The People God Puts In Your Life...Just When You Need It

We all have had those moments where we just want to cry. Here's a few stories where I almost did.

Debbie McLeod and I in Atlanta, at 6:30 a.m.! 

A few weeks ago, Pastor Debbie and I was in Atlanta for the Leading Edge Conference. This is a conference for the pastors of the top 100 United Methodist Churches in the US invited by Rev. Adam Hamilton and The Church of the Resurrection in Kansas.   Two months prior to our arrival, I made my hotel reservations through my SkyMiles account. I received my confirmation for the hotel and assumed that my hotel was reserved.

After getting up that morning at 2:00 a.m. and having a 5:30 a.m. flight, I arrived finally at my hotel around 9:30 p.m. after a long day of meetings. I said goodnight to Pastor Debbie as she went up the elevator to her room. I then went to the front desk for my room. I presented my confirmation number to the front desk and was immediately told, “We do not have this confirmation number or reservation.” Your airline never gave us this confirmation number.

I then found out the NY Giants were in town that night for a game. Not one hotel in the Buckhead area had a room left. I rode the Marta Subway from the airport to the hotel. I had no transportation. I was on the phone that night for two hours with the airline’s third party as they tried to find me a room.

They found me a room. At 11:30 p.m. mind you, I have been up since 2 a.m. This room was across the city at a very cheap, dirty hotel.

I had to UBER over. I got to my room and kept my socks on all night and right up to the point of getting in the shower. The iron had no ironing board. The TV was hanging crooked on the wall. I was ready to get out of there!

I called for an UBER two hours before my meeting started and checked out of the hotel since I was able to get a reservation in the original hotel.

My UBER driver came. His name was Jerrell.

Jerrell and I discussed the Falcons-Giants game the night before and we discussed who our favorite team was. Jerrell had a Steelers hat in his car and of course, we began this conversation! He told me that he was the nephew of the late LC Greenwood, former Steeler great from the 70’s. Jerrell talked to me about how he met many of the Steeler greats at his Uncle LC’s funeral and how wonderful it was to experience meeting these great men. He also talked about how he got to workout with Troy Polamalu while visiting his uncle in Pittsburgh.

As we were about 5 minutes from our destination, I asked Jerrell, “Jerrell, tell me, what is the one greatest thing you learned from your Uncle LC. What is something you remember that has forever changed your life?”

Jerrell didn’t waste a moment. He said: “My Uncle LC said this to me when I was on the powerlifting team in high school. ‘Can you go hard every play?’ This is what my Uncle imparted on me.”

I was busy writing this in my phone from the back seat as he was sharing. I was so impressed with his passion to share his Uncle LC’s wisdom.

I then spoke up by saying, “Thank you for taking time to share this with me. Jerrell, last night, I had the opportunity to meet Coach Bill Curry. Coach Curry played for the famous Vince Lombardi.”

I then began to share with Jerrell what I learned from Coach Curry this past week. Listening to Coach Curry the night before was history in the making.

Coach Curry spoke about the honor of playing for Coach Lombardi. I shared with Jerrell, There are two pains in life: The pain of discipline and the pain of regret. The pain of discipline is brief, and the pain of regret lasts a lifetime. Great teams have 2 characteristics. One great leaders, and two, a bunch of people who refuse to let each other down. The pain of discipline or the pain of regret. You choose.”

Jerrell then began to write this in his phone.

As I look back, I would never have had this opportunity to have engaged with Jerrell if my room was reserved in the first place like I had hoped. Out of this negative experience came a blessing.

I could have seen this UBER experience as a way to complain and make it negative. But God placed Jerrell in my life for a blessing and I hope me for him.

I asked Jerrell if I could take a picture with him. He was so excited as was I. We had a moment of great connection, in an Uber ride, where two lives intersected for 15 minutes, but a thought about our directions of living life that would last a lifetime.



These moments in our lives remind me of the time Jesus was at the well taking a break. A woman came to the well to draw some water at a time of day where there was not much well action. Hear this story from John 4.

John 4 1-7, 13-15
Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John 2 (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), 3 he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. 4 And he had to pass through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob's well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour. 
7 A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.”

13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.”


