Last week, Pastor Ed Kang led a bunch of brothers on a trip to Sierra Lodge. We had a wonderful time of sharing memories, laughter, food and song together. From the campfire - with smores and singing oldies - to the late-night hike star gazing we enjoyed being together and enjoying God's creation.
I think the most memorable time for me was the DT sharing time through Joshua 1. In particular we discussed the topic of courage and really the lack thereof in our culture today. Courage is not readily rewarded and not easily found today because being pragmatic, prudent and disciplined is far more applauded and considered virtuous. In a way, it's also because we don't have orcs to defeat and dragons to slay so we do need to find ways to be courageous in less dramatic ways. Also, being courageous is not being simply accessing some reckless bravado that numbs oneself to his fears. Instead, it's identifying our fears and facing them and still pushing through. For Joshua, he had just lost his great leader and mentor and he must have been feeling insecure and tepid. But God comes to him to assuage his fears and insecurities and keep pressing on into the Promised Land. For me the fears that I face range from losing face, being labelled a loser or experiencing disapproval, or failing in some significant way, etc... As I thought about my fears and this passage I thought how much I want to identify and face my fears. And as I came across this picture from our campfire I thought how much I want to burn my fears up in those flames.
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