Seven years ago today, our family saw Alpena, Michigan, for the very first time. Sensing strongly that it was time to leave our current ministry in California - but having little direction about what might be next - we accepted an invitation to visit Alpena for an exploratory visit.
Other than occasionally seeing the name of the town on the maps on The Weather Channel, we had never heard of Alpena before. Our internet searches told us that Alpena was a small town, near Lake Huron, and very far north. We knew a little more than that - but not much more.
We had little clarity about next steps at the time of that first visit, but we decided that there was wisdom in being open. So we came for a visit, hoping for a word from God.
We left San Francisco that day well before dawn, during one of the most impressive storms we had ever seen in northern California. Driving to the airport at 3:00 in the morning that day was terrifying. Somehow, we hit a massive pothole on the freeway just north of the Golden Gate Bridge and had a blowout. We limped to the side of the road, wondering if we would even make it to the airport . . . when a tow truck mysteriously appeared. Within minutes, we were back on the road, stunned by God's timely provision. Driving on - now in reverent silence - we tried to make sense of what had just happened. Eventually, we entered into the debate: was the flat tire a sign of some kind - or was the quick rescue a sign? Without much specific reason, we settled on the second option and pressed on toward the airport.
We changed planes in Chicago, and then flew into Saginaw. Two memories stick in my mind. First, Bruce Duncan (one of the church's search team members) was wearing shorts when he met us at the Saginaw airport (in late December). Second, when we stopped at a mini-mart to get some snacks, Bruce left his vehicle running while we all went inside. I know - that's not that big a deal. At the time, however, I'd never seen anybody do that. Where we were from, cars would disappear if you did that sort of thing even for a moment.
We spent about two days in Alpena. We saw the sights - nearly all of them. We listened and talked. We asked questions. We prayed. And we began to sense a pull that was hard to explain. That year, 2006, there was no significant snowfall in northern Michigan until the very end of the year - after we had gone back home - so we convinced ourselves that winter was something we could easily manage. (Had we come for a visit in December of 2013 I'm not sure what we would have thought!)
Sorting out our feelings - and working hard to discern leadership from God - we flew home a couple of days later ready to make the most significant change we had ever made. We were scared to death. But the word that kept coming up in our family conversations was the word adventure.
People handle their mid-life crises in lots of different ways. The way I handled mine was to move to northern Michigan.
Seven years is a long time. Looking back, those early days of decision were precious and intimate days with God - for our whole family. From my vantage point here at the end of 2013, I have to say that we've never done anything more difficult in all our lives. And as wonderful as these seven years have been, they have also been immensely challenging. Lots of days we wondered if we would even survive. And that is still a legitimate question for us from time to time.
Over the past seven years, we have worked hard and learned a lot. Mostly, we've learned a lot about ourselves. I'm not sure that I can name four things that we've accomplished here, but the one thing I'm sure about is that we have been changed. I generally go into new things thinking about how my presence will affect other people. In this case, whatever else has happened, we are the ones who have been most affected.
I talk often about God's unusual ways. If I ever need to understand the meaning of "unusual," I simply think of what happened at the end of 2006 when God called us to northern Michigan.
Adventure?
Yes . . . and then some.
We changed planes in Chicago, and then flew into Saginaw. Two memories stick in my mind. First, Bruce Duncan (one of the church's search team members) was wearing shorts when he met us at the Saginaw airport (in late December). Second, when we stopped at a mini-mart to get some snacks, Bruce left his vehicle running while we all went inside. I know - that's not that big a deal. At the time, however, I'd never seen anybody do that. Where we were from, cars would disappear if you did that sort of thing even for a moment.
We spent about two days in Alpena. We saw the sights - nearly all of them. We listened and talked. We asked questions. We prayed. And we began to sense a pull that was hard to explain. That year, 2006, there was no significant snowfall in northern Michigan until the very end of the year - after we had gone back home - so we convinced ourselves that winter was something we could easily manage. (Had we come for a visit in December of 2013 I'm not sure what we would have thought!)
Sorting out our feelings - and working hard to discern leadership from God - we flew home a couple of days later ready to make the most significant change we had ever made. We were scared to death. But the word that kept coming up in our family conversations was the word adventure.
People handle their mid-life crises in lots of different ways. The way I handled mine was to move to northern Michigan.
Seven years is a long time. Looking back, those early days of decision were precious and intimate days with God - for our whole family. From my vantage point here at the end of 2013, I have to say that we've never done anything more difficult in all our lives. And as wonderful as these seven years have been, they have also been immensely challenging. Lots of days we wondered if we would even survive. And that is still a legitimate question for us from time to time.
Over the past seven years, we have worked hard and learned a lot. Mostly, we've learned a lot about ourselves. I'm not sure that I can name four things that we've accomplished here, but the one thing I'm sure about is that we have been changed. I generally go into new things thinking about how my presence will affect other people. In this case, whatever else has happened, we are the ones who have been most affected.
I talk often about God's unusual ways. If I ever need to understand the meaning of "unusual," I simply think of what happened at the end of 2006 when God called us to northern Michigan.
Adventure?
Yes . . . and then some.