Early this week, Lorri and I risked our lives to drive to Houston to spend the night with some friends. In previous conversation, Claude had mentioned that he had been a member of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church as a young cadet in the Houston Police Department. That prompted me to retell the story of Dr. Bill Lawson, the church’s founding pastor, coming to Houston Baptist University to speak in Chapel. From those days, Dr. Lawson became a hero to me. Specifically, but not solely, he was the first to teach me that ethics are the inevitable and necessary fruit of theology. It is not Christian theology if there is no ethical implication. To this day that remains a solid conviction guiding me in ways I don’t even fully recognize.

During our visit, Ann explained that we were going to take a car trip to see Wheeler Avenue Church and some of the community where I grew up in the second ward on Houston’s near east side.  It was a ploy. Our destination was the home of Dr. Lawson. Claude and Ann had arranged a meeting for me with Dr. Lawson. Bill is 95 years old now and is as kind and gracious as ever. I refuse to tell you what that visit meant to me. But I can tell you that I believe even more deeply that Jesus reaches to take our hand in his and with his other he takes the hand of another and draws us together in the context of providence. My lesson is to from here on out be more sensitive to the tug of the Spirit that will always move us to the most redemptive encounters of our lives. Thank you Ann and Claude Whitaker, Dr. Lawson, and Lorri for being the sacred agents of God’s connective work.