The title says it all and Florida didn’t let us down today. Â Actually, we left South Carolina this morning to clear skies and sunshine. Â It was a beautiful drive all the way to Madison, FL where we will perform on Tuesday night at Priest Auditorium.
When we got up this morning, another tour bus had parked next to us. Â Glenn Beck is on tour with THE CHRISTMAS SWEATER, his best-selling book.
Today was fairly uneventful – no major traffic or accidents, only a few road construction projects. Â Overall, we made pretty good time.
In the hours that we had to drive with no distractions, I always have time to think. Â I enjoy these drives. Today I was thinking about the uncertainty of our time. Â After all, we found out today that we are “officially” in a recession and have been since December 2007 (who knew!). Â “Uncertainty” is all around us – in every corner of the world.
I’ve been reading another book by John Ortberg. Â If you’ve been reading my blog for long, you know that I’m a fan of his. Â I wrote a post in 2006 from his book, IF YOU WANT TO WALK ON WATER, YOU HAVE TO GET OUT OF THE BOAT. Â This book is called GOD IS CLOSER THAN YOU THINK. Â Mr. Ortberg talks about uncertainty in his very special way. Â Paraphrasing here, he wrote:
It struck me that the “uncertainty period” is a unique opportunity for growth. Â If we are able to live with confidence and joy even when we don’t know if we are going to get what we hoped for, a kind of strength forms in our soul that would never get formed there if we found our answer right away. Â Sometimes there is a good of not knowing.
Quoting now:
I heard a radio interview sometime ago with Marv Levy, who coached the Buffalo Bills to four consecutive Super Bowl appearance – all of which they lost. Â The interviewer asked him, “How did you handle the uncertainty of walking onto the field and not knowing the outcome? Â How did you manage the anxiety?”
Levy’s answer was unforgettable. Â “If you’re looking for certainty,” he said, “you’ve chosen the wrong game.” It’s one of the differences between going to a Super Bowl and going to a theater. Â Everybody knows Hamlet’s going to die. Â But imagine for a moment two football teams walking onto the field knowing ahead of time what the final score of the game is going to be. Â It would be very hard to get much adrenaline going. Â Not knowing doesn’t mean you’re condemned to anxiety; rather, not knowing calls for trust, and trust is crucial to good performance. Â Uncertainty is essential to the game. Â Welcome to the human race. Â If you’re looking for certainty, you’ve chosen the wrong species.
We finally arrived at our hotel in Madison, Florida. Â Right next door is a farm. Â As we waited for Keith to get us checked into our rooms, I decided to visit with the animals…this guy is big!
I fed this one…and then he bit me!
