My Feet Nearly Slipped But Now They Are Sure

"Truly God is good to the upright; to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; my steps had nearly slipped."
Psalm 73.1-2

Psalm 73 gives us a great example of someone who knows the truths about God and speaks those truths with their mouth but has to go through a difficult journey to finally come to a place where they can speak those words with assurance and hope. Reaching a place of hope in Jesus that we can pass on to those we hope to reach takes struggle and examination of our journey in relationship with God.

Reaching who we once were makes a few assumptions:

1. It assumes we know who we were in the past. This takes self-reflection and spending time thinking about our past. What was I like, why was I like that, what brought me there, who influenced me? These questions are not always easy to answer and can sometimes bring up painful memories. We have to find a way to look at these questions and it may take the help of others. Our idea of who we were may be different from those who were watching us at the time.
2. It assumes we have noticed the different seasons of our lives. When I was young I was the preachers kid with the right answers who lived the way people thought he should. This is a surface analysis and has many layers to peal off but that is one time in my life. I have also been the confused and directionless young adult who flunks out of college because he parties too much while living a double life with his friends and his family. Another very complex season but different from the previous seasons of life. They are different but also intertwined. What caused the different seasons, who was influential during those times, how did I get from one to the next, how did faith and God's love play into all of these seasons?
3. It assumes we have changed and hopefully changed for the better. Helping those people we once were assumes we are not the same people we were then and that we are on the path to a better life through the grace of God. Helping those who are where we once were requires examination of our current life. This may be the toughest of all of the assumptions because we all like to think that we have learned from the past and are now better for those lessons. But this is not always the case and we may need to have others we trust show us ways we have grown as well as ways we could still better our relationships with God and with others.

We want to influence those who remind us of who we were but it is not an easy process. It takes brutal honesty with our past and our present if we strive to give others hope through our journey.

"Indeed, those who are far from you will perish; you put an end to those who are false to you. But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, to tell of all your works."
Psalm 73. 27-28

Tales of a Teenage Stripper

In my last two posts I have talked about how sharing our stories can be beneficial to those around us. Our story helps us relate to those who have similar stories to our own. Our experiences give us insight into the lives of others who are currently in situations we have already experienced. Our lives can be encouragements to those around us. But I continue to ask myself, "Could I currently reach the person I once was?" I saw a possible answer to that question a few weeks ago.

Our church recently tried to communicate the importance of our stories to those around us. In our worship services a few weeks ago people walked across the stage carrying cardboard signs. They carried this sign with a description of the person they had been. They stopped at the center of the stage and turned their sign around with a new description of who Jesus is helping them become. One of these people stood out to me and continues to impact me whenever I think about her.

A middle aged woman walks to the center of the stage holding a sign that says, "Teenage Stripper." When she flips to the other side the sign now reads, "Missionary to Strip Clubs." Once a stripper herself, she has become part of what is called the Bruised Reed Ministry. This ministry is a group of women who go to local strip clubs, take the women who work there meals, and build relationships with them. The impact that this woman can have on the young girls in these clubs is amazing to me.

It did remind me, however, that in order to make an impact on those who are where we have been we must go and find them. They do not come and knock on our doors. We have to knock on theirs. How do I find who I once was. How do you?

Hope in Hopelessness

Where do you find hope in a hopeless situation?

Psalm 22:1-2 (NLT)
My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help? Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer. Every night you hear my voice, but I find no relief.

Psalm 22:6-8 (NLT)
But I am a worm and not a man. I am scorned and despised by all! Everyone who sees me mocks me. They sneer and shake their heads, saying,
"Is this the one who relies on the LORD? Then let the LORD save him! If the LORD loves him so much, let the LORD rescue him!"

Psalm 22:11-19 (NLT)
Do not stay so far from me, for trouble is near, and no one else can help me. My enemies surround me like a herd of bulls; fierce bulls of Bashan have hemmed me in! Like lions they open their jaws against me, roaring and tearing into their prey. My life is poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax, melting within me. My strength has dried up like sunbaked clay. My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You have laid me in the dust and left me for dead. My enemies surround me like a pack of dogs; an evil gang closes in on me. They have pierced my hands and feet. I can count all my bones. My enemies stare at me and gloat. They divide my garments among themselves and throw dice for my clothing. O LORD, do not stay far away! You are my strength; come quickly to my aid!

