Jesus, my car mechanic

Gasp!  What happened?  “Lord, help!”  In the middle of traffic, in the middle of lunch rush, with no extra time on the way to work, my car died.  In its tenth year, this sweet old Accord that’s been so reliable had a hiccup.  I pleaded, “Lord, let this car start again.”  And it did.  “Lord, may You keep this car running, so I won’t be late for work.”  And He took me onto the highway for 10 miles with no more stops and not even a hint of any problem.  I exited toward a Wal-Mart with plenty of empty parking spaces, and my lungs finally exhaled.  Not the ideal spot for leaving the car overnight, but it proved safe while my theatre director and I traveled to Houston.  Actually if someone tried to steal the car, I figured it probably wouldn’t start, so there wasn’t too much worry.  The greater fear had been keeping the car from stalling out again.  Psalm 34:4 says, “I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.”  And in this sudden panic, He did deliver me.  I love Him for that.  In writing this, I asked Him to be your Deliverer too.  In whatever situation might leave you panicked, may you be mindful of Him.  May you call to Him as Savior and Deliverer and the only One who gives peace within the storm.

Primero's birth

Is there anything beyond the Lord’s reach?  Anything too far gone that He cannot transform?  It’s been interesting to watch Him use some old scraps around our house recently.  Old pieces of red, pink, and black felt from my kids’ elementary days.  A pair of nice, cozy socks I somehow never wore.  Skeins of green, red, and yellow yarn, and multiple shades of blue and brown.  A small Styrofoam ball whose reason for being in our house nobody can remember.  And my Grandma Elsie’s “E” pin and 2 of her dressy, old-timey hats in different textures of black.  What a peculiar assortment of things, some of which sat idle for more than 10 years.  Yet then came the idea—the surprising idea—to make puppets.  And tossing into this mix is the awareness that I’ve never felt very craftsy.  So I’m wondering, how do you make a puppet?  And where’s the remedial course for not-very-craftsy people like me?  YouTube's been a wonderful help.  Library books too.  In November I took my first try at pushing layers of yarn through the sewing machine, and to my amazement it worked just like the YouTube demo.  So in December I sewed my first red toupee for my first puppet, whom I’m calling Primero.  According to a free pattern online, I ventured into cutting ½” foam to form Primero’s head, using contact cement to glue the notches together.  His skin formed from some gray remnant fabric at Hancock’s, and that old Styrofoam ball helped bring his eyes to life.  My point is that when the Lord gives the idea, He carries it through to fruition.  And still a key ingredient here is why.  Why make puppets?  So far I sense they’re for children in the hospital and maybe church as well.  The details I’m still sorting, but there’s been joy already in stepping into the idea.  And the Lord has sent encouragement through others as I’ve kept praying.  Philippians 1:6 says, “. . . he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”  God works in us and through us and in even the most unlikely circumstances.  He takes all kinds of scraps and constructs them into something beautiful.  He takes the scrappiest of people and recreates them to have hearts of joy.  And so I ask, have you experienced the joy of knowing Him?  As long as we’re on this earth, it’s never too late.