Review & Reflection

See you in August!

Romans 9:19-21

You will say to me, then, “So why does He still blame people?Who can stand against His purpose?”

Are you, a mere human being, going to answer God back? Surely the clay won’t say to the potter, “Why did you make me like this?”

Doesn’t the potter have authority over the clay, so that He can make from the same lump one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?

Sunday we went to visit our dear friends, the Gossers, who moved out to the boonies last year.

I like the word “boonies.”

They live in such a land where directions to local establishments can quite literally include, “Turn right at the tire swing.”

Like their church in the woods we visited. A beautiful white chapel with a sign on front that read, “Est. 1917.” I asked a couple of the members if they were gonna have a big parade in two years. They laughed. And then told me they just rent this space. It’s not their building.

Oh.

I love simplicity. This was a beautifully simple church with simple music. And the message I took home with me was, simply, that no matter how things may look, God in His sovereignty is working out His plan and will bring all things to Himself. Nothing can thwart that. Something I’ve heard before, yes, but in this setting conducive to a narrowed focus, it was hammered home within me in a beautifully, comforting way.

God is working everything out for good. We can trust in that. Without having to understand it all. Who can understand it all anyway?

Back at the ranch we sat in rocking chairs, because that’s what country folk do I’m told. And we talked of life. The Sabbath and its implications were brought up for deep discussion by our deep-thinking, expert conversationalist friend, Emily. Should we still keep it? Is it suppose to be Friday sundown to Saturday sundown still? Does the timing of it unlock mystical power? I like how we always talk of things well below the surface of sports and politics. Especially while sitting on rocking chairs in the boonies.

I think Sabbath is very important, and that we are meant to keep it, not out of law, but out of design. Our design is such that we need rest and shutdown. Many do not take it. Spiritually it is important to show us that God is the sustainer of all things, not us.

Take a respite and recharge 24 out of every 168 hours. Rest in God. Everything won’t fall apart.

So there it is, simply put–God is working everything out for good. Feel free to take a break once a week.

Yesterday at Trinity Church we had baptisms.

It was very moving to hear the stories of the “baptizees'” journey and reason for participating in this public sacrament.

One of the men had asked his wife to read his story, which spoke of his walking away from God, and being without faith in God for many years, before recently turning back around, and recommitting himself to Christ, and to leading his family in Christ from this day forward. He had told me a week ago that he was a straight up atheist for something like ten years until these past few months or so. Then he experienced love through the community of their Fountain Square neighbors after having moved here from out of state. He was “loved into the kingdom” we might say.

Beautiful.

And just before he was immersed in the water, he said,

“I just want to say one thing to everybody here. I am a living testament that you can give up, but you are never given up on.”