I have finished the experiment with the Newspaper Route and am now working part time in a consignment shop. I am sure there will be tons of things to 'learn' about while I am surrounded by unique treasures and even more UNIQUE treasure hunters. Check back soon for the next post!!

 Wow!...  Whew! This encounter with authority taught me something about how I treat God. Sometimes I see Him as the one I am going to be in trouble with. I fear He is going to write me a ticket and punish me. But the truth is .... He wants to use me. He's asking for my service. Yes, all my moving violations must be accounted for, but the end result is so that He can enilst me in His cause. I have a new appreciation for authority. Sooo..."What CAN I do, Officer?"

This morning I experienced the results of a cool night following a spring rain… FOG. It was only patchy, so I could see most of the time. But occasionally it was so thick I had to slow down.  I was concerned about not knowing what was hiding in that low-flying cloud… a deer… a stray calf…a downed limb in the road…even a possible wash out or unexpected pothole. If I knew all was clear, I would just charge ahead. After all I know that road like the back of my hand! – at least I thought I did.

As I drove on with my vision that was limited to only what was near the car, some things caught my attention… I never knew there was a turnoff there… where did that rusty old car back in the trees come from?...Why have I never noticed the design on that mailbox before? You see, because I was going slower and I was temporarily forced to be near-sighted, I noticed so much more than ever before. The fog actually helped me to SEE!

It’s like missing the trees for the forest. Jesus said some would be ever hearing but never understanding and ever seeing but never perceiving in Acts 28:26. I miss so much by not looking at what I’m looking at!

Do you think this could be why God doesn’t let us see farther down the road sometimes? Maybe He wants us to slow down and pay closer attention to where we ARE… as we are getting where we are going. I think a little bit of obscuring the future; a little bit of FOG,  can make things more clear!

This one is not for my wife. Angie, you can stop reading now and move on to the next one. Picture this…driving 55mph in the dark in the middle of nowhere on a cloudy night. No streetlights, no stars, no moon, no light. I reached over to roll up the window and accidentally turned off my headlights. Everything went black… I mean really black! I can HEAR the gravel road that I am on but I can’t SEE anything…

Scroll down for the rest. 

I scramble to get some lights back on, but the car is fairly new to me and I can’t find the switch. Flap-Flop-Flap-Flop. …. Windshield wipers in the night with no rain do nothing to help you see where you are going…. kaBlink-kaBlink-kaBlink… Hazard flashers provide momentary red-filtered glances at my position and situation on the road, but mostly they cause the whole ordeal to be more disorienting… Finally I found the lights and skidded to a stop… Headlights streaming – Dust settling – Flap-Flop – kaBlink-kaBlink – My heart is about to pound out of my chest. By the way, In case you are still reading this, Angie… Yes, I did have my seatbelt on if it is any consolation.

 After an experience like that you can see how dangerous it is to drive blindly. 1 John 1:7 says, "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin." Where else would we want to walk?

Next time you are tempted,,, think about it. To walk in darkness is even more dangerous than driving in the dark with no headlights!

As I puzzle over those pedantic deer I look back at my map to see where the next delivery is and it hits me. I go around in circles… every day! Round and round I go. Paper tube here…. Wander around… paper tube there… wander some more… same thing tomorrow. Do the deer see me and think, “What does that guy do anyway? He’s always out here wandering around getting in our way. I think He’s trying to hit us. Stupid Human!”

Now for the spiritual angle. I don’t want to wander so to speak in my walk with God. I want God to give me purpose and direction. Please, Lord, don’t lead me around in circles.

The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in his way - Psalm 37:23 (ESV)

Something happened to me several days ago, but I haven’t had the chance to blog it. The weather was icy on the route. I don’t know much about what materials roads are made of, but I do know that the black blacktop is impossible to drive on even when there is only a thin layer of ice. I was coming up quick on a T in the road. Out in front of the car I could see the road end and a field beyond that begin. As I got closer I saw a very deep ditch between the road and field. I couldn’t stop. Even pumping the brakes would not correct the slide I was in. I thought about gunning it and jumping the ditch like the Dukes of Hazzard.

