A Night at "Motel Hell"

Although I've passed by the place many times, I've never actually stayed at the Elmcourt Motel. The Elmcourt is one of a smattering of aging, small motor hotels--along with the Flamingo and the El Rancho--that dot a short stretch of Lapeer Road, just west of the city of Port Huron, Michigan.

The motel advertises itself as being "located close to downtown Port Huron and the bridge to Canada in a quiet environment." Quiet sounds nice. Close to stuff sounds nice, too. The owners of the Elmcourt would also have us to know that their establishment "features 15 clean motel rooms with color cable TV, HBO, air condition [sic], and refrigerators." Cozy, clean, cool, and comfortable. The Elmcourt sounds like an excellent choice for a quiet, relaxing evening when one is traveling far from home.

Ah, but things aren't always as they appear, are they?
Such would seem to be the case at the Elmcourt Motel.

The "Motel from Hell"?
I happened upon an interesting blog the other day, written by a fellow named Daniel. In one particular entry, Daniel recalled a recent stay at the "clean and quiet" Elmcourt. Daniel had ridden his motorcycle from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to visit friends in Ferndale, Michigan. While in Ferndale, he got a call from another friend named Joe, who was stuck near the Canadian border and needed help with his broken-down bike.

Daniel to the rescue!

What follows is Daniel's account of his exciting trip to Port Huron and his unforgettable night at the Elmcourt Motel:

"I got a call from Joe to come up almost to the border of Canada and help him... I finally arrived to help him with his cycle. I actually found the Kawasaki dealer before Joe, so I added two more locks to his bike to help protect it from the crazy people in the area.

"Then I met Joe at the Motel from Hell--the Elmcourt Motel.

"You have no idea what an experience that was. There was a puddle of blood on the floor with drips into the shower and into the bedroom. There were bullet holes in the sheets and bedclothes. Yes, I said bullet holes. Fun, huh? The rest of the room was even worse. Holes patched with pieces of plywood. The carpet was probably 60 years old with big chunks missing. Bugs that I don't really want to get into, as it will make your skin crawl.

"There were three gunshots in the middle of the night. I was thinking that any minute Freddy Krueger was going to break in. I even slept with every stitch of clothes on--and on top of the covers. We lived through the night and made it until morning. That was my report on my first day and night. What joy."

Hey, wait a minute, Daniel. Are we talking about the same Elmcourt Motel here?

After reading Daniel's tale of terror, I felt compelled to investigate this matter a bit further to see if I could find anyone else who'd ever stayed at the Elmcourt--anyone who could corroborate or refute his testimony.

Can I get another witness, please?

Well, I guess I could, because I did.

I did a Google search and found someone named Tina who had spent a night at the Elmcourt in July, 2007. Tina was thoughtful enough to post a "review" (more like a warning) of her stay. She described her experience with a single word: "nasty." Tina went on to write:

"this place is very nasty. stuff didn't work. sheets were tore [sic]. just very nasty. they need to replace everything in there. it needs a lot of work..."

Oh, my! "Nasty" doesn't sound very inviting, does it? Thanks, Tina. I think we got the picture!

Reservations Recommended
So, where am I going with this little story, you ask?

Well, words paint pictures, and words can create illusions that lead us far from reality. To read management's description, you'd think the Elmcourt to be a lovely little place to spend a peaceful night or two--maybe more. But, as I said, things are not always as they appear. It's wise to take time and check things out.

Sadly, many of us don't take the time--or just don't care enough--to check out much of anything for ourselves. We're prone to take most anybody's word for everything--especially if "anybody" calls themselves an "expert," or a "Christian," or has a TV or radio show, an impressive resume', or sports a fancy title or two. (We do love our titles, don't we?)

My friends, "gullibility" is not a gift of the Spirit. (No, it's not a fruit, either.)

WordNet defines gullibility as, "a tendency to believe too readily and therefore to be easily deceived." This is a widespread problem in the body of Christ. Let's call it the "Gullibility Factor." Gullibility is a big liability. The more gullible you are, the more vulnerable you are. And the more vulnerable you are, the more apt you are to believe something other than the truth.

The apostle Paul warned us that, in the last days, "some will depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils" (1 Timothy 4:1). That's scary stuff--even scarier than a night at the Elmcourt, I imagine.

I'm not suggesting that we should be overly suspicious of folks. But, we really do need to be more cautious and discerning. There are many false apostles and prophets and teachers running around out there, you know. And, according to scripture, even Satan can make himself look pretty fine when it suits his purposes. (See 2 Corinthians 7:14)

Jesus said, "Take heed what you hear." It's always a good idea to check things out with the Word of God, otherwise you might be shocked where you end up spending the night--or, a thought that's even more frightening--the rest of eternity. Now, that's scary!

Paul wrote to the Thessalonians: "Test all things; hold fast what is good" (1 Thessalonians 5:21). In other words, don't buy the lie!

think on these things...
There are many flaky, weird and foolish concepts being circulated in our movement today that must be corrected. If we don't hold tightly to Scripture, we might unknowingly give birth to a cult that could bring great damage and division to churches worldwide. It’s time to get back to the Bible! --J. Lee Grady, editor, Charisma Magazine

That very night the believers sent Paul and Silas to Berea. When they arrived there, they went to the synagogue. And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul's message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to check up on Paul and Silas, to see if they were really teaching the truth. As a result, many Jews believed, as did some of the prominent Greek women and many men. --Acts 17:10-12 (NLT)

But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; and that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. --2 TImothy 3:14-17

Only simpletons believe everything they are told! The prudent carefully consider their steps. --Proverbs 14:15 (NLT)

Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. --John 8:31,32





(Travel tip...If you're planning a stay in the Port Huron area, you might want to check out Holiday Inn Express.)