Today I had the awesome treat of going to hear Leonard Sweet talk. He was in town speaking at a local university for a pastor’s appreciation lunch. When I heard he was coming I asked to be a pastor for the day so I could go. My work agreed to make me a pastor for the day (though really are we not all pastors to some extent?) But I digress; I drove up to Rocklin with someone I work with, neither one of us knowing exactly what to expect. As soon as I stepped on that campus I felt at home.

When we got in the venue there were not a lot of people in there and we quickly found a seat up front and when I looked over there was Leonard. He came over to where we were and I asked him to sign two of my favorite books by him (yes I am that person) and I talked to him for a little bit and then he continued to mingle with other people.Lensweet_27

Once he started speaking I found myself nodding a lot. I am a nodder, but only a nodder when I agree with someone deep down. At one point I wanted to stand up and go “hell yah” but I figured that would not be the most appropriate.

Leonard was talking about ‘The Perfect Storm’ and how we are now in the perfect Christian storm, that we have three big storms hitting Christianity. While I agreed with many of his points, I think that he was all too eager to totally write off the ‘secular’ world as all Christian haters. I happen to not feel that current in the mainstream. I feel more a discontent for people who say one thing and live another way, be they Buddhist, atheist, Jewish, or Christian. I do believe people now are seeking a way of life that speaks, but also walks, and if it has to crawls…anything but stagnate.

The main five points of his talk, which made me, want to stand up and yell, hell yes, were these:

When you are in a storm these are the things to remember:

1. Lift your anchor and go out in the deep When we are in the deep we do not take the beating of trying to stay safe at shore.

2. Steer into the storm and in the deep. Jesus compels us to move forward. He does not stand behind us and push us; he is in front of us beckoning us.

3.Storms prune. In a storm get rid of all your excess baggage. Storms have a way of pruning what is important in our lives.

4.Lash yourself to Jesus and His word. Hang on for dear life; it is the only way to see through the storms on a straight path.

5.Enjoy the ride of your life

Right now my life is about lifting up my anchor and heading into the deep. It is scary and overwhelming, but I am so compelled to follow Jesus into the storm and abandon myself to his life.

Today I have been reminded of that call and of the love God has put in me and to just go for it. Don’t prune things and then head out. Head out in the storm, hold on to Jesus, and all that crap that I try to get rid of will be thrown overboard in a wild and wondrous grace that consumes me.

ps. Check out my album to the left to see some photos from today.

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