This afternoon, Whitney is supposed to arrive. How great it will be to all four be in the same place for several days! Yesterday, she finished her last final. She was so excited to be done and to be headed home for an evening filled with social events. Then off to Tulsa this morning (via an airplane).

While she is still headed here, her evening did not go as planned. After her final exam, we were on the phone, and her voice was filled with exuberance as she walked to her car. A few minutes later she called back. The joy was replaced by tears and deep frustration.

Her key sheared off in the ignition switch as she turned it, to start the car. Amid the anxiety, we began to formulate a plan to try and solve this. She made calls, I made calls and we tried to find help. I looked up numbers on the internet and called them back to her. She started calling friends to break the evenings plans, as it became clear there was no simple fix.

It is amazing how many businesses are out there who only seem to want to take advantage of an emergent situation. She was quoted insane amounts to come and help.

Quick research produced the fact that locksmiths supposedly have an implement specifically designed to retrieve broken keys from the ignition switch. Somebody did not inform the locksmiths in Indianapolis of this fact.

Some wonderful friends came to be with Whitney during this drama. They have been there for her through many car issues. They have worked on her car on several occasions and have been a blessing to Deanna and I both when we lived there and now by long distance, as they care for her. They have often treated her as one of their own. Giving of their time and resources to meet her needs.

They are the West family. They have a son who is Whitney's age. They attend the same university, and are both pursuing nursing.

They came and spent somewhere around seven hours with her while they waited and hoped for the best. The untimely "smith" was about three hours late.

The last word I received was that the key was not retrievable, and the man who came to extract it was now pulling the whole ignition cartridge, so she could start the car with a screw driver and go home.

I received a message from her in the wee hours of the morning, that she would tell me "what happened," today.

Does that sound like good news?

I know the enemy usually attacks the ones we love. I know in time, this little occurrence will no longer matter. What we will remember is that the West's once again came to Whitney's rescue, and once again blessed us in doing so.

Some relationships will forever seem one-sided. They give and we take.

While this is not what we want, it is how most of us live our Christian lives. God gives and we take. He gave His only Son, and we accepted His gift of Salvation. For too many of us, that is the end of the story. We call on Him only for emergency care.

We have many excuses for why our lives look this way. Some even seem plausible (to us). We must begin to live our lives in such a way that the relationship is not one-sided. Not because we need to "work" our way into His grace, but because He is worthy of our all!

Mark, Ann, Stephen, Emily and Jake...Thank you so much for helping Whitney. The outcome doesn't really matter. What does, is that you were there and you gave. We are very thankful for you, and we know the Lord has placed you, with willing hearts and arms of love, for such a time as this.

Once again, we are in your debt. Thank you!


The Lord protects and provides in the most unusual ways. Through Christ, could you be the answer to someones emergency, today?

brent