it's Monday

Well, it's Monday. There's nothing really significant about that, it's just that I couldn't think of another title for this post. Anyway, I just have a few thoughts. Last week, I had the privilege of learning about patience. On Monday, my day off, I woke up not feeling great but was excited about going to Panera to spend some time with the Lord and enjoy one of their beautiful salads. I was about a mile down the road when I noticed something loud outside my car and felt a bit of a jolt. I didn't get in an accident, which makes me very thankful. But I got a flat tire... two, actually. So there I sat in the wonderful Houston heat waiting for AAA. There was a super friendly man drive me to discount tire, where I sat for a couple hours. At first, it was extremely annoying... just totally jacked up my plans for the day. But I asked God a question, one that I wish I asked more. "What is it You want me to learn from this?" That's all I asked. And it wasn't necessarily a clear answer I was looking for, but it was the thinking I wanted. I noticed that it's easy for me to get into a routine and not think too much. This may sound strange, but I hope you know what I'm talking about. My job requires thinking, but that's not what I'm referring to. I'm talking about true, honest, deep thinking. The kind of thinking that is difficult to do with music on, or if there is music on, you don't even notice. With whatever comes my way throughout the week, I want to make sure I'm always taking time to stop and think. Think about the Lord. Think about how I can encourage someone. Think about things I'm thankful for. Think about where I spend my time. 

Join me in taking time to think this week.

-dp

Last week: Part 2

I know I mentioned that last week (which was actually now a couple weeks ago) was one of the craziest weeks of my life, so I'd like to share a little bit more about it. It was a fairly normal day at the office at Ecclesia when Chris got a text from one of our elders. He was asking Chris is he'd like to have dinner with a Nigerian King. This sounded like a good idea, so Chris asked me to invite the king to a dinner at Cajun Town with a few others from the church. I first had to call Jeremy to see how I was to address the king. He informed that I should refer to him as "His Royal Highness"... which took me some getting used to. As I drove to the hotel where the king was staying I had to practice addressing him as HRH. 

I was nervous driving my little Honda Accord but grateful for a chance to meet a king and be his driver for the night. I picked up HRH and his two friends and we made our way to Cajun Town. Again, I was nervous... but the king was truly a delightful man. I gave him a bottle of water (I know, my mom taught me good manners) and he made reference to how I was similar to Daniel in the Bible as he served his king. This was very surreal for me, and quite fun. We had a wonderful meal... this place is a bit sketchy but has really good food... and I drove the king and his friends back to the hotel. 

It was interesting being in the restaurant and how the people would look, but have no idea who the king was. This reminded us of what it was like for Jesus. He showed up as a king, but many didn't realize who he was. It was a neat moment for us. Although, I felt a bit under dressed in my tshirt, shorts, and flip-flops... Oh well, it was a good night with the king!

Last week: Part 1

I have to admit, last week was one of the most interesting weeks of my life. I spent an afternoon in Bryan, TX purchasing a new scooter (150 miles per gallon!). There's a guy there in Bryan named Roger, who I met a few months ago through Breakaway... very nice guy. Anyway, he sold me a scooter and gave me a really good deal. I decided to name the scooter "Maverick" after Roger's golden retriever. I went to Bryan expecting to get a scooter... but I got so much more. Roger took my friend and I on quite the adventure. You see, he has this plane that lands on the water. It's not a pontoon plane, but rather, the body of the plane actually lands on the water. So he flew us (individually, because it only seats two) around and landed on a nearby lake. It was cool. But the coolest part was the conversation Roger and I had. He said that he thinks he'll go to heaven. What he's hoping for is to have a really good attorney at the pearly gates, and he'll let that attorney do all the talking. This was funny to picture and we both had a good laugh. However, I later realized that he may be more correct theologically than we realized. My hope is that Jesus is there at the gates as my attorney, and He tells the Father that I am with Him and then tells me "well done". What precious words to hear! So to recap, my day included a scooter named Maverick, a flight that landed on a lake, and a story about an attorney named Jesus.