What’s The Point?

This story warms my heart because here is where God introduced us to a special place called Laguna Beach Christian Retreat, that was such a blessing several times to us. 
When our kids were in college in Pensacola, Florida, this missionary on deputation (in the winter) tried to stay south of the Mason-Dixon line for two obvious reasons – our kids and the weather… or was it the weather and our kids?  Anyway, we were somewhere in central Florida in the middle of the week looking for a church.  We stopped at a motel for the night.  Since it was Wednesday night, we looked up the church someone recommended in this town, and discovered they had a Thursday night service, not a Wednesday night service.  We were staying in town only one night, so, I opened the local phone book, found a list of several Baptist churches, shut my eyes, dropped my finger, and called the church my finger landed on. (Right here, I want you to remember the last two sentences…. they are very important to this story).  A very kind lady answered, told me the service started at 7:00, and gave me directions.  Since it was already past 6:00, although we were tired from driving all day, we quickly dressed and headed out.  Unfortunately, the directions were a bit vague for this out-of-towner.  Pretty soon it was 7:15, and I was completely lost.  My dear wife said, “Jack, what’s the point?  The service has already started, and we’re lost.  I think we should go back to the motel while we can still find it.  We can have a special time with God there.”  I sighed and said, “Yeah, you’re right”.  So I started back to the motel.  Then, I recognized a road I was passing over.  “That road is on my list!”   I got on it and we were back on the right track!  Pretty soon we arrived at the local high school.  The lady on the phone said their church sanctuary was having repairs and they were temporarily meeting in a portable classroom behind the high school.  She said to just drive through the open chain-link fence gate to the right of the school.  The portable would be all lit up and we couldn’t miss it.   I found the gate, it was open, and I drove through it.  It was now 7:30 and completely dark.  Very dark.  I could see no lights.  No portable classroom.  Nothing.  And we were driving on grass.  I stopped for a moment.  My wife said, “Jack, what’s the point?  It’s already 7:30, we still don’t know where this church is, and what will the police say about this?  I thought, yeah, how would I explain when they asked me why I was driving my car across a high school football field in the dark?  I said, “Okay, your right.”   Before I could turn around, another car came through the gate and passed me!  I said, “This guy has GOT to be going to the portable classroom!”  So I followed him.  We went over the football field, over a couple of basketball courts, and there it was, all lit up, the portable!  We quickly parked, jumped out of the car, and got in the classroom before the other guy did (you know how you somehow feel better if you’re not the last one to arrive at church).  We sat in the only two seats I saw open, the front row (the well known fate of tardy church goers).
The pastor was preaching.  I noticed right away that everyone still had their coats on.  It was January, and the temperature outside was 55 degrees.  I was wearing a light summer suit, and Cheri was wearing a dress.  I noticed air blowing on us.  It was coming from the air conditioner in the wall.  It wasn’t heat.  Then I realized the temperature inside that portable was the same as the outside.  We both began getting cold.  And colder.  And colder.  We leaned together for heat.  I’m sure that preacher had a good message.  I just couldn’t focus on it.  I was busy trying to hide the uncontrollable shaking I was experiencing as I entered into the early stages of hypothermia.  My dear wife, on the other hand, was simply turning blue.  She slowly turned her head to me and whispered, “Whaaat’s thhhe pppooint?  I’mmm freeezzing, I wwwwaant tooo goooo hoommme!”
I’m not sure how long that sermon was, but it seemed really long.  As the sermon was coming to an end, I spent the last 10 minutes sitting on my hands to warm them up as I planned on shaking the pastor’s hand at the end.  After the service, I walked up to the pastor to speak to him.  I told him we were missionaries just passing through.  After talking a short while, I mentioned we were headed to northern Florida.  He said, “Northern Florida?  There is a place there, what is the name of it?  Hmmm…”  Now I admit my attention was at about 50% as my mind was thinking about highest setting on my car heater.  Then he continued, “In Laguna Beach… there is a Christian Retreat.  I think they give discounts to missionaries.”  When those last three words popped out of his mouth, my attention suddenly went to 100%!  “They give discounts?”  He said, “Yeah, if you’re near there, maybe you should check it out”.  “Thanks” I said as Cheri and I headed for the car heater.  A big issue for traveling missionaries is where to stay.  Even when you are able to book a church on Sunday and Wednesday, there are still the other 5 days of the week when you need to sleep.  So if you find places, discounts, prophets chambers, you remember them!  Cheri and I would sometimes be on the road for four to six months, traveling from one end of this great country to the other.  So discounts were a blessing!
