brad at Christmas...


We bought a car last night, as we had turned in our lease vehicle just before Thanksgiving.

BJ was uniquely tied to this purchase, and the Lord delivered peace to us in the decision making process because of a memory that remained hidden to us until the Lord saw fit to remind us.

Sometime in 2004 or 2005 BJ went to a christian concert by a couple of up and coming bands, one of which is now doing very well.

Upon his return, he had with him a few mementos. Each was unique to a band, except one. At the time, I thought this too was tied to a specific band...perhaps their name.

After BJ went Home, we were packing his things up to move here to Tulsa, and I came upon those items once again. I held onto the key chain which carried the name I thought belonged to a band.

Our last two primary cars have been Honda's. Well actually, they were both SUV's. I had my heart set on a Honda sedan. There is a dealership just down the street from us, so we went to visit.

I asked the Lord to provide us with a godly sales person. I really don't like the car buying process.

Our first trip there was on a Sunday afternoon, when no sales people could "help" us. Our second trip was after work the next evening. Three sales people exited the dealership doors about 10 minutes after our arrival. Yes...they gave us 10 minutes!

The only one of the three that came toward us, was also a pastor at a local body that is too small to afford him full time. Our discussion and time with him was more fellowship, and less a sales pressured event. We looked at several models, and chose one to drive. I was convinced that this was our new car.

Later, at home as we were discussing our choice, Deanna said she wanted to look at the Toyota dealership as well. I admit, I was annoyed.

My brother, who is the car person in our family (thankfully, most every family has one) had been with us at the Honda dealership. He had recently bought a used Toyota...so setting the wheels in motion (something I am now thankful for).

Our schedule would not allow us to go car shopping again until this past Sunday. We returned from the wedding in Odessa, Texas, put our gear away, and headed out. Once again, we were unfettered by pesky car sales people.

We neared the Toyota lot to find the gates locked, and another Sunday shopper consuming the first entry drive in front of them. We had to keep going to the second barricaded entry and pulled our car into the drive adding to the blockade. Our intent was to compare the Toyota model, which was the same size as the Honda we had driven. We looked from one end of the models to the other, pricing them carefully as we went.

To be honest, none really caught our attention. We decided to pursue the Honda. We turned to head back to our car. On the way, we were forced (by our parking position) to pass some of those boxy cars you see on the road.

I confess, I really do not like many of them. I have spoken ill of them on more than one occasion.

What stopped us was the color of this one. It sat among all the usual colors, but stood out in its deep rich hue. We were drawn over for a look. In the fading light of day, it was difficult to see into the already tinted windows. No matter, we strained our eyes and read the sticker. This car was between $4,000 - $5,000 less than the Honda model we were pursuing. Wow!

The car had way more room than we expected. It has the same engine as the similar sized Toyota we had just been looking at. The lines on this car were much friendlier than those of other boxmobiles. We were interested.

We returned the next day for a test drive. As we pulled in, I grabbed Deanna's hand and asked the Lord to provide a godly salesperson.

We parked our car, and headed to our interest. We didn't get 10 minutes this time, we got 1.

Oh no, an overeager sales person. With the economy suffering, he sees an unbelievable sight...interested buyers!

He strolled over to us, and allowed me to speak first. He was not aggressive, he was patient and friendly. He answered my questions without any pressure or reverie. After a time of Q and A, we took it our for a test drive.

During the drive, he let us in on a secret. He doesn't normally wait on customers. He was the sales manager. A bit frustrated that his sales force had missed our entry, he came our himself.

In the course of our conversation, we learned that he is a believer and that his wife is a relatively new believer. We talked of family and background and car stuff.
He was nothing like the sales person I expected. I told him as we left that night, that we had asked the Lord to send us the right person to help us...it was no accident that his men did not see us.

We prayed over our decision to buy. We sought peace. Somewhere along the way, the Lord opened a passageway to a memory. In some nook at home was a key chain BJ kept. It bore the name of the car company we were thinking about... Scion!

It was not a band (that we know of), but could have been. Toyota manufactures the Scion brand and each of its models.

I was unaware. I didn't know what it was. Somewhere along the line I am sure I came to hear the name and car brand, but never connected it with anything. As one with a degree in horticulture, I knew a scion for what it was in that realm. A healthy shoot grafted into a rootstock of a different parent plant for the purposes of longevity and vigor. The parent rootstock was weak and promised an uncertain future.

This gift from the Lord and my son, during the season of gifts is one more reminder that I am one who has been grafted into a strong and vigorous stock. He promises eternal life and His name is Jesus!

Amen!


dad