A rhinoceros is an interesting creature.  It is well known for its impressive horn and massive size.  But did you also know the rhino can charge at 30 or 40 miles per hour, but is very nearsighted and can only see clearly about 15 feet in front of its face?  It is not ironic then that a group of rhinos is called a “crash”.

Crashes have been a topic of discussion around our table the last couple of weeks.  Our youngest daughter has been doing the classroom portion of Driver’s Education, and the parents were also encouraged to come to an evening of classroom training.  While watching a series of video clips, we were instructed to ask our child which parent they would prefer to have teach them how to drive.  Later, when we posed this question to our daughter, she thought it would be best if Dad taught her, reasoning that he was a better driver and had less crashes.

It’s always fuel for a good laugh in our family when someone brings up my driving record.  Let’s just say I had a rough start.  I have totaled more than one vehicle, and speaking from experience, a car crash is not a pleasant event.  One moment you are moving along nicely and the next moment you have violently come to a stop.  Regardless if there is an initial injury, you are going to feel it the next day, and possibly for a long time to come.  The memory of the before, during, and after plays on a continuous loop in your mind.  It will change your life in one way or another.  Personally, I have crashed into a ditch, into a cement pole, and into another vehicle, but nothing has been as life changing as when I crashed into Jesus Christ.

There are many examples in the Bible of God-sized collisions.  I’m sure Abraham felt like he had collided with a brick wall when God asked him to sacrifice his son, Isaac.  Moses had a head on crash in the desert with a burning bush.  David came to a violent stop when his sin with Bathsheba was exposed.  Jonah was wrecked in the belly of a whale.  Mary’s life took a dramatic turn when she encountered an angel with Good News.  Peter was blindsided by a rooster.  The woman at the well had a pile-up with the truth of her past.  And Paul was ruined on the way to Damascus.  The list could go on and on.

It seems odd to think of Jesus in the wrecking business.  After all, “Jesus Saves”, right?  But if you think about it, when we save or salvage something, it’s usually first been wrecked to some degree or another.  The cool thing about Jesus is that we are wrecked by his overwhelming love for us.  He crashes into our  self-centered mess and realigns our life with his.  He takes our brokenness and makes us beautiful.  One of my favorite songs by Toby Mac is “Feel It”.  The chorus repeats these words: “Love came crashin’ in, never gonna be the same again.  Yeah, You came crashing in, You wrecked me, You wrecked me.”

It is my prayer that each one of you would be ruined by Jesus and for Jesus.  I pray that whether it be through a fiery bush, a barnyard animal, an unlikely event, a crash on the highway, or any other means that God uses to get your attention, that you would let your heart be broken open and experience Love like you have never felt before.

Break us, Lord!

Erin Jacobsma

Last weekend I had the opportunity to give my time and attention to caring for two young dogs while their owners were away for the weekend.  These four-legged boys, affectionately known as Bill and Blue, belong to my son and daughter in law.  They have been raised in the same home since they were puppies and seem to enjoy each other’s company, but they are very different.

Bill is a Goldendoodle, a cross between a golden retriever and a poodle, and is usually running around the yard with his tongue hanging out and a smile on his face.  He appears to not have a care in the world and just wants to enjoy the moment.  Blue is a German Wirehaired Pointer.  He is a hunting dog and constantly has his nose to the ground and always seems to have something on his mind.  Both are a bundle of energy and one of my favorite things to do with them is to release some of that intensity with a game of fetch.  They have quickly learned that I will not throw the ball until they are in a sitting position.  When their posture is correct and I fling the ball, they bolt like lightening in the same direction, but as I observed them over and over again, I noticed a distinct difference in their approach.

Blue is a little older and I would say is the more dominant of the two, and he clearly displays that he wants to be the winner, but Bill is completely focused on the ball.  Many times over, Blue would be the first one to get to the area where the ball landed, but Bill would secure the ball because he hadn’t taken his eyes off it.  Even if Bill doesn’t win the toss-up, his eyes are on the ball until it is dropped back at my feet and the process begins all over again.

