An Unexpected Surprise

I was at the Y this morning working out. Today is usually my day off, but PCC's primary lender on the building project was coming to the building site and it was a meeting I really had to make. As important meetings approach, I think about them, try to anticipate the questions that will come and the issues that will be raised, the information I'm going to need, etc.

So, while I was on the elliptical machine, it occurred to me that there was a good bit of grass that had grown up in front of our offices in the gravel and in the beds. It really looked bad and I'd been meaning to do something about it for weeks, but other things always seemed more pressing. All of the sudden, I realized what a poor reflection it was on our church. It made it seem as if the place was neglected...as if we didn't care about the property God entrusted to us. This is important no matter who is coming by, but I felt it was particularly important when the person dropping in was also lending you $3million!

So, when my run was over, I skipped the freeweights, went to the locker room and gathered my clothes and headed out to the car. As I stepped from the sidewalk into the parking lot, I passed by my friend Randy, who is a committed PCC'er and also a faithful exerciser. Explaining to him why I wouldn't be around for my normal workout routine, I told him the story and how I was headed home to get the weedeater and blower and then to the office.

Half an hour later, equipped with my lawn tools, I pulled into the driveway at the church, knowing that there was a good sized task in front of me. But as I came around the bend in the driveway, there was Randy, weedeater in hand, ready to help. He knew I needed help and was eager to pitch in.

There is nothing quite like the help of a friend. The Bible says "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work." (Ecclesiastes 4:9)

Even better when one of the two is an unexpected surprise!