Together...

This is a really significant for me. It’s a picture of me with my friend, Troy. Troy is one of those people you run into at some point in time as you’re following a dream or a journey. And when you meet, something just clicks.

Troy and I met about 6 years back. Together, we’ve been through some of the most significant times (for me) of ministry together. They were inspiring times, and shaping times. We’ve also been through, virtually at the same time, some very hard wilderness times… where we both felt stuck as Troy worked at the local Starbucks and I sat at that same Starbucks buying drip coffee to justify sitting in there all day. Both of us were searching and wondering about what might be next, if anything.

In March 2004, Troy moved to Grand Rapids. In May 2004 we moved to Grand Rapids. And the coolest thing was happening, the people that mattered in a previous life that was over, were converging in this town. We were still together… Troy, Dave and Linda and the girls, Dan, Jeff and Ann, Steve and Jenny, and our girls. Crazy how things like that happen.

Troy’s at Mars Hill now. One of his original songs he was working on as were doing our time at Starbucks is being played, and sung by many, many more at our church. Check it out at…

Music at Mars

And then this past Friday, Troy and I were not only in the same town… we were doing ministry together at Grand Rapids Theological Seminary.

Together.
Troy and me.

It was one of those “holy” moments. You know, like one of those battle scenes in “Lord of the Rings” where everything goes silent and all you see is people moving in slow motion with a female voice is singing beautifully in Elvin. And I couldn’t help but think that, in our best plans, God will at times, surprise us with something cooler than we can imagine. It reminds me that doing life with friends, together, is better than doing stuff alone, no matter how great a job.

I just had to share the moment with you.