Giving Your Google Calendar to God

[The Midweek Encounter is a ministry of Encounter Church in Kentwood, MI. These posts are reflections on Sunday's message, which can be heard here each week: http://myencounterchurch.org/#/messages-media] 

Google Calendar is one of my favorite inventions. Anytime I’m at a computer or have my phone with me (so, pretty much always) I can see my schedule for days, weeks, and months ahead and in the past. Thanks my calendar, I can tell you that on December 27, 2014, I saw the movie Into the Woods at 2 p.m., and that I have a gathering with my book club on January 3, 2017. It’s all in my control, and I can plan and schedule my days down to the minute. Yet I have friends who rarely use a formal system of keeping track of what they’re going to do, preferring to remember it in their head or to simply take days as they come, instead of scheduling out trips to the gym like I often do.

Photo Credit: Eric Rothermel

Obviously Google Calendars didn’t exist around the time of Jesus’ birth, yet the characters in the story are excellent examples of people who approached control of their lives in very different ways. In Matthew 2 we read the the story of King Herod, a man who was determined to do anything he had to in order to keep his throne. He controlled his people and his country and wouldn’t let anything change that. So when some wise men came along and started asking about a supposed “king of the Jews,” King Herod did not welcome this news with open arms. Instead, he ordered all baby boys in and near Bethlehem to be murdered, in hopes that this decree would eradicate the new king he had learned of. King Herod lived with a clenched fist, everything held so tightly in his grasp that he was concerned only with his own life and plan and never considered another way.

In contrast, the wise men, who were likely astrologers, were living in a far off land. When they saw the unusual star that eventually led them to Jesus, they set aside their entire lives to listen to the promptings in their hearts telling them to follow the star. They weren’t so set on their plans for the next week or next month that they were unwilling to deviate from their set schedule. Instead, they willingly tossed their plan aside to follow a new one. There was no guarantee of what they’d find on their trek, but they were eager to see if this star they had seen was of the importance they thought it was. Upon finding Jesus, they worshiped him and gladly offered their gifts.

Though we may not like to admit it, it’s easy to become like evil King Herod. I get so caught up in my planning and scheduling that I forget to see where God is breaking into my life and asking me to follow what he has for me instead of what I have for myself. Our culture feeds into this mentality, telling us to be true to ourselves, to do what feels right, and to do whatever it takes to be happy. The call of God is the opposite though. To follow Jesus is to hand over control of our lives because we acknowledge that God’s way is better, even in the times we may not understand his ways.

As we begin a new year, what would it look like to truly give God control of our lives? This idea is often difficult for me, because it sounds good as words we say and even pray, but what it looks like in my actual everyday life can be elusive. Instead of getting caught up in the big picture of what it means to “Give God control of our lives” though, what if we focused on the small, simple acts that make up our lives? How would the way we approach our jobs be different if we sought God’s will for what he wants for us in that place? How would our interactions with our family members, those we see every day and those we see less frequently, change if we committed to seeing them the way God sees them, as people who are deeply loved and valued? How would the way we talk, or the way we schedule our Google Calendar, or the way we shop, be changed if we truly looked for the ways God is present even in those seemingly mundane actions? If we live our lives with hands open to what God has in store, we may be surprised at what we find.


[Brianna DeWitt believes in Jesus, surrounding yourself with good people, and that desserts are best when they involve chocolate and peanut butter. She writes about faith, growing up, and whatever else pops into her head on her own blog, and tweets (largely about food) at @bwitt722.]

The Light

[The Midweek Encounter is a ministry of Encounter Church in Kentwood, MI. These posts are reflections on Sunday's message, which can be heard here each week: http://encounterchurch.org/messages] 

It’s me and my husband’s first Christmas with a baby—and let’s just say, things are a lot more complicated than they were last year. Seriously—last weekend our Honda was loaded with a Pack ‘n Play, Jumperoo, diaper bag, portable infant seat, spare clothes, blankets… you get the picture. We are blessed to have most of our family living in West Michigan, but that means that we are expected to see all of them on either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. When all is said and done, we will have attended four separate celebrations in 48 hours. With an almost-6-month-old baby. Talk about logistical chaos.

