Psalm 31:24 exhorts us: “Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the LORD!”
But sometimes we need the voices of others to carry us forward. In that spirit, I want to share with you two videos and an essay that have come my way recently.
The first video came from my friend Jon Terry from the Au Sable Institute. Here’s what he wrote about it: “The video is designed to be used by former students in their home church as a way to share their experience at Au Sable and introduce the Biblical mandate to serve, protect and restore God’s earth. Several students have already scheduled a date to show this video in front of their whole congregation as part of the worship service. Others will be showing it at a Sunday School or Adult Ed class and then leading a discussion on the issue.”
The video asks a fundamentally challenging question – will Christians be part of the problem or part of the solution?
It also shows how Au Sable equips young Christians to be part of the solution. The sincere eloquence of the students who appear in the video lifted my heart.
I came across this excellent essay by Jennifer Trafton about the Scottish minister and author George MacDonald through the newsletter of the Rabbit Room. MacDonald’s fairy tales influenced C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien as well. Trafton highlights MacDonaldn’s insights into the importance of imagination in the life of the Christian.
My favorite line from Jennifer’s article:
“Revelation is God reaching out to us; imagination is us reaching out to God.”
I hope you will read it. Let us continue to imagine God’s will being done on earth in ways that cause people and Creation to thrive.
And Ryan O’Connor from Madison, Wisconsin, reached out to me recently after a friend pointed him to this blog. During a phone conversation that followed, I shared my struggle and the struggle of others I know with grief. Our hearts break over what is being done to God’s earth.
Ryan sent an email later that, among other things, shared this music video from Christian artist Andrew Peterson. I wanted to share it with you as well. The opening lines resonated deeply:
Do you feel the world is broken?
Do you feel the shadows deepen?
But do you know that all the dark won’t stop the light from getting through?
Do you wish that you could see it all made new?
By the way, the video is done in a crazily inventive way. Peterson’s team shot it all in one continuous take.
Enjoy.
