There are some things in life that come full circle. January 24th, 2003 I was sitting in a leadership meeting at Mars Hill Bible Church in Grandville Michigan when a friend of mine, Jon Dewaal muttered the phrase “Mars Hill Graduate School.” Almost exactly nine months after I heard this phrase I, along my my wife of two weeks, and Jon DeWaal drove across the country to relocate to the great town of Seattle where Jon and I would start school.

Now, not even three years later I sit in a hotel room across the parking lot from MHBC with Jon Dewaal and Tim Soerens. Why are we here you may ask? Well, we are helping lead a leadership conference for MHBC’s leaders and parishoners.

As we landed in Gerald R. Ford International Airport it felt as though the two worlds that I have spent all my life in were performing a strange dance. As we drove down I-196 I pointed out to those with me where I lived for two years, where Brooke and I spent our first two nights of marriage, and showed people the very room where I heard of Mars Hill Graduate School for the first time.

What a weird life I live.

peace
joel