BY JORDAN MAYER

"For 'everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.' How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!'”
(Romans 10:13-15)

As a young kid going off to school, there was something my Mom would always say to me. Remember that you are a missionary in your school. The things you say, the way you act, and the difference you make are all part of your witness. You're there, not just to learn, but to be a light for your classmates, friends, teachers, and even the bully and kids you don't get along with. She instilled an important truth into each of her kids that missions was not only for a remote people in a faraway land, but right outside our door.

While it's true that God calls some to minister in remote corners of the world (as we heard on Sunday), we each have a mission field woven into the fabric of our daily lives.

Parents serve as missionaries for their kids, as mine did for me. A doctor, their patients. A teacher, their students. A cashier, their customers. Whatever our “job” may be, we have a higher calling and a deeper purpose: to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19-20). But wherever we find ourselves, at work, at the gym, in the grocery store, on the phone with a friend, or walking down the street, we carry this message of hope with us.

That’s why this verse is so important. People need to hear the truth and we need to share it! The Gospel is literally “good news”. We carry with us the greatest message the world has ever know. How beautiful it is, then, to see this message spread by those who have been shaped and transformed by it.

The grand adventure of missions work is that you never quite know who you will impact. You may have a brief interaction with someone in the airport or be a lifelong witness to a friend or co-worker. You may give someone the Gospel message or help lead them as they accept Christ into their life. It is the grace of God that saves, but he is looking for workers (Luke 10:2). Those to till the field, those to plant the seed, those to water the ground. What grows is the gift and power of God (1 Corinthians 3:6-7).

​Whoever we are, whatever we do, wherever we live, our purpose remains the same: to carry this good news to a world that needs to hear it.

Lord, I pray for the boldness to share the truth of who you are. I pray for your blessing and opportunity over the conversations I have today, with whomever I meet, to share the good news of Jesus. By your Spirit, work in and through me to let your name be known. Amen.

​BY JORDAN MAYER

"'For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?'"
(Esther 4:14)

Esther is an intriguing book of the the Bible. Though it sits in the middle of Scripture, sandwiched between Nehemiah and Job, you will find no direct mention of God throughout its ten chapters.

The book reads like a gripping and suspenseful TV drama. An ordinary, Jewish girl ascends to the role of queen. A murderous plot against the king is thwarted. The very fate of the Jewish people hangs in the balance.

On the surface, the story looks like a series of happy accidents and fortuitous coincidences. Just as disaster looms, deliverance arrives at an opportune time. Amidst a throng of young women, Esther manages to find favor in the eyes of the king and becomes queen. Her uncle, Mordecai, happens to overhear a plot against the king. Later, Mordecai convinces Esther to reveal Haman's plot to kill the Jews to the king. Though it was dangerous to see the king unannounced, Esther again finds success and eventually unmasks Haman's treachery. In an ironic turn of events, the gallows that Haman constructed for Mordecai is returned on his own head. Through a series of what appear to be random events, God was working, not merely to provide for Esther and Mordecai, but to save His people and further His plan of salvation for the human race.

The book of Esther has much to teach us about the providence of God.

The enemy of our souls is an eager advocate of coincidence, happenstance, and random chance. For to attribute life’s events to these “logical” and “practical” reasonings removes any need for God. Esther is an invitation to reflect on the events of our own lives and take a closer look at the masterful hand of the Divine - working, orchestrating, purposing.

Our lives have been likened to a tapestry. From the backside, you will see a chaotic mess of threads, a wash of colors woven this way and that without any clear order or pattern. Life can be difficult to make sense of in the moment. It often doesn't go how we planned and is filled with unexpected twists and turns. Many moments of our lives feel meaningless and wasted, and often leave us questioning why. In the words of John Flavel, “The providence of God is like a Hebrew word – it can only be read backwards.” As the present fades into the past, we begin to see more clearly the work of His hands. As the artist flips the tapestry around, the messy threads are revealed to be part of a beautiful masterpiece.

A friend of mine has often explained life as something that happens for us rather than to us. This statement is a shift in perspective more than it is a shift in circumstance. What if the things that we perceive as roadblocks are actually stepping stones that God is using to lead us forward? We must remember that we operate within a limited field of view. God on the other hand sees the whole picture. He operates outside of space and time, seeing the entirety of not only our individual lives, but the lives of everyone else as well.

