I’m a little embarrassed to admit that when we first began to make plans for an automotive segment to our ministry and even as UGM Motors began to take shape, I never really envisioned a story like the one on our cover.  It’s not just that Heather is a woman but that she never had any real interest in cars, and yet, God brought healing into her life through an automotive sales and repair shop. 

I really shouldn’t be surprised.  Throughout history, God has revealed Himself in unexpected ways and used the ordinary to work the miraculous.  He used three days in the belly of a whale to change Jonah’s heart and seven dips in the Jordan to show Himself to Naaman.  He revived Elijah with food from a raven, provided for a destitute widow with a seemingly endless supply of oil, and spoke to Balaam through the mouth of a donkey.  With spit and mud, Jesus gave sight to a blind man, and He directed Simon to take tax money from a fish’s mouth. 

That same God is alive in the world today – choosing to reveal Himself and transform lives in ways we least expect.  We plan and design programs with an end in mind, and there’s nothing wrong with that.  But one of the amazing things about God is that He is infinitely more creative than we are.  He is the original out-of-the-box thinker, and just as in Heather’s case, He can bring about healing in ways we never imagined.

C.S. Lewis once called God “the Great Iconoclast” – the image breaker.  Ultimately, that’s the best thing about His surprises – we get a new and improved picture of Him, who He is and what He’s about in the world.

I’m so grateful to work for an organization where God is continually surprising not only me but everyone associated – staff, investors, volunteers and residents.  He takes this wildly colorful mixture of our varied contributions and creates something beautiful every single day.  Thank you for being part of that.