This was a Fourth of July where there would be no fireworks. Just a lot of tears.

It was raining when the campers went to sleep that night. But no one knew that the Guadalupe River would turn into a raging flood while they slept.

The girls at Mystic Camp were awakened by that flood smashing into their cabins. Some were able to escape. Twenty-four could not.

A few days ago, the President recalled that awful night. In the middle of his State of the Union address. He told the story of one of the Mystic Camp girls. Her name, Milly Cate. Eleven years old.

In the midst of the surging flood, she prayed for God to save her.

And a man who seemed to come out of nowhere, did.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "Hope When The Water Is Rising."

He was Scott Ruskan. Coast Guard rescue swimmer. You know those guys who come down from a chopper to rescue people from oceans and housetops.

Now Scott had gone to college to major in accounting. But Somewhere along the way, he decided his calling was to rescue. But this was his first mission.

And he was the answer to Milly Cate's prayer.

We know that because the President of the United States told us told the story. He said, "As the waters threatened to sweep her away, 11-year-old Milly Cate McClymond closed her eyes and prayed to God she thought she was going to die. Those prayers were answered when Coast Guard rescuer Scott Ruskan descended from a helicopter above."

You know Milly Cate was one of 164 people that he rescued that awful night. He was the only first responder around.

The President introduced him and then honored him on the spot with the prestigious Legion of Merit medal for "exceptionally meritorious conduct."

But his real "award," well that was the young girl next to him. Milly Cate.

Who, facing almost certain death, had one hope that night. A rescuer from above. Thank God, he came.

You know in a way, that's my story, too. And, no doubt, the story of many who are hearing this.

I want you to hear our word for the day from the Word of God. It tells the greatest rescue story of all.

Galatians 1:4: "Jesus gave His life for us... to rescue us."

Now with Good Friday approaching, that's what that middle cross at a place called Skull Hill was all about. The greatest act of love in the history of mankind. As the Bible explains, "He carried our sins in His own body on the tree" (1 Peter 2:24).

And that's because instead of living for the One who gave us our life, we have raised our fist and said, "You run the universe, God - I'll run me." And spiritual hijacking carries an unspeakable, eternal death penalty.

So there I was, I stood facing the onrushing flood of the judgment of Almighty God. Nothing I could do could pay that death penalty.

And here is the stunning rescue story that captured my heart forever. I did the sinning. God's Son did the dying! That's how much He loves me, and you.

The Rescuer from above didn't just risk His life to save us. He gave His life.

And like a camper facing death that tragic night, my only hope was a Rescuer from above. And I'm compelled to say this today. And get to you with this message, because I don't want you or anybody to miss Him. God says, "I have set before you life and death. Now choose life" (Deuteronomy 30:19).

I pray you will do that this day. If you have never reached out to the Rescuer to be your rescuer from your sin take care of that now. Say, "Jesus I am yours from this day forward."

Check out our website would you, because there you will find what you need know to be sure you belong to Him. It's ANewStory.com.

Because when Jesus comes to rescue you, you ought to grab His hand. Because Hope has come.

I had a friend who was a veteran sailor, and occasionally he would take us out on his sailboat. And I learned that when my sailing friend said it was time to go in, I'd better listen. There were times when we were out and the weather was beautiful, and I thought it was going to stay beautiful. But, man, his instincts knew better. He'd say, "I think we'd better go in." I'd say, "On a beautiful day like this? This is a ten." He'd say, "It isn't going to stay that way."

You know, there has been more than one occasion where I sailed with him into port and entered the harbor just as the storm broke loose. His instincts were amazing! You might be in a storm right now, or maybe you're headed for one and it just doesn't look like it yet. I have some very critical advice before you set your course or before you sail any further.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Navigating Stormy Weather."

Now, our word today from the Word of God is found in Luke 5:5, and the occasion here is where Jesus has asked Simon Peter to go out and fish again after he had fished all night and caught nothing. And Jesus said, "Look, I know it's the middle of the day. I know that it's hot. I know it doesn't look like a good time to go out, but I want you to." Simon answered, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything, but because You say so, I will let down the nets."

