Selfless Love

Selfless Love

It’s February when we often celebrate all things related to love and relationships. Card shops, flower markets, restaurants and chocolatiers are anticipating records sales as people spend copious amounts of money to express their affection for each other. I am a huge fan of showing our expressions of our love but not so much a fan of the pressure to do so just on certain days.

Holding Space For Grief and Joy

Holding Space For Grief and Joy

“It struck me that God makes space for joy and grief. He is with us, in every moment. He is with us in our joy. He delights in us. And He is with us in our grief and anguish. I felt Him there with me. I pictured him sitting beside me, weeping too. His heart broken for me, and His heart delighting in me.  We are not alone, ever. There is nothing that can stop God from being Emmanuel: God with us.”

Heavy Over The Holidays

Heavy Over The Holidays

A man of sorrows, acquainted with grief.

This isn’t a particularly attractive descriptor of a person, and yet I can’t help but find such comfort in these words spoken about Jesus in Isaiah 53:3. They make me feel safe, like I could almost climb into the person of Jesus, wrap myself in his robe, and know that he understands the indescribable ache of grief my heart sometimes holds.

The Daily Practice of Resurrection

The Daily Practice of Resurrection

“Our mission as a church is to live as ‘God’s growing family practicing kingdom life for the renewal of our city.’ To live as family is complicated and costly, disappointing and messy. To practice the ways of Jesus, the things that keep us close to him and deeply rooted in community, is to sacrifice things we like for things we value more.”

In The Midst Of Pain: Sarah Roberts

In The Midst Of Pain: Sarah Roberts

“What do we do, when every corner we turn is another symptom, challenge, or annoyance that feels too helpless to overcome? We turn to the Holy Spirit, who lives inside of us and sit with Jesus. The answer to our pain isn’t something of this world but a continual communion with someone who gives us an eternal life to look forward to. The answer may not always be getting rid of the pain, but sitting with the one who loves us the most; face to face, and lather in that moment.”

The Gift Of Friendship: Helen Burns

The Gift Of Friendship: Helen Burns

“I believe a rich and beautiful life will never be measured what we have accumulated, but by what we have sown and invested into the lives of people. Everything that leaves our hands and lives will enter our future. I believe there is no greater place to invest our lives than into relationships with a God-centered purpose attached to them.”

Holy Remembrance: Sharaya Holder

Holy Remembrance: Sharaya Holder

“Shalom ushered in because God became bigger than my circumstances. He became bigger than every emotion I was previously feeling. He became bigger than it all. Yet, he also became small because I remembered that he made his home in me. This has to be the most stunning paradox.

There is no explaining how healing this moment was. One moment my pain felt too big to hold, and the next I was overwhelmed because my soul recognized that I was communing with my holy, perfect God who wants a real and intimate relationship with me.”

On Slow Miracles: Alexandra Fuller

On Slow Miracles: Alexandra Fuller

“Sometime it’s an instant miracle. God parting the red sea. A one-shot testimony, beginning and middle and end all wrapped up in one powerful, redemptive, and faith-filled story.

Sometimes it’s a slow one. Forty years in the wilderness. A meandering story of trials and triumphs over time, chapters started but unfinished.

But here’s the thing: it’s a miracle all the same.”

The Life and Times of Jesus Christ: Recommended Resources

As a church family we are on a journey to know Jesus more, and with that goal in mind we’re adventuring through the Gospel of John together. Line by line. This is the good stuff. It’s so rich! Regardless of what your relationship with Jesus looks like - There is much to discover. The author Madeline L’engle said that it takes a lifetime to learn a person, as she was writing about marriage. How much more to learn God?

Because there is an endless depth to Jesus, we have a few recommendations on resources that you may find helpful. We plan to release updates as we go, but here are some excellent books, videos and Bible reading plans that we have enjoyed to get you started!

