I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain, and to be helped on my journey there by you, once I have enjoyed your company for a while. At present, however, I am going to Jerusalem bringing aid to the saints. - Romans 15:24-25 (ESV)

Have you ever had a trip that didn't go like you expected? You had grand plans. Every detail was mapped out. Reservations were made and confirmed. But in the middle your plan suddenly took a detour. Maybe it was an accident. Maybe someone lost the reservation. Maybe the money wasn't there for the trip. How did you respond? How did it turn out? What did you learn?

This week as Paul begins to close out the book of Romans, he tells the recipients of his upcoming travel plans. He hopes to go from Corinth to Jerusalem then out to Rome and on to Spain. This grand plan will have its challenges, especially traveling in the ancient world, but what could go wrong?

I'd like to encourage you to read the last half of Romans 15 . If you want to get a glimpse into how it worked to take a look at Acts 20-24 . Along the way we can learn how God takes our plans and changes us for his Glory and our good.