Do not be deceived, Wormwood. Our cause is never more in danger than when a human, no longer desiring, but still intending, to do our Enemy’s will, looks round upon a universe from which every trace of Him seems to have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys. – Demon mentoring his nephew in Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis.

These words have been running through my head the last week or so.  This last month’s been darker than most; Jayden, more brother than brother-in-law, had a wake-boarding accident, and currently has no feeling from the chest down, limited movement and feeling in his arms.  He’s 19.  Just last week, Sketch died; a generous and fun guy we’ve been allowed to watch get off the streets and into a house, a job.  Early 40’s.  Then back to Indonesia this week, where improvements are incremental, if ever, and I’ve got to admit that my triumphant theology of ‘participating in the restoration of humanity and creation’ has taken a bit of a hammering.

But God calls us to be faithful, not productive, and we only have knowledge, not faith, if we never have to trust what we hold to be true when Wormwood writes in bold letters on life’s chalkboard: ‘GOD DOESN’T EXIST’.  And so this week, hand to the plough, I’ve been praying to a God who ‘seems to have vanished’, a rather weird exercise.  But he answers in his own way, on his own terms, in his right timing, remoulding the broken pottery into something new and even more beautiful than it was when it thought it was the best it could ever be.

Roy, our well-digging, community building champion quit a few weeks back.  Yep.  Chalk it up, Wormwood.  But his jumping ship to work for the government means we’ve got a good contact in the belly of a beast we hope to change.  In parting, he said he had some good news; the local government has been watching the well rehabilitating we’ve been doing, and they want to replicate it.  Three years ago they stopped digging wells because it wasn’t working.  Now they’re re-thinking that decision.  Chances are it won’t get off the ground, but it might.  It might.  We’ll see.

In the meantime, I’ve decided to keep living like Wormwood’s got it wrong; live like I’ve managed to sneak up behind that schmuk and gently erase the ‘N’T’ from ‘DOESN’T’; I will live as though I’m ‘participating in the restoration of humanity and creation’.  Sure, this past month’s been heavier than most, and maybe it puts the restoration schedule back a few notches.  But we’ve got eternity, and we’ve got Jesus.  That’s a lethal combination for putting wrongs right.

Sorry for getting my preach on this round…

Clint.