Faith Words: Adventure Driving

John & I did a little "adventure driving" last week.  Living out in West Texas, you get used to flat land and wide horizons.  But not all of the world looks like West Texas.  Not too far away are some of the most breathtaking views you can imagine.

It was time again for the 2015 Annual Church Planters' Family Reunion in Branson, Missouri.  At first, we planned to fly to Tulsa and then rent a car and drive to Branson. But that wasn't much of a time or money saver, so we drove.  Over 2,000 miles roundtrip, as it turned out.

Once we decided to drive to Branson, we took a look at the map and noted that we'd pass near several old cemeteries where John's ancestors were buried.  And on our way home from Branson, we wandered the back roads of Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas looking for old family cemeteries.  Strange as it may sound, it was the highlight of our trip.

The adventure driving came into play when we actual tried to find these remote places.  Directions to old church yards and cemeteries are often sketchy and take you on roads that are off the beaten path to be sure.  One set of directions said to follow the road for several miles up and down hills till the church appears on the right.  They forgot to mention that you can't see the church from the direction we were travelling or that it's not nearly as far out in the middle of nowhere as it sounded.  Needless to say, we flew right by it.  Thankfully, the little church was clearly visible when we turned around and headed back to town.

But even with all the potholes, dirt roads, puddles, twists and turns, it was just the most fun!  Imagine a trip to an unknown land with the hope of discovery at the end. When we located each cemetery and the many family resting places, we felt a strange bond and connection with family and loved ones we'd never met - many we'd never knew existed before.  In these remotes places, we'd found another step in the journey home.

Our journey in this life is full of adventures - some exciting and breathtaking, many difficult and heartbreaking.  But each turn, each day, we're just that much closer to our destination.  Along the way, we discover we're not alone. We have countless friends and family waiting for us, luring us on to our goal:  a cloud of witnesses.  And what a discovery waits at the end of the road!

Keep driving - you're almost home.

Love,

Patrice

Hebrews 12:1  (NIV)

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.