What to do -- When You’re Struggling with Where God Is Leading You

 Jonah 1:1-3 (The Message)

One day long ago, God’s Word came to Jonah, Amittai’s son: “Up on your feet and on your way to the big city of Nineveh! Preach to them. They’re in a bad way and I can’t ignore it any longer.”

But Jonah got up and went the other direction to Tarshish, running away from God. He went down to the port of Joppa and found a ship headed for Tarshish. He paid the fare and went on board, joining those going to Tarshish—as far away from God as he could get.

I hope that you took some time to read the book of Jonah --- it is one of those books that most people are familiar with but have never read really carefully.

It is the fascinating story of a man named Jonah.  We don’t know much about this Jonah. He is mentioned as a prophet of the northern kingdom of Israel in 2 Kings 14

“He reestablished Israel’s border from Lebo-hamath to the Dead Sea. This was in agreement with the word that the Lord, the God of Israel, spoke through his servant the prophet Jonah, Amittai’s son, who was from Gath-hepher.”

Outside of the book of Jonah and the few references to him in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, we know nothing about him, and the gospel stories tell us nothing about the person of Jonah.

We do know a great deal about the setting of this story.

As Nancy read to us in the opening of this book, God commands Jonah to: 

“Get up and go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it, for their evil has come to my attention.”

Nineveh was the capital of Assyria. 

What is interesting is there was deep bitterness in the Jewish community toward the Assyrians. 

While the story might be set around the time of the Assyrian conquest of Israel, it is clearly written after that period and the readers clearly have knowledge of the deportation of the northern tribes that took place in 722 BCE.

How could Jonah --- or any other self-respecting Jew have any love or desire to rescue the people of Nineveh from the wrath of God?

Jonah, no doubt thought that the Ninevites deserved judgement and wrath.

So what does he do?

Jonah flees as fast as he can --- because he wants NOTHING to do with saving those people.

Can you blame him?

Who wants to save the other --- who wants to go out of their way to help those whom you don’t believe deserve or are worthy of help?

If you read the story, you know that Jonah flees by boarding a ship going in the opposite direction toward Tarshish.

While at sea a huge storm arises and the sailors, realizing that it is no ordinary storm, cast lots and discover that Jonah is to blame.

Jonah accepts his responsibility and tells the sailors to throw him overboard and if they do as he tells them the storm will cease.

The sailors refuse to throw Jonah overboard and do all they can to lighten the load and outrun the storm --- but they are unable to do so and are in danger of sinking.

The book of Jonah continues:

Then they prayed to God, “O God! Don’t let us drown because of this man’s life, and don’t blame us for his death. You are God. Do what you think is best.”

They took Jonah and threw him overboard. Immediately the sea was quieted down.

The sailors were impressed, no longer terrified by the sea, but in awe of God. They worshiped God, offered a sacrifice, and made vows.

Then God assigned a huge fish to swallow Jonah. Jonah was in the fish’s belly three days and nights.

While in this “great fish” Jonah returns to God in prayer 

--- praying that God remember him in his affliction and giving God thanks.

In one of the funnier verses in the Bible:

“God spoke to the fish, and it vomited up Jonah on the seashore.”

God spoke to Jonah a second time: “Up on your feet and on your way to the big city of Nineveh! Preach to them. They’re in a bad way and I can’t ignore it any longer.”

This time Jonah started off straight for Nineveh, obeying God’s orders

This is where I am always stuck with wondering how seriously Jonah took his task.

Did he say:

“Just forty days more and Nineveh will be overthrown!”

Or

“Just forty days more and Nineveh will be overthrown!”

Regardless of how he did it --- the people repented.

You would think at this point Jonah would be happy --- he saved hundreds of thousands of people.

But clearly, he was not!

Jonah was furious. He lost his temper. He yelled at God, “God! I knew it—when I was back home, I knew this was going to happen! That’s why I ran off to Tarshish! I knew you were sheer grace and mercy, not easily angered, rich in love, and ready at the drop of a hat to turn your plans of punishment into a program of forgiveness!

“So, God, if you won’t kill them, kill me! I’m better off dead!”