The psalm of a person feeling abandoned by God, a person who is mocked and hated by everyone around them, a person who is in such despair that their body feels like it is being torn apart, a person who is so close to death that people are dividing the inheritance that will be left...a person with no hope.

However, in the midst of the turmoil of this psalm we find glimpses of hope. The glimpse of hope that stood out to me recently was found in verses 3-5:

Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. Our ancestors trusted in you, and you rescued them. They cried out to you and were saved. They trusted in you and were never disgraced.

Right in the middle of suffering and despair the psalmist can find hope in the story of those who came before. The psalmist has heard the stories of the people who were delivered by God in the past and those people have passed their stories on throughout the generations. Those old stories have become a source of life for the psalmist who sees no hope in the current situation.

As the psalm continues it takes an amazing turn. God hears the cry of the psalmist who then promises to proclaim the deliverance of God to all who will hear. Now notice how the psalm ends:

Psalm 22:25-31
I will praise you in the great assembly. I will fulfill my vows in the presence of those who worship you. The poor will eat and be satisfied. All who seek the LORD will praise him. Their hearts will rejoice with everlasting joy. The whole earth will acknowledge the LORD and return to him. All the families of the nations will bow down before him. For royal power belongs to the LORD. He rules all the nations. Let the rich of the earth feast and worship. Bow before him, all who are mortal, all whose lives will end as dust. Our children will also serve him. Future generations will hear about the wonders of the Lord. His righteous acts will be told to those not yet born. They will hear about everything he has done.

Do you see it? The psalmist found hope in the story of people who came before. Now the psalmist declares that those who follow will find hope in and follow God because of the story of deliverance that is now being told! What an amazing encouragement for us to tell our stories.

I've recently been thinking a lot about what role our individual stories play in the life of the worshiping community. The next few blogs will talk more about this and I hope this post will begin our thinking on this topic. I pray that we can find hope, comfort, encouragement, and strength in sharing our stories with one another. Our stories are a part of a larger story and they must be told so that others can "hear about everything He has done."

Community and Creation: Lessons from a little town

When I first moved to Wilmore, KY I was amazed at the fervor the townspeople had for keeping corporate America away from their small area. The only thing in Wilmore that might remind someone of the city is Subway. And many locals talk about it like they rue the day the devil's fast food infiltrated their pure neighborhood. Coming from an area where I could frequent all kinds of restraunts within minutes of my house I just didn't understand the resentment for the corporate giant. They made real food real fast. (or whatever Subway's slogan might be) I thought the people of Wimore needed to stop cloistering themselves from the outside world and embrace the Subway just as I had.

I think my position has changed somewhat in just the few months we have been here. There is something to be said for this quaint little town that time seems to have forgotten. The ability to walk through downtown with it's old buildings and be transported to another time when things were simpler. The locally owned businesses where the owner gets to know who you are and can have conversation with you while doing business. Being able to see pictures of Main Street when people rode horse and buggy and recognizing the town in which you currently live. It all has history and community that you can't create in a housing subdivision. There is something about it that seems right to someone who believes we should build up and encourage one another in community. Seeing people you know everytime you head "into town" has a comforting feel to it. It's a lot like family.

But there is something else about the way Wilmore has preserved itself over the years that I am finding even more valuable: it has not been overtaken by urban sprawl. I continue to find spots in my ventures around the Wilmore area that remind me of how beautiful God's creation can really be. I grew up in central Indiana where the scenery is best when the corn is high. While I do see the beauty in that corn there is so much of nature I am experiencing here. The rolling tree covered hills that change colors each season. The creeks and rivers that make glorious music while you sit quietly. The wooded areas to run through where birds perch and small creatures scrurry reminding me that what God created truly is good. There is so much to take in and I am finally beginning to notice. My eyes are being opened to the divine landscape all around me and it instills awe in The Creator.

So while I still enjoy eating the occasional Subway Club, thanks be to God for opening my eyes to the community and creation found in this little town.