Radical Life Support

When saying God is exalted, we mean He is high above all else, placed at the highest or most powerful level; held in highest regard and standing. God is lofty, eminent, superior, and distinguished. God is to be honored, revered, and esteemed.

Understand this though, that God is exalted whether we exalt Him or not. He is the exalted supreme being over all at all times. He doesn’t need anyone to exalt Him to a position that He already holds or to a place He already is. He is never low that He becomes exalted due to our exaltation of Him. Nothing is above Him and nothing is beyond Him. He can never be brought down nor can He be promoted from an outside source. He cannot actually be raised or lifted higher in the truest sense because He alone holds that solitary and solid highest position now and forever. 

We can only raise Him high and lift Him up in the position He holds in our hearts. If anyone is worthy, God is worthy to be exalted. We are the ones who should exalt Him for who He is, who He’s always been and always will be. We should exalt Him in our thoughts, words, and actions. We should praise Him and worship Him for His esteemed position as Creator of the universe and sovereign Lord over all the earth. We should elevate Him in our hearts and increase our estimation of Him. Nothing we think or do, affects that He is the High and Exalted One. That position that He alone holds is stationary. It is we who are either elevated towards Him or descend away from Him. It is we who decide whether we will give Him the highest position in our hearts or not.

If no one on the earth were to exalt God, it could not affect God in any way. Who He is, is not affected by those He created. Tozer says, “He is what He is in Himself without regard to any other. To believe in Him adds nothing to His perfections; to doubt Him takes nothing away.” God desires our praise and deserves our praise; but our worship or lack of worship doesn’t make Him more or less exalted.

One special thing that God created to exalt Him was music. I am particularly drawn to harmony like in a choir and love to hear voices singing together to create a united song of worship. God created different genres of music that appeal to different cultures and generations to praise Him. Sometimes we might have trouble or don’t know how to worship God. Music helps. A song can take you to a place of exaltation and praise. Corporate worship can elevate the worship experience. It is a prelude to heavenly worship. It is a way to pour out our hearts to God. Singing about praise, thankfulness, confession, petition and love. [Ex 15:1] “I will sing to the Lord for He is highly exalted.” Worship not only helps you focus on God but when God created music, He knew that worship benefits us as well. 

Jesus as the second member of the Trinity is exalted too. [Heb 7:26] “A high priest, (who) meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.” Because Jesus was sinless in all His ways, He is exalted. No other priest on earth can claim to have lived a blameless life. Only His pure shed blood could wash away the sins of the entire world. He was the final Lamb sacrifice. After His death and resurrection, He sat down next to the Father indicating that the work was done. No other sacrifices were needed. Jesus is given by God the exalted position of King of kings and Lord of lords. No other man or philosophy of man is to be exalted over Jesus Christ.

Acknowledge the exalted position that God holds and compare it to our humble position before Him. Although God allows us to be so familiar with Him to call Him Daddy, we also are to be reverent before an all-consuming, all-powerful, exalted God. It is so important to contemplate and worship God in His entirety of being. Let us not dwell on a few attributes of God which limits our thinking of who He is; but understand Him in all His divine attributes.

Robin has been thinking about children who do not get to be born. Children whose lives are taken. The children who are ripped apart. Her main attitude over the years has been one of resolution that abortion is wrong. She never remembers crying over the children before but lately the issue has brought her to tears. She heard on a prophetic word that we need to speak up for the children. We need to save the children. 

Robin listen to a man from the Catholic church who talked about the baby’s bodies being torn apart. Their blood is shed on their mothers and the hands of the nurses and doctors. And it made Robin really sad. She thought of the story of Cain and Able and God saying to Cain that the blood of your brother is crying out to me. Why would the blood be crying out? God hears the blood? Then, Robin read some verses that talked about the life-blood inside of us. We all have that life-blood. She looked up in the internal that the blood vessels and blood cells start to develop in a fetus within 15-18 days. A single blood cell would be enough to be life-blood for a child. Their blood is crying out and the Lord says He hears the cries of the innocent.

Women who miscarry wanted their baby more than anything. They grief the loss of the child and grieving is healthy and important. But those who have aborted their children probably many haven’t grieved or taken the time to think about that the life of the baby is gone. Robin’s sadness included those women too who have had abortions. Racheal’s vineyard is a Catholic retreat for those who have had abortions. You can name your children, have a funeral for them, say good-by to them, and you can find peace in your heart for the loss of your child. There are places where you can go and properly grieve.

