Monday Morning Manna: Wondering in Buffalo, Texas

Recently I passed through Buffalo, Texas and wondered. Have you ever reflected on an early life decision and wondered how things might have gone had you made a different decision? I was in my final semester of my first seminary degree and serving as pastor of my second church, when two choices presented themselves to me. I could move to a larger, full-time pastorate in Buffalo, Texas or I could begin collegiate ministry at Pan American College in Edinburg, Texas near the Mexican border. I had pastoral experience. I had no collegiate ministry experience, nor did I even know where Edinburg was, and I had never heard of Pan American College (now University of Texas Rio Grande Valley). So, I decided on what I felt God leading — collegiate ministry. I wonder how things would be different had I chosen Buffalo? For one thing, apart from family members and classmates, I might not have ever met the rest of my Monday Morning Manna readers. In retrospect, the Buffalo vs. college ministry decision seems to have been from the Lord. I wish I could say with the writer of Proverbs, “every decision is from the Lord” (Proverbs 16:33), but others appear not to have been. How about you? Ever wondered about a decision?

Dr. Dan Crawford, Senior Professor at Southwestern Baptist Seminary, is the WestCoast Baptist Association’s Spiritual Life & Leadership Mentor. Follow Dan on Twitter @DrDanRC and Facebook www.facebook.com/dan.crawford.