I grew up in Chicago. Its nickname is the windy city. The name was given for the politicians, but if you ever are downtown among the sky snappers, the wind will whip through the man-made canyons. But nothing in Chicago prepared me for the winds out on the wide open plains.

My first summer here, I went outside, and the winds were intense. I fully expected that a storm must be on its way.

Nope, just a Tuesday.

I have come to embrace the winds.

The other day, I was on my way to lead Worship at Immanuel. The winds were howling from the south. If you have driven in snow and wind, you know the look of wind blowing the snow across the road. This time, it was dust. A lot of dust.

I had a local tell me that the sand hills in Nebraska are built of the soil taken from the badlands in South Dakota.  This day, Nebraska was returning some of the sand.

As I drove I thought of other experiences with the wind since I came here.

On my initial drive over to lead the center, I stopped at a small town gas station in Nebraska.  I had been in my truck for a couple of hours. The air conditioning felt good. As I stopped, I felt the wind rock the truck. I got out thinking the wind would feel good. I was wrong. It was a south wind and carried dry heat. The instant I got out, I felt all moisture sucked out of me.

A few years ago, we had 3 days of blizzard. 36 inches of snow combined with 60+ mph winds created some incredible snow drifts.

But the wind is not all bad. As I sit here, the south wind is picking up the scent of the lilac bushes filling the house with their incredible aroma. And the breeze helps to keep the house cool.

Wind is only one of the many things that make living here an adventure. If it could stop covering everything with dust, I would be okay with that

We try to earn visitors about the wind. Many have to experience it first hand.

I remind them of the spirit coming like a wind. God loves them, and so do I.