God’s faithfulness

Deer Encounter: A Colorado Adventure

July 11, 2017

I turned onto Highway 24, coming from Charis Bible College in Woodland Park, CO and heading west toward Dawn of Hope Ranch where I was staying. After four days of conferences, the route was familiar. As I left the evening session the moon shed little light on the road. I considered turning on the brights, but there was too much oncoming traffic.

The speed limit sign said 60, so I set the cruise control at 58 and was rolling along. I was challenged by the message at the conference and knew I needed to pray about it. I told God I needed to focus on driving right now but would process it with Him when I got to my room. I was thinking about His goodness when Bam! Something hit the right side of my car. Out of the corner of my eye I caught a brief glimpse of a deer sliding out of sight.

My first response was, ”Oh my gosh, I just hit a deer!” Then I asked, ”Lord, what should I do?”

”Keep going. Get back to the ranch.” That was a 12-mile drive, the last 5 miles of which were dirt roads I hadn’t been fond of even in the daylight with a 100% functional car, but I kept going. At the next stoplight, a streetlight revealed that the hood was pushed up a bit, and something slid off the car. I heard metal hit the pavement.

I continued toward the ranch, praising God, thanking Him I wasn’t hurt, and declaring scriptures such as ”The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and he delivers them.” Psalm 103:20 says, “Bless the Lord, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His Word, heeding the voice of His Word,” and I am convinced that angels were responding to the voice of His Word as I spoke it forth.

I breathed a sigh of relief upon entering the driveway to the ranch. When I stopped the car, I heard pieces fall to the ground. I glanced at the damage before making my way into the building. “Hmmm – This is worse than I thought! Thank you, Lord, for getting me here safely.”

I made the necessary phone calls. Some of the other guests heard what had happened and gathered around to pray for me. Then I went to bed. The next morning I went out to take a picture of the car. I was amazed I’d been able to get all the way to the ranch. The headlight was completely gone. I had driven all that way with only the left headlight and the right fog light.

As the tow truck driver pulled the car onto the flatbed, pieces kept falling off. Shattered headlight glass along the side of the road marks the spot where the accident occurred. Colossians 1:17 says that God holds all things together. I know an angel was holding that car together for me.

I’ve been facing my upcoming move from Illinois to Arizona with a bit of trepidation. Although it’s very exciting, it’s a big step and a little scary. But all my fear and worry is gone now. If God can get a completely undriveable car to the ranch, He can get me to Arizona with all pieces intact. He can and He will.

Spring is Here! The Equinox Says So!

March 20, 2017

Today is the Spring Equinox, the First Day of Spring! The sun and the earth are in their places. Hopefully the weather will get the message soon! It’s at this time of year that the sun is directly in front of you if you’re heading west near the time of sunset, or east at sunrise, making driving a bit of a challenge. This happens because wherever you are on the planet, the sun is rising due east and setting due west.

When I was teaching Earth Science in high school, I celebrated this day with my students in a way I hoped they would remember what the equinox is all about. Twice a year on the days of the spring and fall equinoxes, I would bring cupcakes to school – but not just any cupcakes. These were Equinox Cupcakes: half chocolate and half yellow, with frosting to match, representing the fact that on this day there are 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness all over the world, no matter how far north or south you may be.

The equinox is caused by the earth’s position in its orbit around the sun. On all other days of the year, the tilt of the axis causes more sunlight to fall in one hemisphere or the other, causing winter in the northern hemisphere while it’s summer in the southern, and vice versa. But on the Spring and Fall Equinoxes everybody gets 12 and 12.

I am also fascinated by phases of the moon, and many other observable occurrences caused by the movements of the earth, sun, moon, and planets. I have been known go out and measure the angle of the sun in the sky, or measure the sun’s shadow at various times of the day, simply out of curiosity.

Nowadays there are websites a person can use to find out anything he wants to know about angles, length of daylight, and any other calculation he might be curious about. My days of measuring these things directly are probably over too, although I must admit, as I am out walking if I see a straight pole casting a shadow, I may try to estimate the length of the shadow compared to the height of the pole and mentally calculate how high the sun must be right now.

You may be wondering why I’m sharing this with you. Just to show you that I am truly weird? No, that isn’t why. I have mentioned in previous blogs how reassuring I find it that we can count on astronomical line-ups taking place at their appointed times, as they have been for thousands of years. I get excited about tangible evidences of God’s faithfulness. He tells us why He set this all in place: “Then God said, ‘Let there be lights in the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years’” (Genesis 1:14).

Maybe the equinoxes are also a bit special to me because it sounds like my name is in the word. The name comes from two Latin words: equi meaning “equal,” and nox meaning “night,” because the length of night is equal everywhere on that day. But there’s more than that. What most intrigues me about the equinox is the fact that it is a time of balance, perfect balance between the day and night, and that it’s happening everywhere. But when I celebrate the equinox, it is not a celebration of the sun, the earth, or their motions and angles. I am celebrating the faithfulness of our Creator God.

It has been a few years since I made my last batch of cupcakes, but I remain intrigued at this astronomical line-up that occurs regularly and predictably twice a year.

Happy Equinox Day! I hope spring arrives soon where you are!

Photo from examiner.com