But we do consider ourselves blessed this Christmas season, as neither of us have experienced great fear or darkness in our lives. I can only imagine that along with all of the joy that this season brings, there is also pain that is unearthed at Christmas for those who have lost loved ones in recent years. For many others, the holidays in Michigan signify colder weather and homeless shelters that cannot accommodate their needs. Still others are dealing with the pain of broken relationships, and Christmas is a reminder of the lingering wounds that just won’t heal.

Many are not convinced that this is the most wonderful time of the year due to their circumstances, but Gospel writer John disagrees. It is the most wonderful time of the year, not because of family celebrations or twinkle lights or gifts, but because God broke into our world of darkness and sent His Light. John 1:4-5 says, “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

These are some of the first words in John’s Gospel. In order to more fully understand their meaning, Pastor Dirk told us a little bit more about who John was and what he had experienced in his lifetime. John was the last living disciple of Jesus, mostly because Jesus had asked him to watch over his mother Mary after he died. As Mary’s caretaker, John had a front-row seat for all of the stories about Jesus; he probably spent the majority of his later life recounting Jesus’s days with Mary. John likely had a very thorough understanding of Jesus’s life, and because of this was able to perfect his “elevator pitch” about Jesus and Christianity.

In addition to his comprehensive knowledge of Jesus, John lived through the persecution of Christians—many of whom were his friends and family. He experienced persecution himself, at one time being boiled alive in hot oil, and eventually exiled to the Island of Patmos. John lived in a time of darkness and fear, but he knew that Jesus came to earth as the Light to shine in the darkness, and that nothing could overcome that light.

John continues in verses 9-12, “The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”

Christ came to earth for everyone—not just for the Jews, but for the Gentiles and for the Romans, too. Those who received Christ and fully believed in Him, not just believed that He was the Son of God, were welcomed into His family. And the same goes for us today; If you believe in His name and the power of His light over darkness, then you are welcomed into God’s family as His child. That is the true gift of Christmas—that God sent His Son, the Light of the World, into a broken earth and invites us into that light to become His beloved children.

So this Christmas season, when you find yourself busy amidst logistical chaos, or burdened with broken relationships and loss, remember that the darkness will never overcome the Light. Christ came to earth to save us from ourselves, from our sin and shame—and that even though our circumstances might seem bleak, we have hope in an eternal God who shines His Light into the darkness. And that darkness will not overcome the light. Not then, not now, not ever. 

[Megan Stephenson is a proud new mom to her five-month-old son August and spends her days trying to figure out how to take care of her tiny human. She also works for a private education group in Grand Rapids as an Assistant Registrar. Megan loves spending time with her husband, Ben, trying out new breweries, restaurants, and local attractions. She also self-identifies as a crazy cat lady, despite owning no cats of her own, thanks to her loving and allergic husband.]

Doubt at Christmastime

[The Midweek Encounter is a ministry of Encounter Church in Kentwood, MI. These posts are reflections on Sunday's message, which can be heard here each week: http://myencounterchurch.org/#/messages-media] 

While fairy tales are often thought of as being primarily for children, some of us adults love them too. There’s something about the magic, the dramatic stories, the happily ever afters that resonate with us long past our childhood years. Real life is so rarely like a fairy tale that it’s nice to escape to a land where we can believe good will overcome evil and the endings will get tied up with a pretty red bow.

Photo Credit: Haitao Zeng

The Christmas story has little in common with fairy tales. As we read the story recorded in Luke 1, it’s easy to let our familiarity with it overshadow the extraordinary nature of what’s actually taking place. Our main characters didn’t grow up in castles or own diamond-studded tiaras. Instead, Mary was a normal teenager who was engaged to a normal man named Joseph, and then the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and turned her future into a shape she never would have expected. 

First Gabriel told Mary she was "highly favored," and "Mary was greatly troubled and wondered what kind of greeting this must be" (Luke 1:29). Gabriel went on to tell her she had found favor with God and would give birth to a son. Not only was she going to have a baby, but that baby would be God-made-man, come to save the world. Having grown up in a Jewish household, Mary likely would have heard the prophecies foretelling the coming Messiah. As the enormity of what the angel was telling her sank in, Mary may have felt confused, ill-equipped, and scared. Her first response was a practical question about how this would happen considering she was a virgin, which at first glance seems very similar to Zechariah’s question earlier in the chapter.

