A Little Flighty

January 2nd, 2008 |

As I write my first “nook” for the New Year I am sitting in the Atlanta Airport trying to get to Roanoke, VA. The operative word here is “trying”. We are experiencing delay after delay because one delay tends to breed another until there are little delays running around everywhere. I just got off the phone with April in Roanoke who works for a car rental company. She is praying for me to get there soon because she can’t leave until we pick up our rental car. I hope she gets time and a half or something for staying late because right now we are looking at getting there way after midnight. Everyone is tired, everyone is frustrated, and everyone (with the exception of your pastor and his wife) is a little cranky. The reason I am not cranky is that I know April has to stay put until I get that car. It changes everything. People are running, gates are changing, and hopes are dashing (dashing as in crashing, not dashing as in cruising through the snow in a one horse open sleigh. Come to think of it, a sleigh might get me there faster.) In the midst of all of this, I witness one woman whose flight dilemma was heightened by the fact that she did not speak English. All that information, all those changes, all those directions and she is clueless. To make matters worse, the airport employee assigned to help her seems pretty clueless herself. Finally a good Samaritan steps up to translate and the lady’s fears are calmed. She has not missed her flight. I wonder how many folks walk through church doors every week needing directions, only to find that they do not speak the language. May we ever be seeking a way to bridge the gap from where they are to where they need to be in Christ. May we find a way to translate “the greatest story ever told” so it can be understood by the folks who need it the most. Oops. Got to go. They are boarding our flight. Hang on April, we are headed your way.
A Little Flighty,