See, the way it looked would have led Simon Peter to a fruitless conclusion...or let's say a fishless conclusion. It looked like there was no point in going back out again, but Jesus said do it. And just because He said it, Simon Peter did it. And what Jesus said, led to victory.

I watched an interview that was recorded on an anniversary of the D-Day Invasion - the greatest military assault in history - June 6th, 1944. General Eisenhower told about how the decision was made to go on that date. He wanted to go on June 4th or 5th, and June 4th, 1944, was a beautiful, starlit night. The commanders of the allied troops were gathered with General Eisenhower at their Southwick House command post in England. Colonel Page was the Chief Army Meteorologist, and General Eisenhower was told by him that gale-force winds and high tides would soon be assaulting the Normandy beaches; actually by the next morning.

Well, should Ike believe what he saw - this beautiful, clear starlit night? Or should he listen to the man who knew? His answer, "No go." Even though it would cost them their first choice and it would prolong the wait for 180,000 troops who were waiting on ships anxious to move. Now the next day - opposite weather. It was stormy as predicted and Colonel Page came in and said, "We're going to have improved weather the next day with moderate winds and tides. It's going to be a good day to go." Okay, should General Eisenhower go by his senses, or by the man who's the authority? Ike paused for about 30 seconds, and then he said two words that are emblazoned in history, "Let's go." The room was clear in two seconds, and the rest is history.

Now, you have a decision right now to make whether to believe what your senses, and your feelings, and your environment are telling you about a moral choice, about giving up on a person, about giving in to a temptation, about giving up on a commitment like a marriage, or about running into a decision. Don't base your life on what's going to change in 20 minutes - which is your feelings. Base it on the Word of God which hasn't changed in 20 centuries.

Do it His way, no matter how it feels.

Okay, try to picture it. Maybe you don't have to picture it. Maybe you've been there. It's the Friday morning after Thanksgiving, just before doors open at, let's say, Walmart. It's still dark, but a lot of people are lined up, anxiously waiting to enter. It's the day of those fabulous sales that stores like this have to encourage your early Christmas shopping. And for a short time after the doors open, there are some absolutely amazing prices on many popular items. But you have to move quickly and scoop them up. One year recently, I remember the crush of people was so great, at one store a lady was nearly trampled to death when the doors opened. And at another store, another year, a man actually was trampled to death. Once you're in the store, you know what to do. No browsing. No chatting. You're on a mission! Just look for those sales opportunities and grab them while you can!

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Grabbing Opportunities to Save a Life."

Aggressively seizing opportunities because time is short - that's not just a picture of a sale day shopper. That's supposed to be the picture of every follower of Jesus Christ. Not just browsing and cruising through our days, but really making them count...really making a difference with your life.

If you read our word for today from the Word of God in the original language of the New Testament, you can see just that kind of urgency and intensity. It's Ephesians 5:15-16 - "Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise, but as wise" - now what follows is God's definition of what it means to "live smart." "...making the most of every opportunity because the days are evil." The original Greek conveys the idea of aggressively buying up every opportunity you have to do something about the darkness around you.

Near the end of this letter that Paul wrote from a prison cell, probably chained to a Roman guard, he gives us a living example of this "make a difference" mindset in action. He says, "Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the Gospel...pray that I will declare it fearlessly, as I should."

In another letter, we learn that there were believers ultimately in Caesar's household; likely some of those soldiers Paul spent so much time with. He saw his imprisonment, not so much as an ordeal, but as an opportunity to tell people there about his Jesus and to rescue them from evil.

Life is full of life-saving opportunities for those with eyes to see them; for those who understand that we're supposed to be looking for them wherever we are. I know when one member of our family was in the hospital, the reason seemed clear. There was a patient who left a trail of Jesus all through that hospital. There just to get well? No. They were there positioned by God to help spiritually rescue some of the people in that hospital.

