4.4.2020 - week 49
on what to do in the middle of the middle
and the waters prevailed on the earth 150 days. genesis 7:24
but god remembered noah. genesis 8:1
we aren’t at the end. we aren’t at the beginning. we are in the middle (maybe the beginning of the middle?). the worst part. at first, as a person who loves change and variety, a couple weeks of doing things differently was kinda fun for me. no one close to me has suffered from the virus so far, so it has felt more like a massive inconvenience than a trial.
but now it’s all setting in. too little structure. too much time listening to kids hassling each other. too little socialization. too much uncertainty. we are in the waiting game.
noah spent a lot of time waiting. first, 75 years while he built the ark, hoping he heard god’s voice clearly. then a year on the ark watching the world as he knew it be destroyed.
waiting stinks if we see it as wasted time.
what if … it’s appointed time.
how would your daily schedule and outlook right now be different if you believed god had supernatural purpose for you in the time you are waiting?
he may seem silent, but he’s still working, so keep waiting.
you may be doing your part and not seeing any results yet,
but he’s still working, so keep waiting.
you may be barely holding on but you are still holding on,
and he’s still working, so keep waiting.
because god always always always ultimately blesses obedience, keep on waiting.
god hasn’t forgotten. this will end.
and when it’s just a story we’re telling, what’s the story you want to be telling?
KG Korner
(a few wise words from lady kristen macdonald)
I shared a few weeks back about pruning and yet I have no expertise in the gardening department. In fact, I would almost say I have expertise in the department called “Best at killing plants.” It’s not something I am proud of, I think it’s something that takes a back seat when life gets busy. This week as I was studying before my bible study I was compelled by something in our back patio garden. One of the chapters talked about roots and how they serve as a reservoir for storage. And as I looked at two different plants on our patio you can determine which one was strong enough to survive the California “winter” (if you can call it that, where my Chicago peeps at?!) and the one that looked as though it was flourishing in November with fresh blooms and all but because it’s roots weren’t strong enough to withstand the elements (although again they were mild) they have completely withered. Most people don’t pay much attention to roots because they are hidden, however, they end up getting revealed if they are unhealthy. The vitality of the plant is revealed by the roots and what’s going on underneath the surface.
I found these two scriptures helpful as we talked through this idea because they illustrate what a healthy, flourishing, bountiful tree is like that has deep and established roots:
Jeremiah 17:8 says, “He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”
Psalm 1:3 says, “He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.”
As this time of quarantine becomes longer I think that we are all realizing that instead of staying in survival mode we have the decision to really utilize this time for good. Instead of looking at our lives and thinking of all the things we wish we could change we can instead use that energy on putting fertilizer, fresh water, and bright sunshine on our spiritual lives. In other words, hunker down and dig into God’s word, spend longer in prayer, put verses around the house so that no matter where you go your heart can be refocused on truth that stands the test of time. Although this season feels as if it sprung itself on all of us suddenly and we all feel a bit weary of the heaviness, what if we decided once and for all that if we really want to be a person who has grown a year from now that this month can be a beautiful beginning to our growth.
I love that God is always working and that even if your roots are feeling frail and weak that He can restore them to be even more beautifully connected to the true vine. If apart from him what we can do is nothing, then with him the possibilities are endless. If instead of fear in the heat of this virus we pursue time with Him and if instead of anxiety in the midst of uncertainty producing withering, God’s Word says we can cast our anxieties on Him and He WILL sustain us. I believe when we choose the path of strengthening our roots the fruit and prospering that He brings will glorify Him because everyone around you will be curious as to what your true source is!
cup of leadership
you are worried about being exposed to corona, but perhaps you should be more worried about how corona is exposing you.
this moment puts intense pressure on every area of your life and it is revealing a few weeks in any small fissure of compromise or dissonance you have been overlooking. the way you communicate in your marriage, how much of your parenting is simply distracting your kids, your financial situation, how necessary you REALLY are at your job, the strength of your true relationships and etc etc etc.
the exposure brings sorrow when you realize things are as good as you thought, but also brings opportunity to grow and change and work on what isn’t. don’t just avoid getting the virus, avoid ignoring what it reveals about you
book review
this book was assigned for a class i’m taking. it has some genius thinking inside of it. it’s right in the way that it’s wrong. Ubuntu is a beautiful african ideal, the idea that an individual’s life cannot be found outside of its place in community. a perfect antidote to the hyper-individual mindset of the western world. eat the fish and spit out the bones for sure on this, it will help you.
BRILLIANT - a rigorous and insightful + loving analysis of modern culture from a christian worldview perspective. this book compellingly argues, that properly understood/practiced, biblical christianity is the most pro-women group on earth. biblical sexuality is the most free. gender a gift to be cherished. rather than be painted bigoted or backward, it’s the layer of certain church cultures, not the true NT message that is unloving. this framework will really help you navigate the world in better ways. 10/10 every christian should read this. thank you nancy pearcey.
content this week
VIDEO SERVICE – watch our worship/preaching/prayer service from wednesday night, with my message, ‘why waiting always wins’
i posted a whole series of short clips that might encourage you - check it out.
verse of the week
be strong and let your heart take courage,
all you who wait for the Lord
psalm 31:24
pieces of good news I saw this week
1. i have been updating my 2020 playlist w. new tunes each week, think it will encourage you. listen here.
2. this essay (with some salty language) about the great comedia chris farley really moved me. it’s amazing how society destroys what we love by reducing people to polarized versions of our favorite parts of them
3. did you say SHAQ DANCING in his kitchen? why yes, yes I did -
4. michael jordan top 10 plays ever, this was the best 5 minutes of my week ..