If you have never read the end of the book of Jonah --- please take some time --- it is the ultimate pity party.  

The text reflects a deep human tendency to struggle with how wide God’s grace is. 

God reminds Jonah (and us) that God is love --- and is willing to save even those we perceive of as enemies.

In Jewish tradition --- the entire book of Jonah is read every year on Yom Kippur --- the holiest day of the year in Judaism. 

On this Day of Atonement --- Jewish people are called back to God through repentance.

But I think there is another lesson for us ---

This story reminds us how God is often calling us somewhere, or to do something, and the truth is --- we simply don’t want to. 

This story tries to remind us that there is little use in running away from God. 

And yet we often do.

A couple years ago --- someone asked me why I kept talking about the LGBTQI issue --- couldn’t I just let it go.

The funny thing is --- while some of you think I talk about it too much

Others don’t think I talk about it enough

I have reflected on that question for a long time --- and it was as I was reading Nadia Bolz-Weber’s book Shameless and studying the story of Jonah again that the answer seemed to come into clarity.

A number of years ago a young woman in the youth group at a church I was serving came out as gay.

As you can imagine, it was the source of much concern and consternation.

Especially from the parents.

I tried to be supportive --- both to the parents and to the youth

I don’t think the parents were happy because they wanted me to “fix” her

A couple of years later --- this young woman came to realize that she really identified as a male and wanted to begin the transition from woman to man.

I will be honest with you

While I struggle to understand “gayness” and do my best to accept my brothers and sisters who I am convinced were made this way --- I was totally perplexed.

I --- as far as I knew --- never had encountered a “trans” person before

I didn’t know what to do --- or even what I believed about it

Yet, as the pastor, God was calling on me to respond --- to do something.

And like Jonah --- I ran away --- because I didn’t know what to do.

How has God called you?

What has scared you most when God has called you?

And please don’t tell me that God has never called --- because God has --- maybe you are still running from it.

What do you do --- when you are struggling with where God is leading you?

Whatever it is that YOU are running from --- the reality is --- we cannot run away from God.  

We are always surrounded by the presence of God.

And when we run --- it is like running on a treadmill

We might work hard --- but when it stops --- I am always in the same place.

While I may not have done the best I could have at the time dealing with my young trans parishioner --- I know that I grew through the experience

And when they decided to seek surgery and started a GoFundMe campaign I was able to contribute and encourage some others who were struggling to contribute as well.

I didn’t have all understanding --- but I had new understanding from God.

And as I have had to walk through this season in the life of the denomination it has given me new insight.

Even as Jonah ran away and wanted God to punish the Ninevites --- God provided safety and shelter along the way.

And in the end, God shows Jonah that just as God loves and protects him, 

God loves and protects Nineveh, and all creation.

God seems to have a way of getting us where God wants us to be.

So let’s get off the treadmill and back on the ground, 

the path of life, 

helping people to experience God’s grace and love.

Who is God calling you to reach out to --- even when you don’t want to?

Take some time and LISTEN to God

And ask God to give you the courage to GO where God is sending you.

PRAYER

O God, you are our light and our salvation. Living in your presence, we have nothing to fear. So open our hearts and our lives to your word this day. Make us ready to follow you on whatever path Jesus leads us. Cast aside our fears and doubts, and teach us to trust wholly in you. For we ask this in Jesus’ Name, AMEN

What To Do: When You Have To Listen

 Exodus 3:1-17 (Common English Bible)

Moses was taking care of the flock for his father-in-law Jethro, Midian’s priest. He led his flock out to the edge of the desert, and he came to God’s mountain called Horeb. The Lord’s messenger appeared to him in a flame of fire in the middle of a bush. Moses saw that the bush was in flames, but it didn’t burn up. Then Moses said to himself, Let me check out this amazing sight and find out why the bush isn’t burning up.

When the Lord saw that he was coming to look, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!”

Moses said, “I’m here.”

Then the Lord said, “Don’t come any closer! Take off your sandals, because you are standing on holy ground.” He continued, “I am the God of your father, Abraham’s God, Isaac’s God, and Jacob’s God.” Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God.

