Mar
26
2009
Great is Thy Faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with thee;
Words cannot express the gratitude I feel. We drove to our concert in Maine in a brand new van.
It’s been a rough three weeks. I’ve been reminded of past lessons, found in places like 2 Corinthians chapter four verses 16-18:
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.
For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
After a grueling trek back to West Virginia to return the rental truck…we said goodbye our old van. I know it was only a machine…but after spending most of the last 7 years of my life inside of it…it felt like saying goodbye to a family member. Sentimentality is one of my weaknesses…and in the tradition of fight club…we gave it a name in death…presley.
‘presley grey–goodnight, sweet prince’*
We gathered up belongings left behind…and we drove the rental car back to New Hampshire. I was feverish…strep throat…my common advesary when i don’t get enough sleep…was fighting me again.
But we made it, with a few naps here and there, back to Concord, NH. And over the weekend, some amazing people had decided to help us towards getting the van. That’s really all I can say. Gifts have been coming in the mail, some from friends, some from strangers…even up here at the Camp. We’ve been driven to tears by the generosity.
And on Tuesday afternoon…we drove off the lot in a silver 2009 Chevy Express 3500. Debbie says it’s got ‘Spurs’ Colors’. A happy coincidence.
We were both too exhausted and sick to really enjoy the moment. Typical. But when we pulled over on our way to Maine for the first gas fill up…right by Kennebunkport–of all places—I was overcome with gladness, awe, amazement, disbelief, and praise for this moment. We were in a new van. Our God provided. We thought we might have to cancel these shows…go back to nashville…and re-think it all…but we’re still here. We’re still fighting. We’re still kicking and screaming our way to the finish line. We haven’t yet finished our race. We may be on our knees…but that’s how battles are won…that’s the way to get the attention of God…he gives grace to the humble.
We don’t deserve this new van, not by a long shot. I know my temper has been shorter these past few weeks…my desire to wallow in self pity has been insatiable. But in all this, I’ve seen this band, including Debbie…refuse to give up on worshipping the Lord…a no-surrender attitude in Trusting in Him…Eric fasted for about a week…we prayed together…we believed God would provide…and He did. Great is his faithfulness…indeed.
Some of you have expressed an interest in giving towards this new van. You can email us at circleslide@bellsouth.net for more info…thank you, so much.
*(goodnight sweet prince is a sarcastic internet meme…just in case you thought i was getting carried away)
Mr. & Mrs. Jeremiah Hunter said:
Apr 27, 2009 6:34 pm
The New Van hasn’t stranded you someplace without internet access has it? Cause I just happened to notice that it’s been a month since the last update … is everything OK?
Mrs. The Hunters
Candace said:
Apr 17, 2009 1:36 pm
Ah! The smile moved.. tricky. Now I found it at the very bottom of the page, in the center. This is extremely amusing to me. Oh, and you need to update more.
Phoebe Seale said:
Apr 09, 2009 3:21 pm
hey nice van…. we have one just like it…. we use it as a …. ministry i guess you could say…in our church and with my private school…. it works great and is awesome for bringing groups of kids to concerts…. maybe even a circleslide concert, who knows…. you guys were awesome at berea….u might even remember me…. i was the tall girl with the blue tshirt who loved ur hair…. and still does…. but anyway keep up the great work
Candace said:
Apr 08, 2009 5:58 pm
So.. completely unrelated to the post.. I was glancing along the page, and I realized that in the upper right corner, when scrolled all the way to the top, there is a smiley face. That just made my day.
Cherylyn Ebertz said:
Mar 28, 2009 9:46 am
i needed to hear this story & this verse right now.
so encouraging. he makes messes into something beautiful!!!
:]
Mr. & Mrs. Jeremiah Hunter said:
Mar 26, 2009 4:43 pm
PRAISE THE LORD!!!!! We are thrilled for you all!!! Congrats on the new van, and thank you for encouraging others (us!) through your faithfulness.
Eric said:
Mar 26, 2009 3:45 pm
Aaahhh, new van smell.
Great is thy faithfulness oh God who knows our needs. Great is your mercy and grace. Thank-You for your provision. Please give us the strength, vision and courage to be worthy of your calling. Thanks for the van.
Gabi said:
Mar 26, 2009 1:07 pm
GUYS! this is kind of unrelated to the post but welcome to Maine! I was the girl at CLFC last night in the blue shirt ( if you remember me, I stood and talked to Lee for a while with my family)
Have fun at the show tonight, I wish I could be there to see you all perform, I really was looking forward to it.
Congrats on the new van, that thing looks really great. Nice and shiny and new. Here’s praying that that van lasts you a good long time
Gina said:
Mar 26, 2009 1:06 pm
YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!
I knew He would provide
Raquel TWG said:
Mar 26, 2009 11:58 am
New van, eh?
Looks like it can drive long distances…like to South Florida, perhaps? ;]
Actually, I talked to Debbie and to some guy I know here to see if they could talk to each other and work it out but I haven’t gotten replies from each of them. I guess that means it didn’t work out :[