Daniel DeMoss

As I ride the Heartland Flyer train from Fort Worth to Oklahoma City, I can’t help but stare out the window at the beautiful Oklahoma landscape. From cattle grazing near creeks in hilly fields to the blazing orange sun setting over the rolling prairie, it’s just stunning. The powder blue sky meets the green and brown fields with an explosion of deep reds and soft oranges on the horizon. With small towns peppering the landscape here and there, it’s clear that nature definitely has man beat in this section of our country. The dirt roads seem to lead to the ends of the earth and the small town train stations silently call to a time long since past.

I believe in a greater creator and I can’t help but think that this place might be one of his favorite spots.

While I was in Chicago, welcoming 2009, I learned something.  It’s pretty simple, it’s not easy, and it can bring awesome things into your life if you apply it.  It can be summed up in one sentence.  Take the opportunities that God gives you and trust him. More about that in a bit.

Now, I’m not one to shy away from trying new things, so when it came time for Adam, Matt, Mark, and I to decide where we would eat our “expensive meal” during our Chicago trip I was hoping for something cool.  Somewhere that I couldn’t eat at back home in Ypsilanti.  Somewhere that I hadn’t experienced before.  So I started to do some research.  Everything I found through Googling was either out of our price range or required a dress code that we could not comply with.  Part way through I switched to UrbanSpoon, which is a really sweet restaurant finder.  It told me that there was a really cool pizza place in Wicker Park called Piece.  It sounded cool, but was not near downtown and not within walking distance.  I continued searching, but Piece kept popping up in my results as a top rated UrbanSpoon pick and it was within our price range.  I kept resisting and trying to find something that would be closer and easier to get to, but I eventually gave in and suggested it to the guys.  We would have to take the Red Line subway South to the Loop and take the Blue Line out to the Damen station on the West Side.  I had taken the Red Line on several occasions and was confident about navigating it.  The Blue Line was a whole new beast.

My sense of adventure and my desire to be in control of the situations I’m in often run straight into each other.  I’m a control freak, so getting lost is terrible.  You don’t know what to do, you look stupid, and you have to ask for help.  I hate all of those things.  That night my temptation was to go with what I knew.  I wanted to stay near the Loop and within downtown.  I knew downtown and I knew the Loop.  I would be in control.  Or I could decide to take the Blue Line with no guarantee that I would get off at the right station, that the address listed on the internet would be right, that the restaurant would have seats for us, or any of the other things that make an evening out go right.

I have done that so much in my life.  My temptation is always to pass up on opportunities that God gives me because I can’t control them or because I don’t know what the outcome will be.  He always asks me to follow, but he rarely let’s me in on the destination.  I have a hard time trusting God.  Can you relate?  Do you ever pass up an opportunity because you don’t know where it will lead?  Do you ever fore-go something because you won’t be in control of it?  Do you ever stay in the Loop instead of taking the Blue Line out?

Here’s the cool part.  God totally speaks to this through David’s writing in Psalm 37:5-6.

“Commit everything you do to the Lord.
Trust him, and he will help you.
He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn,
and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.”

David uses such cool words to describe how awesome our lives can be if we just trust God and take the opportunities he gives us.  The Bible has tons of verses that remind us that when we are in control, things will be shaky at best, but when we give control to God it may not be easy, but it will be good.

That evening in Chicago I went with the adventure and the guys and I headed out on the Blue Line.  The evening definitely had some bumps along the way and everything didn’t always work out the way I thought it should, but it was a great experience.  Actually, I’ve never had a better time in Chicago.  As soon as I decided to let go and take the Blue Line the evening was one big adventure that just kept getting better.

It’s a great story, but it’s also a great analogy for our lives.  When we decide to let go and trust God by taking the opportunities he gives us we find our lives are full of great adventures that we never would have known to take on our own.  He knows our potential and how to unlock it!

This year, I’m committing to trust God and follow where he leads.  I’m going to stop asking him to meet me in the Loop and I’m going to start chasing after him.  I’ve realized that the only true way to live in his plan and live life to its fullest is to take the opportunities that he gives me.  In fact, what would happen if we all decided to take the opportunities that were in front of us?  Would you take that class that you heard about?  Would you talk to your friend about your spirituality for the first time?  Would you commit to reading the whole Bible in 2009?  What would you do?

My theme and reminder for this will of course be “take the Blue Line.”  So join with me in 2009 and together let’s take the Blue Line by taking the opportunities that God gives us and trusting him.

