Brandan Hadlock

When I was a kid, I loved a good rain storm. I might go to the car with a book and read while the rain pounded on the metal roof. Or perhaps sit on the back porch. There is something majestic and wonderful about nature’s power. And thankfully, usually, storms are safe. We have wonderful buildings to protect us from which we can look outside and view God’s might. Rain smells wonderful. Especially in Arizona. Wind can whip the hair. Rainwater brings life to farms and desert communities.

Sometimes, though, storms become more powerful than buildings or vehicles. Tornadoes and hurricanes destroy homes, throw cars, and devastate lives. Sometimes, too, life is hard. Despair comes. Relationships struggle. Dreams continue unmet and far away. Each of us has had some of these types of storms in our lives. Years can pass as we endure. But there is a God who watches over us and helps us. He sent us to earth to grow and progress and become like Him. He loves us and is aware of our thoughts and feelings, hopes and fears, and dreams and dislikes. Like any good father, He wants us to talk to Him, ask Him for help, and follow His counsel. Sometimes He answers our requests with a, “No.” Sometimes with a, “Yes.” Sometimes He allows us to struggle and figure things out so we can learn and grow and experience.

You might wonder why a bio about me starts with theology. Why not mention that I had a cockatiel as a pet or that as kids, we used to float around our backyard in a plastic swimming pool floating on irrigation water? Or perhaps I should interest you with that fact that my father fit and fabricated artificial ocular prosthetics. That’s right, he made hand-painted fake eyes and blessed many lives doing so. But God is central to all I am. My parents created me, but before they did, God did. My thoughts, my views, my greatest aspirations are all influenced by God and my belief in Him and his teachings.