When Gabriel appeared to Zechariah and announced that Zechariah’s wife would have a baby, Zechariah had some questions just as Mary did. The way he presented his question was different though. “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well in years” (Luke 1: 18). Zechariah went to practicality with a doubt that this could actually come to be, whereas Mary’s question was a simple “How?” She didn’t stay in her doubt, either. Instead of wallowing in it, she allowed it to push her to ask questions, while also accepting she was unlikely to come to a complete understanding of what was truly happening. Even as she questioned, she stayed open to the possibilities of what God was going to do. 

After the angel explained a bit more, Mary replied with acceptance. “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Next Mary went to visit her cousin Elizabeth, and as she traveled, perhaps the reality of what was happening began to take hold. It would have been easy for Mary to arrive at Elizabeth’s house and begin explaining all about how afraid she was and how none of this was according to the plan she had for her life. Instead, Mary worshiped, singing a beautiful song praising God for who he is and how he had seen fit to use her according to his plan. 

When our own stories become full of unexpected, confusing, and even painful experiences, we often begin to question God. From Mary we learn that questioning God isn’t necessarily bad, if our intention is to continue to seek him and truly discover what he has for us. The Christmas season is supposed to be filled with joy and delight, but it doesn’t always turn out like we want it to. In these difficult seasons, we have the choice to sit in our doubt and turn away from God with it, or to take our doubt back to God. In our least fairy tale-like times, we can respond like Mary and ask God to remind us who he is, and that because of the gift of Jesus all eventually shall be made well.

[Brianna DeWitt is a Christmas enthusiast. She believes in Jesus, surrounding yourself with good people, and that desserts are best when they involve chocolate and peanut butter. She writes about faith, growing up, and whatever else pops into her head on her own blog, and tweets (largely about food) at @bwitt722.]

Christmas According to the Gospel of Mark: Repentance

[The Midweek Encounter is a ministry of Encounter Church in Kentwood, MI. These posts are reflections on Sunday's message, which can be heard here each week: http://encounterchurch.org/#/messages-media]

Social media is bursting with quotes, images, and articles all promoting the mantra to “be yourself,” and that doing so will bring you true fulfillment and joy. Just to confirm my preconceived notions, I decided to search “be yourself” on Pinterest, and discovered a number of quotes encouraging Pinners to own their unique identity without regard for others:

“Just be yourself. Let people see the real, imperfect, flawed, quirky, weird, beautiful, magical person that you are.”

“Don’t change so people will like you. Be yourself and the right people will love you.”

“Let go of who you think you need to be and just be who you actually are.”

And my personal favorite…

“Be yourself. People don’t have to like you, and you don’t have to care.”

If we’re being honest, I used to (okay, maybe I still do) love these quotes and use them to affirm certain behaviors in my life. For example, I was just “being myself” when I was overly flirtatious, even while in a committed relationship. I used to tell myself “I’m just a flirty person.” Or, when I struggled with binge drinking and smoking I would say, “I just have an addictive personality.” Or, my husband’s favorite when I come home from Target: “I’m just a shopper; I can’t help it!”

It’s easy to dismiss our mistakes and chalk them up to our personalities; we have an inherent belief that we were simply created to be one way, and that it’s nearly impossible to change. Mark’s hidden Christmas gift, however, shows us that Christ came to help us change, to help us repent, and become who He created us to be.

Mark 1:1-4 says:

The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:

“I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way”—“a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’”

And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

Photo credit: mac9416, Flickr Creative Commons

Mark does not begin his gospel with Christ’s birth; instead, he jumps right to the punch line and shares the good news about Jesus coming to earth: repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Wait, what? I thought that the good news was our salvation, the fact that Jesus loves me no matter what, even when I’m “just being myself.” While all of that is true, Jesus does love us just as we are, the good news about Christmas is that we don’t have to stay just as we are. Christ’s birth invites us into the process of repentance and change through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Mark continues in verses 14-15:

After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

When Jesus was born, the kingdom of God came near; He closed the gap between heaven and earth. Salvation was born, and along with it the opportunity to repent of our sins and believe in the power of change through the Holy Spirit. Through repentance we become more like Christ and are able to advance His kingdom.

