A Not So Imaginary Trip
By Ken James
September 2009
It’s March 26, 2010, and the Hamilton family is loading up their car for a trip back home for the Easter holidays. They moved to Philadelphia five years ago, and, except for an emergency trip, had not had the opportunity to go back home to visit with their folks in Smalltown, Kansas.
Things hadn’t been going well for the Hamiltons, especially during the last two years. Their family relationships had become very fragile, and, quite frankly, Mr. Hamilton was at his wit’s end as to what to do. It had been three years since they stopped attending church, and he had to admit that there was something in him that longed for the recovery of the experience that was his as a boy in Smalltown, Kansas. He had fond recollections of his growing-up years when he and his parents were very involved with the activities of Elm Grove Baptist Church.
As the Hamilton family navigated the loop around Philadelphia, one of the children looked up from his text-messaging task and called attention to a billboard that bore the message, Find It Here.com. The teenage son accessed the site on his Blackberry, and quickly reported that it was some religious organization trying to get their message across. Mr. Hamilton just dismissed it as another TV preacher trying to expand his financial base.
As the family drove through Indianapolis, Madison, WI, Springfield, IL, and Kansas City, MO, they continued to see the billboards declaring Find It Here.com. Mr. Hamilton turned on the radio in one of the cities, and a voice was telling about a changed life through relationship with Jesus Christ, and the spot ended with an invitation to visit Find It Here.com. As he drove his family across the Midwest, his mind began to fill with thoughts about his own life and all that it was missing, and about his family and how their relationships had become so strained. That night they stayed in a motel, and as they watched TV, they saw a spot ad that featured a lady telling about a relationship with Jesus Christ. The ad ended with an invitation for folks to visit Find It Here.com.
As they traveled across Kansas, they saw a few more of the Find It Here.com billboards. Mr. Hamilton sensed a longing in his heart to recover something he had lost along life’s pilgrimage. Imagine their surprise as the Hamiltons, on Saturday, pulled into Smalltown, KS, and passed by Elm Grove Baptist Church whose lawn was decorated with a banner declaring Find It Here.com. There were several cars in the church parking lot.
Upon arriving at his folks’ home, they were met with a note that said, “Make yourselves comfortable. We won’t be long. We are delivering Find It Here scripture cards to the homes in our community along with an invitation to join us in our Easter Celebration at the church.”
(Note from Ken: This little vignette, I believe, is just an example of the possibilities that exist for us to have an impact on the nation through GPS next spring. Be watching for more info in future articles.)
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