Rick recalls a story after he was a youth pastor, he had taken a driving instructor position to make some extra money. Out of the blue, his young gal student asked him if God could forgive murder? She was probably 15 years old. He said, of course God does forgive anything. But he asked her if she was talking about abortion. She said that she had an abortion. Then he asked her to pull over the car because she started to cry. He began to minister to her the words of God. He spoke about in Revelation how one day God will wipe every tear away. She was deeply affected by this, carrying the pain and guilt. He told her of the love and forgiveness of God. That she needed to confess her sins to God.

Without trusting in the Lord, how can you really get through anything in life. Ps 72:122, “For He (the Messiah) will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death, He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in His sight.” We know that our Savior shed His blood for us. If it wasn’t for the blood of Jesus there would have been no forgiveness of sins. Maybe you have shed innocent blood; but Jesus shed His blood for you to forgive you, to take away your sin and make you clean and whole. He is there to walk you through the aftermath of decisions of regret. When you come to Him and accept Him in your heart and ask for forgiveness, He will renew your life and you can trust Him and move forward.

Rick remembers when he was first old enough to vote. He looked at all the candidates and what they believed and what they stood for. It all came down to one thing. He was going to vote for the people who are pro-life. We need to vote to save the children. It makes it so simple. When this election rolls around. If they are pro-choice, then they aren’t even to be considered. You have to vote for people who will fight and stand for the unborn. 

Rick and Robin don’t believe this is about politics. It is about life and death, right and wrong. What is right to do in the eyes of God. 

There should be no debate that God’s wonderful wisdom transcends all other wisdom. He is God, He created the world, so His wisdom about the world and how it works should supersede all other knowledge. God’s wisdom is holy, infinite, just and righteous. It is a wisdom that is real and unchanging yesterday, today and tomorrow so it is eternal. God’s wisdom is pure, loving, and good. We often view it as highly moral but that doesn’t do it justice. God’s wisdom is entirely perfect, with no fault, infallible. 

All of God’s acts are accomplished in perfect wisdom. When He acts, He is always promoting His glory and He is always doing the best thing for those who love Him. It would go against His nature to do otherwise. God uses perfect means to achieve the perfect ending. God can do anything in perfect wisdom because He sees the whole picture. God’s wisdom is flawless and precise. He knows the proper order so everything will fall into place. And He knows it all from an all-encompassing viewpoint.

How do we receive Godly wisdom? James 1:5-6a, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt.” Rick Warren said, “What matters is not the size of your faith but the size of the God you put your faith in...a little faith in a big God gets big results.” Ask God for wisdom and believe He will give without a doubt.

[Is 28:29] All this comes from the Lord Almighty, WONDERFUL in counsel and magnificent in wisdom. [Rom 11:33] “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God.” [Dan 2:20-21] “Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are His…He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.” Proverbs is an entire book on valuing wisdom. “Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom though it cost all you have. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

[James 3:13] “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.” This verse simply sums up what wisdom is. It is not just a knowledge of scripture or of right and wrong. But a wise person though uses it, acts upon it, applies it in every day life, and makes decisions based on it. 

There is divine wisdom and human wisdom in our created world and they are constantly at war with one another. God allows both to exist even though human wisdom is woefully inferior and inadequate to God’s boundless wisdom and truth. God knows His wisdom is superior so He is not threatened by human wisdom thinking it is equal to God’s wisdom. He knows in the end that His wisdom will prevail. Worldly wisdom is limited, constantly changing, and often times completely inaccurate. Basing your life decisions upon a particular person or group is not wise. The world’s collective intelligence can’t remotely compare to the wisdom of our God. [I Cor 3:18-20] “Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a “fool” so that he may become wise. The wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. 

God’s perfect wisdom is almost always the opposite of the world’s wisdom and this was especially demonstrated in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We do not have to worry when it seems like human wisdom is gaining ground in this fallen world because we know the end of the story and God’s wonderful wisdom wins. We know Jesus Christ our Savior will return. That is where we fully place all of our hope while we wait for all of God’s acts of wisdom to play out. Everyone will bow their knee to the only wise God. Our world will be freed, our tears will be wiped away, and we will see our reward for putting our faith in God’s wisdom.  

