Trust the River

As most of you know I was at the wild goose festival this past weekend in hot springs North Carolina. It was an amazing weekend. 

I heard a story from Michael Gungor about his journey recently and it really struck a chord. He used the metaphor of hanging onto a branch in a river that was trying to sweep him away. The branch represented his childhood/youth beliefs. The things he was raised on. He was the guy that invited the rest of the youth to his house to sing worship songs. Very much your typical fundamentalist church stuff. Do not question anything. But here he found himself, questioning. And the church (very recently) wasn't to kind.  The river was a new way of thinking. The unknown. But he struggled to let go of the branch. This wrestling took him to a place of deep depression. I know this struggle well. Too well. It wasn't until he let go of the branch that he realized the river was God. And that the river (God) was going to show him a world he never saw before. The river said that if you hold onto the branch you'll never see God in his fullness. A God that is rarely seen inside of a box. Let go. Trust the River. It's fantastic. You learn to love without condition. You learn to recognize people and not just projects. You see hurts and pains instead of making judgements and condemnation.  And yes, I'm taking some artistic liberty in describing the river. So there you have it. And the goose is a Celtic symbol of unpredictability, beauty and grace. And Steve at hammer and nail is fantastic.