I hadn’t slept the night before my flight. Frankie had been to see me. Frankie was the kind of guy that never said much. But when he did, it really meant something. His wife on the other hand, said stuff all the time. It usually had the opposite effect. (I love you Cindy. You know that’s a joke. I had to squeeze that in). Anyway, Frankie called me around 10:30pm the night before I was supposed to fly out at 6:30pm from Huntsville. I lived in Curry at the time. He said, “I want to talk to you about this mission project.” I said, “O.K.”
Frankie got to my house around 11:00pm. We talked for about four or five hours. We were making some final decision about the mission project. We decided that our group wasn’t ready for it. So, I decided that I would table the trip that was only a few months away. We asked the Lord to either prepare the hearts of our students or tell us not to go. To keep it short, we ended up going. Instead of trying to sleep, I finished packing and headed for the airport.
I flew into Hartford Connecticut. I rented a car. It was a real beauty. It had all the extras like, a steering wheel, brakes, and wheels. It had seats. We paid extra for that. It would go zero to sixty sometimes. It was being thrust forward by a real power plant, a four-cylinder engine. It held no punches. I had two women with me. One was Margaret, a youth minister from Decatur, Alabama. Tina Jones was also with us. She worked with me when I was director of a national conference ministry. The three of us were going to Vermont to set up a mission project. I had a dual purpose. I was also going to speak at the Green Mountain Baptist Pastors Conference.
Margaret, Tina, and I decided to get some food once we got the rental car. We pulled into a restaurant just outside the airport. Snow began to fall while were in the restaurant. By the time we got back to the car, the snow had accumulated halfway up the wheel. I was 23. I had only driven in a snowstorm once. This one was pretty heavy.
We hit the road for Vermont. I was due in Springfield in two hours. I took us four. The snow was falling fast. I told a local that it looked like a blizzard. He was quick to inform me that it wasn’t. Traffic was moving slowly. It wasn’t backed up. People were just driving cautiously. Not me, the boy from Alabama. I was plowing on through.
Cars were sliding off the road left and right. That didn’t bother me. However, it did seem to unnerve the two ladies that were with me. They were protesting my adventurous driving. It didn’t stop me though. I was going about 55mph.
The snow was falling so heavy that it was clumping up and freezing on my windshield. I kept moving on. The windshield wipers were getting bigger and bigger. They turned into blocks of mobile ice. I wasn’t about to stop and clean off the windshield wipers. I was making good time. Weather wasn’t going to stop me. I had an idea. I rolled down the window. It was freezing outside. When the wiper got to the apex of its path, I would lean out and forward, grab the blade, and pop it. This would dislodge the ice and snow after a couple of pops. I would do this periodically. You can imagine what I was getting from the two ladies in the car. This method of time saving problem solving got me a lot of lip. I thought it was the best plan. It cleared the snow and got us to point “b” more quickly. Not everyone appreciates a good plan.
We finally arrived to North Springfield. We were met by the Bascoms. Don took one look at my dress shoes. Yes, I had on leather dress shoes. He said, “You can’t wear those. He handed me a pair of rubber boots to go with my dress shirt and slacks. I was looking quite fashionable.
I spent the weekend with the Bascoms. There was Don, Henrietta, and their son Marty. I met their other son, Scott, later. God brings people into our path with great purpose. That is certainly true of this situation. This was the beginning of a great journey with the Bascoms. It’s not over yet. They would say that I have ministered to them over the years. But, they have certainly ministered to me. These people are the salt of the earth, yep some of those. God is good.
Life is a great journey. He has put wonderful people in that journey for all of us. We care for them at certain times. They care for us at others. None of us are so good that at some point we won’t need anyone else. We are needy people and always will be.
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” (John 13:34). It would be great if we didn’t need each other. But, we do. It would be easier to just live in isolation. God didn’t make us that way. He made us to need one another, to love one another. Love isn’t just a mushy feeling. It isn’t even just good feelings. It is hard sometimes. It takes work. This is what God designed us to do. He mad us to journey with people. He made us to love them when they are unlovable. He showed us how to do it.
