re:RQ
Serendipity beyond the Stars
Joseph L. Maxwell III
January 1, 1997
There can be no sheer serendipity with God—no awesome yet accidental discoveries. Yet believers do know the joy of progressive realization, as bit by bit God's wisdom for our lives is inhaled like steam from a warm cup of tea. Joining the regeneration family has left me feeling such sanctified serendipity—if you will—especially given this particularissue's focus.
Born a Southern Baptist, I was baptized on statewide tv by a pastor whose white robe hid not only his camouflage waders (a bit of a sacramental distraction), but a deeper adultery problem that eventually undid him. In high school I stumbled into Southern Presbyterianism and, by the end of my college days at Ole Miss, had known something more of the riches of God's preached Word. Wheaton College was my next stop; there I let God out of the box, largely due to a new vision of worship offered me by Robert Webber's teaching. It was a vision requiring not only my intellect, but my soul and body too. After a time in Episcopal liturgy, I found myself leading worship at a Vineyard church.
For seven years now—off and on—I have led worship at two Vineyards: the first in Wheaton, Illinois, and the other back home in Mississippi. Our Vineyard in Jackson, Mississippi, recently disbanded, and my wife and I now find ourselves laughing at what God has done: having led us both out of traditional worship settings, through Episcopal halls, and into a Vineyard industrial building, he is now leading us back again to—of all places—the Presbyterian Church in America.
What are we looking for in a new church? As self-serving as the question sounds, it is nonetheless now central for my family. All believers ask this question eventually. We all are "looking ...
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