This morning before I headed to the church I wanted to check the oil in my truck. It is too tall for me to be able to reach the dipstick so I got a five-gallon bucket of paint from inside my shop to stand on. I was just standing on it with one foot and I was too heavy and the lid broke and my foot went through the lid and into the bucket of paint. The broken plastic resulted in many jagged edges which were digging into my lower leg and whenever I tried to pull my foot out of the bucket those ragged edges dug in and successfully kept my foot and lower leg trapped in the bucket. I couldn’t walk, I couldn’t get my leg out of the bucket, whenever I made a concerted effort to free myself I came close to falling over, and I was making a huge mess with paint sloped everywhere around me. I felt like the mouse I recently saw in one of those “sticky traps” trying desperately to free himself. I phoned Sherri but she was already gone, Patty was gone, everybody was gone except Thomas and he is in a wheelchair.

I stood for five minutes looking at the bucket and trying to figure out what I was going to do. I bought the paint for my shop and garage and I didn’t want to waste any more than I already had. Finally I managed to bend over enough, reach under the lid and little by little pry the lid up and off of the bucket. Whoooeeeere I was free. It took me most of an hour to clean the paint up, wash it out of my shoe, my pants, my leg and foot, and my sock. I think Patty will be mad at me when she sees all of the paint on her towels that I used to clean up stuff.

I missed a noon appointment and when I called and gave my excuse to the person I was supposed to meet with he got a good laugh. I decided to go up to Derek’s and get a hair cut and 5 guys were waiting so I told them my story and I am pretty sure I made their day. I had an appointment with the general director of our denomination at 3:00 pm so I told him my story and he thought I could build a whole sermon around such a cool illustration, and here I sit in my recliner telling all of you my story. I hope I have made your day!