This week an old friend, Mary Armas Quillin, started a facebook group for a ministry that we were a part of back in the late 70's and early 80's. It should be noted that Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington Illinois was born out of a Youth Group known as "Son City". It's a long story, but easily verifiable when you do a search of Willow's history. At any rate, Mary started a Son City Alumni group and was gracious enough to make me the first "officer" of the group. The group has grown like wildfire the first few days and we already have 70 members, I'm sure much more very soon. It has been so great to connect with old friends and find out what some of them are up to today. Most of all, I think that many of us are truly feeling again that return of the "joy of salvation". I'll be thinking of this group often while I take Luke and a few of his buddies to Hayward for his birthday trip. I'll probably be wondering who else will join and who I'll get to be reconnected with when I get home. That's the "backwards" part.
The "forward" of this is that I began to think a few days ago about this little trip with the boys and really felt as though I needed to really live in that upcoming moment, to just enjoy the time with the boys, to live with them in their moment, to just have fun and not allow the stress of church get the best of me. I remembered when I first became friends with Jesus, the very first thing I thought of every morning when my feet hit the ground was "I'm a Christian!" Now, I don't know when that thought pops in, some time after "blah, blah, blah San Damiano" and "what the hell should I do to provide for my family". I truly love my life, my family and my church... really, I couldn't be happier or prouder or more fulfilled. I just need to get back to that place of wide-eyed wonder. That "live in this moment" or more appropriately for the next few days, "enjoy their moment" place. So tonight, I just wanted to look a little forward, not too far, just a few days ahead. I'll be at my favorite place in the world, the beautiful shores of Teal Lake with a few of my kids (Tate is going with us, too) a few of Luke's little buds. I'll get to tell one of my stories to them when they hit the hay. I'll get to watch as a few of them catch one of the biggest fish... ever. You know, fish stories need to start somewhere! I'll also be grateful. More grateful than I have been lately for my wife, my kids, my mom and dad. I'll be more mindful of the great journey that the Lord has brought me through in regard to fellowship with my other saint-friends, past, present and who He'll lead me to in the future. I have had so much, I have so much. I look forward to what's next. Backwards and forward.
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