Mar 2009
I've a Story to Tell
03/29/09 02:13 PM Filed in: Personal
Ladies
and gentlemen, I have a tale to tell. I find it
ironic that in my last blog I said, "It's sometimes
kind of funny how God works. He so rarely tells you
ahead of time. He just plops you into situations, and
then gives you the grace you need in the middle of
it." Well, I proved that statement true last Friday
as I headed back home on Spring Break. Here's how it
happened...
My car decided to be obnoxiously obstinate and blow the transmission a couple weeks ago, and so I was left carless when it came time to head home for Spring Break last Friday. So, my good cousin Austin offered to let me ride home with him in his parent's convertible. Perfect! It was a gorgeous afternoon when we left Cincinnati around 2:30pm that fateful day. The top was down, the wind whipping overhead provided a pristine drive. We were rolling along quite uninhibited and carefree until we reached Dayton, where we hit some heavy rush hour traffic. For those of you who are familiar with the area, you know how dense the construction is just as you reach the center of Dayton. They're in the process of rebuilding a bridge which kind of bottlenecks traffic. Definitely not a good place to, say, break down, or something, for sure...certainly not. Well, we're rolling along and then we suddenly, weren't. And then came that horribly disconcerting feeling that kinds of grabs the bottom of your stomach and begins to wrench it up through your chest and eventually into your throat. As we rolled to a stop Austin tried furiously to get the car restarted, but, to no avail. It would turn over, but no ignition.
So, there we were. Stopped on I75, in the middle of Dayton, during rush hour, in heavy construction. Could it get any worse? Never ask that question.
(To be perfectly honest, I was
slightly, amused? enlivened? ). "Maybe we ran
out of gas" Austin posited. However, according
to the gauge we weren't even on "E." But, it was
worth a try. "There's gotta be a gas station
around here somewhere" we said. So, Austin
stayed with the car, and I jumped the median,
and headed down the embankment to a main road
that ran under the overpass. I stopped someone
and asked them where the nearest gas station
was. "Down that way" the man casually drawled
with an apathetic thumb jab to his left. So I
took off running (literally, and in my
clodhopper dress shoes nonetheless), expecting
it to reach the gas station shortly. Two miles
later I drag myself into the Marathon station.
Thankfully they had gas cans for sale, and I
bought a can and two gallons of gas. It was,
well, a rather run-down section of town, lots of
bars on the windows, etc., and so I was quite a
spectacle as I jogged down the sidewalk,
casually dressed, and carrying my little red gas
can, being heckled by a homeless guy on my
right, and being cussed out by someone driving
by on my left, I trudged on. I traversed the two
miles back to I75 and ran back up the embankment
to the car, which, by this time, had two police
cars behind it.
We quickly dumped the two gallons of gas into the car and Austin hopped in the drivers seat and turned the key. Nothing happened. "Well" the cop inserted, "we have to get this car off the road, so I'm calling a wrecker." Traffic was backed up for miles as they tried to merge into the adjacent lanes to bypass us. The cop disappeared in his car for a while to take care of some paperwork, and soon returned stating that the wrecker would be here shortly. "You're going to a really bad section of town, so be careful," he stated. Wonderful! Just what we wanted to top off our day
The wrecker arrived shortly thereafter, and out hopped Joel, a guy in his 30's with so many tattoos you couldn't even see his arms. He got us hooked up, we piled into the tow truck and headed off to the impound lot. All the way there he kept telling us, "We're going to the worst section of Dayton, the West Side." And, indeed, he was right. They don't have bars on the windows in the daytime for nothing. For those of you who know Dayton, the Gettysburg Rd. area can be pretty rough. We arrived at the impound lot/junkyard about 20 min. later, and settled in. It really wasn't too bad inside the compound, besides the rather, shall I say, begrimed state of the garage/office where we spent most of our time. Well, OK, it was downright filthy. But, you get used to it after a while, and forget about it.