Then the Lord said, “I’ve clearly seen my people oppressed in Egypt. I’ve heard their cry of injustice because of their slave masters. I know about their pain. I’ve come down to rescue them from the Egyptians in order to take them out of that land and bring them to a good and broad land, a land that’s full of milk and honey, a place where the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites all live. Now the Israelites’ cries of injustice have reached me. I’ve seen just how much the Egyptians have oppressed them. So get going. I’m sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.”

But Moses said to God, “Who am I to go to Pharaoh and to bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

God said, “I’ll be with you. And this will show you that I’m the one who sent you. After you bring the people out of Egypt, you will come back here and worship God on this mountain.”

But Moses said to God, “If I now come to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ they are going to ask me, ‘What’s this God’s name?’ What am I supposed to say to them?”

God said to Moses, “I Am Who I Am. So say to the Israelites, ‘I Am has sent me to you.’” God continued, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your ancestors, Abraham’s God, Isaac’s God, and Jacob’s God, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever; this is how all generations will remember me.

“Go and get Israel’s elders together and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me. The Lord said, “I’ve been paying close attention to you and to what has been done to you in Egypt. I’ve decided to take you away from the harassment in Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, a land full of milk and honey.”’

For probably the last 20 years or so I have suffered with ringing in my ears.  It is something that I have gotten used to, although it can be challenging because I cannot experience silence --- when I am in a quiet place --- the ringing seems to get even louder.

While the Tinnitus is annoying, it is not nearly as bad as dealing with hearing loss.

Like many people, my age and of my generation, I suffer from the inability to clearly hear a conversation if there is a lot of ambient noise going on.

Restaurants can be very tricky for me.

I have to focus and really pay attention to the person who is speaking.  

It also helps to be able to see their mouth.

I certainly don’t lip read but I believe my subconscious does some for me.

Mask wearing has made that very difficult

And yes, I have had my hearing checked.

I know that I miss out on many details when I am in a noisy space and trying to have a conversation.  So I do my best to avoid those situations.

I was talking with a friend who has experienced profound hearing lost

He said it is actually easier now that he is almost deaf

Before people would get angry or accuse him of being aloof when he couldn’t hear a conversation 

he said they have much more grace now.

But it makes me wonder --- how many conversations with God have I missed because I didn’t create space to really listen.

Whenever I hear the story of Moses call, I am always reminded of the poem from Elizabeth Barrett Browning

“Earth's crammed with heaven,

And every common bush afire with God,

But only he who sees takes off his shoes;

The rest sit round and pluck blackberries.”

How often do I miss out on hearing God?

How often do I miss out because I am too busy, or just not paying attention?

When this story takes place in the book of Exodus, we find Moses running away from an accusation that he is a rapist; he is also accused of murdering an Egyptian.

Pharoah has put a price on him.

Moses has fled to the desert.

He has married a Midianite woman named Zipporah.

He has become a shepherd and has hidden himself in ordinary life.

Moses has no idea that The Pharaoh has died, and it is in this moment that God has come looking for Moses.

When God finds him, he calls to Moses from a bush that is on fire --- but is not consumed.

If you go to St. Catharine’s Monastery in the Sinai Peninsula today, you can see a bush that tradition says is the very one that God spoke to Moses out of.

God desires to get Moses’ attention to listen.

How does God speak to you?

Are you able to hear God?

I shared last week how God has spoken to me through others.

Sometimes I hear the still small voice of God

Other times I just pluck blackberries.

This story, from the book of Exodus, was collected and finally written down, most likely, during the Babylonian exile.

If you remember in 587 BCE, the Babylonian empire entered Jerusalem, destroying the city, killing King Zedekiah and forcefully removing the elites to Babylon.

The story of Moses becomes important during this time because the Israelite people were struggling with many questions:

• Has God forgotten us? 

• Does God still care about us? 

• Will God still talk to us?

It is not surprising that they codified this story found in Exodus at this time, for the exact same situation that was taking place during the time of Moses --- when the Israelites were being held captive in Egypt --- was taking place now.

For the ancient Jewish writers --- the story of Moses answers those questions the people were wrestling with:

• Of course, God will not forget us

• God cares deeply about us and is still with us.

