Category: Blog

I know it’s been a long time since I wrote a blog post. I probably don’t have time to write one today but feel like I must for a few reasons.

1. Writing is good therapy for me. Any one who knows me at all well will tell you that I need good therapy.
2. I do my best humor writing when I’m under the weather and/or under attack. We’ll see what happens.
3. I’ve been under what feels like a lot of spiritual warfare this month, so
4. I need all the prayer warriors I can get at this time to help me through this struggle.

Back In July I remember telling someone that August is usually the fastest month of the year for me. What I didn’t know at the time was that August 2021 is being one of the hardest months in my life…and that’s saying a lot.

I expected the first week to be difficult because there was a Celebration of Life event being held for Wes Crowder. He’s a friend from church who was taken down by COVID-19. I had a story to tell about the last time I saw Wes that made everyone in the room laugh. Then I shared the chorus to my song I Hear Every Tear. I was going to sing the third verse before the chorus but got so choked up in the moment I forgot the words to the second line. So I just sang the meat of the message. Trish was very moved by the song. They still need our prayers as they move on in their new normal.

I was hoping for a certain member of the church being in attendance for this event but I guess she had other commitments. So that romance door is still closed for me.

Thursday has been the most challenging day of each week so far. When I was waiting for my load to get ready on the first Wednesday I got a text to pick up my assigned tractor. It’s been having computer module issues that don’t appear while Freightliner has it at their shop. I sent up a prayer and picked it up. 200 miles down the road it acted up for me but got me to my destination in northeast Oklahoma.

New tractors only come with automatic transmissions. That means everything runs off two things: the computer modules and air pressure. In the morning when I tried to move to the dock to get my load unloaded the rig wouldn’t budge. I was stuck without mud or snow. We unloaded their 41 pieces into a box truck then I waited all day for a tow truck to bring me a replacement tractor up from Dallas so I could continue with my other stops.

The good news is that the replacement unit had a standard transmission. I still know how to drive that and it feels good to go back to old school driving occasionally. Until the following Wednesday. That’s when the clutch started acting up. Of course it was while I was driving to Little Rock with another load. I made it to Malvern which is about 45 minutes southwest of my first stop. I had to work my way around another rig that was driving exceptionally slow into the Loves truckstop. But I did get off to a safe spot before I stalled the tractor to get it to stop.

It was a safe spot but in front of a line of rigs parked for the night. After I posted my woes on Facebook and responded to some friends the rig directly in front of me pulled out. All I had to do was release my parking brake and coast downhill into the spot to be safety tucked out of everyone else’s way for the night. That was my reassurance that God still loves me even in my stress-filled times.

A few calls with the leasing company’s help line had a replacement unit coming in from Memphis, Tennessee. I told them there was no great rush since I could wait until nine o’clock in the morning before I had to leave to still make my deliveries. I was able to sleep the whole night and only had to wait until eleven o’clock for the tow truck to show up. Somehow I still accomplished the three deliveries on Thursday so I was back on schedule. Things were looking up.

My dispatcher contacted me during the day about a delivery that another company that the company I drive for needed delivered. Yeah, it’s complicated. Short story I said yes partly because of the $100 bonus they offered. Oh, and can you go back to your first stop in Little Rock to pick up the returns that you didn’t have paperwork for and that you didn’t have room for since they were you first stop?

I did my best to explain to her that I could either do the Saturday run or the returns. I simply wouldn’t have time to do both. She understood and agreed to get the returns next trip. Then I waited Friday morning for a call from the other company to finalize arrangements for Saturday. It never came. The first hint that plans had changed was when my dispatcher asked me as nicely as she could to go back to pick up those returns. I did even though my health was beginning to talk to me. I knew I needed some rest but that simply wasn’t in the cards being dealt me.

It took about twenty minutes for me to drive back to my first stop and wait for someone to bring up the returns that were supposed to be ready for me. They weren’t. An hour and a half later I pulled out with fewer than half of what was on the returns list that they had. As I drove to my last stop north of Texarkana I was enjoying the country setting and thinking about being able to sleep in Saturday morning…until my phone rang.

It was that company that wanted me for Saturday then didn’t need me for Saturday. Their driver that decided to take that run’s father died. So now I’m there only hope.