If you want to make the greatest possible difference with the rest of your life, and I hope you do. If you want to help some people be in heaven with you, and I hope you do. Then each morning pray for natural opportunities to bring up your Jesus. "Lord, open a door." Then look for those opportunities to open up. Buy them up like an alert shopper.

When someone shares a burden or a concern with you, don't just promise to pray for them. Ask if you can pray with them right then. Chances are they have never heard their name in a prayer all their life! I've never had anyone turn down that offer by the way. And if God opens the door, tell them after you pray that you weren't always able to talk to God like that because there used to be a wall between you and Him that Jesus took down.

Look for opportunities to share your personal hope story, which is the story of the difference Jesus has made for you in certain life situations, particular needs, and certainly your eternal situation. Look for those opportunities. Pray for those opportunities. Grab those opportunities. Why? Because God is putting people in your life so they can have a chance at Jesus...and a chance at heaven. That's an opportunity you just must not miss.

I don't know if you're like me, but have you ever wondered where children learn all the psychology they seem to know? They use it pretty effectively to get their way. Oh, we adults have to take courses in child psychology. They don't take courses in adult psychology, but they do pretty well. Kids learn very early how to maneuver, and motivate, and manipulate to get what they want. They use division. You know, like divide and conquer. Kind of get Mom and Dad played against each other. They use guilt sometimes to do it; sometimes, they even use, yeah, deception.

Now, I've traveled a lot in my lifetime, and my wife had to be especially alert for one particular tactic as the kids were growing up. They'd say, "Oh, we're going to do such and such." And she'd say, "Well, who said you could?" "Daddy." Of course I wasn't there, no verification possible. So maybe Mom might be fooled if you said it just right, unless I called, until I got home. Then kids learn an important life lesson, "Don't put your Father's name on something he does not approve of."

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Your Father Never Said You Could."

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from 1 Samuel 15. I'm going to begin reading at verse 10. Understand that King Saul has been asked to lead the Jews in the eradication of a cancer called the Amalekites, and to destroy not only their armies and their leadership, but also all of the loot that might be taken so there would be no trace left of the poison that they had become.

Well, the Bible says, "Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel, 'I am grieved that I have made Saul king, because he's turned away from Me and has not carried out my instructions.' Samuel was troubled and he cried out to the Lord all night." Well, then we read in verse 13, "When Samuel reached him, Saul said, 'The Lord bless you. I have carried out the Lord's instruction.'"

He had not. "But Samuel said, 'What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of the cattle that I hear?' 'Oh, but I did obey the Lord' Saul said. 'I went on the mission the Lord assigned me. The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder. The best was devoted to God in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God.'"

Well, that just doesn't work. God isn't fooled! You notice here, though, that he tries to make something rebellious into something religious. He's talking about the Lord all the time, but he's disobeying Him. Saul is trying a child's trick to justify something wrong: putting your Father's name on what you're doing. That happens a lot. You can justify almost anything by saying, "The Lord led me."

I talked to a man who divorced his wife not too long ago to marry a relative of his, of hers really. And he said, "Well, Ron, the Bible says love is of God, and I love this woman. So it must be right." Come on, it's bad enough to break God's law. Don't put God's name on it. Don't try to put a spiritual makeup job on leaving your husband or wife when God says, "I hate divorce." Don't rationalize materialism by saying, "Well, I want to make more so I can give more to the Lord's work." Don't make a decision to do what you want to do, and then dignify it by calling it "the Lord's will." Don't try to dress up undisciplined living by calling it, "following the Spirit's moving." That's taking God's name in vain.

We Bible folks have this way of dressing up sin rather than dealing with it. Saul learned that it doesn't work to put spiritual names on sin and religious words on rebellion. Oh, my kids learned not to put their Father's name on something that their Father didn't approve of. God's kids need to learn that about their Father.

Don't dress up a sinful choice in God-words. Your Father never said you could do what you're doing.

