Two weeks ago (January 27, 2008), after preaching at Gateway Church, an exciting church pastored by my friend, Ben Vegh, I was to fly to Phoenix for ministry there on Monday and Tuesday.

After lengthy delays in Muskegon, our plane landed in Detroit Metro. Walking as fast as possible to gate A15, I arrived fifteen minutes before the plane was to take off, only to discover the gate agent had given my first-class upgrade seat to another traveler.  She thought I was going to miss the flight due to the delay of my inbound flight.

You would have been proud of me!  Smiling and speaking calmly, I asked about my options.  The gate agent said, “You could take a flight tomorrow morning.”  I had this incredible peace, sensing that God was at work, ordering my schedule, although I didn’t relish the thought of overnighting in bitterly cold Detroit.

Within minutes the gate agent returned saying, “We have it worked out. You’ll be flying on this flight, but not in your originally assigned seat. You’re in 4D.”  All right – I’m on the flight!

My traveling partner in 4C was Jennifer, the national sales director for Cadillac, one of the Super Bowl’s lead advertisers.  This was going to be a very busy week as she directed various events leading up to the big day.  One of those special events was a golf clinic at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale on Monday morning with one of America’s noted golf teachers, David Leadbetter.

Then she added, “We’re doing something really special this year.  We have invited a celebrity football player to be part of the clinic – Kurt Warner.” 

“Kurt Warner!” I exclaimed.  “I was his pastor for several years in Des Moines, Iowa.”

Flabbergasted and almost unbelieving, she replied laughingly, “You’re kidding!”

It is true.  Kurt and Brenda, and their two oldest of seven children, attended First Assembly faithfully. We got to know them as they were active in our Newcomers Class and often sat with my wife, Debbie, on the second row. We ministered to them when Brenda’s parents were killed in an Arkansas tornado.

I had not seen them since they left Des Moines to play for the St. Louis Rams.  This is so unbelievable! I almost didn’t get on the flight – and had I gotten on the flight with my original seat, I would not have met Jennifer.  As my friend, Don George, likes to say, “Our steps and our stops are ordered by the Lord.”

Long story short – she invited me to participate in Monday morning’s golf clinic and see Kurt Warner.  Another amazing circumstance – my ministry commitments began on Monday afternoon, not Monday morning.

The bad news is that after nearly three hours of instruction on every aspect of golfing, my game is as poor as before.  The instructors are very good – the student struggles.  

The good news is, I had the privilege of having lunch with Kurt and several other guests of Jennifer.  For nearly an hour we chatted, catching up on what has been happening since 1997, when the Warners had moved from Des Moines.

Kurt’s football stardom has not changed him. Being a Super Bowl MVP has not gone to his head.  He is still approachable and humble.  It was exciting for me to hear about Kurt and Brenda’s dreams beyond football.  God is using the Warner family to affect a lot of people in a very positive way for Christ.

Occasionally, in the last eleven years, as I have watched Kurt masterfully direct his football team down the field for a winning touchdown, I have reflected with gratitude on how God gave us the privilege of having a small part in his spiritual rebirth and growth.

As we exchanged e-mails after lunch, we committed to stay in touch. I am excited to see how our ministries may cross paths and connect in the years to come. 

Here’s the point of this story – in any given day our schedules are disrupted. We are often disappointed when things don’t go according to our plan.  If we will commit our “steps and stops” to the Lord at the beginning of each day, God will perfectly direct us. We will be where we are to be – meet the people we are to meet – and experience all God intends for us every single day.  God has a way of using those unwelcomed disruptions and uncomfortable delays to position us for a big blessing.

I’m committed to finishing strong – to trust God with the details of my life, and seeing what neat surprises God brings my way as I rest in Him and relax in His plan for me today. 

I’d love to hear your story of how God used a delay or disruption to introduce a blessing into your life.

jmp

This entry was posted on Friday, February 8th, 2008 at 2:03 pm and is filed under Encouragement. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.