…and know that I am God.
Psalm 46:10
I had passed right by this home on my walk to lunch in Saint Pauls last month. Had my head down, engaged in listening to others as we made our way to our lunch spot, laughing and carrying on as folks do in anticipation of some table fellowship at midday. After a delicious lunch and holy conversation, I headed out the door and started to make my way back to my car, with a different group of friends, and someone asked me, “Did you see the wisteria on the house just down from the church?”
“I sure didn’t,” I replied, a bit embarrassed that I had missed it on the way to lunch. A couple of blocks more and there it was. I stopped this time and took it in and it was absolutely beautiful, as I pulled out my phone and snapped the above photo. “How did I miss this the first time?” I asked out loud. I loved how the purple lazily draped over the front steps, extending the shade of the porch and creating a boundary along the top, while directing my attention downward to the white azalea bushes. Maybe it was the purple and white, the colors of my high school, which made me smile. Maybe it was the friends who helped me pause for a few moments and absorb this brilliant scene. Maybe it was the reality of missing it the first time and being granted a second chance to not miss it the second time.
In my efforts to write about what I have observed this past month, I kept thinking about what was coming on the calendar, and the anticipation so many of us have with the General Conference beginning in Charlotte on April 23. When you read this, we will be nearing the end of the General Conference, where our very own Gateway District clergy, Rev. Douglas Locklear, shared the opening prayer during the first day. Delegates will be wrapping up their work, and there will be lots of processing and leaning into what’s next as a people called United Methodist.
The verse that guided the General Conference was …and know that I am God, and I trust it was a helpful theme throughout the proceedings, and enabled all of us to hold on to this great truth. In a psalm that opens with God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble, we are given words that speak right to our hearts, given all that we continue to face in our journeys every day. Personal trials and triumphs. Changes in work, changes in our families, changes in the loved ones with us, and those who are no longer here. Wonderings and worries. You can fill in your own blanks, I am sure.
As the psalmist continues, the verses remind us of God’s presence, of God’s steadfastness, of God’s help, of God’s being with us. That’s so assuring to know, Amen? That’s so hopeful in the midst of our storms, right? That’s so vital to our efforts to keep taking the next step in our faith journey. Then the psalmist shares in verse 10, Be still, and know that I am God. [There was some discussion among the planning team for the General Conference about leaving off the first two words, Be still… See this link for more details.] So and know that I am God was the agreed-upon text for the gathering, and I cannot help but wonder, why not use that to carry us back home?
Say it out loud, “…and know that I am God.” Embrace the days to come and know that I am God. Take the time to process the outcomes of the General Conference and know that I am God. Keep experimenting with new ways of reaching new people for Jesus Christ and know that I am God. Take a walk somewhere in your community, keep your head up, and know that I am God. Engage in risk-taking ministries to reach outside and inside our places of influence and know that I am God.
Keep being, keep doing, keep going, and know that I am God.
Blessings, 
David