The People God Puts in Our Path
Sometimes God reveals Himself through a sermon or a moment of worship.
Sometimes He shows up through a stranger, a slice of pizza, or ten people squeezed into a passenger van.
The challenge is that I don't always recognize Him in the moment.
Sometimes I need to slow down, look back, and notice what God was doing while I was focused on getting somewhere else.
Our trip began when Michael and I picked up the passenger van and drove it to the Perrysburg campus. We helped everyone load their luggage, and somehow all ten of us left on time.
That felt like our first miracle.
The first road-trip question was simple:
What is your favorite road-trip song?
It didn't take long to discover who slanders country music, which grown adult male loves Olivia Rodrigo, and just how different our musical tastes are.
We may not always agree on the playlist.
But we were on the road together.
Finding Our Way
On the way to Chicago, I took responsibility for finding parking so Lauren could focus on other things.
Finding a place for a passenger van became much more complicated than typing “parking” into a map. I had to consider the height of the vehicle, the safety of the area, the walking distance, and the attractions we wanted to visit.
It took me nearly two hours.
At the same time, I helped Michael navigate. I watched the route, told him which lane he needed, and tried to keep us on course.
Driving into Chicago wasn't nearly as bad as I expected.
In the moment, I was focused on directions.
Which lane?
Which exit?
Which parking lot?
Looking back, I can see that serving the people around me had already begun. Lauren needed something taken off her plate. Michael needed another set of eyes on the road. Our group needed a safe place to leave the van.
None of it felt particularly spiritual at the time.
It just felt like something that needed to be done.
But Proverbs 3:5–6 teaches us not to rely entirely on our own understanding. As we trust and acknowledge God, He directs our paths.
I was focused on finding the right streets.
God was preparing to show me the people He had placed along them.
Popcorn, Pizza, and a Rite of Passage
Our first stop was Garrett's Popcorn.
Then came deep-dish pizza.
After sitting in the van for so long, it felt good to walk.
It felt even better to eat.
We tried margherita pizza and an amazing hot-honey deep-dish slice.
That hot-honey pizza was one big bite of heaven.
I'm sure I could find a spiritual lesson in it.
But sometimes really good pizza is just really good pizza.
Afterward, we posed in front of the bronze wings. According to Lauren, taking a picture there was a Chicago rite of passage.
Everyone posed differently.
Everyone's personality came out.
At the time, we were simply taking pictures.
Looking back, I realize I wasn't only seeing Chicago.
I was beginning to see the people around me differently.
Looking for People in Our Path
We packed our leftover pizza into individual boxes and began looking for people God might put in our path.
The pizza wasn't much.
But it was something we had to offer.
Our first encounter was with a woman and her dog. Her dog was sweet and seemed thrilled that people were spending time with its owner.
Then we met Esteban.
It was cold and lightly raining. Esteban was sitting outside and shivering.
I knelt beside him, handed him the pizza I was carrying, and asked if he knew Jesus.
He said yes.
We prayed together.
Then we smiled at one another.
The interaction didn't last long. We didn't solve every problem in Esteban's life. We simply gave him what we had, shared our faith, and prayed.
At the time, I was focused on the cold, the pizza, and the person in front of me.
It was later, upon reflection, that I began to recognize the significance of the moment.
In Matthew 25:35–40, Jesus teaches that when we serve someone in need, we are also serving Him.
I thought I was handing Esteban a box of pizza.
Looking back, I can see that God was giving me an opportunity to encounter Jesus through someone He had placed directly in my path.
I don't know everything about Esteban's life.
I don't know whether I'll ever see him again here on Earth.
But I look forward to seeing you in heaven, my brother Esteban.
Later, another intern noticed a family and pointed them out to Brianna.
She looked at me and asked if I would go with her.
Of course I would.
Maybe she was nervous.
Approaching a stranger in an unfamiliar city can be uncomfortable.
I didn't need to take over.
I simply needed to stand beside her.
In the moment, it didn't feel like I was doing much.
Looking back, I realize that may have been the point.
Ecclesiastes 4:9–10 reminds us that two are better than one because they can help one another when someone struggles or falls.
