I grew up in a small house in Doraville, GA with my parents, older sister, a dog and several cats. We went to a Methodist church every Sunday and Wednesday nights where my mother’s family were founding members. I sang in the choir, played the handbells and occasionally played my saxophone during the service. I was in the youth group, attended youth retreats, was the lead in plays and Christmas programs. We attended church with my Grandfather, sat in the same pew each Sunday and everyone in the church knew us.
Fast forward to 1996. I had graduated from Georgia Tech a year before, had my first job and was still living at home. I had ridden my Dad’s old motorcycle in college and thought it was time I get something a little nicer and something I could call my own. I rode out to Earl Small’s Harley-Davidson in Marietta and purchased a brand new 1996 Buell S2 Thunderbolt. I joined a motorcycle club and went on monthly cruises with them. Looking back, it’s apparent that I was just trying to get some independence in my life.
Then, in 1997, I was returning home from a motorcycle shop off Ponce de Leon avenue when I decided to get off the interstate and go home on back roads. As I was driving by Northlake Mall, I spotted a red 1977 Corvette that was for sale in a parking lot. I have a passion for old, classic cars so I stopped to take a look. The next day, I test drove it and then bought it with some money I had borrowed from my mother. I started fixing it up on the weekends and started skipping church so I could work on it more during my time away from work. I joined a Corvette club and went to car shows on the weekends and took weekend trips with them.
In 1998, I bought my second Corvette to restore. I was still living at home so I had plenty of money to spend on cars! I continued to be active in my Corvette club and Motorcycle club and was always going on trip or wrenching on my cars in the driveway.
In 1999, a lady in my Corvette club noticed a pretty, blonde, young lady at her office who also drove a Corvette. She told me about the young lady so I gave her my business card to give to the mysterious Corvette owner. The lady from the club saw the blonde the next week and yelled out “Hey you”, ran over to her and gave her my business card. The blonde said “thank you” went to her desk and threw it in the trash can. A few weeks passed and then the lady from the Corvette club saw the blonde again in the parking lot. This time, she had a picture of me that had been taken at a car show earlier that year. She told this girl that I was really nice and also gave her my phone number. The blonde, aka Jennifer, called me that week and we had our first date on April 23, 1999 and were married the next year.
We bought a house, I continued consulting and traveling for a living and spent most of the weekends with my wife and cars. We attempted going to church a few times but didn’t really feel like we fit in. We came up with the excuse that our life was too hectic to worry about going to church.
Along came the kids, and whew, who has time for church then!? We were always going, going, going. Then, the signs started to light up.
The Christian school closed where Ella was enrolled.
We were the last ones to be accepted into the K4 program at LCA.
We were invited to attend FBCL by some parents of Ella’s new LCA friends.
We fell in love with Pastor Ronnie and the ultra-talented Ron Marsh. We started attending church on a regular basis, joined a Sunday school class, moved on to a Small Group, and try to attend as many church functions as we can. We have so many friends now who are Christians and are always there for us. My wife is taking Bible study classes, I am reading a chronological Bible nightly and I am ministering to co-workers.
But God… what if I hadn’t bought that motorcycle?
But God… what if I hadn’t gotten off the interstate that day?
But God… what if I hadn’t bought that Corvette?
But God… what if I hadn’t joined that Corvette club?
But God… what if I hadn’t met my wife?
But God… what if you hadn’t let me go to become independent, rediscover myself and the return to rediscover you WITH my family.
But God… I now realize you already had a plan for me and were there for me even when I wasn’t there for you.
[ Submitted by James Morris ]
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