THE DUNE BUGGY, THE BICYCLE, AND THE DRILL

If you’ve read my books or followed my blog, you can agree that there just seems to be no end to the dumb stuff I did growing up, but you may be surprised when you read the latest dumb thing I’ve done as an adult.

When I was younger, I was very impressionable. If I saw somebody do something I thought was amazing, whether it was in person or on TV, I would try it. I guess you could say I was a daredevil. I did many things I should never have done, like climbing on top of our twelve-foot-tall mobile home and jumping off. Of course, it hurt my legs and hips, but not bad enough to keep me from jumping out of the ten-foot loft in the gym at school. I loved climbing trees, too. I would climb as high as I could possibly go until the limbs were too small to go any higher.

Pretending to be Spider-Man, I once climbed up the side to the top of a tall stack of wood at the pallet factory and had a hard time figuring out how to get back down without calling for an adult for help.

I always liked running and jumping over things, so when I got a bicycle, I started building ramps and jumping them. I’ve made some jumps that I thought were amazing at the time, but I’ve also had some serious wrecks. I never broke a bone, but I’ve had some serious scrapes, bruises, and sprained body parts, and I’ve lost a lot of blood.

One time, I made a ramp in our graveled driveway using an old piece of firewood and two flat boards placed side by side. When I hit the ramp, the front wheel went between the two boards, pushing them aside and hitting the log. I flipped over the handlebars and onto the gravel as the bike flipped over on me. The back wheel was bent beyond repair, and the bike was messed up pretty bad. One of my shoes was torn off my foot, and I was in a lot of pain for a while.

Another time, I had built my own bike, piece by piece. I bought an old frame from my uncle. I cleaned it up, and painted it, then Uncle Charles took a 3-speed rear end from a bigger bike and changed the spokes to make it fit my 20-inch wheel. I bought new pedals, a new fancy handlebar holder, and handlebar grips. It was a nice bike and I was proud of it. My cousin Timmy helped me build a nice ramp inside a big metal building where our landlord ran a Coke crate repair shop. It had a concrete floor, but the parking lot was gravel. That’ll be important later in the story.

So we lined up several wooden Coke crates in a row. The ones that held twelve or sixteen bottles. I jumped those with ease, so we kept adding more crates, one at a time. We added another, then another, then another. I successfully jumped over eighteen Coke crates, so we added another. I went outside again to get a good running go as I had done the last twenty or so times. I started paddling as fast as I could down the gravel drive. I hit the ramp and sailed through the air like Evel Knievel, but the back wheel of my bike hit the edge of that nineteenth crate, and I wiped out like Evel Knievel did that time at Madison Square Garden in New York. I slid for what seemed like a mile on the concrete floor which had gravel speckled all over it from the parking lot. It tore up my pants, my leg, my hip, and my thigh. It was awful. It took a good while to recover from that one.

Another time, I was on a dune buggy trying to be funny because my friends were watching me from a distance. I drove up to the top of a steep hill and was going to make them think I was going over. I was planning to put on the brakes and stop just short of the edge. Well, when I was almost to the edge, I pressed the brake, but thanks to the rusty floor of that old Volkswagen that the brake cylinder was attached to, the brake pedal bolts pulled through the thin metal frame. I had no breaks, so off the top of the cliff, I went. When I hit the bottom, my ribs felt like they touched my pelvic bones, and that was some kind of pain.

I learned many lessons growing up. I learned not to do the same dumb things again. It’s easy to learn what not to do after we’ve hurt ourselves doing it, but that doesn’t mean we won’t do a different dumb thing later. Let me give you a good example.

It’s been over 30 years since that bicycle, and the dune buggy incidents, but two months ago, I was having a problem with my van. While I was working on it, I noticed one of the battery cable ends was still the same one that was there when I got the van several years back. I had replaced the other one a year or so ago, but there was a problem that I couldn’t overcome at the time in order to replace both of them.