And because of His Word, we are not left to wonder at his purposes or intentions. He is a good Father who delights in blessing his children (Matthew 7:11). He has a plan for our life. Not one of evil, but of welfare, to give us a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). All that happens to us is happening for us, for our good (Romans 8:28). Finally, we know that whatever we face in this life is ultimately preparing us for something far better and more wonderful than we can even imagine (2 Corinthians 4:17).

So the question becomes not, is God working, but rather, are you looking?

BY JOYCE PELLETIER

‘Grace in Christian theology is the spontaneous, unmerited gift of the divine favor in the salvation of sinners, and the divine influence operating in individuals for their regeneration. It also alludes to elegance and courtesy.’

It also means that when things get tough, you don’t have to give into the difficulties and challenges of facing a tough situation. Surrendering your life to Jesus gives us the gift of grace to allow God to be there to help us through all things. That includes the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

His Word tells us in 2 Cor 12:9, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

When we admit our shortcomings, it makes it real, yet it doesn’t have to knock us down. God promises us in Eph 2:8-9, "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."

Many years ago, I had to face some challenges I never thought I could do. Our daughter was the first grandchild in the family. She doted on her, as well as the other two grandkids. When Jackie was planning her wedding, we noticed something different about Mom. Her normal mode when we were together was to go to extremes to celebrate whatever was going on. Her granddaughter’s wedding was so different. It wasn’t “Mom.” They came to Vermont to be with us, and they enjoyed the festivities that go with a wedding.

At the time of the wedding, I was so involved in helping our daughter with the preparations, I was too occupied and distracted, I just pushed it aside. I knew something was different, yet in my distractions, I was able to just push it aside, besides I could get it figured out after festivities.

A few months later, I received word from my brother that they took Mom to the doctors so they could run some tests. They discovered she had Alzheimer’s Disease. I didn’t know much about the disease, but I did what I could to get my parents to move to Vermont. They agreed. It was four years of rebuilding our family. Coming from a dysfunctional home, those years, God led us through a lot of healing and they were the best years ever.

 In 1997, we had to place Mom in a nursing home, as the care that was needed was causing my Dad more issues with his health. The following February, my Dad was also placed in the same nursing home because of his failing heart.

These few years were filled with pain for me. Visiting them was quite difficult. Mom couldn’t hold a conversation, Dad fell into depression because of his health. Some days when I finished my visits with them, I’d get in my truck and sit there and cry, sometimes I’d scream at God before I could drive home. The days when Mom didn’t know me were the most difficult.

During that time, my brother came for a visit from South Carolina. We’d been estranged for over 40 years. During that weekend, we were completely reconciled. Less than a month later, David passed away in his sleep. Less than 2 months later, my Dad passed away. Mom hung on for three more years.

It’s now many years later, and God taught me so much about myself and his relationship with me. I struggled with my losses, but I knew all three of them were with God in heaven. They believed in Jesus and were not afraid to die. 

The dependance I put on God grew, and from those years of loss, was life-changing for me. In Hebrews 4:16, "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

 John 1:16 says, “And from his fullness we have all received grace upon grace.”

God’s Grace, (the Holy Spirit) is the promise from God given to us.  In Acts 2, you will see that His Ascension back to Heaven didn’t mean he was abandoning us. He left us a gift of the Holy Spirit to be in all the hearts of believers. As the song says, “Only by grace can we enter, Only by grace can we stand, Not by our human intensions, but by the blood of the Lamb.”

This year of the ‘tent caterpillars’ defoliating our trees, yet a few weeks after they died off, the leaves are returning. That is an Act of God’s creation to not fret. We just need to move forward.

BY JORDAN MAYER

"Pray without ceasing..."
(1 Thessalonians 5:17)

In 1 Thessalonians, Paul closes out his first letter to the church with some final instructions. Among a litany of other charges, he writes three short, but impactful words: “pray without ceasing”.

This is not the first time Paul has used these words. Elsewhere in the New Testament, Paul opens his letter to the Colossians by saying that he and Timothy, “…have not ceased to pray for you...” (Colossians 1:9). How is it that Paul could be so bold as to claim this? And it begs a few questions for how we could possibly pray without ceasing in our own lives.

