Yesterday is a day I will never forget. It was one of those days where you think you have a pretty good plan when you wake up but something happens that blows your mind. The morning routine was noneventful. I started with ten things I wrote in my gratitude journal that I'm thankful for. I ate breakfast at my hotel and jumped in my rental vehicle to head for the caves in Kentucky. The weather was perfect. The trees lining the highway made me feel like I was already back with nature and the joy of experiencing Mammoth Cave got my heart beating. There wasn't even a hint the plans would deviate.
The moment I crossed the Ohio River I spotted this really cool spot along the riverfront filled with pathways, park benches and lookout points. I pulled over, parked, and started walking along the riverfront. I found a bench swing and sat down facing the river. My mind drifted to my wife and I wished she was swinging with me. When I called, there was no answer. I took a picture to share later and headed back to my truck. The road out of town revealed two church steeples and I said a little prayer..."Jesus, if one of these churches is my denomination, I promise to stop and visit." The first church wasn't a match. I was in the far right lane when I approached the second church on my left so I quickly pulled into the parking lot where there was a social center. There was one spot left in the parking lot and I barely squeezed by Dodge 1500 Quad Cab into the space. There were two ladies holding the door and I was curious so I walked in. It was some kind of party and they were selling lunch tickets for $7.00. Everyone was speaking Spanish. I thought, here we go, a chance to practice.
"Que es esto?" I asked, meaning what is this?
"Retiro."
I knew what this meant because I attended a life-changing retreat while living in Southern California. There were only two others in the room who looked like they might be English speaking so I went over to find out what was up. I told them I was praying while driving by and told God I would pull over if there was a match with my faith.
"Looks like God has other plans for you today," one of the ladies said with a smile on her face. My five minute pit stop ended with an extra surprise nearly nine hours after I pulled over to spend time with God. The gentleman who was leading the music pointed to me and signaled for me to come up and stand next to him. I turned around to see who he was pointing to. My heart rate shot up when I realized he was calling me to stand in front of 100 people who don't even speak English. Oh boy!
I shared my story about how I was praying and found this church by accident. My plans weren't part of the journey. God had something much different in mind. By the way, this isn't any kind of ordinary retreat. It's "Charismatic." I'm going back today for another six hours. I told my new friends, "hasta manana." Come back tomorrow and I'll share the rest of the story. Have a great day.
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