In 1970 God saved me.  As a little kid I was baptized into the faith at Huffman Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama.  Not long after that my dad moved us to another church close by.  The next time I etered the building was 8 years later when the Huffman High School class of 1978 had their commencement.  The next time I came to HBC was October 10, 2010… to preach in view of a call to be their pastor.

In the 32 intervening years I went to college… was called into the ministry… got married… had children… graduated from seminary with my masters and doctorate… served as pastor of four churches and interim pastor of one.  And now, much to my joyful surprise and blessing, I returned to Huffman Baptist and will soon begin ministry as their pastor.  I guess you could call that coming full circle…

I never thought my life would have included such a blessing.  I drove by HBC hundreds of times… never once thinking about being their pastor.  But then my friend Ryan Whitley knew some people there and that they were looking for a pastor.  He gave them my resume… and eight months later I became their pastor.  Who’d have ever thought it but God…

(Pause) Could I ask you to consider that God is in the process of working out His will in your life?  He is in the process of doing things you have no idea about.  In order to get you where HE wills you to be, He will take you down roads you don’t expect.  He will turn events and circumstances upside down that won’t make sense to you… but they are in His plan none the less.  Trust Him.  Since He’s God He does know what He’s doing!

It may take weeks… months… or years for it to come together.  For me it was 29 months… but a fraction of a nano-second in God’s view.  So don’t fret… don’t worry… don’t be anxious.  God is in control.  He knows what He’s doing.  One day, eventually, it all will make sense!

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding…” (Proverbs 3:5).