Home?

One of the things I liked best about my bicycle tour from Canada to Mexico in June of 2008 was the fun of riding new places each and every day for three weeks. It's nice to ride familiar roads because you know what's coming up. You can go a little faster on the descents because you know what to expect. You can plan ahead for the gnarly parts of the ride where the traffic gets heavy or the pavement is bad. But there's something exciting about riding in new places. You see new sights and face new challenges around every bend and over every hill on the road. There's always something new to look forward to.

That's one of the things I've enjoyed about my life in the ministry as well. It has taken my wife and me to many different places. We've lived in ten different cities in seven different states over the course our lives, from the Midwest, to the West Coast and now in southern Texas. It's been an amazing journey. In fact, it was amazing to get away this weekend with my wife and discover her Wendish roots not far from here in Serbin, TX. We were actually able to visit Friendship Cemetary where some of her ancestors are buried.

Frequently people will ask me where is home. I'm always quick to reply, "I've lived too many places here on earth to call any place home. Heaven is my home!" I thought about that when I read John 18:36 this morning. Pilate asked Jesus, "Are you the king of the Jews?" The Jewish authorities had identified Jesus as such to Pilate hoping this would make Jesus seem like a threat to Pilate and the Roman authorities. They accused Jesus of subverting Roman authority and opposing payment of taxes to Caesar. But when Pilate asked if he was king Jesus replied, "My kingdom is not of this world."

Jesus knew that he had come into this world to do a job. His task was to save the world. He was to establish the Kingdom of God in the hearts of as many human beings as possible. He was not here to establish an earthly kingdom, and he was certainly no threat to Rome's authority. In fact, he told Pilate, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above." So Jesus understood that he came to die for our sins and rise again for our salvation, so that we could enter the Kingdom of Heaven and live with Him eternally.

That's why I like the fact that I don't have a "home" here on earth. Oh, yes, I own a house in San Antonio. But I haven't lived here long enough to call it "home." Yes, I grew up in Detroit, but I haven't lived there in so long that it doesn't feel like "home" anymore. Yes, I raised my daughters in Chicago, but that isn't home either. In truth, heaven in my home, my only real home, and I like that.

So in the meantime, I'm on an adventure, a daily journey filled with ups and downs, twists and turns, unexpected delights and unpredictable difficulties. This world cannot hold me down because I'm not of this world. This world cannot capture my affections because I've learned to love the One who first loved me. It's a nice way to live, setting your mind on things above and not on earthly things.