Remembering What God Has Done
The dream we have had in our hearts for many years for a trip to three countries for three months each has always been about experiencing, savoring, and re-telling what Jesus Christ has done in people's lives through a common thread that exists outside of cultural boundaries and differences. Christy and myself are not called to be long term overseas missionaries (at least not yet). We have been born into a place and a time, and ultimately, believe we are to be in the country we grew up in and know. But this trip has been a calling on our lives for the orienting of a broadened perspective that we each feel but haven't tasted, to then continue to live our lives for Christ in our country.
Because we are storytellers who earned college degrees in the Arts, and because we want to communicate a tangible connection of people's lives, we believe that a film will be born out of our journey. But this trip is not a documentary project. We are not showing up to places with cameras in hand, hoping to capture a great moment around the next corner. Rather, we anticipate that after 1-2 months in a location of living life, working hard, resting well, sharing meals, and having conversation, then our eyes and ears will be open to where a video camera has its place. We truly want to follow the Holy Spirit's lead.
A great example of this occurred this past weekend with our friends Martin and Lauren. We met Martin and Lauren at Bloom Church soon after moving to Denver, as they had just moved here as well. Our friendship has grown over the past several months, and the other night we gathered for food and a board game. The food was devoured, the board game was played, but also stories of how Jesus has shown up in our lives were told.
Any time this happens, I for one am greatly encouraged and motivated. Life can be a grind, we all know that. Responsibilities, relationship barriers, curve balls, etc. But with life in Christ, Christ is a mediator of relationships, and if you're open to Him in the slightest, then hearing a story of how and where He met someone in their life is always edifying. For me, even being the one telling the story, reminds myself of my new creation, of the overwhelming grace—any stress or fatigue or confusion toward God that I may currently feel is swatted away when sharing what He has done. Because testimony is real, and over and over again in Scripture both Old Testament and New the people of God are found recounting the works of God. Our natural tendency is to forget so quickly what God has done. That was certainly the case with Israel. But recounting the works and goodness of God is vital to ongoing faith.
I think there is a general emphasis in our culture right now on story. Story matters, your story matters, stories are the most powerful form of communication, etc. I think that is true, but also, for me, it is extremely easy to shift a bit far into the importance of "my" story. But the edification really does not come from "my" story as such. It comes from God's story. It comes from an experience with Jesus that sweeps me out of myself and into Him. In his book Christless Christianity, Michael Horton captures this perfectly, so I'd like to share a quote from him here:
"When we try to fit God into our 'life movie,' the plot is all wrong—and not just wrong, but trivial. When we are pulled out of our own drama and cast as characters in his unfolding plot, we become part of the greatest story ever told. It is through God’s word of judgment (law) and salvation (gospel) that we are transferred from our own 'life movie' and inserted into the grand narrative that revolves around Jesus Christ."
Amen.
As Christy and I continue to share the vision and cultivate the practical means for this trip, our goal is to share as much as possible on this blog. Family, friends, and strangers—thank you for reading. We invite you, in God's unfolding plot, to join with us, read our hearts, and offer any support and encouragement you have. Let us taste and see that the Lord is good. † To subscribe to future posts, click here.
