He Journeys With Me

Genesis 24:42
When I came to the spring today, I said, “Lord, God of my master Abraham, if you will, please grant success to the journey on which I have come.” 

Who is on your journey?

The other day, Tim and I took a road trip. We traveled to three bookstores in the Cincinnati area. The first stop we made was to a little shop in Madeira. The owner had kindly kept my books on the shelf for several months, a few had sold, but she was ready to return the others to me. After we picked those up, Tim drove to Mason, and I visited the lovely Belong Christian Bookstore. In case you aren’t aware, Christian bookstores are few these days. I chatted with the owner and showed her my books, with hope of a possible connection in the future. On our last stop, I browsed a Barnes & Noble, found a few stocking stuffers, and discovered they only do author events every six months or so. Some might say I didn’t have success promoting my books, but I made connections.

On the drive, Tim and I noticed a semi on the highway with the word JOURNEY imprinted on the side. That got me to thinking. Who travels on my journeys with me? On our trip, Tim and Rosie (she loves to ride) were in the Jeep with me, and the Holy Spirit buckled up and rode shotgun. The Holy Spirit led us to Belong Bookstore at the exact time the owner stood behind the counter. Due to illness, she isn’t there often. I’m thankful for the opportunity to meet her and talk about my books, and I call that success.

In Genesis, Abraham asked his head servant to travel back to Abraham’s homeland to find his son, Isaac, a wife. Concerned he might fail, the servant turns to the One who brings him hope. He asked the Lord to grant success on the journey. I love the servant took God on the journey with him, and if you read the rest of the story, he found Isaac a wife, the beautiful Rebekah.

When I travel through this life, I want God with me. The Holy Spirit dwells with me day and night, and I know on my journeys, He stays by my side.

Who goes with you on your journey? Have you asked God to join you?

September Wanderings

In our September travels, we headed north toward Port Clinton on Lake Erie. We lodged at the Great Lakes Motel, a throwback from the 1970s, in the town of Fremont, Ohio. There we found a clean room and kind innkeepers.

From Fremont we sped up to Port Clinton to check out the lighthouse that's been replanted back to its original home. The lighthouse, still in stages of reconstruction, stood on a small beach where undisturbed shells decorated the sand. A quiet walk along the water accompanied by ducks and geese lent itself to a peaceful respite. 

While in the vicinity, we stopped by The Tin Goose for a bite to eat and then visited Kelleys Island, always a favorite. The relaxed atmosphere was the perfect way to spend a day. We hiked through The Scheele Preserve to a lovely beach. Then we pressed on to loop around the island and view some of the historical homes. 

 

On our trip home we wandered into the delightful little town of Gibsonburg. That is after we found a way to detour around the Labor Day Parade in Fremont (which took me straight back to the streets of my hometown, when the locals tossed candy from the firetrucks and the marching band played the school song.) 

Nostalgia is a precious thing filled with the memories of emotion. The town of Gibsonburg drew me back to the 1960s and 70s, with a touch of modern. But more about that later...