rescue

I was fortunate enough to attend a prayer & worship night called Rescue Japan hosted by Life on the Hill last Friday. It was great to see many of the local churches come together and dedicate time to prayer for Japan, for those already serving there and the people on the way to help the recovery of the affected area. I know there will be more opportunities for us to come together and be the Church by supporting one another and serving together, all in Christ's name. This is exactly what the Church should be, a movement towards redemption and radical, tangible grace.

One of the pastors at the prayer night said that the people of Japan are more open than ever to hearing about the gospel. Just seeing what they went through, I would also search for answers, search for understanding to make sense of why something so terrible could happen. When I think about the pain I've experienced in my life, (which is so small compared to the total devastation people went through and continue to experience) I'm overcome with gratefulness that people were there for me and continue to support me. I can't even fathom where I would be without the guidance I've been afforded and the grace shown to me in spite of all my shortcomings.

We've been working on the upcoming Easter service here at SBCC and I can't help but think the story that the Church is built around (or was originally intended to be built around) is the story that we miss sharing with people that need to hear it. That story is the Easter story. The story says that when Jesus died, the earth shook. Immediately people knew that He was the Son of God. People opened up to new ideas, new beliefs. Much like Japan, people started searching for truth. The truth is that Jesus' death still reverberates today. The earth has not stopped shaking since and people continue to search for truth.

This is where we can be a part of the rescue. We all experience some kind of flood in our lives, where the circumstances of life seem to consume us. It is in these moments where we need rescuing that Jesus plucks us out of the wreckage. He uses many ways to do this and it is almost always through others. If we are open, we can be used to help in the rescue of people. And that's the beauty of it all. The beauty of the resurrection is that we all experience the same flood, the flood of Jesus' grace that consumes us and allows us to live the lives God intended. And as the song goes, "find hope in the aftermath".

Super Secret Creativity

Sorry I've been MIA for a little while! I've been working on a "super secret project" to help promote SBCC's Easter service this year.

Working in different mediums, whether it be writing, editing, design, etc., keeps me from feeling the monotony of the "everyday" job. I believe that we are all gifted in creativity, no matter our vocation or our self-image of our creative selves. We all desire beauty. It's our definition of beauty that differs from others. You might consider a painting or photograph as beautiful art. Or how numbers tell the story of our financial history, our present situation and to plan our future. That can be beautiful and creative to some. (Definitely not me but to each his/her own.) What do you consider beautiful? Whatever it is, pursue it and find joy in it. Share it with someone. When you begin to uncover your super secret creativity, you begin to find true life.