June 2022

Drip………

Drip drip….

Drip drip drip..

DRIP DRIP DRIP DRIPPPPPPPPPPP…..

For the last few weeks, I have been in St. Louis, Missouri, doing little restoration projects as I spend time with family and enjoy the Spring weather and mosquitoes. One such project was to replace the cartridge in a leaky shower. I don’t know if you have ever done this, but it isn’t always easy. Sometimes the cartridge has sediment and corrosion build-up making it stuck and, of course, this was the issue with my faucet. I pulled, I pushed, I wriggled, I tried, and tried again. Admitting partial defeat, I called in reinforcements – my sister. She pulled, pushed, wriggled, and adjusted over and over. We sprayed WD-40, watched YouTube videos, and reviewed tips from online pros. We took turns pulling and encouraging each other. Finally, at the end of an exhausting afternoon, we gave up. Time to call the plumber and pay the big bucks. The plumber had some difficulty, too, but got the job done. He also taught me how to wriggle and replace the next one. Watch out leaky faucets!

Lately, I have been feeling that our world is like my leaky faucet. The little drip, drip – the angst that something is wrong – is quickly becoming a resounding waterfall that can’t be ignored.

SOMETHING IS VERY WRONG in our world.

The ongoing war in Ukraine, global conflicts, increasing violence near and far, struggles, and so much brokenness fill the news. Last week, the horrific school shooting in Texas hit me very hard as I think back to my days as an elementary teacher. My heart aches for the children, teachers, families, and community as they face loss, immense grief, and collective pain. Add financial woes, supply chain issues, formula shortages, general strife, mental health concerns, and relational tensions to the mix, and very few of us remain untouched by fear, apprehension, and just plain worry.

What’s happening around us?

Plain and simple, SIN is what is happening.

More than a decade ago, Tom did a series entitled Doctrine, and Tom’s lesson on Genesis 3 gets right to the point.

Sin is the problem. And, like my leaky faucet, we can’t fix it alone. We need help.
Our broken world, our sin, our emptiness, our pain, our anguish, our diseased and idolatrous hearts need much more than an expert.

We need Jesus.

Jesus, fully God and fully man, understands and knows our pain. He came down from his throne to live on earth amid the brokenness, the sin, the sorrow. He lived a sinless life. He took our sin and went to the cross to die the death we all deserve.

He paid our debt - a debt bigger than we could ever pay.

Jesus is the perfect atonement. You see, Jesus is not just the remedy or solution, He did it all. He is the propitiation for our sin. He is victorious over death and because of His sacrifice, we have life eternal with Him.

There is hope and a “fix” for this world - JESUS.

Please take time today to pray to Him. Pray for the families in pain. Pray for your heart, pray for your soul, and pray that He opens your eyes to His truth and love.

PS – I highly recommend and hope you’ll watch all of Tom’s Doctrine series at https://www.prioritylivingaz.org/video-archives