Steering ClearThen we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.
(Ephesians 4:14-15) Thursday, Fifth Week after Pentecost I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings in life may please You. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen Dear friends, I don’t know about you, but I am very tired of listening to news that keeps spinning out the same narratives. It’s like standing in front of a fire hose and getting sprayed with the same annoying blast of water time and time again. “Wear you’re mask. Trump did this. COVID cases are rising. Biden did that. Black Lives Matter. Wear your mask…” and so on. On and on it goes. I find that increasingly there is so much more opinion that passes as news that it is hard to find news that is worth listening to. I like factual pieces, reflective stories, news that listens to all sides and takes time to get the story straight, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Heaven forbid that we actually hear what is going on outside of the United States in this moment of time! Sound clips are the bane of today’s news cycles because they take everything out of context. You can lift one phrase out of an entire speech and make the case that the speech was all about that–which of course, it wasn’t. Yet a sound byte passes for news these days. We are like a ship that has no rudder. Whichever way the wind blows, this is where we go. Like a massive flock of birds that move together with the currents and the whims of a few, this is what we have succumb to. As a pastor, I am concerned that we have loosed our moorings, lost our way, and we don’t know where to turn. Yet we all think we are “in the know.” My counsel? Read God’s Word! It gives clear direction. It shows us the way. It firmly ties us to the One who never changes, never moves, and who never reneges on His promises, but always speaks truth in love for our good–even when the truth hurts. It enables us to steer clear to the harbor that beckons us home. Here’s my summer resolution: For every minute of news that I take in, I want to be in God’s Word for twice as long. Something has to break into the constant stream and help me steer clear of the shallows and rocks that threaten to overturn everything. I want to grow and become mature in the Lord Jesus, and who knows, when Christ is at the wheel steering my ship I am then able to throw a life line to those who are drifting out to sea. I would counsel you to do the same. Speaking truth in love in Christ,
Pastor Langdon Reinke | 