There was a metal plate with a hole in it attached to the battery cables, and the new battery cable ends have a bolt that goes through the hole to attach the battery cable to the battery cable end which goes onto the battery. Well, the hole in the metal plate on the ground wire was not big enough for the new cable end to fit. I tried to make the hole bigger with a file when I replaced the other one, but it must be some kind of composite metal because it’s really hard and tough. This time, I decided to use a drill with a metal bit to make the hole bigger.

The cable was attached to the starter, so I couldn’t take it off and lay it on a table to drill it out, but it was just long enough to reach the battery, so I got a piece of wood and laid it on my battery, then put the metal plate on the wood and tried to drill it out, but that wasn’t working. I was afraid it might slip off, and drill a hole in my new battery, so I decided I could hold the cable in my hand and slowly drill the hole out. Talk about dumb; I knew that was dangerous I knew it could slip off and maybe hit my finger or something, but I did it anyway, thinking I had it under control. I just wanted to get it done.

As soon as I started to drill, the metal bit grabbed the metal plate and hung in the hole. It twisted the cable around my left hand and pulled the drill bit into the nail of my index finger. It happened so fast before I could even think to let off the trigger, but at the same time, it seemed like slow motion as I watched the end of my finger being twisted, and cut off by the drill bit. The cable wrapped around my hand and fingers so tightly that it bruised my hand and even bent that straight piece of hard metal.

When I got my hand, and finger unwrapped from the wire and the drill bit, I saw the end of my finger twisted and mangled, and hanging off. I took my grease rag and grabbed my fingertip to put it back in place, and then I started running to the house to tell my wife I needed to go to the emergency room. As I ran, I heard myself screaming really loud and long. I screamed so loud that my throat hurt for a few days afterward. Now, two months later, my finger is still healing, and I’m reminded every day not to do anything like that again. But who knows what life has in store for tomorrow.

In the famous words of Forrest Gump, “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” We can make plans, and complete them, sometimes, but we never really have full control of our lives. We don’t know what the outcome will really be anytime we set out to do something.

I said all that to say this; We do dumb stuff, and we learn from it, but that doesn’t mean we won’t do a different dumb thing later. We need to use discernment and determine that we won’t do anything dangerous without the proper equipment, and the proper training, and without asking God for wisdom and protection first. So pray. Believe and trust God. One day that could be the difference between life and death for any of us here on earth, and it will be the difference between life and death in eternity.

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MORE CUTS AND SCARS

A while back, I wrote a post about several times I had accidentally cut myself. Well, in case you were wondering, those were not the only times I’ve been cut. I want to share a few more today and hopefully, you’ll be entertained for a few minutes as you delve a little deeper into my life lessons.

I had been working at my new job for just a few weeks packing vinyl siding in boxes as it came off a conveyor belt. Sometimes a piece of trash would get in the vinyl somewhere along the way and it would make a hole in the piece of siding. When that happened we would have to quickly saw the piece of siding off behind the hole with a hacksaw and feed it back into the track between the rollers.

One night, a huge hole formed so I grabbed the hacksaw and cut the piece of siding as fast as I could, but I wasn’t fast enough to get it back into the rollers in time. I had to try it again so I grabbed the quick-moving siding with my left hand and the saw with my right hand and started sawing again. After only two strokes, I stopped. To my shock, the second stroke had cut my thumb almost completely off.

I ran to the restroom and washed my thumb in the sink. I could see that the saw had cut a trench in my thumb as wide as the teeth on the blade. There was only a small section of the nail and flesh left, and I was in a lot of pain.

I went to the emergency room and got it patched up. Then I spent the next week at work pushing a broom for twelve hours. That was worse than the accident itself. I finally was able to start doing more after a week and soon I was back to regular work.

Several years later, I picked up a small, metal pipe at work to toss it in the scrap truck. As I tossed it, I simply pushed it off the tip of my middle finger to watch it flip into the trailer as I had several times before. I didn’t get to watch it flip that time because as it left my hand, it took a piece of my finger with it. There was a metal burr on the end of the pipe and it sliced right into my flesh. More pain and more bandages, but it wasn’t the end of the world.