Apparently, God is trying to tell me something about the idea of being focused.  The topic has come up over and over again in my devotional readings, at the eye doctor, at our staff retreat, and even while observing a couple of hounds.  The focus of my physical eyes got distorted at the ophthalmologist when numbing drops were placed in my eyes and my pupils were dilated.  But my spiritual eyes get out of whack when I give my attention to lesser things.  When I focus on my to-do list, vacation plans, events on the calendar, and worries of my heart, it is easy to get distracted and forget where my focal point should be.  My problems become my focus, rather than my Provider.  Our attention has a way of magnifying things and no matter how much I want to keep my eyes on Jesus, distractions are always right beside me.  The struggle is real.

At a staff retreat earlier this week, part of our schedule was to just be with Jesus… to hang out, to listen, to enjoy being in his presence.  Through God’s presence in his Word, and his presence in Creation, I became aware of some problems with my focus.  I needed to step back and see the bigger picture.  I needed to look at things from a different angle.  I was reminded that he has the whole world in the palm of his hand, including me and all my concerns.

The writer of Hebrews encourages us to throw off everything that hinders and entangles us and to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.  That’s where I want my focus to be.  I want to be fixated on my Savior and Friend, to not only have the desire to play the game and run the race, but to be so utterly captivated by Jesus that everything else is put into perspective.

So how about you?  Do you need to adjust your focus?  Have you been giving your attention to everything but Jesus?  Ask Jesus to help you fix your eyes on Him and everything else will fall into place.  Starve your distractions; feed your Focus.

Erin Jacobsma

A good, juicy steak is a culinary favorite at our house.  T-bone, sirloin, ribeye… it doesn’t matter.  Toss it on the grill, sprinkle with a little seasoning, and let it sizzle to perfection.  Mmmm… my mouth is watering just thinking about it.  We seldom buy steaks from a grocery store, but prefer purchasing a quarter of beef from local farmers and having it processed to our own specifications.  The convenience of having meat in the freezer, knowing where it came from, and saving some money, all add to the pleasure of a delicious meal.  However, this has not always been true.  Several years ago we were enticed to purchase a quarter of beef from an acquaintance that turned out to be anything but pleasant.  We were able to use the other cuts of meat from this animal, but the steaks were nasty; tough and chewy and full of gristle.  When we did try and grill the steaks, half of it would end up in the garbage.

A friend suggested marinating the meat and gave me a recipe to try.  The instructions called for a little of this and a little of that, stir it all together, pour it over the meat and let sit for 4-24 hours.  That’s it.  Let. It. Sit.  I wasn’t expecting this simple process to change my gnarly beef, but the next day the meat on my plate was as tender and flavorful as any I have ever had.  It was transformed from barely edible to amazing all because I let it sit and soak in the goodness I had prepared for it.  Apparently my friend was right!

God also knows a thing or two about marinating.  The goodness he has prepared for us is overwhelming and he tells us over and over again to rest and sit still in His goodness.

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him… Psalm 37:7

Be still, and know that I am God… Psalm 46:10

In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength.  Isaiah 30:15

Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.  Mark 6:31

According to the dictionary, marinate means to soak, souse, immerse, to let sit, for the purpose of tenderizing and flavoring.  Just as I was skeptical about the change that would take place when I marinated my steaks, I have also been doubtful of the benefit of marinating my soul.  It sounds like a good idea but who has the time, right?  Well, I have found that without marinating in God’s word and soaking in his love, I too can get a little tough and gnarly.

This year I have been trying to focus on God’s Presence; learning about it, asking for it, being aware of it.  In a devotional I am reading, author Chris Tiegreen advised that “if we want to have any awareness of God’s closeness, any sense of His Presence, any hint of His voice, we have to clear the clutter out of our minds, sit with Him, and be still.  There’s no other way.”

With so many distractions that draw our attention away from God and a host of things we “should” be doing it’s hard to just sit with him and enjoy his company.  But there really is no other way.  I challenge you to join me in sitting with Jesus.  No demands, no prayer list, no agenda.  Just sit.  And listen.  Instead of trying to chew threw another day, start your morning with a good soaking.  If this is something new for you, start slowly.  Try 10 or 20 minutes, but do it every day.

My prayer for myself and each one of you is that we would marinate in God’s love each and every day and that our hearts would grow tender toward Him and to everyone around us!