If I had a challenge to give to you I would say, “Learn to love people.” Love people in the worst of times. It will make loving them in the best of times much more full. Love those that are the most difficult to love. I would say that you only love Jesus may be as much as you love the person you can’t stand the most.
I love you, your servant, your friend,
Tim
Frankie got to my house around 11:00pm. We talked for about four or five hours. We were making some final decision about the mission project. We decided that our group wasn’t ready for it. So, I decided that I would table the trip that was only a few months away. We asked the Lord to either prepare the hearts of our students or tell us not to go. To keep it short, we ended up going. Instead of trying to sleep, I finished packing and headed for the airport.
I flew into Hartford Connecticut. I rented a car. It was a real beauty. It had all the extras like, a steering wheel, brakes, and wheels. It had seats. We paid extra for that. It would go zero to sixty sometimes. It was being thrust forward by a real power plant, a four-cylinder engine. It held no punches. I had two women with me. One was Margaret, a youth minister from Decatur, Alabama. Tina Jones was also with us. She worked with me when I was director of a national conference ministry. The three of us were going to Vermont to set up a mission project. I had a dual purpose. I was also going to speak at the Green Mountain Baptist Pastors Conference.
Margaret, Tina, and I decided to get some food once we got the rental car. We pulled into a restaurant just outside the airport. Snow began to fall while were in the restaurant. By the time we got back to the car, the snow had accumulated halfway up the wheel. I was 23. I had only driven in a snowstorm once. This one was pretty heavy.
We hit the road for Vermont. I was due in Springfield in two hours. I took us four. The snow was falling fast. I told a local that it looked like a blizzard. He was quick to inform me that it wasn’t. Traffic was moving slowly. It wasn’t backed up. People were just driving cautiously. Not me, the boy from Alabama. I was plowing on through.
Cars were sliding off the road left and right. That didn’t bother me. However, it did seem to unnerve the two ladies that were with me. They were protesting my adventurous driving. It didn’t stop me though. I was going about 55mph.
The snow was falling so heavy that it was clumping up and freezing on my windshield. I kept moving on. The windshield wipers were getting bigger and bigger. They turned into blocks of mobile ice. I wasn’t about to stop and clean off the windshield wipers. I was making good time. Weather wasn’t going to stop me. I had an idea. I rolled down the window. It was freezing outside. When the wiper got to the apex of its path, I would lean out and forward, grab the blade, and pop it. This would dislodge the ice and snow after a couple of pops. I would do this periodically. You can imagine what I was getting from the two ladies in the car. This method of time saving problem solving got me a lot of lip. I thought it was the best plan. It cleared the snow and got us to point “b” more quickly. Not everyone appreciates a good plan.
We finally arrived to North Springfield. We were met by the Bascoms. Don took one look at my dress shoes. Yes, I had on leather dress shoes. He said, “You can’t wear those. He handed me a pair of rubber boots to go with my dress shirt and slacks. I was looking quite fashionable.
I spent the weekend with the Bascoms. There was Don, Henrietta, and their son Marty. I met their other son, Scott, later. God brings people into our path with great purpose. That is certainly true of this situation. This was the beginning of a great journey with the Bascoms. It’s not over yet. They would say that I have ministered to them over the years. But, they have certainly ministered to me. These people are the salt of the earth, yep some of those. God is good.
Life is a great journey. He has put wonderful people in that journey for all of us. We care for them at certain times. They care for us at others. None of us are so good that at some point we won’t need anyone else. We are needy people and always will be.
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” (John 13:34). It would be great if we didn’t need each other. But, we do. It would be easier to just live in isolation. God didn’t make us that way. He made us to need one another, to love one another. Love isn’t just a mushy feeling. It isn’t even just good feelings. It is hard sometimes. It takes work. This is what God designed us to do. He mad us to journey with people. He made us to love them when they are unlovable. He showed us how to do it.
If I had a challenge to give to you I would say, “Learn to love people.” Love people in the worst of times. It will make loving them in the best of times much more full. Love those that are the most difficult to love. I would say that you only love Jesus may be as much as you love the person you can’t stand the most.
I love you, your servant, your friend,
Tim
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