restless

Lately, a common thread has tied many of my conversations together. Many people my age, myself included, feel restless. We chose to settle here in Grand Rapids, but there seems to be a deep longing within many of us that whispers, "Go. Go out into the world. Experience something different. Go make an impact somewhere larger and new." There is something beautiful about diving into a new place and building a new community in a place that seems to have more diversity (both in terms of people and activities). What I often tend to overlook is how meaningful life can be when you choose to stay put; when you decide to grow deep roots in a place.

Last night, I saw Propaganda, a Christian rapper, perform at Calvin College. That man is preaching the Gospel, and he has the courage to speak the Truth both in his lyrics and in his life. He said many words that buried themselves within my heart, but one message shouted loudly at me. Someone once asked him, "Where is your ministry?" He replied, "Wherever my feet are standing."

"Where is your ministry?"
"Wherever my feet are standing."

WOW. What a great reminder that it's okay to stay put. This is where I am, and I might as well do the best I can in this place at this time. It is important to be faithful, day in and day out, even when it seems mundane. It is important to be intentional and build a strong community with those around us (wherever we are).

Yes, Grand Rapids is small. No, I didn't imagine myself settling down in West Michigan when I graduated from college a few years ago. I have been so blessed by staying put, though. There are some amazing people doing amazing things here in Grand Rapids-- amazing things in art; amazing things in education; amazing things with food; amazing things towards racial reconciliation; and more! All of these things are present in this city. It is up to us to seek them out, to get involved, to build relationships with those already involved, and to continually invest ourselves in these movements day in and day out.  Although Grand Rapids is small, this is indeed a good place to be. Grand Rapids has the potential for big and great things to happen. Although it's difficult at times, it is up to us to stay put and remain faithful in order to make things great.

there's a world out there for us to see

This world is a large and magnificent place. Get out there and explore!

To all of my beloveds, if you ever get the chance, explore the west coast of the United States, particularly the Pacific Northwest coast. My friend Mandy and I recently returned from a tour of the area, and I constantly found myself in awe at the works of our Creator's wonderful hands. We kept saying to one another, "I didn't think I would see anything more beautiful than the last place we were at, but this may be more beautiful!"

Not only did we see the mountains, the shores of the Pacific (for the first time!), the Redwood forests, magnificent waterfalls, and many beautiful sights in between-- we also experienced the grace, the goodness, and the healing hand of God. At one point in our trip, we were out to eat, and when we came back to the car, we found that someone had smashed in the back window and stole our backpacks. It only took a few moments to realize that our cameras, some clothes, and a few other belongings had been taken from us. We all were silent most of that night. We felt sadness for the loss of our belongings and photos, guilt that we should have placed our things in the trunk and saved our friends' car window, and anger that someone could do such a thing.

This event could have easily become our focus and ruined our entire trip.

Thankfully, the Lord intervened and softened our hearts.

Mandy and I sat back and realized, "You know what? This sucks, but this trip is still awesome. We have seen so many beautiful places on this trip so far, and we still have a week of adventures ahead of us. God is still good, and He has shown us this through His beautiful landscapes."

We continued on our trip, down highway 101 through the Redwood National and State Parks; down through the Northern Coast Mountains; down across the Golden Gate Bridge; and into San Francisco. Every turn we made we saw a new sight more magnificent than the last, so we stopped quite frequently, turning a 10.5 hour drive into a 17 hour drive. Rolling into San Francisco at 2:30 am was worth all the stops. We dipped our toes in the Pacific once again, hugged (and drove through!) Redwood trees, and stood in disbelief under trees more than 350 feet tall!

Once in San Francisco, we explored parks with awesome views of the city and the San Francisco Bay, biked around the city and down to the coast, and went on a boat tour out on the Bay that took us under the Golden Gate Bridge and around Alcatraz. We spent one afternoon reading books and eating ice cream from Ghirardelli while sitting on steps leading down into the Bay. The sun came out, and we had a view of the G.G. Bridge and the mountains!


In each place, in addition to exploring cities and the nature within and around them, we were able to spend time with many dear friends. I am grateful to all of our hosts for providing us with places to sleep, food to eat, and for showing us around the places they call home. These people, through their actions, showed us that there is a lot of goodness in this world, even when one bad event can make that seem not so.

As my pastor, Jeff Manion, said the other day, "Evil makes headlines. Goodness does not." Evil can seem so big and bad at times, but it's so important that we continue to focus on the good and the beautiful, even when it seems difficult. This trip, overall, was a great reminder of this.