The Never-Ending Transmission

The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the LORD swore to give to your fathers. 2 And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. 3 And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. 4 Your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years.  Deuteronomy 8:1-4

Well...it finally happened.  What I knew was coming but had hoped to avoid.  Last week I had to take the van in to have the transmission replaced...or so I thought.  As it turns out this is a really incredible story.
When we bought this van about 5 years ago we knew this type of van had a history of the transmission going out so it's not like we were unprepared; but then are you ever really financially prepared to replace a transmission? Tanya and I had been debating about whether to replace it or just get a new van.  Either decision was more than likely more than we could afford.
The van had been giving us signs for the last few weeks that its days were numbered.  It would back out of the driveway just fine and then when you shifted to drive you would just sit there, sometimes for as long as a minute waiting for the transmission to engage.  Finally, Tanya drove it to work a few weeks ago and couldn't get it to stay engaged long enough to come home, so the kids and I had to go get her.  By the time we got there, I drove it around the lot a couple of times and it was working fine.  It had this tendency that it would work after it warmed up (Tanya had been driving it around the parking lot while waiting for us).  Nevertheless, it was time to make the call.  I called the transmission shop and my dad and made an appointment for that Thursday.  As it turned out we had an opportunity to take it on Tuesday afternoon so we decided to do it then.  I had to drive 35 miles an hour all the way there.  The transmission would no longer shift into the higher gears.  That was just the beginning of the good news!  That's right, that's what I said.  That's good news.  Here is the rest of the good news:
-When I say good news that means that we had an opportunity to take it there ourselves (no towing charges) and Tanya wasn't stranded anywhere.  It was no longer driveable so it had to go into the shop anyway, yet we had just enough to get it there.
-The transmission didn't need to be replaced.  It needed a part replace which only cost $350.  This was much better than the $900 they had told me on the phone.
-We took it on Tuesday even though they weren't scheduled to look at it until Thursday.  I picked it up on Thursday.  Two days early!  Who has ever heard of that!
-As I went to pay for the services I was asking the service man questions about the van, expressing my relief that it hadn't had to be replaced and he told me a couple of other things.  He said they had stopped the transmission leak.  I had forgotten all about that!  I had noticed that the van was leaking transmission fluid on my garage floor for a long time now.  I quickly asked if that had caused the problem.  He said not but that it was a symptom of what they had fixed.  No more transmission fluid on my garage floor!
-He also said they reset a warning light that was related to the transmission.  This is the biggest news of all.  When Tanya drove the van home the engine light was off.  It had been on for several years now. When it first came on I had it checked and they said it was something to do with emissions and it wasn't important.

So to sum up here's what really happened, several years ago our engine warning light came on and it may or may not have been related to the transmission.  My van had been leaking transmission fluid which was itself insignificant.  For years, even though we knew of it's issues, the history, the warning light and the transmission fluid, this van had been driving us to places both near and far for years!  It broke down at a time when it was most convenient.  We had another family in the church's van to borrow.  We had the time to take it.  It didn't have to be towed in.  Tanya and I were rejoicing in all these blessings of God related to this vehicle!
I was reminded of the above verses in Deuteronomy 8, when God provided for the people of Israel and they didn't even know it.  God asks them to "remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you".  Then in verse four, He says, "Your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years."
God not only does it with shoes, He does it with van's also!

Song for A New Year

I heard this song this morning and fell in love with the lyrics.  It's by Josh Garrels and called "Farther Along".  I thought it would be a great thing to hear at the beginning of a New Year

Farther along we'll know all about it
Farther along we'll understand why
So, cheer up my brothers, live in the sunshine
We'll understand this, all by and by

Tempted and tried, I wondered why
The good man died, the bad man thrives
And Jesus cries because he loves 'em both
We're all cast-aways in need of rope
Hangin' on by the last threads of our hope
In a house of mirrors full of smoke
Confusing illusions I've seen

Where did I go wrong, I sang along
To every chorus of the song
That the devil wrote like a piper at the gates
Leading mice and men down to their fates
But some will courageously escape
The seductive voice with a heart of faith
While walkin' that line back home

So much more to life than we've been told
It's full of beauty that will unfold
And shine like you struck gold my wayward son
That deadweight burden weighs a ton
Go down into the river and let it run
Wash away all the things you've done
Forgiveness alright

Farther along we'll know all about it
Farther along we'll understand why
So, cheer up my brothers, live in the sunshine
We'll understand this, all by and by

Still I get hard pressed on every side
Between the rock and a compromise
Like the truth and pack of lies fightin' for my soul
And I've got no place left go
'Cause I got changed by what I've been shown
More glory than the world has known
Keeps me ramblin' on

Skipping like a calf loosed from its stall
I'm free to love once and for all
And even when I fall I'll get back up
For the joy that overflows my cup
Heaven filled me with more than enough
Broke down my levees and my bluffs
Let the flood wash me

And one day when the sky rolls back on us
Some rejoice and the others fuss
'Cause every knee must bow and tongue confess
That the Son of God is forever blessed
His is the kingdom, we're the guests
So put your voice up to the test
Sing Lord, come soon 

Farther along we'll know all about it
Farther along we'll understand why
So, cheer up my brothers, live in the sunshine
We'll understand this, all by and by