I have had some pretty bad scrapes and cuts and cracks. A few of them have been on, or around my head, but not many directly on my face. There was that one time, though. My wife’s dad had a camper he was using as a storage shed. He had built a deck around two sides of it. We lived just down the road.

My oldest son and I were doing something there and I stepped up onto the deck which was only a few feet high. The sun was setting in the sky, and I was facing West so it was shining right in my eyes. Just as both feet hit the deck, I came to a quick stop. It was a hard stop, too. My face had hit the end of a TV antenna pole that was propped up on the deck at about a thirty-degree angle. It struck me at the top of my nose right between my eyes.

My vision became blurry for a minute or so. When I felt to see how bad it was, then I felt the blood and I felt the pain arrive. When I looked at my hand it was bloody. I told my son we needed to go before I passed out. We made it home and I cleaned it up and got to feeling better, but I still have the scar to remind me of that painful day.  

Let me give you one more for the road. I was picking a few things up off the floor at work. I don’t remember what it was but there were several of them. I think it might have been trash or screws or washers. I don’t know. I guess it really doesn’t matter because what happened next is what I want to tell you about.

When I bent over to pick up that last, whatever, I would never have imagined what happened next could even be possible. As I raised back up, my head was abruptly stopped by the sharp corner of an electrical panel. I hit it hard, and it cut deep. I think it took three stitches to close the wound. I’m not sure about that either. The whole thing is a bit blurry. Anyway, I feel I was blessed in all of these situations because each one could have been worse. I truly believe that old saying, “It could always be worse.”

I feel fortunate to have experienced all I have in my life, and I’d like to think that I learned valuable lessons from each experience. If nothing else, hopefully, I at least learned not to do the same thing again.

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CUTS, SCARS, AND LESSONS LEARNED

If you know me, you know that I’ve had my share of misfortune. I’ve had plenty of bad things happen to me as I was growing up. I certainly understand that plenty of others have had a much rougher life than I have. I only mention mine to show what God has brought me through. I have had a few major things happen to me, but for the most part, the bad things I’ve experienced were small and spread out over time. There are a few things that I’ve been through that I had absolutely no control over, but as I’ve grown older I’ve come to realize that many of the bad things I’ve experienced, I brought on myself.

I’ve also realized that there is a lesson to be learned from anything that happens in life. Sometimes the lesson is to “never do that again.” Other times the lesson can have a much deeper impact, and can even change the course of our lives forever.

The stories I want to share with you in this post were not life-altering events. These were some of the less significant ones, but I did learn some important lessons from all of them. As you may have noticed from the title, all these events have a common theme. If you've been following my blog, or if you've read my books, then you know that a lot of stuff happened to me when I was twelve years old. That’s where I want to start with this post.

On his latest visit, my dad had a slingshot he had made from a forked tree limb shaped like the letter Y. He had used a piece of leather, a couple of strips of rubber from an old inner tube, and some nylon fishing string to hold it all together. I wanted to make one of my own, so I gathered up all the parts, including a nice Y-shaped limb I cut from a tree in our yard.

My grandmother and my sisters had walked to the store just up the road. I didn’t want to go because I wanted to finish making my slingshot. I wanted it to look nice and smooth so I needed to cut off a knot that was near the center to make both sides look the same. That’s when it happened. After a tough few seconds of cutting, the knife sliced through the rest of the knot. That’s not all it sliced through though. It cut right into my index finger and the blood began to pour.

As many times as I had seen my own blood, you would think I would have been calm about it, but no. It was bad. I panicked. All I could think to do was run to my grandmother for help, but wait! She wasn’t there. The next thing I remember, I was running up the road toward the store as fast as I could go. They had just started back home when I got to the store. My grandmother put some kind of a rag on my finger, maybe one of her handkerchiefs, I don’t remember exactly what it was but she calmed me down and we went back home. She cleaned my hand and got the bleeding stopped and bandaged it up. It healed in no time, but I still have the scar to remind me of that experience. The lesson I learned that day is, Always cut away from yourself, never toward you, and that my grandmother was an awesome woman with a head full of knowledge, and a heart full of love.

