Community at its best

Community at its best

These posts will always be free, however, if you find them meaningful and would like to consider supporting our online outreach, you can donate using this link. [https://account.venmo.com/pay?recipients=WakeForestPresbyterian-Church] https://account.venmo.com/pay?recipients=WakeForestPresbyterian-Church Scripture: Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor:If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Consider: Have you ever tried to set up a camping tent alone? Or perhaps put away an artificial Christmas tree into it’s storage bag on your own? These may be things that are simple and easily accomplished for you as a lone entity, but for me, they are two things that jump to the forefront of my mind when I think about the misery of having to do certain things on my own. This sounds rather trivial to be sure, but what about the large and looming things of life that we don’t want to walk through alone: the death of a loved one, the loss of a beloved job, the diagnosis that takes your breath away. One of the incredible gifts God offers us is the gift of community. It is about the theology of the restart. And restart seldom, if ever, need be done alone. Everyone stumbles or falls at some point in this journey of life. Sometimes exhaustion, disappointment, sin, grief, or any number of other stumbling blocks get in our path and wreak havoc. Sometimes it feels like we are kicked while we are down, and when that fall is done in isolation, it feels like an exclamation point to the already heavy burden. Scriptures like the one above offer some respite in those times however: falling is often the place where grace arrives through another person. “Two are better than one” means God often places people in our lives who help us begin again. They remind us who we are when we forget. They pray when we are too tired to pray. They steady our faith when our footing gives way. The restart becomes possible because someone reaches down and says, “Get up—we’re not done yet.” This is faith lived out in everyday life. Not abstract, not heady or intellectual, but embodied grace in the flesh. A friend who calls at the right moment. A spouse who refuses to give up on you. A mentor who speaks hope after failure. A church community that helps carry the weight when your strength runs out. This passage in Ecclesiastes assumes falling will happen because it does! The wisdom comes not in pretending weakness doesn’t exist but in recognizing the community all around us when it does. God designed community not merely for celebration, but for recovery. Sometimes the miracle is not avoiding the fall—it is having someone there to help you stand again. May we all be helped AND may we all be a helper in this journey. That’s how community grows best. Respond: A simple question to ponder this day … Who might God be calling you to encourage, support, or help “restart” this week? Pray: Lord, give us the humility to accept help when we need it and the courage to reach for the hand You provide. Thank You for the friends, family, mentors, and brothers and sisters in Christ who help us stand again when life knocks us down. Teach us to be that kind of presence for others too. Make us quick to encourage, ready to restore, and faithful to walk beside those who are struggling. Let our words bring hope, our actions bring healing, and our lives reflect the love of Christ. Strengthen our hearts today to keep walking forward together. Amen. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wfpc.substack.com [https://wfpc.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

