Going Back

God gave me an awesome privilege yesterday. I was able to be the guest speaker at Seven Springs Baptist Church in Seven Springs, NC. To some, that isn't very significant, but for me, it was. You see, when I was about 10 years old, my dad received a call to be the pastor there at Seven Springs Baptist Church back in 1984. Yes, that was a long time ago. Those two years there were significant in my life as a preacher's kid--even when I got in trouble! The relationships and the memories that were built have never left me. And, yesterday, I got to stand behind the same podium that my dad stood behind over 20 years ago and share God's word with people whom I love. And, I believe that God used those brief years there to shape and mold me for where he would take me in years to come.

And yesterday, God, by his grace and providence, gave me the opportunity to go back and be the homecoming speaker. It was great! The building was in a different place because of flooding. But, in so many ways, it still felt like home for me--getting to see Sunday school teachers that put up with me and seeing childhood friends with whom I "ran" the neighborhood--from one end to the other. You see, Seven Springs is a small town right on the Neuse River. So small in fact, we could ride our bikes from my house (the parsonage) to a friend's house on the other end of town in, oh....about 5 minutes--the only obstacle--main street, but it wasn't usually too busy. What great times--playing GIJoe in the back yard, playing basketball, riding our bikes, being able to walk the entire town on Halloween to trick or treat, going "down to the river" under the bridge, or just standing around waiting for the bus playing soccer at 7 AM. Memories and friendships like that are very important to me as a preacher's kid who moved several times. Some people stay in the same town all their lives; that wasn't the case for me. Maybe that's why I hang on to memories like that. I've always had an affinity for that kind of small town; I don't know, maybe it's the country boy in me that you can't get rid of.

Needless to say, being there yesterday was very special to me. Some of the folks I hadn't seen in 24 years. Yet, there was still a sense of family. Yeah, I know, I was a kid back then, but the people loved my family and me--and I could still sense it yesterday. My eyes are watering right now because of thinking about those times and the friendships that were made. After yesterday and with the advancement in technology (Facebook), now I can get back in touch with many of those friends. I probably will need to apologize to some of them if I was mean to them back then--I'm sorry if I was. I know we were just kids, but...

So, thank you Seven Springs Baptist Church for the hospitality, love, and friendship you showed my family and me--back in the 1980s and yesterday.

May God grant you the grace to be "steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." I love you all.