So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 1 Corinthians 3:7

Jenn stepped off the plane, welcoming a chance to stretch her legs after the long flight from Honolulu to Los Angeles. The quick break preceded the final phase of her journey to a week of collaboration and encouragement with fellow authors. This mountain retreat would be a perfect place to put distractions aside and concentrate on her craft. She couldn’t wait.

Unlike other flights that Jenn was used to, the connecting forty-minute ride from LAX to Sacramento did not have assigned seats. It was a choose-your-own, hope-there-is-something-decent-available opportunity. As she made her way down the aisle, Jenn scrutinized the choices still at her disposal and assessed the passengers already seated. Jenn made eye contact with a businessman, probably in his late fifties or early sixties. 

“May I sit next to you?” she asked, as she pointed to the seat next to him. She knew she didn’t technically have to ask his permission, but she felt it was the respectful thing to do.

“Sure,” he replied. They then did the somewhat awkward dance of arranging bodies and baggage into the not-so-spacious accommodations.

As a further gesture of politeness and thanks for allowing her to take up the neighboring area, Jenn introduced herself and asked the gentleman his name and what he did for a living. Ken surprisingly was up for a bit of conversation. The ease of communicating with someone from the next generation came naturally for Jenn, so they jumped into a back-and-forth dialogue that covered surface information. Eventually, their banter got deeper and more insightful.

Jenn soon found out that Ken, a retired military officer, traveled the country training cadets and instructors in local high school ROTC programs. He shared his passion for providing these leaders with a clear path to embracing discipline and direction in their lives. Knowing that not all of the military students had positive role models or father figures, Ken attempted to balance his high expectations with a true concern for their well-being.

After answering some of Jenn’s questions about his line of work, he wanted to know more about what she did. She explained that she was a writer and an online and podcast communicator who loves to encourage families. She told him a little bit about the retreat she was attending, and his interest was piqued.

Ken asked Jenn to tell him more about her writing subject. She told him that she encourages mothers to know that they are strong enough to be good mothers. In a world where there are hundreds of opinions about how to be the best parent, moms get confused about how to do it right. They are often discouraged and frustrated in their abilities to raise their children properly. Jenn offers hope and grace to help moms see that they are already doing many things well.

As she was sharing all of this, Ken’s wheels were turning. He began to tell of his three adult daughters. Two girls were from his first marriage, the third daughter was from his second marriage. His youngest daughter, he proudly reported, was driven and successful. He worried about the other two. His first wife was opposed to things of faith. He could see evidence of depression and hopelessness in their lives as a result of not having a belief in God.

Ken began to reflect on the fact that his first wife had been involved with consulting psychics and mediums. He paused for a moment before asking Jenn, “What do you know about that? Do you know anything about the spirit world?”

The seeds of God’s heavenly garden, Ken’s heart, were being tended throughout the conversation. Jenn took a moment to breathe in a prayer asking the Holy Spirit to help her till and water the soil. Here was a golden opportunity to unfold God’s truth, but she wanted to express it in a way that would make sense and tie in with the need that this man had. Ken desperately wanted to be able to connect with his daughters, and he wanted to be able to bridge the gap with communication and love. It seemed evident that Ken knew that there was something beyond ourselves that his daughters were missing, and he was seeking answers and direction.

Jenn’s silent prayer took but a moment, but the Holy Spirit transcended time and helped clear her thoughts. She began by sharing that she believed there was a very real spiritual realm. We were all created to worship something, and answers could come from a variety of directions as we sought to fill that void. 

She then shared that the main difference between Christianity and other religions or cultic practices like those Ken had described was that the God of the Bible wants to know us personally. He gives us the free will to choose Him because He isn’t a puppet master or a dictator.