When We No Longer Know

Dear First Pres SLO Family,

Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus, in whose life we find peace and grace and purpose.

The world lost a poet this week, a wise and complicated writer who tried to get us to reconnect to creation, to a sense of place, and to each other. He wrote from a well of deep faith that refused to be drawn into the petty squabbles that stained too much of the American church. Wendell Berry wrote lines that made us think and feel important things, and he’ll be missed.

Here’s one of my favorite quotes:

It may be that when we no longer know what to do,

we have come to our real work

and when we no longer know which way to go,

we have begun our real journey.

The mind that is not baffled is not employed.

The impeded stream is the one that sings.

I love that. We all need to be reminded that life isn’t about finding shallow answers and then retiring. The real work of life is learning to wrestle with things, partly because the wrestling is good for us, but also because it helps us show grace to other people. If we’re not baffled, we’re not really trying. The impeded stream is the one that sings.

In other news, I’m recovering very well from my hip replacement surgery a week ago. Thanks for your prayers and messages, and for the lovely wave during Sunday’s service. That day I walked a half mile, and on Monday I walked a little more than a mile. I’m looking forward to getting back to my normal life. I’ll be at church this Sunday. 

Until then, maybe check out some of Wendell Berry’s writings—you might find a new favorite author! I’ll be working on my message for this week—I’ll be coming back to the story of Junia in Romans 16. See you Sunday!

Blessings to you and yours,

Pastor John