It was a moment about this time 40 years ago in mid-August that changed the course of my life, & therefore impacted any others that have been affected by Southpoint Church. I was just days away from departing the home of my youth in Indianapolis to embark on the adventure of entering college to begin studying for ministry. One of the couples in my home church invited me & my buddy over for dinner as a going-away gift. The wife was Mexican, so she lured us over with homemade enchiladas. I love Mexican food, but little did I know it was all a set up.
What that church couple was secretly hoping was that their daughter, who was part of our youth group, would make a connection with me. My buddy was flirting with her, but I was clueless. After all, we were both 18 years old while this girl, though cute, was only a 16-year-old junior. Turns out, she wasn’t interested in my friend. She had actually flirted with me earlier that summer, but I was still clueless. After he left, I lingered, & she walked me outside to my car. After talking a while, she said goodbye…with a kiss. A good kiss. It turned out to be just our first kiss of many more to come. My life would never be the same.
Isn’t it amazing how one small decision, one seemingly insignificant act, can change the trajectory of your destiny?! That one little kiss led to marriage. And when I believed the Lord would have us plant a new church, Penny was willing to go wherever—as long as the location was within reasonable driving distance of home back in Indy. So that’s how we ended up in the Detroit area—less than 5 hours from her folks. That’s why Southpoint is where it is. Thousands of lives have been impacted by the ministry of this church over the past 30 years. And if you or your family have been affected by it, you can thank the Lord who led us here…& then maybe thank Penny for kissing me…& then in heaven thank her parents for conspiring to invite me for enchiladas.
The point is that even as a youth, your seemingly smallest of choices can set in motion a butterfly effect that ripples over the years to create huge differences in your life, & in the lives of your family, your future children & generations to come! Make good choices now because you never know where they’ll lead you later. You may think one small act won’t make a difference—but it really can. Most of your daily decisions are small. A few are significant. A handful are huge! But at the time, you won’t know which kind it is. So make wise decisions every day about everything. You never know which ones will turn out to be your biggest.