stuff i think

awash with memories....

Kelsey and I had a long, substantial talk last night. Well, the sort of long, substantial talk a couple has while hauling their 3 boys through Target and trying to buy the 7 year old shoes. Let the reader understand.

The talk ranged widely over what we've done for the past eight years or so and how we landed on the decisions we landed on. We talked about vision and mission and calling and laces vs. velcro. It was glorious and domestic at the same time.

This morning as I was getting ready, I had the strangest experience....it was a memory, but it was way more than a memory. It wasn't a vision, but it was a sensing....I really felt it to be supernatural.

Years back, we were pursuing church planting with all the finesse of a yak in an evening gown. We really wanted to plant, and were looking for direction. Our denomination sent us on what we now joke about as the Tour of Ohio, looking at different locations. One of those locations was Loraine, Ohio...on the lake, just west of Cleveland.

This morning, I was suddenly standing on the shore of the lake in Loraine, looking north across the grey waters. It was a little, ratty city park with trash everywhere. I was trying to convince myself that this was what God wanted us to do...although in my heart of hearts, I was hearing "close, but no cigar." (God speaks to me like that. It's endearing at times....although sometimes I sort of wish I'd get that booming voice thing from the movies).

My take away is this...it's possible to move forward with part of a vision and miss the target. I want to make sure we're 100% lined up when we go for it.