Winter, spring, summer or fall. Seasons change. Fall is here and Summer is over. Rick says he is not sure God intended for there to be our current change of seasons when the world started in the Garden of Eden. God created a paradise. Rick would want one season and that is summer. Paradise to Robin means life and winter is dead. She imagines in the Garden of Eden all the trees and flowers were in bloom all the time. Rick does believe though that God intended for there to be change. 

Over the summer, Rick met a man who had committed a crime and landed in prison. He needed a radical change in his life. He made a vow with God. If God would do something, then he would do something in return. He would repay God. In their conversation, the man confessed that he hadn’t held up his end of the vow. He said God did His part but I didn’t do mine. He wanted to but didn’t and that guilt has been over his head for a long time. Rick lead this man to a place where he took a step of faith toward Jesus. He seemed sincere as he left that day that he was going to make some changes in his life. 

In order for a person to really make changes, there has to be some decisions made. There really needs to be a changing of direction for your life. The word repentance means to turn, to go the other way. In a car, we call that a U-turn. The most radical change you can make in your life is what Barry McGuire said in his song, “A funny thing happened on my way to hell, I got saved, saved, saved.” We need to make a turn, find God and move towards Him. There is only one path to God and we need to get on that path.

When a person becomes a Christian and becomes a brand new creature, Rick recalls the verse that the old things have passed away and behold all things have become new. Although the word change is not in that verse, that is the most radical change that a life can take. One day you are going one way and it is the wrong way. And it becomes so evident when you make that turn, when you make a commitment to follow Christ and you become a Christian, when you begin to live in the new; it is a huge change.

Maybe seasons weren’t the original intention of God; but after the fall of man there were seasons. God created the seasons and seasons can be a great metaphor for life. Seasons can represent hope. If you are feeling down because of fall and winter, they are not going to last forever. It is a season. If you are in a dead or cold season, hang in there, don’t give up because Spring and Summer are coming. There is hope because new life is coming. 

We know we need to change in our heart and in our mind. People make yearly resolutions because they know deep inside that change is needed. It is an inward feeling. We inherently know that we need to make a change in some area. 

Rick says as he gets older, the more hopeful he gets. He knows there is help and hope; but without change, what is help and hope? If you cannot receive the help and hope that is being offered to you then what do you really have? You have to become a receiver and an asker. When Jesus says, “Behold,” He is saying take a look at what I am doing. “Behold, I stand at the door of your heart and knock.” Jesus wants to come in. He will not burst through the door. Whoever opens the door, He will come in. That is the most radical change that a person can ever go through. 

There are many who won’t open the door to Jesus because they are afraid that Jesus will ask them to make changes that they do not want to make. The answer is that yes, He probably will ask us to make changes. But Jesus does it in a way that is loving and caring. He knows where you are isn’t where you can be. He will do everything to move you to that place. Change is good, they call it sanctification, to be set apart for Him. Change is definitely a part of a radical life.

Vast means of very great extent or quantity; immense. Other words include king-sized, mega, giant, massive, huge, extensive, mammoth, enormous, gigantic, colossal, stupendous, Herculean, titanic, humungous, monumental, astronomical, gargantuan, ginormous … Is there a bigger English word to describe God is vast?

With this attribute we are going to look at this vast God from the standpoint of His involvement in our every-day lives. Not outside our existence but how big and vast He is within our world of time and space. Many can believe that God is vast and big; but this may lead them to believe that He is too big to have time or to see what is going on in our small little lives. They can’t imagine that He can be big and near at the same time. But, in Is 57:15b, God says, “I live in a high and holy place but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit.” He is in both places, heaven and heart. He can be in multiple places at one time because He is God. He wants to be in our hearts because He is God and He cares for us.

We just don’t spend enough time considering how vast and big God is. We live such busy and self-focused lives that there is no time or maybe we feel there is no reason to think or consider about God. Probably the most common times we do consider Him is when we are out in nature. Job 37:14 says we should “stop and consider God’s wonders.”

[Gen 2:1] “The heavens and the earth were completed (by God) in all their vast array.” If you live in the city, its activity and bright lights cover up the real view of the sky. When you get a chance to look at a night sky where there are no city lights, you see how many stars fill the sky. This is the same with God, you cannot see how vast and beautiful He is if you are entrenched in the man-made things of this world. It is only when you surround yourself with God focused things that you begin to see how awesome He is.

