Car safety

It's been said that, statistically speaking, the most dangerous thing that someone in our line of work does is to get into a car. More people die in car crashes than are martyred for their faith.

A couple of days ago, we were driving to visit some friends in Arlington, TX. We were only a couple miles from our host family's home. We were in the left of 2 lanes and in a row of cards stopped at a red light, which turned into green. Suddenly we felt a bump from behind. A yellow rental truck had apparently anticipated the changing light and rolled forward.

I got out to inspect our back bumper. It appeared that there was no apparent damage. We both pulled into an Exxon gas station immediately on the left. We called our host friends, who suggested we call the police.

My wife said her neck was hurting a little. Our friends arrived first, then a plain clothes police officer, then a couple more police cars, then a fire truck and emergency vehicle.

The other driver first claimed that he didn't hit us, then changed his story after the police came. One of our host friends chewed him out.

My wife got into the emergency vehicle and got checked out. We wanted to have a record of what happened, just in case there were physical complications yesterday.

Fortunately, it appears that neither our car nor anyone in our family nor the other driver suffered any physical damage. We felt a little shook up emotionally and were cautious both going to and coming back from our friends' house in Arlington. Coming back, we hit the biggest rainstorm that I can remember driving through in many years.

During this trip, we've pretty much had smooth sailing during our travels. But the little incident was a reminder to not take this safely for granted. Car accidents often seem to be something that you are either part of or just miss by just a few seconds. I'm sure that the Lord has protected us many times that we aren't even aware of.

God of My Days -- Visit to Gateway Church (South Lake, Texas)

God of My Days
Gateway Worship

You awaken my heart
From slumbering
Meet me in mourning
And you speak to my grief

You're the light in my darkness
The delight of my eyes
The hope of the daybreak
When the sun's slow to rise

(Chorus)
I trust that every moment's in your hands
You're the God of my days
The King of my nights
Lord of my laughter
Sovereign in sorrow
You're the Prince of my praise
The love of my life
You never leave me
You are faithful
God of my days

You unveil my eyes
Help me to see
The arms of my Father
Encircling me
You're a constant companion
I am never alone
Your love is the banner
That's leading me home

(Chorus)

My eyes are on You
My hope is in You
My faith is in You
My eyes are on You
My hope is in You
My faith is in You

(Repeat chorus 2 times)

Yesterday we attended the 4:00 p.m. Saturday service of the South Lake campus of Gateway Church. Our friends Brad & Holly have attended here for 6 years and they've seen it grow from around 1,500 to 15,000. It was mind-boggling to walk around that campus before church and see how well everything was done. The service lasted exactly one hour, including announcements done via a video clip at the very beginning of the service, worship time, communion, and an excellent sermon by Pastor Robert Morris on the law vs. grace.

The rapid growth of this church from a home Bible study in 2001 to its current size gives lots of room for thought. It would be amazing to see that type of church develop in Paris. Perhaps Hillsong is that type of church.

South Dakota

We're on day 18 of our Summer 2009 U.S. HMA. We've been in Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and now South Dakota. Except for needing to replace the battery, the car has run fine. We've already seen many friends along the way.

Today we're at a sponsoring church in western South Dakota. We'll be talking in adult and children's Sunday school in an hour or two.

It's a privilege to get to make new friends and see old friends during this HMA trips. Our schedule is generally packed, although we have enjoyed some times of rest and refreshment along the way. For me, getting to see friends is the highlight of these trips. We're blessed to have friends scattered throughout the U.S., as well as around the world.

Now it's time to get dressed and get the wife and children up. I love these quiet mornings when everyone else is asleep.