Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God. – Corrie Ten Boom
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way, and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea. Psalm 46:1-2.
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Life can turn on a dime, and it frequently does. A sudden emergency, an unexpected detour, the circumstance that we cannot control in any way—I would call them our Humpty Dumpty experiences, and most of us have had a few.
Cancer is one of those disruptive intruders. It turns life upside down and rearranges a family’s priorities and plans with lightning speed. It also clarifies immediately what is important and what is not, and in that respect, I suppose cancer is both a teacher and a friend almost as much as it is a hateful and fearful enemy we hope we never meet.
Every single month I am quite into the stories I tell, but Darlene Gore’s story hit unusually close to home. It has been over ten years since a very compassionate Dr. Phillip Ley called me on a Good Friday (yes, the Good Friday that comes two days before the most meaningful Christian event ever) afternoon to give me the news that my biopsy was positive.
Darlene’s experience with The C Word was my experience times ten. But hers is also the story of a courageous and loving family who faced every uncertain day firm in their total dependence on their God whose plans are always perfect even when they are not the plans we would wish. How they inspire me.
Reformed Theological Seminary (RTS) was founded in Jackson in 1966. As it celebrates its fiftieth birthday this fall, I absolutely loved looking back at its roots. What a story about a handful of courageous and faithful men who lived the motto, “A mind for truth. A heart for God.” Despite humble beginnings, RTS is now the largest reformed evangelical seminary in the world, still as committed to being a bright light in a dark world as it was the day it opened its doors.
One magazine article can’t do it justice. I strongly recommend the new book released in conjunction with the anniversary. A Mind for Truth. A Heart for God: The First Fifty Years of Reformed Theological Seminary, by John Muether, is an inspiring, encouraging, and easy read. (Emphasis on the word “encouraging!”)
Don’t miss “Pastor’s Perspective.” Rob Futral shares thoughts on what it means in this present highly toxic culture to be the salt and light that Jesus spoke about in Matthew 5. As he put it so succinctly, “In a world of deep divides, Jesus calls us to dispel darkness and to preserve what is right.” Those are our marching orders. The metaphors of salt and light have never been more appropriate than right now in 2016.
We have lots more here, and some of it will make you laugh; some of it is going to make you crack a smile; and, hopefully, everything will remind you of the limitless capacity of God who set the moon and stars in space.
He is the same God who numbers the hairs on our heads, who minds the sparrows who fall to the earth. He is the God who is present, who loves beyond our wildest imagination and whose depth of love for each of us is beyond our ability to measure.
Happy October. Read on. We love hearing from you always!
