January 11-14, 2013

Warmer Weather

 

A little longer weekend but easier to depart for simply because we were headed to a much warmer climate.  Easier, because warm weather meant packing was lighter and warm weather was a welcome break from the mid-January blues.  We could have waited until early Saturday morning to leave but leaving on Friday and only driving 8 of the 12 hours to Auburndale, Florida made a lot more sense, especially when given the fact that our van has 310,000 miles on it.  We sang at Central Assembly of God’s coffee house that meets one Saturday night each month.  They served chili dogs and desserts as well as iced tea and coffee.  A good-sized group gathered and we had a lot of fun.  Justis debuted his thrift store guitar and what a show he put on.  The little man, all of 21 months, has his daddy’s moves down pat.  After getting his guitar strapped on with assistance from big brother, Landis, he waited for his daddy to hand him a pick.  I can’t say there was much ministry done that night but there sure was some great family entertainment!  There was a lot of laughter in the room as Justis watched and mimicked not only his dad, but his siblings as well.  The best part though, was when Justis took a few steps around mic stands but tripped mid-song, got a little help from Faith in getting back to his feet and jumped right back into his guitar playing and lip syncing.  I wish I could say I have video but I was kept busy at a corner table feeding Grace.

We drove nearly 2 hours to Ocala to sleep and then sang Sunday morning in Citra, an impoverished community with 80% unemployment.  Pastor Joe and his family live in the parsonage which was formerly the church fellowship hall.  In spite of the fact that the area was poor the church interior was very attractive and well-cared for, and the folks were very friendly. 

After church I met a woman whose son had been killed while riding a bicycle at age 15.  In tears she told me of how she was very angry with God but eventually repented.  However, she still questioned God about “why” this happened to her son.  “He was a good son!” she reasoned with God.  She was having one of these conversations with God as she worked on her property one day when she said the presence of God came into the woods where she worked and the Spirit of God spoke to her clearly saying, “What about MY good Son?”  She repented fully that day and has been testifying of His goodness and mercy ever since. 

That wasn’t all to her story.  The Lord gave her a husband about 3 years ago and within the last year, her husband’s 20-year-old son also died unexpectedly.  She was there for her husband, knowing exactly what he was feeling.  He, too, has struggled with anger at God and questioning Him but she has encouraged her husband and continues to do so. 

Our Sunday evening concert was at a Nazarene Church in De Land where I met yet another woman who approached me and told me she wept more during the concert while watching Justis imitate his dad than she did at her son’s funeral 3 years ago.  Hers was a healthy little boy that had a brain aneurism while running across the yard after being called to dinner.  Through her experience she and her husband started a ministry helping children with handicaps obtain the equipment they need.

We had to buy all of our meals with the exception of our coffee house dinner Saturday night and all of our lodging for the weekend. (And we ate cheap. Taco Bell, $1 items from Burger King’s value menu, $5 Little Caesar’s pizza).  The greatest expense was our fuel which was more than a whopping $500.  Bobby told me on the way home as we were passing through Chattanooga that for the first time in 5 years of traveling and ministering across the country, we were actually coming home with less money than what we started out with.  About $50 less.  In spite of this he hasn’t been a grouch on the drive home like I might have actually expected based on similar situations. 

Oh, and Bobby (and I) had our talk with Landis as we drove north of Atlanta and the rain poured down.  Bobby asked him some questions about his choices he’s made of sticking things in his pocket that didn’t belong to him and told him to write letters of apology to the offended and buy them more of what was stolen and send it to them.  This didn’t please Landis but I think he accepted his father’s words.