oh, the things to be thankful for...

So, in case you haven't heard... which I don't know how that is possible... gas prices have dropped below $2/gal. for the first time in over three years! HOORAY and pass the pump! Well, maybe not pass the gas pump, but as we head into the holiday season it's definitely something to be thankful for.

The crazy thing is that 10 years ago that would have been ridiculous. When I graduated from high school gas was right around $1/gal. and very few people thought about filling up the ol' car. Sure, my parents remember paying a lot more for gas in the 70s and early 80s and when I lived in Europe as an early adolescent I remember Mom and Dad talking about it, but more or less I think we took it for granted that in the US gas prices would be cheap. Sure, getting good MPGs was a selling point for buying a car, but it wasn't a make or break. Americans bought outlandishly huge SUVs whether they needed them or not... remember the first Hummer that got like 6 mpg... funny.

Things have certainly changed, because I don't know about you, but when I get around that turkey this week and begin thinking about what I am thankful for one of the things I will be praising God for is that gas prices are falling.

Now, is that weird? I don't know. I mean, I'm certainly not more thankful for the low gas prices than I am for my loving wife or my family, or the fact that I am relatively healthy and I have a job or am a part of a good church or a nice home or the thousand other things that are more important. But, I gotta tell you... when you drive as much as I do and have to fill up a car as much as I do seeing the ticker only go hint $25 as opposed to $45 is not insignificant. It's something to be thankful for. And, yes, I thank God. Now, that may be the weird thing for some of you... What does God have to do with it?

I believe that God is absolutely 100% in control of everything, and while that can create some discomfort for me intellectually and emotionally at times, it is a tremendous comfort all the time. Because when things are good I know that God is in control, and when things are not good I know He is still in control. I'm not really dependent upon anyone person or any one thing. I'm just dependent upon a God who does not change.

Times change. Families change. Jobs change. Gas prices change. Churches change. Governments change. Health changes. God does not. And that is something to be thankful for. Because whether I know it or not, I know that Romans 8:28 is true...

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

and from 2 Corinthians 12:9-10...

[Jesus said], 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

you are in the Cash Cab...

"It's a TV game show that takes place right here in my taxi!"



Alright, so if you're not familiar with this great Discovery Channel show, you are probably pretty confused. So, I'll fill you in...

Basically, there's this cab in New York City driven by our host, Ben Bailey. The passengers are asked questions ranging in prize money and difficulty until they reach their destination. There are "RED LIGHT CHALLLENGES!!!!!", three strikes and you're out, and at the end the passengers have the option of doubling their money with a video bonus question. That's about it. Simple.

The cool thing about the show is that it totally catches the contestants/passengers off-guard. It doesn't make sense to them at first. They get into the cab expecting on thing and then their expectations are totally up-ended. And at the very least the people get a free cab ride.

So, often we have expectations for our lives. We have plans. And then things happen. Life happens and our expectations change and they shift. Sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse, but whatever the case maybe it catches us off-guard.

The one person that is never caught off-guard, though is our Lord. He knows the good, the bad, and the in-between and nothing is a surprise. But He does surprise us. He surprises us in that He takes the bad and the ugly... the problems and the pain... and brings us to places that we never thought we could be.

People who overcome major illnesses are able to help others who may be facing the same thing. People who have faced financial difficulties can sympathize with others who have problems in similar areas. We become more compassionate by going through the fires of life. We become more generous by needing generosity ourselves. We become better people by the discipline that comes from the hard times.

It's unexpected. Good coming out of the bad. Loveliness coming out of ugliness. But that is the entire story of the Bible. God making great things come out of horrible things. Pick up the Bible and take nearly any story, and that's what you will find. This is a great passage that points to that very thing.

He delivers the afflicted by their affliction and opens their ear by adversity. - Job 36:15

How does God deliver people? By their pain. How do people hear Him? When they are in pain. God makes beautiful come out of the ugly... the great come out of the small.