5:30 Coffee: On Delayed Trains and Angels

Saturday, April 18, 2009

On Delayed Trains and Angels

Strangest day of travel from Vienna to Osijek Croatia. The punch line of the story is that we actually made it! The funny thing is that we shouldn't have made it by any account. Here's the story.

Our train left Vienna this morning at 6:50 so I got up at 5:30 AM to make some lunch for the day and get ready. Thought I'd get Josh up around 10 'till 6. When I finally got around to looking at the clock time had gotten completely away from me. It was 6:05 AM. Really thought we still had time, so we hustled and got to the ubahn with just enought time to get to Westbanoff and catch the train. If we missed that 6:50 AM train we couldn't possibly make the connection to Croatia.

We hustled to the u-bahn and hopped the subway. I looked up and said to Josh... "I can't believe it! I got us on the subway headed the wrong way!" We went one stop and jumped off the subway, ran over the top, down the other side and just missed the subway. Waited five minutes caught the next one and I realized... while on this subway... that we'd been right before! :) Ok it was early and with jetlag I hadn't gotten to sleep until 2:00 AM.

Ok... we missed our train. I said to Josh standing on the platform waiting for the second time on the right subway... it will be a miracle if we make the train to Budapest... then Croatia. I looked up and said... "Lord, we need a miracle."

I looked at the train schedule and realized that another train left Vienna at 7:05 AM. I knew it wouldnt' get to Budapest in time for the 10:01 train leaving for Croatia... but we had to be moving this direction at some point, so we took the train. I couldn't contact Oliver and Pam McLemore who were to meet us in Budapest. They had our tickets and we had a bag for them from the states. I just thought, we'll call them when we get to Budapest and then catch the train down on Sunday or Monday to Osijek.

We got to Kelenfold (Budapest) at 9:58 AM - amazing since the train leaving Vienna was 10 minutes late leaving. Just as we stepped off our train there was Oliver coming down the Platform. We didn't know about the Croatia train... neither did Oliver, but we went to check the board to see if it had left. We couldn't tell. There was a 30 something Hungarian there who immediately said... "Do you need some help?" We said yes. He ran with me into the information booth and found that our train was on the platform and about the leave... he gave me my tickets told me what platform and we ran... and he was gone. Ok, Joshua and I, and Oliver ran carrying our bags... got to the platform... Josh jumped in... I threw the bags in... I jumped in and literally the door shut and train started to move.

We can chalk it all up to chance... and I'm fine with it if you want to... but it made me wonder. Maybe God has something here for us to do, and somehow with the help of delayed trains ("God's trains always arrive on the time" by the way - Maj. Ian Thomas) and an angel on the platform... it was just weird that he was there at that moment unhesitatingly asking us if we needed help... we'll be here to do it. One minute longer, literally and we would have missed the train.

I plan to speak tomorrow on "The Prodigal God" taken from the title of the book by Tim Keller. God has lavishly poured out his love on us in spite of weirdness, warts, and weaknesses... in spite of ourselves. It's a slightly different twist on the Prodigal Son... but really no twist at all... God has loved us and run to us and embraced us and given us a place with him, even when we have squandered all of his goodness!

I seriously wonder if we encountered and angel today. If you see him let me know... kind of a scruffy hungarian riding a bicycle - brown tweed jacket I think.

6 comments:

Unknown said...: I know there are angels among us. I have not met your Hungarian angel in tweed, but I have met my own.; April 19, 2009 at 7:47 AM
MoLak Jedi said...: Tweed jacket and bicycle almost always means angel! :-)

John, that's a great story. I've had my own "entertaining angels" experience. I can't wait to hear more of your travels.; April 19, 2009 at 8:50 AM
MoLak Jedi said...: Tweed jacket and bicycle almost always means angel! :-)

John, that's a great story. I've had my own "entertaining angels" experience. I can't wait to hear more of your travels.; April 19, 2009 at 8:50 AM
John J. Roberts said...: We all have "ours" Greg... but knowing you, and much of your story makes me think you may need a few... it's like tag-team wrestling one gets worn out and tags to get out! I wonder how tired that one got holding your feet while you were head down in the chemical tank!

Of course, we're maybe all that way! It's good to have help!; April 19, 2009 at 8:56 AM
Andrea said...: I love this! Our angel was also on a bike!
Praise God!; April 20, 2009 at 1:21 PM
living wanderlustfully said...: Wow, what a crazy start to your trip! I can't believe you actually made it! I could have used your tweeded Hungarian angel a few times in my travels... ;) It's a great story to tell! :); April 21, 2009 at 1:27 PM

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Life and Ministry

I've been alive for 46 years... I know that's not much compared to some people, but it's enough that I realize I'm on the downhill side, probably, unless I live past 92! That would be interesting I think. Otherwise, however, I'm at a point of deep reflection... how will the rest be spent. I've been in the same spot for 20 years now, doing pretty much the same work, so it's time for serious evaluation.

There are two things that have challenged my thinking... one old, one new. First, the 9th stage of Eric Erikson's psycho-social development; "Integrity vs. Despair." It struck me twenty some years ago. Erikson basically says that there will be a time when you will begin to reflect on your life and you will conclude that it's been a life full of good decisions and directions, and work done well - if that's the case you'll come away with a sense of integrity; your life has had meaning and purpose. If on the other hand you look back and see that it's been filled with missed chances and squandered opportunities you'll have a sense of despair. I want my reflection to lead me to integrity!

Second, I had a class on 2 Timothy this summer at Regent College with Earl Palmer. He and I had lunch one day and it was just a great encouragement. He said to me, "Never think of yourself as old... I'm nearing 80 and I don't think of myself as old! You have lots of life ahead of you... your most productive years! Realize that you are young and God has alot of stuff for you to do!"