Sometimes helping someone doesn't mean doing something for them.
Sometimes it means standing beside them while they do something they aren't sure they can do alone.
Maybe God didn't give me Brianna's opportunity.
Maybe He gave me the opportunity to walk beside Brianna while she stepped into hers.
The Cheesiest Fingers in Chicago
We continued exploring the city.
The Harry Potter store had everything we could imagine: a Sorting Hat, pranks, and merchandise from all four houses.
From there, we headed toward the LEGO Store. Some people began wondering whether we were lost, even though it was basically a straight line.
By then, we were getting tired.
We were also still eating Garrett Popcorn.
Our fingers were becoming increasingly orange.
After resting and shopping, we headed toward Cloud Gate. We crossed a bridge with a beautiful view, and I enjoyed navigating our group through the crowd.
I became the self-appointed pacesetter, steering everyone through a sea of people.
At Cloud Gate, better known as the Bean, we met a nice couple who offered to take our group picture. After they helped us, one of us returned the favor.
There was only one problem.
The person holding their black phone had been eating cheesy popcorn for about two hours. Their fingers were practically neon orange.
Michael looked over and shouted:
“Those have to be the cheesiest fingers in all of Chicago!”
I lost it.
I hadn't laughed myself to tears in a long time, but that did it.
For the rest of the trip, I kept trying to recreate that amount of laughter.
At the time, it was simply hilarious.
Looking back, I realize laughter was one of the gifts God kept giving us throughout the weekend.
Not every moment needed to become a serious lesson.
Some moments taught us something.
Some became inside jokes.
Some reminded us that joy itself is a gift.
Proverbs 17:22 teaches that a cheerful heart is good medicine.
That day, my medicine came with cheesy fingers.
Cold, Wet, and Still Laughing
After Cloud Gate, we started the long walk back to the van.
Then the cold rain came.
It didn't sprinkle politely.
It encouraged all of us to walk much faster.
By the time we reached the van, we had walked about five miles through downtown Chicago.
We were cold.
We were wet.
We were tired.
But we were still warm with laughter.
In the moment, I was mostly focused on getting back to the van.
Looking back, I can see that God was showing me something about joy.
Joy doesn't always come from comfortable circumstances. Sometimes it comes from the people walking through uncomfortable circumstances beside us.
James 1:2–3 connects joy with difficult circumstances because testing can produce endurance in us.
I don't think five miles and freezing rain qualify as our greatest trial.
But they did remind me of something.
The rain hadn't changed.
Our wet clothes hadn't changed.
The distance back to the van hadn't changed.
But, our joy remained.
Keep the Change
After five miles of walking, pizza, stores, pictures, crowds, and freezing rain, we headed to a Bulls game.
Yes.
All in one day.
The arena was amazing. Some of us were so tired that staying awake became its own event.
During the game, a Bulls player was fouled, made the basket, and then made the free throw.
A cash-register sound played.
Cha-ching!
Our church was in a series called Keep the Change, so Michael shouted:
“Keep the change!”
Later, he personalized it:
“Keep the change! CedarCreek Church!”
The phrase embedded itself into our intern culture.
The Bulls won, and we finally headed to the hotel.
At the time, “Keep the change” was simply a perfectly timed joke.
But it kept following us.
Using My Past for Something Better
Saturday morning began with Belgian waffles and coffee in the hotel lobby.
At some point, the conversation turned toward addiction.
People struggling with addiction are often treated as if their brokenness makes them unworthy of compassion.
We wouldn't walk into a hospital, find someone dying from cancer, and begin yelling at them about their sickness.
But when the sickness involves addiction, people sometimes respond with anger before compassion.
That doesn't mean destructive behavior should be ignored.
It doesn't mean boundaries aren't necessary.
It means the person should not be reduced to the worst part of their struggle.
In the moment, I was simply sharing what my past had taught me.
Looking back, I can see God using something I once wished had never happened.
Galatians 6:1–2 calls believers to restore people gently and carry one another's burdens.
My past gives me insight into the mind of someone struggling with addiction. I can use what I survived to help others understand something that may be difficult to comprehend from the outside.