My plane had just landed in a Midwestern city during a record breaking cold spell and the pilot welcomed us to the city with a temperature reading that made you want to divert the fight to Florida. Well, at least I had checked the weather channel and I was able to anticipate the ice age, so I had the appropriate coat, scarf, gloves and layers. As I was waiting for my suitcase in the baggage claim area, I heard someone yell, "Grab those pineapples." Excuse me? Well sure enough there were two couples just returning from Hawaii with beautiful live flowers around their necks, and they were wearing short sleeve shirts and, of course, carrying their box of pineapples. Well, when I hit the wind outside, I was cold, but I was prepared. I can't imagine what happened to the Luau bunch! When they woke up that morning they probably just said, "Well, it's warm here. I'll just dress for where I am." They were totally unprepared for where they were going!

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Dressing for Your Final Destination."

Now Jesus actually told about a man who was very prepared for where he was, but totally unprepared for where he was going. Maybe like you. Luke 12:16-20, our word for today from the Word of God, Jesus told them this parable, "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, 'What shall I do, I have no place to store my crops.' Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones and there I will store all my grain and my goods and I will say to myself you have many good things laid up for many years, take life easy, eat, drink and be merry.' But God said to him, 'You fool, this very night your life will be demanded from you, then who will get what you have prepared for yourself!'"

Here's a man who was really dressed for where he was, he had it all, he had his earth security well planned out. But he forgot about where he would be spending most of his future - in eternity. He was totally unprepared to meet God.

Someday your heart's going to beat for the last time, and in that unpredictable moment eternity will begin for you. And at that point it won't matter what your title was, or your income, or your religion, or your achievements. All that's going to matter is whether or not you have a personal love relationship with God. A relationship that can, according to the Bible, only be accessed through God's Son, Jesus Christ. Why? Because no one can make it to heaven with sin.

See, God was supposed to run your life and mine, but over and over we've said, "No, I'll do it, God." The Bible says, "All of us have sinned and we've fallen short of the glory of God." In this parable, "I will" three times. That man God called a fool, he just said, "I will, I will, I will." Because of that, God is out of our reach, but we're not out of His.

God says this is love, and this is the Bible speaking. "Not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins" in the most incredible act of love you'll ever hear about. The God we defied sacrificed His one and only Son to carry our death penalty for the sinning we did. And now your eternal destination, heaven or hell, depends totally on what you do with the man who died for your sin, Jesus Christ.

You can reject Him, you can ignore Him, or you can reach out to Him and say, "Lord I'm not ready for eternity but I want to be. I'm facing the fact I've gone my way instead of yours over and over again. Right now I'm putting all my trust in You and Your death on that cross for me to remove the sin between God and me, and to open the door to eternal life for me.

I want to invite you to go to our website because it's there to help you be sure you have begun a relationship with Him. It's ANewStory.com.

Maybe you've been so focused on where you are now, that you've neglected your forever. Yeah you're one heartbeat away from eternity. Isn't it time you got ready for where you're going to be for a very long time?

You know it's tough the first time your child goes to camp...I mean for the parent. The kids probably have a ball; it's just tough for the parents. It all comes together when you have to sign that permission slip, and then a medical release, and then insurance forms. You start to think of all the things that could go wrong - the bad things that could happen.

Now, up until now you've been there in the background to protect them and to make sure they're eating the right things, and guiding them to make the right choices. But now, even if it's only for a few days, you're turning your precious child over to someone else. That's why I like to know someone who's going to be in charge there. A lot of responsible parents do that; even with conferences we've planned. People will say "Hey, I want to find out who I'm turning this kid over to." It's tough. I want to be able to trust the person to whom I'm handing my son or daughter. But it's still hard to release them.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Turning Over Your Treasure."

