After 17 years of consecutive minivan ownership the Fritz household is without at least one of those versatile vehicles for the first time. With our children out of the house, the grandchildren off to the airport, 12 years of faithful service behind us, and gas prices trending upward it seemed to be a good time to find a new vehicle.
     My supervising pastor on vicarage impressed upon me the importance of prayerful stewardship in all aspects of life, especially big purchases. Having a vehicle that seated 7 and was versatile enough to be reconfigured for hauling enabled us to: meet our family's transportation needs and many of our wants for comfortable overland travel to relatives and national parks; provide many rides to church and church-related activities; to haul donated items for various charitable activities; to haul building materials and up to 1,000 lbs. of concrete for various projects at church; to haul tools and supplies to help others; and myriad other chores.
     In moving forward into full-blown empty nester-hood, we prayerfully considered a variety of vehicles which will still be placed in God's service as Sharla travels to speak, sing, and share the Good News, and as I continue to give people rides to church and provide pastoral care visits, evangelism, and other calls. We pray that the new car is well-used in God's service.
     Literally two day's after selling off the old Venture, and while driving two women home from Bible class, I was hit from behind while stopped for a red light.  What to do? Another stewardship decision. Thank God no one was hurt. The damage appeared minimal, but replacement of the bumper cover and repainting could have been in the hundreds of dollars. I had it in my power to make the other driver's life miserable. The lesson of the candlesticks from “Les Miserables” and the story of how one of our church members handled a similar situation led me to sternly warn the other driver to drive more cautiously and forgive his debt. I do not know if the decision made an impression on him, but it gave me the opportunity to in a small way pass on a bit of forgiveness in Christ's name.
     However the new era of car ownership proceeds after this, I have learned to become a bit more forgiving servant. By God's grace I hope and pray to hang onto my relationship with Him more tightly and the things of this life a bit more loosely.