Altars

I came across police lights on the way into work this morning. A lady had slid off the road into a field and the police were on the scene to assist her. It made me pause because I very nearly ended up in the same field not too long ago. On that snowy morning, I was headed into work and it wasn’t very slick at all. Traffic was running close to normal speed and I was on autopilot. I noticed my tires spun a little when I started up a big hill, so I slowed down just to be extra careful. This hilltop is a little tricky because there’s a slight curve as you crest the hill, which tends to throw you out just a bit. When I crossed the hilltop on that snowy morning, the curve threw me out more than just a little. I felt the rear end of the truck start to come around and I steered into the skid as smoothly as I could. Now, let me state that I am quite certain that I am an above average driver, just like 85% of the folks in this country. I don’t mean to brag, but I’ve used my finely honed skills to pull off some spectacular exhibitions over my twenty-five years of driving. I was a pretty fair drifter long before any of the import wanna-be movies made it cool. It’s a skill I honed driving an over-powered truck with not nearly enough weight on fat rear tires with not nearly enough tread. However, I learned long ago that the Good Lord watches out for me sometimes when I’m not smart enough to pull it off myself. That snowy morning on that hilltop was one of those moments. I was doing my best to straighten the truck without overcorrecting and swinging the truck around into the opposite ditch. It was at that moment that I heard Carrie Underwood singing from the passenger seat. Well, not really, but somehow my big old truck straightened itself up and I realized I wasn’t sliding sideways anymore. With the exception of some sweating, heavy breathing, and that weird taste of copper penny in my mouth, it was all a memory. It was a memory until I saw that lady out in the middle of the field today. Seeing her out there in the field jogged my memory and I thanked God for delivering me that day. Then, a silly thought entered my head. I’ve been reading a lot of Old Testament lately and I like how the Israelites set up an altar of sacrifice when God delivered them. I thought to myself that I should follow the Israelites’ example and erect an altar on that hilltop. Like I said, it was a silly thought, but it started me thinking… where are the places where I should have built the altars in my life? Here are some of my sites in no particular order or significance. Please share some of yours if you are so inspired.

-Gatlinburg this past weekend: The Winterfest program was below average for me, but I really enjoyed the time with folks I love.

-Bloomington Hospital delivery room in April 1994: Jake barged into the world and forever changed my understanding of love.

-SMBC ballfield in July 2005: Praying for Brent with more passion that I’ve ever felt in my life.

-Children’s Museum in March 1988: First date with my best friend Beth.