Stuck in Dallas Traffic

Last Friday afternoon I found myself stuck in downtown Dallas traffic at rush hour trying to make my way through the bumpers and brake lights and exhaust fumes to get a car load of kids to the Youth Evangelism Conference.  It hit me as I sat there trying to figure out how to get there after missing a turn I needed to take - 23 years ago, in 1988, I was doing the same thing.

I was a single staff pastor in a little church stuck in downtown Dallas traffic at rush hour with a van load of kids trying to get them to the Youth Evangelism Conference. I was full of anxiety and anticipation on my first trip out of town with the youth group.  I missed my turn back then too. I could not imagine then that 23 years later in a much larger church, with a much larger staff, with a much larger youth group, I would still be doing the same thing.

Somehow it hit me - this is progress, to still be doing the same thing.  That first van load of kids I took to Dallas are all grown now, I did three weddings from that group in that van that day.  They have children of their own.  Last Friday I was taking my own child to YEC to see her commissioned for a mission trip overseas. Gone is the Reunion Arena that we went to 23 years ago.  It is now a parking lot for the Dallas Convention Center that we went to this year.  So many things have changed, yet so many things are still the same.  God worked in those kids then and God worked on the kids last week too. 

Who knows, maybe 23 years from now, God willing, I maybe stuck in Dallas traffic again trying to get to Youth Evangelism Conference to see my grand kids.  If I am, I will see doing the same thing over again as progress.

For the journey...