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A Vision in the Night

Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

(Acts 16:6-10)

In the summer of 2005 I said those fateful words “I do” twice.  I said them first to the love of my life, Kjerstin Jo Oslin, standing at the altar before friends and family at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Mora, Minnesota, on July 16th.  I was 26 years old, walking on sunshine and blessed beyond measure. Keri moved in with me at the rental house my parents owned on Gumwood Road in Mound.  She was 22 years old and only six months away from graduating a semester early from Bethel with a double major.  (She’s a bright cookie!)

The second time I said “I do” was to the Lord, on a prayer walk which I will describe shortly.  I think it is fair to say that Keri didn’t realize the kind of storm she was walking into.  Neither did I.  We were young, in love, optimistic and yet as clueless as every other newly wed couple in their first few months of matrimony.

Thankfully we had Christ as our rock and we intended to keep Him at the center of our marriage.  For we knew that “A cord of three strands is not quickly broken” (Eccl 4:12).  But even a love-triangle with the Lord can have a dark side with dangerous potential.

The next two years would involve what might be called a strained 3-way relationship that would eventually need to be resolved.  But I’m getting ahead of myself.