Beyond a Return to Normal

We have a strange relationship with normal. Bumper stickers have lamented why be normal? Others have quipped, "Normal is only a setting on the dryer." At the same time there is an invitation to claim a sense of what is normal in our lives. Granted, what is normal for one person might be far from normal for another, there is still a pull toward normal.

In these days I get the sense of people craving for things to return to normal. Meaning, the way they were before COVID-19 disrupted all that feels normal. The life when we could come and go as we pleased. When we could visit our favorite restaurant and sit there in conversation for hours. Return to the days with children in school. Return to attending church in person each week. Basically, returning to life as we had come to know it as normal.

The struggle I am having with normal is what I take for granted during times of normal. Many of the things listed above are on the list for sure, however there are some more important items. It is easy to take for granted the opportunity to be in community with other people thinking that opportunity will always be there. I can easily think of some of the hopes and dreams and the way normal helps me delay the chasing of those dreams thinking I will always have another season to chase those dreams. Perhaps a more challenging and provocative question normal helps me evade is the question of purpose, am I fulfilling the purpose for which I have been created? For those reading who are Christ followers, this is the question of calling. Am I truly living my calling or am I just working a job to maintain normalcy in my life?

Normal demands we do not ask profound questions about existence and need for community. It begs questions geared at preservation, protection, and predictability, (Isn't alliteration fun). What if we have entered a situation that is providing an opportunity to go beyond normal? Many reading this are facing what most likely will be weeks of non-normal living. Many will be given the gift of time to consider life. We are being given an opportunity to quite the call of normal in order to listen for the invitation of God. This is beyond some quite time in the morning. This disruption of normal has afforded the opportunity to seek God in a deeper way often seized.

What if this season is the season you and I will claim our what if? I am hoping when the all clear is given and we are free to move about the country, gather in community, work in ways other than a remote desktop, that we will go beyond normal. The prayer for my life, you, the church, and the world, is that we would never be the same again.

In this season of social distancing it might feel like it is hard to talk with someone about this. If you would like to chat send me a message and we can set up a phone call or a zoom video call.

Uncharted Waters

A quick run through the newsreel shows we live in times that most of us have not experienced. That is not to say we are living in times that have never happened before. A long look at history shows there may have been challenges like this at several points along the long arc of history. Yet, for so many of us we have not had the experiences we are currently living through.

So why in the world would this be the time to launch a new venture like a blog? In a time when so many people are pulling back, retreating, or simply holding on, I say it is the perfect time to advance. Uncharted waters call to me. When there is chaos, uncertainty, great challenge, and what feels like pending doom, God is hard at work. Let's not get into the crazy thinking that God is causing COVID-19, or any of the other challenges. That is just plain bad theology and horrible thinking that only serves our own bias. As to why is all this happening in our world today, I can confidently say, I have no idea. Many factors have come together to reveal the state of humanity while at the same time leaving an opportunity to experience God in a fresh way.

No, God did not cause all the struggle in the world to happen, however God will not miss the opportunity to draw the hearts and lives of humanity closer. Growing closer to God can feel like uncharted waters for some. Others it might feel like returning to waters once left behind. Regardless, I am confident the God of all the universe, the God who created everyone and everything, is not sitting at a distance hoping things will work out. God is engaged in the midst of the struggle and strife through ordinary people like you and me, as well as in supernatural ways that defy human explanations.

That brings the answer to the question why a new blog now. In this journey called life it is easy to focus on everything happening and lose connection with God. Whether it is in a relationship, a really good meal, the community of faith called the church, or just the ups and downs of life, God is present in our reality. This blog is offered as a conversation partner in the journey. Posts will be wide ranging from walking with Jesus to an amazing meal, marriage and friendship to times of solitude. From time to time there might even be some guest writers. Use the comments to share topics or questions you would like to see addressed.

Even if there have been times like this in the history of people, we are in uncharted waters from my lifetime. I have a hunch I am not alone. Welcome to the journey, and I hope you will engage in the conversation as we make our ways along the path of life.