I had originally planned on driving up to Lawton, Oklahoma Friday night to spend my ten hour break there before finishing that run late Saturday. I was too tuckered to drive somewhere in the dark that I had no idea where it was nor nothing else about it. So I left Saturday morning and found a motel literally next door to my first stop and they had truck parking, too. If I had known things could have been different but I didn’t so they weren’t.

Saturday night found me with an empty trailer in Oklahoma City in a motel room without a vibrating sleeper berth to contend with. The cough drops and decongestants were a wise buy going into this working weekend. I also appreciated church services being held online now. One benefit to this pandemic

Monday was supposed to find me driving to El Paso for that week’s first load, but because of federal regulations I had to take a 34 hour minimum break. So I shot out early Tuesday morning and spent the night in extreme west Texas after completing those two stops. Another early push Wednesday helped me finish that run pretty much caught back up and barely able to talk or swallow.

The first order of business on Thursday, my now least favorite day of the week, was find somewhere to get a COVID test. By noon I was done with that.

Oh, you want to know my test results. I failed…or did I actually pass? Things are so confusing these days I don’t know what way is up sometimes. Normally when you see negative on a test it means you failed. Right? That’s the way it worked when I was in school. I tested negative for COVID-19 so I guess that means I passed this test. My dispatcher pushed me back in a truck so I guess I’m good to go…with coughs and such that go along with an upper respiratory infection.

Okay, so I’m driving out of the parking lot planning my day when Clifford, the big red van, decides not to stay running. I’m like “For real? Can’t I catch any breaks?” An hour and a half later I’m riding with my dispatcher back to work and Clifford is riding on a wrecker to the shop.

Now all of these delays makes it so I can’t get back home until Saturday. I also missed a mandatory safety meeting. At least I had a legitimate excuse. Good news is that I got back by three o’clock. The shop is opened until five. Clifford’s diagnosis was an ignition coil failure. A $400 bill that I thought was going to be more going in. I booked a Lyft ride so I didn’t have to walk the four miles. Paid my penalty fee, that’s what if felt like at this point, and took my key back to Clifford…only to find the window on the drivers’ door down.

You’re thinking no big deal. Right? Well that window hasn’t worked in over seven years. I thought I broke it inside the door when I tried to lower the window one cold winter morning to swipe my parking badge for a previous job I had back in the day. I wiggled the window back up somehow and stuck tape over the control knob so nobody would use it. Some mechanics are so stupid that they think they know it all or something. I was not happy at this point.

So now, instead of heading home, picking up a few groceries and settling in for the night between coughs and such, I spend the next two hours trying to get my window in place like it was before the know it all mechanic touched it. The good news is that I discovered that the window wasn’t broken inside the door at all even though that’s what it sounded like at the time.

Now you know why I say it feels like I’ve been under attack all month. It makes me wonder what God has in store for me in September if Satan is going this hard to try to stop me now.

Okay prayer warriors you know what to do.

Some writerly news that might interest y’all. I submitted lyrics for three of my songs to a contest. None of them made even honorable mention. But I’ll consider the effort a success if even one of the judges comes closer to Christ by what they read in my one Christian song that I submitted with the two country songs. I’m willing to wait longer to discover those results.

My health is improving. Hopefully I’ll make it back to live church services next week.

I’ll see you later. Wade

Yes. It’s been quite a while since I’ve written a blog post. What can I say? Life has been more than crazy lately. It is still 2020 y’all.

As an essential truck driver I’ve been working 5-6 days per week. Things seem to be slowing down…finally.

The Apainter Paul has been equally as busy. So much so that he’s been begging me to help him a few times. I’ve done so just to get a break from driving constantly…finally.

This world…I never expected to see what I’m seeing in my lifetime. I don’t understand why so many people want to destroy the most powerful and financially successful country on the planet…especially those who have benefited from it so much.

The hatred is beyond comprehension. No matter what anybody says it goes too deep to be merely a racial thing. Blacks are killing blacks just to have someone to kill to make their point, which has become so unclear that nobody knows what this is all about, I’m afraid.

If I didn’t know there’s a spiritual battle raging behind the scenes I would be totally confused.

I don’t watch the news. I used to when I had a more normal life. From what I hear the newscasts have gone so one-sided on their views that nobody is just stating the facts and letting us decide what to do with it.

I stay up to date on things by reading what my friends are posting on Facebook. Some of them have put things up that are confusing but they try their best I’m sure.

The violence has gotten out of hand. That’s a gross understatement. I’m not talking about the peaceful protests. Those are free speech. That’s healthy and good. I mean the looting, burning, raping, killing, extreme violence that some political leaders are somehow condoning.

