Thursday, February 4, 2016

#3 - A "Chance" Meeting (The Year of 52)

I was fortunate to be part of a large youth ministry @ Anderson Hills Church, across the road from Anderson Middle School and the High School next door to it. At one point there were almost 200 teens gathering weekly, from 8th grade through High School. Out of this group from 1978 to 1982 came at least 9 Pastors and an uncountable number of church leaders, elders and deacons.

It is here that I met the girl I've spent 30 years being married to. Although there is a discrepancy about when we met. I like to tell it this way: "We were both born in '64. She met me when we were 14. I met her when we were 16."

That could be a descriptive microcosm of our lives. In short, I'm a little slow on the uptake!

The impact of the youth ministry at Anderson Hills Church on my life cannot be told in a blog post or summed up in any number of pithy statements. God used people like the Campbell's, Stu & Betty Carey, Barb Dierking, Gary & Trish, Mike Slaughter and Mark Rowland to shape my life. The project of this arrogant and competitive creature who often thought he was better than he was, was indeed a labor of love. There's no other way they could have made it through!!

Not everyone had the same experience as me. I've met countless participants in that same youth group who painted pictures that looked nothing like what I experienced. Years later, after I was out of Seminary, I ran into someone who commented: "I thought it was all a myth, just for fun." We were on the same retreats and in the same Parlor at AHUMC.

That's the way it is with so much in our lives - chance meetings, paths cross. Some roads we choose to take. Other roads are left alone. What impacts one doesn't impact another.

I imagine back to those days and see where I could have chosen a different path, 100 different ones. How life would have been different.

I don't believe that God creates one person for each of us to marry, if we choose the path of marriage. If that were the case, then when one person chose wrong, well, it's like dominoes! We all have choices. Our choices take us places.

I'm glad I chose to believe and follow the truth of Jesus.

It wasn't until years later that Stephanie and I dated. And broke up - ok, ok - I broke up with her the week before Christmas! Yes, I am that guy! She still gave me the hat she hand-knit....and I still have the hat. We dated and broke up - yes, again and yes it was me! She was patient.

Then that day in March 1983 when I invited myself to her sorority dance and, well, she didn't refuse. The rest is history.

Choices. I've not always made great or wise ones. Change meetings. Some we ignore while purusing others. I'm glad I pursued this one......or did she pursue me?


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