Jerry & Sarah.com

We did it. We got all of our possessions sorted, packed, sold or given away and fit everything in or on our car. By far, the physical task of packing is one the most dreaded parts of moving for me. As I was making yet another trip to goodwill and the post office, I attempted to discern what is so frustrating about it to me.

Andy Stanley spoke at Passion this year about our inability to satisfy our appetites. Every time I make a move (and I move a lot), I am forced to visibly confront the enormity of my appetites. By God’s grace I care less and less about getting rid of things, but I also have a great propensity to accumulate way more than I need. There is great grace in seeing all of the things that I just HAD to have and realizing that my desires are often deceptive.

This is not a rant against owning possessions, as I have an equal pet peeve of people who think that poverty equals good stewardship. But, I am growing more and more vigilant over the value I assign to things that are passing away.

Yesterday, Jerry and I left Jack in the hands of a dear friend and headed north to Cedar Rapids for an Andrew Peterson concert. As always, the Captains Courageous were stellar, and I am thankful for the plentiful reminders that He will one day make all things right.

Since the drive to Cedar Rapids took a few hours, we made a day of our trip to Iowa’s “Fields of Opportunity.” Oh, how I love a good municipal slogan. It’s always hard to not place it in a Waiting for Guffman context. Cedar Rapids calls itself the “City of Five Seasons.” That seems a little overambitious to me, especially for a state that names it’s cities things like Olds, Hills, and the ever-creative Iowa City.

Lest you think my aim is to bash the underpopulated state of Iowa, Iowa City was a surprisingly cool town. After eating emu empanadas at a trendy tapas restaurant, we found ourselves engrossed in people watching so amazing, we thought maybe we had been set up. In addition to a countless collection of amazing candidates for the “What’s their story?” game, we saw look-alikes for friends from all over the globe, including a certain former supervisor who wears her hair in a bun on top of her head. No lie.

Our search for some preconcert Chick-Fil-A led us to a mall that might have been happening 20 years ago, but now boasts a hurricane simulator kiosk as its most exciting attraction. We opted out of meteorological entertainment, however, to marvel at stores that sold Chinese trinkets at 700% markup and a selection of herbs and rocks that could be mixed into magic potions. We do have a knack for stumbling upon the ridiculous. All I wanted was some Christian chicken.

My list of Iowa oddities is not yet exhausted, but my energy is. I’m going to bed with this wittiness in my head.

Today comprised a series of episodes, each that could demand their own blog entry or photo recap. In favor of being brief, here are the highlights:

7:30 a.m. – We shared a blueberry pancake breakfast with out some friends from out of town, during which we were able to talk through some exciting things about future directions.

3:30 p.m. – We’re no the road to visit our friends Nate and Haley, and I feel Jack kicking. Jerry gets to feel him with one hand on my belly, one hand holding his cell phone, and one knee very firmly guiding the steering wheel.

5:30 p.m. – Dinner at a random Chinese restaurant where we enjoyed talking to the staff.

7:45 p.m. – While Jerry is dozing in the passenger seat, we get a flat. As we get out of the car in freezing temps, we realize we’ve stopped where every cow in Indiana does their business. It stinks.

8:10 p.m. – We’re back on the road.

8:11 p.m. – Remember the scene in Tommy Boy where the hood of the car flips up and flies into the windshield while they swerve all over the road? No, I’m not making this up. We just re-enacted it. For some reason, we popped the hood when we stopped and never latched it back.

8:12 p.m. – We’re trying to make the hood fit back where it once went without much success. At least the cracks in the windshield aren’t too bad.

8:45 p.m. – After a stop at the gas station where Jerry was banging car parts back into place with a hammer, we’re back on the road with a donut tire in the back and a bungee cord holding down our contorted car hood.

9:30 p.m. – We made it, and finally got to enjoy the company of friends we love. God really is good to us.

This one is coming to you from Freeway Ford in Houston. We should have been on the road back to Missouri a few hours ago, but if you’ve ever taken a van full of people on a ridiculously long road trip… well, you know things never quite work out the way they should.

This week our plans have changed a lot, as they often do on trips like this. At times, I’ve asked, “Well, if I didn’t get to do what I thought I would be doing, why did I even come?” But, in the midst of it all, we’ve had many conversations that have been really helpful and equipping in ministry back where we live.

A pastor we’ve been working with is doing some simple, yet awesome ministry in some of the roughest neighborhoods, starting after-school programs and Bible studies in apartment complexes. Another ministry we worked with has a pretty long record of helping the homeless.

One question we keep asking ourselves is how we bring help that isn’t just one-time charity, but is also transformational. Not that giving something alone is wrong (I think it is commanded in scripture), but it’s not the end-all of what we should be doing. It doesn’t adequately reflect the gospel if we merely do drive-by handouts.

We’ve had lots of conversations with the team this week about how we can do more to meet physical and spiritual needs in the neediest places of our own community, but there is much to learn. I look forward to continuing the conversation as we keep learning how to better serve those around us.

Jerry and I are in Houston this week with a group of students. Yesterday, we heard a pastor talk about how our disappointments (and changed schedules) are often God’s divine appointments (ie, he has other plans). Today offered ample opportunity for us to see that in motion, as our plans changed several times, and I look forward to sharing later in the week some of the awesome ways a local pastor is walking in obedience and seeing transformation come to some of the worst neighborhoods in the city.

On a not-so-serious note, I’ve heard Jerry talk about “the glory of the taco truck” for quite some time, and today I got to experience the joy for myself. I won’t lie. It was tasty. Rumor is I might have gone back for another helping, but I can neither confirm or deny this report.