Several years ago TLC had a series on the air called Connections. The host of the series, James Burke, would take an interesting approach to history. He would begin with some obscure historical fact or event and trace people, places, and other events through time. Essentially, what would happen is that while he would start the documentary by discussing tea in Dutch-ruled India, he would end the show with radio-astronomy. Topics discussed between the two would be diverse and all connected in some way or another.
I think God does something very similar in our lives as we move along our faith journey. To show how this works, I'm going to trace some connections that God has maneuvered in my own life...I'm going to connect a Muleshoe High School choir concert to how T.V. came to Haskell.
In 2005 I was deeply searching for where God wanted me to be. I was struggling with many different things spiritually. I knew that God loved me, I knew that he was calling me somewhere, but I had no idea where or what that entailed. That December, the choir teacher and band director were having their annual winter concert. Someone came up with the idea that it would be fun for the faculty to join the band and the choir in their final performance piece at their Sunday afternoon concert. So I agreed to donate my voice to the effort. A friend of mine, Sally Messenger, also had agreed to sing. At one of the practices she asked me if I would be willing to come and help her church out with their church choir when they sang their Christmas special at the Methodist Church. They were short male voices that year and so I agreed to go and help.
Since it was getting close to the performance, I was only able to make it to a couple of practices. The Sunday we were to sing was only the second time that I had ever gone to the Methodist Church on a Sunday morning. As I sat in the choir loft that morning, I really didn't know what to expect. The church service began and they went through a couple of typical church-y things. But then a short, balding man got up to offer a prayer. At the time, I had no idea who this guy was. When he began to pray (what I found out later is called the pastoral prayer) I was absolutely blown away. I had never heard anyone pray the way this man did. He actually prayed like he believed that God was listening to him!
I found out later that this man was the pastor of the church and his name was Monty Leavell. Now Monty was instrumental in helping me discern my calling into the ministry. He prayed with me, encouraged me, and kept up with all of the necessary paperwork and details that needed to be done for my candidacy process to proceed. When it came time to look into seminaries, there were several options. But truthfully I knew that there was only one option for me. I wanted to attend the school where Monty had gone...I wanted to be formed the same way he had been formed. That's why I went to Asbury.
When I was at seminary, I met all sorts of wonderful people. People who literally had come from all parts of the world. More amazing than that, Asbury was a place that sent people back out all over the world. As a part of their willingness to be a world-wide educational institution, the seminary began to work classes into international study. My good friend Tom had gone to Costa Rica with a leadership class the second January we were in Wilmore. He talked about it so much that he really inspired me to want to go. That fall, Tom and I took an Old Testament exegesis class together under a man named Michael Matlock. Towards the end of the semester, Dr. Matlock told us that he would be teaching a course in January. As a part of that course, the class would go to Costa Rica for study with the pastors in that country. Tom highly encouraged me to go. So after prayer, Myranda and I decided to go for it.
During that class I made some wonderful friends. One of the guys in the class was Ed Dickens. Now Ed spent most of his time on the Asbury campus in Orlando, so I had never met him before. But since he was living in Georgia, he was able to take this class with us in Kentucky. After we got to Costa Rica, Myranda and I really got to know Ed better. He's a great guy to be around and is so easy to work with. He has a great sense of humor and we really just clicked. After we got back from our trip, Ed decided to take a class or two in Wilmore for his last semester. So in the spring of 2011, I got to see Ed in chapel on a regular basis. In April of that year, I finally got a call from the district superintendent telling me that I was coming to Haskell as their pastor. While I was unfamiliar with Haskell, Ed knew all about it!
You see, Ed took several classes in Orlando. One of the professors in Orlando was raised in Haskell. Apparently, Dr. Steve Harper loved growing up in Haskell so much that he would often refer back to his home town. He would talk about being raised in a small West Texas town and the influence that the people in the community and especially in the United Methodist Church had on his formation as a person. I'll never forget the day I told Ed that I was going to Haskell. He got really excited and told me how wonderfully blessed I was to be going to that place. He encouraged me to get in contact with Dr. Harper and let him know who I was.
So right after I came to FUMC Haskell, I e-mailed Dr. Harper. He e-mailed me back a very nice and encouraging letter. To this day, I have never met Steve Harper. I hope that some day I will. But until then I get to share a connection with him that is very special to me. He and I know many of the same people. Every week I get to stand in the pulpit and preach to the same individuals and families with whom he has a long history. A few weeks ago Dr. Harper's newest book was released for sale. This book is called When TV Came to Town. I have yet to read the book, but it has made quite a splash here in Haskell. Several members of our congregation have read it and have thoroughly enjoyed it.
I don't believe in coincidences. I firmly believe that God places people in our lives for specific times and for specific reasons. At the time, we might not be able to see how the connections are taking place or why the connection is significant, but as we move forward with our spiritual life we might occasionally catch a glimpse of what he's doing. All of these people are connected to me and I to them in a wonderful way. They have contributed to my preaching, teaching, and pastoral ministry. While some of these people may not know each other, they are connected in a wonderful and miraculous way. I've discovered that whether we embrace the opportunities for us to know people or not is our choice. So I am choosing to know others...to be influenced by them...to grow in my relationships with others. I want God to connect me with others and to see how those connections serve his wider kingdom. I joyfully thank God for that choir concert in Muleshoe and how it led me to know how TV came to Haskell. Until next time...
For more information about Dr. Harper's book go to http://www.amazon.com/When-TV-Came-To-Town/dp/1482779358 or if you're on facebook check out the page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/When-TV-Came-To-Town/590367387649409?fref=ts
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