The Rendezvous
Barbara Henderson
The night was long and the storm was
loud. Lightening was flashing, and
thunder was rolling. If you have never
been in a southern storm you may not understand that description of a
storm. Let me just say that the thunder
rolls like a string of large unseen explosions.
That is bad enough. Flashes of
lightening turn the night into intermittent day. Most of the time nobody gets hurt. But sometimes there are deadly tornadoes that
accompany the storm. Other times there
are lightning strikes that cause fires.
One night the Spunkmire family was facing such a storm. Daddy Spunkmire was staying calm outwardly
even though he was somewhat concerned.
For some reason this storm seemed different. Mama Spunkmire was also trying to stay
calm. She was determined to avoid giving
her children a fear of storms that would cause them to run for shelter at the
first drop of rain. Her life revolved around doing what was best for
Spunkmire Junior and Spunkmire Baby.
The Spunkmires lived in an older mobile
home. It was really a lovely home well
anchored to the ground. It was paid
for. It was on their own land. They loved it. Their only concern was that
mobile homes were not known for as the safest place to be during a storm. They were also possibly more flammable in a
fire. They had heard stories of how
quickly a mobile home would go up once a fire started, so they were saving
money for a place with more land where they could build a brick home that would
be safer during a storm. But, in the
meantime, they were content to live their lives in a way that was consistent
with their goal of being debt free. That
meant living in a home that was older and cost less than the bank said they
could afford. They had goals for the
future and those goals didn’t include spending half their income on a mortgage.
Mrs. Hignite, who lived a few doors
down, was so terrified of storms that she would go outside in the blackest of
nights to get into her storm shelter.
The shelter was a brick hole in the ground. It was damp and dark and very
unpleasant. But that was where Mrs.
Hignite felt safest when a storm was in the area. And, being the kind Christian lady that she
was, Mrs. Hignite felt it her duty to call her neighbors at any time of the day
or night and remind them they were invited into the storm shelter with
her. It was a sad day in the
neighborhood when Mrs. Hignite got a cell phone that had service in her storm
shelter even when the door was shut.
Finally, the storm seemed to have passed
by, and the family went to bed. Mama and
daddy Spunkmire were resting in their bed.
The Spunkmires were all allowed to sleep in their day clothes during a storm. Mama went to bed in full makeup. Daddy Spunkmire slept with his holster on so
he would only have to grab his pistol.
They were trying to put off sleeping just a little while longer to be
sure their two boys were asleep. Soon
then the family drifted off to sleep……Then KABOOM!! Lightning flashed one more time. It hit the middle of the roof. The house was suddenly in flames. Mama and daddy Spunkmire wanted to run to
their boys, but the lightning strike had hit the middle of the house. Flames were between them and the children
immediately.
The Spunkmires had replaced the windows
in their home several years before with larger double paned windows. The parents quickly got out their window and
ran around to the window where their boys were sleeping. The found the window to the boys room open
and the two boys gone. Without missing a
step they ran to the mailbox out by the street.
There they saw Spunkmire Junior with Spunkmire Baby on his back calmly
waiting for their parents. They had
established a rendezvous point and even practiced disaster drills a few
times. They were thankful that the boys
were safe but not shocked. They had a
plan, and the plan worked. Baby
Spunkmire was looking for firetrucks.
Neighbors were running out to see what was going on. Over all it was a good ending to a disastrous
night. By the time the fire was out and
daybreak came their home was gone. There
was a twisted metal frame and Papa Spunkmires gun safe still standing. They had escaped with the clothes on their
back and a few things that they slept with before the fire. Mama Spunkmier had her extra large hobo bag
over her shoulder when they escaped because she slept with it over her shoulder
on potentially disastrous nights. Papa
had his wallet and keys in his pocket.
The boys had escaped with nothing but each other because Spunkmier
Junior opted to take his baby brother out instead of a few of his
possessions.
Disasters like this one happen every
day. Sometimes they have happy endings, and sometimes they don’t. If the Spunkmires had not prepared for just
such a disaster by practicing what to do if a fire occurred and establishing a rendezvous
place the story might have ended tragically.
