The New Milestone

September 2010. The new journey begins! Now that I’m nearly 40 years old, I’m starting classes at Concordia Seminary. This certainly means I’m a slow learner. But, it also means I have much to offer those whom I’m going to meet along the next stretch of this journey!

I once tried to make it here and proceeded to crash before getting off of the runway. And so, I continue to celebrate the journey that God has placed me on, trusting in Him in ways I never would have when I was young.

For example, in 2005, I led a Bible study at my old church on the Book of Romans. During the course of that class, one of the participants came up to me and asked me if I had ever considered being a pastor. This question arrived at my heart like an exploding bomb.

I politely responded that I had once considered it, but that it didn’t work out. I then briefly explained how God had subsequently provided another plan for my life. The elderly woman smiled warmly and with equal politeness suggested that maybe it was time to try it God’s way. From that moment forward, I had a stone in my shoe. Per Greg Koukl, he portrays the image of a “stone in your shoe,” having something follow you, annoy you and become a point of tension in your life. This constant tension disrupts your journey, nagging you to take off your shoe and get that pebble out of there. So here I was, the stone in my show driving me crazy like it had when I was young.

I literally spent a year just praying about this topic. For a while I was simply asking God to remove the stone. And then, through time in His word and by the power of His Sprit, I eventually surrendered my will to him. I prayed everyday for His will to be done His way and in His time according to His plan.

That was four years ago. And now, here I am, ready to pass this new milestone…I’ll share that journey in this space and hopefully encourage you to celebrate your journey on the path God has laid out before you!

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. - Proverbs 3:5-6

Blessings!
Mark