Henry Blackaby calls them “spiritual markers.” They are those events that occur along the journey of life that we encounter God and His call. Usually they happen somewhere significant, involve someone significant, revolve around a major moment in our lives, or any combination of these. At these moments in our lives it is advisable to construct memorials to look back upon. These memorials will usually be mental, but will always be specific enough to hold onto.

For me, spiritual markers include First Baptist Church of Cason, Texas, where I first said yes to Jesus, First Baptist Church of Kemp, Texas, where I said yes to a special ministry calling; and Glorietta, New Mexico, where I finally said yes to go wherever in the world God wants me.

Some of the spiritual markers we have are directly related to the background we have. For instance, I have been Southern Baptist as long as I can remember. My roots in SBC life go deep. Because of this, when I even considered overseas service, the International Mission Board of the SBC was the option that made sense. I continue to serve as the pastor of a Southern Baptist church. Sometimes our roots influence the markers that we make on our journey. Remember who you were so that you can remember who you are, and God can make you who you will be.