God still does move in mysterious ways. “The LORD our God has secrets known to no one“ states Deuteronomy 29:29. True.
About a year ago or possibly a little more, I was making my way back to Shepherdsville, Kentucky. My home town is Jackson, and my mom Dale Jolley and my daughter Hannah still live there. At the time I also had an uncle that lived in Spring Creek, and I believe on this particular trip home to Kentucky, I started at his home. I am not quite sure how, but as I was trying to get to 1-40, I took a different route. I ended up in Buchanan, Tennessee. My dad always pronounced it Buck cannon. 
He was a country boy to say the least, so I thought maybe that was just the way he said it. It is a beautiful area that I am fairly familiar with. My dad was a Bass fisherman. Our vacations revolved around a place that he could fish, and we could camp. That brought us to the Tennessee River and all its surrounding areas.
I didn’t appreciate the camping and fishing experience at the time. I did love to boat ride. When dad would return from a day of fishing, he typically would take us for a ride. There is nothing more relaxing. So, as I found myself driving through Buchanan, I asked God out loud, “God, isn’t there a church here in Buchanan that needs a pastor?” Robert and I had discussed in recent years, as husbands and wives will do, where would be our perfect retirement spot. For me it is the Tennessee river. Now light bulbs are beginning to come on, right?
Mansard Island Campground-I know this area very well 
We thought little about this whole conversation, but simultaneously God was leading Robert’s heart to pastor again. We had begun to pray as we always did “Not our will but yours.” We have been blessed to be a part of large and small churches. Each and every time, we seek God’s will, not ours. This has had us leaving church families that we loved and moving to places that didn’t always make sense. All our married life, I have wondered why we couldn’t stay in one place like so many get to do instead of move AGAIN. Robert stated that our ministry seems to be along the lines of a Paul type ministry. Whatever the case, here we are.
Honestly, I thought little about my conversation with God because our life tends to be busy. As this all unfolded, I did find myself quietly saying, “What? Seriously?” The rest is history.
Understand that if you were to think, “Oh, so y’all came here because it is where you want to retire”, the answer is simply, no. I am not a fan of moving. I am not a fan of getting a house looking awesome only to see other people buy it, and it is now theirs. I am not a fan of having to leave a great teaching job and find another one. I am getting too old for that.
There is no peace outside of God’s Will. It is God’s Will that we came to Buchanan and Point Pleasant Baptist Church. God didn’t listen to me and say, “Ok, because you said that I will grant it,” like He is a genie in a bottle. He is God. His plans are much greater than ours. We have seen the agony and destruction of what can happen when people (and us) live outside God’s Will. Regardless of what it looks like, God’s Will is perfect. This time, I just happen to be voicing what He was thinking. Thanks, God.
Kathy McBroom
kathymcbroom@gmail.com
Point Pleasant Baptist Church
13700 US Hwy 79
Buchanan, TN 38222
Life in Paris aka Life with Brown Dog 