As I sit here, I have been looking at pictures of the flooding in Houston and it is painful. I can't even begin to imagine what the people in Houston are going through. It reminds me of Katrina and the flooding in New Orleans. I bring up Katrina because I had the opportunity to help just a little in rebuilding some homes after the flooding. My heart breaks to see natural disasters. I struggle to answer reasons why they happen. I hurt when people say why would God let this happen to people? I struggle even more when I see people saying that the floods are some sort of judgement by God on people, which I saw more after Katrina than now.
I got the grand opportunity to watch a total solar eclipse last week here in Central. It was amazing to see day turn to night. To hear animals that you would only hear at night was surreal. It was unbelievable to see Venus in the sky during the day. It was an experience that I will never forget. I was troubled a little though when some people began to say the eclipse was a sign from God that the judgement is near. My question is why this eclipse? It is not the first one. Why not the one that is coming in 2024 or 2045? Did you know that since 2000 there have been 11 total solar eclipses somewhere in the world? Was that God showing judgement on those areas that were in the path of totality?
I struggle with people trying to take something and make it about what they want to make it about. Total solar eclipses happen because of the path of planets and the moon. I believe in God's creation and God setting things in motion. There will always be total solar eclipses. There will always be hurricanes. There will always be tornadoes. There will always be tsunamis. I can't bring myself to think that these are the way that God shows judgement on people. These are natural disasters. Natural disasters like earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, and monsoons are part of how the earth works to support life. They are necessary for the planet to sustain its environment. We have learned this through science. I am always heartbroken at the loss of life that these disasters cause. I always want to do something to help. I never want to blame God for what has happened. I believe that God can work in the midst of disaster. I believe that God is there and the heart of God breaks when people die as a cause of these disasters. I never think that God is the cause or is bringing judgement to these people or places. I believe in a God who is in the business of redemption not destruction. A God who is in the business of hope not despair. A God who is in the business of love not anger.
Tuesday, August 29, 2017
Friday, August 11, 2017
Ants Marching
I love the Pandora app on my phone. I have created a great channel for me. It is a mix of country and all the 90's and early 2000's music that I love. The other day as I was listening and Dave Matthews Band's Ants Marching came on. I thought to myself, wow it has been a really long time since I have heard this one. The next thought was, wow I still really love this song. As I was listening to the song and especially the lyrics I began to realize something. I am an ant. What I mean by that is that I get stuck in a daily routine or pattern in my life and I stay there sometimes because it is what I know and what I am comfortable with. It is safe.
I recently wrote an article for the church newsletter talking about Ecclesiastes 3 and there being a season for everything. This is true in my life. There was a season when my focus was on school. There was a season when I was a bachelor. There was a season where I lived at home and was fully reliant upon my parents. There was a season when I was a newlywed with no children. The thing about all of the seasons that I mentioned is that they have all come to an end. If I am honest looking back I don't miss any of them. When the end came for those seasons it was not always the smoothest transition. There were times that it was messy and I wasn't sure about what was coming. It meant leaving the safety of what I had know. I love the new seasons that I am in now, but getting here was not easy. I often question if the seasons I am in now are seasons that need to continue or do they need to end for something new to begin.
The church is like this as well. The church has events that happen for a season and then they stop. Sometimes they stop for a reason sometimes they stop and nobody knows why. Sometimes in church there are seasons for a particular leadership style or person. But just like in life seasons in the church come and go.
What I am most afraid of is not letting a season go because it is safe and comfortable. I am afraid of becoming an ant. I am afraid of not being willing to cross over to the promised land that God has called me to. My District Superintendent, Susan Leonard Ray, recently talked about the Israelites coming to the end of their 40 years wandering in the desert. They came to the edge of the promised land, literally just a couple of miles away, and they camped there. They sent scouts out to see the land and report back about whether or not it was safe or prudent to go. The report was that it was all that God had promised, but only two of the twelve scouts said they should cross over to the promised land. They sat there paralyzed stuck in their safety not sure if they should really go where God has called, because it is something new, and this season of wilderness that they have know for 40 years will have to end.
It is my hope that I don't get stuck in the wilderness being comfortable. I don't want to be an ant. In some ways right now I am an ant. I want to do some things different and get out of the routine. I want to listen to where God is calling me. It is my prayer that I am always looking to cross into the promised land where God is leading me to. I pray this not only for me, but for the church that I serve, and for the church universal.
Just for kicks here is a link to Ants Marching
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tId-aB8sDa0
I recently wrote an article for the church newsletter talking about Ecclesiastes 3 and there being a season for everything. This is true in my life. There was a season when my focus was on school. There was a season when I was a bachelor. There was a season where I lived at home and was fully reliant upon my parents. There was a season when I was a newlywed with no children. The thing about all of the seasons that I mentioned is that they have all come to an end. If I am honest looking back I don't miss any of them. When the end came for those seasons it was not always the smoothest transition. There were times that it was messy and I wasn't sure about what was coming. It meant leaving the safety of what I had know. I love the new seasons that I am in now, but getting here was not easy. I often question if the seasons I am in now are seasons that need to continue or do they need to end for something new to begin.
The church is like this as well. The church has events that happen for a season and then they stop. Sometimes they stop for a reason sometimes they stop and nobody knows why. Sometimes in church there are seasons for a particular leadership style or person. But just like in life seasons in the church come and go.
What I am most afraid of is not letting a season go because it is safe and comfortable. I am afraid of becoming an ant. I am afraid of not being willing to cross over to the promised land that God has called me to. My District Superintendent, Susan Leonard Ray, recently talked about the Israelites coming to the end of their 40 years wandering in the desert. They came to the edge of the promised land, literally just a couple of miles away, and they camped there. They sent scouts out to see the land and report back about whether or not it was safe or prudent to go. The report was that it was all that God had promised, but only two of the twelve scouts said they should cross over to the promised land. They sat there paralyzed stuck in their safety not sure if they should really go where God has called, because it is something new, and this season of wilderness that they have know for 40 years will have to end.
It is my hope that I don't get stuck in the wilderness being comfortable. I don't want to be an ant. In some ways right now I am an ant. I want to do some things different and get out of the routine. I want to listen to where God is calling me. It is my prayer that I am always looking to cross into the promised land where God is leading me to. I pray this not only for me, but for the church that I serve, and for the church universal.
Just for kicks here is a link to Ants Marching
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tId-aB8sDa0
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)