The Permanancy of Scars

These posts will always be free, however, if you find them meaningful and would like to consider supporting our online outreach, you can donate using this link. [https://account.venmo.com/pay?recipients=WakeForestPresbyterian-Church] https://account.venmo.com/pay?recipients=WakeForestPresbyterian-Church Scripture: The same night he got up and took his two wives, his two maids, and his eleven children and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. He took them and sent them across the stream, and likewise everything that he had. Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, “Let me go, for the day is breaking.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go, unless you bless me.” So he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” Then the man said, “You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans and have prevailed.” Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, yet my life is preserved.” The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip. Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the thigh muscle that is on the hip socket, because he struck Jacob on the hip socket at the thigh muscle. Consider: A couple of weeks ago at Little League Baseball, the 8 year old Shortstop on the other team got hit in the head with a baseball. He misjudged both the speed and trajectory of the ball and it went over the top of his glove and landed with a fairly loud thud on his forehead. Somehow, the ball miraculously bounced off the kid’s head right into the 3rd baseman’s glove for an out, who then threw it to first base to catch the runner who had not tagged up. The Shortstop’s head got a double play. And a concussion. Most of the team shook it off and kept playing, using the unique power of the young male brain to forget those things can happen to them too. But not Henry. He’s been afraid the entire season. We’ve been slowly coaxing him out of that fear by promising the ball wouldn’t hurt him as long as his glove was between his body and the ball. He’s gotten bolder and stronger throughout the season, braver. He’d started making better plays and not running away from it when it passed. Right before Forehead gate he actually got his first hit all season. By the time of the next game he’d lost every ounce of bravery. Every time the ball came towards him he turned away, forgetting the safety of the glove. One time he literally ran away from a ground ball which died on the ground 5 steps behind him. The fear of the ball was back as he’d had time to contemplate and remember. Our culture has an unspoken expectation we are just supposed to “get over it”. We tell kids to get up and brush it off, they are fine. Or we’ll tell them their fear of the dark is silly with off-hand comments like “there is nothing there in the dark that wasn’t there during the day.” I’m rubber your glue dismisses the lasting pain of words bullies in both the adult and children varieties hurl our way. We are supposed to forget, move past it, let it go. And sometimes it is right to get up and get going, but often times it ignores the permanency of some of our scars. There is no way to predict which comments will revolve in our heads for years to come, or which difficult circumstances seem to overwhelm our courage, or why some events leave lasting memories in our hearts. But some do. There is no moving past those kinds of scars, we only learn to live with them like a unwelcome friend we have to invite because we’ve known them so long. When pain changes your view of yourself and the world, it’s a holy act to recognize the change and make space for it in the inventory of your memories. Pretending it doesn’t exist only gives it permission to pop-up in unexpected times and places. Placing it on the shelf where it belongs allows us to revisit it when necessary, but to move it out of the way when we no longer need it. Respond: A highly effective technique when those scars rear their ugly head is called The 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Method. It uses your five senses to pull your brain out of the fight-or-flight loop and anchor you back into the present moment. Let’s practice. * Acknowledge 5 things you can SEE: Look around you and name five objects out loud or in your head. Try to pick things you wouldn’t normally notice—like a scratch on the floor, a reflection on a window, or a specific book on a shelf. * Acknowledge 4 things you can TOUCH: Notice the physical sensations of four things around you. It could be the texture of your shirt, the hard surface of the chair supporting you, the cold smooth surface of a desk, or the feeling of your feet flat against the ground. Spend a moment feeling each one. * Acknowledge 3 things you can HEAR: Listen closely to your environment. Name three distinct sounds. It might be the hum of a refrigerator, traffic outside, birds chirping, or even the sound of your own steady breathing.’ * Acknowledge 2 things you can SMELL: Identify two smells. If you can’t smell anything immediately, look for things that have a scent—like the smell of your coffee, soap on your hands, a candle, or even the scent of the air in the room. * Acknowledge 1 thing you can TASTE: Focus on one thing you can taste right now. It might be the lingering taste of toothpaste, a mint, or just the inside of your mouth. If you can’t taste anything, simply swallow and notice that sensation. Pray: God, when life takes me through valleys I do not understand, help me trust that You are still working. Teach me to surrender the illusion of control and depend fully on You. Help me trust that even painful detours will be used to shape my character and deepen my faith. Amen. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wfpc.substack.com [https://wfpc.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Finding a New Rhythm

