An All-Nighter, Trust, and an Epic Road Trip Playlist
We are doing the “impossible” tonight. Okay, maybe not impossible, but pretty close.
This evening we’re making the 12+ hour trek to Houston through the night… with three kids.
You read correctly: we’re pulling an all-nighter… in the van.
We’ve been packing and getting ready for the last two nights in preparation for this day. Everything is just about set. The bags are packed, the vehicle is serviced, the RockStars are ready to drink.
We can formulate a plan, make provisions, and prepare for every scenario, but when it’s all said and done, we cannot anticipate everything.
No mix tape for us, only playlists!
What if the kids actually don’t sleep in the car during the wee hours of the night?
What if the van breaks down off the side of the road in backcountry Louisiana?
What if I don’t feel like listening to my RoadTrip playlist of AC/DC, Guns & Roses, and Journey?
We can go on and on with the “what ifs”. In a weird sense, those things are constant. There will always be uncertainty, guesswork, and contingencies.
How do we move forward when uncertainty can surface at any moment?
As mentioned in Monday’s post, it boils back down to trust–complete reliance on the One who never changes and always provides.
I’ve been meditating on God’s character lately, and it’s as if He has been telling me to just “trust”–complete confidence in His character. Time and time again, in my life and in Scripture, He has proved that I can trust His character.
When I rely on my own abilities, my own preparations, and my own expectations, I place my trust in myself instead of my Father who deserves it.
On a side note, I will never get tired of AC/DC, Guns & Roses, and Journey.
Photo credit: Rakka (Creative Commons)
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Loooooooooooove roadtrips! The week after Mike and I got married, we took a roadtrip from Seattle to Shreveport, Louisiana {our first dusty assignment in the Air Force}. Best roadtrip ever. Of course, that was pre-ipod days, so we brought along our gargantuan Case Logic CD holder that holds over 100 CD’s. My picks were Backstreet Boys, Mariah Carey, and Aalyiah. Mike’s picks were blink-182, Everclear, and Tu-Pac. Ahhh, those were the days.
This may not be a direct answer to your question about His Creation, but lately I’ve been pondering the changing seasons and how the weather can and does affect my mood. I need to be more dependent on Him for my joy, energy, and outlook, rather than whether or not we get sunshine in the Emerald City.
You guys drive safe! Watch out for deer! Like my Mom always says, don’t forget to say a prayer before you leave! And, have tons of fun!
Wow, WA to LA…. that must have been more than a single day trip, right? That’s awesome!
At least yours were CDs and not tapes. :)
I’m a huge road trip fan too… with the right company I find any trip can be an adventure, even with flat tires, delayed flights, etc, etc, etc. Since you have super tunes that never tire the only thing that could possibly go wrong is running out of battery power… praying for your Energizer!!
Dustin!
I hope you and your family arrived to Houston safely and have an incredible time.
I too am learning the joy of trusting His character. God is always calling me to trust Him more. It’s been the underlying of all lessons in my walk with Him over the years. It’s not always easy, but I’ve found the more you do it, the easier it gets.
Take lots of pics!
Awesome, thanks for sharing Marlee!
(and will do!)
Whenever we go on road trips I make a new playlist – we LOVE 70′s music – you know – the GOOD STUFF! Some 80′s too like journey :)
Don’t…. stop…. believin’! Hold on to that feeeeelin”!
Hey, you want to really know trust. Maybe your minivan will run out of gas at midnight 20 miles from the closest town which happens to be a haunted town. If it happens, please don’t send Jen there. You gotta go there yourself. While there, look for the captured unicorn, ride it back and break the horn. In there are unicorn tears which, if put inside tank, will give you an unlimited use of gasoline for your van. Never again pay for gas.
How’s that for trust? huh?
My longest road trip was from Atlanta to Hilton Head. 5 hours (I made it in 4.25 – yeah, that’s how I roll). With that said, I purchased my Catalyst ticket today. That will be a long road trip (driving).
Unicorn tears, who knew? If there was any state that had that, my money would be on Louisiana.
And……. NY to ATL FOR THE WIN!!
Interestingly enough, when I drove down from West Virginia to Florida with Katie, we drove the majority of the trip without music.
When I picked up the UHaul, I realized it only had a radio and no connections for my iPod. I freaked out at first but I was determined that I wouldn’t be miserable.
The 18 hour trip ended up feeling like it flew by. We spent hours talking and hours in silence. And because it was with my favorite person in the world, I loved every minute of it.
That is awesome, Tony!
When we expect God to come through for us, He does. When we expect big things from Him, he delivers. When we expect God to bless us, He can. I’ve learned over the last few years how much bigger God is when i expand my trust in Him from just believing to expecting. I don’t just believe He will move my mountains, I expect it. And I’m expecting a trouble-free, fun memory filled, easy, safe trip for you & the family Dustin. Have a great time! And +1 on the awesome playlist – oldies but goodies.
I appreciate that, Ally. Thanks!
