I got pulled over 6 times while I was in Oregon. Some of them were pretty dumb. Pulling into the right of two lanes when making a left turn. Changing lanes too rapidly. Shayna got pulled over for quick signaling, "I know.... not the crime of the century." That's a direct quote from the cop. She got pulled over 5 times. While I got 2 tickets, she got none. Boy isn't it nice to be a blond woman who can whip out the tears when she needs them?!?!
One of my tickets was the most deserved ticket of my life. I was flying, and I was late for Wednesday night prayer meeting. I came up about 4 minutes late and ran the red light left turn into the parking lot of the church. As the motorcycle cop came to the window he looked surprised. He asked me if I was late, and I told him that I was late for prayer meeting. With everyone watching me from the church door, he proceeded to write me a ticket, and tell me that he counted to three as I went through the red light. Bummer. The senior pastor asked me when I got in there, "How's your confidence?" "Low," I replied.
Another ticket I got at a police trap in the middle of the country as we were looking for the highway and the speed limit was 55. It changed to 35, but we never saw that because we were trying to read the maps that Shayna had sprawled out in the front seat. He actually didn't pull me over until we were on the freeway (This came very soon after the speed change). Wham Bam Thank You Sir. 15 mph over the limit. This ticket came three months after the other ticket.
What I found out next was extremely disappointing. If you get 3 tickets in 3 years then Oregon takes away your CDL license. I was ticket free on my record before I moved to Oregon. Now I was in danger of getting my license taken away. Stupid Oregon cops! Something had to be done. For the next 2 years and 10 months I was an angel. It seemed like I was going to make it. Then a fateful day came....
It was a Tuesday Morning, and I was leaving staff meeting at the church heading for PAA (Portland Adventist Academy). They had chapel on Tuesday mornings. I was driving toward the sunset boulevard freeway in a 30mph zone. I was following a white Prius in the right lane of a 5 lane road with a turning lane in the center. He was doing 33ish, so I was doing 33ish. As we were approaching a green light, it began to turn yellow. He slammed on his brakes. In a split second I was pissed. We both were easily going to make it, and he put me in danger by slamming on his brakes. I whipped my wheel left and right to enter the lane just left of him heading the same direction and pressed the gas pedal down in our V6 Honda Accord with a look of Pissedness while I did it. It was in that moment that I realized the reason for this mans incredibly stupid halt. This particular intersection was armed with photo red lights.
I have always prided myself with being level headed in crazy situations. It seems like people freeze or freak out, but I just get stuff done when the going gets bizarre. What happened next makes me seem like a complete liar about what I just wrote.
In my moment of enlightenment I immediately slammed on my brakes. However, it was far too late for that to be of value. Inertia was taking over as everything in the car became airborne death objects continuing to fly at 30mph until they hit a target. Something light hit the back of my seat, while heavy things were landing up against other seats, the dash board, and the windshield. My wheels made that awesome screeching sound that everyone can hear within 20 miles. The entire time I watched the light waiting for it to change to red.
As soon as I realized that I couldn't stop behind the white line, I also realized that I could have easily made it through the light with it still being yellow. Where I actually stopped was right in the very middle of this major intersection watching a yellow light. Then....wait for it....finally....Red. For a split second I thought, "Maybe because I'm not moving in the intersection the camera won't take a picture because it will think nothing is happening." So I lowered my towering head that was being hidden by the mirror and the fact that I'm tall and I tend to be close to the roof of cars. I looked at the camera to see what would happen, just in time for the Flash.
Probably the the icing on the cake is that I decided to wear my wife's sunglasses that were white with a bunch of jewels in them. Brilliant. I took in a deep breath and sigh. I pressed on the gas and went through the light. What kind of an idiot stops in the middle of an intersection on a yellow light and looks at the hidden camera so that it can get a better picture. Me.
I prayed like crazy. I was telling God that I know I didn't deserve grace or forgiveness, but I needed it. I called myself an idiot a hundred times. I even gave God a guilt trip telling him that I had only ever used my CDL for the church. Not a single time had I used it for myself. I begged and begged. I prayed every time I went to the mailbox for three months. And finally I realized that no ticket was coming. God had answered my prayer. period.
I don't really care how, but one day I would like to know. Was the cop who reviews the video laughing at me so hard that he decided I was too much of an idiot to deserve a ticket? Did he call others in to see the video too? Or maybe he sees that ridiculousness all the time and is numb to it. Maybe God deleted the record. I don't know, but I received grace, and this taught me a lesson about myself. There are situations where I don't do the right things. I don't care how level headed and intelligent I am. There are times that I make decisions that are just plain wrong. Not intentional sins, but unintentional and unavoidable ones. Those are the ones that I really need grace for. Things that I definitely am aware and responsible for, but they were unintentional and unavoidable.