Now back to reality. Neither going or stopping were options. My course was set… I was going to crash. I didn’t think it would be fatal (I was going so slow it was like slow motion) but the car’s mileage flashed before it’s headlights. I was sure it would be totaled.

Just as I arrived at the edge of the road, the car jerked to a stop. The dirt on shoulder provided the traction needed…to which I vocalized, “Thank You, Lord!”

Now I totally see how my efforts are like spinning wheels on ice. It’s only when God gives the traction that I get a grip and things can really happen…. To which I say, Thank You, Lord!”

There is a really cool thing that happens when you are driving into snow or rain when it is dark. Your headlights play tricks. Picture this… I’m driving along with my lights on and everything is fine. It starts to rain and visibility goes down. I hit the brights to correct the problem and ZAP! All of a sudden I am traveling at light speed. The droplet of rain reflect the high beams and since you are traveling toward them at 60 MPH, they look like a starfield quickly approaching. Can you see it in your mind? Me playing the part of Han Solo and pretending that Chewbacca is right next to me. Ready to make the jump I say, “Hit it chewy!”… high beams – light speed… low beams – normal.  Again and again. I can’t quite it. This is so much fun!

Have you ever felt like God is distant… like He’s light years away? And then all of a sudden something happens and we can see what He’s doing all around us. He is present and active in our lives but we just don’t perceive Him. When we finally see clearly it’s like we have made the jump to light speed and things that were invisible before are almost blindingly visible.

That’s where I want my Christian walk to be… Living at light speed!

The warm spell we have had the last few days has been great. I love driving with the window down. It’s hard to believe that there is still snow on the ground, but there is! Everywhere on the north side of windbreaks, remnants of the recent storm remain. I guess it has been warm around here, but not completely warm. Coldness has found a few places to hide.

John Wesley talked about an experience where his heart was strangely warmed. I have felt that myself, but from time to time I run across a patch of coldness that surprises me. Why am I so unfeeling sometimes? Why is my love lacking? I want my heart to not only be strangely warmed, but COMPLETELY warmed. God …please sent your Spirit into the shaded places of my life that harbor frozenness and warm them completely!

The radio in my car has a digital tuner. It is exact… in fact I can not only find 99FM, I can get 99.1 FM. That’s the problem! After 99.1 is 99.2 and for some reason the station I want to hear is in between those two. I don’t know the technical part of it all, but the handheld radio that Angie bought me for Christmas (the one with the fine tuning dial) gets better reception. 

I was thinking about God. (you know I always do that in this blog :)  ) Sometimes it seems like He is not answering my prayers or I feel like He is far away. He is not the one who is lost – I just need to get tuned into Him. He is not silent – I am just not picking up the broadcast.

I also wonder…Our modern digital technology may be sharp and crisp, but do we sometimes need the old fashioned dial to really zero in on what He’s saying?

Listen and hear my voice;

pay attention and hear what I say.  – Isaiah 28:23

Last night I was thinking about waiting rooms. Luxurious or not, I have sat in a lot of them.  I especially remember one time waiting to pray with a friend going into surgery. Although I was anxious to see them, It was hard to drag myself away from the waiting room amenities… cappuccino, cookies, TV, magazine, fish aquarium. I also remember as a kid in Kansas City waiting for my turn at the dentist and sizing up the waiting area. I was scared to think what would be inside. Rarely does a waiting room give the correct impression of what the examination or treatment room is like and that is frustrating because a great waiting area is great, but I want to know more about what’s after the wait.

This life we live here is a waiting room. It may be comfy or cramped for your style, but what comes next?

 Here are two clues from scripture:

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him"

And on a sober note

“Throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

We are all in the same waiting room… but who do you have an appointment to see?

The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. – Romans 8:19