1889- MANNA

I woke up early yesterday- prayed and blogged.

Then I went food shopping around 5:30 or so.

I like going early before the crowds get there.

Then I took one of my weekly drives around the area.

I drove over the JFK causeway bridge to the Island- took some pics.

Took the ride around the City of Corpus and drove thru Cal Allen- Robstown and back past the airport.

I’ll try and post the pics this morning or tonight.

A few weeks ago our city started stepping up the code enforcement for various stuff.

Lots of people park their cars on the grass- or let the grass grow too long- stuff like that.

The sub-division I live in is nice- because of that we get lots of solicitors- selling all types of stuff.

They think we must be rich because we live in a nice spot.

Yeah- my home is close to the bay- and the Gulf of Mexico.

But I bought it years ago- at around 60,000- I got it under the real value.

I used to buy and rent houses- so I knew how to spot a deal- and that’s how I got this house.

It’s worth at least double now- but as a retired firefighter- I am not rich.

Anyway- we get the snake oil salesman here all the time.

So- when the city stepped up the code enforcement- my neighbor told me that one of the ‘enforcers’ was asking about my mustang in the drive way.

I was like ‘what the heck are they asking about the car for’.

It’s parked on the grass- but it’s not the ‘yard’.

Lots of the homes here have an area for RV’s or boats- and my house has a spot with the double gate- that people park their boats and stuff in.

So the mustang sits in a parking spot in front of the double gate.

Anyway I was like ‘why don’t they worry about all the door knockers coming around all the time- I mean every week I have people trying to sell me stuff’.

So- as my nature is- I sent an email to the mayor- and yeah- I let him have it!

So- the next day or so I figured let me get the car ready for sale.

When my girls got their drivers licenses we bought them all their first cars.

This mustang- 1998- is a nice car- we bought it for Becky about 10 years ago- and then gave it to Debbie [my youngest].

They all have their own cars now- so I have the mustang here- with the van- my wife’s car, my truck- and my classic 66 mustang in the garage [and Christina’s car too- my daughter].

So- I do need to sell the car.

Plus- the morning I was going to work on it- my wife came home later that day and said ‘your truck has a flat’.

Darn it- I have to fix the flat and mess with the car.

So- I get the car ready for sale and tell my daughter to call her friend and let her know I’m selling it- the girl had stopped by a few times to ask.

So- the girl comes over with her dad and boyfriend- she wants the car- but will ‘come up with the money’ on August 9^th.

So- I told them ‘well- I’m still gonna list it on Craig’s list- and keep the for sale sign on it’.

They tell me they will come back and put a down payment that night- they beg me to not list it.

So- what the heck- I told the girl ‘okay- don’t worry about the down payment- just come back in 10 days and I’ll hold it for you’.

So- after waiting for them all day- they never show.

I was mad because I had a few other people who wanted the car- and I told them it was sold.

So- after stewing a while- I’m catching the local news- and seeing all the stories of the code enforcement.

Which was what started this whole thing.

And I see some lady crying- ‘I’m an old disabled woman- and your here threatening me with a fine over some weeds’!

Yeah- the local news media are all over it.

So- I’m watching it- identifying with her pain ‘yeah- and what about all the darn solicitors who come by my house every week- why don’t you do something about them- instead of worrying about my daughters car in the driveway!’

All of a sudden I hear a knock on the door- when the girl who wanted to by the car came by- for some reason she knocks- I mean I do have a doorbell.

So I thought ‘well- maybe the day won’t be that bad after all’.

I rush to the door- and there are 2 people walking away.

Hmm- doesn’t look like them?

‘Can I help you’?

They go into this long story- there sister died of breast cancer [last night mind you].

And they’re out selling some stuff to raise money for the funeral.

Yeah- more solicitors.

Okay- I am up to my ears with these people.

So- I told them ‘I’m busy man’ and yeah- I made sure the door shut real good- you know- some people call that ‘slamming’.

All in all- what else can go wrong?

My wife walks in the door- she says ‘your truck has another flat’.

I kid you not [solicitor’s revenge?]

So- the chapter for the week was Exodus 16.

It’s the story of God’s people in the wilderness.

They are complaining about Moses taking them out of Egypt and bringing them into this wilderness place.

They said ‘why didn’t you let us stay in Egypt- we had all the food in the world- now we are starving out here’.

So God gave them a miracle- he rained bread from heaven.

In the morning when the people arose- there was this bread type wafer on the ground.

When they saw it- they said ‘what is it’- or the word- Manna- which means the same thing.

And Moses said ‘this is the bread that God gives to you- you are to eat it’.

I find it funny- they were used to the gluttony of Egypt- stuffing themselves to the brim- even though they were in bondage- they were slaves in Egypt.

Yet- God has freed them- and he is giving them food- maybe it doesn’t taste as good- but it will sustain them- it’s what they need to finish the mission- but they are not used to it.

See- they developed an appetite for ‘the abundance’ of Egypt- they were hooked on getting ‘all you can get- the God of more than enough’.

Yet- the real God said ‘this is what you need- it might look strange right now- but trust me- this is the bread I am giving you’.

The last few months- for whatever reason- I have been hitting on the themes of carrying our cross- denying ourselves- living for God- not cash.

All themes that I have spoken about lots over the years.

Yet- for some reason- I felt the lord wanted me to go over them again.

It often takes time to see this stuff- we- in the modern church- have been fed a ‘buffet’ of teaching that says ‘stuff yourselves to the full- get all you can- eat until it comes out your nose’.

And God says ‘look- this Manna- this ‘new’ bread- yeah- it might be strange at first- you might say ‘what is this’- but this is what you need’.

Sometimes we get caught up in Egypt- we don’t even realize we are slaves- we get used to it.

The apostle Paul wrote about his credentials- he said he was beaten- stranded- stressed out- people talked about him- he ran out of resources- he was hungry at times- he gave a long list of things that would seem to contradict the ‘abundance mentality’.

Preachers today actually take verses- sentences- from his letters- and they teach the opposite of what he said.

They actually develop entire systems of thought- that go against the actual experiences of the apostle.

Where are you today?

Is the car still for sale- is the tire flat [mine is!]

Don’t judge things by stuff like this- sometimes we get the things that we need- the ‘Manna’ often looks strange at first- we have been fed the Egyptian buffet for so long- we don’t even recognize the real food when it comes.

www.corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com

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