Born to be Free

Six feet apart. No groups of more than ten, for safety's sake. Humankind retreats into the four corners they feel are more a house than a home. We, the beings with souls, are doing everything we can to protect and heal our bodies.....but our hearts? They're broke wide open, bleeding. We'd like to think we're capable of carrying on in a context of isolation, that we are self-dependent, that the world can fall apart around us and we'll be okay. But the lesson we'll be learning, the holy test we've just been handed has been taken from chapters we haven't bothered reading into as a society. Connection, and the great void we call loneliness. This isn't the first time human beings have known so great a separation. Way back in the beginning, we are told in Genesis 3 of how the first human beings were escorted out of the Garden - ushered out of direct contact with the God they had walked with each day. That's when they started to die

God has a way of repeating some messages.  Maybe it's because we weren't listening the first time, or maybe He's wanting to prove a point. In Genesis 41, we read about Pharaoh's dream of the famine that would soon overtake Egypt.  A reoccurring dream.  "And the doubling of Pharaoh's dream means that the thing is fixed by God..." the text says.  Similarly, Jesus repeated lessons to his disciples - and phrases such as "Truly, truly I say to you..." to catch their attention. The other day, someone mentioned to me the importance of recognizing our humanity.  It is far too easy for me (and perhaps I am not the only one who's this way, but maybe I am) to try to shut out my emotions in the face of crisis or difficulty. There are some of us who believe, perhaps unconsciously, that allowing ourselves to be concerned, to mourn, to feel any sadness or uncertainty at all - is a lack of faith.  Something that shouldn't be.  A side effect of the

Within my small, olive-green ESV Bible I keep a series of note cards.  I have a number of sloppily jotted thoughts, and lots of quotes from my pastor written on them. Some catch my eye more than others at times.  This past Sunday my mind lingered on a few written points for a while longer. "What if following Jesus means giving up on your greatest dreams?" That's not a comforting thought.  Not something you wish to lie awake at night dwelling on. What are our greatest dreams?  Maybe if you're like me, you've got a few of them.  They are in essence, hopes.  Vague notions of a plan we wish to someday implement.  The reasons we work crazy hours and save every penny. But what if He asks us to give those things up?  Everything? What if for the student it means giving over their desires to work overseas and instead never moving out of their state?  What if for the middle-aged woman it means no longer having a chance to have her own family?  What if for the p

Today we find ourselves in the midst of the third week of Advent.  The waiting. The brisk winter winds silence all other outer noice and force us to contemplate what is inside. We have received an invitation from Immanuel to linger in the moments, to wonder at what was and is and will be. We wait for Him, but He is here already. Does this seem strange?  Perhaps at first glance.  We know Who our Savior is.  We have known the power of His resurrection intimately.  This is what the prophets only dreamt of. So what are we waiting for?  We wait for the reconcilation of all things. We look for relationships to be restored. We look for injustice to be eradicated. We look for the lepers to be healed and the Pharisees to be put in place. We look for the day when the devil knows his kingdom is no more. We look for our Messiah. But the thing is......He's already here.  Yes, He is coming in that Day and will set the seal on the story of the world.  But in

It used to be that I never felt I was truly home.  The Scriptures speaking of our souls belonging to another Kingdom resonated deeply, and they still do. But it took a journey to Canada two years ago and living on an island the size of a city block to etch the truth into my soul - that "the Most High is [my] dwelling place". Since then, I've found home to be in a thousand places. It turns out, the place where you belong is wherever He tells you to go. This is how we live as sojourners - we go where He sends, no matter how frightened we may be of the outcome.  Scared senseless, we step out.  What if God's call on your life is the path that terrifies you the most!?  Home is wherever His purposes collide with our passions. This is something that will look different for everyone.  We have each been given unique roles to play in the Kingdom's story. So what will we do?  Will we choose to trust in God's call on our lives, believing that He will uphold i

I am by nature one who tries to fix things.  Everything from recipe typos to broken chairs to broken hearts.  It is difficult for me to see a situation in need of change and look the other way.  That's not how I was made. Unfortunately, this also means that I try to do a lot of stuff on my own, be my own hero and everybody else's in some way.  I want to help people. Recently I was faced with a situation that has bothered me for quite a while since.  It is difficult for me to watch people I care quite a bit about make decisions and/or walk unknowingly into situations that will hurt them and others.  These are the kinds of thoughts that keep me awake early into the morning some days. Sadly, sometimes there isn't anything you can do.  As much as you want to help, as much as you want to prevent anything terrible from happening to people - your position is powerless when it comes to trying to warn them. I have a choice.  You have a choice. When we find ourselves in th

Are you ready?  We're asked this a lot - heading out the door, making important phone calls, getting around for a formal event. Maybe we're asking ourselves the same question, only more frequently. Am I ready...? Ready for the beginning of the semester, to start a new job, embrace the distanced family member, start a study group, or raise a child?  Ready to relocate to chase God's dreams for your life, ready to start your business, or find a way to survive in less than great circumstances? We each face our own questions, and some may seem too daunting to try and think through. What if it doesn't work out?  What if I've mistaken God's call on my life, or can't find what I need to do this...? I'm sure sometimes your mind swims like mine can. Someone asked me at the start of this year what my long-term plan is.  Two, three, five years out.  To be honest, I had no words.  My first thought was "I can't believe people do that." I