Prepare for Takeoff

Today my family and I boarded a plane in Knoxville, Tennessee and headed west to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to sing for a seniors’ conference. The first flight of the day arrived in Dallas early—how often does that happen?—and there we changed planes after a fifty-mile trek from concourse to shuttle to skywalk to tram.

I don’t mind flying, but I usually don’t have very good travelers’ luck. You’d think, having traveled all my life, I’d figure out a way to beat the system. More often than not, I get pulled over in the security line. (Even though I cleaned out the 7 tubes of lip gloss and $48 of change from the bottom of my purse this morning, I guess a blonde with a leopard print suitcase just looks suspicious.) And somehow, the kicking, screaming toddler and the stressed-out, screaming parent always find their way to the seats right behind me.

But today, I scored an aisle seat in the back of a near-empty plane headed to Albuquerque. I nodded hello to my neighbor and pulled out my iPod. I smiled to myself at what a nice flight this would be. I had no idea just how good it was going to get.

A few minutes before landing, the man next to me gestured toward my family and said, “So are you all traveling together for business?” I answered that we sang Christian music together and were singing at a conference this week. He asked our group name, and when I told him, he started laughing.

He said, “You’re not going to believe this, but your family stayed in my home about twenty years ago.” He explained that he was a worship pastor in Texas and the Talleys had sung at his church in the 1980’s. After connecting all the dots, he said, “So what’s God up to in your life these days?”

I shared with him how the Lord has changed my life and what God has led me to do through the new book, music and website, and about our Songs In The Night Power Study. I told him about the scores of new friends I’m making and how we’re all learning that God loves and uses broken people and He wants to give us hope to live a victorious life. He described his own heart for ministry and how he wants to see people hunger and thirst for God in a new way.

I was on the aisle, and my friend was next to me, but God was in the middle of the plane today. (Who knew that God flies coach?!) My seat mate asked if we could pray before we landed, and he proceeded to pray God’s blessing and protection over me and my family and our ministries. He specifically prayed that this ministry would “take off!” It gave me such a charge to keep going and telling broken people there’s hope.

God always knows how to reach you. He always has a watchful eye on you. He never sleeps on airplanes. A divine encounter with God is just around the corner if you’re prepared for takeoff!

I gave him this website address so Lee, if you’re reading this, thanks.

(everybody say hi to Lee!)