This past weekend at our church the sanctuary floor collapsed during a Christian Rock Concert.  All the kids who were praising God in the mosh pit were plummeted to the concrete floor about 15 feet below. (My girls were at that concert and stood about 2 feet from the edge of where the floor gave way.)Immediately the fire alarm was pulled and fire, rescue, and ambulances were called and came from all the surrounding cities to attend the disaster area.

My daughters phoned and were so hysterical on the phone that I couldn't get a clear idea of what had happened, but I left immediately to go and get them. When I approached the church I couldn't get within a hundred meters. Police had blocked off all the streets near the church, and lights and sirens made the scene look like a war zone. People staggered around in a daze, praying with one another, consoling each other, or sitting crying wrapped in blankets and bandages.

The girls met me at a nearby gas station. They were obviously in shock and have continued to be extremely disturbed by all that they heard and saw. We have spent the weekend grieving and processing. Thankfully, though there were hundreds of minor injuries, nobody was killed. That in itself is a miracle, considering that pews fell into the hole and set props fell down into the audience.

Our church sanctuary is closed while forensics and city building engineers scour the affect area looking for signs of what caused this failure. We met for worship on Sunday at a nearby Bible College and benefitted from having the chance to praise God and come together in a spirit of unity.

At times like these our faith is tested. Afterall, what is faith except believing that God is 'for' us even when the evidence of circumstances points the other way. So I declare that God has not abandoned us. He loves us. He is not punishing us. He is, and will continue to be, with us as we journey through the next weeks and months.