Should we be mindlessly repeating a few scripted prayers? Should we lock ourselves inside our homes and isolate ourselves from the outside world in order to fully devote ourselves to prayer? Is Paul's charge out of touch with the demands of our fast-paced, modern world?

It doesn’t take long to realize that this definition of “ceaseless prayer” is neither practical or possible, nor is it the message Paul is trying to get across.

For me, I have found it helpful to first remind myself of what prayer truly is: a conversation with God. Prayer is not mere religious utterings, it is the intimate and direct communication with the God of the universe! So, ceaseless prayer is the kind of conversation that is never quite finished. It's about adopting not only the action of prayer, but an attitude of prayer.

Ceaseless prayer is the opposite of occasional prayer or inconsistent prayer. It's about taking God through your day. As we awake in the morning, our first conversation is to thank God for the night’s rest and the gift of a new day. We thank Him for who He is and what He has done. Before the day’s to-do’s begin to pile up, we pray over the day's needs and seek His wisdom, guidance, and strength. When the unexpected trials pop up in the middle of our day, we take them to the Lord in prayer. When we return home and settle in for the night, we recount the day's blessing.

Hour by hour, minute by minute, we keep lifting up our prayers to our Heavenly Father. Thanking Him for His blessings, confessing our sins, seeking His will, asking for His deliverance.

This is a habit I’ve been trying to build in my own life. How easy it is to begin my day in prayer, and then fail to offer up another word to the one who sustains my very life. I get into the office and am quickly overcome by the hustle and bustle of the day's activities. Before I know it, the day is over and I've missed precious moments with my Lord. There is a time and a place for dedicated and extended sessions of prayer, but we are also invited to infuse moments of prayer into every day life. God wants to hear from us, not because we are telling Him anything that He does not already know, but because it demonstrates our willingness to come to Him in faith and trust, in relationship.

Begin the day in prayer. Go through your day in prayer. End your day in prayer. Each day and every day.

In the beautiful hymn, In the Garden, C. Austin Miles speaks of this intimate relationship he shares with His Lord and Savior as he walks in his garden in the cool of the morning.

"And he walks with me
And He talks with me,
And He tells me I am his own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known."
(In the Garden by C. Austin Miles)

BY MARTHA CHEVALIER
​
"For God says, 'At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.' Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation."
(2 Corinthians 6:2)

Returning home from co-leading a biannual retreat for women battling or surviving cancer, I pulled off the isolated road to wet a line (go fishing).  It was raining steady when I stopped, and by the time I had donned my waders and laced up my boots, the weather had morphed into a deafening downpour. I stepped into the fast-moving water on this unfamiliar river. I enjoyed the reassuring feeling of my studded boots securely gripping the slippery rocks. My glasses were useless, steamy, and the rain pounded unrelenting.  My concentration was set as I worked hard to tie on a fly.  Something emerged out of the river directly in front of me. I had no idea what it was, but based on the splash, I knew it must be large, perhaps an otter?  Unwilling to break my focus from tying on the fly. I spoke out loud to whoever/whatever was bobbing at this point very near my left hip. Holding up my index finger and in the tone of a patient mother, I said out loud “hold on, I’ll get to you.” I was interested…. Moments later, I looked up to behold a king-size loon, less than arm’s length away... in borrowed words from Maya Angelou, “this creature was trailing wisps of glory.” 
 
What could this possibly have to do with the bible? Occasionally, while reading the bible, I stumble upon my own “wild loon moments.”  Sometimes the words on the page take on unusual bursts of glory. It’s as though normal time and experience shifts from business as usual to anything but usual. Water to wine moments, simple bread becomes a feast. … The ancient Greeks reflect such moments in their vocabulary, expressed through two separate words for time. Kronos, expresses time that’s ordinary, sequential, chronological, as opposed to a Kairos. Kairos has an eternal component, lasting, unusual, remarkable, infused with wonder and awe. The bible has many moments that feature Kairos time. The greatest Kairos wonder is found in John 3:16. For God so loved the world he sent his Son. Kairos tends to emerge suddenly, just like my loon. Moments when we come alive, encountering the living God at a precise moment in time. I suppose it’s akin to climbing into a dusty attic wardrobe, beholding the wonders on the other side.  Moses had a burning bush (Exodus 3), Mary had a visit from Gabriel (Luke 1), Jacob encountered God through angels ascending and descending at Bethel while resting his head upon a rock (Gen 28). Elijah heard the still small voice (1 kings 19).  Ezekiel saw the wheel within the wheel (Ezekiel 1). John, the beloved, encountered Jesus yielding wild revelations on the Greek Isle of Patmos. Are we any different? We are not. 

