Have you ever encountered an angel?

A few weeks ago, my daughter, Lilly, was returning to Silver Spring, Maryland after spending the July 4 (2008) weekend with her aunt in Connecticut. My cell phone rang at about 03:30 pm. “Daddy, my car is overheating. The needle is at the top of the red bar. What should I do?” “Where are you,” I inquired. She indicated that she was somewhere on the New Jersey turnpike heading south. She knew no one in New Jersey and was obviously concerned, as I was, about being stranded in a no-man’s-land. I instructed her to pull over immediately, open the hood, and make some casual observations to see if the cooling system had any fluid or whether there were any obvious leaks. I also advised her to call triple-A (AAA).

A few weeks before, I had called AAA to tow my car to the Pep Boys near my home after my vehicle had stalled on the Florida Turnpike in Orlando, Florida. I was about 19 miles from home and was certainly grateful for the service provided at such a late hour – after 10:00 pm. That same week I received a flyer from AAA with an offer to add a relative to my membership for a small fee. Knowing that my daughter, who still lives at home as she completes law school, was planning to drive to Maryland in a few weeks for a summer internship, I grasped the opportunity. I filled out the application, immediately mailed it in, and told her what I had done.

As we talked about her situation on the road, we realized that we had not received her membership card. I gave her my membership number and hoped that would suffice. She called AAA, gave her name and my number, and indicated her location. She was informed that the Turnpike was a private road serviced by the Turnpike Authority who contracted towing companies to service the Turnpike. Triple-A was not authorized to tow vehicles off the turnpike. The AAA representative further explained that if the Turnpike Authority moved her car from the highway to a specific location, then AAA would then tow her vehicle to an auto repair establishment of her choice. The AAA representative offered to call the turnpike service and meet her at a specified location. In a few minutes both tow trucks arrived and the first step was completed. But where would she take her car on a July 4 holiday evening? Most establishments are closed and she was a stranger there. The Turnpike towing driver suggested a reputable auto repair service just 1.3 miles away, well within the free mileage limit allowed by Triple-A. “However, it is not on the AAA-approved list of auto repair establishments,” he said. At my advice she agreed to take her car there and called a friend in Philadelphia who agreed to meet her in about 45 minutes.

The mechanic did a cursory examination and provided a report on the problem. He informed Lilly that when he opened the garage on the following day he would do a thorough analysis and provide a repair estimate and estimated time of pick up. With a prayer on our hearts, she went with her friend who by this time had arrived from Philadelphia. The AAA driver, it seemed, had left her in good hands. She returned to pick up the car at the end of the week. It was repaired and she was able to drive back to Maryland.

About a week later in Maryland, her car did not start and we suspected a faulty battery. “Call Triple-A,” I said. “They will give you a jump and you can then take your car to check on the battery.” The Triple-A representative indicated that she was not a member, that her name was not listed under her parents membership, and that they could not provide the service. Obviously, she called me and I was furious. On a three-way call I insisted that that explanation was unacceptable. “Just a week ago I called Triple-A, and a tow truck was sent to tow my car to a repair shop in New Jersey,” my daughter opined. I demanded to speak to a supervisor who calmly agreed to investigate the matter. “Sir, there is no record of your daughter’s membership. There is no record of a call in New Jersey and there is no record of any Triple-A representative towing your daughter’s car in New Jersey. The last call we have from you was in Orlando more than two months ago.” Our call accidentally disconnected and I decided to pursue the matter at another time.

Over the next few days, I thought a lot about the series of events.

1. Triple-A could find no record of my daughter’s call for help in New Jersey.
2. Triple-A claimed that they never sent a driver to that location.
3. Lilly recalls that the “Triple-A driver” never asked for her card, never completed any paperwork, and did not ask her to sign anything.
4. The “Triple-A driver” took her to the auto repair location and then disappeared into the night.
5. The repairs were apparently well done as she drove her 2001 Saturn safely back to Orlando at the end of her summer internship.

Is there room in your mind for the supernatural? Do believe in angels? I do! "For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways..." Psalm 91:11.

Health Update XXV

Many members of the church I attend, the Forest Lake Seventh-day Adventist church, are participating in what our pastor has called “40 Days of Prayer at Forest Lake” with devotionals patterned after Alvin VanderGriend’s book, Love to Pray. I, along with several individuals have volunteered to write a series of devotionals for the event. These devotionals are sent daily to church members as we pray for our church and prepare our hearts for the challenges that lie ahead. As I wrote the first of two devotionals I contributed, I found that the message of the selected scriptural passage resonates with my experience of the past year. I’d like to share with you an edited version of my contribution.

“Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” -Matthew 7: 9-11

Christmas time is a time of giving. Many people spend lots of money giving gifts to co-workers, family members, friends, and often strangers, just to make a good impression. No matter who the recipient might be, or what the value of the gifts might be, the gifts are representative of the giver. Unfortunately, the commercialism of Christmas propels us to spend lots of money to be sure that when the gift is given, not only will it be well-received but it would also speak well of the giver. In gift-giving, the more we love someone or want to impress someone, the more likely is the increased cost or value of the gift.
Sometimes, we present gag gifts at parties. The exercise is usually one of frivolity and fun and is not understood to be a meaningful exercise that illustrates the heart of the giver. No one gives a gag gift as an expression of the heart. Why then would one who loves us supremely give us a gag gift? That is the question that Jesus asks.
God wants the best for us. He loves us more than anything or anyone; more than any lover could, and more than we love our wives, husbands, and children. Will he not give us the best? Oh yes, he will! He cannot but exercise his love for us by providing us with the best he can possibly offer. Sometimes, life brings difficult circumstances and situations that make us wonder about the giver. We can be assured that the giver of the gag gifts of life is the ‘architect of all evil,’ but the giver of all good gifts in our lives is the God of love.
This year I have been reassured of God’s gifts to me – strength and faith to endure the difficult days, daily recovery, and life itself. My second PET scan a few weeks ago confirmed the results of the one I did in February. I have no obvious active cancer though the path to full recovery is a slow one. My friends still pray for and encourage me. What gifts!

Dear Father of love and Giver of all good gifts; we give our gifts to you, our lives, and thank you for the many gifts of love you give to us. Amen!