To show the world His great and vast love, God sent His one and only Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus came as a man and lived within our time, in our finite world, with human limitations. God was showing us that He may be big; but is willing live so close to us, come down to our level, that humans could actually touch Him, look into His eyes, and hear the sound of His voice. He visited people’s homes, touched the sick, and fed the multitudes. Jesus proved His own deity and that He had all the power of God through His vast miracles yet His attitude to us showed that He is not a lofty god demanding that we bow before Him. No, He is an intimate God seeking to come so close and speak words of instruction, encouragement, comfort and life. 

Those who have the Holy Spirit in their hearts have the third member of the holy Trinity living inside of them. You have this vast God on your side. I John 4:4 says, “You are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” Rom 8:31-32, says, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”

When God brought the Israelites to Canaan, they sent 12 spies. Ten came back and said, the land was filled with giants. They compared the giants to themselves and told the others in fear that they were no match to them. But, two compared the Canaan giants against the big, vast God they believed in and said, “If the Lord is pleased with us, He will lead us into that land…Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.”  

How big is the God you believe in? If your belief is smaller than who God really is, then you are actually believing in some other god, you are not believing in the true God. How you view God is truly the most important thing about you and it effects how you live. Believe that God is bigger than your problems; then you can take a deep breath and relax, knowing He has your back or that He will provide all you need. You don’t have to strive or worry.  You can move forward with confidence.

Rick and Robin travel to Washington, DC with friends to attend the 2020 Prayer March. Each one shares about the atmosphere, the unity, the fellowship with other believers, and the overwhelming presence of God. There was no race, gender, or denominational division. All attendees were there for one purpose, to pray for the United States of America. 

As Abraham Lincoln stated in his Gettysburg address, "that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain--that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom--and that government of the people by the people for the people shall not perish from the earth."

Another fancy word for this attribute is immutable which means unchanging over time or unable to be changed and this definitely applies to God. He never will change in who He is in any way. He is unchangable and will be for eternity. He changes for no one and nothing. Nothing can influence Him to change. He will never stop being who He is in all His attributes, character, being and nature.

The reason why I love this attribute so much is because as I learn about who God really is, I realize that what I am learning about Him was true, is true, and will always be true of Him. I can really jump in full force with all my trust because what I know I can depend upon Him for everything in my life. There will never be a time when He is not who He says He is and that gives me such a sense of calmness and security. I found it! I found the One where I can always find an answer, always find peace, always find meaning and purpose. When I am weak, He is strong. When I am poor, He is rich. He is always available, always cares, always protects, always leads me in paths of righteousness. He is an anchor in my life when the waves come to try and toss me about. I can always run to Him and He is there. He never changes. Heb 6:19 says, “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm, and secure.” This attribute screams, you can trust God with all your heart!!

[Mal 3:6] I the Lord do not change. [I Sam 15:29] He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man, that He should change His mind. Other verses declare that God’s solid foundation stands firm, His righteousness is unfailing, faithfulness continues through all generations, He remains faithful forever, His glory will never fade away, He never grows tired or weary, His kingdom cannot be shaken, all His commands are trustworthy and true, and God is from everlasting to everlasting.

Some people define truth based on their current culture, society or history. But these are changing things and I don’t personally want to put my trust in something that is susceptible to change. Times and norms may change but God never changes and neither do His ways or His truths which have stood the test of time. God doesn’t change with the times and conform to any other standard. God and His word is steady and sure in the past, present, and forever. [I John 2:17] The world and its desires will pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

Jesus is also unchanging. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. [Heb 13:8]

[I Pt 2:22] Jesus committed no sin. He did not succumb to any temptation. Satan could not present a convincing argument to have Jesus change His mission to bring salvation to the world. He resolutely lived His life to do the will of the Father. Nothing was going to and nothing did change His mind to fulfill His purpose. He was perfect in word and deed. [Is 42:4] In speaking of the Messiah, “He will not falter or be discouraged till He establishes justice on the earth.” [Heb 1:10-12] Though heaven and earth will perish, though they will be changed, “You (Jesus) remain the same, and your years will never end.”

In I Cor 13, when it talks about love, it is also talking about God. “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” God’s love never fails. [I John 4:16] And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

God’s unchanging, perfect ways are more than relevant for today and for tomorrow and can never fail anyone who puts their trust in them.

Today’s episode was recorded at Mercy Studios, Iowa Catholic Radio, Des Moines, Iowa, with Jimmy Olsen, Assistant Program Director. Jimmy has lived in Des Moines for the past 20 years. The joke in the town is that Jimmy has worked for all the radio stations in town but that is not quite true. 

