It’s been an interesting 24 hours. With a relatively clear calendar right now, I’ve accepted some opportunities to meet with people. It’s been a good experience and I’ve walked away from each meeting with a takeaway. Hopefully the people I met with left with something too. Because here’s what it looked like, three different guys..

One is launching a new ministry

One is hoping to a land in ministry

One is leaving the ministry

Talk about three completely different conversations. I’m not sure why I was the guy to talk to these three, but I was, so I did. I’m not sure what wind I can put in their sails when I’m standing on the shoreline hoping to catch a little breeze myself. But I don’t know that we always know why these random meetings happen, but they do….and they all matter.

Over the past few weeks I have come to believe, more than ever before, that we leave a wake behind us as we travel the rivers of life. For some it’s the smooth ripples of a slow paddle. Some barely register a wave as they allow the winds of life to guide them along. Others wildly rev the engine and disrupt all that are left in their waves. Still others leave a trail of toxins from the “engine” that they are running.

Here’s the important thing I’ve learned – don’t ever think that you won’t meet those that feel your wake again. It may feel like it today. It might seem as if you’re headed down stream and it doesn’t matter the wake you leave (and we all leave one). There comes a time in our lives when we must travel back up this stream we’re headed down. Traveling upstream is not easy. It requires some help. Those that were in our wake now stand to either help or walk away.

What kind of wake are you leaving?