Staying Flexible...

Tuesday and Wednesday were interesting days for this 50 year old pastor!  I had the opportunity of driving and chaperoning 7 young people from our middle school and high school ministries for 2 days at Kings Island Theme Park.  We left at 7:25 a.m. from the Marshall home in the church van, and made two stops to pick up young people.  We were on our way be 8:00 a.m. and arrived at KI at 1:46 p.m.  After riding every good ride in the park (some of them 5-7 times!) and watching the closing fireworks display, we headed off to Crestview Presbyterian Church to spend the night.  I had arranged for the youth room to be left open, but as we drove around the back of the church I served as youth pastor for the first 5+ years of ministry, I had a sense that we were going to find a LOCKED door.  I was right!  It was 11:10 p.m. and I had 7 young people in a van who were ready to "crash" after a long day.  A quick call to Crestview's youth pastor drew a sincere apology, and his explanation that he lived more than half an hour a way. Here's where the FLEXIBILITY part comes in!  What to do?  Nancy has an uncle who lives five minutes from the church, so I called him--Thank God for cell phones--and told him that I was standing in Crestview's parking lot with a van full of young people and no way to get in.  He took the hint---"And you need a place to stay!"  I said, "Yes, we do."  He said, "Why don't you come on over to our place?"  THANK YOU JESUS, and THANK YOU UNCLE DAVE! 

Turns out Dave was home by himself as his wife was out of town on a business trip, so he enjoyed the company.  In the end, we all got to sleep in beds--well all but one of us--and were a lot more refreshed for our second day at KI.  It could have been a bad situation, but God provided for better than we expected.  The old makarism is right:  "Blessed are the flexible, for they will not get bent out of shape!"