This decade has been and will continue to be the stormiest and most chaotic season any of us will face in our lifetimes. In less that three years we have experienced at least five major storms: a pandemic, widespread economic devastation (twice), a war in Europe that threatens the world, and societal breakdowns which are tearing our country apart.

At this rate, we will suffer through fifteen more storms before the end of the decade! Are you prepared for more of the same?

Regrettably, national and world-wide catastrophes are not the only storms we face in this life. Disease, divorce, and the death of loved ones plague every human being on the planet, no matter who or what they worship. No one escapes the tragedies of this life.

As Jesus warns in the Sermon on the Mount, houses will fall (Matthew 7:24-27). And let us not deceive ourselves into thinking that the individuals and corporate entities who call themselves “Christian” will be exempt from the destruction.

But there is hope, and there is promise for those who worship the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He has both the desire and grace to fully restore our houses. He simply wants our cooperation. That is not to suggest that navigating the storms and chaos will be easy. For many of us, it will be the hardest thing we have ever done, and the reason we need to walk this out together.

Furthermore, God has an eternal purpose in the storms of this decade.

Those people, families, and institutions who lose their houses will be looking around for refuge, encouragement, and understanding. The opportunities for positive kingdom impact are exceedingly, abundantly beyond all we can imagine.

Is it possible that this stormy decade is God’s answer to our prayers for revival – the breaking-off of idols and the death-to-self required for our transformation?

The Storms Have Only Just Begun has been written with prayer and hope for the revival and restoration of the church, and with conviction that only those who prepare their proverbial houses will stand and come out on the other side stronger in faith and power.

The Christian leaders – the real leaders – of this decade will be those individuals, families, and fellowships who have assessed their foundations, pursued the necessary restoration, and inhabited their houses in renewed surrender to God’s sacrificial love for others.

Except for the most mature Christian, inspection will expose some amount of shallowness, cracks, and weak construction. Repair and remediation must quickly follow, lest the storms catch us unprepared. Procrastination is the fool’s response. Ignorance is bliss only until the moment our house comes tumbling down.

Once the structural issues have been repaired to God’s satisfaction, we can inhabit our house, prepared for the responsibilities and opportunities entrusted to us, including the refuge, encouragement, and building up of others (i.e., making disciples).

God allows and creates storms in our lives to inspect, test, and ultimately perfect of our houses. The purpose of The Storms Have Only Just Begun is to help Christians who are and will become leaders navigate the chaos and storms of this decade in God’s way and for God’s purpose.