I usually ride the route 4 bus from the Ypsilanti Transit Center to work, but on one particularly lazy Monday morning as I ran toward the Ypsilanti Transit Center I watched in deep disappointment as the bus I was planning to ride pulled away.  With some quick thinking I guessed that I could catch the route 5 bus and take it to Ann Arbor instead.  I found the appropriate bus and walked toward it.  That’s when the weirdness began.  And with the weirdness came a lesson about human desire and human nature.

As I approached the bus I saw that the bus driver was standing next to his seat and facing the rear of the bus.  I had barely stepped onto the bus when he started in on a lecture to certain riders.

“This bus will not move an inch until all the radios are off!  You know the rules!!!” said the gray haired driver, angrily.  He was obviously referring to the mp3s playing over cell phone speakers in the back.

The teenagers at the back of the bus responded chaotically and all at once shouting about how the bus driver was “always trying to put us down” and telling the driver he needed to “chill out” among other things, with colorful language peppered throughout.

The bus driver had obviously had enough and so had the teenagers.  There was a history here that I had not been privy to.

He escalated the rhetoric and pointed his finger for effect.

“If this doesn’t stop I will not hesitate to have Gerald call the authorities and they will find out what goes on in the mornings!” he said threateningly.  Just before sitting down he added, “Act your age!!!”

I have no idea who Gerald is.  I have no idea what “goes on” in the mornings.  This was my first experience on the route 5 bus on a weekday morning.

This would definitely be enough excitement for me to think and write about, but of course, it didn’t stop there.

We drove for some time without any outbursts or angry words.  We stopped to drop off and pick up some people a few times along the way.  At one particular stop about two people got off the bus and about two more boarded.  The doors closed and we began to drive away when it happened.  From the back of the bus we heard one of the teenagers say it.

“Oh man, wait! He’s tryin’ to run for the bus!!!” she said while pointing out the window on the right side of the bus.

At this point I must say that this is quite common.  People are late for the bus all the time and some choose to run for it.  A select few make it.  It depends on the driver, the speed of the bus, and the speed of the runner.  There’s probably a mathematical equation to explain it all.

As we all turned we saw a man carrying a large book running diagonally alonside and toward the bus.  He was a smaller build man that looked about in his twenties.  We saw the man running and then we saw the book.  In a moment it happened.  It was like it happened in slow motion.  His arm made a swinging motion and the book launched into the air.  It hit the side of the bus with a thud.

Everyone on the bus started making noise.  Some laughed, some gave their opinion about the situation, and some yelled at the driver.

Much to my surprise the bus came to a stop and the man, out of breath and dishevelled, stepped onto the bus.

As he walked toward one of the seats there began a low rumble of praise.  Mostly from the teenagers, but praise none the less.

He had faced the system.  He had caused the system, that so often enforced it’s rules upon the people, to bow to his will.

Interesting isn’t it?
Don’t we all want to see someone that will stand up to the powers that be?
Don’t we all want someone who will stand up to the system and change things?

There’s something appealling about that.

Don’t get me wrong.  I’m not saying that he should have thrown the book.  I would have much rather he brushed his teeth faster and made it to the stop on time.  But he symbolically stood up to the system.  He wouldn’t stand for the status quo.  I think that’s what prompted the praise.  Again, in no way do I endorse “standing up” to the AATA.  I think that it is an awesome organization that is providing our community with an awesome service.  But isn’t it interesting?  There’s something in our human nature that values someone who stands up for a cause and doesn’t just roll over and accept the norm.  I think that’s why we like people like Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr.   These guys saw how “things were done” and they found these ways to be unacceptable.

I don’t think it’s a cultural thing.  I don’t think it’s a race thing.  I think it’s a human thing.  We all need that kind of thinking.  The kind that looks at life outside of how things are and looks at how things really should be.

In Ypsilanti, I really believe that this kind of thinking has become rampant.  There are so many examples of this in our community.  From the guys who saw how internet was done and decided to do it differently to the people who choose to open their new businesses on Michigan Avenue.  These are the Ypsilantians that see the vision.  They see the future.  And they are the ones that drive us there.  So to them I say keep it up.  Keep looking beyond the current reality into the bright future of Ypsilanti.  Keep taking us there.  And thank you.

Here’s a little feature that I wrote about the Double Eagle Cafe in Ypsilanti back in 2006. Enjoy.

