The Christmas Spirit, Joy and a Moped

December 2, 2013 was a day like no other. 

12:30 pm

I went to the shop to pick up my newly fixed moped.  After spending $567, it was running great.  I was excited to have a completely different moped. 

6:30 pm

Upon leaving campus that night, I stopped at the gas station to fill up.  As I was filling up, it started pouring down rain.  I prayed that the rain would slow down so I could drive home.  A minute later, it slowed down enough for me to drive in it.  I fired up the moped and started to drive up the hill.  As soon as I started my descent, the moped started sputtering and suddenly would no longer go.   The throttle was wide open, but it wouldn’t budge.  So I wheeled it back down to the gas station to try and figure it out.  A few minutes later as I was praying for it to go, a homeless man was walking by.  He asked if I needed help.  He came over and started looking at it and telling me everything that could be wrong with it.  He started making phone calls to try and get some tools.  Although he was homeless, he seemed to know what he was talking about.  After about an hour of troubleshooting, I followed him to downtown Kona where I met several of his homeless friends.  Frank James was his name and soon he was on his 2^nd and 3^rd beer while working on my moped amongst everyone else trying to give their two cents on how to fix it.  Moments later, drugs deals were taking place and fights nearly breaking out. 

10:30 pm

 A friend I had called brought some tools to me.  Although helpful, we stilled lacked one specific socket that would remove the sparkplug.  Suddenly a friend happened to drove up. She took me to Wal-Mart to purchase that specific socket size.  Throughout the night I was speechless as to why this man who doesn’t know me from Adam, would offer this much help.  I could tell he didn’t want a meal out of it or anything like that. I was experiencing this love that we talk about. Selfless love.  The Gospel.  My friend that brought me to Wal-Mart and back, was nice enough to stay with me throughout the rest of the night, so I would have a ride if the moped didn’t work.

1:30 am

Two problems, no solutions, a dead battery and a half-drunken homeless man.  I as I decided to call it quits, I found someone who had jumper cables.  We jumped it and it fired right up.  But it still didn’t want to run.  So I pushed it up a very familiar and very steep hill.  Locked it up at campus and rode home with my friend.  Frank said something that is still running through my brain.  He said, “God has you here tonight for a reason.  You’ve got Jesus inside of you and I can see him.”  I had no response.  I don’t believe there is a better compliment to receive. 

2 am 

I arrive home and hop in the shower and immediately to bed.  Knowing I had a men’s leadership meeting at 5:30 am, I texted my leader and briefly explained what had happened seeing if I could get a ride with him. 

  

5:15 am

It was a miracle I woke up.  And to no surprise, my leader had not yet read the text.  So I started my way down the hill, as he lived just down the road from me.  I was in eager expectation that he would read the text and then pick me up as I walked.  Keep in mind that the Starbucks I was going to was about a two mile walk from my house. 

5:20am

I am now walking on the main highway half asleep.  I threw on some worship music and become okay with the fact that I am walking to this meeting in the dark with no sleep.  A few moments later, I became more than okay that I was walking.  I had flashbacks to when I was in Kenya and saw people walk for 3 hours to make it to a church service that some white men they didn’t know was speaking at.  The Holy Spirit came upon me and I went into a time of radical thanksgiving.  I started thanking God that I have legs to walk, money to fix my moped, a roof over my head and countless other things that we all have taken for granted so many times.  Now, by the grace of God, I have been living a lifestyle of thanksgiving, but at times it can seem very routine and monotonous. 

5:25 am

I am now ¾ of the way to Starbucks and my leader pulls up.  I am laughing as I jump in the car.  I briefly explain what happened and we go on to our meeting. 

7:00 am

After a good meeting and a venti iced-coffee with plenty of sugar, we head back to campus. 

8:00 am

Second day of staff training.  I couldn’t sit down.  I was dancing all over the place.  I had so much energy it was weird.  Euphoria.  But why? Why was there so much joy in the midst of all this that had just taken place in the last 12 hours?  We joined Sean Feucht and Rick Pino in worship.  I was so full of joy and was dancing like I imagined Kind David did when he returned the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. 

8:30am

I have now received the personal revelation that choosing to worship God when you don’t feel like it, choosing joy over your circumstances and walking in radical thanksgiving is the highest high honor that we get while on planet earth.  When this life is over and we are eternally starring into the face of Jesus, we won’t have issues.  We won’t have problems.  We won’t have sickness.  Worshipping Jesus won’t be a choice.  It will be like breathing.  It will continually happen without thinking twice for the rest of eternity.  There is always more.  More joy.  More to be thankful for.  More revelation to receive.  There is always more of Jesus.  John 3:34 says, “For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without LIMIT.”