Demolition Derby

Last night, I took some dudes from Countryside CC to go see a demolition derby at the Dixon May Fair, "guy's night out" style. For those of you who've never witnessed a derby, it's an event that you would not soon forget. A bunch of junker cars all line up in a slighty muddy arena (so they can't get going too fast) and ram into each other until only one car is left running. Metal flies, engines roar, mud flies everywhere; for a bunch of teenage boys, myself included, a demolition derby is probably one of the coolest things ever. (See some footage of a derby here - it takes a long time to load, so open it in a new window/browser. ) My dad was a race car driver, and so I'm partial to anything that involves things on wheels. So all the guys were super stoked about going to watch cars crash into each other, and I could hardly wait. I was looking forward to spending more time with my guys, and this derby seemed like the perfect opportunity. Fun, testosterone-laden, and cheap.

This was when things started to go wrong. A few days before the derby I lost my debit card, so I had no way to take money out of my account, or any ATM machine. This is a problem, because being the college student that I am, I don't really carry too much cash around. So I forgot about it, and then yesterday remembered that I had no debit card, no cash, and no way to fix either. And the day before the derby, I got a call from a kid named Will who wanted to come along too, and bring his two 10-year old friends, who were a lot more interested in going on the fair rides than watching a demolition derby.

So there I was, at the gate to get into the fair, no money, and 3 kids who didn't even want to see the derby; my question was, "GOD, why didn't this work out? I thought this was what you wanted me to do; spend time building relationships." So I stepped up to the little pay kiosk and asked the lady if she'd take my credit card. She said, "No, but the demolition derby is sold out anyway." I said, "Oh." And so we went and played Lazer Tag in Vacaville, and they took credit cards there. Will's two friends had a blast, as did everyone else. Myself included.

I sometimes wonder why my life is so crazy blessed, and I think the answer is that it's not really mine anymore anyway. I love those times when I'm humbled by the GOD's reminder that his thoughts are higher than mine, his sight is longer than mine, and his love is greater than mine. I think I know it all sometimes, but it's when things go out of my hands and into GOD's, I remember that that's where my things should be in the first place. Thank you, GOD - Thanks for being a wise guy.

Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails. (Proverbs 19:21)