Winds of Change

I remember some years ago reading Navigating the Winds of Change by Lynn Anderson. I came away with one overriding impression... that change is neither good nor bad, but is inevitable. Change in all areas of life... including church... that we just have to, well, navigate... but this isn't a post about change at church or "worship wars" or any of the other issues on which we too often burn up our energy.

While many of us were talking about how to do church, countless thousands of people on the gulf coast had their lives drastically changed by the winds and rain of Katrina. While we were worrying about women's roles or what songs we're singing or if some ministry is meeting our needs, many of those folks along the gulf have had their lives literally blown away.

We could no more stop the effects of Katrina than we can stop aging or other changes that blow through our lives. We may not even be able to individually do much to help in the aftermath of that terrible storm. But, we can choose to change how we think about others... we can choose not to insist on our rights... we can choose to join Jesus in considering others before ourselves... we can choose to join Him in caring for those less fortunate... and those winds of change feel refreshing and full of life.