From the Moderator
God didn’t give us a spirit that is timid but one that is powerful, loving, and self-controlled.
—2 Timothy 1:7 (CEB)
A year ago, I left my full-time pastorate to embark on a journey as a church planter. I gathered a leadership team and called on advisors to support the ministry with their expertise in church planting, disability ministry, music therapy, and education. Together we launched our new Parables Community, a worship ministry with people who have special needs and their families. In this journey, nothing has been certain and much has been unexpected. But we follow God’s call on our lives as individuals and as a community and trust that God will be with us as we move forward.
The Christian journey is one of radical vulnerability and trust. We step out in faith knowing that God is walking alongside of us. That doesn’t always mean the journey will be easy. But it does mean that we can always draw on God’s strength and wisdom and love.
We are coming to a new time in our Parables Community – a time of transition from launching a ministry to growing a new community. Each new transition feels a little like letting go of one trapeze bar before grabbing another. There’s that moment in mid-air when you are reaching for the next step to carry you forward. It can be both exhilarating and terrifying. During these times it’s helpful to know that God is like a safety net, undergirding us. God will not let us fall anywhere else but safely in his arms.
Perhaps you are feeling that sense of transition, too, in your personal or congregational life. We cannot fail when we are God’s because God is always making something good come from everything we do and everything that happens, even our mistakes. As John Lennon said, “Everything will be ok in the end. And if it’s not ok, it’s not the end.” And so we face the world with eternity in mind and live our life with humility and hope. We are sometimes tempted to think that we are the hero of our own story. But the truth is that our story is God’s story and we are just supporting characters. Jesus is the hero of our story. What makes our part of the story “good” is measured by our faithfulness to the Gospel and by no other measure.
In the sixth century, Heraclitus said, “There is nothing more constant than change.” While change is indeed constant, there is one thing that is more constant still and that is the love and the power of God. Wherever you are in your life journey, may you feel God’s abiding presence giving you courage to walk in the way of Jesus Christ.
Jeanne Davies
Pastor
Parables Community
parablescommunity@gmail.com
Contributions to the column reserved for the moderator will present meditations, written by members of the congregations in the IL/WI District.
—2 Timothy 1:7 (CEB)
A year ago, I left my full-time pastorate to embark on a journey as a church planter. I gathered a leadership team and called on advisors to support the ministry with their expertise in church planting, disability ministry, music therapy, and education. Together we launched our new Parables Community, a worship ministry with people who have special needs and their families. In this journey, nothing has been certain and much has been unexpected. But we follow God’s call on our lives as individuals and as a community and trust that God will be with us as we move forward.
The Christian journey is one of radical vulnerability and trust. We step out in faith knowing that God is walking alongside of us. That doesn’t always mean the journey will be easy. But it does mean that we can always draw on God’s strength and wisdom and love.
We are coming to a new time in our Parables Community – a time of transition from launching a ministry to growing a new community. Each new transition feels a little like letting go of one trapeze bar before grabbing another. There’s that moment in mid-air when you are reaching for the next step to carry you forward. It can be both exhilarating and terrifying. During these times it’s helpful to know that God is like a safety net, undergirding us. God will not let us fall anywhere else but safely in his arms.
Perhaps you are feeling that sense of transition, too, in your personal or congregational life. We cannot fail when we are God’s because God is always making something good come from everything we do and everything that happens, even our mistakes. As John Lennon said, “Everything will be ok in the end. And if it’s not ok, it’s not the end.” And so we face the world with eternity in mind and live our life with humility and hope. We are sometimes tempted to think that we are the hero of our own story. But the truth is that our story is God’s story and we are just supporting characters. Jesus is the hero of our story. What makes our part of the story “good” is measured by our faithfulness to the Gospel and by no other measure.
In the sixth century, Heraclitus said, “There is nothing more constant than change.” While change is indeed constant, there is one thing that is more constant still and that is the love and the power of God. Wherever you are in your life journey, may you feel God’s abiding presence giving you courage to walk in the way of Jesus Christ.
Jeanne Davies
Pastor
Parables Community
parablescommunity@gmail.com
Contributions to the column reserved for the moderator will present meditations, written by members of the congregations in the IL/WI District.
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