Erin Jacobsma

Without any further description or information, most people could identify what each of these symbols represents.  These signs are part of our everyday lives.  Our brains have been programmed to recognize them.  Some symbols provide us with instructions or warnings, while others elicit feelings of loyalty or dependability or maybe the lack of.

Another highly recognized symbol is the model of the cross.  There are many variations with the design, but it’s form is universal.  The cross is an image of brutality, severe torture, and pain, but also of great love and sacrifice.  We tattoo crosses on our body, wear them on chains around our neck, and affix them to the bumpers of our vehicles.  We talk about the power of the cross, the words of the cross, the stations of the cross, and taking up our own cross, but the cross is incomplete on its own.

The cross is a necessary part of the plan, but it is not the end of the story.  Yes, it is through Jesus’ death on the cross that our debt has been paid and we can experience the forgiveness of our sins.  It is through the brutality of the cross that we get a glimpse of the height and depth of our Savior’s love for us, but without Christ’s resurrection, the cross is meaningless.  It is through the resurrection that we are given new life.  Jesus conquered the grave, conquered death, conquered the enemy, conquered the past.  The resurrection changes everything.

I wonder if part of the reason that we don’t experience the abundant life is because we are stuck in the shadow of the cross and have not moved on to live in the glory of the resurrection.  Oh, we sing about it on Easter Sunday and proclaim that He’s Alive and Our God Reigns, but on Easter Monday we retreat to the shadow of our sinful desires, mundane activities, and worldly ways.  We go back to what our heads know instead of what our hearts long for.  A popular song for the season states that “Every morning is Easter morning from now on!  Every day’s Resurrection Day, the past is over and gone!”  What an amazing transformation this world would see if we all lived with the awe, excitement, and new life that we sing about on Easter.

If the cross is a symbol of our forgiveness, then Christ’s resurrection and the empty tomb symbolizes our victory.  But when was the last time you saw someone wearing an empty tomb necklace?  I love the depiction of the cross in our Worship Center.  I don’t know the thought process behind the architect’s design, but when I look at the cross, I also see the empty tomb behind it and the light of new life radiating outward for all to see.

As you celebrate Easter this year, I pray that you think beyond the popular symbols of eggs and bunny rabbits, and will walk today and everyday in the power of the resurrection.  Romans 8:11 “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you.  And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same spirit living within you.  (NLT)

Erin Jacobsma

How we talk says a lot about who we are.  Listening to a persons words can inform us of their nationality, ethnicity, or where they grew up.  Looks can be deceiving, but our verbal articulation is almost impossible to change.  By appearance, Miles Brown looks like your average Rock County native, but when he begins talking, you immediately can tell that he’s not from around here.  His speech gives him away.

There are roughly 6,500 spoken languages in the world today and even more dialects.  Even in the same language, there are variances of terminology, lingo, and slang that give clues to our background or heritage.  When I am far from home, I am always surprised when people ask if I’m from Minnesota.  I was not aware of a Minnesotan accent, but apparently there is one.

The way one speaks also gives us a good idea of the mood they are in or their attitude.  Our chitchat can be confident, timid, sweet, sarcastic, or downright snarky.  Our words express our feelings and beliefs.

As Christians, the world around us should also be able to recognize us by our words.  Sadly, that isn’t always the case.  As I searched the concordance of my Bible to find some good scriptural support for the things I planned on saying to you in this article, the Holy Spirit had a few things to say to me too.  I can testify that the Word of God is sharper than any two edged sword.  Here are a few of the words that the Holy Spirit pierced me with.  Maybe you need to hear them as well.

• Ephesians 4:29 “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”
• Matthew 12:36-37 “But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.  For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”
• Luke 6:45 “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”
• Proverbs 13:3 “Those who guard their lips preserve their lives, but those who speak rashly will come to ruin.”
• James 1:26 “Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.”
• James 3:6-10 “The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body.  It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell… It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.  With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness.  Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing.  My brothers and sisters, this should not be.”
• Psalm 19:14 “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”

Lord, keep your arm around my shoulder, and your hand over my mouth!  Forgive me for the careless and hurtful things I have said.  Cleanse my tongue, so that those who hear my words would recognize You.

