Heat, Health, and Hearing
A few random strains of thought for you this week. On the top of my list is Heat (and escaping the heat). It has been quite a string of 90 degree days for us Michiganders. Lisa and I are getting ready to head out camping for a couple of weeks and are looking forward for a break from the heat along the lakeshore. I am grateful for the rhythms of rest, including vacations, that are built into the life of humanity, and we are looking forward to our time to disconnect.
Second thought is Health. Some of you know that our daughter Lydia has sort of a complicated health history. Mostly she is fine; a fully functioning, delightful young adult, but underlying this somewhere at the metabolic level things are not 100%. This foundational metabolic code, which most of us rarely think about, can trigger some scary episodes for her. We had another different sort of episode this week as she passed out unexpectedly and was unresponsive for close to 3 hours. We have appreciated your thoughts, prayers and expressions of love as we seek to help her navigate these challenges. As I sit in the hospital with her and think about these things I am struck by how spiritually we can be on an underlying level not 100%. All can look well on the surface, but deep down we experience imbalances that can cause us to crash. Sometimes these are triggered by events on the surface (i.e. loss or conflict), and other times our crashes seem to come out of the blue. Either way, it is a reminder that we all have this spiritual level that, though we do not always think about it, gives shape to our lives.
Finally, a thought about Hearing. As we think about the kind of nutrition that our spiritual metabolism is in need of, we come to the Word of the Lord. Romans 10:14reminds us of the connection that exists between the kind of metabolic, Gospel belief we need and our hearing the Word of God. It is only as we hear, read, and feed on the Word of God that the nutrients we need for life are transferred. I think of this as we come to our passage for this Sunday, 2 Kings 4, and the picture of the remnant community that we see in it. Various people, with various needs, who all ultimately find their answers through the Word. I also think of the importance of hearing the Word in connection with our new ministry partners, Campus Outreach (CO). If you have not heard much about our new partnership with CO, I invite you to take a listen to this podcast. This is a group that is passionate about sharing the good news with folks that have not heard. Much more is to come on CO!
It is great to walk this journey with you. I look forward to seeing you this Sunday, but also looking forward to a couple of weeks away.
Photo by Marcelo Leal on Unsplash