I read about some guy going for a walk in his usually peaceful neighborhood to get an ice cream cone. He’d done this dozens of times. This time he feels something on his back. A man walks past him, turns around and says, “You deserve that.”

The guy feels his back and blood is pouring down. Doctors had to remove part of his lung to save him. Why?

The next day I read about someone who was working a part time job delivering for the postal service. He gets a flat tire so he calls for help from the local police department. By the time a deputy arrived somebody shot the man waiting in the truck. Why?

Fortunately, there was a multi-agency manhunt put out and three men were arrested for that murder. I don’t think they knew they killed a state police officer who was planning on retiring next year. He was a year younger than me.

A wave of grief flooded over me at that point. I set my phone down, crawled into the bed in my sleeper berth of my semi and let the tears flow…finally.

I begged God to bring this to an end. Was it this bad in Noah’s day?

A breaking point is what I experienced. I hope we all do soon if we haven’t yet.

This is a photo of a boy in Uganda. John Paul sent it to me. JP runs a Christian school in Fort Portal called Brilliant Primary School. This is one of the students. His mom has AIDS and more children.

JP asked this boy why he was so dirty. The boy explained that this is all he has to wear. From the smile on his face it appears this doesn’t bother him.

JP sent this in a private message to me and few others asking for us to pray for this family. I started getting notifications from PayPal that donations were being made for JP to help them.

I set up this PayPal account a few years ago just so folks could give as God led them. That’s why I know when people are giving. Our hearts broke to the point of doing something more than just talking about a solution…finally.

There are hopes of beginning a nonprofit organization here so tax deductions are available someday. But for now it’s just given as God directs simply to help those who need it.

Here’s that PayPal link if your heart is currently broken: PayPal

I promise every penny will make its way to those impoverished folks who are clinging to life by a thread most days. I only thought I grew up poor.

I don’t know where you’re at spiritually or financially. Jesus highlighted a widow who tossed in two small coins as inspiration for us all. I’ll let God handle your heart condition at this point.

I need to let what I just wrote sink in all over again.

I’ll see you later. Wade

I have a chance for you to become a hero today. Wait much more than that and your opportunity will pass away.

You actually have the ability to be a hero in several ways with this challenge that lies before you.

I don’t have to tell you that COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on several small businesses. Christian publishing houses were stretched pretty thin in a good economy. Many won’t survive this current situation.

Case in point: Little Lamb Books. They publish everything from picture books to young adult, many of them have won awards.

Little Lamb began in 2015. That means they’re still getting their feet under them according to industry standards. When this pandemic hit 80% of their sales were wiped out overnight.

That leaves them with few options.

They could just throw in the towel and call it quits on what many see as an inevitability. That makes too much sense for a team with a God-given purpose.

They could attempt to borrow money from the bank. That would cost dearly in high interest paybacks.

They could call for help from everyday folks to come alongside them in a grassroots effort to fund a comeback. This is the option they’ve chosen.

Kickstarter is a funding company that let’s companies and/or individuals build a campaign seeking backers to raise money for whatever project they want help with.

Little Lamb is using this platform asking us to help them keep their lights on. In return you can receive rewards for your pledge of support. The bigger the pledge the greater the reward.

Remember I began this post with the possibility for you to be a hero in more than one way?

Well, some of the rewards include books published by Little Lamb. Don’t have kids of your own? No problem. Donate them to your church or school. They’re always looking for more books for their kiddos.

Of course you can pledge any amount without a reward if you so desire.

The biggest challenge now comes by a deadline that’s fast approaching. August 4th will be here before you know it.

If they don’t reach their goal of $15,000 by then the whole shabang closes down. They don’t receive any money and nobody has to pay what they pledged.

Let’s not let that happen. I might need them to publish some of the books I’ve written.

Here’s the link to the Kickstarter campaign: Little Lamb Books

That’s where you can learn about the rewards according to your pledge.

There’s also a frequently asked questions link about how Kickstarter works and links to Little Lambs’s website.

Take the time to see the level of books they’ve put out in the past and you’ll see why I think they’re a great publisher to keep in business.

As of the time I wrote this post they were 1/3 of the way to their goal. These things often close fast at the end.

Please do what you can to be a hero for Little Lamb Books.

