06.08.19 - week 7
god is not in a hurry. you are.
it’s why you are tired and anxious and stressed and disappointed.
- pastor keion henderson
and after you have suffered a litte while, the god of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. to him be the dominion forever and ever. amen
1 peter 5.10
the thing is though, it never feels like a little while. while awaiting that 4-pack of promises (restore/confirm/strengthen/establish), it feels like a long-darn-while. because of course, we live inside time and are impatient.
last week my son graham (6) came roaming down the stairs with that look. fury in his eyes, lower jaw pushed out, he growled ‘there’s nothing to do.’ trying to take the calm rational approach, i reminded him that we were leaving in 20 minutes for his baseball game. taking cues from the genes i gave him, he responded ‘don’t care, that’s not now.’
other than providing a perfect anecdote for this little devo (so perfect that the more cynical reading this may question its veracity), that was a very disheartening thing for a father to hear. really buddy? we are 20 minutes away from the next fun thing and that feels inadequate?
and of course, we do the same. even in the dark corridors of loss, through death + divorce, god’s presence is so available to us. candidly, sometimes i want his provision more than his presence, which usually means i’m not ready yet for what he wants to do. so today, lean in to his love and trust that the ‘little while’ is almost complete and that god’s purposes are being fulfilled not after, but while we wait.
Cup of Leadership
the venomous snake of self-reliance convinces us to ‘be jesus’ instead of trying to be like him.
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pretend we are the sun instead of a reflecting moon. cultivate reliance on ourselves instead of the true power source. it’s a subtle evil, because it looks similar from the outside to godliness. when we are trying to be jesus, we care/try/reach-out/forgive, but from our own strength. what can often happen is that we legitimately help others, while depleting our own soul. if you are exhausted in doing good and you can’t figure out why, spend some time deciding where your trust is truly placed.
Book Review
these books felt like a duo to me because i got to know the authors at the same event years ago. super helpful to consume together, they have complementary approaches. i have learned a lot the last 5 years about the inadequacy of my education as it pertains to the black church and its history and challenges. some combo of trayvon martin / #summerforthecity / my friend kim stratton / the elephant room helped me wake up and see with new eyes. i love the bible, but i have learned to see how people in power ‘use’ the bible to hurt others.
these books are biblically rigorous and well argued, but if you are from the suburban christian=republican crowd, you might find them hard to read. these guys are to be trusted, they can expand your vision.
3 Things I Really Liked This Week
1. love this new bon iver song
2. if you are a serious baseball fan, you should subscribe to the joe sheehan newsletter, killer stuff in your inbox every few days
3. out of everything i saw commemorating d-day this past week, this was the most moving