In our story, God does not just tell Moses what to do

Instead, God prepares and gives Moses the tools to go back to Egypt

And even when Moses doubted and asked for a sign --- God gave him one.

I love this story because Moses is full of questions and doubts about God.

He argues that he is not the person for the job

He actually gives a laundry list of why God should choose someone else

Yet God is patient and persistent.

God promises to be with Moses while he carries out the task he has been given. 

And the result?

Moses continues to listen. 

An ongoing conversation with God is developing.

For me, and I imagine many of you --- when God tries speaking to me --- I have to combat all kinds of negative voices that do their best to sabotage the relationship.

Like Moses before us we respond with:

“Who am I to go to Pharaoh and to bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

Why would God want me?

Have you ever said those things, to yourself, when you have been invited to join the choir, serve on a ministry team, teach Sunday School or lead a prayer group or study?

It is almost as if we have to learn how to put on spiritual noise canceling headphones to clear out all the chatter and noise so that we can hear what God is trying to say to us.

Fairly early on during the pandemic I realized --- Its funny even as I say these things, I try to add clutter --- It wasn’t that I realized --- I heard God speak to me and say that I needed to do something to take care of me.

Like many of you --- last year at this time was a difficult and challenging moment.

I needed a space where I could wrestle freely with my doubts and questions --- so for the past year I have shown up every Thursday on Zoom --- and a bunch of you have joined me as.

  

Together we have read provocative or uplifting books and shared together.

Richard Rohr’s Falling Upward

We discussed how to tell our story

The Book of Joy

We just finished Brian McLaren’s book: Faith after Doubt

And starting Thursday we are reading Nadia Bolz Weber’s Shameless

Come join us if you seek a safe space to wrestle with your faith --- we don’t tell each other what to believe --- we share how God is shaping us through whatever is going on in our lives.

I am not sure I would have made it through this past year without that group --- like many of you --- life has collapsed on me this past year.  I have felt isolated and alone.

Wrestling with all the changes in my parents life has been overwhelming

Moving them back from Arizona

Preparing and selling the house there

Moving them into a Senior Living Facility

Trying to sell their condo in Illinois

And now my dad’s declining health

I could not have done it without my fellow journeyers on Thursday.

This last week was particularly challenging

Cogan’s announcement

Speed bumps with the condo sale

Tuesday night I was up all night on the phone with my dad who was going through a rough patch

I was pretty depressed when I joined the zoom call Thursdays

But in that short 30 minutes --- the let me hear the voice of God.

McLaren shared a baccalaureate address that the late Howard Thurman gave in 1980 to Spelman College.  He died the following year.  It is an address that we all need to listen to or read today more than ever.

In it he challenges us to listen for the sound of the genuine in each of us.

There is in every person something that waits and listens for the sound of the genuine in herself. . . . There is in you something that waits and listens for the sound of the genuine in yourself. Nobody like you has ever been born and no one like you will ever be born again—you are the only one. And if you miss the sound of the genuine in you, you will be a cripple all the rest of your life. Because you will never be able to get a scent on who you are.

. . .

There are so many noises going on inside of you, so many echoes of all sorts, so many internalizing of the rumble and the traffic, the confusions, the disorders by which your environment is peopled that I wonder if you can get still enough—not quiet enough—still enough to hear rumbling up from your unique and essential idiom the sound of the genuine in you. I don’t know if you can. But this is your assignment.

And the crux of the address/sermon is rather simple

If I cannot hear the genuine in me --- I cannot hear it in you

He closes the address with these words:

Now if I hear the sound of the genuine in me and if you hear the sound of the genuine in you it is possible for me to go down in [my spirit] and come up in [your spirit]. So that when I look at myself through your eyes having made that pilgrimage, I see in me what you see in me. [Then] the wall that separates and divides will disappear, and we will become one because of the sound of the genuine makes the same music

. . .

There is in every person that which waits, waits, waits and listens for the sound of the genuine in herself. There is that in every person that waits—waits and listens—for the sound of the genuine in other people. And when these two sounds come together, this is the music God heard when [God] said, “Let us make [humanity] in our image.

