The Cincinnati Skyline

When we travel to see Kevin's brother and his family we drive around Cincinnati. The skyline always caught my attention and I couldn't take my eyes off of it.  About four years ago the church we attended began serious talks about opening a church campus in the Cincinnati area.  Kevin and I began talking about being a part of launching that campus and said yes to moving to the area three years ago.  Before our move, each time I drove to Cincinnati, whether it was for a job interview, to look for housing, or any other reason, I would see the Cincinnati skyline and feel something in my chest.  That feeling I could only describe as a "catch in my heart." I knew the Lord was giving me a different kind of love for that city and the area. So I began praying for the city and whatever influence we could have as a church on that area.

Two years ago we moved to a town that is slightly northeast of Cincinnati.  For the 2014-2015 academic year I taught at a university that was located on the west side of the city. Each day that I drove to campus I had the gift of driving around downtown Cincinnati and getting to see that skyline. My heart caught every time. It reminded me to continue praying for that city and area. Though sometimes my drive to and from that campus would last up to an hour (and I am not a fan of driving or being in a car for any extended period of time), I grew to love that drive because I got to see that skyline twice each day.

I chose not to renew my contract with that university for the 2015-2016 academic year and accepted a position with a school that was on the east side of the city. I no longer got to see that skyline. My drive was much shorter and I didn't enjoy it as much. My prayers for the city started to dwindle and it had been several months since I felt that catch in my heart.

Until yesterday.

This past weekend we returned home to Lexington from spending two years in the Cincinnati area. We know God called us to that area for that time, and He said it was time for us to come home. This week and part of next I will drive back to the Cincinnati area to complete a summer class that I am teaching. Due to the new direction that I am driving from to get to campus, I got to full-on see the Cincinnati skyline for the first time in a long time yesterday. It was beautiful, and I once again felt that catch in my heart. It reminded me to continue praying for that city and area. Even though we are no longer a part of that area, I can continue praying that God moves in large ways and that more people come to know His Son. Being a two-year resident of that community is now a part of who I am and I will always have a heart connection with the area. Though I may be gone from it, it will never be gone from me.