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RECOMMENDED READING:

JESUS: A THEOGRAPHY by Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola

GENTLE AND LOWLY by Dane C Ortlund

THE LIFE: A PORTRAIT OF JESUS by J.John and Chris Walley

UNDERSTANDING THE DIVINE: INSIGHTS FROM JOHN’S GOSPEL by N.T. Wright

THE BELOVED DISCIPLE: FOLLOWING JOHN TO THE HEART OF JESUS by Beth Moore

MERE CHRISTIANITY by C.S. Lewis

JESUS IS ________. by Judah Smith

RECOMMENDED WATCHING:

GOD by The Bible Project - Learn and understand the complex identity of God (8 minutes)

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN by The Bible Project (9 minutes)

THE CHOSEN - A multi-season series about the life of Jesus. Excellent for families, and for anyone really.

WORD STUDIES: MARTUS / WITNESS by The Bible Project (5 minutes)

WORD STUDIES: CHARACTER OF GOD by The Bible Project (6 short episodes)

RECOMMENDED READING PLANS:

WRITINGS OF JOHN by The Bible Project (25 days)

21 DAYS IN THE GOSPEL OF JOHN by Levi Lukso (25 days)

WHY JESUS? by Nicky Gumbel (5 days)

JESUS IN ALL OF JOHN by Spoken Gospel (16 days)

WHO IS JESUS by Louie Giglio (5 days)

WHO IS JESUS by Alpha (5 days)

Letters to Myself: Michele Henter

We asked some of our staff and Dream Team to write a letter to their “March 1st Selves”. There’s something healing about taking time to acknowledge both the pain and the joys of this season, and constructing them into a meaningful narrative. This has been a hopeful exercise, and we hope you enjoy reading them as we post them over the next little while. If you’re up for it, grab a pen and paper and try writing one to yourself! What comes up may surprise you. - Relate

Hey Chele! 

Wondering if you’d like a wee bit of a heads up about what’s in store for you in the coming weeks. Knowing you as I do, I’m pretty sure you’re gonna want to know, cuz the unknown tends to freak you out a bit, don’t worry though, it’s nothing dire.

I know you’ve heard the rumblings about COVID-19 and are shaking your head at the shenanigans around Lysol wipes and toilet paper. If not... just wait. Seriously... just wait. 

By now you cling to Psalms 91 like a lifeline and will tell everyone that they need to claim the promises there over their households. You feel settled, almost peaceful about the state of affairs and while you get the anxiety and fears that seem to run rampant through the media and your coworkers, you really don’t feel it nor are you giving room to it. Good on ya.

Your college student daughter will move home a month or more sooner than planned. Remember that there’s a learning curve, an adaptation, once she does. New space has to be made within the household rhythm and you know that the ambient noise within these four walls will increase by at least 50% once she settles in.

By the end of March you’ll be working from home with a company laptop. Can I just say that working from home in your bedroom is going to be a bad idea? Don’t do it. You won’t be able to sleep if you do and we all know what you’re like when you get sleep deprived... it ain’t pretty. The training and the phone calls will be a tad annoying but at least you’re still getting paid and everyone who was slowly freaking out will calm down at bit.

You’ll soon find out that working from home isn’t all that it’s made out to be. You’ll be inundated with the kind of noise that you’re not used to and as you eventually set up at the kitchen table, you’ll find that there’s all sorts of distractions that you hadn’t counted on or are used to from an office environment. People wandering in and out fetching food, coffee, asking questions, playing their music and shows loudly, etc.  

In the weeks to come you’ll learn some of the ins and outs of Zoom, you’ll join a book study, volunteer to host a virtual home group, and carve some time out for a bible study hosted by one of your pastors, and prayer group. You’re going to lean hard into all things God and you’re going to juggle it well with things from home... mostly.

You’ll be able to maintain for quite sometime, but there will come a day that you will absolutely lose your cool. I’m warning you now, you’ll be looked at with blank faces and the question, “Why are you yelling?” It’ll be over something completely dumb, and you won’t be prepared for it or be able to adequately explain it (and you’ll try) and it’ll be the beginning of about a week where your emotions are going to sit at the surface, you’ll be teary eyed over little things, and you’ll bump up against walls you didn’t know you had.

And that’s OKAY. 

