Valley View Church

In 1987, 50 miles north of Tucson, Arizona, the Biosphere 2 was launched, an effort to study an enclosed artificial ecosystem. Every ecosystem needs trees, and trees grow rapidly in this protected environment. Everything seemed to be going great until one day some trees started falling over for no apparent reason. Jonathan Haidt in The Anxious Generation explains, “The designers had not realized that young trees need wind to grow properly. When the wind blows, it bends the tree, which tugs at the roots on the windward side and compresses the wood on the other side. In response, the root system expands to provide a firmer anchor where it is needed, and the compressed wood cells change their structure to become stronger and firmer.” (p.72)

…When I came to Valley View my main prayer was from Isaiah 61:3, that we would become “oaks of righteousness.” The challenge is that a mighty oak tree takes a long time to grow. Strength takes time. Plus it is hard to tell when an oak tree is growing. Look at it any given day and you can’t tell a difference from yesterday. Yet it is growing a little bit every day, and incremental growth is still growth.

…“Our experience has been that we need to do the opposite of that advice. It is better to speak the truth in love to people, rather than altering reality to fit their deception. That is the better way, and it’s a path that has led many to question their sinful lifestyle decisions over time.”

This past week Vacation Bible School was all about friendship, in fact the theme was “Friendship with God.” In John 15:15, Jesus says to his disciples, “I have called you friends.” There is something powerful about a child coming to embrace part of their relationship with God as a friendship.

…Grant acknowledged a divine hand at work directing his life far beyond his ability to do so in his own strength or insight. His acknowledgment, along with our song Sunday, “even when I don’t see it He’s working… He never stops working,” both fit with the storyline of Esther that we’ve seen over the last few weeks. God’s hand has been working all along the way, even when it doesn’t seem He was near, even when His name is not even mentioned, He was still working in Esther’s life to protect her people.

Bridging a gap the width of the Mississippi required ingenuity, it required new methods, it required steps of faith. Sunday I presented a mid-year direction and financial update for the church. I shared some of the ministry highlights from the year, of which the following are a few:

Worship attendance is averaging about 100 more than a year ago. 
Since January there have been 20 new members join the church and 18 baptisms.
Kidzone average attendance has increased by about 20 kids.
VBS is shaping up to be a record year.
Kids’ soccer and basketball had record participation. 
Our Home School ministry is growing and touching families all over the South End.

That story, and the similar story where He walks on water, has many layers of relevance to our lives. One that is hard to stomach is the reality that Jesus took the disciples directly into the storm. He knew there would be a storm, a challenge, a difficulty, and he brought the disciples directly into it. He gave no warning, and He did nothing to divert them from it.

I remember the summer between graduating high school and starting college. It was a time filled with anticipation and excitement, but also with a little fear and trepidation. I was excited for the freedom of setting my own schedule, nobody telling me what to do (or at least I thought… there were still teachers… and bosses… oh, and sometimes my parents), and for the new challenge. But also there was just a hint of wondering if I’d be able to step up to the challenge or not, a healthy fear of wondering how I would fare. Would I lean on self or on Christ? Would my walk strengthen or fade? Would I flourish or flounder?

The moment when it felt the largest … was when we were standing at the base. One son noted, “it’s hard to look up at it.” And it was true. Our natural inclination is to look up and stare at something so impressive, so majestic, a shining display of ingenuity. We naturally look up, and yet it’s also hard to look up. My neck starts to ache. The sun reflects off the stainless steel skin of the arch, forcing me to squint. The brightness of the blue sky also fatigues my eyes. Leaning back to look up and trying to take it all in puts pressure on my lower back in a funny way (I’m sounding older than I am). The size of it all looming over me causes a slight dizzying effect. It’s not long before I have to look back down to take a break from the effort. We naturally want to look up, and yet looking up is hard.

The Bible talks about our hearts like a storage unit. Psalm 119:11 says, “I have stored up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” Like a storage unit, what you put in your heart is what will come out. That’s why our memory verse for the month is Matthew 12:34, “Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.”