Erin Jacobsma

It was 28 years ago that I started my first job at the Luverne Dairy Queen.  Growing up on a dairy farm and having a particular fondness for ice cream, I was certain it would be a good fit.  My boss was a no-nonsense old gal who I grew to love dearly, but her initial demeanor was similar to that of a drill sergeant.  She showed me around the restaurant in her stern, matter-of-fact way defining her rules and expectations as we went.  As a customer came through the doors, we made our way to the front counter where she instructed me to take his order.  When he decided what his taste buds were craving, I picked up a pen and paper to record his choices.  Before the ink made contact with the parchment, my boss’s hand was on top of mine.  She quietly said, “If you can’t remember an order for one person, we are going to have a problem here.”  And she was right!  There was really no reason that I couldn’t remember a list of three items for a few minutes while the particulars of his meal were being assembled.  It became a challenge to see how many orders my coworkers and I could remember without writing them down.

But that was then, and this is now.  The older I get, the more forgetful I seem to become.  A pen and paper or my smartphone have become my lifeline to remembering.  Making a mental note of something is no longer adequate.  Whether it’s aging brain cells or mental laziness I’m not sure, but we all seem to struggle with some degree of forgetfulness and pass it off as a valid excuse.  When my son was in elementary school he would often throw out the rationalization: “I just forgot”.  To which I usually responded, “You didn’t try to remember.”

Maybe forgetfulness has been around since the beginning of time.  When reading the Genesis story about Eve and the serpent in the Garden of Eden I have often wondered why Eve twisted God’s words about his instructions concerning the trees that were forbidden.  Perhaps it was a bit of exaggeration, but maybe she hadn’t paid close enough attention to remember the details in the first place.

Apparently God knew that people would have a hard time with their memory.  He commanded the Israelites to remember the Sabbath, to remember that they were once slaves in Egypt, and to remember the wonders he had done.  In Deuteronomy 8, Moses also warns the Israelites concerning their forgetfulness.  “¹⁰When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.  ¹¹Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws, and his decrees that I am giving you this day.  ¹²Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, ¹³and when your herds and flocks increase and all you have is multiplied, ¹⁴then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”

We ARE a forgetful people.  We forget the gifts, the blessings, the lessons learned.  We forget the grace, the mercy, the love.  We forget the Creator, the Sustainer, the Gift Giver.  Or do we even try to remember?

The words of a song by Natalie Grant recently grabbed my attention.  She sings, “When did I forget that You’ve always been the King of the world?  I try to take life back right out of the hands of the King of the world.”  Is that you?  Have you forgotten who has always been the King of the world?  Has God been asking you to remember?  Do you need a reminder?  I know I have!  May it never be said of us that we have forgotten what the Lord has done for us.

Don’t forget to remember!

Erin Jacobsma

Several weeks ago I offered to help some friends with a painting project at their house.  As I was getting my brushes and rollers and ladder in place and preparing to apply some pigment to those barren walls, the homeowner asked me a question.  “Do you actually enjoy painting or do you just tolerate it?”

I guess I had never really thought about it that way before.  As my mind raced through the many painting projects I have been a part of, I could confidently say yes.  Yes, I do enjoy painting.  I enjoy seeing the transformation from dull and drab to bright and sunny; from gaudy to warm and inviting.  I get a kick out of smothering unwanted stains and blemishes with a fresh coat of primer.  I relish in the tedious task of “cutting in” making crisp edges with my brush and also covering large areas with the liquid blanket in my roller.  I love the smell of a freshly painted room.  I have many fond memories of painting parties with family and friends over the years and I love seeing a job completed.

But for all the things I love about painting, there are other things that I don’t necessarily care for.  I don’t particularly like the sore muscles that seem to appear the day after.  I don’t enjoy cleaning brushes and pans, and I certainly don’t like cleaning rollers (they usually end up in the garbage).  I don’t care for spilled paint or drips that I didn’t catch before they dried.  And I don’t like getting to the bottom of the gallon when I am not quite done!  However, the things that I don’t like are just as much a part of the painting project as the things that I do enjoy.

