When it rains...

Waves are waves. They’re a bit of high water that hits hard and then is quickly gone. You have to time it just perfectly to get a surfboard on the crest. But tsunamis.... A tsunami is a wave that keeps coming ... and coming ... and coming.

I am in the middle of a tsunami. I don’t know if it’s the beginning of the tidal wave, the middle, or the end. But it’s been coming pretty hard and heavy for a few weeks now. Here’s the latest huge amount of water to crash over me:

Driving home from work yesterday afternoon my car began to make some seriously disturbing sounds. I was in the middle of the mountains in a very rural area, so I didn’t immediately pull over. But at 170,000 miles, I knew this car was nearing its end. I just didn’t realize how near.

The sounds got worse. The power dropped to the point that the car had trouble making it up the hills. Then, about 10 miles after the sounds had begun,

BOOM!!!!

A huge concussion came from the engine compartment and everything shut down.

I was in Faber, Virginia. (No, I had never heard of Faber before either.) I was nowhere near any road signs in either direction. And I was about 50 miles from home.

I called for a tow truck. An hour and a half later my car was on the truck and we headed toward Lynchburg. Another hour went by and I was paying the tow truck driver $208 for getting me (and my car) home.

So now, in addition to needing to find and buy a house, we need to find and buy a car. We might be able to make do with just our other car. After all, it has only 167,000 miles on it.

But, God is in total control. He promises that this is the best thing for me and that it will bring glory to him.

A few things to note:

1. This car’s five-year-note was paid off last week.
2. The engine could have blown anywhere along the very long stretch of dangerous twisty roads in the mountains, but it blew just prior to a convenient and inexplicable gravel turnoff area.
3. Our other car, which was already in the shop, will require only a starter and battery to get it into “good condition,” according to the mechanic.
4. The other car gets quite a bit better gas mileage, which will help since I’ll be commuting into DC every day instead of just once a week.
5. The car broke down just 52 miles from our house—not nearer to my office, which is 220 miles from our house.

God is on the move. These are exciting days. Tsunami or not—I’m in good hands.