When I was a youngster my folks would sometimes take my sister out for early evening car rides. Part of the reason was probably to help us relax so bedtime would go easier. We had no particular destination, but I remember how often we would wander down roads I had never been on. Every trip was an adventure because I never knew which way we were going to turn.
Have you ever noticed that life is sometimes like that when God is driving the car? You think your life is taking you one direction and then God surprises you by sending you another way. Sometimes, the road is not one you want to be on. Other times, the path turns out to be the best thing that could happen to you. One thing is certain – it’s almost always the last thing you expect.
Twenty years ago, I had exactly that very experience. I had been the associate pastor at St. Luke’s for three years. I knew at some point I wanted to have the opportunity to pastor my own church, but I wasn’t in a hurry. I was enjoying St. Luke’s. My children were doing well in our Children’s Center and my wife and I were expecting our third child.
It was during this time that I had an appointment with my doctor, who happened to be a St. Luke’s member. I still remember him bemoaning the fact that his practice kept him so busy that he found it difficult to get from Norman to St. Luke’s on many Sundays. He was trying to convince me to start a new church in Norman that he and his wife could attend. My life was about to take one of those crazy turns down a road that was not on any map I had!
Luke writes in Acts about how Jesus questioned Paul about “kicking against the goads”. (Acts 9:5) A goad is a sharp wooden object used to prod stubborn oxen to move in the direction you want them to go. In this case, Jesus was trying to get Paul’s attention. He was trying to turn him from persecuting Christians to preaching the Gospel. Jesus says to Paul, why do you “kick against the goads? It must hurt.” In my case there were no goads to prod me in a new direction, but my doctor was very convincing. I was willing to consider my doctor’s leading!
One thing led to another and before I knew it I was being considered to pastor a brand-new church in Norman that didn’t exist. In the meantime, life took even more detours as my wife was diagnosed with cancer and the start of the church was delayed for almost a year. Eventually, we did plant this new church in Norman in 2000 and it became a very real blessing in my life.
God was driving the car back then and sometimes we veered off the beaten path. We swerved one way and then another. The destination was not what I had expected, but sometimes God does that in our life. Best advice I can give you is sit back and enjoy the ride. With God, it will always be an adventure!
Rev. Dave Poteet, Pastor of Congregational Care
