Have you ever felt like trouble knows your address? It seems to me that no matter where I go, problems seem to find me. I remember years ago taking a road trip with several students to go see a college in Missouri. The homeward journey was long, so it was the plan to stop at a point about halfway to get some much needed rest, and then head out bright and early to finish the trip. Having driven this route a couple of times, I had already decided the exit I would pull off the interstate as it had plenty of clean motels to choose from. It was just between 10:30 and 11:00 p.m. at night as we approached the off-ramp for the desired exit when I heard it. There was a pop or banging noise and then the bus started driving very funny. Yes, you guessed it, we had a blowout!
We were sitting on the side of the interstate highway within fifty yards of the exit ramp. How frustrating to be so close yet so far away. After inspecting the outside of the bus, I found that we not only had one flat, but actually two. The back axle of the bus had dual wheels and both tires on the driver's side rear were flat. Within minutes a Tennessee state policeman had come and contacted a towing company. We formulated a plan to move the students via police cars to an Arby's while I dealt with the towing service. As I watched the police load the students up in their cars, I remember thinking that this really should be on video.
The large tow truck pulled up within a half an hour and the biggest guy I had ever seen in overhauls got out. Now I am not small by any means, but this guy (who I will refer to from now on as "Bubba") was huge. He looked like he had just stepped out of one of those horror movies that have a psycho hill billy that terrorizes everyone. He was massive. He walked over to the bus where the flats were, stared at the wheel for a minute, spit out a large amount of tobacco juice and walked in my direction. As he looked at me he said something about me being screwed by having two flat tires and then laughed. Bubba decided that the best solution was to move one of the tires from the other side to the side that had the two flats and have me drive off.
After much time Bubba finally moved one of the good tires from the right rear to the other side, had me pay him, and then wished me luck getting replacements in the morning. He laughed as he pulled off, but I was really more concerned with the students that had been shipped via the police to the Arby's. I had asked one of the other chaperones to check on rooms at the nearest motel so we could get some rest. By now it was after midnight, and I was exhausted from lack of sleep, getting a little shacky because I hadn't eaten anything since lunch, and just plain tired of the foolishness that comes from dealing with students who don't know when to stop goofing around.
As midnight was approaching, I caught up with the group only to find out that pretty much all of the motels were booked at least enough that we couldn't stay as a group. There was some kind of horse show in town that weekend and it was the one weekend of the year that no one has rooms. We finally got rooms for the girls in one motel, and I found another motel across the street that had one room. At this point I told the guys that sacrifices would have to be made and we would all squeeze into one room. Looking to expedite the situation, I gave my bus key to one of my most trusted, and competent students. I asked him to open the bus and get the luggage off the bus as I took care of the registration. My last instruction to him was to be careful with the key.
Things seemed to be getting better as I checked everyone in, but I was curious as to what was taking so long for the guys to retrieve the luggage. Having completed the check-in, I headed toward the front door to see what the hold up was. The student that I had put in charge of luggage retrieval was bringing the luggage into the motel and everything seemed fine when he stopped and held up a half of a key. . . the bus key. After all of the events of the evening, this was the icing on the top of the cake. This young man had not listened to me when I told him to be careful with the key in the lock. All I could say to him at that moment was, "God Bless America!"
The morning light brought hope for a much better day. A little rest and careful reflection on God's Word always makes the day start off better. So I got up early and took the bus to a tire center and had a couple of tires put on the back of the bus. As for the problem with the key, for the rest of the trip, every time we stopped I had the student who broke the key shut the door from the inside and then climb out the back of the bus over the luggage and luggage wall.
Now that I can look back and laugh at this whole story, I realize that there were so many lessons that God was teaching to me and those with me. Ultimately though I am reminded that God is good all the time, and all the time God is good. David went through so many troubled situations in his life and cried out to God for his mercy and help. As I read through the Psalms I find David to be a man after my own heart. Much like David I am always getting into troublesome situations and needing God to shine through. As a kid, I really didn't get the Psalms because I thought I could handle everything myself. The older I get, the more I fall in love with the Psalms as David cries out to God for help and magnifies the Lord in his writings.