One of my tickets was the most deserved ticket of my life. I was flying, and I was late for Wednesday night prayer meeting. I came up about 4 minutes late and ran the red light left turn into the parking lot of the church. As the motorcycle cop came to the window he looked surprised. He asked me if I was late, and I told him that I was late for prayer meeting. With everyone watching me from the church door, he proceeded to write me a ticket, and tell me that he counted to three as I went through the red light. Bummer. The senior pastor asked me when I got in there, "How's your confidence?" "Low," I replied.
Another ticket I got at a police trap in the middle of the country as we were looking for the highway and the speed limit was 55. It changed to 35, but we never saw that because we were trying to read the maps that Shayna had sprawled out in the front seat. He actually didn't pull me over until we were on the freeway (This came very soon after the speed change). Wham Bam Thank You Sir. 15 mph over the limit. This ticket came three months after the other ticket.
What I found out next was extremely disappointing. If you get 3 tickets in 3 years then Oregon takes away your CDL license. I was ticket free on my record before I moved to Oregon. Now I was in danger of getting my license taken away. Stupid Oregon cops! Something had to be done. For the next 2 years and 10 months I was an angel. It seemed like I was going to make it. Then a fateful day came....
It was a Tuesday Morning, and I was leaving staff meeting at the church heading for PAA (Portland Adventist Academy). They had chapel on Tuesday mornings. I was driving toward the sunset boulevard freeway in a 30mph zone. I was following a white Prius in the right lane of a 5 lane road with a turning lane in the center. He was doing 33ish, so I was doing 33ish. As we were approaching a green light, it began to turn yellow. He slammed on his brakes. In a split second I was pissed. We both were easily going to make it, and he put me in danger by slamming on his brakes. I whipped my wheel left and right to enter the lane just left of him heading the same direction and pressed the gas pedal down in our V6 Honda Accord with a look of Pissedness while I did it. It was in that moment that I realized the reason for this mans incredibly stupid halt. This particular intersection was armed with photo red lights.
I have always prided myself with being level headed in crazy situations. It seems like people freeze or freak out, but I just get stuff done when the going gets bizarre. What happened next makes me seem like a complete liar about what I just wrote.
In my moment of enlightenment I immediately slammed on my brakes. However, it was far too late for that to be of value. Inertia was taking over as everything in the car became airborne death objects continuing to fly at 30mph until they hit a target. Something light hit the back of my seat, while heavy things were landing up against other seats, the dash board, and the windshield. My wheels made that awesome screeching sound that everyone can hear within 20 miles. The entire time I watched the light waiting for it to change to red.
As soon as I realized that I couldn't stop behind the white line, I also realized that I could have easily made it through the light with it still being yellow. Where I actually stopped was right in the very middle of this major intersection watching a yellow light. Then....wait for it....finally....Red. For a split second I thought, "Maybe because I'm not moving in the intersection the camera won't take a picture because it will think nothing is happening." So I lowered my towering head that was being hidden by the mirror and the fact that I'm tall and I tend to be close to the roof of cars. I looked at the camera to see what would happen, just in time for the Flash.
Probably the the icing on the cake is that I decided to wear my wife's sunglasses that were white with a bunch of jewels in them. Brilliant. I took in a deep breath and sigh. I pressed on the gas and went through the light. What kind of an idiot stops in the middle of an intersection on a yellow light and looks at the hidden camera so that it can get a better picture. Me.
I prayed like crazy. I was telling God that I know I didn't deserve grace or forgiveness, but I needed it. I called myself an idiot a hundred times. I even gave God a guilt trip telling him that I had only ever used my CDL for the church. Not a single time had I used it for myself. I begged and begged. I prayed every time I went to the mailbox for three months. And finally I realized that no ticket was coming. God had answered my prayer. period.
I don't really care how, but one day I would like to know. Was the cop who reviews the video laughing at me so hard that he decided I was too much of an idiot to deserve a ticket? Did he call others in to see the video too? Or maybe he sees that ridiculousness all the time and is numb to it. Maybe God deleted the record. I don't know, but I received grace, and this taught me a lesson about myself. There are situations where I don't do the right things. I don't care how level headed and intelligent I am. There are times that I make decisions that are just plain wrong. Not intentional sins, but unintentional and unavoidable ones. Those are the ones that I really need grace for. Things that I definitely am aware and responsible for, but they were unintentional and unavoidable.
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