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Getting Perspective - Notes from Pastor Wes' Trip to Dallas

"Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide thee,
though the eye made blind by sin thy glory may not see,
only thou art holy; there is none beside thee,
perfect in power, in love, and purity."

The Fellowship of Presbyterians - Day 1 - Travel

Something strange happened shortly after our American Airlines 737 took off out of Indianapolis.    The sun came out.  Actually, something else happened.  I, along with a plane full of passengers, finally saw the sun shining brightly - a minor miracle previously denied us by the reality of heavy clouds hanging over Indiana much of the past few days.  Our plane, though, broke through to a higher reality.

It's hard to remember this, but the sun's glory never ceases to exist ... or, at least, it won't for a very, very long time.  But, of course, our perception of the sun is an entirely different matter.  Whole days can go by without some sense of its illuminating warmth, and every night - from our perspective - we are forced to wait its arrival all over again.  Perspective is everything, and ours is limited.

There is a hope within me that the next few days will be a chance to remember this truth about God's sovereignty.  I have an eagerness to realize that beyond my all-too-limited perception, God's glory is continuing to shine over creation.  Coming through a layer of clouds at a sharp ascent symbolized that eagerness.  Ahh.  Here it is.  Full and spacious, and forever real.  And I believe that what I'm about to embark upon can give me this same epiphany about our God and the Church.

So, what am I about to embark upon?

It's called The Fellowship of Presbyterians, an epic name befitting a Tolkien novel.  Don't let the name fool you, though.  It's a very un-epic journey, and a rather run-of-the-mill gathering for 21st Century America.  It will involve hotels, conference space, breakout sessions, speakers, and name badges printed on paper from Dunder & Mifflin (not true).  But, despite it's corporate America feel, this gathering is the church, or - at least - part of the church.  My community for the next three days will be pastors and elders and teachers and servants dedicated to putting our attention back upon the fact that God is still out there, still gloriously in love with this thing we call the world, and still seeking to use culture- and humanity-bound servants to make this all happen.  Sure, the climatic conditions of our world may be different.  There may be much that clouds out this perception.  But the fact does not change.  The glory is there.  It is real.

Something else is real, too.

Authentic Tex-Mex cuisine.

And now that we've landed in Dallas, that is my next destination.

Friends, keep me in your prayers, even as I continue to pray for you.

For the greater glory of God,

Wes

   

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