Hey Centennial,
Comedian Jim Gaffigan tells one of my favorite jokes. He and his wife have five children, and he wrote this joke just after having the fourth. He says,
Do you want to know what it’s like to have four children?
Just imagine you’re drowning.
Then someone hands you a baby.
Gaffigan tells a lot of jokes where his own sense of feeling overwhelmed, inadequate, or clueless is the punchline. Part of the reason he is so funny is that
Most people know what it’s like to feel overwhelmed.
And that is what makes the book of Judges so important in the storyline of scripture.
Judges tells about a time in the life of Israel when the people are overwhelmed. Things don’t go according to plan, they get messy. The people ignore God, the leaders mess up, God’s faithfulness falls too often on deaf ears. I call is a “Messy Middle Moment” in the life of Israel.
When has your life been in a Messy Middle moment, or season?
If you have ever struggled to know how to faithfully follow God when everything around you looks like a mess, be sure to come this Sunday as we read Judges chapter 2. You might be surprised at how helpful the story is for all of us feeling more overwhelmed, inadequate, or clueless than we like to admit.
Grace and Peace,
Karl Helvig
Lead Pastor
CENTENNIAL COVENANT CHURCH
P.S. A huge shout out to the twenty+ families who contributed to our “Close the Gap” giving challenge. It has been a huge success and I’m excited to share more details at worship. That said, if you have thought about giving above and beyond your planned giving to help close the current gap between income and expenses, there is still a need, and every dollar helps!
P.P.S. If you have ever wondered what your donations to the general fund go to, check out the Financial Corner below for stories about the impact you make with every donation to CCC.