There will be an ugly cry that’ll take you completely by surprise. Chest heaving sobs will erupt, and it’ll come out of seemingly no where. You’ll try to maintain it within the privacy of your room and you’ll go to bed with gritty eyes and no one but your hubs knowing, but he won’t understand completely.

And that’s OKAY. 

Your hubs will score some of those precious Lysol wipes for your mom & dad and you’ll head over there with an early mother’s day gift and the wipes. This too will trigger something. Your normally undemonstrative mother will give you a brief but fierce hug about the neck and your demonstrative father who always has a big body enfolding hug for you, will take a step back from you. You’ll get into your car and the tears will flow.

And that’s OKAY.

You’re allowed to cry, and you should. Let it out. Let yourself mourn. It doesn’t matter what you’re mourning and that it’ll set you to wondering (okay, freak out a bit) but let it out. Seriously. Just let it out. Everything will be okay. The world will not end because you weren’t strong the whole way through. You don’t have to be. Strong, that is; at least not all the time.

In the end you’ll come through this with dignity (mostly) and perhaps a deeper understanding of God, yourself, others, and your family.  And best of all you’ll have traded the garments of mourning for a mantle of praise and traded ashes for the oil of joy. I promise.

Love,
Chele

Letters to Myself: Lillie Bunnett

We asked some of our staff and Dream Team to write a letter to their “March 1st Selves”. There’s something healing about taking time to acknowledge both the pain and the joys of this season, and constructing them into a meaningful narrative. This has been a hopeful exercise, and we hope you enjoy reading them as we post them over the next little while. If you’re up for it, grab a pen and paper and try writing one to yourself! What comes up may surprise you. - Relate

Dear Lillie, 

I know you cling to routine. You find comfort in knowing that what you planned to happen, happens. You look forward to the days during the week that you get to see all of your friends and talk and laugh and hug and just be, without limitations. Remember when God spoke a word over your year? Depend. Yeah, you are about to understand that on a deeper level. Remember when He reminded you that you are called to a life of dependence on Him alone? I know you crave independence; you crave to create the path before you-- to be the pioneer that plows the ground on which you will walk. But to live a life of dependence is to cling to God, even when life is uncomfortable. And even when the path in front of you is not your preferred route. The path will change significantly. It will be dug up and redirected. 

The entire world will have their lives put on pause because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The old normal will be gone and a new one will begin to form. It will hurt and make you sick with anxiety. 

You already feel as though you have no idea where to plant your feet. You already feel that your life hasn’t met your expectations. And I know that you are already scared about what the future holds. So, I am sorry that soon, those feelings will be magnified. You will feel immense grief for the loss of your old routine and an overwhelming sense of frustration that you don’t have control. You will see it as chains at first. But God will reveal to you a deeper revelation of what He is doing in this season. This time of slowing down will not be stagnant. 

Before the pandemic, you had begun to push your hurt down and ignore it. You knew that it would come back up eventually and erupt with an overflow of emotion. But you didn’t think it would be so soon and under these circumstances. In a season of pause, you will be forced to press play on the feelings of hurt and shame again. You will feel like sand, slipping through cracks in crumbled pieces. You would normally flee when these feelings rise up, but you won’t be able to go anywhere. 

Shame will move in relentlessly. Your past mistakes, imperfections and weaknesses will take center stage in your thoughts. You will begin to question why you deserve God’s grace, especially when you’d been so negative and pessimistic. One night, as you sit on your front steps crying, God will speak to you. He will remind you that He is filled with mercy and that He does not look at what the world looks at (and that “world” includes you), He looks at the heart. God doesn’t have taste; He sees the broken, ugly and most shameful parts of you and is moved to compassion not disgust. Grace isn’t grace without an undeserving recipient. 

There will be much to learn and press through soon, but the lover of your soul will not leave you. He will mend and rebuild what is lost. He will orchestrate all things for good. On your long walks through the neighbourhood, He will remind you that He sets the pace, directs the path and journeys with you—on your mundane strolls lost in thought and when your heart is so weak that one step requires more strength than you can muster. In the unknown you will learn to trust the One who knows all. 

