Since the minute I arrived at camp this morning (where my computer access is as well) things have been crazy and I am just now able to sit here and type. I won't be in tomorrow or I would wait to visit with you.

I believe that the Lord's timing is perfect. I rarely understand it, often don't like it and would more often than not do things differently (in my short-sighted, human perspective), but I have seen too many times where his omniscience provides perfection. He is God, after all :)

I have just come through one of the busiest sustained periods of my work life and shared this morning with our executive director that my average time on duty had gotten big enough and my time off small enough that I could no longer see things objectively. While I have been seeing what I thought was light at the end of the perverbial tunnel maybe it is just a train, but today a retired gentleman who worked for me during the summer about 6-7 years ago showed up wanting to volunteer. He is a retired mechanic and when he worked that summer, it was his first summer of retirement and he would do nothing remotely like mechanical repair in order not to endanger his retirement benefits through the union.

I am not a mechanic. I fuss around with things and can often get them to work again (much to everyone's suprise), but when it comes to vehicles - color me stupid. Now that he is comfortably into his retirement, he is happy to help however he can, mechanical or not. Boy do I have a truck for him to play with - and a tractor and golf cart, just to get started.

This man is not a believer, but I told him whether or not he understood it, God had brought him back. He is willing to be on call at times so that I can be gone - something I have never had in the 12 years i've been here at camp.

Then, this afternoon I met with a young man named David who wants to volunteer for me regularly. He plays football at the local high school (one of the biggest in the state) and works a regular job so he is already very busy but in his view, he doesn't have enough to do. He is the son of a neighbor to the camp whom I happen to know as she worked for one of the agencies that we are associated with. As we toured the camp and I showed him the grunt work I can use him to accomplish for as many hours as he would like to throw out, he just exclaimed over and over in a low-key way that it was great and he would do anything.

Now my first thoughts after these blessings knocked on the door today was where were they a month or two ago? But I have no doubt that the Lord has brought them here now for a reason that I don't understand yet - maybe I never will. Maybe I would have gone crazy if they hadn't come to pick up some slack - maybe I still will and they can pick up even more slack! In any event, I am thankful and grateful.

Oh yeah, David is a dark-haired, 17 year-old with a trim build. He grew up in Monrovia and was there until he was in junior high. He went from the very small Monrovia school system to one of the biggest schools in the state. I couldn't help but think of the similarities/contrasts to BJ, though Beej moved to Monrovia in junior high - from one of the biggest school systems in the state; was of course dark-haired and trim and would be 17 years old.

Lord, thank you for the way you work in our lives, behind the scenes or displaying your glory boldly. Thank you for knowing what we need when we need it and being there to sustain us when we don't feel we can keep going. Amen.

brad


TAKE NOTE: those interested in pre-ordering "I Would Die For You" (the book about BJ) will find it available on Amazon.com, Walmart.com and Booksamillion.com - among others. As Brent has noted, it is set for release January 2008.