One dollar tacos. Support education. Read about it at the blog of Pastor Kyle from SonRise Church.
When Perspectives…and Cars…Collide
Last night I got a lesson in perspective. While I was on my way to the volunteer training class at the Eastern Shore Pregnancy Center, I got into a minor accident when I was just a couple minutes away from the center.
Obviously, it stunk. The car has some damage that needs to be fixed. The car seat that we’re using to bring the baby home from the hospital is in that car, and Carolyn could go into labor at any moment. We’re going to have to shell out at least 250 bucks and maybe 500. I don’t have names of any witnesses to verify what happened. All that: bad.
But the more I’ve gotten to thinking about it, the more good stuff I’m starting to see. No one was hurt. The other vehicle was not damaged. Carolyn and I have good insurance. The damage to our car could have been much worse–at least it’s still driveable and will probably only need one panel replaced. I could possibly have been given a citation for a moving violation. (I would have fought it in court, but that’s no fun to have hanging over you.) And I learned more about what to do in that situation if it should ever happen again.
The more I got to thinking about this, I realized how limited my perspective usually is. When something bad goes down, I tend to look at it and simply say, “That’s bad. I wish that hadn’t happened. I want this situation to change.” But sometimes we have to lift up a rock before we can see all the little signs of life underneath it. Circumstances might be tough or painful, but God is often at work doing something that’s good right in the middle of it, whether or not it’s something we ever see or know about. And even when we just see the bad, it could often be a whole lot worse.
On a related note, this also taught me a lesson about control. I’ve replayed the accident many times in my head, and I can’t think of a single thing I could have done differently to prevent it from happening. So I’m having to come to terms with the fact that I’m not in control. I already knew, of course, that I’m not in control of many external aspects of my life. But I at least want to be in control when I’m on the road! The fact that an accident could happen and there’s nothing I could do to prevent it is difficult for me to swallow. Like everything else, however, God is the only one who is ultimately in control. And that’s a good thing.
Stuff That’s Up
I’m sitting in my office at church, and right outside in the sanctuary there are some little ballerinas practicing for their performance on Friday. One of them just asked her teacher: “Miss Jeanne, do you want me to give you the answer to what’s new with me today?” That’s my question for you, my loyal readers: Do you want me to give you the answer to what’s new with me today? Okay, here we go:
- Last Thursday was Graduation Day at the Training Station. It’s always memorable, but this year’s highlight for me was when one of the teachers asked the students what they want to be when they grow up. One little boy said: “An insect!”
- Friday was Sports Day (what us old-timers remember as Field Day) at Carolyn’s school. She’d been off for three weeks at that point. We went out to visit her students. The kids were totally stoked to see her again! One little guy went up to Carolyn and after carefully examining her belly, proclaimed: “Mrs. Hyde, your baby is getting heavy!” Then he walked over to me, took a look at my stomach, and said sort of whimsically, “Well, Mr. Hyde’s a little bit fat.” Thanks kid.
- Carolyn’s sister, Kristen, is an advocate with Compassion International. In Sunday’s worship service at CrossWay, Kristen and her husband Michael joined us to share about the ministry of Compassion. She did an excellent presentation, fielded some questions, and then they worked a table with sponsor packets. Our church and Carolyn’s family have been involved with this organization for over 10 years, and the things this group accomplishes and how they achieve them is amazing. Compassion is an awesome ministry, and I’d strongly encourage you to check it out at www.compassion.com.
- My brother Dylan graduated from college (UMBC) last Thursday. Go Dylan!
And in case you’re wondering, what’s new today with the little dancer mentioned above is that she got a new headband.
Laura Marie’s Cute Little Face
Oops, I never posted this picture from last week’s sonogram. Here’s Laura Marie at 36 weeks:
Packed and Ready
Carolyn is at week 37, which means that Laura Marie is now technically considered full term. So the family bags for the trip to the hospital are now packed and waiting on the living couch for the big moment.
From left to right: Daddy’s bag, Baby’s bag, Mommy’s bag:
In case you’re wondering why the baby has her own bag, it’s because her mom has several different outfits picked out for her to wear home. She wants to wait until the baby is born so she can pick an outfit that best matches her personality. And each outfit is accessorized–matching hat, bib, socks, etc.
$kittles
Yesterday at CrossWay we talked about Skittles. Pastor Ed Young from Fellowship Church in Grapevine, Texas, tells a story about a time he was at a high school football game with his daughter. She wanted a pack of Skittles, so he bought her some. As he watched her eat them, he decided they looked pretty good. So he asked for a couple Skittles, but she refused.
Pastor Young pointed out three things that his daughter didn’t seem to realize about her Skittles:
(1) He was the one who had given her the Skittles.
(2) He was bigger, stronger, and faster than her, so he could take away all of her Skittles.
(3) He had enough money to go back to the concession stand and buy her more Skittles than she would ever be able to eat.
We’re in a very similar situation with God and the stuff He gives us. Everything we have is from God, but sometimes when He asks for us to give back a few Skittles, we refuse. We clutch tightly to our Skittles.
As we talked about Skittle management, we looked at a few basic Bible truths:
- Life is about God, not money or possessions. (Luke 12:13-34)
- Our money and our stuff is really God’s, anyway. (Psalm 24:1)
- God calls us to give generously. (Mark 12:41-44)
- God calls us to give cheerfully. (2 Corinthians 9:6-7)
God wants us to enjoy the tangible blessings He gives us, but He also wants us to be His channel for blessing others.
Naturally, we just had to close the service by giving everyone a pack of Skittles. 🙂
Um, You Can?
Wow….
During President Obama’s highly controversial speech at Notre Dame yesterday, someone shouted, “Stop killing our children!”
Amazingly, the graduates actually responded by chanting: “Yes we can!”
How sick is that?!?
Mother’s Day
Yesterday at CrossWay we celebrated Mother’s Day with a special message from Steve Doherty. He shared a little about the history of this holiday. Then he took some statements made by Training Station preschoolers about their moms and skillfully brought out the spiritual truths they contain. Very interesting sermon! The podcast will be up soon.
Stuff Re: Dates
Laura Marie is due one month from today!
Our worship leader at CrossWay, Josh Engle, turns 35 today. Happy birthday Josh!
As of last Wednesday, I’ve now been at CrossWay for two years. Sure has gone by quickly.
Surprise!
I just got one of the best birthday presents ever. All three morning preschool classes came by my office and sang “Happy Birthday” to me! It was so precious. They even gave me a card and a chocolate cake–which, by the way, really caught the kids’ attention. What a wonderful way to start the day!
Surfing the Inner N8 