“Suddenly my righteousness will come near, and my salvation will be shining out like the light; the sea-lands will be waiting for me, and they will put their hope in my strong arm.” Isa 51:5

BY JORDAN MAYER

"But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare."
(Jeremiah 29:7)

In the book of Jeremiah, we enter a tumultuous time in Israel's history. The northern kingdom of Israel has already fallen to the Assyrians and now Judah's reckoning has come. Despite God's repeated attempts to warn the people through the prophets, His words fall on deaf ears. Consistent and persistent patterns of sin and idolatry have lead the people away from God's blessing to their own ruin. God raises up Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, as His chosen instrument of judgment. Babylon lays siege to Judah and takes the people into exile for 70 years.

With the people now in Babylon, Jeremiah sends a letter to the elders there. It is a word from the Lord meant to be shared with all the exiled people. What words would God speak to His people in this foreign land?

I know what I would say. "Keep your heads down, don't draw attention to yourselves. Be patient until your time of exile is over." But this is the total opposite of what God tells His people and I think there's a word in there for us as well.

The message is not to hunker down and just survive, they are encouraged to live and to thrive! The Lord tells them in verse 6 to "build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease." In short, "Make a life for yourselves!"

I recently finished reading a book called Engage with Honor written by Lee Ellis, a former pilot and POW during the Vietnam War. In the book, Lee describes the difficult conditions in the prison. But as the book goes on, he details the life that he and the other prisoners build inside the camp. They come up with their own programs for entertainment, education, spiritual development and physical fitness. In a situation where you might not blame someone for just throwing in the towel, they find ways to not only stay alive, but thrive.

So here we find the Israelites, strangers in a strange land. Hundreds of miles from home. God's message to them is to start building a life for themselves. Building houses, planting gardens, and entering into marriages are not short term goals. God intends them to settle in for the long haul; they're in exile for 70 years after all. But then He continues in verse 7 with these words to the people. "But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare." For all intents and purposes, Babylon was Judah's enemy, their captors. And yet, God's message to them is to seek the city's good and to pray for its welfare. For in so doing, they themselves will prosper.

I confess, in my longing for Heaven I can often feel tempted to isolate. To keep my head down and ride out the storm until such time that the Lord returns or calls me home. On the one hand, I think it's important to remember that this life is not our end destination, and thus we should not cling too tightly to it. But the fact that this world is not our true home is not license to isolate ourselves from it. Our highest example can come from no other except Jesus himself. Jesus, who humbled himself by taking human form, who ate with tax collectors, prostitutes, and sinners; who died on a cross for sins not His own. He willingly chose to enter into the mess that is this world in order to reach out in love to His people. And He calls us to do the same.

After reading this verse in Jeremiah, these words continue to echo in my mind. Jordan, seek your city's good.

Paul shares a similar message in his letter to Timothy. "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." (1 Timothy 2:1-4)

​Pray for your company and your co-workers. Pray for those around you, for your friends and for your neighbors, for those you like and those you don't. Reach out and make a difference. Share His hope, show His love, shine His light.

BY JORDAN MAYER

“And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD…”
(Isaiah 11:2-3)

My year-long Bible reading plan recently had me in the wisdom literature, which consists of Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes. Perhaps I am not the only one that is overwhelmed by all the wonderful verses and bits of wisdom contained in these books?

I am always fascinated by the unique perspective that each book offers. Proverbs highlights the ways of the wise, and the blessing and benefit that follows wise living. There is a simple cause and effect drawn out in the book. Conversely, Job and Ecclesiastes reveal the harsh realities of life, the ways in which things don’t always work the way we think they ought to. Far from simple and logical, life can often be perplexing, frustrating, and overwhelming.
​
But the thing I find most interesting of all is a particular theme that shows up in all three books (and the rest of Scripture for that matter): the fear of the Lord.

"The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man." (Ecclesiastes 12:13)

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction." (Proverbs 1:7)

"And he said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’” (Job 28:28)

I find the fear of the Lord to be one of those phrases that immediately elicits a response. We’re not quite sure what to make of it, it sounds somewhat off-putting and abrasive. And yet, each of these books present it as the fundamental element of wisdom, true wisdom.

