The Good Times Continue

Two weeks ago I parked my car on a side street for the night, just to see what it was like. Because I didn't want to roll the windows down, so I tried leaving the vent on low overnight to bring in fresh air. That turned out to be a mistake. I woke up around 7am to a stuffy car and quickly confirmed that the battery was completely dead. The street was level, so I first tried to push-start my car. After successfully tweaking my back out, but failing to start the car, I sat in the middle of the street with my little house, waiting for someone to drive by. Since it was Sunday morning, there was not much traffic. After fifteen minutes a mother drove by in a van, to my great relief. She was willing to stop long enough to tell me that she was in a hurry, and couldn't help, but that there were a lot of nice people in the neighborhood. She then left me in the middle of the road, with a number of biblical stories running through my head, but I have no idea what was awaiting her. A short while later, a guy drove by and helped bring my car back to life within a minute.

Last weekend I attended a "Break Through" conference, put on by the Association for Christian Character Development (accd.org). Although there are some articles online criticizing the training, I can say from personal experience that it is excellent.  Aside from the great insights I gained last the weekend, I was referred to a family near Azusa, willing to let me park in front of their house. Last night I joined them for a Bible study held in their house, and hung out with them and their kids afterward. They are amazing people and I look forward to getting to know them.

I am learning to take joy in whatever circumstances I find myself in. It is scary to wonder where I will be tomorrow, but learning to let go, and dwell in the present, has allowed me to experiences more amazing moments than I ever could have by trying to plan everything out. My encouragement to anyone reading this is to remember that unexamined formulas blind a person to the joys of life. Living a purposeful (and adventurous) life requires the traveler to look up from their map and consider where they are going, what alternatives exist, and where they want to be going. Life is short, and should only be lived with eyes and heart wide open.