Getting Ready to Roll

It is a gorgeous sunny spring morning in southwest Virginia. The temperature is near perfect and the breeze is blowing just right. Everything is so green and the mountains are absolutely beautiful today. It is a great day to be in Bristol, Virginia.

I have the tent walls rolled down drying in the sun and wind. I would like to take them down dry this afternoon but the chance for rain is about 50% at church time and 70% after church. I am not sure that I should take them down since we may need them to keep the rain out during service.

My plan is to take the tent down tonight so I can make the majority of the 470+ mile trip on Thursday. I usually must take the tent down and pack it in the trailer while it is very dry to prevent mildew but since I should be putting the tent back in the air Saturday, it will be fine to take it down wet.

It is all part of the guessing game of dealing with the logistics of tent revival. Definitely not my favorite part but necessary. That is one reason I have learned to put more time between tent revivals. It causes me to lose days that I could be preaching but the weather and many other things are not under my control. It is hard for me but I am learning to roll with it.

The last two summers we have taken the tent down several times on Friday. Loaded up and drove Friday night or Saturday morning. Then set it all up some where else Saturday and started revival Sunday. It worked most of the time but I paid the price physically and with my sanity. 

Those days are over for the most part. There are just too many variables and I often found myself doing things against my better judgement in order to keep the commitments I had made. There is just too much involved and too much at risk. I had to schedule differently. I am forced to preach fewer revivals in order to preach any tent revivals at all. Does that make sense?

After the tent is down here in Bristol, the trailer is packed and everything is ready to go, then I have to figure out how to get out of the parking lot. The road coming in to the church is very steep I just barely got the trailer in and it is going to be a challenge to get it out. I can not turn down the hill because I know I can not get out that way. I can easily get the bus and trailer out of the church that way but it is way too steep when that road meets the Hwy at the bottom of the hill. The trailer and the bus would scrape in front and back. It would not be pretty.

Just imagine this with the nose pointed down the hill and the trailer attached at back.



Definitely would ruin my day.

You can not back out of that. Nope, it

requires the assistance of a very, very large wrecker, several police officers to direct traffic, a haz-mat crew to clean up the 36 gallons of antifreeze that pours out when the wrecker snags your bottom heater hose, a host of curious onlookers, and the news media.

(By the way, that is not my bus but it could happen so easy.)

I can not turn out of the church and go up the hill either. The front of the trailer would be damaged by the steep rise. I could possibly back out the drive going down hill and then pull up the hill but Kelly Jo is nervous about that. The best solution is to find somebody with a 3/4 or one ton truck to pull the trailer down to level ground. I have been looking for days but I have had no luck so far.

No complaints. Just sharing some of the joys of evangelism. I know we make the road life we live sound awfully fun, but it is not all vacation out here. Lol

In fact, I am ready to get back to the fun stuff. I can not wait to preach to Bristol, Virginia one more time tonight. There is no telling what God is going to do in lives under the Blue and White Gospel tent tonight.

Thanks for praying for us.

Davy

A Beautiful Day and A Stormy Night

Wow! The devastation in Oklahoma is incredible. It is absolutely amazing that hundreds of people were not killed in that tornado. Praise God for his protection. Continue to pray for all of those affected. There are thousands of people who will be consumed by this storm for quite a while.

The weather was beautiful here today in Bristol, Virginia. It was beautiful that is, right up until the end of service. The folks helped us quickly pack the sound equipment in the trailer and then the lightning, thunder, rain and wind started in earnest. It only lasted about 40-50 minutes but it was quite a storm.

I am glad to report that the tent handled it well although several of the chairs were blown over and every thing under the tent received a good soaking. I am always glad the stakes are driven in good and the straps are super tight when the wind starts blowing like that. I suspect that sometimes  folks think I am a little obsessive compulsive about the tent setup but it is worth it when the tent performs like it is supposed to in a storm.

We are have had very good altar services this week. God is faithful to help folks that come unto Him through His son Christ Jesus. Praise God for the access we have to the God Heaven and earth through Jesus our Savior. This old world can be a cold dark place. It does not take long to get beat up and bruised. I am so glad to point people who have been battered to a God that wants to help them.

That is what Gospel preaching is all about. I love to tell the good news to every one that will listen. There are a certain number of people that are not going to come into our churches for whatever reason. I love to take the good news of Jesus Christ to them. I am very thankful for churches that are interested in joining us in that effort.

We passed by the church and tent on the interstate the other day and I wanted to go back while the sun was shining and take a picture of the tent from that vantage point. You can see the tent from I-81 very clearly as you pass by even though my iPhone does not capture it properly.

I zoomed this one in while I was standing there.

The church has great visibility from the interstate and from Hwy 11 that runs by at the foot of the hill. It sure would be nice if Bro. Horton and his folks could buy this building at a good price. It is for sale and they are leasing to buy but the price is way inflated. I believe this is going to be a great location for them so help them pray that the price would lower to a reasonable amount. God is certainly able to do it.

One more night here in Bristol and then we will take down the tent and be on our way. I am hoping the weather cooperates and we can get the tent down after church Wednesday night. That would be great.

God bless you all.

Davy

Moore, Oklahoma Tornado

Pray for the people in Oklahoma. There are many pictures in the news but these two show the scope without being too graphic. They certainly need God to help them. All of our friends we have heard from out there are OK but there are so many hurting families out there right now.

Pray, pray, pray!

Davy