As we celebrated Father’s Day this past Sunday, I was thinking about how the father-son dynamic is such a helpful aid in understanding this idea. And that is no coincidence! God provides us many models for helping us understand the truths of His Word. When it comes to the fear of the Lord, there is much more wrapped up into this idea than what we might presume.

We often think of fear in the traditional sense, as in being afraid of someone or something. And to a certain extent, this is a healthy fear to cultivate. From a young age, I was taught to fear the consequences of my bad behavior and that became a prompt to pursue what was right. When it comes to God, we must all come to grips with our standing before Him and the terrifying reality of His wrath. This, too, becomes a prompt to seek salvation in the only one who can truly save, Jesus Christ.

But to leave it there is to miss the mark, for that is only one dimension of fear. I think it's the first thing that comes to our minds, but it is not the full picture. Fear is also respect and submission. I don't have to be a parent to know that these two things do not come naturally to children. I do have experience as a child, though, and can say with certainty that they do not! Thus, it is the role of parents to instill these things into their kids. To fear is to respect and submit to a higher authority. This is a fear that is taught and cultivated. It’s a surrendering of the will.

The Bible often uses examples from the lesser to the greater. Thus, if we are to fear our earthly fathers, how much more should we have the fear of the Lord? When we recognize and acknowledge His power and authority, we surrender and submit to His rule over our lives.

Even Jesus possessed a fear of the Lord! Prophesying about the coming Messiah, Isaiah writes, “And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD…” (Isaiah 11:2-3).

Notice this fear is a source of delight! What a wonderful insight into what the fear of the Lord is truly about. It’s not a fear that makes us turn and run, it is a delight to be in. How can this be? It's because this fear is ultimately motivated by love. As a son, the fear of consequences is overshadowed by the greater love and respect I have for my father. It is my love for him that prompts me to do that which pleases him. So it is to a far greater extent with my Heavenly Father. Fear leads me away from sin into a deeper relationship with Him. My greatest fear is to do what is contrary to Him. My desire is to honor and glorify His name. We need not shy away from this fear, rather we may fully embrace it, for we fear Him whom we love.​

BY JOYCE PELLETIER

​I so appreciated Jordan’s reflection recently about his first hike on the West Coast, on such a high mountain last week. More than 20 years ago, Maurice and I made a quest to make two hikes that one summer. The goal was 2 but we ended up doing 4. I don’t know what we were thinking. However, we made them.

The first was quite painful, climbing up Camels Hump, but it was also invigorating. It was a clear day and you could see for miles. The next one was Mt Abraham in Bristol, which was cloudy all the way, and even though we didn’t have the vista, it was amazing to be on top. Hiking down was chatting with our friends about God and so many things about the hike.

The third was the summit of Mt Mansfield and that was a clear day as well. It was an easier hike but you still have to maintain your balance to stay safe. Our son, Joe, was with us and I had wanted to make it across to the end of the very top, as I’d never been there. We were two-thirds of the way when I said I had enough and wanted to quit. Joe reminded me of my goal. We rested for a while and kept
going. When we arrived I had a sense of euphoria. The vista was amazing. We sat and had our lunch as we watched a glider make it’s pass atop of all of us on top.

The last hike was Mt Philo. Now that appears to be the shortest and easiest hike. Well, yes it was short, but steep and we felt the pain from that one more than any of the others. The weather was clear.

The lessons from that summer were not so much as bragging rights, but more of taking each step along the way, one at a time. We can only go one step at a time. We had to stop along the way for a rest, but we made it. I stopped hiking that one summer. My body went into rebellion. I will never be sorry for any of those hikes. There were so many lessons with each step.

On the middle of a high (or low) mountain, the vistas were amazing. On the first one, we had several friends from the church we were attending. We prayed on top, thanking God for getting us safely. We had an exchange student from UVM with us and she had been to Disney in Florida and brought along one of those molded chocolates of Mickey Mouse. She wanted to share it with the 7 of us as a victory.

This was a lesson that God celebrates with us our victories. He also celebrates with us when we accomplish our goals, but also when the goals are not achieved (but tremendous lessons learned through those goals), He leads us through and then celebrates with us as we learn to trust Him to carry us.

