June 15-22

This last week has been dominated by one project: A defense of the TNIV translation of the Bible. This was the suggestion of the gentleman at the farmers market who we shall call D. D was concerned that Granite Springs Church was supporting a translation which he thought was in short irreverent. He thought that the translators had made certain changes in order to be more politically correct rather than for the sake of accuracy. D had gotten this information off the internet… He was unsatisfied with my on the spot response so I told him that I would look into the matter more and respond to his arguments. I took down his email and he took mine so that we could communicate and I would be able to see laid out in front of me the arguments he supported. D Sent me to one particular website. The author of the particular article which Harold quoted I had hoped would be a scholarly man. Unfortunately I was dead wrong. He quoted what he could but used fear and name calling as the main force of his argument. I was frustrated to no end and that day wrote 1400 words without looking at a page of research beyond D’s article. The rest of the week, even when I was not working on this response it loomed over my mind and frequently I would think of something else to put in it and have ended up with 2,861 words in total. I had to be precise yet gentle, using Biblical passages and modern day examples, I had to explain to a smart man, things which he had never heard before. Like basic Greek grammar. And in the end I have found some satisfaction in it. I pray that it is well received as I am sending it out today.

The farmers market was hot this week. Almost unbearable for having come out of a Michigan winter (I know it’s been a while but it’s such a dramatic change that while I’ve gotten used to how hot it’s been, that day was still uncomfortable). And because it was hot, at first very few people actually came to the farmers market. Later on as the day cooled, at around 7pm, people started coming out and the farmers market really got underway. Overall the day went well. Met more people. Helped others. Made some kids happy. It’s work that should be done and even if I don’t particularly enjoy it (especially since it means I have an 11 hour work day) but I guess I’m content to do it for the time being.

This week we read Bonhoeffers Life Together chapter 4. Well, everyone else did I accidentally read chapter 5. Thankfully I had read Chapter 4 before in a certain class. We (the staff) got into a discussion about one particular statement of his. “Every member of the congregation should have some function in the congregation so that they feel like they’re needed.” Is about what he said. We discussed what role a decrepit old person might have since we believed that they were a part of the congregation even if they could not do anything physical nor could they sing or teach. My response was, well they can certainly pray. (I believe prayer to be a very powerful thing, as it is written the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective) And we went still further and speculated about someone who was not only physically gone but mentally gone as well and whether their gift, their service to the congregation was in being someone who was served. I think that while this hypothetical situation is possible it is far from likely.

Kevin had me recite another Psalm for the Call to worship this Sunday. Psalm 125. For the 1st service I got up in front and began to recite it and after the first verse my mind went blank. I started again but the second verse just wouldn’t come. The congregation started to laugh a little. Strangely enough I found it reassuring (those who trust in the Lord will not be shaken Ps 125:1). I knew they weren’t laughing in a derogatory way. After a little while the second verse came back and I recited the rest from memory. As I left the stage the church applauded and all I could do was smile. After the service one of the congregants came up to me and gave me a hug. With a waver in her voice she said thank you for doing that since it makes people less scared about getting up in front of everyone since now they realize they don’t need to be perfect. Funny isn’t it? How God works in such weird ways? I guess there’s an Old Dutch saying that goes with this, “God can hit straight with a crooked stick.” Oh and if you’re wondering the second service it went off without a hitch.

As I’ve been reading through other Jubilee Fellow’s blogs and in reading about particular obstacles they are coming up against. Ones which I feel particularly passionate about, I have begun to wonder why has God put me at Granite Springs and not there. Yet where I am is where God wants me to be and that means I’m in the best place possible even if it doesn’t seem so at the moment. Thus am I curious. Even since I was a little boy I prayed that God would use me for whatever he wanted to, even if that would only be putting one nail in a board somewhere. Since then my prayer has grown to “Help me be content Lord, even if all I am to do is hammer one nail.” Maybe this is a step towards that. Maybe not. But until I figure it out (if I ever do) I’ll wait, watch, and trust. After all, God knows what he’s doing much better than I do.

After I wrote that last paragraph I did some thinking. I took a break from writing and did other things and some thoughts came together. 1. I am not here for ME to do work. It was never my work. I could never have done it on my own. I’m here in obedience to God and his plan. 2. God put me here, at least in part, to grow into my relationship with him and I’m beginning to see just how he is stretching me here. 3. God is God and I am not.

From the ends of the earth I called to you,

I call as my heart grows faint;

Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

For you have been my refuge,

A strong tower against the foe.

I long to dwell in your tent forever

And take refuge in the shelter of your wings. (Psalm 61:2-4)