Divine Appointment

I’m sharing some excerpts from my in-progress manuscript about Rich’s Ride. You can check out previous posts here.

Yesterday I posted an article over at Bouncing Back (Divine Trajectory) that sets up some background for this incident. I invite you to drop by and take a look.

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During the second week of the journey we were invited to address the students at North Central University in downtown Minneapolis. When the leader inquired about how I wanted to be introduced, I asked if he wanted to have some fun. He smiled and nodded, so I said, “Okay, don’t introduce me at all. Introduce Monte, and then casually mention that Monte’s owner came along.”

So after some great music the leader said, “I’m about to do something I’ve never done in all my years as a pastor. I’m going to introduce a dog named Monte as today’s presenter. Oh, by the way, Monte brought along his owner.”

What a great way to spark curiosity and hook an audience. The students, of course, absolutely loved the idea of a dog in their chapel service. As I rolled onto the platform I stared into a sea of eight hundred excited young faces. Curious college students, a dog, the attention-grabbing handcycle, and the crazy story of this God-inspired ride created an ideal atmosphere for a message about hope, inspiration, and dreams.

At the end of the presentation students approached the stage and placed dollar bills and handfuls of coins near the bike to support Convoy Of Hope. Later we discovered that their impromptu offering totaled nearly $600. As I soaked up their warm response and talked to individuals afterward, I could only hope they received some small fraction of the inspiration they gave me.

Afterward we had lunch with the university’s administrators, another interaction filled with encouragement. By the time we got the trailer packed up and prepared to leave a couple of hours later we were PUMPED about getting back on the road.

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We pulled forward and stopped at a red light. A young man across the street waved and ran toward us. He motioned for me to lower my window.

“I was in chapel this morning, and I need to tell you a story.”

The light turned green, but he motioned for the folks behind us to wait. This was obviously important. So as horns honked impatiently he related this tale.

“Today is the first time I’ve been to chapel since school started. This summer I was diagnosed with a chronic illness, and I’ve been angry at God. Before this happened I was sure He’d called me to be a pastor but now it looked like that couldn’t happen. I actually considered not returning to school, but I didn’t know what else to do. So I came back but my heart wasn’t in it. So that’s why I haven’t been to chapel. I kept talking to Him, asking WHY, but I wasn’t hearing any answers.”

Horns continued to honk, but he needed to finish.

“This morning I felt like I was supposed to go to chapel. I wasn’t sure why, and I didn’t really want to. But I felt God telling me to go. So I showed up.

“I had no idea you’d be there, but I understand now that God wanted me to hear your story. I’ve been feeling sorry for myself. I decided God couldn’t use me, but your message reminded me that God can use anyone, even a guy with this disease.”

Moments like this remind me of the trajectory of Apollo 13. I picture all the different trajectories that had to come together at that urban intersection. I think of all the apparently unrelated course corrections that brought me, Becky, and that student to the same place and time. I try to imagine all the choices that were made years earlier that led to that day, the complex arcs of different lives leading to one specific appointment. It’s reminiscent of that Apollo mission, except much longer-term with nearly infinite variables and moving parts.

I don’t think it was accident or coincidence. I believe God brought all of those trajectories to that specific point in time to accomplish His purpose. I have no clue how that works. I don’t begin to understand how God’s omnipotence meshes with human free will. He’s God, I’m not. But I don’t believe we experienced a chance encounter.

Weeks before the ride began we met with our core advisory group. As we wrapped up our discussion, Dick Foth prayed for the people we would meet. He named specific individuals: a parent struggling with a disabled child, someone facing financial challenges, a young person searching for direction, a couple wondering about a collapsing marriage. He asked God to open and prepare their hearts and to arrange divine appointments in which they might be impacted.

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

God was doing a new thing that morning. We didn’t simply run into a kid at a random corner. At a downtown Minneapolis intersection, with irritated drivers waiting impatiently behind us, we kept a divine appointment.

Please leave a comment here.

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If you’re in the Fort Collins area, I hope you’ll plan to join us at Timberline Church on Wednesday, January 18^th, at 7:00 pm. Along with Pastor Dick Foth we’ll share stories and insights and talk about dreaming God-sized dreams.