The original plan was to have Austin's sister and brother-in-law bring a trailer, pick up us and the car, and head onto Michigan. However, they couldn't get the trailer hooked up, and so they just went on without us, and Austin's Dad started out on the three-hour drive down from Michigan to pick us up. So, we waited...and waited. We did get to know some of the guys there pretty well. Jethro, Joel, John, Glen, and the rest of the guys, they were all pretty nice. Crude, to be sure, but hey, we were able to be a light. I was able to witness to a few of them during our unplanned stay, and I pray God will use those seeds that were planted during that unanticipated afternoon.
During this time Austin's sister and brother-in-law had broken down themselves about an hour up the road, and were sitting in a parking lot waiting for us to come rescue them. How ironic, the rescued were soon to be come the rescuers. Well, we arrived at the lot approximately 4:00pm and Austin's Dad arrived with the trailer right at 12:00am. So, we put in an 8-hour shift at Summit Towing. If only we were getting paid...hmm. But, after much grunting and a few hernias we finally succeeded in pushing the now deceased Chrysler Sebring up on the trailer. 20 minutes later we had everything strapped down and Austin and I left our home-away-from-home, car in tow. An hour later we came upon the derelict dualy of David and Joylene’s. There was nothing to be done with the truck, and so it was decided that we would all pile into Austin's Dad's truck. Well, I'm afraid you can't exactly fit six people and a baby in the cab of a pickup truck. What were we to do? Well, we basically had one option, the back of the truck. Yep, you guessed it. We threw a tarp over the back, Austin and I donned a couple extra coats and crawled in. It was 34 degrees...yeah...it was cold. But, in we crawl, laughing and cracking jokes all the way. We settle in (you know, it's kind of difficult to get comfortable in the back of a pickup truck. But, I digress), and we begin our 2 1/2 hour trek back to Michigan. The tarp conveniently gaped on one side allowing a nice icy breeze to freeze one side of by body, and form a perfect downdraft at our feet, thereby ensuring that we could not feel them for the remainder of the journey. We continued to laugh and crack jokes for a while before I eventually threw a hoodie over my face, curled up, and fell asleep for an hour or so. Isn't sleep the first stage of hypothermia? Hmm. Anyway, I woke up to Austin singing Jesus Loves Me, so, why not, I joined in. And we sang, in the back of a pickup truck, covered by a tarp, half frozen, but thoroughly amused (well, at least I was). "Where are we at?" I yelled.
"Squawfield Road" he shouted back. Yes! We were
about 5 min. from home. And that leg of our
adventure came a close a few minutes later as we
pulled into their driveway.
As Austin and I crawled out of our little habitat, I noticed that it was a little tricky to move my legs, and as I slid off the tailgate I stumbled and swayed into the car a few feet away. My legs were so numb I couldn't even feel them and they wouldn't support me A very
funny
feeling! I was laughing, as was everyone else
around me. We were greeted by piping hot
chocolate and after a few minutes I could once
again feel my legs and was walking normally.
After switching my belongings over to my Mom's
car (who had come to pick me up) we began the
hour-long trip back to my house from Austin's.
We arrived a little after 5am and I was once
again in the safe confines of home!
What an experience! A 4-hour trip that turned into a 14-hour exploit. I am once again amazed at the grace of God as He leads us along. We really don't know what the future holds, but that's why I stick close to Him, because He does. All things considered, I really don't regret the experience. Who else can say they had a 14 hour escapade on their way home for Spring Break? Granted, I wouldn't want to do it every weekend, but.... The key verse for our trip that eventful Friday evening? Psalm 34:1 "I will bless the Lord at all times, His praise shall continually be in my mouth..."