Paul tells us in Colossians 3:23 to “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than people.” (NLT)  This brings me back to my friend’s question.  Do I enjoy or do I tolerate?  Ultimately, it doesn’t matter.  What’s important is my willingness.  Am I willing to do the necessary tasks that I don’t care for along with the responsibilities that I do enjoy or do I do them half heartedly or maybe even a bit begrudgingly?  Do I give 100% on both the important assignments and the menial duties?

“How you do one thing is how you do everything.”  These words has been tumbling around in my head since October when I heard them at a women’s conference.  I have found them challenging and also convicting.  When I’ve been tempted to say “that’s good enough” I question my commitment and motives.  When I’ve been inclined to cut corners on small things, my conscience has gone into overdrive.

How about you?  Do you perform your responsibilities as if Jesus was signing your paycheck or do you skim along doing only as much as you can get by with?  Do you work with the same gusto when someone else is watching as you do when you are the last person at work?  Are you willing to go above and beyond the responsibilities of your job description, or do you tend to keep score when you pick up someone else’s slack?  My prayer is that we could all say that we willing work for the Lord and give 100% in all that we do.

By the way, there have been several assignments “advertised” in the Archive for the last couple months with little to no interest from anyone to undertake them.  I pray that soon, someone might be willing.

Erin Jacobsma

Thursday afternoon I paused in the sanctuary to pray for little Max Cleveringa during his heart surgery.  I prayed for the physicians and nurses as they performed their critical tasks and for peace and comfort for the family.  I tried to imagine the inner turmoil of his mother and father as they placed their precious son into the hands of the surgeon, being aware of the pain and brutality of what was to come, but knowing full well that this was the best plan and it had to be done.  As I pondered the inconceivable battle of that scenario, my eyes focused on another image of struggle.

The manger.

I have never looked at the manger that way before.  The manger has always been an object associated with a beautiful gift.  An image of “peace on earth” and “joy to the world”, of a “silent night – holy night”.  The manger has decorated every children’s Christmas program as an unlikely but predictable gift box for God’s best present ever.  But with my prayers focused on a parent’s hardship my heart was overwhelmed and I saw the manger in a new light.

Thoughts raced through my mind… “God, how could you?  How could you take your only Son, part of yourself, and place him in the arms of this broken world?  How could you release your Son into this darkness; into this cesspool of humanity.  How could you trust us with your most precious gift when we have proven ourselves untrustworthy since day one?  How could you hand over the Creator to his own creation?  God, it doesn’t make sense.  That’s like handing your baby over to a first-year medical student instead of the best doctor in the country!”

There is nothing logical about the Christmas story.  God’s plan seems irrational, incomprehensible, and unimaginable in our minimal understanding.  And yet He did it.  The most often quoted words of Jesus give us the answer to why.  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)  Not because we deserved it, not because he thought we would take good care of his most precious gift, but because he loves us.  My mind cannot fathom the heart of God as he knew the anguish and brutality that would be part of the future of this babe in a manger, but he gave us his Son regardless, knowing that it was the only way.

My prayer for you this Christmas season is that you would be overwhelmed by God’s love, that you would open your heart and receive the greatest gift ever given—an unthinkable sacrifice made just for you.

Erin Jacobsma

20/20 vision has evaded me since middle school.  My first pair of spectacles graced my face in eighth grade and I have been the beneficiary of optical assistance ever since.  Over the years I have advanced from prescriptions that were mostly for reading, to lenses that corrected astigmatism, to non-glare, high definition, and more recently, progressive lenses.  Some transitions have been smooth and easy, but that has not been the case with my most recent upgrade.  This is my second pair of progressive lenses and they are a challenge to get used to.  It is frustrating to spend a sizeable amount of money on a pair of glasses that I expect will help me see crystal clear only to find that my new lenses seem worse than the old ones.  The eye doctor has assured me this is normal as my eye and brain adjust to the different powers in the lens.  I have also been strictly instructed to NOT switch back to my old glasses as this will only inhibit the process.

We seem to hear a lot about vision – vision for our nation, vision for our churches, vision for our businesses, our organization, our family, our life.  We hire leaders and CEO’s that give us a vision for the future.  We elect a president that sells a vision of change.  The problem is that we hit a few bumps in the road or encounter some resistance and we switch back to our old glasses.  Fear sets in and we revert to doing what we’ve always done.

