God speaks through donkeys and Eagles.

God speaks to me through the oddest things. During a break from studying my sermon this week I caught a clip of one of those home make-over shows about a Vietnam vet who recently lost his legs. The man was totally confined to a wheelchair and unable to even spend the night at home because the house was not handicap-friendly.  There was an interview clip in which the woman was talking about the sense of loss -- her tall, handsome husband now legless and needing to be in a care facility. I am getting to the part where God spoke to me: she said "I took a vow to love him, in sickness and in health, for better or for worse, and I love him."  That little clip stuck in my head and I used it in my message today.

Then, Sunday evening the Eagles Farewell I Live was on TV. What a great sound. That was the music I loved -- Eagles, Steely Dan, and that era of great musicianship and great lyrics. I was enjoying the concert when another of those moments happened when God spoke to me through an unlikely source.  

Joe Walsh of the Eagles did a video insert talking about 10 years of sobriety, and then sang this…

Well you know I was always the first to arrive at the party,

Oh… and the last to leave the scene of the crime.

Well it started with a couple of beers,

And it went I don’t know how many years,

Like a run away train heading for the end of the line.

Well I finally got around to admit that I might have a problem,

But I thought it was just too damn big of a mountain to climb,

Well I got down on my knees and said "Hey!"

I just can’t go on living this way,

Guess I have to learn to live my life one day at a time.

Oh yeah, One Day at a Time.

Oh yeah, One Day at a Time.

Well I finally got around to admit that I was the problem,

When I use to put the blame on everybody’s shoulders but mine,

All my friends I use to hang with are gone,

But I hadn’t planned on living this long,

Guess I’ll have to learn to live my life one day at a time,

It was something I was too blind to see,

I got help from something greater then me,

Now I have to learn to live my life one day at a time.

I have never been addicted to alcohol or any kind of drug, but I minister to people who struggle with those addictions, and that song was just powerful. It should become the anthem of the 12-Step movement.  I hope my friends who are struggling will hear God speaking to them through "One Day at a Time" and get down on their knees and say "I just can’t go on living this way,"