Archive for November, 2006

“Life’s weary road…”

November 27, 2006 at 8:53 am · Filed under A Beautiful Life, XM radio, house church, ministry redefined

While going down life’s weary road, I’ll try to lift some traveler’s load.  I’ll try to turn the night to day, make flowers bloom along the way. (A Beautiful Life, William M. Golden)

For nearly 30 years, I worked for one church or another and was usually considered part of a ministry staff, though most of my years were spent in counseling.  A (paid) ”minister” knows what his job is everyday–take care of your area(s) of responsibility, keep the programs of the church going, show up on Sundays, etc.  It’s not as clear cut what “ministry” is when you have a secular job.  For example, if I’m not talking with someone about a spiritual problem, or leading a small group Bible study, or presenting a sermon, is it really ministry? 

I am beginning to redefine “ministry” in my new vocation of truck driver.  (Some of you are way ahead of me in this area.)  I am seeing that literally everything I do during the day is ministry.  Every person I come in contact with is someone I can “minister” to.   The stock room manager at the Sears in South Carolina was having a bad day.  I tried to find out why, but he wouldn’t let me into his life.  The young man behind the counter at the Pilot Truck Stop in Temple, GA asked about my job; I gave him more than he wanted with advice to get a good education.  I sympathized with the warehouse employee who had to get to work at 5 AM the day after Thanksgiving.  I waved to a little girl who was awed by the size of my truck as I pulled up beside her car at a stop light.  Every one can be ministered to; every occasion is an opportunity to minister.

Some of you know that Lynn and I worship with a small house church in midtown Memphis.  We love our group.  Since we don’t take up a “collection” on Sundays, Lynn and I have had to become creative in directing the money usually set aside for our “church” contribution.  We have always given only a portion of our “tithe” to the church, choosing instead to give money directly to worthy causes, usually individuals with specific needs.  I am finding more opportunities in my travels to glorify the Father with our money.  (I relay these things humbly, only as examples of what we all can do.  I hope you will receive these in the spirit they are shared.)  I tipped a motel housekeeper, who probably earns minimum wage, $20 with a note of encouragement.  I gave the lady who cleans the truck stop bathroom $5 along with a thank-you for keeping the bathrooms so clean.  I paid the extra $3.15 that a fellow trucker didn’t have when he went to pay his fuel bill.  There are others, but you get the point:  there is no limit to the ways we can worship God when we see every person, every occasion as opportunities for ministry.  (an editorial here:  Think of what Christians could do with our resources if we didn’t have buildings and “professional” clergy to support!) 

This past week was the first Sunday I had to work.  I missed gathering with other Christians, but I worshipped God with great exuberance as I drove toward Memphis from Atlanta.  With my XM radio tuned to “The Message” (one of four channels dedicated to spiritual music/messages), I sang and praised and prayed my way back home.  Every time I passed a church that was meeting, I pretended I was part of their assembly as blessed them as I went by.  It was a great morning!

Would you share with us how you worship in your secular job?  Tell us how you have brightened someone’s life; used your resources to honor God; lifted some traveler’s load.

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Our Thanksgiving was wonderful.  The whole family was together along with Chrissy’s folks, the Whites, from Round Rock, TX.  I’ve heard horror stories of in-laws who couldn’t get along with each other.  That is not the case with ours; they are a great family, and we always have so much fun when we’re together.  Hope your holiday was as nice.

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Learning about me

November 18, 2006 at 8:25 pm · Filed under loneliness, struggles, trials

Seems like we never really know the truth about ourselves until something intercedes to bring elements of who we really are to the surface.  I’ve always thought of myself as one who didn’t really need anyone.  I have often thought that if I had to, I could live alone in a little cabin in the Rockies and never see anyone until I came down to the nearest Wal-Mart to restock groceries  once a month.  That’s why this overwhelming sense of loneliness I experience on the road is so difficult and so puzzling.  

I am alone in my truck about 20 of the 24 hours in the day.  I drive for 11 hours and rest or sleep in the cab another 8-10 hours.  I see people when I make my freight deliveries, stop for fuel or food (I eat most of my meals in the truck from the stock I bring from home).  Oh, I have my XM Radio that keeps me up to date with news and sports, and has every kind of music and talk programming I could wish for.  But all of that is a poor substitute for a live human being to touch and converse with.  I find myself really missing my family and friends.  I imagine myself just sitting on the sofa next to Lynn where I could hold her hand and listen to her relate the events of her day.  I call my sons to hear their voices, even if it’s just on their voice mail message.  I am becoming more comfortable with operating the truck, finding my way to the next delivery and negotiating my way through the traffic-choked maze of Atlanta or Birmingham.  But this loneliness thing…I’m not sure I’ll ever work that out.

