B-Sides

In many respects I don’t know really what to make of this season of life. Certain things are coming to an end and other things are truly just beginning.Graduation, marriage careers and life is upon Elise and I. And in this time we are really at a juncture between one distinct part of life and another.

It’s difficult to know who to talk to about what and where, let alone what to talk about, where I should be when, and what to do in each moment and all those important things that seems to stitch days together into time and logical progression of events and conversation that can be contained in blogs etc.

BUT despite the fact my mind at moments is in a billion places…trying to make sense of the chaos of life and possible future eventualities; my heart is in a state of an overwhelming peace.

I just finished reading NT Wright’s After You Believe: Why Christian Character matters. Through it my heart both leaps and is still at the beauty of what God desires to do in the Earth and what he wants to do through his beloved children. His encouragement is for action not just worship alone; but for mission. To live on mission is this:

"The longer you play it safe and avoid risk and potential loss, the more you will accept the present and lose your capacity to dream about and shape the future. When your fears are given more authority than the Spirit of God, all chance of valor and generational impact is gone."

-J.R. Vassal

No matter what happens in the next part of life I should make sure that Elise and I never lose the capacity to dream of God doing big things in and among us and being obedient to the steps that are necessary to get there.

“Here is Adam, called to a great destiny and losing it by his disobedience. Here is Jesus Christ, called to undo the resultant mess, to get the human project back on track and being obedient to that calling and thereby accomplishing it…

What would it look like if God were running things?

…It would like obedient human beings, following the Obedient Human, acting as stewards over creation, bringing new creation to birth, and gathering up the praises of that creation to present them to its maker. Jesus himself as the whole New Testament makes clear acted as the Obedient Human summing up creation’s praises and inaugurating God’s saving sovereignty.

-N.T. Wright (from After You Believe)

In the difficulty that change, most likely ,will produce in the coming months I rejoice because it will force Elise and I out of our own comfort into a place where we need God . Where we see him clearer and obey because we see Him, not ourselves. Seeing the Beautiful God intimately tying together random events lessons scripture people etc.

“ get up and follow me; I am the good shepherd and I will not lead you anywhere you are not supposed to go”

"‘If you are always busy listening, you will never come to understanding;

If you are always busy gratifying your eyes, you will never perceive.’

Develop a true heart within these people;

make them hear silence and close their eyes.

So that they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears,

understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed."

- Isaiah 6:9-10

-J.G.Grinstead