It’s been an interesting week. Ok, lets be real, it’s been an interesting year, but we won’t go there right now. We started an event this week in Wichita Falls, Texas at a Cowboy Church. I’ve driven past Cowboy churches before, but I’ve never been to one. The people here have been great, very accepting of someone who isn’t much of a Cowboy (I wear converse sneakers and have a pet Yorkie).
The difference in culture isn’t what has made this week interesting though. Our second afternoon here, with the temperature in the mid-nineties, we lost power to our trailers which meant no air conditioning. The church graciously put us up in a hotel, so we packed up and moved out. On the way back to the church for staff meeting the next morning, I blew a tire. After the service that evening, we realized that we had no water. Apparently, a water line had burst somewhere up the road and the entire area was out. And I won’t go into all of the interpersonal situations we were dealing with.
All of these things were resolved relatively quickly, but they all had a certain level of tension attached to them. One of the results of circumstances going sideways on us is that we get a little peek at who we are on the inside. It’s difficult to hide the real me when I get stressed. While I don’t always like what I see, it can be a blessing. I heard a friend of mine say recently that even a bad day can produce good data. God allows me to see who I am so I can name my sin, agree with him about it and get to work on dealing with it (see Colossians 3). So, even though I hope I don’t fail, when I do I can be grateful that God is so committed to my transformation that he shows me what’s wrong with me.
Jimmy Herdklotz
The Herdklotz Family 