Rick and Jimmy reconnected about 10 years ago when he was doing his Sunday morning weekend shift on Star 102.5. Rick enjoyed talking to Jimmy about radio because he loves radio. He thinks it is one of the coolest, most fun, and best means for communicating the gospel message about Jesus and living radically for Him.

The two go back even further to the mid-1980s when they first met at a week long summer church camp and Jimmy was in 8th grade. Rick had long hair, three cords and the truth. Rick was only invited to one summer camp and two years later came to an Octoberfest weekend youth camp where Jimmy remembers playing touch football with him. 

Jimmy reminded Rick of his very first message entitled: My Very First All Beer Puke Shampoo. Most listeners from the early days will remember this message. Jimmy had the cassette but it was lost in a family house fire years ago. [Note: if anyone has a recording of this message, please let us know at [email protected].]  It would be great to have a throwback RLS episode. 

Rick did all of the music and the sermons at the summer camp every day. Jimmy still remembers one particular song entitled, Shut De Door Keep Out De Devil from Randy Stonehill, in which Rick had all the kids sing along with him. Jimmy remembers that it was fun. Jimmy had his first taste of Christian contemporary music when Rick came to the summer camp. His youth pastor also liked this type of music so he began to learn more about different artists and bands.

Jimmy says he was a nerd back in high school and used to watch documentaries. So, he remembers that Randy Stonehill wrote the song on a plane ride back from Sweden. He ran across a podcast hosted by Jerry Bryant called Classic Jesus Music. Jerry Bryant only does music from the 70s and 80s and he also does interviews with Christian artists from that time period. (The podcast can be found on iHeartRadio). 

Jimmy grew up in a Pentecostal Charismatic church where he was forced to go four times per week. He was sick of church and was sure after high school that he would never go to church again. Even so, there were a lot of things that interested him and God always interested him. The summer camp began a change and he started getting more involved in church. He knew what he got listening to Christian music and the excitement that he had and it made him want to listen all the more. Slowly things started to change. 

One of the first times Jimmy felt he experienced God in his life was when he was a freshman in world history class. The kids sat in a circle and shared what world figure they wanted to do a paper on. When it was his turn, he said Jesus Christ. And the teacher said, I am not really sure. Then the kid next to him said, well it is a part of history. So, the teacher said, okay. Rick was so blessed to hear how bold Jimmy Olsen was to speak up for Jesus. He spoke up in front of his whole class and did the most radical thing: proclaim the name of Jesus. Very few kids have the courage to do that before their peers. It was crazy. It was radical. It was out there.

Jimmy hated school, so he took what he thought would be an easy course, Radio TV and he interned at a local radio station in high school. After high school, he only attended one month of college and ended up back working in radio. He literally fell into it and has been in the business all these years.

Jimmy Olsen has three of his own podcasts entitled: The Daily Plan-it, Storytime Theater, and The Gospel Road which you can play free on-demand with iHeartRadio. 

What is God like? That is the question we have been asking ourselves in this study on the attributes of God. Transcendent means God is wholly independent and beyond all physical laws. God is exalted and far exceeds both the universe and human knowledge. God is incomprehensible and incomparable. He cannot be fully known. He is also above all in magnitude, spirit, being, nature, character, and every quality and aspect of life.

If God transcends all things, then all of His attributes are transcendent like His love, power, sovereignty, holiness, beauty, glory, knowledge and wisdom. Since He is infinite and eternal, His transcendence was, is, and will always be in surpassing abundance forever. He has no equal. There is no comparison. He is not like anything or anybody the human mind can ever imagine. 

God cannot be fully grasped, seen, or attained.He will always supersed our highest thoughts of Him. He is truly mysterious. He is deeper, wider, longer, fuller, richer, and beyond greater.

In Job, “How great is God—beyond our understanding! The number of His years is past finding out,” “The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power.” [Ps 97:9] “For you, Lord, are the Most High over all the earth; You are exalted far above all gods.” [Ps 150:2b] “Praise Him for His surpassing greatness.”[Is 55:8] “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”

God is totally outside and not confined in any way to the world. He is Creator and we are creatures. In Rom 1, “For since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made.” God intentionally built into creation some of His attributes so everyone would know that He exists and is real. But God isn’t nature or in nature. He transcends nature. He is like no other. 