No better words can explain the gift of the Thursday group to me.

They helped me hear and appreciated the sound of the genuine in me.

The sound of the genuine is of course the voice of God breathing into each of us life, and love and hope.

Without judgement

And we find that by LISTENING

What if we were to start believing together that God still speaks and shapes what we’re

doing? 

What if we were willing to commit as a community to help each other listen to God? 

Without judgement --- helping each other to hear the sound of the genuine?

God is calling us --- God is inviting us --- to be intentional about reaching out to those in the world around us:

removing the distractions, even the ones we create ourselves, 

to help one another hear God’s voice. 

What can you do to help someone listen to God this week?

The first step of course --- is to listen to the sound of the genuine in our own lives.

Benediction --- comes from Rev. Kathi McShane a UM pastor in California

May God bless you, keep you, be gracious to you.

May God give you the grace never to sell yourself --- or God ---short

Grace to risk something big for something good

Grace to remember the world is now too dangerous for anything but the truth,

And too small for anything but love.

So may God take your mind and think through it.

May God take your lips and speak through them.

May God take your hands and do good with them.

May God take you’re your heart and set it on fire.

What To Do When You Don't Know What To Do --- When You Have To Wait

 Luke 24:13-21, 27-32  (CEB)

On that same day, two disciples were traveling to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking to each other about everything that had happened. While they were discussing these things, Jesus himself arrived and joined them on their journey. They were prevented from recognizing him.

He said to them, “What are you talking about as you walk along?” They stopped, their faces downcast.

The one named Cleopas replied, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who is unaware of the things that have taken place there over the last few days?”

He said to them, “What things?”

They said to him, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth. Because of his powerful deeds and words, he was recognized by God and all the people as a prophet. But our chief priests and our leaders handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him. We had hoped he was the one who would redeem Israel. All these things happened three days ago.

Then he interpreted for them the things written about himself in all the scriptures, starting with Moses and going through all the Prophets.

When they came to Emmaus, he acted as if he was going on ahead. But they urged him, saying, “Stay with us. It’s nearly evening, and the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. After he took his seat at the table with them, he took the bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he disappeared from their sight. They said to each other, “Weren’t our hearts on fire when he spoke to us along the road and when he explained the scriptures for us?”

In the fall of 2014, all the questions that I had been wresting to came to a head.

It was the culmination of a conversation that I had at lunch with a dear friend of mine over 20 years ago.

For some reason, I began to share all the things that I no longer put stock into.  Stories that many of us wrestle with --- creation, the Noah story, the virgin birth just to name a few.

And I will never forget --- Kathy --- who is still a great friend said something like: “If you don’t believe this stuff anymore why don’t you just quit.”

Ouch!

I have wrestled not only with parts of the Biblical story --- but with that comment ever since.

And in the fall of 2014 --- I finally decided I should take her advice --- so I took a secular job as the director of development for a non-profit agency.

It was the smartest --- and at the same time stupidest decision I ever made

Smartest because my salary was much higher than I ever earned as clergy

Stupidest because I knew it was not where I belonged

Every day at lunch I would find a quiet spot and I began reading the stories of fellow travelers who wrestled with God --- person who wrestled honestly and openly

Rachel Held Evans

Brian McClaren

John Dominic Crossan

Marcus Borg

Shelby Spong 

And so many others provided inspiration and encouragement as they shared their stories

But it was a chance encounter one lunch with one of the accountants at the agency that was what really opened the door.

He said to me: “What are you doing here?  You don’t belong here, you need to be in the church helping people grow with their questions.”

It was just a short time after that when I was appointed as your pastor.

God works in strange and mysterious ways.

Pastor Matt challenged me in ways that I had not experienced before.

He opened my eyes to Richard Rohr and Nadia Bolz Weber

Which in turn lead me to Pete Enns and Jared Bayas

The pandemic allowed me to offer my Thursday lunch group in which we spend thirty minutes wresting with our faith

Just an FYI and shameless plug --- we will be starting a new book on Thursday May 6th Nadia Bolz Weber’s book Shameless

Last weekend, Nancy and I along with four friends hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

They say it is only 7 ½ miles down the South Kaibab trail.

