My soul finds rest in God alone, the rock of my salvation.

Psalm 62:1

If you travel to northern Ireland, County Antrim, you will come to Giants Causeway, a geological formation that is a wonder to behold.  On the edge of the sea hexagon shaped rocks protrude through the ocean’s floor to reveal a marvelous sight.  In May while on sabbatical, Lynn and I were able to see this 60 million year old formation.   Sixty million years old!   In fact, in traveling around Ireland one is surrounded by a sense that God has been at work in the world for a very, very long time.   There are a variety of holy sites in the country that undergird this sense of holiness.  It has the effect on one’s spirit that all does not rest on one’s shoulders.  That, in fact, God has been has work in the world long before I was and will be long after I am gone. 

Edwin Friedman, in his brief book, Failure of Nerve, writes that: In 1493, The Nuremberg Chronicle was published for the first time.  It describes Europe as “depressed.”  On the one hand, it was a publishing feat that surpassed anything that had ever been available.   On the other hand, it described a civilization with little vision or hope.   There were depictions of the great cathedrals in Europe and the Holy places in the Mideast.   However, at the end of the book, there were blank pages left for those owning the book to fill in the events that took place prior to the world coming to an end!   Then, for the next 50 years, the Renaissance sprang forth. There was more radical change in every human endeavor than had ever happened before.

We are living in a similar season in the church.   Many are depressed. Some are afraid. There is anxiety in our system.   We are longing for a sense of God ‘s direction.   We need to hear the refrain, “my soul finds trust in God alone, the rock of my salvation.”   Our strength for the future lies not in the denomination, but in God alone.   I believe God is calling us into a new future rooted in scripture and centered in Christ.

Be watching and listening for the ways God is calling you and the ways God is leading.

Giants Causeway County Antrim, Ireland