These posts will always be free, however, if you find them meaningful and would like to consider supporting our online outreach, you can donate using this link. [https://account.venmo.com/pay?recipients=WakeForestPresbyterian-Church] https://account.venmo.com/pay?recipients=WakeForestPresbyterian-Church Scripture: After we had reached safety, we then learned that the island was called Malta. The local people showed us unusual kindness. Since it had begun to rain and was cold, they kindled a fire and welcomed all of us around it. Paul had gathered a bundle of brushwood and was putting it on the fire when a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. When the local people saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “This man must be a murderer; though he has escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.” He, however, shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. They were expecting him to swell up or drop dead, but after they had waited a long time and saw that nothing unusual had happened to him, they changed their minds and began to say that he was a god. Now in the vicinity of that place were lands belonging to the leading man of the island, named Publius, who received us and entertained us hospitably for three days. It so happened that the father of Publius lay sick in bed with fever and dysentery. Paul visited him and cured him by praying and putting his hands on him. After this happened, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases also came and were cured. They bestowed many honors on us, and when we were about to sail, they put on board all the provisions we needed. Consider: We have all experienced the sudden, jarring halt of a spiritual or emotional roadblock. In our achievement-driven culture, our natural instinct when facing an obstacle is to rev our engines, press harder on the gas, and try to burst through by sheer force of will. We treat our lives like a cross-country race powered by an endless supply of human adrenaline. But a roadblock often signifies something much deeper than a temporary delay; it is a clear diagnostic that the “old way” of traveling wasn’t sustainable. Operating on the fumes of our own strength inevitably leads to a crash. We burn through our emotional reserves, neglect our souls, and mistake frantic movement for spiritual progress. When the collapse finally comes, it leaves us stranded. This reality speaks directly to those who have “stumbled and fallen”—those who find themselves sitting in the dust of broken plans, burnout, or moral exhaustion. The roadblock is painful, yes, but it is also a mercy. It forces us to admit a truth we try desperately to ignore: our independent pacing was designed to fail. Setting out again from the place of failure requires an entirely new pace. We cannot simply dust ourselves off and resume the same frantic sprint that broke us in the first place. Instead, we must transition to a journey fueled entirely by God’s strength rather than our own fading adrenaline. This is not a call to passivity, but a radical recalibration of our energy source. It requires us to trade our fragile, human grit for the inexhaustible power of the Creator. This profound shift is beautifully captured in the promise of moving from “running and being weary” to “soaring on wings like eagles.” The secret to this transformation lies in a seemingly contradictory action: waiting on the Lord. In the original biblical context, to “wait” does not mean sitting idly in a waiting room. It implies a hopeful, active, and expectant twisting together—like strands of a rope weaving into one unbreakable cord. When we wait on God, our weakness is woven directly into God’s perserverance. Consider the mechanics of an eagle’s flight. An eagle does not achieve great heights by frantically flapping its wings the way a smaller bird does; that would exhaust its resources within minutes. Instead, the eagle waits. It sits on a high rock, scanning the horizon, watching for the arrival of thermal updrafts—invisible columns of warm, rising air. When the updraft arrives, the eagle simply spreads its wings and steps into it. It is the power of the wind that lifts the bird; the eagle’s job is simply to align itself with that power. This is the new pace of the sustainable journey. When we learn to wait on the Lord, we stop frantically flapping in our own strength and learn to catch the wind of the Holy Spirit. We exchange the wearying sprint of self-reliance for the effortless elevation of divine grace. The road ahead may still be long, but we are no longer traveling it alone, or on our own terms. Respond: Take a few moments to check in with yourself today. What is the predominant emotion which rises to the top? Are you feeling stressed or refreshed? Are you running on adrenaline or fatigue? Consider what life would look like if you took the opportunity to either slow down or ramp up your pace? What would have to change? Pray: God, when life takes me through valleys I do not understand, help me trust that You are still working. Teach me to surrender the illusion of control and depend fully on You. Help me trust that even painful detours will be used to shape my character and deepen my faith. Amen. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wfpc.substack.com [https://wfpc.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Shake it off (like Taylor Swift said to)

