Mission Accomplished Part Trois

With the sound of the ever present "Wicked" soundtrack reverberating in my car (and in my head), Exceedingly Delightful daughter #2 and I faced seven to eight more hours of driving. I looked at Courtney - "It is 3:00 PM CST with an ETA of 11:00 PM EST and we need to go through Indian territory again honey." Courtney looked back at me and raised her eyebrow in the way only she can do. "Yep" she said, Let's do this" So onto the on ramp we went.
Funny thing about driving a lot in one day.....It really stinks.
The mission was to get to the fabled gates before student worker meetings at 4:00 PM on Friday. The goal should have been to get back to the warm creme filled center of our state by 11:00 PM, because while it was true that we were driving home ....
We were not in any way driven.

I think I understand better why some folks leave the ministry or why certain ministries fail or why certain projects in our churches fall apart.
It is about expectations set...
and missions defined...
and the ability to adjust when above two are incorrect or no longer correct...

Allow me to explain,
Doing that trip in one day...OK
Doing that trip in two days...OK
but planning to do the trip in one day and not defining the goal correctly...Not OK
This called for an adjustment!

So, three hours into the drive and right smack in the middle of Indian territory, Exceedingly delightful daughter and I were lured by the prospects of Friday Night Lights. "This will set us off our ETA, Courtney".
She raised that eyebrow again, "Let's do it, Popsicle".
"Wicked" has expanded her vocabulary.

So we paid the boosters the admittance fee and suddenly we were under the lights. High School Football!
North Florida Christian verses Eagles View Christian.
Eleven-man - full contact football, in a big high school stadium with popcorn and hot dogs and a high school band. The loudspeakers were playing the song, "Kryptonite" as the crowd grew louder. The parents of the players filed onto the stadium's turf and were standing on the field with the cheerleaders. They were forming a tunnel of support and enthusiasm for their boys.
Suddenly, fifty or sixty strong, the boys ran out of the field house, through the hand-crafted banner and amongst the lines of support and love formed by their parents. Are you ready for some football?
I just sat back and thanked my Lord for America, football, Karen and my daughters, my church, their church, everybody!
It is one of those moments in life when you are washed by emotion and filled with thankfulness for your life.
If I hadn't adjusted,
I would have missed it.
Thanks for the audible, Father.