I’ll see you later. Wade

I know a lot of you are stuck inside your homes because of this COVID-19 virus thing that’s going around. Well, I happen to be one of those lunatic truck drivers getting out and about so you can find basic necessities when you do have to venture out to a store.

I’m out and about even though it puts me at higher risk of catching this potentially deadly virus because somebody has to do it. The supplies won’t move themselves.

I’m putting myself at risk so others can focus on getting better while being there for their family.

I feel I have a calling to go to the front lines of this battle. It’s what makes me an American. It’s what we do. We’ve done it since before the Revolutionary War and will do it until God calls us home.

I’m in a position to make a difference. It’s not a position as dangerous as the mighty doctors and other healthcare professionals but it’s where God has placed me now.

I’ll continue to do what I can as long as I can, even after this crisis is over and I’m forgotten in the heavy traffic that will also return.

We’re in this together. Each of us has a place to be.

Parents are now teachers on top of their monumental tasks already on their plates.

Police officers are working in places they didn’t expect to be in enforcing laws they never saw coming.

Pastors are learning technology they weren’t expecting to use to feed their flocks to keep the church doors closed.

The world as we knew it has been turned a bit upside down.

Somebody hit the pause button on the chaos that we had grown accustomed to.

The sanctuary we call home has become a prison of sorts.

Take heart my fellow sojourners in life. Spring is occurring right now.

Trees, bushes and plants are blooming.

Leaves are growing on branches that looked dead a short time ago.

Birds are migrating and singing their courtship songs.

Yes, life will return, just like it does every spring. That’s why it’s my favorite season.

Stay hunkered down until the threat passes…it will.

Love your loved ones like you never have before…they need it.

Pray to God to give everyone the strength to endure this time out…He hears us.

Mourn with those who mourn. Rejoice with those who rejoice.

Be patient with everyone.

Tell the truth.

Be nice and kind.

It’s what they tried to teach us in the first session when we went to school.

We have to share this planet. Let’s do it well.

I have to go back to work now. The freight needs to get there.

I’ll see you later. Wade

COVID-19 has caused such a panic that folks are doing some crazy things these days.

I’ve never seen store shelves bare of supplies like toilet paper, paper towels and canned food. I hope I never do again.

I understand why some people stocked up but not why so many overstocked up. I hope they share what they have with those who couldn’t get to the stores in time.

So now we have folks stuck in their homes for who knows how long. I hope they take advantage of this time to think.

Think about priorities.

Think about those they truly love.

Think about those they don’t even know but who need help.

Think about their eternal destiny.

God has a way of getting people’s attention when they finally sit still.

With all of the restrictions put in place these days I’ve come to realize that I’ve personally been in training for this my entire life.

I have lived alone since August 9, 2012. Therefore I haven’t been able to contaminate anyone else with any diseases I’ve encountered by living in close proximity to anybody.

Being an introvert I tend to not touch anyone when I’m out and about if I can at all avoid it. I even have to force myself to make eye contact most times.

Rarely do I eat at restaurants so that aspect has been avoided for merely economic reasons.

My occupation as a truck driver puts me in a position to help others while many folks are taking care of their families. I’m still busy delivering mattresses but that could come to a stop at any time for any number of reasons.

I think I should be able to sign back up with the temp agency I was driving for so I can deliver necessary things for other companies until things return to normal.

I feel like Esther in the Old Testament. I have been born for such a time as this.

Now all I have to do is dig out that super hero cape. I’m sure I still have it in storage somewhere.

I’ll see you later. Wade

People are strange animals. We like routine more than anything. Shake up our comfort zone and we aren’t sure what to do.

Take this virus scare we’re facing now. Folks are panicking over toilet paper.

I’m like, Really?

Okay. Let me plead ignorance about what’s going on. I drive trucks for a living…18-wheelers. I don’t usually turn the radio on very often.

The lack of news has been a good thing from what little bits I do hear.

As I drove in northwest Arkansas last week I noticed several flags at half staff. When I see that I wonder who died. I checked the news and didn’t see any famous anybody whose life ended.

I guess the flags were down because the toilet paper aisles are empty.

So then I wonder if diarrhea is a major symptom of this corona virus thing I’ve been hearing something about.

Somebody on Facebook suggested we call this the Kung Flu and just get on with life. He might have a valid point. More folks are dying of the regular flu lately than this new strain that’s making folks distraught.

How about we approach this entire situation with a bit more commonsense than people are used to. Wash your hands and don’t sneeze on each other. Please.

