Brrrrrr...

So, about an hour into the drive, we started seeing weather warnings. As we approached Des Moines, our phones buzzed with the news that Interstate 35 was closed. Not “slippery.” Not “be careful.” Closed.

The girls immediately pulled out their phones to hunt down a hotel that could fit seven of us, and by some Christmas miracle, we found a great one.

We pulled off at the very last exit before the highway patrol put cones across the interstate. We grabbed a couple of card games from the dollar store, watched some football, slept great, and tried again the next morning.

I-35 was still closed. So, we zig-zagged across Iowa on back roads and eventually rolled into my parents’ driveway in St. Cloud mid-afternoon.

We had promised the kids we could go skiing at Powder Ridge, so on Tuesday, everyone layered up, found good gloves and hats, and loaded into the van to go skiing, but when we went online to buy lift tickets, we found out they were completely sold out.

Huge disappointment. We pulled over to figure out plan B. Snowmobiles? Nope. Other ski hills? Too far or too small. Then someone suggested the most Minnesota idea ever...we could just go out to Grandpa’s church with all the nephews and pull tubes, skis, sleds, whatever we can find, behind the ATV, the 4-wheel drive, and maybe even the tractor.

And that’s exactly what we did.

Was it a little redneck? Absolutely. Did we have the time of our lives? Without question. For four or five hours, we dragged each other through the snow. At one point, I was on a tube flying around a corner, hanging on for dear life, praying I didn’t slam into a fence. In that moment, it became clear that getting whipped around on a tube behind a tractor does not inspire certainty.

This Sunday, we begin a new sermon series going verse by verse through the Gospel of Luke. And as opposed to how I felt in the middle of a field flying around corners on an innertube in the snow, Christ promises us certainty. Stability. A firm place to stand when everything else feels unpredictable, such as weather, travel plans, disappointments, or the days when you feel like you’re going to hit the fence.

My prayer this week is that, as we study Luke 1, God steadies your heart with the certainty that Jesus has accomplished everything He promised, and that what He accomplished absolutely applies to you.

I hope to see you on the first Sunday of the New Year. Services are at 8:00, 9:15 (Full KidCity available), or 10:45 am (Full KidCity available), or you can watch the Livestream on YouTube (Like and Subscribe) or on our New Life website at 9:15 am. Also, we would LOVE for you to follow us on Facebook, YouTube, and  Instagram. 

Have a great weekend,

Troy