As you walk in you notice one thing first, there is no air conditioning in this small restaurant, and it is hot. “It’s gonna be hot this summer, bear with us, we don’t have air conditioning.” the waitress says to one of the patrons. She’s right; the heat of the summer day has made it almost stifling in the small dining room. With the front door propped open and ceiling fans spinning wildly, the small dining room hums with sound. The sun has set on Ypsilanti, but the heat remains.

The second thing you notice is the smell, French fry grease. “Wherever you want,” says the girl behind the counter as it becomes obvious that seating is self serve in this place. The color scheme is simple, dark green and off white. The paint looks fresh, but thick, as if it is the latest layer on top of years of different coats and colors; like layers of history. Like in many small restaurants, the grill, stove and refrigerators are situated on the right side of the place, not in the back. There are two large mirrors on either side in the front of the dining room. Etched into the mirror on the right is an eagle, on the left the face of a Native American. Symbols of the past and present, representing the Eastern Michigan University sports teams. If nothing else, this restaurant, situated at the southern edge of Eastern Michigan University’s campus, is very close to its patrons. The majority of the people that frequent the restaurant seem to be students. With their laptops and textbooks, there are times that the number of students makes the place look like a second campus library.

The Double Eagle Café draws a wide variety of people. Two men sit in the corner at a booth, one with longer dark hair, and the other balding with a goatee and trendy black-rimmed glasses. The dark haired one works on his laptop while the other plays on his PSP. Two other men sit at a small booth and talk. There is only one waitress working and she looks about 20 with medium length brown hair, done into two braids. The cook is short and stocky. The young waitress talks loudly to the cook about a melon that she bought before she went on her shift. An old African-American man slowly walks in the door and makes his way to the back of the restaurant to sit down. The waitress greets him as if he is an old friend and brings him a glass of water. They bicker playfully for a moment as he asks her for a cigarette. She gives him one. Another man walks in, a large African-American man. He orders some carryout. As he waits for his food he asks if the place has wireless internet. The young waitress responds by saying, “No, but we get it from the other buildings… We need to get it permanent, though. It’s kinda off and on.” The man pauses and says that he just moved in down the street. “That’s how it is at my place too, but at least I don’t have to buy internet.” This place exudes the spirit of a community that works hard. There seems to be an attitude of thankfulness, a belief that overlapping wireless networks are special blessings that float silently through the air. There’s also a certain form of community pride that is present in the Double Eagle. The small, two-page menu is adorned with artwork from patrons. On the bottom of the first page is a small line that reads, “Thanks for your patronage… let’s keep Cross Street alive!” These are things that you would never see in an Applebee’s or Chili’s. They would never be so forthcoming as to indicate to customers that the business district is slowly dying. The Double Eagle has a sense of simple honesty.

As the night wears on, a police car flashes its lights and sounds its siren as it drives by in front of the restaurant. The cook, waitress, and all of the people in the restaurant slowly head to the door to see “who got pulled over”. Everyone comes back after a minute and resume his or her business. The police siren seemed to be a welcome break from the monotonous hum of the restaurant… but it is now gone. The waitress pushes the “play” button on the CD player. The speakers on top of the Pepsi refrigerator boom loudly with early 90’s style hip hop. The high volume makes the music engulfing. It’s just loud enough that conversation is difficult. The few people at tables seem to welcome the musical interruption and raise their voices over it to talk.

Bumper stickers from many different countries adorn one section of the wall, a symbol of the diversity that is at the core of this place. A little farther down on that same wall hangs a black t-shirt that reads “Double Eagle Café”. It features an eagle with American and Albanian flags flying below. Many restaurants can make t-shirts but only a certain kind of restaurant can actually sell them. These restaurants are to their patrons as cult classics are to movie buffs. This place has an addictive quality about it for some. There’s something that calls them back, time after time.

People shouldn’t come to the Double Eagle looking for a quiet, sophisticated dinner, but then again, people shouldn’t come to Ypsilanti looking for a quiet, peaceful town. The Double Eagle is the kind of restaurant that you go to for two reasons, because it’s late at night, and because you always go there. The food is ok and the atmosphere is unique. Everyone is accepted. This place is one of a kind, like each of its patrons. It has character.

So if you happen to be wandering the streets of Ypsilanti on a hot summer night, and feel a bit hungry, whether for food or just for human interaction, you may want to make your way down Cross St. to the outskirts of campus, where the street lights cast long shadows and traffic signals silently change the color of the night. There you will find a place that exudes the spirit of Ypsilanti, a place that is known to many as the Double Eagle.

May 30, 2006