Sometimes things don't go the way you think they will.

I thought today that I'd be preaching in a clean shirt and deoderized armpits, brushing my teeth with real toothpaste, and whitewater rafting for the first time. Sometimes things don't always go the way we think they will.

My flight arrived in Knoxville about 10pm last night. It was a great flight with good reading. I found my way down to baggage claim and positioned myself right at the mouth of belt where the luggage rides down. I stood and waited while passenger after passenger happily found their luggage. 7 minutes later, I'm still standing at the mouth of the conveyer belt, waiting, hoping, praying, that someone in Charlotte who will probably get paid today for putting my bag on the plane, did indeed put my bag on the plane. 2nd time in a row US Air has lost my luggage. He'll probably get paid, but he did not put my bag on the plane. Yes I'm assuming it was a he, because females would have no problem putting the correct bags, in their correct locations. However, it could have been that my bag was transported on a trolley over to the Charlotte plane and did not make it over there for the man to put it on the plane, because the trolley was being driven by a woman. Either way, I trust that God was providentially working through his sovereign plan through his limited people. I made my way up to the next level - I parked on the roof of the parking garage - about as far away from the gate possible. It was the only thing open. Unfortunately I did not pack an umbrella in my carry on book bag and it was pouring down rain. The rain felt kind of nice actually, everything except the wet part...exactly. Interestingly enough, I found a joyful humor in it all, kind of. Perhaps the US Air folks are just trying to get back at me, since the last time I flew I managed to come home on my originally scheduled flight, while so strategically working the system attaing 3 free round trip tickets in the continental US. Yea...they found me out and are losing my bags on purpose. Nevertheless, I drove about 1.5 hours and crashed at the hotel outside Ocoee, TN. The toothbrush the front desk gave me had a gel capsule inserted in the head of the brush that I had to squeeze to get toothpaste that rose up from the bristles. I then made my way over to the camp, with no deodorant, hardly brushed teeth, and the same rained on shirt I had on the whole day before. This morning was my first time to be with the High School bunch from the church. A thrilling first impression. But just like God, He used all of these circumstances to dissolve my concerns about any impression and prepare myself to preach. He blessed. It was a great first morning. I also found out they changed the white water rafting time to Sunday when I will have already left. I'm sure there is another wonderful purpose in that too. I'm now back at the hotel. And my luggage has arrived. Some times things don't always go the way we think they willFor he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. Psalm 33:9-10