Going Home

I have been thinking recently about how nice it was to get back home to Moline, Illinois recently. I love going home for various reasons… but it really can be encouraging to me in various ways:

1) It’s good to remember where I came from.

Going home always reminds me of my ideals, of the things I dreamed about as a kid. I am reminded of my upbringing. I remember my background. I remember the circumstances that formed me – for good or bad. Sometimes ministry has a tendency to turn me into a cynic. Remembering where I came from helps me fight that tendency.

2) It’s good to remember the people who invested in me and believe in me.

When I go home, I often run into people who were very influential in my life. Obviously, my family... parents, brother, grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins… it is good to reconnect with all of those people. But I also run into church family: people who taught my Sunday School classes, pastors who made a difference in the way I view ministry, friends who supported me, men and women who believed in me even in the midst of my self doubt. Being able to see them again is a great joy.

3) It’s encouraging to see how much the people you care about have grown.

Last weekend, I was able to get home to Moline for a very brief stay. (We arrived in Moline at 6:00PM on Friday night and left the next morning at 10:30AM.) My brother and some of his friends had put together a concert and he invited me down. I had a great time! The concert went about 2.5 hours and it was tremendous. I grew up with most of the guys in the band. I was about five or more years older than them. I even taught one in 5th grade Sunday School when I was a senior in high school.

These guys have been friends for years, but this was the first time that they actually played ‘together’ as a band. They put together a set list that included The Cranberries, Johnny Cash, U2, Goo Goo Dolls, The Beatles, Chris Tomlin, and many, many others. It was a treat to hear these guys play together and realize that they are better than any church band that I have worked with. Jeff and Mitch just blew me away with their guitar solos. I’ve played a little bit of guitar, but my mind can’t even begin to comprehend how their fingers can move that fast.

The most fantastic thing throughout the night was that they continue to use their gifts to worship God. When they played through their worship stuff… it wasn’t an after thought. They invested as much creative energy into ‘Amazing Grace’ and ‘Old Rugged Cross’ and ‘Not to Us’ than they did songs like ‘Johnny B. Goode’ and their other favorites. I had the privilege of being able to work with these guys when they were in Jr. High… but they are 2,000 times better now… it’s encouraging to see growth in people you care about and grew up with.

Anyway, this post felt more like a journal entry than a blog post… but I don’t really care. It’s been good to visit home recently. That’s one thing that is hard about ministry: Not being able to see family as much. Melissa works Monday – Friday… I work Sunday – Thursday, basically… so little weekend getaways are rare. Especially considering I only get two Sundays off a year… going home is kind of a luxury for me. So, I enjoy it whenever I get the opportunity.