As 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 says, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

The power of Mark’s Christmas story is that we can repent and give ourselves up to God, who continually is transforming us to reflect His glory and to become our true selves. That truly is the gift of Christmas.

Let’s end with a quote from C.S. Lewis in his book Mere Christianity, “Until you have given up your self to Him you will not have a real self.”

[Megan Stephenson is a proud new mom to her five-month-old son August and spends her days trying to figure out how to take care of her tiny human. She also works for a private education group in Grand Rapids as an Assistant Registrar. Megan loves spending time with her husband, Ben, trying out new breweries, restaurants, and local attractions. She also self-identifies as a crazy cat lady, despite owning no cats of her own, thanks to her loving and allergic husband.]

P.S.

Ladies—if you are interested in reading more about becoming who God created you to be, I would suggest the book Becoming Myself: Embracing God’s Dream of You by Stasi Eldredge.

When It Seems Like God Lied

[The Midweek Encounter is a ministry of Encounter Church in Kentwood, MI. These posts are reflections on Sunday's message, which can be heard here each week: http://myencounterchurch.org/#/messages-media]

There are many promises throughout the Bible.

The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. (Deuteronomy 31:8)

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11) 

Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)

In our best moments, these verses likely come as a source of deep comfort. When we’re in the middle of difficult times though, having these verses offered as solutions to our problems can be frustrating or even annoying. Does losing a job seem like a plan to prosper us? Do illnesses, failed classes, divorces, cruel bosses, or financial ruin seem like giving us a hope and a future? There are times when God’s promises feel more like lies than truth.

Photo Credit: Chelsea Francis

Isaiah was the prophet who spoke to King Ahaz when his country of Judah was in a messy situation, being attacked by various kingdoms. But instead of listening to Isaiah’s words from God and trusting God to provide, he took matters into his own hands. Ahaz used money set aside apart for God to strike a deal with another nation, even though he had specifically been told not to. His disobedience and lack of trust put in motion the events that would eventually lead to the nation of Judah being exiled. 

It’s easy to scoff at King Ahaz for not believing God would come through, but one of the things that’s difficult for me about the Bible is that all the stories are so close together. We read the story of Isaiah prophesying to King Ahaz about a baby who will set everything right, and we flip a few hundred pages later and read the story of the baby’s arrival. What we miss is all those years in between, when the world seemed to be crumbling and God seemed to be silent. Anyone who originally heard the prophecy, or heard about it from a family member or friend, was long dead by the time the prophecy was fulfilled. Entire generations lived and died in the 700 years between when Isaiah foretold the baby's coming and when the baby was actually born.

But just because the people couldn’t see it doesn’t mean God wasn’t working.

In the Christmas story we find the hope of God’s kept promises, despite what we may be seeing or feeling in our own lives right now. We might feel forsaken, or like God’s plans are actually harming us, or that he’s completely ignoring the desires of our heart despite our delighting in him. There is nothing easy or simple about feeling that way, and we don’t have to pretend like we’re not--God is big enough to handle our frustrations and angst about what’s happening in our lives. At the same time, we can trust his promises. They may not come true in any way we can see today or tomorrow or thirty years from now, but his vision extends far beyond the span of our lives. Henri Nouwen once wrote, “Hope is trusting that something will be fulfilled, but fulfilled according the promises and not just according to our wishes. Hope is always open-ended.” 

The same God who sent his own son as the fulfillment of a 700-year-old promise is working now to fulfill the promises he’s made to us in his word. While not a traditional Christmas song, the words to Elevation Worship’s “Your Promises” are so fitting:

Doesn’t matter what I feelDoesn’t matter what I seeMy hope will always beIn your promises to me

In whatever situations we find ourselves in this Christmas season, may the story of God’s kept promises provide hope we can cling to when we need it most, and eyes to see the ways he is already at work. 

