8.15.2020 - week 67
should we just dump the doubters?
and have mercy on those who doubt
jude 22
2020 has revealed many cracks we have long papered over or ignored. all around me right now, marriages are failing, parents discouraged, businesses barely hanging on, churches in turmoil, and a country seemingly on the brink. watching others struggle can easily cause you to ask troubling questions…
is my business about to collapse and i lose my job?
is my marriage about fall apart?
are my kids secretly struggling way more than i realize?
do my friends like really actually care about me?
at the root of all these is some measure of doubt: lacking confidence in something you have been told. and it can be frustrating to deal with doubters. they ask so many questions. they can see problems where there are none. some doubters have pivoted into conspiracy theorists and a lack of facts does nothing to change their opinion. you become their enemy simply by not believing their video or viewpoint.
what doubters often deserve is a strong hose of truth sprayed into their face, washing off the foolish fear. a swift kick back into reality ..
‘we have been happily married for 20 years, nothing is wrong.’
‘you have 3 months salary in the bank, you can’t control it anyway, calm down!’
‘you prayed and this is the answer, why don’t you believe it?’
but mercy is not getting what we deserve.
and the most profitable way to interact with those doubting the system, the future, the core components of life is to be gracious and patient. allowing the questions. not needing to hurry up onto the next situation.
i have a friend who says
‘the antidote to trauma is relationship’
our whole society has been through traumatic things this year. rather than treating the doubt as a problem to solve, what if we could treat it as an opportunity to show love. so simple, but i see so many people in a similar state right now and this is the antidote we all need. press in to those around you and offer yourself instead of your answers, and they will find that peace passing understanding we are all looking.
KG Korner
(a few wise words from lady kristen macdonald)
What story are you telling?
This week Luke and I have been watching a documentary series on Netflix and as they tell the story they follow the different people and share their day to day life, their family life and the way everyone else feels about them. It shapes the whole story. Now obviously editing can share the story the producers want it to but it has me thinking, if the same producers were following me around, what story could be, would be, should be told?
James 5:11 says, “Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.”
One word I do know that I want to be known for is my steadfastness. Be it my husband, children, family, friends, those I’m ministering to; I want them to see that my talk aligns with my walk. And I’ll be honest this week the last thing I have wanted to be is steadfast. Any other mothers out there feel like it’s the longest summer or humans wondering what’s next around the corner for 2020? You see my feelings each morning wake up alongside my spirit and this week my feelings keep saying just give up, lay in bed, phone it in with parenting, what’s two more hours of video games anyway?! And my spirit says, Kristen, you have my Word to get in this morning. You have a husband who loves you and is counting on you. You have four children who need you and although they act like they hate rules and consequences they are learning more than the eye can see. You have people that need kindness and encouragement around you.
Who has won in your life this week - your feelings or your spirit?
That is the beauty of the story of Job. You see he had a lot - beautiful family, wife and material blessings beyond necessity and he lost all of his children and many of his material blessings. He refused to curse God but instead had many honest conversations with him struggling through the loss and the feelings that came from that. If he had allowed his feelings of sadness and grief to lead him he would have never trusted God again. But, look whose story we are still talking about hundreds of years later - the guy that despite all the odds didn’t give up, he let his spirit lead him to the one who held purpose even in the pain. God ended up blessing him but it seems like that points more to God’s character and to Job’s obedience to trust him even in his most difficult season.
Feelings are good, God gave them to us after all. But when we allow them to run rampant they can gain more power than they ought to. Today is a new day and a great day to be steadfast - in spite of the pandemic, in spite of what the news is reporting, there are people that need you today. Self-talk isn’t the only thing that matters, but I do believe that you are the best preacher to yourself. God has purpose for you and he will show you more of himself as you remain faithful to him. Let’s lead our feelings so that our story points to the one who is worthy of our unwavering and firm grip.
book review
this book is a few years old, the concepts in it have become popular since initial publication through marie kondo and her organizing techniques. it is a vision of the world where energy is expended to reduce unnecessary people, projects, and distractions at all cost. mckeown believes that anything that isn’t essential distracts, that we spend ourselves on things that don’t matter in a way that robs us from what does. as we re-imagine our lives in a post-pandemic world, these concepts are likely to be very helpful, highly recommend.
like many church/theology books, this book suffers from wonderful at diagnosing problem while providing problematic solutions. in sketching a history of the evangelical church since world war 2, tremendous connections and insights come to the forefront. the author believes that the support for president trump among white evangelicals (78% - 81%) is not a pragmatic swerve, but rather a logical endgame. to accept her premise requires seeing the president as self-evidently bad, which already reveals some pre-suppositions i can’t whole heartedly support. if you are interested in understanding the fast growing fissure between parts of the white evangelical church and don’t mind being aggravated every 3 pages (either from what you are reading or from how unfair it seems), this book is for you.
super christian guy
content this week
a new message this week on podcast / youtube called STOP MEAN CHRISTIANS pt 7. kristen said this was her favorite in the whole series, would love for you to check it out.
pieces of good news I saw this week
very interesting ….
‘there is the oft-quoted observation of brookings Institution scholar ron haskins that american adults who follow three rules—finish high school; get a full-time job; and wait until at least age 21 to get married and have children—have a 2% chance of being poor and a 75% chance of being a middle-class wage earner.’