FBC 1234

One of our beloved men at Friendship Bible Church was telling me about his unique hobby. His job has him out on the highway most of his day.  He drives the big trucks and pavement movers from one work site to another. His job keeps him on the road.  Now "on the road" is way different than "behind the desk." "On the road" is moving and sometimes moving fast.  People are passing you.  People are cutting you off.  People are driving beside you. You are surrounded by people in cars, trucks, motorcycles, and vans. Everyone is moving. Our friend is in a big truck. He sits up higher than most of the other vehicles on the highway. He can see a more clear picture of what highway action is going on around him.  He can see over the cars and he can see around the cars. He can see what people have in their back seats and in their fronts seats. He can see all the bumper stickers they have plastered all over their vehicles. He can see their license plates...clear as day.

 

Our friend's hobby is to look for license plates that start with FBC. Most of the new plates have 7 digits pressed into the metal. The first 3 are letters and the last 4 are numbers.  In Ohio it seems like there are a lot of license plates that start with "F." I am not sure if we finally gave out all the "A" "B" "C" "D" "E" and now we are finally to "F." I am not sure how this works...to be honest...I never really thought about it.  I didn't give much thought in the receipt of any license plate. Not here in Ohio. Or Michigan or New Jersey...the other states we have lived in.  The only real feeling I ever experienced was the long lines and the cost of the plates. WOW!  It costs a lot to drive on Ohio highways.

 

Pastor Bill and I have a license plate and sticker process in place. I purchase the plates and stickers...he puts them on.  When our birth months come up, I send the forms in and we get the stickers. We have been using our metal plates for several years. He cleans off the plates and puts the new annual stickers on.  It is a process that we do every year.  When I got my new car, I was looking at my old plate.  It started with "B." It had rust and dings in the metal. There were a lot of stickers on my license plate. Those stickers were pretty thick.  That plate had seen me through two previous vehicles and thousands of miles. It was begging me to retire it. I could hear the creaky rusty gravely voice...please let me live out the rest of my life on your barn wall. I couldn't refuse. I started thinking about a new plate for my new car. I thought about a vanity plate. I thought about a cool one...something like BETHSG8. (Beth is great. ) Or CHOCLVR. (Chocolate lover.)  Or  IUVMUZK. (I love music.) The cost for personal plates was too high so I decided that I would continue with anonymity.  I told the clerk...just a regular one.  So I have a regular license plate....like 95% of the rest of Ohio drivers. My new one starts with an "F." But it is not FBC... I wish it was.

 

FBC is the acronym for Friendship Bible Church. It is the shortened version of the name of our church. It is easy to write. It is easy to say. And... people like easy. After our friend told us this story about looking for FBC on fellow traveler's cars, I started doing it. It really is amazing how many FBC plates there are. I challenge you to start looking. You will be surprised also.  When I am driving and I see FBC, I start thanking the Lord for our church.  Not the building, or the parking lot, or the basement...but the people.  The good people of our church. The people of FBC...Friendship Bible Church. It is a reminder of the opportunity I have to pray for others. A simple reminder that I can pray for others in our church.  It only takes a couple sentences while driving on the highway. Don't close your eyes, though. Ha!

 

Have I told you all lately that I love you all?  Pastor Bill and I are thankful to serve the Lord with you. We love the Lord and we love you. This is the month of Thanksgiving and Praise. Let our minds go to all that we appreciate in our daily lives.

 

And... if you happened to see a license plate that starts with FBC...say a prayer for your brothers and sisters. We could all use as many prayers as we can get.

 

I thank my God upon every remembrance of you. (Philippians 1:3)

With love,

Beth