason, who loves me with a love that just blows me away!

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

—Romans 8:28 (NLT)

Introduction

A little over three years ago, I went through the toughest trial of my life. I reached a point where I thought I would never be happy again. A series of events, detailed in this book, led to this feeling of hopelessness. I had made a grave spiritual mistake. I had grown weary of waiting on the Lord and had taken things into my own hands. At the time, I didn’t see it that way. I saw it as doing all I could and leaving the rest to the Lord. Isn’t that what we are taught? The Lord helps those who help themselves.

In my desperation, I had resorted to this worldly counsel. But in my desperation, I should have held tightly to the truth of Isaiah 40:31: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Instead of waiting on the Lord, I opted to go down a road that I