From the most unexpected places - Part II

I heard a comment about the DPS yesterday that reminded me of an experience a few weeks back with my daughter. A few weeks ago, with paperwork in hand and studying completed, we were off to the DPS to get my 15 year old daughter a driving permit. Forty five minutes later we heard the disappointing verdict that she was unable to pass the vision test. Her right eye is very bad, the left is perfect. In response to this crushing news, my amazing daughter announced that - “….. she will be 80 years old before she’s able to drive …” and “….her life is “pretty much over….”. This from the same girl who has been heard to say more than once that others - “save the drama for your mama” and this from the same daughter who had her permit less than 24 hours later.

In a scheduling masterpiece worthy of Houdini, I navigated around several meetings at work and got her an appointment (with help from my amazing wife) for an eye exam and had glasses in her hand less than 24 hours later. Just one day later back she went to DPS with my sister to complete the process as I was neck deep in work. As it turned out paperwork had not been notarized, the woman that was there the day earlier was no longer there and here came the tearful phone call and request – “….Dad can you come down to DPS and sign again?” . Except this time I was teetering on the edge of a stress fracture. And as they walked back into the house (I work out of my home) out came my frustration and anger as I explained how this is not OK that she “screw up” another day and the very negative impact this is having on my work. And back to the DPS we went except this time was far from cheerful and upbeat. I had already given my “all” in the previous day’s Herculean feat and here she was back asking for even more. How dare she?!?

And as I took a few deep breaths and we moved up to the DPS desk my daughter noted that this was not the same woman that was here 10 minutes ago. My first thought was “oh great, here we go again”. Fully preoccupied by having been so catastrophically interrupted by my child her insightful words “save the drama for your mama” came circling back through my head just when my daughter asked if I had seen this new lady’s necklace and her sign? Necklace? Sign? That was when I finally noticed her “I love Jesus” necklace and the yellow smiley face with the words – “Smile, God loves you”. Gee, I wonder why God never talks to us anymore?!?

Matthew 13:13
This is why I speak to them in parables:
“Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.

Parables and oh yeh - clerks …. at the DPS?? As we completed the paperwork (again) I commented on her necklace and her sign. She shared that without her faith and finding her purpose in Christ she would not have made it through some days in her life. She went on to share that working at the DPS, she often sees people who rush in at the last minute who have not listened, have not followed directions and are now upset and blame her because she will not grant their wishes. I couldn’t tell if she was talking about the DPS - or about me and my relationship with God.

And then I remembered how very precious my daughter is to me; I remembered that many years ago I had voted for my family by waving goodbye to 90+ hour work weeks in my then all consuming drive to reach the pinnacle of “success” on the executive ladder; I remembered voting for my life and voting for my relationship with God. And I found myself wondering how I can still so easily forget that I already voted and how that vote has led to such miracles in my life.

Romans 7:21
“So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.”

Back to our car we went with permit in (my daughter’s) hand and then it occurred to me that I am going to go back and thank this woman and tell her what a difference she had made in my life. She was not there, probably just stepped out on break, probably just a coincidence …….

Yes, sometimes His light will come from the most unexpected of places…….

From the most unexpected places

I got a call from a business this morning that was so real, so wonderful that I had to share it right away. In the middle of our discussion I had the strange desire to stop and pinch myself to verify that this discussion of the Book of Job and the rewards at the end were in fact intertwined with money & finances. I found myself wondering why these discussions did not occur more often and how I often play it “safe” by excluding God from certain areas of my life especially around business. I say I submit my life to God but in reality I pick and choose. This wild, wonderful, sacred, discussion was the experience of being Church - no not a typo - I meant “being Church” as in the capital “C” Church that is God’s people versus the little “c” church where many of us go on Sunday’s to smile and be “fine”. This conversation in contrast required no leader other than God and was with two broken people who are clear that wisdom and light are not of our making, that the truth truly does set you free and that in God there is always hope, always trust and always love. Yes, in the middle of a business call was Christ’s Church alive in falling down people struggling, like me, to submit my entire life to God. Sure enough, God is closer than I think and sometimes He appears in the most unexpected of places as if to remind me that the minute I give up control He gives me back peace, that when I can not feel God and He appears to be lost – it is not God that is lost.

Ephesians 5:14
“for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said:

‘Wake up, O sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.’”>

And sometimes His light will come from the most unexpected of places.

Small stuff and honesty

I had lunch with a couple close friends of mine this afternoon. Why this is worthy of note is that I was very clear that I did not have time for this and sure enough – I did. And have you ever noticed that when you get to the point of being “over committed” what you really mean is not committed? I mean, how can one be “over” committed? Either you are committed or you are not, right?

I was watching one of my favorite movies a while back, Bruce Almighty, and in it there is a line where Morgan Freeman (i.e. God) shares with Bruce – “….that’s the trouble, you’re always looking up (to God for answers)”. It reminded me once again that many saving ideas are born small. That God comes to earth as a child so that we can finally grow up. That God offers us partner status so that we can stop blaming Him for being absent in our lives when we ourselves were not present; So that we can stop blaming God for all that is wrong with the world and our lives as if we had been busily laboring to cure them; So that we stop making God responsible for all the thinking and doing, and lack thereof, that we should have been doing on our own.


“I know of only two alternatives to hypocrisy: perfection or honesty. Since I have never met a person who loves God with all his heart, mind, and soul, and loves his neighbor as himself, I do not view perfection as a realistic position to take.”
Philip Yancey

This is THE Day

This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.’
Psalm 118:24

Have you ever seen a baby being born? It is nothing short of miraculous. And in that moment all things are possible. Then Along the way stuff happens, parents who don’t know how to parent happen, failure happens, rejection happens and that extraordinary moment of birth and that world of ‘anything is possible’ become lost. Along the way our dreams, our purpose, our passion get traded away for what we affectionately call ‘comfort’ as we settle into being ‘fine’. It has amazed me over the last 30 years of adult life at how ‘comfortable’ and ‘fine’ I can be standing in sewage. I mean sure I’ d like to have a better relationship with my wife or my father or my son but hey “I’ m fine”. Sure I’ d always dreamed of being a teacher or a nurse or a you-fill-in-the-blank but hey – I’ m comfortable where I am and besides the smell just doesn’ t bother me that much anymore. Some day, one day I’ll get around to doing something about it but anything can wait until TOMORROW.