Our word for today from the Word of God is from 1 Samuel 1. I'm going to begin reading at verse 27. It's part of a prayer that Hannah, the mother of Samuel, prayed. We know that Samuel grew up to become a mighty judge in Israel; a mighty leader for God at a strategic time. She had wanted this child for so many years. She had been barren, and finally God miraculously sends her a child. Listen to her very poignant words, "I prayed for this child," she says, "and the Lord has granted me what I asked of Him. So, now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life will be given over to the Lord." Wow!

Hannah is saying about a child that it has taken her years to have, "Lord, whatever you want to do with him; wherever you want to take him is fine with me." You know it's hard to say, "Whatever you want, Lord" just about your own life. I think it's even harder to say that about your child's life.

My friend is in the ministry. And Rob and his wife have served the Lord actively and effectively for many years. And their daughter, who's in her mid twenties, came to them and said, "Mom, Dad, I feel like God has just called me out of nursing and is calling me into the ministry." Rob said, "I couldn't believe how I responded. I said, 'Well, honey, you're making such good money now as a nurse. And, you know, that's security.'" And he said, "For two weeks I tried to talk her out of it. Finally," he said, "I realized what we had prayed for all of our lives, we were now trying to talk her out of."

Well, that's understandable. We've all been brainwashed with the American lie about what success is and what security is. We push our kids to perform and we often neglect their character. We want them to be societal winners sometimes, rather than spiritual warriors. The child God gave you is on loan to you. Not yours to keep; not yours to assign. Your job is to help them discover the person they are in Christ and the works God put them on earth to do. Not the works you want them to do.

If you're a parent, could I encourage you to take a Hannah inventory today? Are you releasing your son or daughter for whatever? Whatever assignment your Lord has for him or her? Or do you have a plan for your child that you're trying to get God to sign off on. Don't stand in the way of God's best for that child of yours, and don't be seduced by the lies our world tells us about what's best for them.

Find a quiet place, and again, turn over your treasure to the One who gave that treasure to you in the first place.

"I don't wanna go." When our boys were little, that was sometimes what they'd tell me when we were out in the woods where it was totally dark and a little scary. Well, not for me. I mean for them, of course. But I would reach for their hand and their little hand would instinctively reach up my way when we hit a dark stretch, and they'd grab on tight. Now the strangest thing happened. Once they had their father's hand, their feet started moving. They could go where they otherwise would never think about going as long as they had my hand.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Hand That Keeps You Safe."

At the other end of life's spectrum from little boys was where my wife's grandfather was. He was 94. He was unable to remember very much, including my wife - his granddaughter. She called him one day and she said, "Hi, Granddad." She, of course, told him her name, and she said, "I love you." He wasn't very happy about it. He said, "I don't know who this is." Some strange woman was calling and saying she loved him! What is this? Well, she reminded her Granddad of his only son and that she was his daughter. "I don't know you." Finally she just said, "Well, Granddad, remember this. Jesus loves you." To which he replied, "Now Him I know!" Isn't that interesting? After 94 years, not much that he could remember, but there was one person whose love and whose presence he was still aware of - Jesus.

Listen, that's not a religion. That's a relationship so real that it's there for you through every conceivable stage of life. For my wife, it was real when she used to walk that dark stretch of road from her house to the school bus as a little girl. They lived way back in the woods, and that last stretch was beyond where she could see Mommy, or the neighbor, or anyone. Knowing those trees could be hiding the bears and the mountain lions that she knew were in their area, she would just start to sing, "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me."

This Jesus - this Savior - is literally the hand you never outgrow. The hand that is there for you as my hand was there for my boys in those dark and uncertain places. Here's our word for today from the Word of God. It's the familiar words of the 23rd Psalm. They're a description of a personal relationship with God that I hope you have, or if you don't, that you'll begin it.

These are the words my own father wanted me to read to him the day he was going into that heart surgery from which he would never recover. Here are the words, "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not be in want...Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for you are with me."

This deep, personal, unloseable relationship with Jesus Christ is what I pray you will begin. It's the relationship your heart has always been hungry for. This is the Savior who'll be with you through the turbulence of being a teenager, the pressures of parenting, the lonely moments of being single, the darkness of depression, the struggle of disease, or divorce, or disaster, or facing death.

