The Big Ask: we should all be more like Leslie Knope

I was blessed by Caz’s sermon about asking God for big things. I loved hearing the amazing story of how we came together as a church to raise the funds to build our building. In the stories we focused on, Jesus asked big questions. John 5 is the story of the sick man at Bethesda, who spent years next to the healing waters of Bethesda. Caz said the waters may not have actually healed people, but it seems as if the man believed they healed. Some versions of the Bible have verses in brackets beginning in John 5:3 that the sick would be “[^[c]waiting for the moving of the waters; ⁴ for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool and stirred up the water; whoever then first, after the stirring up of the water, stepped in was made well from whatever disease with which he was afflicted.” (NASB). Early manuscripts do not have the portion in the brackets.

            As a poet, I prefer to believe an angel moved the water, and if you ask nicely I’ll show you a poem I wrote called “Bethesda.” However, either way, this man who was not able to get into the water was asked by Jesus if he wanted to get well. His answer focused on why he couldn’t get into the healing waters. Caz said we tend to focus on why our big dreams can’t happen instead of asking God for big things. We get comfortable living within sight of our dream or maybe don’t even have a big dream and are just trying to get by.

            At times I have asked God for bold things. And yet it occurred to me today that I don’t consistently ask God to help my 9 month old sleep through the night. Imagine how much more effective I would be in every area of my life and ministry if I slept through the night. Why am I not asking God every day for this? How do we get so comfortable being in sight of what we really want but assume we cannot have? What if we asked God for things we need but don’t think He’ll do, like take things off of our plate when we are carrying too much?

            Leslie Knope, the lead character of Parks and Recreation is one of my favorite fictional characters. She would dream big. She would boldly ask for land to be donated. Through persistence and ingenuity, she accomplished bigger and bigger dreams. Let’s borrow the tenacity of Leslie as we approach our grand opening and begin this new chapter in our church. Join me in continuing to ask God for big things: an abundance of enthusiastic volunteers, funds and vision for whatever ministry our church is supposed to have, and that the people who are supposed to be here will be here. Let us ask boldly for God to give us big dreams and then help us fulfill those dreams.

Beth Kropf

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All children are our children: Introducing Ryan

        On Sunday Caz continued the series in Deuteronomy and talked about how we are called to pass down our faith through generations.  Deuteronomy 6:20 it says “⁰“When your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What do the testimonies and the statutes and the judgments mean which the Lord our God commanded you?’ (NASB)  When our children ask questions like this, we are to respond by telling stories.

            Earlier in the chapter it talked about how we need to teach our children continuously “when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up” (Deuteronomy 6:7). This is about telling our stories to our kids. Those of you who were not there missed a tender moment when Caz brought his youngest child Auggie up as a visual reminder:

 

All children are God’s children. All children are our own children, and we need to tell them our stories. We need to tell them about how God has saved His people through the ages and how He has worked in our own lives. Caz said that we pass down faith through generations by being persistent (showing up!) and fighting for the hearts of our kids. I am about to witness a powerful example of this in my own family. After visiting from Ohio for Christmas, my brother Ryan decided to move to Austin to be more of a part of my daughters’ lives.  Not only is that a great testament to our parents passing down faith to us,  (I don't know many 25 year olds who have such a godly perspective) Ryan will be part of passing faith down to my daughters. He can tell them how God kept him safe in a car accident that totaled his car. He can tell them how God called him to Austin through a dream, 15 years after I was a called to Austin in a dream.

            Aside from the incredible blessing to my family, Ryan is being an example of passing down faith. God is calling all of us to do this, whether we uproot ourselves or not. We must actively teach our kids about our great God, at church and at home. In the morning and the evening! We are already blessed to be a church overrun with children. What a profound impact our children will be to the world if we take on this calling.

            Beth Kropf

 

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Living in the grand positive

Last Sunday Caz talked about the Ten Commandments. He introduced me to a phrase called the “Grand positive,” which he attributed to the scholar Earl Palmer. So, for the commandment “Do not kill,” it’s not enough to just keep that commandment. (Too bad, right? That’s an easy one for me.) The “grand positive” is to treasure life.  What might that look like? This could include taking care of elderly, disabled, and refugees. This could include feeding the hungry. Caz said the grand positive of “Do not commit adultery” is to treasure relationships and families.

            I like to think of the Ten Commandments as boundaries given from parent to children.  The commandments for my children include things like: “Thou shalt not run into the street,” and “though shalt not be rude.” But I want so much more for my daughters. I want them to develop critical thinking to recognize danger. I want them to develop character where being kind is natural.

            I love that we are doing a series on transitions as we are about to begin worshipping in our new building. It’s a natural time to think about who we want to be as a church. I want us to give generously to those in need while treasuring our own families and maintaining healthy boundaries. Let us be a church that does not give meaning to shadows, which is what idolatry really is. Let us be a church that embraces boundaries given by a loving Father and live in the grand positive.

Beth Kropf

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Remembering our history

Last Sunday Pastor Caz went through Psalms 77, where the writer laments God’s silence in the first half of the poem, and then in a drastic turn, he then chooses to focus on God’s deeds. There’s no explanation for the turn in the poem. There is no indication that God spoke to the writer. The writer just chose to change his focus. We can learn a lot from that approach. I loved how Caz shared some of his family history. We all have times when we feel as if God is silent and not answering our prayers. There is great suffering in the world.

            When we can, in our own lives and in the lives of our families, we need to remember the times God answered us. The times He spoke to keep us from riding a bike into the street. The time He guided us to the right job, or the right college, or the right neighborhood. The times He spoke to someone with addiction and a new path was chosen. The mornings we wake up in a warm house with a healthy family.

            Dark times are real. It is not always easy to have faith that God is listening. Let us remember those bright moments when we knew God heard our cries. Write them in journals, in documents, tell them as bedtime stories to your children or as part of holiday traditions. Post it to social media. Whatever it takes for us to remember the deeds of a God great enough to make water tremble. (Psalm 77:16)

Beth Kropf

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