It won’t be easy to adjust, and you in all your stubborn ways will not take it well (this season has helped a lot with stubbornness, but we still have a long way to go). Trust me when I say that I am grateful for this change. I would not have chosen it myself but then I would not be made aware of the things in my heart that needed restoring. God would not have moved in the same ways. Your heart was becoming stiff and insensitive as you built up iron walls to protect yourself against hardship. Just know your defence system isn’t the walls you’ve built but the God who was raised from the dead for you. You won’t be let down or abandoned, now or in the battle to come. In times of stillness and silence, God will be with you. In times of anguish and worry, God will be with you. And when you choose to trust you will step into what you were created for, to be dependent on God wholeheartedly. 

Watch as God moves like never before. You get a front row seat. 

Love, 
Lillie 

(P.S. you will also laugh more than you have in a long time and learn to find joy in things that you had once taken for granted. But, mostly you will laugh, hard, until your stomach hurts and maybe make a fool of yourself on Zoom calls.)

Letters to Myself: Claire Richardson

We asked some of our staff and Dream Team to write a letter to their “March 1st Selves”. There’s something healing about taking time to acknowledge both the pain and the joys of this season, and constructing them into a meaningful narrative. This has been a hopeful exercise, and we hope you enjoy reading them as we post them over the next little while. If you’re up for it, grab a pen and paper and try writing one to yourself! What comes up may surprise you. - Relate

Dear Claire,

You know how you do those online Angus Reid polls that ask about your opinions and ideas about society regularly? Well those questionnaires are about to get real weird soon. That’s because the whole world is about to turn upside down. 

From South Africa to Italy to China to Canada, everything is going to be different. And your own little world too - your family and personal network. 

Curious? Yeah, you should be. It’s all due to a global pandemic - a virus that is highly contagious and has caused the world to hunker down. Schools, restaurants, businesses, libraries and even your husband’s workplace will be shut. It’s a wild time. 

But through this all, God will never leave your side. In fact, Holy Spirit will have a presence in your life in new and unique ways - guiding you through the turmoil of a husband out of work, and revealing the importance of His truths. 

At first, you are going to feel angry with your husband after being together 24/7. This is going to be one the hardest times of your marriage and that’s saying something - you know all the tough things you’ve survived together already. 

Yet, neither of you are going to let this strange situation rock your marriage. You and your nearest and dearest are going to get praying and God is going to move. You and James will work out a routine for spending days together and apart. You will discover new things about each other, have some big conversations, and connect like never before. 

Enough about your marriage though.

There’s one thing in your life that feels insignificant right now. However, you are soon going to miss it like crazy. Interestingly, the Angus Reid polls are going to report on it.  

Around mid April (several weeks into the lockdown) you are going to see results that the number one thing people in BC are most looking forward to doing once the virus is over is giving hugs. 

Check it out here: http://angusreid.org/covid19-back-to-normal/

Now you might be thinking - of all the things that we want after being stuck in our homes for weeks on end is simply to embrace a friend or loved one? Really? 

It’s true. 

You will desperately wish you could hug your close friend who sadly will have a miscarriage at 11 weeks. Instead, all you are able to do is drop off Dairy Queen at her front door. 

Then, you will want to give your little goddaughter a hug on her first birthday. Doing a "drive by" and dropping a present off in her driveway doesn’t feel nearly as good as a cuddle.

Additionally, you will wish you could comfort your cousin who has been wanting to get married for over 10 years and finally after getting engaged, her wedding will be postponed until next summer. Being her maid of honor and chatting on the app House Party simply isn’t as satisfying as greeting her at her door with an old fashioned hug commiserating over crappy life situations.  

I guess what I want you to remember is not to take for granted the beauty and importance of human connection. It's more apparent than ever that God has intricately designed us for community and intimacy in relationships. Hugs and hellos when greeting at church are not just a perfunctory duty. They are truly life giving. 

So go ahead and give everyone you love a hug. Heck, go ahead and hug anyone you think wants or needs one. 

That’s it for now. 