[Brianna DeWitt is a Christmas enthusiast. She believes in Jesus, surrounding yourself with good people, and that desserts are best when they involve chocolate and peanut butter. She writes about faith, growing up, and whatever else pops into her head on her own blog, and tweets (largely about food) at @bwitt722.]

It's Not About You

[The Midweek Encounter is a ministry of Encounter Church in Kentwood, MI. These posts are reflections on Sunday's message, which can be heard here each week: http://myencounterchurch.org/#/messages-media]

As we near the holidays, our minds often turn to giving. We have our list of people and ideas of what kinds of gifts to buy for them, and we also likely think about charitable giving as well. Any organization we’ve given to at any point in our lives seems to come out of the woodwork seeking those year-end donations to help them reach their goal. In addition to financial gifts, we may also spend time serving meals or collecting items for people who don’t have the same resources we do. Too often though, this mindset gets siloed into November and December and largely ignored the rest of the year.

Photo Credit: Karl Fredrickson

It’s easy to make excuses about why we don’t serve. One guy who had some pretty great excuses to not serve is David. In the story we read in 1 Samuel 18:1-11, he had already been anointed the next king over Israel and was a praised war hero who had slain the giant Goliath. Now he was just biding his time until King Saul abdicated or passed away and David could assume the throne. But instead of spending all his time on military missions continuing to build his prowess, or boasting to all the people in the town about how great he was, David spent time playing his lyre for King Saul. As thanks, King Saul, overcome by an evil spirit, tried to pin David to the wall with a spear. Instead of leaving immediately though, David continued to play, giving King Saul the chance to try to kill him a second time (and failing again). David knew something very important about service: It wasn’t about him. Already he had seen God prepare him with the skills he needed to defeat Goliath, and David continued to trust and serve God in his role in Saul’s household as a lyre player.

When we’re firmly rooted in God and seeking to love him well in all we do, service should be a natural outflow of that desire. But it gets complicated in the demands and busyness of everyday life. Work, friends, kids, hobbies, spouses, exercise, school, and so many other good, honorable ways to spend our time and energy can easily feel like they’re taking all of our time and energy. Serving can seem like just one more thing to add to the never-ending list of what we should be doing, which can lead to guilt if we’re not doing it.

As we saw in the story of David though, it wasn’t fun or convenient for him to be serving King Saul. The uncomfortable truth is that God isn’t interested in our comfort. He wants our love, devotion, and yes, sacrifice--and sacrifice will sometimes hurt. If we approach serving by always trying to wedge it into our lives in the spare bits of time here and there, maybe we need to ask ourselves if it’s really service at all, or simply something we’re doing to make ourselves feel better. Our acts of service aren’t just for the people we serve (though they may benefit); service is a thank you note to God for what he’s done.

Fortunately, there are many ways we can serve. We can serve by changing how we go through our everyday lives, adjusting our perspective so we see ways to serve not as burdens but as opportunities to put hands and feet on our thankfulness. But serving might also look like adding things to our everyday lives. Opportunities to serve our neighbors and community abound, and many places are in need of dedicated people willing to serve well, whether it’s at a church or another organization. Our motivations might not always start out perfectly pure, but we can trust that God will use what we’re offering and transform us in the process as well. How would our service change if, as we do it, we thought of each action as adding another word to a thank you note to God? Thanks for the skills we can use to serve others, thanks for the financial resources we can give away, thanks for the people we serve and the people we serve with?

[Brianna DeWitt believes in Jesus, surrounding yourself with good people, and that desserts are best when they involve chocolate and peanut butter. She writes about faith, growing up, and whatever else pops into her head on her own blog, and tweets (largely about food) at @bwitt722.]

Election Day

[The Midweek Encounter is a ministry of Encounter Church in Kentwood, MI. These posts are reflections on Sunday's message, which can be heard here each week: http://myencounterchurch.org/#/messages-media]

Election Day.