Being able to use my past as a tool to equip others may be one of the greatest reasons God saved my life.
God didn't waste my pain.
He gave it a new purpose.
Our Bodies Were the Controllers
After breakfast, we headed to Activate, a game zone where our bodies became the controllers.
We dodged lasers, jumped over red lights, and completed physical challenges. I loved every minute of it. Even some people who hadn't been looking forward to it seemed to have fun.
We all became sweaty and stinky.
During a basketball game, I heard a familiar cash-register sound.
“Keep the change!” I shouted.
From somewhere across the room, Michael answered:
“CedarCreek Church!”
That was when I knew the joke had officially become part of our culture.
At the Bulls game, it had been one funny response.
At Activate, it became something we recognized across the room.
Sometimes the things that connect a group aren't planned.
They simply happen.
Then, when we look back, we realize a shared language was forming while we were busy having fun.
More Than a Personality Test
Next, we visited Lauren's coach, Jackie.
Jackie welcomed all of us into her family's home with incredible warmth. She taught us about the six Working Geniuses: Wonder, Invention, Discernment, Galvanizing, Enablement, and Tenacity.
The tool helped us better understand how we work.
But Jackie also reminded us that a tool should not become our identity.
It can explain some of our strengths and frustrations, but it doesn't define us.
We are Christians first.
Our identity in Christ and our core values should outweigh any label we might place on ourselves.
Tools can help us understand people.
They should never become boxes we use to contain them.
Something broke through for me in Jackie's home. I felt myself growing in maturity as I considered how people think, act, react, and prepare to act.
Jackie and her family fed us, opened their private Nespresso stash, introduced us to BUBBL'R, and gave us a framed photograph to capture the time spent.
In the moment, I was enjoying the conversation, the coffee, the food, and the hospitality.
Looking back, I realize Jackie was demonstrating the very thing she was teaching us to do.
She was noticing people.
She welcomed ten individuals into her home and gave us room to learn more about ourselves without reducing any of us to a label.
Romans 12:13 encourages believers to practice hospitality.
Jackie and her family didn't merely teach us about it.
They demonstrated it.
Just Order for Me
That evening, we ate dinner at City Works.
Ben shared an unusual strategy for ordering. I asked the waitress whether she ate the food there, then told her to order something she liked for me.
There was only one condition.
I didn't want to know what it was until it arrived.
She brought me salmon with mashed potatoes, broccolini, and gravy.
I almost never order salmon.
It was a 9.2 out of 10.
It may have been the best salmon I've ever eaten.
Had I ordered for myself, I never would have chosen it.
Sometimes we stay with what is familiar because familiar feels safe.
Then someone encourages us to loosen our grip, try something different, and discover something we never would have chosen for ourselves.
I didn't see a major spiritual lesson while eating dinner.
I mostly saw really good salmon.
But looking back, it became another reminder that I don't always know what is best before it arrives.
After dinner, we returned to the hotel and played card games until around midnight.
By then, we had more than luggage in common.
We had our own jokes.
Our own stories.
Our own memories.
We May Not Play the Same, but We Worship the Same
On Sunday morning, we headed to Willow Creek Church.
As I walked inside, I caught the eye of a woman wearing a staff lanyard.
At the time, it was nothing more than a brief moment between two people entering a church.
I didn't know her yet.
We went almost immediately into the service. The auditorium was beautiful, and I stood in the front row of the balcony near Mariah and Oliver.
Then worship started.
Quickly.
We were on our feet and singing.
A few weeks earlier, I had heard a message about men who hold back during worship. That morning, I remembered that praise wasn't about how I looked to the people around me.
It was about experiencing God.
So I gave it everything I had.
I sang.
I worshiped.
I raised my hands and arms.
I cried.
Then I noticed Mariah crying too.
Mariah and I may not play the same.
But we worship the same.
Psalm 100 calls us to worship the Lord with gladness and come before Him with joyful songs.
God is good.
A Life I Can Only Describe as Miraculous
During the sermon, something about obedience stayed with me.
