She's a Fighter

          She is just 13 years old. She is short and wide. She has some scars on her body that show the pain of the past. This past week I thought we had lost her but she just keeps fighting! Most people have told me to just give up on her and start another project that she’s just not worth the time and money. When my wife gets around her she just feels sorry for me because she doesn’t see the potential that I see in her. My kids usually make fun of her but then so do other kids. She sits outside my house in the mornings usually wet with dew.

            Who is she, you ask? My 1999 Buick Regal (had ya going there for a minute, didn't I). 165,000 miles. Leather seats. Used to have power windows (haha). When 3 window motors when out I asked Rob (mechanic extraordinaire) to just fix them up so they wouldn’t roll down. Well, last week the driver side window motor went out, while it was down (why don’t they ever stop working when the window is up), and the rain it was a comin! I pulled into a little repair shop on wears valley road and asked the mechanic on duty what he would charge to roll it up and make it stationary. He looked at it and said wait just a minute. He came back after talking to a young kid then went to work on my car in the now drizzling rain.

            While working, he was asking me questions and we were just talking. He asked where I worked and I said I was a Pastor. He never looked up but while he was working he said, “Youth pastor, or children’s pastor?” I explained that I was the senior pastor with a little bit of pride since he thought I looked young enough to be a youth or children’s pastor. Then he looked at my car and back at me and said, “Most Senior Pastors drive nicer cars” (well that hurt the old pride a little). I couldn’t help but laugh. I explained that I was fine with the Buick and that it fit the need. He ended up pulling the window up and placing a wooden shim in it to hold it up. I laugh every time I get in it.

            The mass air flow sensor has also decided to only work on occasion meaning that will have to be fixed at the same time as the window. Annnnnnnnd, then the AC stopped working (oh, and I had put back $200 so I could get the new Galaxy 3; guess God knew I would need that money huh?). Funny thing is this. Through all this, my “service engine soon” light has only come on for minutes at a time then went out. I figure the Buick, she’s a fighter. She don’t wanna quit and I’m not gonna let her!

            The AC was fixed this morning and the window motor will be fixed sometime next week. I am so blessed. I am leaving Sunday for the country of Panama again. We are building a church, doing prison ministry, revival services, and some marriage training for Pastors. The pastors that we will be speaking to and the people that will attend the revival services for the most part, none of them have a car and for sure don’t have air conditioning. They will walk, some for hours, to get to church and when they get there they will have the best attitudes. They will come to worship and pray and hear God’s Word.

            I am not better than any of them. My children are no better than their children. But for some reason, God put me here and them there. I will live a grateful life. My children will live a grateful life as long as I have influence in their lives. How can we not?

            I want to do great things for God. I want to make a difference in people and in communities, and maybe the world. Not for gain or glory but so that Christ will be seen in my life.

            I want to be the best husband to Tammy and father to Kelcey and Jordan that they could ever imagine. I want to lead my family as a Godly man. I want to be faithful, strong, and committed to all three of them.

            I most likely will never be wealthy. I can dream about it. But I am already blessed. I am more fortunate than most of the world so why should I complain that someone across the street or across town has more stuff than I do?

            The old Buick, she’s a fighter. I’m guessing that as long as her engine turns over, she’ll go for me. I’ve decided the same thing goes for my life. I’ll be a fighter. Not much to look at. There are plenty out there that shine more than I do. But for the people that put their trust in me to get them from one place to the next, I’m gonna fight to get’em there.

            Who’s depending on you? What’s the excuse this time? Too poor? Go with me sometime and I’ll show you poor! Are you too beat up? Get over it, get up, and get going! People are watching you. Some to be inspired and some to be cynics. There are those who need you to go on and be a Godly person so they will have the courage to do the same. There are those who want you to fail because it will justify their lazy backsides. “Hey, look at him. He quit!” “Look at her, she gave up!”

            Nope, this 1971 version has a lot of miles on him but the motor is still going. Let’s see how far we can go!!!!

            Pastor Dad