I was probably just a few years older when I got my next major cut. I’m certainly not proud of it at all, but I used to hit the wall or throw things when I was angry. This was one of those days, but instead of hitting the wall, I hit the door. That’s when I realized that I had punched through a frosted glass window which was much thicker than regular glass. It sliced a four-inch groove in my arm, taking the skin completely off. I was in pain for quite a while.

Then a few years after that, I was angry again and went to slap a glass off of the sink. It was an empty peanut butter jar, and those things were thick. It hit some other dishes before it left my hand and I was cut again. It was bad, too. It sliced a hole about an inch wide and an inch deep and it wouldn’t stop bleeding. I tried everything. My grandmother did all she knew to do, but it was no use. About an hour had passed, and what looked like a gallon of blood lay on the front porch before I finally decided I might need a doctor. My grandmother sent my sister to get our mother. When we got to the hospital, I had been bleeding for almost two hours.

When the nurse removed the rag I had wrapped around my hand, a huge amount of blood poured out into a puddle on the floor. She took me back to a room and told me to hold pressure on the cut until the doctor could see me. When he came in he told me to let go so he could get a look at it. The second he took my hand, a stream of blood shot out and sprayed all the way up to the ceiling. I was focused on my hand and the stream of blood, so I didn’t see the doctor’s face, but I can imagine what it looked like as he quickly stepped back and said something that scared me to death. I’ll never forget that tone of shock and urgency in the words he said. With surprise and concern in his voice, he said, “Woah! We’ve cut a main artery.”

It’s funny thinking about his reaction today, but it wasn’t funny then at all. I could have died. I lost a lot of blood and I had a terrible time getting that cut to heal. I kept it bandaged up and it couldn’t dry. It swelled up from internal bleeding, and all the stitches pulled loose. When it did finally heal, it left an awful scar that produced excruciating pain every time it was bumped. That lasted more than twenty years, and believe it or not, it’s still tender to this day. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that experience.

Although it took several more years and a few more incidents, I learned not to throw and hit things when I’m angry. I also learned that the kind of anger I was experiencing was not normal, or healthy. I had some things I had to work through. I thank God and my wonderful family for loving me and supporting me through it all.

A close, personal relationship with Jesus Christ will work miracles in a person’s life. I know I sometimes sound like a broken record, but that kind of relationship only comes through prayer and Bible study, and having a close, personal relationship with Jesus is the only way we will ever make it to heaven. So, If you haven’t been born again, ask him to save you today. If you have been born again, ask him to draw you closer and stay in constant communication with him through prayer and Bible study. That’s the key.

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STUCK - PART 1

When I was really young I remember an incident where I was playing with several of my cousins. The adults were all gathered on the porch of my grandparents’ house. While the other kids were running back and forth jumping in and out of the road ditch, I looked into the culvert that went under the road and saw the light coming from the other end. Believe me, I don’t know what possessed me to do it, but I crawled in and headed for the other side.

I didn’t get far at all until I couldn’t go any further. I tried to back up, but no luck there either. I was stuck. I got scared and started screaming. Thank God someone heard me. My mother came and somehow managed to pull me to safety.

Well, you would think I would have learned my lesson, but no. A few short years later I found myself in almost the same situation again. We were on a school field trip, at the city park in the next town over. There was a real jet airplane there for children to play in. For some reason, I decided to crawl inside one of the wings. Once again, I came to the point where I couldn’t go forward, nor backward. I was stuck again. All I could do was cry for help. The teacher came and got me unstuck.