There is more interaction between Jesus and this woman. But what I shared with you today is that Jesus offered salvation to this woman. He offered her a brand new outlook on life.

What if, this woman decided to have swept around the house for 10 more minutes? What if she had to tend to a few chores? She would have missed out on this encounter with Jesus.

This random encounter with Jesus changed her life. He offered her Living Water. She needed joy, she needed hope and she wanted to experience grace. And he gave it to her. With all of her circumstances in her life, five husbands and another one she was with currently, it sounds to us that she had a difficult life.

This moment became a game changer as salvation came to her. She, nor Jesus, let their current circumstances dictate how they were going to live life.

This is how we should approach life too. We all walk around facing uncertainties. We all have circumstances. Don’t let your circumstances be the definition of who you are. Don’t let your circumstances be the definition of what you could be or how you could respond to others around you.

Two Mondays, ago, I was traveling again. This time for a vacation with Jenn. We had planned this trip for a long time.

Jenn and I woke up at 3 a.m. filled with excitement as we were headed to Cancun. We got the Jeep loaded and off we went to the airport. We arrived at the airport just before 5:00 a.m. and caught the bus out of the Economy lot at JIA (Jacksonville International Airport).

Just as 5:00 a.m. rolled by, Jennifer and I, with great excitement got to the Delta Ticket Agent and greeted her. "Good Morning Debra!" Debra said, "Good Morning! Where are you headed today?" We said, "Cancun!" Debra asked for our passports and we handed them to her.

"These are passport cards, not passports," said Debra. I said, "What do you mean? We traveled to Mexico with these?"

Debra responded, "These cards are for land and sea travel only, not air." My heart sunk. So did Jenn's. We had no Passports. I got one 15 years ago, but it expired 5 years ago.

Debra could have sent us home, disillusioned and sad from our terrible mistake. She did not do that. Instead, Debra said, "You are connecting in Atlanta, so there is a Passport Agency, Downtown Atlanta. I cannot guarantee that you will get your passports today, but you could try. They are also not very nice there, they have been known to be mean."

I looked at Jenn, Jenn looked at me and we both agreed that we would take a chance and go to Atlanta. Debra took us off the 8:45 a.m. flight to Cancun and put us on the 6:30 p.m. flight. So we had about 8 hours to get our Passport!


We got on the JAX- ATL flight and landed in Atlanta before the sun came up. We were nervous. Jumped on the MARTA (subway) - thanks Pastor Debbie McLeod for showing me the ropes of the MARTA system the week prior! (I looked like I knew what I was doing!)

We got off the MARTA at Peachtree Street Station, downtown Atlanta. Next to the station was a CVS. 

Got our Passport photos there and headed across the street to the 10th floor to the Passport Agency. We were nervous as Debra in JAX told us that the agency was not nice.

The elevator opened and it was like heaven! Gold elevators, to a world of light and Ryan. Ryan said with the nicest smile, "Welcome to The Atlanta Passport Agency! My name is Ryan, how can I help you?" We said, "We are trying to get to Cancun today." Ryan replied, "We can do that! Let's get you what you need."

Ryan gave us our paper work and talked to us to calm us down. Letrisha helped us with our paperwork and we walked out of the agency! Ryan said, "Now you have three hours until you get your passports. You can go across the street to the food courts and relax. At noon, you can come back." That's what we did!

We came across the street to the local food court and relaxed! Our prayers were answered! We even had time for a pedicure!

We paused at breakfast to pray. We prayed a simple prayer of thanksgiving for Debra, Ryan, Letrisha, for being those people God placed in our lives when we almost gave up and turned around.

As you take time to give thanks this Thanksgiving week, remember who these people are that you encounter in life. Thank them. Affirm them. Care for them in return.

You were born to affect change in people’s lives. They were born for this too. You are in a school not only for your benefit, but to come alongside a student who might be bullied to encourage them. You are in a church to join your talent with others so that the body of Christ should be complete and will grow. I think anywhere we are, there is a purpose and that purpose should not be allowed to go down the drain without fulfilling it.

I thank God for the Jerrell’s, the Debra’s, the Ryan’s and the Letrisha’s in life and hopefully others can say the same about the Jeff’s too and others like us.