Words from the Office
Winter is not my friend. This one, which astrologically ends March 20, has been a doozy. The unfortunate theme I’ve felt throughout is: “There’s no rest for the weary.” For the second year in a row, snowstorms—with offensively subzero temperatures and heavy accumulation—arrived on the very first day of my leave. So, instead of relaxing, I found myself robotically shoveling snow, maneuvering the snowblower, and spreading salt on the driveway and sidewalks all day long. It was anything but restful.
During all that, three of our appliances decided to act up, flashing error codes or just plain refusing to work. Again, no rest. And just when temperatures began atypically rising and life was looking up, I was hit with a nasty cold that left me coughing uncontrollably and battling related symptoms, to the point that I became hoarse. Sinus and chest congestion are the worst! I am just now, hopefully with a few prescription medications from my doctor, on the tail end of it although only time will tell.
I don’t share this so anyone will cry a river for Pastor James at his sincere but unrealized plan to take it easy. Rather, it’s a reminder of God’s goodness together with derailed, deferred, or destroyed plans. Life can be like that. In a rebellious act of avoidance, we can get into a routine of ignoring the obvious, clinging to “toxic positivity” that only disorients, disappoints, and damages ourselves and others. This goes a long way in disconnecting us from God. Or we become so discouraged by hardship that we lose both the ability and the desire to practice gratitude.
My time off did not go as planned—there’s no denying that—and for several reasons it also wasn’t nearly as “off” as I needed it to be. But that is an opportunity to consider what changes I can make next time while keeping things in perspective. Frustrating though it has been, it isn’t the end of the world. That’s all a choice. I must decide to value this way of thinking and living. It’s up to me.
During my break, I did achieve one small victory—watching the 2023 animated film Migration. I’d been meaning to see it for most of last year, but never got around to it. It follows the topsy-turvy journey of a family of mallard ducks who leave the safe predictability of their New England pond and head toward Jamaica, with a chaotic, inadvertent stop in New York City. The daddy duck, Mack, learns the hard way that comfort is destructive when it becomes an idol. It stifles creativity and resilience and diminishes the impact we can have for God.
If we’re honest, the church can be like Mack. We become afraid of our own shadow—tethered to complacency and a narrow status quo instead of cultivating a nimble, attentive response to people’s pressing holistic needs. At Maplewood, we’re trying to embrace the ministry that God is unfolding although it is moving us outside of our comfort zones and stretching our imagination. No one said the life of faith is supposed to be easy.
Restoration Church uses the gym on Sunday mornings, and we have an agreement with Covenant of Peace West Michigan (COPI), formerly Fennville’s Open Door Worship Center, to worship there Sunday afternoons. Cub Scout Pack 3044 and Weight Watchers also use the building at set times. I regularly meet with area ministries and organizations interested in leasing some of our unused rooms. This is exciting! Even as tithes and offerings remain our primary support and biblical responsibility (and we appreciate the additional streams of income), we recognize the need to still grow as a congregation.
Without new members, but especially younger ones, we will remain limited in both what we can do and how long we can do it as a worshiping community. Please be in prayer about how the Holy Spirit is calling you to use your gifts at Maplewood, to serve in the community, and to point others to Christ.
Mack comes to mind again. His fear of the unknown and his initial unwillingness to change or accept help were crippling him—though he didn’t realize it. He believed that maintaining a bubble wrapped, predictable way of being that soothed his anxiety was the right thing to do. I don’t want us to fall into that pattern. Let’s continue talking with one another (being active listeners) and holding each other accountable to walk by faith (2 Corinthians 5:7), guided by wisdom, grace, and truth.
I hope you agree that there is no American history without Black history. As Black History Month concludes, we should not take for granted the many examples of innovation and devotion we have from the Black Church. The Reverend Jesse Jackson recently died at the age of 84. Whether or not you always agreed with his politics, this ordained Baptist minister and stalwart Civil Rights leader devoted his entire professional life to the pursuit of justice, peace, and equality.
In addition to reading Scripture—and allowing it to read us—one resource I’d recommend for helping us avoid the trouble that befell Mack the mallard duck is Justin Giboney’s book, Don’t Let Nobody Turn You Around: How the Black Church’s Public Witness Leads Us Out of the Culture War. If you read it and would like to discuss it, let me know. Lunch is on me. In 1 John 3:18, those who love the Lord are exhorted: “Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” May we honor God by living boldly for Him—which will inevitably require us to endure some measure of discomfort and suffering.
Pastor James
