I'm ok. It's just been quite a half-year. All my energy has gone into work, Shepard and Jerod, the house and trying to make it from day to day.
Sunday, though, I had a factory reset. If you're not familiar with that, it's the equivalent of erasing every alteration/app/program from your electronic device and putting it all back to the way it came. Sometimes you might lose some good stuff...helpful programs even, but a factory reset erases everything and allows you to proceed as if the device is brand new. Since I anthropomorphize everything in my head, I imagine the motherboard in the device feeling fairly violated and making screaming noises. If you had a device and did this, you would then need to go back through and change your backgrounds, ringers, download new apps, etc. You'd need to start the process of personalizing your device all over again. That's what I feel like happened to my soul on Sunday.
I heard from the Lord. Seriously. It was a spiritual factory reset for me.
And it's not that what I've been taught all these years has been altogether wrong. It's not that I haven't heard Jesus' voice for myself and experienced his presence. It's just that, in light of Sunday, I have to RESET everything and see it through this perspective. Honestly, it felt like putting on glasses for the first time and actually SEEING what you've been missing.
It's so difficult to put into words. I've had many a sermon speak to a particular part of me...bringing conviction or encouragement. This sermon was entirely different. I don't know any other way to say it than just to say it reset my lenses and filters.
Here's a link to the podcast. You should be able to access it in iTunes or listen at a computer. It's the "Building Bridges to the Future" sermon from 4/23/13.
I know very few people will likely be able to listen...it's really too good to try to sum up. For now, I'll just say that while I hope that if you attend a church that your minister speaks into your heart and life. I don't often share stuff from my church for that reason. If you don't attend a church, go ahead and give this a listen just for kicks. To me, it should be in Christ-following 101; but I think most churches and pastors aren't thinking about how we can bring the hope of Christ into the world. We carry the Kingdom of Christ among us. We can prophesy hope and peace. It's not about just waiting at the cosmic bus stop for the magic heaven-bus to come pick you up and take you out this "evil place." All creation is longing for the revealing of the children of God (Romans 8). We are part of the holy restoration of the earth! "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN."
Anyway. I can unpack this more sometime. For now, I'm still chewing on this divine headlong charge into God's heart. As one of our members tweeted, "I think Jesus was saying 'Amen.'" Yes. Bryan. I think He was.