It has been difficult, during this election season, to resist the vitriol that assaults us daily in the media, at school, at work, and for some of us, even in our own homes. While we cycle every four years through the snide political comments, fallacious arguments, contentious debates, and those cheesy political ads which always show one candidate in black and white with a sinister voice-over and then the other, vibrantly colored, making impossible promises, this year’s presidential campaign season was more burdensome and more wearying than previous seasons in my (relatively short) memory. A friend of mine posted a meme earlier today that simply stated, “It’s election day, and I’m worried that someone will win.” Elsewhere, another friend posted, “One person wins. Everyone else loses.” This echoes the sentiments I’ve heard from many people.

One unfortunate result of this and most presidential election cycles is that issues of policy become issues of ethics, which is then used to justify attacks on other people’s morality and humanity. Even Christians, aware of their own brokenness, have attacked other believers for their “sinful” views. I’ve heard a lot of jokes about people unfriending family members on facebook, but this is actually happening and if it’s a joke, it’s not a very funny one, is it?

We heard an interesting take on the familiar story of David and Goliath this past Sunday at Encounter. It wasn’t the usual, “mighty Goliath felled by a stone from tiny, adolescent boy-David,” but rather it was a story about the years of training and preparation that allowed David to defeat the giant. There were two crucial forms of preparation that David undertook: the practical, physical training that allowed him to sling a rock, accurately, from any reasonable distance, whether standing still or on the run, and the spiritual training that changed David’s perspective on earthly challenges.

The physical training regimen that David undertook has become more widely known since the publication of Malcolm Gladwell’s (2013) NYT bestseller, David and Goliath. Gladwell takes great pains to explain the defensive training that shepherds would undertake, and indeed, in 1 Samuel 17, David tells the army that as a well-trained shepherd, he has already killed bears and lions. But David’s spiritual training is often ignored in such retellings. Certainly, as a devoted Jewish child, David had spent years outside communing with God, learning to trust God’s provision of safety. When David arrived at the battlefield, he was prepared physically to fell any creature, and prepared spiritually to expect God, the God of the angel armies, to make plain the way forward.

There’s been a lot of talk among Christians about the realm of earthly leaders as distinct from God’s sovereignty over all of creation, and certainly there is some truth to that division. But we also know that God works through people. People like us. In the past, when faced with unsavory political realities, when faced with evil and destructive policies, when faced with impoverishment and murder and injustice at the hands of political oppressors, God’s people have risen to subvert evil, to block evil by overwhelming it with good. Christians have done this  by providing safe passage to the oppressed. By digging wells. By funding small businesses in developing countries. By deploying into foreign lands as missionaries or in the military. By doing the work that Jesus called us to do.

Jesus didn’t tell us to use his name to justify adherence to a single political party. He didn’t give us permission to use his name to advance any kingdom other than God’s. He didn’t tell us to serve the strong, the capable, or the found; but rather, our task is to serve the least, the lost, and the weak. The mission of God rises above the best and the worst political rhetoric, above political division, and certainly God’s mission reigns supreme over our commitments to any earthly politician or political platform.

David faced an opponent who came with force, with intimidation, with insults day and night. Goliath spewed hatred, and divided the people of God. David’s victory over Goliath was not established that day in the valley, when the rock sank into the giant’s forehead and God’s people drove the enemy back to the sea. And no moral victory or defeat will be established tonight when the next president’s name is announced. David’s victory was earned long before he faced Goliath, during the many seasons and years on the mountainside and in the pastures where he talked with God, day and night, while protecting his father’s sheep. While the media will discuss the results of today’s election in terms of victory and defeat, in fact it’s neither. The rhetoric and attitudes of the past several months will continue to plague us, and the slow work of political change will not change the sovereignty of Christ.

God’s command is to love others, seek their justice, and walk humbly as demonstrated by Christ himself. In Psalm 23, when David writes about walking through the darkest valley, maybe he was thinking about facing Goliath, but maybe he was also thinking about other times when he faced the insulters, the dividers, and the intimidators. And rather than deepening division, David unified others under the law of God, which commands us to cultivate honesty, integrity, and service in ourselves and others. Responding to every Goliath in this way, with God’s law on our hearts, is the first step towards political and social restoration.

[Kristin vanEyk loves Encounter Church and hopes that you have found a community at Encounter as well. You can find out more about what Kristin is up to here.]