It’s not about winning, in the sense of a gold medal. It’s about the one who gets us to our destination. As a believer, we are called to live a life as Jesus promises to be challenging, yet filled with amazing grace and unending love and support. No matter what He knows will happen, we don’t know what it all means, however, we do know we can trust Him. You see He knows, yet we have to remember to trust Him in all things.

In our Grounded sermon series, our iConnect group found the whole book convicting. Amazingly, we learned from Eph 1:5 that we are chosen to be a ‘child of God.’ He predestined us to share in His Kingdom. We are called to be thankful, even in the middle of one crisis or challenge after another. We don’t have to despair and lose heart. Why would our God want to continue to live with us, especially since
we all fall short of the glory of God? However, He is always ready to forgive. No greater love can we experience than this. He gives us grace to forgive ourselves. His grace so eloquently gives us strength to face whatever challenge is before us.

In Eph 1:15-23 we learned to be faithful with gratitude in prayer. For without God, we are nothing. As we walked through His Word, every step is a continuous invitation to trust Him in all things. Even if we have to go through the same circumstances 20 times until we learn to thank Him in all things.

I have read Ephesians many times, but now this series on being Grounded has helped me to see it all more clearly. This series has brought me to a different reasoning. He suggests ever so dearly that because we are not our own, we need to remember, we don’t travel this world alone. We don’t have to rely on our own strength because if we don’t rely on God, we fail to see the wonder of His existence. If we don’t embrace that grace filled with love from our Father, we trip and fall again and again. Even though answers don’t come as fast as we would like, the temptation is to feel sorry for ourselves.

We have to remind ourselves in Proverbs 4:5 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path!”

When God convicts us of our sin, He does it in the manner of us coming to grips of it. He enables us to rise above the sin to reach for His hand and He does so with the intention of getting us to admit it, then that opens the door to have Him get us through that door of healing. We admit our wrong, ask for forgiveness, and receive grace and His promise to be there to get through the process of starting anew. We can’t do it without Him.

Like hiking, we set our goals, make the effort to achieve them, yet when we get weary along the way, become tempted to take the easy road, we do not walk this journey alone. God is always there to pick us up, and carry us over the crevices so that we arrive safely. The climb down from the tops are so much more daunting because you don’t see the branches we hang onto. We see the deep ravines below
us and realize that if we don’t pay close attention to each step, we could fall to our deaths. At the same time it’s a greater time to realize that our safety net is God. What more can I say?

BY MARTHA CHEVALIER

​"All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah. Father of all mercy. God of all healing counsel. He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us."
(2 Corinthians 1:3-4 MSG)

A couple months ago, I stumbled across a reddit article that had me speechless. The story featured live action footage of a single brain cell. Maybe you have seen it? It seems, a single brain cell's sole purpose is to press forward, making connection with other brain cells. Pretty cool, connections on the cellular level.  We are hard wired for connection. We are hard wired for belonging.
 
The early days of my college life was a very lonely time for me, a new city, away from the familiar. I remember someone calling out my name across the green, turning around to see the clerk from the bookstore. I had forgotten my checkbook on the counter after purchasing a stack of textbooks. I will never forget that moment. I thought, hearing my name, someone must know me, maybe I’m not as alone as I feel right now. Loneliness and isolation can leave us gasping in a chasm of grief and existential pain.  There are many factors that have at times driven me into the wilderness of desolation and inconsolable longing. “C.S. Lewis names this longing with the German word sehnsucht. He calls it “the inconsolable longing in the heart for we know not what.” 
 
Mary cried out in anguish at the graveside of Jesus, riddled with sorrow after the gruesome death of her Rabboni, which means Master” (John 20:16). 
“Where have they taken my Lord?”  The Son of God brought comfort to His close friend when he spoke her name, “Mary.” Hearing our name spoken from the lips of someone who loves us when we are hurting is a soothing balm. Here we glimpse Mary’s moment of transformation, consolation seeping in, simple connection and so profound. 
 
Jesus makes a better way. Only in Him can we find our belonging, rounding out our faith-life in community, His tribe on earth. Authentic community links us with others who know us at our core, friendships that don’t want fancy sets of fig leaves to camouflage the truth of our broken places. Jesus invites us in, cleansing, offering the way of the Kingdom, to love and be loved, know, and be known, to see and be seen, to belong. 
 
#inconsolablelonging/C.S.Lewis