Smash and Grab

I had a nice morning yesterday. I met a former ministry colleague for coffee and we spent the better part of two hours catching up. Then I went back to the church and parked on 42nd Street, 11:15ish. Thirty minutes later Deanne popped her head in my office and said, "A couple of guys just came in asking who the gold Celica belongs to...they say the window is smashed and the stereo is gone."

As you can see, they were right. So...bummer. They also left some nasty, half-eaten sandwich under my hand-brake. This is the third time in the last ten years I've had a car broken into, so to speak. The first time was in Denver when I was going to seminary. That one cost me a window and 96 compact discs. The second time was two weeks before Christmas in front of (what was) my house on Cherry. That one cost me the whole minivan. Amazingly, the small community of Jacob's Well rallied and helped us replace it, and at an order higher than we lost. Then there is yesterday's adventure.

You know, I had a bit of an adrenalin surge. It's weird to look at your car and see glass everywhere, your dash torn up and a big hole. But beyond that, I just can't seem to get too worked up about it. The only thing I'm upset about is how the theft caused me to look at every car that passed by with a suspicious and nervous glance. "Was it you that did this?"

I had a couple conversations this week that put my little incident into a broader context. On Tuesday, I had lunch with Chris Jehle, good friend and executive director of The Hope Center. Last week 14 year-old Cortez D. White was gunned down in his neighborhood because of a misunderstanding over a lawnmower. Chris told me that Cortez had been in The Hope Center just a couple days earlier. His younger siblings are involved in the ministry. You can read about this tragedy here.

Then I got an e-mail from friend and fellow Jacob's Well staff member Phil Lesniewski. He wrote,

FYI....You may hear this evening that a woman was shot and killed by her ex-husband last night in the Valentine neighborhood. I received a phone call today at 2:30 PM informing me. The woman, Jennifer Burton, was the mother of (my daughter) Grace's friend and classmate. Grace plays soccer and is in first grade with six year old Isabelle Burton. A grief counselor is available for all the kids in Grace's classroom. The kids were informed today around 2:00 PM. Be thankful for your family and pray for those who are mentally unstable.

More information can be found here.

Finally, my family spent the evening at the home of Jim and Mary Patten on Wednesday with others from Jacob's Well and shared a meal with James and Monika Hetherington, missionaries in India and founders of the Bread of Life Bakery and Restaurant (follow the "Widows and Orphans link) in Varanasi, India. It is always so wonderful to be with them. Hearing their stories about abused and neglected children and the hope and redemption that is being spread through Jesus both sobered and encouraged me.

As I sat in my office after vacuuming up some broken glass those conversations put things like a smashed dashboard and a missing radio in perspective. Thank God. And if you would, say a prayer today for the Burton children, the White family, and the ministry of James and Monika Hetherington.

Comments

[rob wondergem]

Tim,
Sorry to hear about the break in. I remember when it happened in Denver and how bummed you were to lose all those CD's. However, thanks for sharing a positve perspective and sharing the needs of others.

[Kelli]

Thanks for sharing. Sorry to hear about your car-- that is frustrating. Isn't it amazing how God reminds us regularly of what really matters in this life? Have a wonderful day.

[Tim Keel]

Hey Rob, good to hear from you. I don't suppose I'll be seeing you in Nashvegas since I saw you in San Diego, eh?

Thanks, Kelli. I am glad to be reminded of what really matters, truly. I am also glad that my insurance company is going to cover nearly everything. :)