January 9 – “About trust”

Ouch.  We took our car in to the mechanic yesterday for an oil change.  It was past time and the sensor thing sure let us know about it.  A few hours later we received the call that the oil change was complete … but.  Yep.  Not what you want to hear from your mechanic, especially when he is an honest guy who you really trust not to talk you into work you really don’t need.  Sure enough, it was time for new brake pads, front and back.  Chris has been hearing the tell-tale squealing, so we approved the extra work and tightened our belts an extra notch.  As it turned out, when he called to let us know the car was ready to be picked up, Dennis had some good news.  He had tracked down the last time he changed the pads, and was able to arrange for a warranty discount.  Knocked off a nice portion of the hit to the pocketbook.  Thanks, Dennis.  We appreciate you going the extra mile again.

After spending most of the rest of the day working on church stuff, I shifted gears and tried to get some more space on my phone.  I deleted a lot of saved stuff from texts people have sent after making sure the photos and videos I wanted to save were safe elsewhere.  I discovered another issue my phone has.  You know how it’s supposed to change layouts when you turn it sideways?  Well, not anymore.  Whatever sensor or piece of hardware that makes that happen has shifted into technology heaven.  Makes it more difficult to watch videos, for one thing.  It’s amazing how much you realize that you relied on something after it is gone.  But then I got to thinking … it’s not wired to the wall.  Oh, and it’s way closer to Captain Kirk’s handheld communicator (minus the phaser settings, of course). 

Last night we got a call from some Seasiders who asked if we could race over and pick up their girls at day care.  Seems they were stuck in Houston traffic and were going to be late.  A dollar a minute for every minute late can add up quickly.  We followed their directions, but couldn’t find the gate to get from the parking lot to the building.  Even drove around behind to try there, but ended up in the parking lots of some hair stylist.  We returned to the original parking lot, and Chris finally saw an opening in the fence structure near the garbage cans.  I guess it was just a case of one of those structural marvels designed to make the whole fence look alike.  It worked.  We did find the girls, though.  Seems the day care worker had told them their pastor was picking them up.  The girls, however, had no idea who they were talking about.  Until we walked up, that is, and they both screamed, “Pastor Kelley!”  See, I’m not “your pastor.”  I’m “Pastor Kelley.”  Besides, what they should have told them was “Mama Chris.”  They were way happier to see her than they were me. 

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.”

Father, thank you for trust.  It’s good to trust Dennis.  It’s humbling to be trusted with someone’s kids.  Amen.