Dear Caldwell,
If you read the title of this blog, you may have me to blame for an R.E.O. Speedwagon earworm (if you’re old enough). Sorry.
Call me biased, but the 1970s band’s lyrics about being on a mountain with a bottle of wine and a girl in a snowstorm aren’t quite as enlightening or encouraging as the story about a storm in Luke 8:22-25 (click here to read).
Many of us will retreat to Montreat this weekend to be guided and challenged by that short but powerful story about Jesus calming a storm. We’ll be invited to name the storms, past or present, in our lives and reflect on Jesus’ piercing question to the apostles in the boat with him, “Where is your faith?” We’ll also be led by a richly blessed team of workshop leaders offering sessions on everything from care-giving to raising teenagers to coping with fatigue in our busy lives.
I know we may hear Jesus words, “Where is your faith?”, as a sharp rebuke. Instead, I invite us all to hear that question as an invitation to ask, “How is my faith doing?” Think of it as an annual check-up on your faith and how you draw on it, whether you are in, or in-between, the inevitable storms of our lives.
If you’re not headed to Montreat, you’re in for a rich worship experience on Sunday as Abong Fankam leads worship along with her friends from Cameroon. Abong is a gifted preacher and her friends will sing, all as ways for us Caldwellians to offer hospitality to a larger group of Cameroonian-Americans living in Charlotte. She will address the strife facing her native country and call us all into prayer. If you’re interested, she will offer a primer on what’s happening in Cameroon in the Shelby Room at 9:45 a.m. Sunday.
So, whether you are here or in the mountains, this weekend is a chance to face the storm and find that Jesus is indeed in the boat with us.
One final note: We are still facing a gap of about $45,000 to fully fund our aspirations and plans for ministry in 202o. A BIG THANK YOU to those who have gotten us way down the road with their pledges. We still need to hear from some of you, however, and hope we will.
You can pledge with a few clicks here. EVERY pledge counts
Remember, take time to check in with God and ask “Where is my faith?” And know that our Lord welcomes the question.
In Christ,
John