From an Asbury (IYKYK) friend. Personally, I would change the statement at the end to a question. But other than that —
The most terrifying detail about Noah’s Ark isn’t the size of the flood. It is the design of the boat.
If you look closely at the blueprints God gave Noah in Genesis 6, He was extremely specific.
He gave the exact length, width, and height. He specified the type of wood and the pitch to seal it.
In my little years, I have never thought of this! 
But God left out one crucial component.
There was no steering wheel, no sail, and worse still, there was no engine. Think about how scary that is.
Noah was building a massive vessel to survive a global storm, but he had zero control over it, or over where it went.
He couldn’t steer it away from rocks. He couldn’t turn it into the waves. He couldn’t aim for dry land. He was completely at the mercy of the water.
The Ark was not designed for navigation; just for floating.
Noah’s job was to to be the Passenger, not the Captain. God was the Captain.
This is a picture of your life right now.You are trying to put a steering wheel on a situation that God wants you to simply float through.
— But my wanting to make that conclusion into a situational question for you and me changes nothing about the rest of this.
And so?
Or has it already happened?
None other than Gene Peterson observed several years ago that —
The role of pastor
has been replaced
by the strategies
of religious entrepreneurs
with business plans.
— What say you?
“Oh, you hate your job? Why didn’t you say so?
“There’s a support group for that. They meet at the bar.”
— Drew Carey
COPIED —
when somebody else tries
to tell you how you should grieve
smile and forgive them
through your watering eyes
and then imagine
how lonely it must be
to be the person who
audits the tears
of other people
the well intended
will tell you how
long you should miss
your beloved
but
you take your time
grief is a hedge maze
and being lost inside of it
is more than okay
don’t race through
your heartache
because you might
just miss a miracle
or two
in the teardrops rolling
down your face
don’t grieve quickly
just to make somebody
else feel better
if you need to,
let your grief
become a coral reef
let the algae of your hurt
slowly form over the years
into the softest violet hue of heaven
it can take two lifetimes to recover
when our beloved becomes
an empty chair
it’s okay
take as much time
as you need
your healing is your healing
and the scars of absence
will itch longer than you can imagine
but that is because you
risked to love so deeply
and that is far better than
the alternative
I am proud of you
and the courage it
takes for you to grieve
so fearlessly
don’t listen to those
who want you to go back
to normal
normal will never exist again
for those of us who have
lost a part of our heart
if the moon broke in half
would it feel normal?
~ to hell with normal
normal was their scent on your collar
normal was their voice resting in your ear
normal was their touch on your skin
you have a new normal now
it’s looking at the shape of clouds
for messages from the great beyond
that your beloved is fine
you have a new normal now
it’s building a cabin in
the woods of your memory
where you and your beloved
can meet for lunch
you have a new normal now
it’s crying and laughing
at the same time
whenever their favorite
song plays on the radio
grief isn’t the enemy
of life
numbness is
don’t become numb to your suffering
welcome your grief
inside and let it wrap you
up like a blanket
whenever shows up
at your door
~ it’s okay
I swear
~ it’s okay
your beloved misses you just
as much as you miss them
and someday
you two will
get all tangled up
together again
someday
you two will
push each on a
swing again under
a shower of falling blooms
and someday
you two will ride
comets together
on the edge of everything
and someday
you two will giggle
at all of the people
who tried to tell you
how to grieve
~ john roedel,
from “Upon Departure”
~ image by Akira Kusaka
Courtney Carver. Brilliance. Much needed but little heeded.
In her own words —
The guilt of your past
The pressure to prove yourself
The expectations and judgements of others
— Questions? John 3:16‘s a great place to start. Layer in John 10:10 and top it off with John 3:17.
For extra flavor, drizzle Matthew 10:14 and let’s get going.
Ryan Burge says —-
A lot of folks assume that many Protestant denominations will just slowly decline over the next few decades.
That’s not what is going to happen.
The Boomers are propping most of them up right now.
When they age out, it’s gonna get bad. Really fast. No one is ready.
What happens when an elementary student has the role of Chief Inspirational Office (CIO)?
Mrs. Arensberg explains,
“When kids are trusted with meaningful responsibility, they rise to it…and sometimes a small handwritten note is what someone needs to feel seen!”
Time to apply Luke 10:37.
Ready?
Set?
Go!
From the intro to Will Willimon’s latest book —
A parable is a GPS taking you to a new world that’s God’s rather than the fake world in which we are bedded down.
Sure, Jesus wants to connect with us, but he refuses to put his truth on the bottom shelf.
Your misunderstanding and incomprehension won’t stop him from talking.
Mrs. Arensberg’s classroom Chief Inspirational Office (CIO) will do more than say or write kind words.
“They teach kids to slow down, look around, and care about how others are feeling.
“They give students the chance to lead with kindness and to understand that their words matter!”
Lots packed in there.
You and I know people like that.
By the grace of God, you and can be people like that.
Mrs. Arensberg is an elementary teacher to whom I direct your attention; you’ll find her wisdom on FaceBook and undoubtedly elsewhere.
In her classroom she has a student designated as the CIO —
Chief Inspiration Officer
— whose role it is “to notice when someone might need a little encouragement and to offer it freely.”
She recently shared examples of notes from a CIO, one of which sure sounds to me like a United Methodist Christian —
—- and by extension, and by the grace of God, may the next thing you and I do help someone else.
You, too, can be a CIO!
joescheets 