Hey everybody! Sorry it's taken me a little while to get this one posted today. We just arrived at Amy's parents' home in South Carolina....

OK, the second type of person.... Let's call them the settlers. By settlers, we don't mean pioneers. What we mean is a person who simply takes things for what they are. They can't foresee anything better than the way things are at present, and are afraid that things could be worse if they did something radical to change their circumstances. Therefore, they simply settle for things as they are, because they fear what could be.

If you're not a settler, you, at least, know of people who are. Sometimes, "settling" has dire consequences within American homes. Criminologists have contended for years that most incidences of domestic violence go unreported. Why? Because as bad as circumstances are within a home, the affected persons usually have an overwhelming fear of what might happen if they took positive steps to end the abuse.

In other cases, settling may not carry the fear of physical danger, but it does have extreme consequences for all involved. Settling leads people to reject career moves, stifle personal dreams, fail to do what you know God wants you to do, etc. And all in the name of playing it safe.

One of the great films of our time is "Good Will Hunting." Now don't watch it with the kids... The languge is quite rough. But the story line is compelling. Will Hunting is a troubled, but extremely gifted young man, who struggles with the "personal comfort" he has working as a janitor at MIT and living in poverty in South Boston. His mentors push him to succeed, but the only life he's ever known continues to enchant and capture him. The story ends Will finally stepping away from his "comfort zone" to experience the "glorious unknown."

There's one thing to remember, however, and that is this. God calls us away from the way things are to do incredible things. Some people believe that God is all about the status quo. The Bible that I read tells all about God's people stepping into the "glorious unknown"--Abraham leaving Ur, Moses leading cantankerous people across a desert, Joshua using trumpets and vocal cords to fight a battle, David stopping at a stream to pick up five smooth stones, Daniel spending the night with lions, Jesus telling us to love our enemies, Paul traveling from place to place to tell of the wonderful transformation God had begun in his life. None of these stories is about playing it safe. Those that play it safe aren't even in the footnotes. They don't make the story. Those that take the risks, those who DO NOT SETTLE are the ones God uses to change the future.

If you're into settling for the way things are, I hope you enjoy your uneventful life.

Once again, timely words for you and the church, especially Gateway Community Church!

Until tomorrow!
Thayer