The basic Texas remedy is to wash your hands like you just sliced a jalapeno for your nachos and you have to take your contacts out.

That’s about 20 seconds of serious scrubbing y’all.

I’ve lived through my share of scares during my life. Remember Y2K?Computers were going to shut down because they wouldn’t be able to handle the date change at the turn of the century.

For real?

So what are the government gurus telling everybody to do? Stay home until this passes.

Oh boy…I lived in Michigan long enough to know what’s going to happen when folks are locked up at home for extended periods of time after a simple blizzard blows through.

Nine months later the maternity wards are super busy. Someone on Facebook suggests these kids will be called the Coronials.

It’s coming. Count on it.

I think that’s the biggest blessing that will come from all this chaos. No, not the tykes, the closeness by people we’re supposed to be close to.

We’ll finally have time to talk and get to know each other again. The chaos that’s been our normal life will get an overdue vacation while we go nowhere.

Hopefully some new priorities will be established before the old normal kicks back into high gear.

I read where this COVID-19 title stands for Christ Overcomes Viruses and Infectious Diseases-Joshua 1:9. I like that.

I just hope the toilet paper folks start making diapers as soon as they get stores stocked back up on their very basic essential.

It’ll be a comfort knowing I can safely shakes someone’s hand since they’re using toilet paper on a regular basis again.

I’ll see you later. Wade

Stonebriar Community Church just hosted the 2020 Frisco Big Pack. It’s now an annual tradition where we pack over a million meals to be sent out to impoverished folks somewhere in the world.

At this point the people at Feed My Starving Children don’t even know where the food we packed today (as I write this on Saturday) is going. But it will make a huge difference somewhere.

I’ve been involved for the past three years. Each time I end up strapping the finished pallets. Each pallet had thirty six boxes filled with thirty six packets of rice, soy, vitamins and minerals.

It’s a lot of hard work but well worth it.

At one point I was about to call it a day before it was over to be totally honest with y’all.

I signed up to work the entire day Saturday since I wasn’t able to work Friday because I woke up in Memphis, Tennessee that morning. I got home after 10:00pm. That made for a short night of sleep going into this event.

There were three shifts of volunteers scooping ingredients into bags. Sealing the packets. Counting them into boxes and then taping the boxes shut before I had my turn at preparing these labors of love.

The first shift went along smoothly. Mostly because I had a helper. He needed a bit more help than he actually helped sometimes, but it helped.

The second shift was the most difficult for me for many reasons. I did practically all of the strapping by myself that go around. The sleep deprivation was kicking in making the noise of the whole building annoying to the max.

They pipe music into the place designed to keep everyone’s energy levels up while they work. They also encourage cheering and yelling by the packers to get their needs met so they don’t run out of ingredients. At times like that I realize I must be somewhere on the Autism spectrum because I wanted out of there so I could collect my thoughts.

For some reason the straps decided to fight against me as I was attempting to do my assigned task.

I closed my eyes to pray for strength to go on and I saw a little child with a different skin tone than me. She was crying from hunger. I also heard Jesus’ voice saying, “bring the little children to me.”

When I opened my eyes the strap was still twisted. The music was still louder than the yelling and cheering. The next pallet was ready to be strapped before I was ready for it. But my resolve had returned.

I remembered why I signed up to work harder than I did any day that week for no pay.

I tithed this day so this Christian organization can take these meals to hungry kids while introducing them to the love of Jesus Christ.

I had one step in this process. Colossians 3:23 came to mind.

Whatever you do work at it with all you heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.

I was working for my Lord at that moment. It was hard work but well worth it.

I had friends there from church. Christian brothers and sisters were working alongside me so we could help feed these kids we will likely never meet this side of heaven.

Hopefully we will meet them in Heaven someday.

That’s what I live for.

How about you?

I’ll see you later. Wade

Give me words that will encourage to build another up
Hugs that move to heal the broken to help them to move on
Help me see the sinner confused before I see the sin
Let me act with grace and empathy so You can heal within
Use me, God, to fill the needs I hear about each day
I have so much and don’t need more so let me give away
Let me teach of Your heart’s cry of why You came and died
To bring us back into Your family to have us by Your side
This, my prayer of sweet surrender, I pray to You again
Use me Lord as Your ambassador, comforter and friend
Make me bold to teach Your truths You gave us in Your Word
Salt and light to guide so many more who need You. Lord