Throughout history, man fashioned their gods based on their own moral beliefs. Nations created what they thought God was like and built whole societies around that view. We have to be careful that we don’t do the same today. We can create an imagine of who we think God is and build our lives around that image. In the first two commandments God says we are to have no other gods before Him. And we should not make for ourselves an idol in the form of anything. Because God has no visible form, any idol intended to resemble Him would be a sinful misrepresentation of Him. Idolatry, whether a physical or mental idol, defames God’s character and assumes that God is other than He is. It is a substitute for the one true God.

Jesus is an exact representation of God.  Jesus said, if you have seen me, then you have seen the Father. [Matt 11:27] “No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.” Jesus came not only to redeem us but to reveal the Father through the way He lived in perfect obedience, His non-condemning interactions with people, the authority of His teachings, His supernatural miracles, and His resurrection power from the dead.  

Jesus also has transcendent qualities. Eph 3 says the love of Christ surpasses knowledge. It is not unknowable, but so great that it cannot be completely known. Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.” It says in Phil 4:6-7 “The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” God’s love and care are beyond human comprehension.

This transcendent, incomprehensible, incomparable God asks us to seek His face even though we can never fully know. He promises that those who seek Him will find Him. The knowledge of Him is so precious that you'll want His thoughts and His ways to become your thoughts and your ways.

Rick and Robin share their adventure to Des Moines, Iowa. Many things went as planned but many things were unexpected. As they were traveling, the entire left headlight flew off and went into the median of the highway. They noted the mile marker where it flew off and planned to see if they could find it on the way back. 

Their first stop was to a Luthier (a professional guitar repairman). Rick and Robin curbed an original Martin D-28 guitar laying on the side of the road. It was missing all of the tuners and strings but otherwise it was in good condition. This was a guitar that Rick had always dreamed of having but never thought possible because they were too expensive. The repair cost only $167.00 and it was appraised at $3,800! Robin noted an AMC theatre across the street that caught her attention.

Rick then scheduled a time to do a podcast at Iowa Catholic Radio with Jimmy Olsen that afternoon which was 1.7 miles away. On the way, they stopped to get gas. Robin noted a Village Inn restaurant next to the gas station. They had their Teen Rescue interview which will be aired at a later date.

Their next appointment was to have dinner with their friends, Spencer and Mary Thury. Since they had time, Rick decided to do an Uber Eats delivery which surprisingly lead them back to the Village Inn and was to be delivered, you guessed it, to the AMC theater. Rick and Robin marveled at how it was all playing out so smoothly.

Before going further in the story, it is important to note that Rick is infamously known as someone who always drives under the speed limit. Two blocks from the AMC, they get pulled over by a policeman. Rick exits the car with license in hand and asks the policeman what he did wrong. He never imaged that he had been going 41 on a 30 mile per hour road. When the policeman learned they were from Florida, he began apologizing for pulling them over. Rick then explained that he needed to deliver some food and the policeman said he would follow them over to the AMC. The policeman was so nice and gave them a warning.  

As they headed down the road for dinner, Rick realizes he never got his driver’s license back. They called the Clive County Police department and the policeman kindly agrees to drive to the Olive Garden 18 miles away and return the license. The Thury’s were surprised when a police car shows up and calls out Rick’s name. The men exchanged cell phone numbers because they feel there was a reason for this crazy encounter.

After dinner, they leave and head north hoping to find the headlight but to no avail. But Rick did locate a muffler and carried it back to the car. They uneventfully make it back home in the dark hoping not to get pulled over again with only one headlight. 

Rick and Robin wanted to share this short adventure because when you are planning your life out, when you are living for Jesus, you just never know what is going to happen. You might meet somebody new, you might get something you have always dreamed of having, and sometimes you don’t find what you are looking for. You never know why things happen. It helps to look at life like an adventure. Give your day to the Lord, honor Him, and see what God has for you. This is how you can live and it is fun to see what God does. 

As we are all on our journey, we can take on different attitudes. There is the optimist, the pessimist, and the psalmist who says my cup isn’t half full or half empty, my cup runs over. We have abundance because of what Jesus has done for us. When you live in abundance, you can give to others. When you are in lack or in need it is tough to imagine giving to others. Say to yourself, it doesn’t matter what I have been called in the past, what I have done in the past, or whether I have been deemed an optimist or a pessimist, Choose to be a psalmist. When you are able to be a psalmist, that is what we call a “Radical Life.”