It all made perfect sense, right up until nothing made sense. Then, after a while, I began to understand.
I listened to the Lord when He gave me direction for my life. In a short period of time I developed a driving desire to sail. Sail away and cruise where the boat and wind took us. Experience an amazing part of creation and humanity that was not possible in my current life. And, one night, God told me, “if you preach Jesus, I’ll make it happen.”
So, I did what I usually did. Get excited and get to work. Can there be any doubt that God wanted me to work like crazy to make this happen? Did I trust Him when He said it was going to come true? Of course I did; so I made a plan.
I spent the better part of a year executing a rigid outline of steps.
Get family onboard.
Sell the business.
Find a catamaran.
Sell the house.
Say a Long Goodbye.
Sail away.
It all happened according to plan, except of course the last step. All along the way I was amazed at how I had listened to God and what He said was happening. My listening and my work were paying off. What a glorious moment this was becoming.
Then things started to slip sideways. Property liens and Irma. Poor house showings and bad timing. Soon I found myself driving around the entire state of Florida looking for a replacement catamaran, sure that God was behind all my effort. How could He not be? He told me “He would make it happen.” After six weeks at beaches, marinas, RV parks and camping, searching for the catamaran God had waiting, I saw the road ahead: God wanted me to understand that He was in control. I needed to be patient and get to work, while I waited for Him to show me the path forward.
So we made another plan and we drove back 300 miles to Sarasota. A city we previously stopped in by accident when we put the wrong address in google maps. We found a vibrant church in 24 hours. It was an amazing body of Christ filled with love and the Holy Spirit. We found a store location in 48 hours. Prime real estate for 50% market rates and a TWO YEAR LEASE! Now God was really getting going. We would live the Florida lifestyle while we built up our cruising kitty. This was was strongly appealing to all of us. God was back in charge!
Just one more week at an out of the way Airbnb and we would be rocking and rolling into a two year plan to make it happen. What a path we had created!
We were still looking at boats, so that we could get a better feel for what we would eventually want, and I scheduled an appointment for an older and smaller catamaran. Expectations were set: we would see another brand and model than we had before and add to our knowledge base. Nothing more.
We drove to Sweetwater Landing and walked down the dock to one of only two masts in the marina. I heard a voice call out “Mr Long.”
I answered and we stepped onto Faith. She was in a bit of disrepair. She had been opened up and wiped down for four days after being tied down and sealed up for Irma, five months before. Musty smelling and tired looking, I was not thrilled to show her to my family.
However, we spent the next hour touring Faith with her owner John. John was only the second person I knew who had been told by God to start a sailing ministry. He was 83 and energetically showed us Gods boat. He told us how he lived and worked and served God for the 35 years, the last four being on Faith. I began to see Faith as she was: a humble yacht serving the Lords call.
Then, since he was 83 and running out of more than time, Brother John Wade got down to business; were we interested or not? I hesitated and turned to Mayra. She was far more at ease and joyful in the salon than I had expected. I turned to brother John and asked him if I had mentioned to him yet the reason we were looking for a boat. He said I had not.
I took a few seconds to gather my thoughts, and then spent 90 seconds telling him the very short version of our last 18 months. I had not finished even the abbreviated story when he cut me off.
“Well, we got a whole new ball game here. That changes everything. See, this is God’s Boat. And if it is going to stay in the service of the Lord, well this whole thing is gonna be different.”He told us about his accident earlier that week. He had driven three days from Arkansas to show us Faith. He didn’t know why God had told him that this appointment with us was worth the drive. Upon arriving at Faith, he began to open her up and prepare her for us to see. That’s when he got dizzy and slipped. Slipped off the boat, into the dock bouncing off the concrete footing and ending up sliding into the cold water under the slick with growth port hull. Nothing to grab and dizzy with no breath in his lungs, he reached out and found a loose spring line to pull himself up. It was still dark and early in the morning at the far end of the dock. Nobody was around. With cracked ribs and bleeding badly from his head and arms he swam around to the custom swim platform he'd built. Climbed up the ladder and collapsed. Praying to God for 20 minutes in the morning cold, soaked to the bone, to show him why he came all this way.
He told us that now he knew why God had brought him.
We discussed our change in plans. How we now were opening a store about 90 minutes north in Sarasota and we were looking at yachts to consider for our new two year time frame. That's when Brother John told us he would reduce the price of Faith fifty percent. He was sure God had planned for Faith to be ours. Still, our finances and tim
ing were now committed to what God had so clearly shown us. After a short discussion about deposit and the balance, we agreed to pray about the decision and let John Wade know soon. As we drove away, the magnitude of the opportunity began to shift our thoughts. Faith was a chance to sail away, now. We saw the path, either buy Faith now and carry on in Sarasota for two years or buy her and sail away now as the answer. So we called brother John, told him we were buying Faith and would return the next day to finish the deal. And we did! We bought Faith for half the asking price and put half down. Brother John financed the other half, with a promissory note and a clear title. He told me if I didn't pay him that I had God to deal with.
A day and a half later, we had covered all the systems and brother John Wade headed back to Arkansas.
As I think through the last 18 months of following Gods call, I realize I did to God what I am so good at with others. I listened for what I wanted to hear. I skipped the part where He said “He would make it happen, “ and I set out my way making it happen. Upon failing, and trying again. Then failing again then planning again. Then repeating that cycle again, I was stopped by God. I was shown how a man of faith had listened to God and sailed on Faith to do Gods work. I quickly agreed with God that His plan and His ways are better than mine. His work is better than mine. His timing is better than mine.
Mine end as dust. His end in faith. To God Be the glory.