The hand of Jesus I think maybe is reaching out to you right now. If you look closely you'll see nail prints in that hand. They're there because of the price He paid to tear down the wall between you and God. His brutal death on the cross was to pay the death penalty for your sins and mine. Now He waits to forgive you; to be the one constant in your life and in your eternity no matter what changes.

Don't you want to grab that hand of Jesus to be your own personal Savior, your lifetime friend? Tell Him today, "Jesus, I give my life to the One who gave His life for me. I've been running it. You run it from now on. Jesus, I'm Yours."

Experience that love for yourself today. Go to our website because it's set up to help you begin your relationship with Jesus and to know you have. It's ANewStory.com.

You know, for an elderly grandfather, for a very sick father, for a frightened little girl, for you, the same never-leave-you person is Jesus. His hand is reaching. Won't you grab it? I'll tell you, He'll never, never let go.

Ten more minutes and my wife would have never been born. The story that changed everything is hope for any of us who love someone who's making some very bad choices. My wife's grandfather, Bill, had given up on life. Trashing a profitable career for the alcohol and cocaine he could not resist. He was labeled with a prison record, he was penniless, he was hopeless and he was suicidal.

And that night, as he walked South State Street in downtown Chicago, he was minutes away from Lake Michigan where he'd decided to end it all. One thing saved him. A mother who had never given up on him. There, on the street, he heard the song, the one his mother used to sing to him. It was coming from the rescue mission he had just passed. Something made him stop and go inside. And there a caring mission worker shared a Bible verse that has probably changed more lives than any other. The worker started, "For God so loved the world that He gave..." Suddenly, Bill finished it. "...His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16). Somewhere in the long-clouded corners of his memory, he could hear his mother teaching him those words.

And that night - minutes away from ending his life - he found life. He never touched or wanted alcohol or drugs from that night on. And he spent the rest of his life bringing the hope he'd found to forgotten people across the country. And now three generations Bill never met are here, and they're living and spreading that same hope because of one man's choice that night.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Why It Is Too Soon to Give Up."

The story behind the story is told in the inscription on the back of a photo of young Bill. His mother wrote, "O Will, every night when I read my Bible, I look at this picture and I ask God to keep you and somehow seal your heart with His love. You may see this after I'm gone and you'll know that I never ceased to pray for you. Mother." She did live ten years after the night God answered those prayers.

Even as her son's life got darker and darker, this mother was hanging onto a powerful but easily-forgotten truth. That's one that I, too, have hung onto - even today. Because so much of my life's work has been trying to love and rescue people who just keep spiraling downward. It's a hope-preserver for all of us who grieve and who pray for broken, prodigal people.

Never forget the difference between a chapter and a book. See, many a book with a happy ending has some very dark chapters. A loved one's seemingly unstoppable rush to the edge of the cliff? That's not the book. It's a chapter. If we lose that wide angle lens perspective, we're going to lose hope. But the Bible urges us in our word for today from the Word of God in Galatians 6:9, "Do not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest..." And Jesus said that we "should always pray and not give up" (Luke 18:1).

That's what Bill's mother did. She wept over many chapters. She never lost sight, though, of the ending God could write to the book of her son's life. She just kept loving, praying and believing. And the final chapters of Bill's life were more glorious and more miraculous than she could have ever dreamed.

If we can remember, in the darkest hours of a loved one's heartbreaking journey, that this is a chapter, then hope can win when despair is strong. Even as I write this, there are young men and women whose life-eroding choices I grieve for. But I know there is a relentless Shepherd who came, He said, to "seek and save those who are lost" (Luke 19:10). He says, "I will search for the lost and bring back the strays" (Ezekiel 34:16). He will do whatever it takes to bring them home. Even when it meant a cross.

So, as long as there's breath, there's hope. I know, because Bill's beautiful granddaughter, my wife, told me.