You two are very brave souls, but at least you chose to do it when they will probably/hopefully/maybe sleeping. :) I like your playlist although I would add in some Stryper, Pillar, Styx, Kansas, and some others. BTW: have you heard the new Journey? Awesome double CD of remakes and new ones and then they just came out with a new one. Two of the songs are so-so due to garbage philosophy (multicultural gobbledygook) but other than that it is one good album. The dude can sing! Have a safe trip Dustin & Jen. Prayer just said.
My wife’s mom is Filipino… and a lot of her Filipino friends are all into the new Journey (lead singer is Filipino). Even when they’re in ATL, they meet up with him for dinner and such. :)
Thanks for the prayer!
I knew he was. Arnel rocks!
Dude, drive safely, and have an awesome time! :)
Lately, I’ve been really thinking about God’s Holiness, and what that really means. It’s definitely been on my mind a lot.
Best playlist? That question is way to hard because I’m a music junkie. But, I guess the best ones for me, are the ones that are spontaneous, and have a little bit of everything.
Ah man, I bet your playlist would be amazing!
Have a great trip, Dustin!
Thanks Larry!
That gave me a flash back to the roadtrips we took when I was a kid. We always started the 7 hour drive to our cabin in Wisconsin at like 1am, so my bro and I would sleep through most of it. I always thought it was because of less traffic. Now I know it was because 7 hours in a car with kids can be…challenging.
Parents are so smart. :)
Been following the twitter post and things seem to be going well so far!
Best play list would include Coldplay, U2, and old Mylon and Brokenheart.
Made some beach road trips in the past but the longest was taking 13 teens in a van and pulling a U-haul 15 hours.
U2, yes! And thats quite the trip Jim!
Sorry for my tardiness Dustin!
Welcome to my neck of the woods!!!! lol…
I’ve been dealing the Father to Son nature of God towards me…I have to keep reminding my self that I’m a son of the most high God…and he treats me as such….
Man,,,it’s been a while on road trips for me…but my favorite has to be when we did it for 2 weeks. We made sorta of U shape from houston to canada to california to arizona and back to houston…
JOURNEY is awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wow, sounds like an incredible trip!
I love road trips! I used to be a dj, so my playlists are as random as the scenery. I love road tripping with my wife through the middle of the night. I’ll wake her up because I’m falling asleep and want conversation. She’ll ask me what I want to talk about. I’ll tell her I don’t know because I’m too tired to think. She’ll say that she’s just as tired. We’ll argue for 30 minutes about what to talk about, long enough for the adrenaline to kick in so that I wake up.
Like you, I’ve been thinking a lot about God as the perfect, unchanging, eternal being. I’ve been looking at how His signature is placed on his art – his creation, and his poem – us. Have a great trip Dustin!
Ha! Gotta get those endorphins pumpin’!
I’ve been on 3 cross-country road trips. Please drive safe and be careful.
2 weeks after our wedding I fell asleep at the wheel on the highway and nearly killed us all. It took 19 people 2 hours to get me out and I had nerve damage to my legs. Oh, I should also mention we borrowed a friend’s truck and it was junkyard totalled.
Will be praying for a safe roundtrip.
Wow, that is so scary. Glad everything is okay. I appreciate the prayers, KC.
Hey brother we do it every year. Greensboro NC to Willcox AZ which is about 32 hours actual drive time with three boys currently under 8 years old and an Australian Cattle dog. The longest time we actually been in the van was from Shreveport, LA to Willcox, AZ which is about 17 hours driving not counting fueling, pottying, and eating.
We are lucky though in that the boys are really pretty good travellers and the dog is a wonderful road trip taker.
Oh yeah, mini vans are the bomb with kids and road trips. We have space up front for a small cooler loaded with drinks, got the aux plug for the Iphone, and the kiddos have plenty of space to relax.
Impressive!
Sounds like you have things under control though! :)
Oh man. Early in our marriage we traveled through the night because that was the only way the kids could sleep through the trip.
Then we wised up and got a van with a DVD player.
Trips are significantly easier now.
God bless and safe travels!
Yeah, we were saved a few times b/c of the DVD player…. :-)
“When I rely on my own abilities, my own preparations, and my own expectations, I place my trust in myself instead of my Father who deserves it.”
This hit me smack between the eyes…or like Keri at a deer {too soon?}. God is very much teach me this lesson right now, and it’s a tough one for me. I have trouble not relying on myself, because I’m pretty reliable, and self-sufficient. However, I’m not God and right now I have no flipping idea what He’s doing with me or why I’m now in WA and not CA. :) My only answer is the Sunday School response: Jesus!
As for playlists — are you ready for this — my go-to’s are: Coldplay, David Gray, the Cure, Five O’Clock People, Stroke 9 (the Little Black Backpack album) and you have to throw in a Wilson-Philips song (or two). Haha!
Oh man, every once and again I’ll listen to some David Gray. Good stuff.
I can relate to you as well- being reliable/self-sufficient. That’s good and all (in the eyes of other people, for example), but when it comes to my faith… ouch, not so much.
I regret missing this post because I’m sure you went near Shreveport.
ahh, actually we went south on I-10….. down through cajun country!
I need to take my little family on a road-trip soon. We’ve been stuck in this town too long already! lol
do it! cross country all the way!