A while ago, I mentioned here that I'm leading a small group through Crazy Love by Francis Chan.
We're on Chapter 2.
And reading this, I find myself pretty much slapped.
Frankly, you need to get over yourself....God has allowed hard things in your life so you can show the world that your God is great and that knowing Him brings peace and joy, even when life is hard...To be brutally honest, it doesn't really matter what place you find yourself in right now.
In about fifty years (give or take a couple of decades), no one will remember you. Everyone you know will be dead. Certainly no one will care what job you had, what car you drove, what school you attended or what clothes you wore. This can be terrifying or reassuring, or maybe a mix of both. - Francis Chan (emphasis mine)
In the same chapter, he unpacks the utter arrogance of worry and stress for somebody who says they believe in God.
"God found great pleasure to take a lowly thing in the eyes of the world and show truth."
There are so many things in this world that do not make sense. At least from our perspective. But most of the time our perspective is all we've got. It takes some effort to see things from a distance, from a greater height, from a more informed vantage point.
I'm walking through Francis Chan's book Crazy Love with a group of friends. This takes some effort. Chan leads an intellectual and emotional journey of discovery - the vastness of our universe, the incredible detail of creation, the remarkable intricacies of life itself. He connects those immutable facts with the spiritual experience of believers and scripture. In light of the scientific facts, the exploration of a vast universe, the brief glance at a galaxy from a hundred million light years away, a simple human life seems unbelievably insignificant.
(Don't have the book? Check out www.crazylovebook.com. Just that much will blow your mind.)
And here, in a nutshell, is the irony and mystery of the faith of one who follows Jesus. Somehow, we don't matter at all - and yet, we matter.
The God of the universe exists in a time and space that is beyond my understanding. The universe is vast beyond the stars, to quote one of my favorite songwriters.
We don't matter.
But following Jesus compels me to believe that regardless of my appreciation or understanding, there is life and purpose within me.
We matter.
Biblical teaching and preaching does well to reinforce this, to offer proof and evidence. But tonight, my daughter Shannon and I listened to the story of a family that, while heartbreaking, is about the best I could offer to say that faith matters.
Life is unfair. Earthquakes destroy cities and kill thousands. Parents watch adult children die far too young. Pain comes at the hand of a trusted spouse. Cancer robs and steals life. Lungs refuse to function. Blood vessels explode and demolish plans for the future. Children are born with devastating diseases.
Somehow, in the midst of the most unfair, the most devastating, the most heart-breaking situations, there can be hope. Even the most tenuous foothold of faith can dig into the mystery of the divine God of the universe who somehow, in the midst of the vastness of everything, has a connection with us.
It is impossible to understand. It is often difficult to believe.
But it is faith that sustains and makes sense of the most ridiculous, unfair and difficult circumstances life offers.
Perspective is everything. This short film altered mine. Grab a Kleenex, and let it alter yours.
For the past two years, I've hosted a small group in my home on Monday nights. It's been a wonderful opportunity to meet people, to learn together and to do life. I've made some great friends and been deeply impacted by the power of community.
I made a change this year and decided to open up my Monday nights for my family. A new marriage was a great motivator, and so far it's been a good move. But I do miss my small group...
In lieu of Monday nights, I decided to lead a study of Francis Chan's book Crazy Love. I dug into this book during my study break last year and was really blown away by its deliberate focus on GOD. Sounds like a "duh" moment, but Chan takes a different approach than many current cool and trendy Christian books (at least the ones that I've been reading) and offers a perspective on theology, the nature and character of God and our resulting place in the world that is focused and fresh.
We're meeting on Tuesday afternoons at the Powhatan Library. There's room for a few more folks, if you're interested in joining us. Shoot me an email at beth {at} powhatancc {dot} org and let me know. I'd love to have you join us.
(And I don't know about you - it's me, showing my age - but every time I think about this book, I hum a little Poco....)
A while ago, I mentioned here that I'm leading a small group through Crazy Love by Francis Chan.