Insurance paid for the loss of their home and possessions. Because they
were already living debt free the Spunkmiers decided to spend their insurance
money on land instead of a new mobile home to go in the same spot. Spunkmier Junior and Spunkmier Baby were soon
quite happy with the move because they were able to have a dog and a cat,
something they had not been able to do in their previous home. They decided to
buy a camper trailer and live in that while they built their new home. They came to look at the loss of their home
as just a step in their journey to the big rendezvous in eternity.
The Spunkmiers not only had a rendezvous
point in case of a home disaster, the had rendezvous points in shopping malls,
camping trips, at flea markets, and any where else they went. If it was a new place the first thing they
did was establish a point of rendezvous in case of separation. They also had back up rendezvous places. They had rendezvous points in case the family
was separated during some sort of disaster.
They had rendezvous points in case they wanted to escape a boring
event.
In today’s world, a family can’t have
too many rendezvous points. Families are
separated by distance because of work and whatever duties or even pleasures the
family may engage in. In a disaster
getting the family together and making sure everyone is all right is the first
thing people think of. It is best to
figure out where to meet up if you can’t meet in your home. The recent fires in Gatlinburg, Tennessee,
and the surrounding areas, made that very clear. Families were separated. Some lives were lost. I don’t know what plans the families had for
uniting with family during and after the fires.
I suspect there were quite a few people who had specific places to go
and people to call. Unnecessary worry is
caused without a rendezvous point.
In the world we live in today being able
to meet up with family in case of a disaster is even more important. Shootings are happening with increasing
frequency. Knife attacks are the new
terrorist activity. The economy is
unstable. Jobs are hard to come by, and
blah, blah, blah. You already know what
is going on. Truly, setting up a
rendezvous place for all sorts of scenarios is important. We know that ‘The Times They Are A-Changin’. That is the title of a Bob Dylan song. I
suppose the title of the song would be appropriate in almost era. Something is always changing, and some of the
changes are going to be bad. These
changes, whether good or bad, will have an effect on many people. With Trump in as our president-elect I have
hopes for a world that at least seems to lean toward sanity instead of
insanity. My biggest concern may not be
the normal ‘big concern’ for most people.
I fear that people are looking at Trump as more than a man. My personal opinion is that he is going into
a very difficult situation. He will only
be able to accomplish any of his goals by the grace of God. However, this isn’t really about Trump. It is about the changing times and how
families need to prepare.
Continue to do the obvious things like
live as frugally as possible, stock pile enough food for several weeks. Make sure it is food that you actually eat. Consider
self defense and how you would best be able to protect your family and
yourself. A simple level of prepping
that is good for everyone is to plan a week in advance. Plan your meals. Plan your trips. Plan your clothes. Plan your lunches. A lot of that isn’t really difficult. It just requires making plans in advance and
then sticking to the plans. It makes
life a lot easier if you wake up knowing what you are going to wear and what
you are going to eat that day.
Planning for a little farther down the
road is not that hard either. Keeping
some things in your car that would make life easier if you were stuck living in
your car for a few days is not hard. A
few clothing items, some non-perishable food, and small bag of survival gear
would be nice if you just get stranded due to some sort of traffic jam. A few years ago Jerry got stuck in
traffic. His normal time to get home is
around an hour and half. It took him
about seven hours that day. We decided
that the next time he hears of a bad wreck on I-5 he is just going to check
into a motel and spend the night in the town where he works. By the way – he works only 40 miles from
home. Traffic is bad every day. A bad wreck causes massive traffic jams. We are planning to get a little farther down
our life’s road by moving to Idaho when our kids move there. Traffic isn’t nearly as bad and the cost of
housing is quite a bit better. So, now
we are saving as much money as possible.
We are on a no debt lifestyle. I
do use a credit card for quite a bit because I am addicted to those bonus
points. However, we are only charging
what we can pay off that month. If I
find I am unable to do that then the card is going to be cut up and
canceled. Even with all my medical bills
we are managing. This is the Lord’s
doing, and we are very thankful.
And, yes, part of our prepping is to
establish rendezvous places in case of everything. Ultimately that does give us some peace of
mind in a society that is disintegrating.
It seems like no matter what happens we want to be together and know
everyone is alright. From there facing
the future would be much easier. Don’t
assume that your family would automatically know where to go to meet you in an
abnormal situation.
