Between Sundays

I am an Alabama boy. Born and raised twenty-five miles south of Birmingham, I can claim no less. Yet, at the movement of the Lord's hand I left home at the age of 22 and took up residence in a small dorm room on the campus of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. At the time, I knew no one and possessed only the few items that would fit into the backseat of my Grand Am. The future was still somewhere beyond the horizon, and although I strained to lift my head and see the Lord's plan I had to watch God uncover it one day at a time.

What a difference those passing years made. This past August marked the sixth anniversary of that move and I still reside within the border of Texas. Only now I find myself as the pastor of a small congregation in Nederland (a town I didn't know existed six years ago). I have a beautiful wife with whom I celebrated four years of marriage last month, and a remarkable son who continues to amaze me day by day as his little feet run through the house.

It would have been impossible for me to have imagined the dawn of all these events while sitting in that small dorm room, and yet looking back I stand amazed at the brillance of God's beautiful plan. I know that every native Texan claims that their state is next to heaven, and while I have yet to agree with that assessment I can say that this is where God has placed me, so there is no better place to be than in His will. Consequently, I guess that makes Texas a great place for this Alabama boy to reside as I praise the Lord for His marvelous work.