Until next time,
Claire

Letters to Myself: Alleya Donnery

We asked some of our staff and Dream Team to write a letter to their “March 1st Selves”. There’s something healing about taking time to acknowledge both the pain and the joys of this season, and constructing them into a meaningful narrative. This has been a hopeful exercise, and we hope you enjoy reading them as we post them over the next little while. If you’re up for it, grab a pen and paper and try writing one to yourself! What comes up may surprise you. - Relate

Dear Alleya, 

I know that it’s a full-on Sunday with you setting up the Fast Track, making drinks at the coffee bar and cheering Brandon on from the front row, but I need you to take a moment to read what I’ve got to say. First of all, I’m sorry to have to tell you this as I know your world is just starting to look normal. It’s been a rollercoaster since Dad passed but you’ve been strong, and God has been so close. You should know that in the next few days, not just your world, but the whole world is going to change. It might look scary at first, but your eyes will be opened, and you’ll see God like never before. What you’ve heard in the news about China, well that’s coming here. At first you’re not going to grasp the extent of it, and then it’s going to feel a little overwhelming, but I promise you it does get better. With the changing of so many things like your job, your interactions with people and most of all your presumed idea of normal, you’re going to need to make room to grow. I’m learning this now, so it’s best to make you aware, that our brains are operating in a state of “error” in this time. You’ll experience weird dreams, trouble sleeping and hyper-sensitive emotions, and you’ll lack the ability to concentrate. All of the luxuries we assume as ordinary will be unavailable for an unknown amount of time. Honestly, I know it’s a lot to hear, but there is gold on the other side. Not that this is over, I’m still in it, but once the disillusionment of fear dissipates, you’re going to see everything from a new perspective. 

Take a breath for a minute, as I know that’s a lot to take in. I want you to look around the church today and notice all the little things. Take note of the way people embrace one another, the sound of chatter in the foyer, the shaking of hands during meet and greet, the bass in your chest during worship, the communal press during the pastor’s word. All of these things we so easily mistake for normal, you’re going to grieve in the coming weeks. Sundays now might be the best and the hardest of all the days in the week. You see, we will switch all services to online gatherings. Thank the Lord for the internet and all of the ways we can connect with people but know that it’s just not the same. There is this tool we use called Zoom and it allows us to virtually meet with one another. I know you’re wondering, “what happened to Skype?” But nobody really knows. It’s so different from meeting in person, but at least it does give us the ability to see each other. 

That fear I mentioned earlier, that won’t come right away. You’ll underestimate the chaos that will ensue with this pandemic. You won’t fear the virus and you won’t be afraid of getting sick, but you’ll worry for those in your world who might. You’ll be afraid of the term “indefinite,” because for some reason everyone is using that word even though there is so much negative connotation around it. Fear has a way of either pulling us away from God or pushing us towards God. I am so grateful that He is the foundation you build your life upon, and for that reason fear will point you to God. It creates almost a desperation on the inside of you to be near to God, to be with Him. Now that’s not to say things don’t get foggy with fear and it’s hard to navigate what you’re feeling, but at the end of the day, I know that I know that I know God is with me, He is for me and He is working things out for my good, and yours.

It’s been a strange time to grieve the loss of Dad as well as the loss of my sense of normalcy. I think adding to it is the lack of sleep, escalating my emotions, and I find myself crying at the most random of times. I can’t help but think that if Dad had passed during this season instead of the last, Mom wouldn’t have had the comfort that she did in that time. Her community of friends and church family wouldn’t have been allowed to come over and comfort her. Moreover, we wouldn’t have been able to have the memorial service like we did. It may seem odd, but I truly think that people received Christ at that service, and that is how they are going to make it through this season. Mom seems to think Dad would not have done well in this time, that he would be one of the extra cautious people who buy mounds of toilet paper from Costco. I can see it actually, him having the whole garage as a stockpile for cleaning supplies, canned goods and toilet paper. But knowing the generous man he was, he would have given it away to all the neighbours and people in need. 