My car decided to be obnoxiously obstinate and blow the transmission a couple weeks ago, and so I was left carless when it came time to head home for Spring Break last Friday. So, my good cousin Austin offered to let me ride home with him in his parent's convertible. Perfect! It was a gorgeous afternoon when we left Cincinnati around 2:30pm that fateful day. The top was down, the wind whipping overhead provided a pristine drive. We were rolling along quite uninhibited and carefree until we reached Dayton, where we hit some heavy rush hour traffic. For those of you who are familiar with the area, you know how dense the construction is just as you reach the center of Dayton. They're in the process of rebuilding a bridge which kind of bottlenecks traffic. Definitely not a good place to, say, break down, or something, for sure...certainly not. Well, we're rolling along and then we suddenly, weren't. And then came that horribly disconcerting feeling that kinds of grabs the bottom of your stomach and begins to wrench it up through your chest and eventually into your throat. As we rolled to a stop Austin tried furiously to get the car restarted, but, to no avail. It would turn over, but no ignition.
So, there we were. Stopped on I75, in the middle of Dayton, during rush hour, in heavy construction. Could it get any worse? Never ask that question.
(To be perfectly honest, I was
slightly, amused? enlivened? ). "Maybe we ran
out of gas" Austin posited. However, according
to the gauge we weren't even on "E." But, it was
worth a try. "There's gotta be a gas station
around here somewhere" we said. So, Austin
stayed with the car, and I jumped the median,
and headed down the embankment to a main road
that ran under the overpass. I stopped someone
and asked them where the nearest gas station
was. "Down that way" the man casually drawled
with an apathetic thumb jab to his left. So I
took off running (literally, and in my
clodhopper dress shoes nonetheless), expecting
it to reach the gas station shortly. Two miles
later I drag myself into the Marathon station.
Thankfully they had gas cans for sale, and I
bought a can and two gallons of gas. It was,
well, a rather run-down section of town, lots of
bars on the windows, etc., and so I was quite a
spectacle as I jogged down the sidewalk,
casually dressed, and carrying my little red gas
can, being heckled by a homeless guy on my
right, and being cussed out by someone driving
by on my left, I trudged on. I traversed the two
miles back to I75 and ran back up the embankment
to the car, which, by this time, had two police
cars behind it.
We quickly dumped the two gallons of gas into the car and Austin hopped in the drivers seat and turned the key. Nothing happened. "Well" the cop inserted, "we have to get this car off the road, so I'm calling a wrecker." Traffic was backed up for miles as they tried to merge into the adjacent lanes to bypass us. The cop disappeared in his car for a while to take care of some paperwork, and soon returned stating that the wrecker would be here shortly. "You're going to a really bad section of town, so be careful," he stated. Wonderful! Just what we wanted to top off our day
The wrecker arrived shortly thereafter, and out hopped Joel, a guy in his 30's with so many tattoos you couldn't even see his arms. He got us hooked up, we piled into the tow truck and headed off to the impound lot. All the way there he kept telling us, "We're going to the worst section of Dayton, the West Side." And, indeed, he was right. They don't have bars on the windows in the daytime for nothing. For those of you who know Dayton, the Gettysburg Rd. area can be pretty rough. We arrived at the impound lot/junkyard about 20 min. later, and settled in. It really wasn't too bad inside the compound, besides the rather, shall I say, begrimed state of the garage/office where we spent most of our time. Well, OK, it was downright filthy. But, you get used to it after a while, and forget about it.
The original plan was to have Austin's sister and brother-in-law bring a trailer, pick up us and the car, and head onto Michigan. However, they couldn't get the trailer hooked up, and so they just went on without us, and Austin's Dad started out on the three-hour drive down from Michigan to pick us up. So, we waited...and waited. We did get to know some of the guys there pretty well. Jethro, Joel, John, Glen, and the rest of the guys, they were all pretty nice. Crude, to be sure, but hey, we were able to be a light. I was able to witness to a few of them during our unplanned stay, and I pray God will use those seeds that were planted during that unanticipated afternoon.