These posts will always be free, however, if you find them meaningful and would like to consider supporting our online outreach, you can donate using this link. [https://account.venmo.com/pay?recipients=WakeForestPresbyterian-Church] https://account.venmo.com/pay?recipients=WakeForestPresbyterian-Church Scripture: Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, “This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live.” But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. Consider: Imagine you’re Paul in this story…you’ve just survived a shipwreck, among so many other things. You’re probably soaking wet, cold, and all you want to do is light a fire. And as you do…you get bitten by a snake. That’s it, I’m done. It feels unfair and very much like insult to injury to me. At this point I think, if I were Paul, God would be on my “naughty” list. I would have very little to no trust in the idea that God was with me through it all. Wasn’t surviving the storm proof that he had endured enough trouble for one season? Yet immediately after one crisis ends, another pain appears. That is often how these “halts” in life feel. We already feel like we are carrying the baggage of all past injuries, all the failures, the faults and the mistakes of life that seem to be so much more memorable than any miracle or joy… and here comes one more. We survive the failure, the heartbreak, the closed door, the ministry setback, the financial collapse, the betrayal, the burnout—and then we carry the aftermath with us. Even after the storm is over, there’s a snakebite out there waiting for us. Sometimes the greatest obstacle is not the original storm but the emotional and spiritual baggage left behind by it. We replay mistakes, relive embarrassment, and carry invisible weight into every new step forward. But God never intended for us to carry that snake with us just because it bit us. What if the very presence of God in your life is where you are meant to throw the shame, disappointment, and exhaustion you’ve been gripping? There’s no chance of moving graciously into tomorrow when today’s baggage is still on our backs. So, today we look at a few things we need to do (perhaps while singing a little Taylor Swift in the process): shake off the shame of a failed attempt, shake off the bitterness of a delay in plans, shake off the fear of another disappointment. God’s call on your life is not defeated by a storm, a setback, or even the painful season that followed it. There comes a moment when faith looks less like understanding everything and more like refusing to stop walking forward. Respond: What aftermath from a past failure, mistake, disappointment or injury are you still carrying? What baggage have you allowed to stay “checked” in your brain for entirely too long? Visualize throwing that failure, that shame, that guilt or grief into a fire…and warm yourself today with the new freedom of mind and spirit you have with that freed up headspace. Pray: God, You know the storms I’ve survived and the wounds I still carry from them. Help me release the shame, frustration, and fear that keep me stuck in the aftermath. Teach me to shake off what tries to stop my calling. Renew my courage to move forward again, trusting that Your purpose for my life is greater than any setback. Amen. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wfpc.substack.com [https://wfpc.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

The Divine Detour

Scripture: And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” Consider: I will be the first to admit that when I’m on the road, I want NOTHING standing in my way of my destination (especially if I’m driving…if I’m riding, I can nap and all is right with the world). Bathroom breaks are very strategically timed, people driving slow in the left lane are clearly out to get me, etc. It’s serious business on the road to somewhere for me. And so, you can imagine the words I utter when I see the “detour” sign in the distance. It is not met with curiosity or even begrudging acceptance…it is met with full blown anger. So when I read these verses of scripture where God speaks to both the Magi and the holy family, insisting on a detour, or outright change of plans in the midst of presumed chaos already in place, I find myself being a bit embarrassed and rather humbled about my road rage over a slight imposition to my schedule. You see, the literal life of our savior hung in the decision making of the Magi and his parents. They could heed the warning and take a different route, or they could get frustrated with the detour and plug ahead on the planned route. Thank goodness I wasn’t the one making this decision. When we become so clearly focused on “the plan” or “the route” we believe is the best one for us, so very often we miss the blessing, or even salvation, of the detour. That thing which God places before us to slow us down, to have us take a different route, is inevitably the better way, even if it might take more time, or feel like the more difficult path to tread. All too often we don’t slow down long enough to even notice that God is offering an alternate route, but when we do, it always leads us somewhere fruitful. So the next time you get a nudge, or “detour sign”, don’t ignore it, don’t throw up your hands in frustration, don’t be like me and cuss at it and then continue on your way…take note, change course, and see where God is leading you. It just might change your life, or someone else’s… Respond: Take notice today of your set plans or routes…are they well worn and so familiar that you cannot see the alternate route God is asking you to take? Are there possible places you have avoided the detour because it feels scary? Like you may have to change an opinion, or reach out in ways that you haven’t before? Are there dangers in the well worn path for you or others that God is inviting you to notice and move away from? Dangers of old patterns that keep others down, or even old ideas that lead to the chipping away of God’s kingdom building? Pray: God, we know that through You all things work for good…detours are not something we enjoy in our overscheduled, too busy lives. Help us see the saving grace in the change of plan, the alternate route you set before us. Amen. These posts will always be free, however, if you find them meaningful and would like to consider supporting our online outreach, you can donate using this link. [https://account.venmo.com/pay?recipients=WakeForestPresbyterian-Church] https://account.venmo.com/pay?recipients=WakeForestPresbyterian-Church This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wfpc.substack.com [https://wfpc.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]