Anyway you look at it, there will be
times when getting the family back together doesn’t work out. A family member may be killed as in the
wildfires in Tennessee. The families who
lost loved ones are not thinking about the loss of their property. They are thinking about the family member or
members they lost. There is no earthly
rendezvous for them. But, if they are
Christians, there is a rendezvous coming.
From that rendezvous there will be no more ‘parting days’. Families will not be ripped apart by death
when they all reach heaven. So, the most
important rendezvous you can possibly establish is the rendezvous in heaven.
Be saved yourself.
Teach your children to love God and keep
the commandments. Never stop praying for
them to be saved. Once they are saved
keep on praying for God’s hand on them for good.
Do you have unsaved friends and family
members? Pray for their salvation. You don’t want them to miss the greatest
rendezvous of all times.
Pray for the lost world. That rendezvous is coming.
As we face these changing times, the
truth of Jesus Christ does not change.
His promise of eternal life does not change. The times change. The fads change. What is culturally and socially acceptable
changes. People in power come and
go. Some do good and some do evil, but
everyone great and small will one day face the judgment. Some will face the rendezvous of the
damned. They will meet in hell and spend
eternity there. Some will rendezvous in
heaven and spend eternity there.
While living life now it is important to
stay in contact with family and friends.
A rendezvous can be a meeting place that puts families back together in
disaster situations. It can be just a
big family reunion. Whatever the reason
for the rendezvous, it is important to have a place of meeting set in advance.
As my family and I have faced my stage
four cancer we have prayed for healing.
We know God can heal. We know
sometimes He chooses not to. We also
know that regardless of what happens we have a rendezvous set. We will meet by the throne of God in heaven.
That planned rendezvous is no less real than the mailbox where the Spunkmiers
planned to meet in case of a fire in their home. My dad and my sister are already at the
rendezvous. They will meet us when we
get there.
Do you have your eternal rendezvous
set? Will you spend eternity at the
rendezvous in heaven or in hell? If you
are reading this I am guessing you will be at the great rendezvous by the
throne of God. In the mean time, as a
Christian, you have a duty. You are to
tell the world that Jesus saves.
We are to do what we can to help reform
this nation. Christian values do make
good laws of the land for everyone whether they are Christian or not. God’s values are good. We aren’t called to set up a theocracy, but
enacting laws that are pleasing to God will be a blessing to the entire
nation. In order to do that we need
Christians who are educated as to exactly what is right before God. Keep in mind that our leaders are just human
beings. They have no power to change the
hearts of the wicked into God fearing people.
Only God can do that. But we do
have a part in change. Our job is to live
like the Christians we claim to be. Our
job is to tell people how to be saved.
Our job is to tell them of the consequences of failure to accept the
offer Jesus made to let them into heaven through Him. The more Christians, the more the land will
accept godly laws as just and right.
Currently we have half our population rejecting the teachings of God. We can do better than that.
One thing that has been obvious to any
intelligent person is that Christians and Christianity have been under attack
by government, news media, and social pressure.
Everyone is being pressured to avoid hurting the feelings of infidels headed
for hell – also known as Moslems – and avoid mentioning anything to do with
Christianity and Jesus Christ at all costs.
This needs to stop. There are
laws that guarantee freedom of religion.
I know that becoming a Christian is a choice, and that morality and
decency can’t be legislated. Acting
right has to come from the heart, and that means a heart where Jesus Christ is
King. However, Christians do not become
door mats just because they are Christians.
Christians do not check their constitutional rights at the door when the
choose Christ. Christians are free to
make use of the laws of the land just like anyone else. If they are treated in a manner that is
against the law then they should carefully consider taking the matter to
court. I do not believe the gospel has
ever been spread effectively by violence, so I am not suggesting that. But I do believe that Christians have been
silent when speaking up would have been the better choice. With our new President elect I believe
Christians will have the support of government in freely exercising their
freedom of speech and freedom of religion.
Let’s be sure to use those freedoms.
Remember – we want the Rondy in heaven
to be bigger than the Rondy in hell.
Aside: I grew up in Anchorage where the
Fur Rendezvous is held every year in February.
It includes the sled dog races and all sorts of neat things which I
believe now includes ‘snowshoe baseball’.
A shortened version of its name is ‘The Rondy. It was originally a rendezvous for fur
trappers to meet to sell their furs. I am looking forward to meeting you all at
the big Rondy in heaven.
