Bailing Wire and Nails

My grandparents settled on a farm near a small town in Wyoming. They were in a “subsistence farming” program, where you grew enough to support your family. The bit left over was sold to pay off bills and loans. Bolts and replacement parts were too expensive, so rigged pieces of bailing wire and strategically placed nails were sufficient until the next repair. Bailing wire was scarce for them, because they stacked their hay in the fields instead of making those compact bails of hay. What little bit they did have ran out, so barbed wire was used. My dad says that made repairs “a little more attention getting”.

Sometimes the repairs didn’t hold, like when my uncle George bailing wired the split clutch pedal together and it came apart on a tractor as Uncle Roy was driving it into the barn for repair. He didn't stop, and went through the back barn wall.

My grandmother had her own tools and had her sons pull nails and straighten them to be reused. Most times it was to keep the pigs secure in their pens and out of her garden. All work would stop and she’d call the boys in to mend the fence and get the pigs back in their place. She used nails to fix a lot of things; in fact I have an old dresser of hers. It still has a nail that secures a loose brass drawer pull.

Did you know God fixes things with bailing wire and nails? Since the first people on earth messed up in the Garden, He had a plan to repair that break between His children and Him. He sent His own Son to make the repairs, because nothing we could do would mend that gap in the fence. Jesus used a few nails, some wood, and to make the repair “a little more attention getting”, a thorny crown was used instead of bailing wire.

If you are tired of repairing the holes in your life and just getting by, pray this prayer:
Father God, I’m done with trying to run my own life. The repairs I’ve made aren’t holding, and the “pigs keep getting in my garden”. I believe you sent your son Jesus to save me and I want to ask Him to come repair my life. Thank you Jesus, for the nails. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

I encourage you to seek out a Christian friend and let them know that you prayed this prayer. I also encourage you to find a church family to join and learn more about how God has a plan for your life. If I can pray for you, please email: rosieskye@hotmail.com Welcome to the family!

Getting Lost 2

My pal and I were on a road trip in Atlanta one evening. We were attending a conference, and had purchased tickets to one of our favorite artists at the Fox Theater for that evening. We had our tickets, a yahoo map with directions and a rental car. I was driving, since my friend was +7 months pregnant. She was in charge of the directions. We were so excited…we had heard the Fox Theater was a beautiful old building, with a real stage, mood lighting and ushers. There were actually several artists listed, and we wanted to get to our seats and enjoy a rockin’ evening. (Jars of Clay and Jennifer Knapp)

We started out from the hotel in the rental car and my co-pilot dutifully read off each step of the directions. I took each exit she called out and made a turn at each intersection in the appropriate number of miles/feet/inches. We were so proud of ourselves: small town Florida girls navigating through the big scary city! We had heard so many nightmarish tales of friends driving through Atlanta. It was a piece of cake with those directions!

We arrived at our final turn, and looked for a sign that said anything about “Fox Theater”. Nothing. It was dusk now, and there was nothing that even remotely looked like a theater. She read back through the directions. We were bumfuddled.

It was when we were ready to try and back track that we saw the sentence in bold at the top of the online directions: “Address is not found, directions will take you to the center of the city.” I have to admit; it suddenly became one of those comedy movie moments when the two characters look at each other and yell, “Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!”

My heart felt like it went through the floorboards to the street. I don’t like getting lost, and this just seemed so intentional and sneaky. How did I not see that message? How were we going to make it to the concert? Would my friend go into premature labor? How were we going to make it out alive from the center of Atlanta?!

I was ready to make any promise to God to get us out of there. I was so glad to have my best bud and prayer partner with me. Otherwise, I would’ve been on the late news that night: Jane Doe Found Wandering Atlanta. My friend remembered seeing a hotel nearby so we drove there. She went to the front desk. I saw her speaking to the smiling clerk and she came out beaming. “We’re two streets away!” God was so good.

We made it before the lights went down, enjoyed the concert, got super directions from a friendly usher and made it back to our hotel room alive. What a night.

I have to ask you, what are you using for directions in your life? Are you navigating life with directions from someone who’s not sure how to get there? Are you following some theory or advice given to you by a trusted advisor, teacher or friend? My friend and I could’ve avoided this stress if we had simply gone to the source: the Fox Theater.

Have you tried to get some directions? God says he has a plan for your life, a plan to prosper you and not put you in danger. (Jeremiah 29:11) What is your Source for direction? May I suggest you try reading God’s map for your life instead of Yahoo? Because if ever there was someone who knows His way around this world, it’s the Creator.