A few years later, I was messing around with a survival knife my grandmother had bought for me. I was so proud of it. It was awesome. The handle was a green camouflage color. It had a compass on top, which screwed off, revealing a hollow inside where all kinds of survival things were stored. Again, for some reason I can only venture to guess at now, I stuck my finger into the hole in the handle.

Once again, I was stuck. I began to panic. What could I do?! This time, out of the blue, it came to me. I had an idea. Just relax, and pull your finger out, slowly. It worked! I was so relieved. I was so happy. Did I learn my lesson? No, but I did learn something very important. Looking back at these, and other incidents, I see how God has watched over me. How he has always provided help for me, and when no one was around to help, he told me what to do to get out of the situation I was in.

Many times we think we had an idea when it was actually the Holy Spirit talking to us. We don’t always realize it, but he speaks to us all the time. That quiet voice we hear that tells us we shouldn’t do certain things, or sometimes it’s just a feeling. That’s the Holy Spirit. That’s how he speaks to us. The closer we get to him, the easier it is to recognize his voice. Don’t wait until you need help to talk to God. He has more to tell us than just how to get out of a jam. He’s the ultimate Father, and the best friend you’ll ever have. He always has time for us, so make time for him. You’ll be glad you did.

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CHOICES

Have you ever made a mistake or a wrong choice? Sure you have. We all have. Many times we are reluctant to admit it though, because of our pride. We have many choices to make in our lifetime and, unfortunately, we don’t always make the right ones.

Many times we have to live with the choices we make, and sometimes terrible consequences come from wrong choices. But thankfully, sometimes there are things we can do to fix what we messed up when we made a bad choice, and hopefully, we learn our lesson and move on.

I remember a song from years ago that my dad loved. It was about choices. In fact, that was the name of the song; “CHOICES.” It was written by Billy Wayne Yates and Michael A. Curtis and was recorded by George Jones. My dad recorded a karaoke version of the song a few years ago. It went something like this,

“I’ve had choices Since the day that I was born
There were voices That told me right from wrong
If I had listened I wouldn’t be here today
Living and dying With the choices I made”

Simple words, but so full of meaning, and they probably reflect the feelings of many of us who have made bad choices in our lives. No matter what we’ve done in our lives we can always make better choices and turn many things around.

Of all the choices we face in life, the most important choice we’ll ever make is whether or not to follow Jesus. That choice will determine whether or not we receive eternal life, or burn in hell fire, and yes, we do have to choose. Jesus said, “Whoever is not with me is against me (Matthew 12:30).” If we don’t choose Jesus we are rejecting him. He said he is the only way to be saved, but that choice is ours (John 14:6).

Many people are planning to give their life to God and be saved, but they keep putting it off for one reason, or another. It’s human nature to put off decisions that cause big changes like this one does. I’ve talked to some who are trying to become better people before they approach God, and ask for salvation. Believe it or not, some are even waiting until the tribulation comes.

Don’t wait! Tomorrow may be too late. Life is so unsure. James 4:14 says, “What is your life? It is just a vapor, that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away.”

Every day, people die. Many of them had great plans for their future, but they die without notice, never even coming close to realizing their dreams and plans. Don’t let that be you. Make the right choice now, while you still have time.

The last verse of that song says,

“I guess I’m payin’ For the things that I have done
If I could go back, Oh, Lord knows I’d run
But I’m still losin’ This game of life I play
Living and dying With the choices I made”

That may be your story, but it doesn’t have to end that way. Don’t live your life with regrets, and don’t die without knowing Jesus. Don’t die without being born again. Repent of your sins, and Jesus will forgive you. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Romans 10:9 says, “if you confess the Lord Jesus with your mouth, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Turn away from sin and be saved. It’s the only way. There are only two choices; Jesus and eternal life, or Satan and eternal death. Today is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). We’re not promised tomorrow (James 4:13-14). Make the choice today.

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© 2015 Teddy Lynn – All Rights Reserved

My books are available in paperback and digital format on Amazon @ 
https://www.amazon.com/Teddy-Lynn/e/B01MZDB6L6