During this time Austin's sister and brother-in-law had broken down themselves about an hour up the road, and were sitting in a parking lot waiting for us to come rescue them. How ironic, the rescued were soon to be come the rescuers. Well, we arrived at the lot approximately 4:00pm and Austin's Dad arrived with the trailer right at 12:00am. So, we put in an 8-hour shift at Summit Towing. If only we were getting paid...hmm. But, after much grunting and a few hernias we finally succeeded in pushing the now deceased Chrysler Sebring up on the trailer. 20 minutes later we had everything strapped down and Austin and I left our home-away-from-home, car in tow. An hour later we came upon the derelict dualy of David and Joylene’s. There was nothing to be done with the truck, and so it was decided that we would all pile into Austin's Dad's truck. Well, I'm afraid you can't exactly fit six people and a baby in the cab of a pickup truck. What were we to do? Well, we basically had one option, the back of the truck. Yep, you guessed it. We threw a tarp over the back, Austin and I donned a couple extra coats and crawled in. It was 34 degrees...yeah...it was cold. But, in we crawl, laughing and cracking jokes all the way. We settle in (you know, it's kind of difficult to get comfortable in the back of a pickup truck. But, I digress), and we begin our 2 1/2 hour trek back to Michigan. The tarp conveniently gaped on one side allowing a nice icy breeze to freeze one side of by body, and form a perfect downdraft at our feet, thereby ensuring that we could not feel them for the remainder of the journey. We continued to laugh and crack jokes for a while before I eventually threw a hoodie over my face, curled up, and fell asleep for an hour or so. Isn't sleep the first stage of hypothermia? Hmm. Anyway, I woke up to Austin singing Jesus Loves Me, so, why not, I joined in. And we sang, in the back of a pickup truck, covered by a tarp, half frozen, but thoroughly amused (well, at least I was
). "Where are we at?" I yelled.
"Squawfield Road" he shouted back. Yes! We were
about 5 min. from home. And that leg of our
adventure came a close a few minutes later as we
pulled into their driveway.
As Austin and I crawled out of our little habitat, I noticed that it was a little tricky to move my legs, and as I slid off the tailgate I stumbled and swayed into the car a few feet away. My legs were so numb I couldn't even feel them and they wouldn't support me
A very
funny
feeling! I was laughing, as was everyone else
around me. We were greeted by piping hot
chocolate and after a few minutes I could once
again feel my legs and was walking normally.
After switching my belongings over to my Mom's
car (who had come to pick me up) we began the
hour-long trip back to my house from Austin's.
We arrived a little after 5am and I was once
again in the safe confines of home!
What an experience! A 4-hour trip that turned into a 14-hour exploit. I am once again amazed at the grace of God as He leads us along. We really don't know what the future holds, but that's why I stick close to Him, because He does. All things considered, I really don't regret the experience. Who else can say they had a 14 hour escapade on their way home for Spring Break? Granted, I wouldn't want to do it every weekend, but.... The key verse for our trip that eventful Friday evening? Psalm 34:1 "I will bless the Lord at all times, His praise shall continually be in my mouth..."
|
An Interesting Afternoon
03/21/09 11:46 PM Filed in: Personal
It was a
beautiful day here in Cincinnati, and so I decided to
walk the mile or so over to Panera Bread right next
to the University of Cincinnati (UC). I read as I
walked, and safely traversed the jungle and arrived
at Panera a short while later. I ordered my food (by
the way, they have really good shortbread cookies!),
found a comfy chair and began to read about
Linguistics
and Biblical Interpretation. I
noticed an elderly lady sitting a short distance from
me, and she was soon joined by a younger guy,
approximately my age. It was obvious that they didn't
know each other, but he struck up a conversation with
her, which I couldn't help but overhear as I was
quite close, turned out to be slightly humorous.
However, during the conversation it came out that he
played in a band was a Christian. My ears obviously
perked at this.
They eventually finished their conversation, and she left. When she was out of earshot I asked him, "Where do you go to church?" This opened the door to a near hour long conversation in which he discussed with me some questions he was working through regarding certain doctrinal issues at his current church. I tried to talk through some of it with him to the best of my abilities, and we looked at Scripture. I think it was good, for both of us. I am determined to do some more study in the specific doctrinal area that he was struggling with, and get back with him.