So that gold that I talked about, I’m starting to see it now. I’m 7 weeks into this pandemic and my eyes are opening to see what God is doing around me and in me. Prayer I think is one of the most evident good things that has come out of this. A passion for prayer is being stirred up on the inside of His people and it’s beautiful to see. A reverence for His creation is being recognized more so than ever before. Like, we can’t believe how beautiful the trees are, or how breathtaking the mountains are. The fact that we live in the most gorgeous part of the planet and didn’t really notice it before, but now we are seeing God’s hand on all of it. I have a new appreciation for hugs, like the good hugs that last more than two seconds. The ones where you feel as if peace is transferring from the other person into you. Man, am I excited to give people hugs one day hopefully soon.

Alleya, you are strong, you are loved, and you are going to be okay. Actually, better than okay. And on the days that you feel weak, press into God. And the days where you feel strength, press into God. Breathe in and welcome Holy Spirit into your everyday. I know that there have been ample seeds planted in this unprecedented season, and it’s our job to tend to them. So, continue to tend to the seed of prayer, the seed of awe and the seed of gratitude. God’s got you and your family and there is gold in the midst of the storm.  

Love,
Alleya

This is a strange story

When I was a kid, I used to want to be a writer. A songwriter specifically. Could I play an instrument? Nope. Could I sing? Not well. But at the ripe age of 8, I was convinced that I would grow up writing hits. I remember writing a song about the Canucks. My grandparents loved it so much, they wanted to send it to the team. Who knows, they thought, maybe they would play it on TV or something? Then, as I grew up, my focus shifted to becoming an actor. I thought maybe I could act in a movie I wrote (and directed). I think since the age of 14, I have had about 5 movie scripts floating around in my head. Now obviously, I haven’t written a hit song (that you know of!), and my script never was written (writers block obviously), but I have listened to enough songs, watched enough movies and read enough books to know that we as humans love a good story. Our hearts actually crave to be immersed in a story that inspires, evokes joy, and brings us deep hope.  One other thing I have learned about stories is that unless you are into obscure foreign films, you like your hope-filled stories to follow a relatively linear fashion. You want the story to begin with a protagonist, who though they may have some baggage, they are an essentially “good” person. You can root for them! You then want a conflict or opportunity to arise that forces them to face a challenge, whether that be internal or external. If the story is any good, there must be a point where you as the audience aren’t sure if they will be able to accomplish what has been placed before them. Maybe they doubt themselves, or the enemy is too great. They are struck down, but in a moment of internal strength they rise back up to conquer what lies ahead. In the end, they have discovered something about themselves deep within while also making the world a better place. Throw in a love interest of some sort and you have a story that you and I can get behind! This is Disney. This is Lord of The Rings. This is Star Wars. This is Shawshank Redemption. This is Love Story by Taylor Swift.  

Alright, maybe you have a more sophisticated palate. Maybe you don’t like your cookie cutter endings. Less Marvel, more Martin Scorsese. But I bet, at the very least, you like your stories to have a satisfying ending. Think about it, is there anything worse that being totally engrossed in a TV show and they ruin it at the very end? No matter how much you liked the lead-up, the end frames your perception of the entire thing. You may be able to say that there were certainly elements of the story that were compelling, but I would venture to say that unless you were at least somewhat satisfied with the ending, it would be tough for you say you enjoyed the story.  

 Now I say all of this not to vent about that last season of whatever show frustrated you, but instead to understand the scandal of the Easter story.  

This past week in Youth, we have been taking a look at the “I AM” statements of Jesus. These are loaded statements that Jesus made about Himself, that make a claim both about His divinity and character. We did this mini study in order that we would better understand who Jesus was as we head into Easter. For Friday, the statement of the day is from John 14. In this passage, Jesus makes the following claim to His disciples: 

“I am  the way  and the truth  and the life.  Noone comes to the Father except through me.” 

John 14 and 15 recounts Jesus’ departing teaching and instructions to His disciples before His arrest, trial and eventual crucifixion. He tells them that they aren’t to let their hearts be troubled, as He is preparing a place for them. When the disciples, seemingly frustrated and confused, ask Jesus how they can know where He is going, Jesus’ makes the bold claim that He is the way, the truth and the life. If they want to come to God, they are to continue following the way to God (Jesus).   

