Thunder Season

“At this also my heart trembles,
    and leaps out of its place.
2 Listen, listen to the thunder of his voice
    and the rumbling that comes from his mouth.
3 Under the whole heaven he lets it loose,
    and his lightning to the corners of the earth.
4 After it his voice roars;
    he thunders with his majestic voice
    and he does not restrain the lightnings[a] when his voice is heard.
5 God thunders wondrously with his voice;
    he does great things that we cannot comprehend.

Job 3:1-5(NRSV)

It seems as though each year I feel compelled to write a thunderstorm blog, so here is the 2019 version. A couple of weeks ago I began barbecuing, or grilling as we now describe it, when the rain moved in quickly. Dedicated as I am I continued my culinary task when a loud and immediate clap of thunder got me airborne. I literally jumped several centimetres, a feat which grows less likely with each passing day. This is the weird part -- I loved it. 

I have been terrified by thunderstorms which put the fear of God in me, and exulted in them, at times simultaneously. We have been trapped in vulnerable situations while canoe tripping through the years as thunderstorms raged around us, and it wasn't pleasant. Yet later we told the stories of our adventures with gusto. Why is that? 

In chapters 36-38 of Job, one of my favourite books of the bible, there is a lot a thunder and lightning. Not only is God the source of thunderstorms, there is a sense that the Creator is a sort of Thunder God. Move over Thor!

Well, don't go under that tree on the golf course this afternoon (severe thunderstorm watch)   and "if thunder roars, head indoors" because lightning can strike 8 to 16 kilometres from the storm. 

Oh yes -- enjoy!