Has anything ever happened to you that revealed an aspect of your personal life that surprised you?  What did you learn?  What impact has that revelation had on your life?

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I’ve noticed a comaraderie among truck drivers that is deep and genuine.  The other night when I was picking up my load at Sears, a woman truck driver parked in truck queue behind me jumped out of her truck and ran over to help me move my tandem wheels back.   She saw me struggling with this normally easy maneuver made difficult by a broken part on my trailer.   She said she is always grateful when someone goes out of their way for her, so she tries to pass the favors on.  My fellow drivers are always eager to help, be it watching out while I back up, giving directions or letting me merge in ahead of them.  It’s truly a strange and wonderful world in the road.

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First Trip is Over!

November 13, 2006 at 1:57 pm · Filed under Atlanta traffic, first truck trip, loneliness

Welcome friends!  I completed my first week on the road by myself.  Last Tuesday I headed to Columbia, South Carolina to deliver my truckload of Sears merchandise on Wednesday.  Then I returned to Memphis on Thursday to pick up another load which I delivered in Anderson, SC on Friday before returning to Memphis that night.   

It’s one thing to accompany an experienced driver when he makes his routine trips, and yet another to take full responsibility for one’s own load and be all alone during the process.  It was a very difficult week for me.  On Tuesday, I ran into rain between Birmingham and Atlanta, rain that would continue until I reached Columbia late Tuesday night.   You can imagine what rain does to Atlanta traffic at rush hour.  It took me 3 hours–3:30-6:30 PM– to get through Atlanta.  (My return trip through the city a few days later around 2 PM took only 40 minutes.)

I’m discovering that truck driving requires a complete re-orientation to my life up to this point.  I am 58 years old and have enjoyed the benefit of being able to pretty much control my day to day routines in my previous vocations of counselor, minister, print shop owner, etc.  Now, I am in a career that promises no routine and actually takes a large amount of control out of my hands.  I am now at the control of such things as weather, traffic, other drivers, schedules, my dispatcher, fatigue, etc.  Truck driving means having to readjust my diet, bathroom habits, sleep routine, free time.  I wait a lot: for Sears to unload my truck (anywhere from 1-4 hours), for traffic to move, for fuel.  I wait in line for such things as food, fuel and a shower at nearly every truck stop.  I sleep in my truck except when I must have some semblance of sanity and rent a cheap motel room (this will become more rare as I  become acclimated to my new vocation).   And the fact that my skills are not yet honed means that I have to concentrate on every little action.  I have to focus hard on every turn, every stop, every gear change (my truck has 10 foward gears), every backing up process, every underpass (my truck is 13′6″ high), every pound (I’ll get fined for being overwheight), every weigh station.  At the end of the day, I am spent emotionally and physically.  But I am growing spiritually!

Last Tuesday was the worst day of my life that I can remember…first day on the job, long traffic waits, an “incident” in a truck stop, pouring and chilly rain,  plus a reaction to medication I had been taking all made the day seem like a week of unfortunate events.  I finally got settled in my truck’s twin bed around 10:30.   I slept until 5 when I got up and headed for my delivery at 7:30.  Still reeling from the day before, my spirits were low.  Then I heard a song by Judy Collins that included some lines from the story of Peter walking to Jesus on the lake.  You know the story of how Peter took his eyes off Jesus, became frightened by the raging waters around him and began to sink.  Then he cried out to Jesus who took him by the hand and lifted him to safety.  The line in the song that turned my day around was “only the drowning can see Jesus.”  Man, was that good news to me!  I was drowning!  Tears began to flow and I must have cried for the next 100 miles.  Some were tears of self-pity; some were sorrow, but mostly, they were tears of joy!   A drowning man was again seeing Jesus.  That song…rather the reminder that God cares for the down and out and losers..turned the whole trip around. 

Truth is, this is a scary business.  Lots of unknowns and unknowables.  Lots of interruptions.  Lots of factors that can throw the whole day into chaos.  (Some of you work in vocations where this is routine, but it’s all new to me.   Yes, I’m a whimp!)  I am so glad to know that at least one thing doesn’t change…my relationship with the Father.  He’s always there.  He always cares.  He always delivers.    Anywhere with Jesus (Columbia, Anderson, Pell City, Alexander City, Atlanta, Sylacauga) I can safely go.

Today, I leave on another trip to central Alabama.  Now, I’m more aware that I won’t be alone.

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