Legendary

I stepped into church as a teenager just as a ‘legendary’ youth leader was stepping out of it. Yes - I got there just in time to hear about the ‘golden years’: epic stories of really interesting people, legendary pranks on retreat weekends and conversations that lasted all the way through the night. It was neat to hear the stories – but ‘neat’ on a relatively low level because what is hearing a story as opposed to actually living it?

It’s often difficult for us to believe that our most important moment is the one we’re standing in. Sometimes right now just feels too ordinary (right now my ‘right now’ feels too ordinary to become a great Sunday message – so it’s a good thing I don’t yield to that thought).

All of this is as true of good times as it is bad because they trade places on a fairly regular basis. In good times, it’s hard for us to believe that things can ever be that good again. But we need to keep leaning into the next moment because our most important moment is the one were standing in. So we can’t be afraid to let go – really let go and take our next step. In not so good times, it can be hard for us to see our way out of it. But we need to keep leaning into the next moment because we can’t ever really know what the next one may be. It’s true. We can’t. We really can’t.

With all of this in mind as I stepped into that church (just as a legendary youth leader was stepping out of it), I decided to do more than just hear great stories. Then I found an ally willing to make that same decision, and together we found a few more willing people, and we decided to boldly live the story we were in – the best kind of story that we could make from the moments we were in… And within a year, were making our own ‘golden years’ in real time.

The best part of your story is always the part that you’re in right now because it’s where you can make the most meaning.

This Sunday, I’d like to build on all of this with a question: what have you been given?

I hope to see you there or connect through the podcast, and I hope you have a great weekend.

Chris