It’s Go Time

It’s Friday morning.  5:30am.  It’s go time.

It’s time to defend my doctoral project to my doctoral committee at Southern Seminary.

The Taurus is ready.  Granola bar in hand, let’s do this thing.

Schedule:

  • 5:30am – Leave Greenwood
  • 8:30am – Get gas, stretch the back in Jefferson City, TN
  • 12:45pm – Get lunch in Louisville, get dressed in business attire
  • 2:00pm – Wow the doctoral committee with my sharp business attire
  • 3:30pm – Pick up revisions, give some hugs
  • 4:00pm – Get some gas, get in shorts, and start driving
  • 7:30pm – Get gas, stretch the back, get drive-thru supper in Knoxville
  • 11:00pm – Reunited with the family

Here, I lay my Ebenezer.  “Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said, ‘Till now the LORD has helped us'” (1 Sam 7:12).

In this story, Samuel was at a pivotal moment.  He was in a place that marked a waypoint along the way between where he had been and where he was going.  So he set down a monument, gave it a name, and thanked God for his provision thus far.

God, if you’ve brought me this far, I don’t think you plan on leaving me now.

UPDATE

This post was updated at 9:30pm.

Well, I didn’t follow everything according to plans today.  I did pass the oral defense (YEAH!), but that was after I hydroplaned off of the highway spinning around dodging cars taking out three median poles and stuck in a ditch for 45 minutes in the heavy downpour about two hours outside of Louisville.  I did eventually make it there through a harrowing amounts of feats, but I am OK.  I’m a little sore, but working my way back home.

When I get to a bed, I am going to do some serious sleep.  Thanks for the prayers!

photo-14
My Bumper Trail @ 40 yards back
Damage
Damage

UPDATE

This post was updated at Sunday AM.

Thanks for all your prayers and sweet messages.  I am OK and home.  Just to update you, my wreck happened two hours from the seminary.  I had to get the rental car back to that guy then try to figure out how to get an hour from there to Lexington so I could either fly out or drive out with a national car rental place.

I had to pay off the guy to meet me halfway.  So at 9:00pm Friday night, I went into the airport with my stuff.  I got a ticket out the next morning.  Tried to sleep on airport floor to no avail.  Then tried to get a hotel room in Lexington in the middle of UK vs. Louisville the next morning.  Miraculously, I found a hotel room, got a few hours of sleep, then got on the plane and saw this…

New Day
New Day

It was a new day, and I lived to see it.  It means that God isn’t done with me yet.  I still have more work to do on this planet.  This beautiful sunrise reminded me that it was a gift to live today.  When I was spinning around the highway, the only thing I could say as I was bending against the rails was “Jesus, you got to help!”  I felt like Carrie Underwood, but it worked.  Jesus showed when I could have gone through the median wiring or flipped over or whatever, he still had work left to do.

I then reminded myself that I was a cheap skate.  We have been saving for an adoption, and now I have all these extra unexpected expenses.  Waiting on Amanda to pick me up in the Charlotte airport, these sparrows kept huddling around me.

Look at the Sparrows
Look at the Sparrows

I was reminded of Jesus’ words: “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not much more valuable than they?  Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”  -Matthew 6:26-27

His eye is on the sparrow, and I know he watches me (Luke 12:4-7).

God, I trust you.

Reunited and It Feels So Good
Reunited and It Feels So Good

Then finally, my bride and brother-in-law picked me up from the airport.  Reunited with those I love the most, I was extremely thankful.  Amanda and I went to get fingerprinted with the Department of Homeland Security.  It was the final thing we have to do for the adoption.  All the paper work and tasks are done.  We are going to mail it off Monday.  Sitting in line, waiting to get fingerprinted with my bride so we could rescue our baby, I realized God really does have things left for me to do.

Waiting to hear about my car, and what we have to do, but it’s in His hands.

Thankful.

2 thoughts on “It’s Go Time”

  1. I'm glad your alive bro! God is definitely not done with you! I assume you wrecked on I75 going toward Richmond? That spot is Ebenezer for you my friend =]

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