It's sometimes kind of funny how God works. He so rarely tells you ahead of time. He just plops you into situations, and then gives you the grace you need in the middle of it. That's the way it seems to be a lot in life. I guess that's why He wants a moment by moment relationship instead of a 'buy ahead' plan. You can't really store up God's grace for a rainy day, you just have to trust that He's going to be there to give it to you when you need it. You know the awesome thing? He hasn't failed yet.
They eventually finished their conversation, and she left. When she was out of earshot I asked him, "Where do you go to church?" This opened the door to a near hour long conversation in which he discussed with me some questions he was working through regarding certain doctrinal issues at his current church. I tried to talk through some of it with him to the best of my abilities, and we looked at Scripture. I think it was good, for both of us. I am determined to do some more study in the specific doctrinal area that he was struggling with, and get back with him.
It's sometimes kind of funny how God works. He so rarely tells you ahead of time. He just plops you into situations, and then gives you the grace you need in the middle of it. That's the way it seems to be a lot in life. I guess that's why He wants a moment by moment relationship instead of a 'buy ahead' plan. You can't really store up God's grace for a rainy day, you just have to trust that He's going to be there to give it to you when you need it. You know the awesome thing? He hasn't failed yet.
Scattered
03/14/09 02:33 PM Filed in: Personal
Have you
ever felt... scattered? Like bits of you were strewn
across your life. That would pretty much describe my
mental state as of late. Busyness, sleeplessness, and
stress seem to combine at times to make life...
complicated. I started reading the book
The
Heavenly Man, which
is a true story of a severely persecuted man in
China, and I was disconcertedly reawakened to the
reality that God did not promise us a pleasant
pathway. Life is not always whimsical and placid.
Christians don't always 'have it together.' To me,
the very thought that I would demand such a thing
sounds nearly arrogant. I am not required to have it
all together; I am simply required to have the
simplistic faith of a child. There is only One Who
can ‘have it all together,’ and my faith should be in
Him.
I’ve been given a few opportunities lately to test that faith, which is a gift in itself. In reality, I do not so much fear or detest trouble and pain. It has a way of purging you, of focusing. It has a way of drawing you to the One with answers. He rarely gives them, but just knowing He has them is often enough.
There is such comfort in knowing the Designer. In the end, I am continually brought back to Him. He Who knows my faults, my potential, my every thought, and yet loves me. Who remembers my frame, and that I am but dust (Psa. 103:14). Who does not expect more of me than I can give, Who provides just the amount of grace that I need for each day, and Whose mercies are new every morning (Lam. 3:22-23). I don't have to understand it all. I don't have to feel solidified and confident, I must simply keep in step with Him, and as the servant looks to his master, so I must look to Him (Psa. 123:2), the One who can sympathize with my weaknesses (Heb. 4:15), and Who loved me, even when I didn't deserve it (Rom. 5:8). To Him, and Him alone, be all glory (Rev. 7:12)!
I’ve been given a few opportunities lately to test that faith, which is a gift in itself. In reality, I do not so much fear or detest trouble and pain. It has a way of purging you, of focusing. It has a way of drawing you to the One with answers. He rarely gives them, but just knowing He has them is often enough.
There is such comfort in knowing the Designer. In the end, I am continually brought back to Him. He Who knows my faults, my potential, my every thought, and yet loves me. Who remembers my frame, and that I am but dust (Psa. 103:14). Who does not expect more of me than I can give, Who provides just the amount of grace that I need for each day, and Whose mercies are new every morning (Lam. 3:22-23). I don't have to understand it all. I don't have to feel solidified and confident, I must simply keep in step with Him, and as the servant looks to his master, so I must look to Him (Psa. 123:2), the One who can sympathize with my weaknesses (Heb. 4:15), and Who loved me, even when I didn't deserve it (Rom. 5:8). To Him, and Him alone, be all glory (Rev. 7:12)!