The storm season is here

Sharon and I have survived the most recent rounds of storms with a loss of some food and some water in the basement bedroom. So compared with the Iowans and Chinese and the unfortunate of Myammar we are truly blessed and protected. Yet this morning as a gaze upon an ever increasing pile of medical bills related to my cancer my trust in God once again feels the tug of doubt. I know that He has promised never to forsake me and I do rely upon that but here is where a momentary sense of contradiction arises.

I have been reading some truly challenging authors and my thinking continues to evolve regarding the church. I am becoming more excited of leading the church towards the true biblical, organic design but right in the midst of this effort I have this diagnosis to deal with. OK Lord so we have another storm to face. The contradiction comes in the juxtaposition of the call to do this and the feeling that His protection had a bit of a gap in it. Intellectually I know what God has assured me of but it is in the living that the truth of what He says is revealed and my heart is transformed. So here is the challenge of this week: how shall I reconcile all of this?

I encourage you to read Dr. Len Sweets new compilation of postmodern thought The Perfect Storm because I think his summary thoughts at the end of the book give great insight into how we reconcile this. One of my favorite biblical stories is in Mark 4 where to escape the crowds Jesus has His disciples push of from shore in a boat. Shortly Jesus falls asleep and a storm begins to overwhelm them. In their fear they awake the Lord who then immediately speaks and the storm is calmed. The main point is not so much Jesus' power as it is the lack of the disciples faith in riding out the storm. Dr. Sweet says that instead of having the ride of their life they chose the lull of their life. This is not the choice I want to make nor should any of you who read this. I am thinking that God is allowing me this experience of Him on my journey so I can better translate it into the life of the church which for too many years has chosen the "lull of its life".

So as the storms keep hitting us let us all endeavor to enjoy the ride. See you later on the path.