A New Beginning (Conclusion to "Our Stories")
"I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord." (Jeremiah 29:11)
Duane continued praying for me after returning to his church in Scotland. Those prayers led me to the First Baptist Church of Sweetwater, Florida.
That evening as I watched the children perform a special “Walk Through the Bible” musical, I renewed my commitment to Jesus and his plans for my life. It was a quiet commitment. Nothing profound happened. I was not overcome with emotion. But I was different, and I knew it.
After the service, I was invited to a young adult fellowship in a local home. During that fellowship, I sat next to a beautiful girl while playing the card game, UNO. Her name was Sherri. I had no idea she was the pastor’s daughter, and neither of us knew God had spoken to her daddy during that morning’s worship service.
It was not until we stood together at the altar that Sherri’s father shared with us - and everybody else in that packed church for the pastor’s daughter’s wedding - what God said to him.
And what God told him was that the young man sitting on the front row of the church was going to marry his daughter.
It was also at the wedding where my father-in-law-to-be announced my decision to move to Fort Worth, Texas, and attend seminary. And that’s how my boss found out I was leaving the company.
All of this happened at hurricane speed between September 1982 and April 1983.
Sherri and I remained for three months in Orlando after the wedding. In July of that year, we loaded up a U-Haul truck and drove to Fort Worth, Texas, where I earned a Master of Divinity degree. Our plans were to move back to the southeast. God, however, had other plans. Sherri and I stayed in Texas for twelve years, serving three churches.
During those years, our three children were born: Christina in 1987, Mary in 1988, and John in 1990. It was also during those years that the Divine Sculptor chiseled a lot of stony flesh, selfish ambition, and pride out of my life. I’ll share some of those stories in later chapters, but right now, I want you to stop and take some time to reflect on your life journey.
Where are you on your journey? Are you walking with God, or are you wandering in some wilderness? It’s easy to be distracted, and all of us experience some detours along the way. But God is faithful. The Divine Artist uses even those detours as the medium on the canvas of our lives.
This short series is an excerpt from my book, “Masterpiece in the Making: Life Lessons for Spiritual Growth.” Through both scripture and personal stories, I share how God has worked in my life over the years, and how he can use the events of your life to shape you into the masterpiece He is calling you to become.
In Christ,
Dan
Thank you Ptr. Dan. Blessed with this story.