Why this blog is called Fence Rail

Why the name "Fence Rail?"

In January 1977, about 18 months after I gave my life to Christ, I began attending Trinity College in Deerfield, Ill. My life had changed radically and I had grown in Christ and wanted to serve Him.  College was a step toward seminary and then serving Him in the church. Now I was in college, being challenged in my "brand" of Christianity, and challenged particularly, because few Christians I met were living for Christ with the intensity of what I had just assumed was "normal" at the Wauwatosa Chapel in Milwaukee. I had also been spoiled in Milwaukee, taking long walks praying up on the railroad tracks near my house.

So, at Trinity, after I read my Bible in the evening, I'd go out to walk and pray. I found a road across from the entrance to the college that went back about 1/4 of a mile, turned, and went further to some private homes. The land was very rural and must have been used for grazing horses at one time. At the place where the road turned to the left, there was a small field, and walking straight ahead through the field, I found a split rail fence along a border of pines trees.

I sat on that fence for hours, facing south, praying, talking to the Lord about the latest issue or question in my mind, watching the planes circling over O'Hare. In my clearest memories there is snow, and the fields and road look dreamy and picturesque. I remember many conversations with the Lord about serving Him and many new ideas and focused resolve being formed. I had some "break throughs" in my understanding from time to time. And there was that point in the discussion when the conversation ended, sometimes after hours of walking and sitting, and you knew it had been a great time and it was time to head back in.

That split rail fence was a place I met with the Lord, where I grew in my love for Him, and where He did a lot of amazing work in my heart.  I’m delighted to see that He’s still doing that now, even without the fence and that the quiet time with Him is even more precious now, than it was back then.