Almost 6 ½ hours later and closer to 8 ½ miles we arrived at Phantom Ranch

The next morning we began the task of climbing back out of the Canyon.

The joke is, hiking to the bottom is voluntary --- hiking out is mandatory

This time it was closer to 11 miles and 8 hours.

Those of you who have had children you remember the constant refrain from your kids on a road trip “Are we there yet?”

We too often asked that question --- and we learned a new reply

About 20 minutes to go

We don’t like being in limbo

We want answers to our questions --- NOW

But that isn’t how life seems to work.

Sometimes we have to wait

Sometimes we have to wrestle

We have to learn to listen 

and do what the spiritual forebears have tried to teach us

LISTEN or another word contemplate

The chief point of wrestling for me is the question of God’s love

Is it really unconditional?

And are we really to love in that same fashion

For 35 years --- that has been my constant refrain

God’s love has no asterisk

And mine should not either

Unfortunately that is not how we always operate

We tend to box in God’s love and grace

But if you have ever studied the two volumes Luke & Acts it becomes very apparent that one of the central themes is that God’s grace is for EVERYONE

But it is also clear that God desires that grace to work through the community.

Our story this morning takes place right after the resurrection.

Jesus has been murdered by the state for a crime he did not commit

His followers have all gone into hiding --- many of them have fled back home to the Galilee

But two unknown disciples --- are walking about seven or so miles from Jerusalem.

The story says that they are headed toward the village called Emmaus

While they are walking they are wrestling over all that has taken place the last few days

The resurrection of Lazarus

Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem

The overturning of the tables of the sellers and money changers

The last supper

The vigil in the garden and the arrest of Jesus

The trial and execution of Jesus

And then --- the unexplainable --- the resurrection

They are talking about all these things when all of a sudden a stranger appears in their midst.

Can you imagine how frightening that might be?

Shortly after we adopted the statement of inclusion in March of 2019 I was visiting with someone and they asked me a question about the statement.

At that moment I had no idea what their opinion of the statement was

Were they wanting to affirm what we did

Or were they wanting to attack me for promoting it

That is a scary position to be in --- and that is just where these two followers find themselves.  

Is this mysterious stranger a friend or a foe?

Would he betray them to the authorities?

They didn’t know

When the stranger asked them what they were talking about --- they decide to take a change and explain:

“The things about Jesus of Nazareth. Because of his powerful deeds and words, he was recognized by God and all the people as a prophet. But our chief priests and our leaders handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him. We had hoped he was the one who would redeem Israel. All these things happened three days ago.”

You notice that they never mention the resurrection.

The stranger then begins to interpret all that had taken place

As they come to Emmaus, the two disciples are planning on stopping, but the stranger seems to be continuing on

They invite him to come and stay with them because the day was almost over

As they gather together around a table, Luke tells us

“(the stranger) took the bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. (The disciples) eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he disappeared from their sight.”

If that story doesn’t fill you with questions --- I don’t know what will --- because I sure have a lot of questions about it

But what it does seem to teach us it that when we gather at the table --- amazing things can happen.

John Wesley saw this story and realized that when we gather for the Eucharist it can be a time of conversion --- as it was for these two disciples.

When we gather together at the table --- we are given spiritual food for the journey

What I have come to learn and believe is that when we are searching for answers

When we are wrestling with the questions

Jesus not only strengthens us --- but joins us on the journey

Being a Christian doesn’t mean that you have all the answers

--- I have yet to meet a Christian who does have all the answers

What it does mean is that you are willing to be in relationship with God and God’s children

God is calling us to be open to the spirit

To LISTEN

To Keep our EYES OPEN

But maybe most important --- to never stop asking the questions

And to never stifle those who do as questions

Instead we are to join them as they wrestle with God

Over these next several weeks, I invite you to find someone --- a friend, a workmate, someone that you will commit to pray about and intentionally seek to walk alongside them as we journey together toward our own Emmaus

What does one do when they have to wait --- when they don’t have all the answers?

The listen and ask

Give us courage Never to stop wrestling with God as we journey together

Keeping you, Lord, at the center of all