Found Hope?

I am eager to see many of you in a few days as my family returns to Rwanda. During the next few months at CCR we will study the values of those who create and build. We will seek to become entrepreneurs of faith who lead in the formation of the institutions of community. As is my habit, we'll look to the bible and history to find our best illustrations of how to become entrepreneurs who build institutions that last.

One continual illustration we will embrace is the experience of the Old Testament Jews who lived in exile for 70 years, and then returned to rebuild the city of Jerusalem. They were distinctly changed by their Diaspora. One of their intellectual and emotional wrestling matches involved processing the tragedy of the violent Fall of Jerusalem. Jeremiah, the leading spokesman for God during the Fall of Jerusalem wrote a book called Lamentations as he wept for the fallen nation. (Lamentations is just a psuedo-spiritual word to mean complaint.)

My guess is that many of us live in seasons where our language to God outside of the public face of church is one of complaint and process. It seems that God so much desires for us to talk to him that he actually thrills to hear us cry out to Him seeking answers even when our language sounds like the complaints of little children.

Then the God moment occurs. We remember that God is a God of Hope. He is full of compassion. He grieves with us. He is always faithful. It is good for us to hunger with questions in our youth so that we can be filled with hope in our old age. The Lord will restore our hope (Lamentations 3:21-40).

If you are like these people of old - hungering to find hope and understanding I invite you to join us this Sunday as we begin our journey of spiritual entrepreneurs.

Imana ikurinde,

Dave Jenkins