Tokens, Jake’s culinary choices

In Psalms 86 the psalmist asks God to show him a “token for good”; a sign that He is really involved in the current circumstances and is still fully in charge; that He is far more than just aware of the situation we are in. I prayed that same prayer the other day and have been looking for an answer. Last night we got not one but three little tokens of His grace.

The hiring manager for the Licensing group called me last night and closed the loop on the job offer that has been hanging out there since February of this year. At this time he has all the people he needs to take care of the plant in Louisiana so he cannot offer me a job. That door is closed for good. I was both relieved and disappointed at the same time; a strange combination of emotions. But I had to recognize it for what it was; God’s direction. It is never a bad thing to get clear direction.

The second token came just a few minutes later. Mama and I have been trying to find a way to get enough pallets together to build a pen for the feeder pigs – something more permanent than just half of the current lot that was built specifically for the pot belly pigs. Lowe’s said they did not give away or sell their pallets and Tractor supply had nothing to offer so we were headed to the feed store in Chico to see what they had for sale at $4 each.

On the way we called a man that runs a spray in insulation business from his home – which is about a mile down the road from us. He had several dozen pallets accumulated outside his garage and it did not appear that he was using them for anything. Mama left him a message and he called us back just as we got to the feed store. He normally takes the pallets to Ft Worth and sells them for $2 each to a company there but he did not feel he had enough to mess with. So he told Mama we could have them if we agreed to take them all. We assured him that that was not a problem. I took about a third of them home last night and will finish up on Thursday.

I realized the third token had come as I talked to a young preacher who was having a difficult time knowing how to respond to a needy, recently divorced woman in his small church. I told him what I could as a man and referred him to my pastor for the counsel he needs relevant to his responsibility and authority as a pastor. I would not be able to recite just what I told him but he let me know that it brought to light up a lot of issues he was totally unaware he was dealing with – or contributing to unknowingly. God is good; really good.

While I was on the phone with the young pastor Mama, Victoria and Jake were at Yesterday’s for a late dinner. Jake was completely taken with the restaurant. Mama said he took over thirty pictures of the decorations. The staff was thoroughly taken with Jake as well. So in the spirit of the hour Jake ordered the Hot Fudge Sundae Burger. It is just what it sounds like, a bun, a hamburger patty, ice cream, hot fudge, whipped cream and cherry, topped with a bun drizzled with chocolate syrup; all that with a side of fries.

Jake ate the whole thing – after taking several pictures and a video.