Happy Friday!
Tom’s dad turns 90 next week, so Sunday after church, we traveled to see him, having no idea that we’d miss quite a bit of “weather” activity. We knew the power was out because every technological notification we could receive came into our phones.
“Your RING is offline.”
“Mitzi’s FI network is down.”
Etc.
When we arrived home Tuesday morning, it was apparent that it was more that just a little thunderstorm. We live near the State Park, and apparently, there was a tornado that came by not too far from our home. We quickly understood why so many were without power.
The power was one thing . . . . but what I hadn’t thought through was that there was no cell signal. Literally, the only way we can communicate with the outside world is through wifi, which doesn’t work if there is no power.
Fresh out of carrier pigeons, it put the rest of the week in a new perspective.
When there is NOTHING else to distract, it is easy to focus on the things that matter. Or lament. And there seemed to be no purpose in that.
As I was reading and prepping for the fall message series, I came across some things I’d invite us to ponder.
We’ve been talking lately that our relationship with Jesus is not about believing something but instead living something.
As we journey through life, it is not about a system of beliefs but instead how we live and how we travel our pathways.
Death, something we will all experience, is what we believe unites us with God/The Divine, eternally.
It is when the Kingdom of God is fulfilled in its entirety.
But we were not born to live, focusing on dying.
Part of our journey is to live into the Kingdom of God while we are living.
The way we do that is how we each travel our individual pathways.
Jesus shows us how.
That’s the whole “follow me” he uttered. It wasn’t just about a literal “follow him.” But more of a “Hey! Check this out . . . if you will come with me, listen to me, watch, and then live as I live, it is going to change everything!”
“I’m going to show you how to be whole when you feel broken.”
“I’m going to show you how to feel love when all seems dark.”
One statement I heard in a podcast I’ve been binge-listening,
“Living a life in Christ allows us the space to know that all will be well, even when all is not well.”
Isn’t that powerful?
“All WILL be well . . . even when clearly, there’s sh*t everywhere . . . but hey, trust me, if you connect to the power of the Holy Spirit within, you’ll be able to land at the place where all will be well, even when it isn’t well.”
Something to think about this weekend . . . .
Looking forward to worshiping with you on Sunday as we explore “Murder Mystery.”
Until then . . .
Grace and Peace,
Andrea
PS – HUGE Thanks to Adam Lumley for recommending “Heretic Happy Hour” Podcast! It’s a HUGE win! I highly recommend listening!