"From the end of the earth, I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah." Psalm 61:2-4
We were sitting on the side of the interstate highway within fifty yards of the exit ramp. How frustrating to be so close yet so far away. After inspecting the outside of the bus, I found that we not only had one flat, but actually two. The back axle of the bus had dual wheels and both tires on the driver's side rear were flat. Within minutes a Tennessee state policeman had come and contacted a towing company. We formulated a plan to move the students via police cars to an Arby's while I dealt with the towing service. As I watched the police load the students up in their cars, I remember thinking that this really should be on video.
The large tow truck pulled up within a half an hour and the biggest guy I had ever seen in overhauls got out. Now I am not small by any means, but this guy (who I will refer to from now on as "Bubba") was huge. He looked like he had just stepped out of one of those horror movies that have a psycho hill billy that terrorizes everyone. He was massive. He walked over to the bus where the flats were, stared at the wheel for a minute, spit out a large amount of tobacco juice and walked in my direction. As he looked at me he said something about me being screwed by having two flat tires and then laughed. Bubba decided that the best solution was to move one of the tires from the other side to the side that had the two flats and have me drive off.
After much time Bubba finally moved one of the good tires from the right rear to the other side, had me pay him, and then wished me luck getting replacements in the morning. He laughed as he pulled off, but I was really more concerned with the students that had been shipped via the police to the Arby's. I had asked one of the other chaperones to check on rooms at the nearest motel so we could get some rest. By now it was after midnight, and I was exhausted from lack of sleep, getting a little shacky because I hadn't eaten anything since lunch, and just plain tired of the foolishness that comes from dealing with students who don't know when to stop goofing around.
As midnight was approaching, I caught up with the group only to find out that pretty much all of the motels were booked at least enough that we couldn't stay as a group. There was some kind of horse show in town that weekend and it was the one weekend of the year that no one has rooms. We finally got rooms for the girls in one motel, and I found another motel across the street that had one room. At this point I told the guys that sacrifices would have to be made and we would all squeeze into one room. Looking to expedite the situation, I gave my bus key to one of my most trusted, and competent students. I asked him to open the bus and get the luggage off the bus as I took care of the registration. My last instruction to him was to be careful with the key.
Things seemed to be getting better as I checked everyone in, but I was curious as to what was taking so long for the guys to retrieve the luggage. Having completed the check-in, I headed toward the front door to see what the hold up was. The student that I had put in charge of luggage retrieval was bringing the luggage into the motel and everything seemed fine when he stopped and held up a half of a key. . . the bus key. After all of the events of the evening, this was the icing on the top of the cake. This young man had not listened to me when I told him to be careful with the key in the lock. All I could say to him at that moment was, "God Bless America!"
The morning light brought hope for a much better day. A little rest and careful reflection on God's Word always makes the day start off better. So I got up early and took the bus to a tire center and had a couple of tires put on the back of the bus. As for the problem with the key, for the rest of the trip, every time we stopped I had the student who broke the key shut the door from the inside and then climb out the back of the bus over the luggage and luggage wall.
Now that I can look back and laugh at this whole story, I realize that there were so many lessons that God was teaching to me and those with me. Ultimately though I am reminded that God is good all the time, and all the time God is good. David went through so many troubled situations in his life and cried out to God for his mercy and help. As I read through the Psalms I find David to be a man after my own heart. Much like David I am always getting into troublesome situations and needing God to shine through. As a kid, I really didn't get the Psalms because I thought I could handle everything myself. The older I get, the more I fall in love with the Psalms as David cries out to God for help and magnifies the Lord in his writings.
"From the end of the earth, I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah." Psalm 61:2-4
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