PART 2: CHAPTER 2: 

Bring Me Back To Life Again / Love Is Here.

 

The scene outside his home was urgent.  Tom's neighbor was talking, no yelling, at him to call 911.  He couldn't process it.  The flames began to rise out of the car that had crashed into the Palo Verde tree in his front yard.  He snapped out of it and dialed.  Help was on the way.

 

He ran to the car and pulled open the driver's side door.  It was Paul.  Of all people, he had just finished reading an email from him, what was he doing here, why, how?  So many unanswered questions.  He pulled him out of the car just as the flames started to catch the leaves of the tree.  He dragged him across the lawn and into the house.  

By now, Sarah and the kids were up and watching through the front living room window.  Tom told them to get back.  He could hear the sirens in the distance waking the neighbors, they were going to make it before things got out of hand.  

An hour later, the fire was contained and the car was being towed away.  Police had asked their questions and Paul was sitting comfortably in Tom's dining room with a cup of coffee.

 

"Where do I begin," he started. "I found your address off of a letter that you had mailed me a few months ago with an update on your family.  So glad to hear that all is working out.  I'm sorry about the drama pulling into your front yard, I lost control of the car as I was coming around the last corner to your place.  I had been driving all night, fell asleep at the wheel and woke up as I was coming toward your tree.  So careless of me."

 

Tom's stare was blank as he listened.  "Paul," Tom said, "Why are you here?"

 

Paul brought the coffee to his lips and set the cup back down on the table. The steam rose above the rim.   "I'm here, Tom, because I wanted to ask you a question.  I'm in the middle of gathering folks to take a trip with me and your name keeps coming up in my mind. I can't seem to shake the thought of you being there."  Tom responded, "I know, I just read your email.  I'm considering it."  "Right," Paul said.  "You know I sent that a few weeks ago."  "Hmm," Tom responded, "I literally just opened it this morning, right as you were pulling up on the lawn." He smiled, "technology, sometimes it works....sometimes..."

 

They talked for a while longer, Paul described what he was doing and why.  He was taking a trip to Haiti to help build a clean water well for a community there.  He was trying to bring them back to life.  Tom told Paul about how his family had kind of hit reset when he came to Arizona.  They've been taking a back seat to a lot of heavy lifting and were very much back on track as a family.  Paul smiled, "I knew it," he said.  

 

They spent the day talking through the idea, what it would look like, how it would happen and who would be involved.  It sounded like an opportunity very hard to pass up.  Something that could actually change people's lives.  Maybe change his life again.

 

That night Tom and Paul were looking into airfare and putting the trip together.  Paul spent the night.  The next morning they shook hands and Paul gave Tom a hug.  So great to see all of this happening.  It's incredible how God works.  Paul hopped in his rental car and headed back to Indiana.  

 

Tom shook his head as he drove away.  Haiti.  He'd never left the United States before.  What was this going to be like?

 

 

Today we're talking about the past and the future, all at the same time.   Bring Me Back To Life again is a song inspired by a sermon I heard ten years ago.  It was all about how Jesus, our one true source of life, is in the business of bringing us back to life again every day.  His life, his strength, his peace, his wonder breathe life into us daily.

 

 

New things, new life.  It's all part of a relationship with Jesus. Just look at our story.  Tom, the main character, is living in this new life right now.  If you read through the Faith And Gasoline Journey, you know his story of redemption.  (If you didn't, click HERE to sign up).  Of how God put so many things in his path to lead him back to his wife and family.  How the people that he came in contact with were there because God has orchestrated the whole thing. 

So many people ask if that story was true.  Kind of.  That's the answer that I always give.  It's an amalgamation of all of the stories that I hear on the road.  We hear so many stories of redemption, of truth, of new life.  God is in the business of helping and restoring lives.  Love is here.  Jesus is here.

 

Today, rest in the new life that Jesus has given us.  The new life that his death has given us.  Our hearts, our very souls are new because of his incredible love and sacrifice for us.

