Bringin’ it!

Today, as we made our way downtown, we actually took pictures from the van of the wicked looking cloud formations hanging over the Eastern horizon. So which direction were we heading? Well, East of course. I hate to be so repetitive, but this is something that Robin and I joke about, laugh about, pray about and simply put, tell anyone who will listen. It just doesn’t rain on us when we go downtown on Sundays. Like I said, I hate that I mention this so much, but today was simply the epitome of our faith and the fact that God has us covered on Sundays. This morning, as I loaded the trailer, the morning sun gave way to some pretty wickedly dark clouds and even a few drops of rain. I had the television on inside. The British Open was on I always like watching and listening to the major golf tournaments. So the Super Doppler Storm Team 7 Skycam First Warning Weather was telling us that we were in for a bit of trouble today. And I have to tell you I was wondering. Doubting maybe? How many times can we pull this off without getting absolutely soaked and eating with our friends in a torrential downpour? And to top things off, Robin committed our pop up canopy to a friend of ours for the day. I have to tell you when she told me she’d done that, I thought she’d lost her mind. Any other day but Sunday. That’s the only day we’d probably ever use it and you tell someone else they can use it? On a Sunday? Are you kidding me? It’s our only potential protection from the elements. But then, apparently, we never need protection from the elements. Right? So our friend comes over this morning and I help her load it into her van, all the while thinking to myself…"but what if we need it?" And I have to tell you it was looking as if we might need it.

So we get downtown and I see our friends waiting for us. I wonder if we are going to make it. I even go so far as to tell Robin that we might have to do an abbreviated version if the weather gets ugly. The thing is, we know it’s possible. It’s the weather for goodness sakes! And this summer, we’ve seen some of the most bizarre weather I can ever remember experiencing. Tornados, floods, you name it. Seems like we are in this endless Super Doppler tornado/severe thunderstorm watch/warning here in the Midwest. And the heat has been pretty intense. It is July. So you just never know what you’re going to get. Well if one would keep the faith, one might have a pretty good idea. So as we are unloading the trailer and getting set up, I look up and the skies are pretty black all around. The winds are kicking up pretty good. I’m handing tables, coolers, containers, whatever, out of the van at a pretty frantic pace. Trying to beat this thing. Whatever this thing might be. So we get set up, hurriedly, and I take my place on the small wall so we can pray and get this thing off and running. Now remember, the skies are black as far as we can see while we are setting up. In all directions. I did see a bit of a break off to the West, but I’m thinking that we are going to get it and get it good. We always begin with the Lord’s Prayer. Collectively. All of us. It’s really very cool. And I normally follow that up with a quick prayer asking God to bless our time together, to bless the meal, and of course thanking him for the opportunity to gather in His name. On what is a pretty filthy corner otherwise. But not on Sundays. Not from noon to 2:00 or 3:00 or whenever. And apparently not today. It was indeed the quickest prayer I’ve probably ever prayed on that corner. Because, as I began, a wicked wind kicked up. You know the distracting kind. The wind that kind of makes you look around and say uh-oh. We might be in the middle of something here. It distracted me to the point that I looked up and saw plates and paper items blowing off the table. So we gave thanks and tried to hurry things up. Now if I had maybe a little more faith, I would have stood strong on that wall and gave Him the thanks and praise he so richly deserves. But it was a little scary. I have to be honest. So I was distracted to the point that I kind of hung around the table to see if we couldn’t hurry things up. Robin was handing out flatware in the line and even had the gall to tell me to have them hurry things up. Oh ye of little faith…Dave and Robin. And then, as our friend Steve told me as we were unloading, we were going to see a miracle. And we did. The skies cleared and the winds died down. And it got hot. Now some might say whatever? So the weather just changed. Didn’t have anything to do with anything. Well, some might be wrong. Maybe. Because, I’m telling you it was extremely ominous when we removed our butts from the seats of that van and began unloading. And it was all around us. Know what I think? When I was praying on that wall and that wind kicked up and started blowing stuff all over the place? It was almost as if God Himself was saying to us…"I am here. Let’s get it on". Because I suppose that’s how he operates.
One of our friends mentioned something today that clarified that to me. And it was a simple thing. It was about hot sauce of all things. He mentioned that once he was going through the line and thought he might use a little of the hot sauce that is always present on the table. Hadn’t used any hot sauce in quite a while and thought he might use a little on that particular day. He got to a spot to begin eating, took a bite of the soup and according to him, used a mild expletive to pronounce to those around him the degree of heat in his mouth at that moment in time. He took the time to go back to the table and see exactly what it was he’d seasoned his soup with. Rule number one? Always check the label first. That darn Habanero hot sauce will have a little more kick to it than your average Tabasco sauce. I told him if we’re bringing it, then we are bringing the heat man! And that’s how God works. If he’s bringing it, you better step back my man and watch Him work. He’ll bring it.

And today? He brought it. Like He always does. I don’t know why we are always so amazed that he keeps us dry on Sundays. Or that He continues to provide in the way that He does. Because He is simply amazing in that sense. Maybe it’s just hard to believe that He’d keep providing in the manner that He does. That we could experience a change in weather the way we did today and have on other occasions and doubt that it could happen? You almost had to be there to experience it. Anyone that was there can attest to the fact that something very cool happened on that corner today. And continues to happen. Lots of life storms brewing on that corner. Lots of everyday, anyperson, dealin’ with life kind of storms. He can change ‘em. We know that. In the blink of an eye. Gotta have faith. Gotta bring it week after week.
I got an email from a friend of ours. I’ll end with it because it was so cool to me. He was simply thanking us, but it was so much more than that and he couldn’t possibly know how much it meant to me that he would take the time to send it.

Here’s his message…

"Dear Dave,

This is _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _. I should have written and mailed this letter. This is the proper thing to do but in the situation in which I find myself, this is the best I can do. I hope you don't mind.

Thank you very much for the belt you gave me on Sunday. I appreciate it very much. Now I appear better dressed. You cannot imagine how grateful I am.

Thank you also for the selfless service you do on Sundays. I understand you have done this EVERY Sunday for close to 2 years - without missing - come rain or snow. Consistency is the distinguishing mark of a man. What impresses me most is the cheerfulness with which you and your family do it. It is exemplary.

May God Bless you, your family and your ministry.

Kindly pass this message of gratitude to your wife, Robin. Give your children my regards.

I am,
Sincerely and Gratefully Yours,
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _"

And my friend Eric Ryan Grob is probably THE smartest and best looking person I’ve ever met. And of course I love him.

Peace and have a great and blessed week.

Go out and make a difference.

…it matters to that one… :)