ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
September 1, 2026
I absolutely love my plug-in hybrid, especially these days with higher gas prices. I like to track how many miles I put on the car, and in the last two months, I used six gallons of gas and drove almost 1700 miles. It is a bit of a game for me, but I like doing something small for the environment, especially because our electricity plan at our house where I charge my car is an all-renewable plan. Donna and I are passionate about things like this. But alongside the number of miles and the amount of gas, there is another number on my dash that is sort of troubling. Yesterday, it said I had driven the car nearly 1700 miles, but noted the time. Since my last fill-up, I had spent 66 hours and 22 minutes in the car. It was sort of startling to realize that I spent nearly 2 1/2 days in my car driving around Harris County. Sometimes I just listen to music, but quite often, I listen to books or a podcast. But 66 hours and 22 minutes in the car, and I didn’t really go anywhere. I could drive to San Diego, CA, and back, and then do a quick side trip to my hometown of Lincoln, NE, in less time. It has me thinking about how much of life is spent in the in-between space, traveling from here to there. Most of the time, our focus is on the destination, and the travel to the destination feels like lost time. But as I think more about that time, when the music, books, or podcasts are playing in my car, I realize it is also some of my most important time conversing with God. On Sunday, we talked about Moses who spent a lot of time on the mountain with God, but for me, I think I spend more time with God making my way to the destination. And as I ponder it a bit more, I sort of wonder if I see the destination differently because of the conversation.
I know that my prayer life can often sound as if I’m rambling, a sort of unfiltered flow of thoughts, but I appreciate you listening, Gracious God, and occasionally interrupting to offer some insight to what otherwise might just be nonsense. Amen.
