conflicting values

Because Pastor Fred won't be here on Thursday, Mar 29, to see our Northern Bedford Musical, Footloose, we got an early viewing at the assembly on Wednesday. What a thought provoking story of the clashing of values and cultures. I was humbled to see a minister standing up for values I hold dear, in ways that were divisive and self-defeating. As the story progresses it becomes clear that the minister's fear leads to his attempt to control all the people of his town. He finds it's quite foolish and futile.
In reading about evangelism, Martha Grace Reese writes about how easily fear crops up in our walk with God. When we make a decision to let God use us to share real faith, we're pried loose from old habits, perceptions and moorings - the church (or our lives) "becomes a clipper ship with canvas spread, filled with treasures," bound for adventure, driven by the wind of the Holy Spirit. Then we must know that "safety lies in God, not in our habits. If you feel unsafe, talk with each other and pray." Don't try to re-anchor to old habits.