The Joy and Journey of Being From Nowhere

I am from everywhere and nowhere. My dad was not in the military. We moved around as though he were. He was a Baptist preacher by trade and possessed a pioneering sprit. Dad left Sweetwater, Texas when he finished high school and never looked back. Mom was born in Louisiana and was raised in Borger, Texas. She left home a year after high school and met my dad and was swept away on the adventure. There is joy and it is a journey being from nowhere. Well, I am not actually from nowhere and I am certainly not from everywhere.

Oklahoma OK

I was born in Elk City, Oklahoma. You may have missed it if you blinked as you drove down the I-40 through dusty western Oklahoma. It was 1962 and it was a simple time. My grandsons are always astonished to hear that I grew up in the 1900’s. Elk City was just the first stop on the journey for our restless clan. You can take the boy out of Texas, but he certainly will return to see if you can go home again. The metropolis of Coleman, Texas was the second stop. Coleman registered less than 5,000 citizens at the last census. Furthermore, they boast 9 Baptist churches.

Friday Night Lights

The last stop in Texas was in Odessa. Yessir. Odessa, Texas is the home of the Permian Panthers of Friday Night Lights fame. Read the book before you see the movie and and maybe skip the television series. Dad was present for their first State Football Championship in 1965, despite his wandering heart he would have loved my brother and me to have played at Permian. In case you haven’t heard, football is big in Texas. Dad always said and his dad always said that football was the fourth part of the Trinity down there.

A Longing For the Lost

Mom and dad really loved people far from God. They had a longing for the lost, consequently our stay in the Bible Belt was short lived. God spoke. We moved to Davenport, Iowa. My grandmother swore that we were going to freeze to death in some cornfield. Davenport became the home of the newly launched Quint City Baptist Temple, now known as Legacy Church. Yep. It’s still going. So many lives were ushered into God’s Kingdom and so many families were changed for good. Life on the mighty Mississippi was simple and fun, however the restless wanderer moved us on.

City of Big Shoulders

Chicago, my kind of town. Windy City would have been too obvious. Chicago, it turns out, has more nicknames than gangsters. Just kidding. There are way more gangsters. We lived in the western suburbs of Chicago from the end of 3rd grade to the middle of 10th grade. I still claim Chicago as my hometown. Go Sox! Furthermore, if I could only eat a few foods for the rest of my life, sign me up for a Chicago dog, an Italian beef sandwich, and Chicago style pizza (which isn’t deep dish). If you know, you know as the kids would say. No cap. A lot of people and a lot of families moved from religion to a relationship with Jesus out there, however there was one more stop.

America’s Finest City

It is interesting how cities give themselves nicknames. San Diego may very well be America’s Finest City, moreover the name is derived from disappointment. The city was in line to host the Republican National Convention in 1972, but the event was moved to Miami. To build morale, Mayor Pete Wilson coined the phrase himself in an effort to lure visitors to his beautiful city. Culture shock does not even begin to describe the move from suburban Chicago to San Diego. The reason for the move was strictly for Kingdom advancement or so I’ve been told. I am sure that there was no thought given to year round golf or any other such trivial pursuits.

The Lovely One

There are many theories and back stories that contribute to the saga of moving to California, but most notably I was the big winner. Our first week in San Diego I met the lovely Amy. December of 1978 was very, very good to me. I turned sweet 16 and I met the love of my life. Amy and I are just three months shy of 39 years of marriage. The rest is history and will be told another time. If you ask me where I’m from I will probably say, “Well, it’s a long story.” What I mean is that I’m from everywhere and nowhere. There is joy and it’s been a journey being from nowhere.