I am a road warrior.
Let me clarify. I have spent a lot of time in cars on trips, both long and short. I have pulled all-nighters in blizzards and driven in some silly conditions and for silly distances. In all of this time, I have had remarkable bladder control. I have not had many roadside toileting emergencies. I have not had many instances where containers other than toilets came into play.
Today, I must give up my Road Warrior Street Cred. (And yes, my qualification for road warrior basically consists of bladder control.)
This afternoon our "band" had a "gig". (Those quotation marks are absolutely necessary) It was about an hour away, outdoors, in a park. In this "band" I do all of the following (not at the same time): beat box, sing, play djembe, play guitar, kazoo, break drum sticks on trash cans, play not more than 4 notes total on keyboard, and hit cymbals more often than I should. Oh, and I also heckle my "bandmates".
Anyway, to get through this gig we played outside, in 90 degree weather, for a couple hours, I had to hydrate. Mucho. I probably drank at least 6 water bottles to get through the various degrees of torture I inflicted upon my vocal chords and throat. You can see where this is going. We had about a 55 minute drive ahead of us.
About 10 minutes in: "Oh, I have to go. I can probably make it."
About 30 minutes in: "There is no way I am going to make it. But maybe...too embarrassed to tell the guys I have to go."
INSERT STOP-AND-GO TRAFFIC
About 35 minutes in: "Guys we're going to have to stop. There is no way I am going to make it."
INSERT WATER NOISES AND HECKLING FROM BANDMATES.
About 55 minutes in:
Here is the point: That moment, the one where I reach for the handle on a port-a-potty on the side of a busy highway, the moment when that door opens, IS A MOMENT OF EXTREME JOY FOR ME. Behind getting married, the birth of our children, getting to teach the Scripture, etc...you know, the real moments of joy...this was one of the happiest moments of my life. No joke.
It was exactly the right thing, at the right place, at the right time. It was, simply, perfect.
I had an extreme need. Upholstery was at stake. (I had done the math, and the two empty water bottles were NOT going to cut it.) And there it was, right where it was needed, at the exact moment it was needed.
What does this have to do with planting a church in Sioux City?
There have been many moments up to this point, and there will be many more ahead, where we, our team, and the people we are sent to will be in extreme need. An extreme circumstance. Where things infinitely more important than port-a-potties and upholstery are at stake. We will need more than we can muster. We will need power and energy and resources that are beyond us. We will need an intervention divine, timely, and suited to specific people, places, and times.
It is a silly story, and I am not claiming divine intervention in a port-a-potty on the side of a highway, because, if anything, it would have been to give exasperated drivers a humorous respite from the annoying traffic. But I do know it got me laughing, and reflecting on the depth of our need and the impeccable timelines of God in our stories and in the life of this community of faith.
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