 

Bring me back to life again.  Father, bring us all back to life again as we seek you more and more. Love is here.  Yes, Jesus, the one true example of perfect love is here.  Father, walk into our hearts and heal us.  Restore us and bring us new life.

 

 

Check out the video devotional below.  It speaks of how this song was so healing to me during a very difficult time in my life.  

 

Look forward to hearing your thoughts on all of this.

Undertow.

 

The drill hit the dry earth with a powdery thump.  It started to turn and Tom watched eagerly.

This was their fourth day in Haiti. It was 92 degrees and hot.  The second day they had begun drilling.  It didn't work. The drill bit had cracked about 30 feet down and they had to stop.  The drill team was headed up by a burly young man named Evens.  He had been doing this for about 7 years, had a lot of success and was a pro.  He was part of an organization called Water For Life and believed in the life changing power of water.  Tom liked him immediately.

 

Evens was pushing hard to make this drill pierce through the earth.  The deepest well that he had ever drilled was 810 feet.  They were hoping that they didn't have to go that deep on this day.  The sunrise that morning in Duranton, a rural town in the Grand'Anse department of Haiti, was beautiful.  Tom was seeing things he had never seen before.  Meeting people that he didn't even know existed.  These were days that he never thought he'd see.

 

Paul came over and put his hand on Tom's shoulder.  "Incredible isn't it?" he said.  "Yeah", Tom replied, "Thanks so much for bringing me.  I'll never be the same.  I would have loved to have brought...."

 

Before he could finish there was a loud cry from Evens and then....it was raining.  Water was spewing everywhere and Evens jumped down off the drill rig and ran over to Tom.  "We got it!" he exclaimed.  The whole crew had their heads pointed towards the sky and were basking in the sun shower that Evens had just supplied.  A rainbow pierced through the rain.  Life.  They were dancing, singing, and praising.  Hands lifted high and hope in their eyes.  It was an absolutely euphoric scene.  Tom had tears in his eyes, this changed everything.

 

That night Paul, Tom and Evens were sitting by the fire outside of their tents. "Tomorrow we leave," Paul said. "This has been one for the books.  So great to have you with us Tom." Tom just smiled, knowing that if he said anything his voice would be unsure of itself. Paul continued, "You see Evens, Tom has a story that so many of us Americans have. Working like crazy, not sure what we're working for, not spending enough time with family, friends.  It's a trap that many of us get so wrapped up in. It's the undertow that pulls us further and further away from God.  It's the impossible cycle that so many people get sucked into." Evens looked over and said these words in his thick Haitian accent, "All of those things are certainly appealing, but for me, for my crew here, we bring life.  We want to see life given to those who don't have it. Today we did that."

 

On the plane ride home the next day Tom's mind was racing.  He took a deep breath and started praying.  Praying that God would lead him where he was supposed to go.  Where he was supposed to be.  He opened his eyes and saw Paul's white knuckles on the armrest next to his.  He looked up and saw the flight attendant running to the front of the plane....

 

 

Ah, the undertow. We all get stuck in it.  So many of us fight and fight and so often lose.  It takes faith to fight the undertow. Faith in what God has planned for us.  Faith in our own surrender. Faith in our ability to stop and let go of the wheel.  

 

I find myself daily struggling with the undertow.  We get so wrapped up in work, life, kids, school, church, TV, social media, that we don't find time to spend with God.  It's an alluring and tempting world we live in.  So many distractions, so many things that take our mind and our hearts off of the one thing that our minds and hearts should be absorbed with.  

 

A few verses to remind us of the fact that God will never let us go. Ever.

 

 

There are so many more references and verses that back up this point.  God will never leave us.  He is always here.  Google it.  Search for it.  Don't take my word for it.  Find your own evidence.

 

The undertow is strong.  It never lets up and never stops coming.  We have to make our foundation stronger.  We have to have our minds and our hearts set on one thing.  Jesus.

 

Focus today.  Resist the undertow today and fight.