The next day we checked the map.  We found Laguna Beach.  It was about 10 miles east of Panama City – on the Florida panhandle.  We were heading for Pensacola, and I decided to take the route through Laguna Beach.  It was a little slower than the interstate route, but certainly more scenic, as our travel to Pensacola would now be along the Gulf coast.  I am one of those people who loves to drive.  Of the thousands of miles we drove, I did most of the driving.  Cheri asked me many times if I would like for her to drive to give me a break.  I’d usually respond by saying, “I’m fine”.  On that trip in the afternoon, I wanted to stop at a gas station and get some coffee.  She said, “If you’re tired, I can drive”.  I said, “I’m fine”.  She said, “If you’re fine, why do you want the coffee?”  Since logic tends to make shorter conversations, I stopped and we switched places.  I leaned my head back on the seat and started talking.  Cheri said she had driven about half a block and I fell asleep in the middle of my sentence.  So I proceeded with my “fine” two hour nap.
We finally reached Laguna Beach on that Thursday afternoon.  We spotted a building with the words “Laguna Beach Christian Retreat” written on it.  Even without a degree in rocket science, I said, “This must be the place!  I went in and saw a sign about towels and linens.  I talked to the manager behind the counter.  I explained I had never been here before, my wife and I were passing through, and that we were missionaries.  She then asked me if we needed a room.  I said well, I don’t have any towels or linens.  Then she shocked me with what she said next; “You know what, we have towels and linens.  And since it’s your first time, you can stay here for free!  All we ask is that you tell your missionary friends about our place here.”  I stammered somewhat as I said, “That would be great!”  She asked how long we wanted to stay and I said, “Would four days be okay?”  That would be fine” she said without hesitation.  She then gave us linens and towels and directed us to our room which was about one and a half miles down the road.  She said this Christian Retreat was started by a wealthly Christian man, and he bought many of the small motels and hotels along a two mile stretch in Laguna Beach to create a retreat for churches.  We hopped in the car and drove to the address.  It was a two story apartment building with a courtyard in the middle, and rooms surrounding the courtyard.  We parked the car, and walked through the courtyard, up the stairs, and found our second floor room.  We went in, and it was a beautiful two bedroom condo!  At the opposite end of the condo was two French doors.  We opened them, and realized we were on the beach! We stood on the patio on that beautiful afternoon, I looked at the sand, the waves, the seagulls, the blue sky, I turned and looked into that beautiful condo, then turned to my wife and said, wide-eyed, “THIS. IS. THE. POINT!  THIS is why we went to THAT church because this is the blessing God wanted to give us for making the effort to go to His house!!”  A beautiful free place to stay on the beach!!  Glory! 
Cheri got on the phone and called our three kids in Pensacola and told them to make sure they got weekend passes, because we would be picking them up on Friday night. We had a place nearby to stay.  Pensacola was a little over 100 miles from Laguna Beach (when missionaries travel thousands of miles, a hundred miles is “nearby” haha!.  We picked up our children at college on Friday night and started back.  One of them asked where we were staying, and Cheri told them that it was at one of those “deals” that their dad found.  They just looked at each other and expected the worst.  When we arrived, it was dark.  The only parking place available was next to the dumpster.  Our middle child, Krista, put on a forced smile and said, “This is nice” (Hahaha! What can I say… my children love me).  We exited out of the car and walked through the inner courtyard and up the stairs to our room.  I unlocked the door and we went in.  They were all surprised and said “This is REALLY nice!”  Then I said, “Go and open those french-doors in the back of the room.”  They ran to the doors and opened them.  “We’re on the beach, wow!”  They exclaimed.  We had so much fun running around on the beach and in the water with our children the days we were there.  God was SO good!  And not only that, but on one of the days we were there, was my birthday!  What a birthday present from The Lord!

Remember at the beginning of this story, I said to remember those two sentences?  The previous Wednesday night, we planned on visiting a church recommended by a friend, but that church did not have a Wednesday night service, but held their mid-week service on Thursday night.  We had traveled all day.  We were tired.  We planned on going to church, but it was not open.  It would have been easy to say (and justify), skipping church that night.  But, there were other churches.  I closed my eyes and God picked one – the one with the blessing – because we made the effort to go to God’s house!  And because we made the effort, and the effort certainly wasn’t easy, our great God blessed us!
THAT. WAS. THE. POINT of all the struggle we went through.  So, I’m telling you, going to God’s house is what He wants!!