This claim of Jesus to be the one true path to God may be the most controversial claim of all. This runs counter to a world full of subjective realities, spirituality that preaches “many paths lead to one god” and alternative “gospels” that place the self at the centre. If you track the gospels, you see that the disciples spend the entire story playing catch up to Jesus. In Matthew, for example, they don’t name Jesus as the Messiah until the sixteenth chapter. And even after they begin to see who Jesus truly is, they can’t accept the story. Jesus gives them glimpses into the future, and they don’t want to hear it. They reject the idea of a messiah having to die. As you and I would too. Here is the beautiful thing about Jesus, however. He is patient with His followers. He doesn’t make them sign an agreement ensuring that they are all on the same page about the journey. He doesn’t begin by giving them the run-down on His divinity. He begins with a simple invitation: “Follow me”.  And yet, we see at the seeming end of this walk with the twelve, Jesus spells out the reality plainly. 

I am the one way to God. 

I am the truth of God. 

I am life embodied.  

There is one path to God, and I am it. 

Now track with me for a minute. I will get back to this claim in a moment. The story continues, and it isn’t what Peter the others want or hope for. Their rabbi is arrested. The twelve flee, and in fear of their own lives, they inevitably deny any association with Him. He is accused, tortured, ridiculed, forced to carry the instrument of His death up to Golgotha. Then, in a shocking twist, the hero doesn’t escape. He doesn’t discover any inner power to get Him out of the bind He is in. He dies. At least that is how the spectators see it. 

We as 21st Century followers of Jesus have the benefit of the full scope of the story. We know that Sunday comes. We know life conquers death. And I am very glad to know this, but I think because of this, the potency of Friday maybe doesn’t hit us quite as intended. To those on the ground level, this was not a good Friday. This was disappointment and disillusionment. The climax of their three-year journey was that the other guys won. This was not the story they wanted. We wouldn’t want it either. We wouldn’t write something like this. If I stopped the reading story here, you could consider me an unsatisfied reader.  In fact, I would go as far as to say that If Jesus came merely as a choice for us to choose from to help us on our life journey, there are likely better options out there. Sure, Jesus was a great teacher, but His story leads to death. More than that, He tells His disciples that in order to truly follow Him, they must too pick up their cross.  There must be a better narrative that brings me what I long for at only a fraction of the cost. At first glance, with no knowledge of what’s to come, it would appear that following Jesus leads to a kind of suffering that you and I would not accept for ourselves. Even Jesus’ closest associates backed out at the last minute.  

Thank God this isn’t how the story goes! First, Jesus knew the full story. He knew that He had to die. But He also knew He was going to be raised up! Second, and this might rub you the wrong way, this notion of Jesus as an option was not given to us. Jesus made sure of that. In the last moments of His life before death, He spelled it out plainly. He made it clear that He wasn’t a choice, or a perspective, or a path to truth. He was (and is) the way, the truth, and the life.  

It was as if Jesus was saying “In a few hours, the single greatest event in history is about to take place. Whether you agree with me or not, everything is about to change. Your opinion will not change reality. What I am about to do will make a way for a relationship with God, which is the sole reason for your existence.”  

This is a strange story. It is brutal. It is unpolished. It is unexpected. It does not fit into my boxes. Being that I value my self-preservation, I may not have chosen this story. It doesn’t jive with where I am going. Good news is that Jesus doesn’t give me the option of it being A story, but THE story above all stories. It is either true, or it is wrong. He was who He said He was, or His followers are fools. Thankfully, through the work of the Spirit, and my own experience with His love, I have come to believe that in spite of my resistance, Jesus is who He says He is. 

In the west, Easter has become a cultural staple. That time of the year where, for a day, we take a moment to reflect on the story of Jesus. For many of us, we are touched by the story of Easter, so it is a special day. Or maybe you don’t even believe God is real, but you come to Church or say a prayer on Easter because it is what you have always done. And that is okay, just like the disciples, Jesus is patient. And while I do not intend for this to be overly confrontational, I am aware that it might sound a bit…. heavy. That is because the true story of Easter has a certain weight to it. Right in the middle of the story of Easter are these claims: 

  1. Jesus is one way to God.  

  2. Jesus took on all our wrongdoings on the cross. He suffered in our place. 

  3. Jesus loves you so much He DIED for you. Let me say that again: He died for you. 

  4. Jesus rose again. He defeated death. 

  5. Jesus calls His followers to give their full allegiance to them. 

However, you slice it, those are big claims. Claims that beg a response. 

