All was well and peaceful on the Indiana Toll Road this morning at 7:00 AM as I drove four Jr. Highers to their bus stop for a camp pickup.  However, all was not well and peaceful on the Indiana Toll Road at 7:01 AM.  Here is that story.

I have a wonderful job.  I get to hang out with kids all the time, meet with their parents often, and talk about Jesus nonstop.  It suits me well, seeing as I'm an overgrown Jesus-freak kid myself.  Occasionally though, I really do have a good deal of responsibility.  Okay, it's more than occasionally, but if I think about it too often, my palms get sweaty...oh gosh, I need a napkin.

Needless to say, today was one of those "be responsible" days.  I stirred from my slumber at a painful 5:15 AM and lurched through my apartment apparently trying to get the sleep out of my eyes by running into every door from my room to the kitchen.  I woke up a bit more, hopped in my truck, and headed to the church to meet the campers and grab the directions (which later proved to be useless).  As 6:30 came across the clock, we were already on the road.  Can you believe it?  Four junior highers (three of them girls) were actually ahead of the schedule set before them...sweeeeet!  We were on our way to Marshall, MI.

I grabbed my toll ticket and hopped on I-80/90 West.  (Pause)

Now I don't know how many of you know your Michiana geography, but Marshall, MI, is approximately one hour and thirty minutes Northeast of Granger, IN.  That's right.  My destination was Northeast, and my bearings were due West.  Now you see what happened at 7:01 AM.  The phone call:

Bob: Heyyyyyyyyy Kyllllllllle
Kyle: Uh oh
Bob: Yeah, I'm in LaPorte...gonna need to tell the camp the kids are gonna be late
(insert a few lines of explanation)

Kyle: Okay, there's another bus pickup in Lansing
Bob: How far is that?
Kyle: Two hours
Bob: I can make that--
Kyle: Two hours...from Granger
Bob: I'm 35 miles West of you?...tell them I'll be there (end call)

I then proceeded to drive the 35 miles back to Granger and make the two hour trip to Lansing all in the condensed time of two hours and five minutes (I held my breath the entire time).  I dropped the kids off at the buses, so they could get off to a great week.  I filled up the gas tank and took my time home, so the van could stay in one piece.  I even stopped at a McDonald's to refuel myself, so I'm alive, too.  But today, one early morning, four kids, one van, five hours of driving, and one BIG mistake have all served the purpose of getting me to think:

How often are we checking our maps?  Now guys, I know I hit a sore spot, and your wives/girlfriends/mothers might be printing this off for future reference, but spiritually, how often are we checking the map that directs our lives?  If I would have looked down at those directions just once in the half hour I was driving towards Chicago, I could have been back on the right course and gotten to the original destination, but I was so cozy heading West.  Whenever you take a look at the map, or in the spiritual sense, the Word of God, you better believe you're sometimes going to find out you're what I will forever call, "directionally mistaken."  But for sure, you'd rather be going the right way than staying stubborn.  Remember what kind of day it is.  Go grab yourself a cup of coffee, get some napkins for your palms, and don't forget the map.  It's a "be responsible day."

Recovering, haha,

Bobby