I was on the way to the airport to pick grandma and grandpa up when Deborah got a call that they were laid over in Tokyo, Japan and wouldn't be arriving until the following day.

After a moment or two of disappointment, I realized that that was the first concrete demonstration of the scripture verse we'd chosen for our first day together.

We've created a booklet of devotional readings for the three weeks my parents are here, and our first reading is from Jeremiah 29:

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" (11).

You pray, hoping that God has better plans in store for you than you have for yourself; it turns out, in this case, that in addition to just having an expenses-paid night in a hotel, coming in a day late saved them about $150.

They were scheduled to be here 22 days...and the tourist visa only lasts for 21. They were going to have to extend their visas for just one day.

But God works everything together for good.