Today, I Wore Socks
GCD Weekly Newsletter, Wednesday 21st June 2023
“20th June - Today, I wore socks. Not an altogether uncommon affair, aside from the fact that for a week I have been barefoot. I preferred it.”
The Diary of Adsum Try Ravenhill
The weather here in the UK is nothing if not temperamental. It is sunny and hot right now, but it rained heavily twice earlier and so there’s every chance it’ll snow tonight1. Last week was something of an anomaly; uninterrupted, frankly painful, but beautiful sunshine all week. Then yesterday hit.
So, I decided to write this profound statement in my diary. In hindsight I kind of wish I’d written it as a Haiku or something—it’s about the right length—or perhaps I could have extended it and written a song? Maybe it could be an illustration in an article or a newsletter? Perhaps not, that might not work. Thankfully, only you and I are going to read this, it’s a private statement and I’m going to go ahead and assume I can trust you not to share my frivolous ponderings with the general public.
There are just some things that you don’t share with people, right? Like the questions we type into google rather than asking reading the Bible or consulting a pastor, the ways we struggle to trust that God loves us, or our family issues—especially those.
What if we did though?
What if, some brave people took it upon themselves to share private struggles, or the way that God had helped them through it? What if sanctification isn’t meant to happen in a vacuum? What if we’re meant to share our struggles, our hopes, and our choice to go barefoot with those in our small groups and churches. What if that’s part of what it looks like to love one another in the church?
Just a thought.
Grace and Peace,
Adsum Try Ravenhill is married to Anna and together they are passionate about seeing young men and women discipled within the context of the local church. You can find Adsum through his writing at The Raven’s Writing Desk and you can also find Adsum’s articles for GCD here.
This week at GCDiscipleship.com
When Christians Consult the World-Wide-Web as Psychic
Kasey Moffett
“I’ve never graced the beaded, purple fabric doorway of a woman donning a headdress and crystal ball, but I have attempted to see a medium, and my guess is you have too. My psychic has taken the form of late-night internet searches, book purchasing, talking to trusted mentors ad nauseam, and my all-time favorite: worrying and predicting in my own mind. It’s a strategy I put hope in, devoid of drawing from the deep well God gives me in himself.”
The Good News of God’s Devotion to Us
Mike Holwerda
“The question is, when we demonstrate unfaithful devotion to God, what happens to God’s devotion to us? I wonder what the disciples thought Jesus was going to say each time he woke them up, especially after the third time. It’s probably the same place our own hearts tend to go.”
Fathers, Do You Provoke Your Children?
Chrys Jones
“Fathers, no matter where you are today, we have great hope. The God of heaven greets us with open arms and calls us to run to him. Christ hung on the cross with open arms, carrying our sin so we could come to his Father through him. The Spirit of God works to open our arms so we can love our children the way our Father in heaven loves us. Will you walk in the love and power of the Spirit today?”
This isn’t true. This is what we call sarcasm.