Looking forward!
John

Book Reviews

Are Women Human (Dorothy Sayers): This little book (about 80 pages at most) is a lot of fun, but also profound. It's actually a compilation of two essays - I think both lectures - which Sayers gave around 1938 to a women's group in London. They wanted her to talk about the importance of feminism – which she didn’t want to talk about specifically. She's very fun to read... very British... very to the point... very intelligent and articulate. I read it as preparation for the sermon series in 2 Timothy because I'm trying to think of Paul's treatment of women and this book was suggested to me by Earl Palmer (University Presbyterian - Seattle) at a class I recently took from him. Here, in my estimation, is the essence of Sayer's view, "Women should be doing everything they're gifted to do... but not in order to prove that they can do what men can do. There are fundamental differences between men and women; they're made for different things. If you have to choose between a woman or a man to do a certain task you should choose the one who is best at that task. It gives our lives meaning to do what we're good at... it honors God to do what we're made for. A woman shouldn't become a mechanic to prove that women can be mechanics... nor should she be kept from mechanics because she is a woman. Great treatment of the subject I thought. My view of Paul and women, incidentally, is that he thought very highly of them. He speaks specifically in a coupe places about them being silent, but then talks all over the place about their roles as prophets, teachers, deacons, and "outstanding among the apostles." I take his specific instructions about women and silence to be a specific address to a specific problem. Barth says, "There are no NT letters apart from the troubles of the NT church." He's right about that.
Searching for God Knows What (Donald Miller): Miller is great... his writing style is interesting and very conversational. A little too conversational at times for me. But I love to be challenged by what he's saying, both in this book, and "Blue like Jazz" which is also enjoyable, and challenges some ideas that we have about life, faith, and church. Miller makes me laugh at one moment, and then get very serious the next. Honestly, I howled with laughter during the first chapter, "Fine Wine: The Failure of Formulas." He gave me cause to think anew about Shakespeare’s Play, "Romeo and Juliet." I have to go back and reread it... it's been way too long. Here's a bit of a summary statement for the book, from chapter one: "I realized the gospel of Jesus, I mean the essence of God's message to mankind, wasn't a bunch of hoops we needed to jump through to get saved, and it wasn't a series of ideas we had to agree with either; rather, it was an invitation, an invitation to know God."
Before I Go: Letters to Our Children About What Really Matters (Peter Kreeft):Before I Go: Letters to Our Children about What Really Matters (Peter Kreeft): This is simply a delightful little book. I don't mean "little" in a way to demean it... rather it reads like a little book. There are 161 short letters, from a couple sentences to a couple pages of advice that Kreeft is leaving mostly for his children. Here is a quote from #23, Sacred Time: "Visit a church at least once a week and just spend five minutes in the real presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, just adoring Him. He came a long way for this meeting: all the way from heaven. And He brought you a long way for this meeting: all the way from nothingness, out of which he created you. He thinks this meeting is that important. And you don't? Which one of the two of you do you think has it right?" I love the sacredness of Kreeft's Catholicism. I like his writing. This book is full of good stuff. It's been especially meaningful to me since I'm preaching through 2 Timothy which is Paul's "Last Words" -- literally.
Playing for Pizza (John Grisham): Nothing profound here, but it's an enjoyable read. Maybe I'd classify this as a "feel good" novel. It's not going to change the world, but it's a story with some redemption, victory, set mostly in Parma, Italy. There is some interesting information here about various parts of Italy. Story is an NFL Quarterback, Rick Dockery, who can't seem to make it in the NFL, and ends up playing in the Italian NFL, for the Parma Panthers. They're putting all their hopes on him to win the Italian Superbowl! In the end... Easy read about 260 pages.
Fish!: This is a great little book,sort of expensive for the size of the book, less than a hundred pages. This book is really helpful for getting refocused on how to be a positive influence in a "toxic energy dump."
Real Sex (Lauren Winner): I really like Winner's writing. Heard her speak at the National Pastor's Conference in '07... she's fun. I read another of her books, Mudhouse Sabbath, which I loved. I think you should read this very articulate and frank discussion of Sex within the faith framework. Read it.
Velvet Elvis (Rob Bell): Thought provoking look at the church, faith, and the journey. I'm not crazy about Bell's writing style, but readable, and challenging ideas. I'd recommend it. If the church doesn't stay relevant it will end up the like the "Velvet Elvis" painting Bell found in the basement of his house... obsolete.
His Dark Materials (Philip Pullman): I read the trilogy (The Golden Compass; The Subtle Knife; The Amber Spyglass) as well as Lyra's Oxford. As advertised the books are hard on "the Church" but that's to be expected from Pullman's atheism. The books were a fun read, we're reading them to our boys now. Good opportunity for dialogue about important ideas. Lyra's Oxford was disappointing, and very short. Few observations: (1) "The Church" is probably a little too exercised about this series. (2) I think "killing God" is a little too strong a description of what happens. (3) I think it's very interesting, given Pullman's atheism, that there is so much metaphysical stuff in this series. (4) If you haven't read the books or seen the movie... see the movie first... they foul up everything in the movie which makes it difficult to enjoy if you've read the books. Trilogy books are around 250 pages. Fun, but definitely not The Lord of the Rings, or The Chronicles of Narnia... not close.
Of Mice and Men (John Steinbeck): This is a classic that I'd never read until recently. It's a very interesting portrayal of friendship, caring, and loyalty. It's accessible, and about 90 pages. Glad I read it.

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Saturday, April 18, 2009

On Delayed Trains and Angels

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