Sweet Alignment

When we speak of the twists and turns of life there's hardly anyone who doesn't immediately understand what you mean. We're in this story, there are all these characters, we are one of them, whatever plot seems a bit fractured, elusive, but we press on with the faint belief that someday all will make a bit more sense. And this from a guy who knows the larger story, who knows I have been rescued and who believes I am a beloved son.  Nonetheless, that does not seem to prevent the fog of war from often obliterating any clarity from the details of the daily scenes.

But I come today not to write quite about this...some days are different and yesterday was one of those. A day when all the balls were falling into there respective slots, when the lights all were timed to go green and I got to live in one of those rare hurricane eyes where it just wouldn't go wrong. It's like I don't even know how to handle it.  I shout out my praises to Father, for sure. There is this inner move to look inside to see if perhaps I have somehow tripped across some magical formula...maybe in my reading, maybe in my prayer, my actions.

But alas, no such luck.  It appears to just be an inexplicable day of grace for one who believes that there is more to this life than what we can normally see. Check this out.... the first nine months of 2012 have brought decidedly mixed blessings.  There have been some great missions, some significant movements in church and family life. Yet all of the good has also been set against a backdrop of unparalleled downturn in ability to earn a living.  One of those years where you go from your best year ever to your worst and the whiplash of it all wants to taint every scene of this movie I have been cast in.

So a couple of months ago, a wind came blowing across my plains which at least brought a number of new things to work on.  That is good, but doesn't necessarily translate into income.  Part of my downturn was a sharp decrease in project volume but part of it was also coming from "if it can go wrong it does".  Nonetheless, thankful for things to work on, I did what anyone would do....proceed....limping perhaps....but proceeding.

As time has gone on the projects are maturing and coming nearer that time which would tell whether there was a lady or a tiger behind the door of each. My "chosen" field (I guess I chose it although reflection shows it was more of a default choice than a particularly deliberate one) is a crazy world of bringing this small candle flame, of which you have no real control, through a gauntlet of high speed fans and needing it to still be burning at the end. So, after running through a number of gauntlets, yesterday dawned.

As a backdrop you just have to be playing a scene from Caddyshack....Chevy Chase in a golf match on a day when nothing could go wrong. There he was putting from every conceivable angle with crazy antics and all the balls find their way into the cup. And you have to hear him saying "Na,na, na, na......na,na, na na...."

We come into yesterday with storm clouds everywhere.  Daughter in Haiti, very ill with the child they are seeking to adopt with her and very ill. Two very ripe potential placements with all the signs of fast going south. A smart phone that suddenly decides to die and this for a guy who makes his very living on the phone. And just to totally round things off, a SD ally calls in the middle of the day, in desperation having just had to evacuate his house because of wild fire and a plea for prayer.  Yes it's another day, with more fog, filled with more uncertainty and me, tapping my way along as a sojourner with his white cane (not the picture that a warrior in the King's army likes to necessarily have).

But as the day proceeds boo-freakin-yah!

• Three placements happen! Ka-ching for a drought- filled cash register. Oh most merciful God! 
• A report from Haiti comes in with news that the corner is turned, health has returned and little baby boy once again is squealing with delight.  
• And yes sir, no problema, you had purchased coverage and we will have a new phone over-nighted to you and oh, here is a free loaner in the meantime. 
• A follow up report from SD comes in...thank you for prayer support...a close call but all is now well.  

Folks, I am beside myself...I don't really know how to behave with such lottery-winning days. Best thing I seemed to come up with was to take a walk in the dark and jump and shout out my thanks like a crazy man for anyone watching.

Boy, I wish I could bottle such circumstances up and put them into a pantry so that I had an everlasting see/touch inventory of blessing and provision.  Oh, but he is not a tame lion....I understand.  And oh, this is a war zone I am in...I understand.  The bullets are real not rubber....I understand.  Your Father has your back....I am improving in my understanding.

And as if all of this is not enough.....as I look up I can't help but see another scene.  At night, driving by the airport you can look up and see a long line of headlights spanning way out in the distance of jets in their final approaches for landing.  As the maraschino cherry on yesterday's delicious sundae, I have additional projects that also appear as bright headlights headed their way to Santiago's little landing strip.

Heh, I am headed for my rooftop, for all I can do is shout out my praises in this particular part of the movie! Praise you Father in good times and in bad!!!