Impact Windows and Hurricane Shutters

“No tempest howls along the peaceful shores of paradise.” – C.H. Spurgeon

Since we relocated to Florida in 2011, we have lived in several different houses. Our first one was a 3 bedroom/2 bath CBS (concrete block structure) for which we bought hurricane shutters. We didn’t need them for the first several years but when Hurricane Matthew hit in 2016, we secured the shutters in place… and they were so effective that we couldn’t even hear the wind or the rain outside. Although we lost power for a couple of days, our house didn’t sustain any damage whatsoever because of its strong construction.

In 2017, we moved from Vero Beach to Sebastian because all three of our kids had moved out, meaning we no longer needed a three-bedroom house. Plus, I had been asked to fill the pulpit of a church there while their pastor recovered from a stroke… and making the 80-minute roundtrip drive four times per week for five months was getting expensive. And so, we bought a new modular home equipped with impact windows built to withstand 125 mph winds. It was also anchored with hurricane straps every six feet that were buried in concrete eight feet into the ground, so it would have taken a CAT 3 or 4 storm to do much damage.

After four years in Sebastian, we moved back to Vero Beach to be closer to our kids and grandkids, for whom Deanna babysits regularly. However, instead of buying a house, this time we purchased a 34’ travel trailer. We have thoroughly enjoyed the simpler lifestyle and God even led us to plant a church, Midway Bible Fellowship, in our RV community... and it is flourishing.

Now it seems like God has yet another adventure in store for us. Deanna has done some research and apparently, living in an RV is not recommended for someone with extreme vertigo. In recent weeks, I have suffered nine different attacks, one of which was so severe that I had to go to the ER. And so, we are considering two different homes: a frame house with heavy-duty siding and hurricane shutters; and a CBS house with impact windows and a metal roof. Either one should keep us safe and sound should another hurricane strike the Sunshine State.

In the same manner, God keeps us safe in the midst of life’s storms by either moving them aside or riding them out with us (see Matthew 14:22-33; and Mark 4:35-41). Best of all, we won’t need CBS homes, metal roofs, or impact windows in heaven because there will be no hurricanes, tornadoes, twisters, tropical storms, earthquakes, blizzards, or tsunamis there.

Just Jesus and us… along with an untold number of angels and fellow believers. Won’t that be great!

“Then the LORD will create over all of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud of smoke by day and a glowing flame of fire by night. For over all the glory there will be a canopy, a shelter to give shade from the heat by day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and the rain.” Isaiah 4:5-6 (BSB)

- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President

(I encourage you to read the lyrics to A Shelter in the Time of Storm written by Vernon Charlesworth in 1880. It is sure to “anchor” your faith even more than hurricane straps!)