The year was 1973. Art and I were feeling a need for a place to get away from the demands of pastoring and have time with our family. We also longed for a place to share with our friends who also needed a place to get away and find refreshment. At one time we had even started to purchase an empty lot on a small manmade lake, but when financially we couldn’t keep up with the land contract, we had to let it go along with our dream.
For four years, two of the older couples in the church loaned us their cottages on Crooked Lake near Fairview, Michigan. Sharie was just 3 months old the first summer we spent at the lake, and Stephen was ready to turn 5 in a few short weeks. That summer we had to haul water from a neighbor’s pump, and use the outhouse, but we so enjoyed our time there, we didn’t mind the inconveniences. The next summer another neighbor loaned us his cottage which was definitely an upgrade to the first one we used. He had running water and indoor plumbing!
Art told our neighbor that if he knew of someone wanting to sell their place to please let him know. I always worried about finances. How could we possibly purchase a cottage? We barely covered our monthly expenses as it was. However, Art assured me that when the time was right, God would provide. In March of ’73, my grandfather passed away. When his estate was settled, each of his grandchildren received a small, totally unexpected inheritance. A short time later our neighbor approached Art. The cottage next to his was for sale and would make a great get away for our family.
That summer Art and I slipped away from a youth retreat to look over the property. He was convinced immediately that this was the place for us. It was nothing fancy. There was a well with an electric pump, but no inside plumbing. I made Art promise that if we bought the place, he would put in a bathroom right away. When Art negotiated the purchase, the small inheritance we received covered all but about $1500 of the purchase, and the owner was willing to let us pay the balance on a land contract.
Through the years the cottage went through several upgrades and renovations. Art’s comment, “While we’re at it…” became a family joke. We still laugh about the time we were sitting around the lunch table and suddenly Art and Steve were on the roof tearing it off to reconfigure the roof line.
Art named our place Heart’s Desire after the verse in Psalm 37:8 Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Someone made us a sign for the cottage that said Heart’s Desire that still hangs on the front of our porch.
Through the years, Heart’s Desire has been a place of refreshment and renewal for not only our family, but for extended family members, friends, fellow pastors, and even sometimes people we didn’t know well. Recently, I’ve been amazed at how many people have mentioned their fond memories of time spent here. When Heart’s Desire became our permanent residence in 2013, Art and I continued to enjoy a steady stream of family and friends coming to visit. I wondered what would happen once Art was gone, but the draw of this place continues to bring family and friends to the door.
The question was raised in our Bible class as we studied Psalm 37, what does it mean to “delight in the Lord?” I thought of how when we tried to find a way to purchase a getaway, our efforts failed. But when we committed our dream to the Lord and waited on Him and His timing, He made a way where there seemed to be no way. Through the years, we experienced Him doing that over and over again in our lives.