Easter is an invitation to be a part of a story. A strange story. A beautiful story. A story that’s climax changes the entire way we frame who we are and why we are. I have come to see and believe that the best thing about life is this story. Freedom is found in surrender to a God who sacrificially loves. You may not agree, and that is okay. My hope in writing this is to simply challenge us to not skip past Easter season like it is background viewing. An old story that we go through once a year. It is as potent today as it was 2000 years ago, and it has the power to transform lives in the same way it did for those who first experienced it. In a world crying for inspiration, joy and a deep-hope, I don’t know of a better story to be engrossed in. 

I would like to leave you with a quote from the 20th Century thinker C.S. Lewis. An accomplished scholar and atheist, who came to know believe in Jesus later in life.  

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” 

Brandon Donnery

Youth Director

I'm Prepared.

After my initial intense fight response to the global pandemic, I’ve finally taken the time to settle down and acknowledge my feelings about this season: I have a lot of questions that no human can answer and I don’t feel prepared for this. These feelings have been real, overwhelming and difficult to control considering the circumstances. The combination of living on my own and working an essential service in healthcare at this time has left me fearful, anxious, and lonely. But God has been relentless in showing me the truth, that it’s not about what I think I can do or my situation, it’s about what He’s done and is  still doing through it all.

When I ask Him, “Why!? Why would you let me be alone right now?” He responded with something He told me at a Heart & Soul last summer: “That’s why I brought you here, so you don’t have to be alone.” He’s prepared me with a community for a time such as this. Though we cannot meet in person, I have already been connected to faith-filled people. I am not alone. 

When I ask Him, “Why?! I’m not prepared for this!” He responded by triggering my memory to the past Tuesday nights at Relate, Practicing Presence. I had been resting with the Holy Spirit and waiting on God to speak for a while, showing up as much as I could. One particular Tuesday night He told me that it wasn’t about me, that it is about showing His glory. I am ready.

When I ask Him, “Why!? Why do I have to be a leader? I don’t want to be the one to lead at work!” He responded by showing me that He’s been preparing me as a  leader for months, by being a facilitator for Freedom Session. I had been working through the same steps as my group of young women for several months, but I was called to be one of the people to guide them through it with encouragement, prayer, and authenticity. I am a leader.

When I ask Him, “Why!? I’m scared!” He’s responded by reminding me of how I’ve stepped past fear in the last few months: by accepting opportunities to speak in front of others, by asking people to pray over me, by being vulnerable with others. And for all of those things, I was incredibly afraid, but it always worked out in the end. I am brave.

And even still, after He’s answered me, I respond with “But God, ARE YOU SURE?” And like the true God that He is, He has been responding to me with His written truth: 

Calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade your soul for?

Mark 8:34-37 MSG

Once again, He’s reminding me about what He’s told me before, that it’s not about me, it’s about Him, and it always has been. If I can take a moment to stop doubting myself and what He’s calling me to do, whether that be to pray for someone, encourage a friend, or be Jesus in my workplace, I can see that He is the one who is leading me through it. Despite fear, He is showing me how to keep going. Despite anxiety, He is showing me how to embrace suffering. Despite loneliness, He is saving me. I may not feel confident in my own choices at every moment, but I can stand firm in knowing that He is in the driver’s seat, I just have to remember that He is there. This is the truth that He’s reminding me of in this season, that I can choose to see Him over everything. He's got me right where He wants me, and He’s prepared me for such a time as this. 

Here’s what I’ve learned through it all:

Don’t give up; don’t be impatient;

be entwined as one with the Lord.

Be brave and courageous, and never lose hope.

Yes, keep on waiting—for he will never disappoint you!

Psalm 27:14 TPT

Cher Carrasco

Dream Team