I have been pondering a phrase that the Ridder Church Renewal Team has heard many times.  “If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting.  Can you live with that?”  This quote gets me thinking not only about vision, but also acting on that vision.  Vision needs to be followed with execution.  Joel Barker has said, “Vision without action is merely a dream.  Action without vision just passes the time.  But vision with action can change the world.”

There are areas in my life where I feel as though my actions have just been passing the time.  I have lacked vision.  I wonder the same for the universal church and American Reformed.  Do we lack vision and just settle for doing what we’ve always done?  Can we live with that?  That’s not to say that things we have done in the past are wrong, but will they carry us into the future?  Are we satisfied with making good church members rather than following Jesus and making disciples?  Has our church become a place for people to stay instead of a launch pad for people to go into the world?  Are the results that we are getting from our discipleship methods, and consumerism worship, and attractional evangelism bringing us in line with God’s vision?

The end goal of the Ridder process is to have faithful and fruitful missional living both personally and congregationaly.  That is a vision I can get behind and work to advance.  It won’t be easy.  Change never is.  There will be detours and pot holes.  Things might get messy and the temptation will be to retreat and put on our old glasses, but can you live with that?

So how’s your vision?  Proverbs 29:18 warns us that “where there is no vision, the people perish”.  May we be a people whose vision is so clear that our fears become irrelevant.

Erin Jacobsma

One of the best things about living in the Garden of Eden had to have been not making the decision about what to wear every morning.  While that thought is a bit sarcastic, it crossed my mind as I was sifting through my closet recently.  I have been purging.  Some things don’t fit; some things I am just tired of wearing.  The problem then is that my options are getting limited and it’s time to shop for some new items.  I know there are women who would jump at the opportunity to peruse the local boutiques or take a trip to the mall, but it stirs up in me a feeling of dread.  It seems like the designers cater to the junior sized models rather than the 40+ year old moms who have gone through a few pregnancies and like to eat cakes and cookies.  As much as I hate trying on clothes, it is a necessary evil to determine if sleeves and pants are long enough or if the necessary bulges are disguised.  This is a major contrast to my husband who can go into a store, find his size in the color and style he likes, and take it home without ever gracing the doors of a dressing room.  I can’t explain to you how annoying that is to someone who usually goes to the dressing room with the maximum number of items allowed only to leave with one item or less that I am somewhat certain looks okay.  There has been more than one occasion where we have had sharp words in the clothing department about whether he needed to try on his selections before checking out.  He insists that he doesn’t need to try them on, and it makes no sense to me.

Trying things on is sort of a test run.  I turn from the left to the right; look in the mirror head on and again from behind; bend over; sit down; turn around… you get the idea.  Before I decide if this piece of clothing is a viable option, I need to consider it in a variety of positions, think about when I would wear it, examine how comfortable I feel, and determine if the need justifies the cost.

“Try it on” is a phrase that was presented to the Ridder Church Renewal Team in February at our first retreat.  Whether we realize it or not, we all make assumptions and judgements about information that we hear almost instantly.  In most conversations, the person talking has 3-9 seconds to engage with the listener before we begin to make decisions about what is being said or think about how we are going to respond.  The presenters at the Ridder Retreat asked us to suspend that process, to be patient.  Instead of making an immediate ruling in our head whether an idea was right or wrong, we were asked to try it on, to listen from a place of “What if”.  “What if what they are saying is true?  What would that mean for me, for my congregation, for my community?”

Jesus also encouraged people to try things on.  In Luke 8, Jesus warns his disciples and the people to “consider carefully how you listen.  Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they think they have will be taken from them.”  Jesus goes on in chapter 12 asking them to “Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them.  Consider how the wild flowers grow.  They do not labor or spin.  Yet not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.”  Jesus knew that much of what he was saying was challenging for the people of his time to listen to and comprehend, so he asked them to try it on.  What if what he was saying was true?

So I extend the invitation to each of you to “try it on”.  Instead of knee-jerk responses to new ideas, instead of reaching a decision within 9 seconds, instead of making judgements based on other people’s opinions, I ask you to consider.  And think about “What If”.  Erin Jacobsma