Photo by Michael Dziedzic on Unsplash
I was in a hurry, running late for an important meeting. It was one of those meetings where it seemed adding a tie would be a nice touch, even on a sultry summer morning. I rushed out the door to hop in my truck. Instead of the maroon landshark that would normally be staring back at me, I found only a cold, gray, slab of concrete. “Weird… I thought I parked it here.” Then the realization hit: this fine piece of American machinery had been stolen. For the second time.
The first time was two years prior in Phoenix. We heard the perpetrator trying to start the single cab v-6 in the middle of the night. The cops were able to track it down in a few days, just a busted steering column to show for the adventure.
But this time ole Stormin’ Norman (affectionately named after Norman Schwarzkopf because of the tank-like status) would find an ignoble end in a watery ditch in Northern Arkansas; engine and transmission removed, bench seat set on fire. He didn’t deserve to go out like that.
When Challenges Come
What do you do when challenges come? It was otherwise an exciting season of life. We had recently moved back to Little Rock, and our daughter had just been born. We were rebuilding friendships and community and looking forward to the ministry that lay ahead. But now this, Lord? Why?
I remember having the distinct thought that morning, “Well… I wonder how God is going to show up.” That week a fellow church member heard about our situation and lent us a car for six months. After that a ministry supporter gave us a car they were no longer using. You never know what God might do when things do not go as planned. Sometimes the unexpected comes in the midst of the joys.
The Good and Not So Good
This week we celebrated Valley View’s 85th anniversary. We also opened the newly renovated Fellowship Hall, renamed “Peercy Hall.” If you missed the service, you’ll want to check out the web page Carol Burden built with all the details, like the timeline-history of the church (which you can also see in the lobby the next few weeks). It was an amazing day of excitement and celebration. Yet just the day before an A/C unit and an equipment trailer were stolen from the Dare to Care house next to the church. When I heard the news, I thought back to that day with our truck and I wondered again, “How are you going to show up, Lord?”
I believe God has us ready to launch forward into our next 85 years in some exciting ways, yet we’re not promised an easy, problem free life. Challenges come, even in exciting seasons, yet with the challenges come opportunities to watch Him provide in unexpected ways. We continue to trust Him, because He is faithful! (I Cor. 1:9) Keep praying for God to use Valley View to reach our neighbors, co-workers, family and friends all over Southwest Louisville with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.