From Ron ...
IT’S TIME FOR WET FEET!
A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of visiting a half dozen churches in Southern Ontario. It was the first time to be "on the road" since… well, a long time. That’s a really big deal for me.
The truly life-giving part of my career has been comprised of meeting and singing with families of faith — in person — throughout North America and beyond. The just-concluded May foray which saw us leaving the relatively isolated comfort of Vancouver Island was a sobering reminder of how important those visits have been — and how desperately I have missed them.
On the way back home, I reflected on the experience of being with those six faith families and their shepherds. At each and every one, I connected with music leaders and ministers who were pondering how to move forward in one way or another. There was talk of rebuilding music programs: "How?" "When?" "Is it safe yet?" "Will anyone return?" "Have we lost too much?"
What struck me as remarkable was how, despite those difficult questions, no one was willing to even consider packing it in. There was acknowledgement that it’s going to be tough, but a combined sense of determination and hope were driving a powerful will to regroup. As I listened, I was reminded of a portion of the "Comments" section written by Walter Farquharson about his words for the song, Learn To Dance.
"Upon leaving Egypt, the Hebrew slaves had not gone far before they encountered a major problem: the sea. Behind them they could already hear the rumbling of Egyptian chariots. They cried for Moses, their leader, to do something. The word which came to Moses from God in response is not what either he or the people expect to hear: 'Tell the people to go forward.' An action of faith was required. Ancient rabbinic tradition says that the waters did not part until the last of the Hebrews had their feet wet."
Together, we go forward. We are not alone. Our feet must all get wet!
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