Monday Soup :: Suffer Well

Suffering was the subject of Chip Uhrmacher's first ever message delivered on stage at Prairie Lakes this past weekend.  (Sidenote: he did an absolutely fantastic job!)  The big idea?  That God is for us, that He is on our side, and that with Him we can suffer well.

To end the music set, we created a moment that began with spiritual direction in which we walked our people through a few things.  First -yes!-God is for us, and in the end, nothing can stand against us.  But, in the "in between time," between now and when things will all be set right, we live as broken people in a broken world.  Suffering is a part of this life here.  Nevertheless, God is present with us in our suffering, and we can keep in step with Him even in our suffering, so that our suffering is not in vain.  God can use it to bring about some deep, abiding transformation in our hearts, and in the lives of others.

We closed that particular moment with a special, Hillsong United's "Desert Song." Take a listen below:



Chip closed his message down with an incredibly powerful story from his own life in which he experienced some intense suffering firsthand.  His sister, at age 20, was murdered by her ex-fiance in his anger at their breakup.  In an incredibly authentic and transparent fashion, Chip explained how God walked with him through his pain, anger, and questioning.  Today, 8 years later, God has used this story, gruesome as it is, to give people through Chip permission to invite God into their suffering, and to draw them to Him. 

After Chip gave people some direction and space to do some reflection on their own suffering, we closed down with the old hymn, "It Is Well With My Soul." Chip told the story of the hymn's origination, and we sang it acoustically.  What a powerful and edifying way to end the service.

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On a completely different note:

Some of us attended a going away party for Joe Whalen, husband to Alicia Whalen, who serves on staff in GroupLife and who sang for us before her and her husband had their first child, Claire.  Joe is headed overseas for military service.  I know they would really appreciate your prayers.  Thank you, Joe, and all of our servicemen and women.

On another completely different note:

Dan has updated some of the technical teams for our Cedar Falls campus.  Below is the most current update:


Cedar Falls Tech Team Updated

On still yet another completely different note:

I came across this song while listening to one of my last.fm stations.  It's captured something that God is doing in my heart.  Maybe it will speak to you.