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Cal's Pastoral Epistles
"The Reclamation Project"
February 2, 2011
The only time I had ever seen a sight like this was in the classic 1967
movie thriller, Bonnie & Clyde. The truck was sitting outside the Dime
Bank. It was riddled with bullets holes. The little boy in me immediately
called up images from that movie and the gun battle that signaled the end of
their run. It was an iconic moment in film that came to life in that split
second on Monday afternoon in Norwich.
I looked at the truck and its driver again and realized that there was
nothing nefarious happening there. The owner had obviously reclaimed the
truck off the scrap heap and put it into service again. Rust covered a good
part of its body. It had seen better days.
We had a few cars like that when I was growing up. My family lived on
38 acres of wooded land in Colchester. I learned to drive on dirt roads and
open fields on our property. When a car died, it found its way into a corner
of our land. Covered with rust, and some bullet holes from misguided target
practice, these vehicles would often end up being reclaimed and used by us
kids.
My 1977 AMC Gremlin was one of those vehicles for a time. It was a
true reclamation project. The engine caught fire in the spring of 1979 and it
ended up in the field. It was symbolic of everything that was happening in
my life at the time. I was out of school, deep in debt and emotionally
crippled. The car fire put the finishing touches on my downward spiral.
In a dream back then, in the midst of the darkest point of my life, God
spoke to me. He told me that he had not given up on me. He still believed in
me. If I trusted him, if I followed him, he would lift me up and give me a
fresh start.
In the spring of 1983 I was back on track. I had accepted a call to serve
as pastor of a small church. My father had resurrected my Gremlin. He got
it up and running. The hood was scarred with black from the fire but it
purred like a kitten. It wasn't pretty but it carried me into my first ministry
and reminded me of God's redemptive power.
God is great at reclaiming lost lives and using them to carry his love into
the world. God doesn't look for perfect people to tell his story. He looks for
people like you and me. He cleans us up and sends us out to tell our stories.
Thank you for accepting his call and being that light that gives hope to the
world. His blessings will flow through you.
God bless. See you in church. Cal
February 2, 2011
The only time I had ever seen a sight like this was in the classic 1967
movie thriller, Bonnie & Clyde. The truck was sitting outside the Dime
Bank. It was riddled with bullets holes. The little boy in me immediately
called up images from that movie and the gun battle that signaled the end of
their run. It was an iconic moment in film that came to life in that split
second on Monday afternoon in Norwich.
I looked at the truck and its driver again and realized that there was
nothing nefarious happening there. The owner had obviously reclaimed the
truck off the scrap heap and put it into service again. Rust covered a good
part of its body. It had seen better days.
We had a few cars like that when I was growing up. My family lived on
38 acres of wooded land in Colchester. I learned to drive on dirt roads and
open fields on our property. When a car died, it found its way into a corner
of our land. Covered with rust, and some bullet holes from misguided target
practice, these vehicles would often end up being reclaimed and used by us
kids.
My 1977 AMC Gremlin was one of those vehicles for a time. It was a
true reclamation project. The engine caught fire in the spring of 1979 and it
ended up in the field. It was symbolic of everything that was happening in
my life at the time. I was out of school, deep in debt and emotionally
crippled. The car fire put the finishing touches on my downward spiral.
In a dream back then, in the midst of the darkest point of my life, God
spoke to me. He told me that he had not given up on me. He still believed in
me. If I trusted him, if I followed him, he would lift me up and give me a
fresh start.
In the spring of 1983 I was back on track. I had accepted a call to serve
as pastor of a small church. My father had resurrected my Gremlin. He got
it up and running. The hood was scarred with black from the fire but it
purred like a kitten. It wasn't pretty but it carried me into my first ministry
and reminded me of God's redemptive power.
God is great at reclaiming lost lives and using them to carry his love into
the world. God doesn't look for perfect people to tell his story. He looks for
people like you and me. He cleans us up and sends us out to tell our stories.
Thank you for accepting his call and being that light that gives hope to the
world. His blessings will flow through you.
God bless. See you in church. Cal
Pastor Cal Lord writes these weekly epistles to
help us see God in every day things.
help us see God in every day things.
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