It made me think about who I used to be.
Many people in my life today didn't know me when I was living for the world. I chased nearly everything the world promised would satisfy me.
Eventually, I became hollow and alone, even while surrounded by people who loved me.
I hit a wall.
Then I prayed one of the boldest prayers I had ever prayed:
“God, I don't want my life anymore. It's Yours. But if You mess it up, I'm going to tell everyone.”
At the time, I didn't know what God would do with that prayer.
I didn't know what obedience would look like.
I didn't know that He would eventually use my story to help someone understand addiction.
I didn't know He would place people like Esteban in my path.
I didn't know I would be standing in a church in Chicago, looking back and finally recognizing how much He had changed.
God has given me what the world promised but could never deliver.
God has given me a spirit that allows me to connect with people.
God has given me a body that survived the punishment I put it through.
God has given me a mind that can work through problems and recognize Him in the world around me.
The world promised freedom if I lived entirely for myself.
That path left me empty.
In John 10:10, Jesus says He came so we could have life abundantly.
Surrendering my life to God didn't make my life perfect.
But looking back, I can see that obedience has led me into a life I can only describe as miraculous.
And looking forward, I want to keep noticing what He does with it.
Rita and Eli
After the service, we met near the café and waited for a guided tour.
Then I saw the woman with the staff lanyard again.
Her name was Rita.
Rita and I talked for a while. She had been part of Willow Creek for around 30 years and shared how painful seasons of leadership crisis and change had affected the congregation.
Many people left.
Others stayed and continued trying to serve faithfully through uncertainty.
I couldn't solve that history during one conversation.
But this time, I noticed something.
Rita was still there.
Still serving.
Still wearing the lanyard.
Still welcoming someone who would only be there for a few hours.
Thirty years is a long time to belong somewhere.
Hebrews 10:23 encourages believers to hold firmly to hope because God, who made the promise, is faithful.
Rita helped me see what faithfulness can look like when circumstances become painful and complicated.
I don't know everything God has planned for Willow Creek in this season.
But I look forward with hope.
I pray God makes their mission clear. I pray He continues healing the people carrying pain and gives their leaders wisdom, humility, and courage.
Then there was Eli.
Interns in our group had invited Eli to church, and he came after working all night.
Eli had experienced different religious traditions and was trying to understand what he believed.
Brianna shared the Gospel with him and explained the hope Christians have through faith in Jesus.
Romans 10:9 teaches that salvation comes through confessing Jesus as Lord and believing that God raised Him from the dead.
Eli didn't only attend a service.
He connected with a group at Willow Creek.
On Friday, Brianna had asked me to stand beside her while she approached someone.
On Sunday, I watched her stand beside Eli while he explored faith.
Brianna had received support when she needed it.
Then she helped create a place of support for someone else.
This is why we do what we do.
I don't know everything God will do in Eli's life.
But Eli showed up.
He heard the Gospel.
He connected with people.
He joined a group.
Now there are people who can continue walking beside him.
I couldn't see the ending of Eli's story that Sunday.
I still can't.
But I can capture the moment God allowed us to witness, and I can look forward to what He may do next.
I'm praying this was only the beginning.
I gathered all involved and empathically pointed out to them. this is why we do this.
We move towards people because God is calling them to come near.
He uses us faithful servants to pull people out of the darkness and create a new experience with the Lord
We helped Eli take his next step. A step he couldn't take on his own. We are here for him and expecting nothing from him in return because
Our God is available to all!
Hallelujah!
The Ride Home
At the end of the weekend, we piled back into the van and headed toward Perrysburg.
Ten people.
One passenger van.
A lot of luggage.
But we weren't quite the same ten people who had left.
I spent much of the trip thinking about where we were going.
Which lane should Michael be in?
Where could we park the van?
Were we walking in the right direction?
How could I get everyone through the crowd?
Where were we going next?
I was so focused on the path that I could have missed the people God placed along it.
The woman and her dog.
Esteban.
The family Brianna approached.
The couple at Cloud Gate.
Jackie and her family.
Rita.
Eli.
Then there were the people already traveling beside me.
