+Dietrich Bonhoeffer February 4,1906-April 9, 1945+
www.ushmm.org/museum/exhibit/online/bonhoeffer/
“You can run you can hide
You can die of thirst by the river side
Don't leave me out on the blue river
You can run you can hide
You can live your life by what's denied
But don't leave me waiting on the blue river
Save your strength for the good fight
Save your tears for the sorrow
Spend your love it's alright
Before it's gone gone gone tomorrow”
www.petermayer.com/songs/blue-river
Thanks for your prayer, notes and support for me going unplugged for 24 hours. I must tell you that I must have reached for my Blackberry 100 times and that was just during the first FIVE minutes of going unplugged. Here’s what I found out. People are very understanding and supportive when you state that you are going to do something like this.
Folks really get it! I felt your love throughout the 24 hours. It was hard. At one point I forgot that I was supposed to send an email to someone and so I dictated something to my lovely wife, Sue Ann. She graciously sent it. I must also say that about 18 hour into it, I took a sneak peak at some phone messages from colleagues at work. So, I wasn’t totally “pure” or absolutely unplugged for 24 hours. However, I did feel better. I felt like there was less stress, more focus and a different kind of energy. I felt the Blessing of Being Unplugged.
I’ve been reading the first chapter of Joshua again and again these past few days. Part of it is due to the fact that our church council, worship and music ministry team and vision team are all reading a book called, Borderlands Churches-A Congregation’s Introduction to Missional Living. The author is Gary V. Nelson. I find the book to be one of the best that I’ve read in years. It is inspiring, hopeful, scary and wonderful. His advice is that we need to “crossover” just like Joshua and the children of Israel did. So there is this image of the blue river, the Jordan right in front of us.
Just yesterday, I visited with a man whose wife died a few years ago. Due to medical ailments and life situations he recently moved into a senior living facility. Yesterday was his birthday. I asked him what he wanted me to read and he told me, “Joshua 1.”
After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' assistant, saying, 2My servant Moses is dead. Now proceed to cross the Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the Israelites. 3Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, as I promised to Moses. 4From the wilderness and the Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, to the Great Sea in the west shall be your territory. 5No one shall be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. 6Be strong and courageous; for you shall put this people in possession of the land that I swore to their ancestors to give them. 7Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to act in accordance with all the law that my servant Moses commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, so that you may be successful wherever you go. 8This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth; you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to act in accordance with all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall be successful. 9I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1
He said, “that gives me great comfort, for I know that God is with me wherever I go.”
He has “crossed over” with the help of family, friends, facility staff and church members.
Peter sings,
“You can run you can hide
You can live your life by what's denied
But don't leave me waiting on the blue river”
The words ring true, “Be strong and courageous.” We just gotta “wade in the water.”
That’s the “Direction” we’ve been given. That’s the way we need to go.
Peace,
rtg
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