Michael needed help navigating.
Lauren needed something taken off her plate.
Brianna needed someone to stand beside her.
Our group needed someone to help set the pace through a crowded city.
I didn't always recognize God while those things were happening.
Sometimes I only saw the task.
The traffic.
The rain.
The food.
The conversation.
The person in front of me.
But upon reflection, I can see more clearly.
God was there.
He was present in the opportunity to serve.
He was present in the courage to approach someone.
He was present in the laughter that made cold rain bearable.
He was present in the painful parts of my past becoming useful to someone else.
He was present in Jackie's hospitality.
He was present in Rita's faithfulness.
He was present in Eli showing up.
Luke 10 tells the story of a man who was left beside the road in need. Others saw him and continued walking. The Samaritan allowed what he saw to interrupt where he was going.
He noticed.
He stopped.
He responded.
Maybe that's one of the lessons God continues teaching me.
There will always be another destination.
Another responsibility.
Another item on the schedule.
Another place I think I need to be.
But following Jesus means paying attention to the people He places along the way.
Sometimes it's someone we can help.
Sometimes it's someone who helps us.
Sometimes it's someone who needs us to stand beside them.
Sometimes it's a stranger who prays with us.
Sometimes it's a person who has stayed faithful through years of uncertainty.
Sometimes it's someone walking into church with more questions than answers.
We may not fully understand what God is doing in those moments.
But we can notice.
We can capture what He has already done.
And we can look forward to what He may do next.
I went to Chicago expecting to experience a city.
God reminded me to notice the people.
Gratitude
I'm grateful Michael shared the responsibility of getting us there and back.
I'm grateful Lauren trusted me to take something off her plate.
I'm grateful Brianna asked me to stand beside her and that I later watched her stand beside someone else.
I'm grateful for the prayer I shared with Esteban.
I'm grateful for Jackie's hospitality, Rita's faithfulness, and Eli's willingness to show up after working all night.
I'm grateful I can approach life differently and still worship the same God.
I'm grateful for Ben's unusual way of ordering dinner.
I'm grateful for hot-honey pizza, a 9.2 salmon dinner, Belgian waffles, a Bulls victory, five miles of walking, cold rain, late-night card games, orange popcorn dust, and the cheesiest fingers in all of Chicago.
Some moments taught me lessons.
Some became memories.
Some did both.
In the moment, I didn't always recognize what God was doing.
Looking back, I can see Him more clearly.
And looking forward, I want to pay closer attention.
Prayer
Lord,
Thank You for the people You put in our path.
Give me eyes to notice them.
Don't let me become so focused on where I'm going, what I'm doing, or what comes next that I miss someone You intended me to see.
When I have something to give, help me give it.
When someone needs encouragement, help me stand beside them.
When someone is hurting, help me respond with compassion instead of judgment.
When someone needs to be heard, teach me to listen.
Thank You for Esteban and the prayer we shared. I may never see him again in this life, but I look forward to seeing my brother again in heaven.
Thank You for Brianna and her willingness to step outside her comfort zone. Continue giving her courage to share the hope she has in Jesus.
Thank You for Jackie and the way her family welcomed us into their home. Help me practice that same kind of generous hospitality.
Thank You for Rita and her continued faithfulness. Bring healing to Willow Creek, give its leaders wisdom and humility, and make the church's mission clear in this season.
Thank You for Eli. Continue placing people around him who will love him, answer his questions honestly, and point him toward Jesus. Let what we witnessed that Sunday be only the beginning of what You will do in his life.
Thank You for taking the broken parts of my story and allowing them to become tools that may help someone else. Remind me that nothing surrendered to You has to be wasted.
Forgive me for the moments when You were working and I was too distracted to notice.
Teach me to look back and recognize Your faithfulness.
Help me capture the moments that reveal Your presence.
And give me hope as I look forward to what You will do next.
There will always be another destination.
Slow me down enough to see the person in front of me.
Help me notice them.
Help me love them.
Help me stand beside them.
And when You put someone in my path, give me the courage not to walk around them.
It's in Your Son's name, Jesus, we pray.
Amen.