In his book, “Canoeing the Mountains,” author Tim Bolsinger talks about the difficulty of change, especially large-scale change for an organization such as a church.  He draws on the imagery of the Louis and Clark expedition when the Core of Engineers set out to find the westward water passageway along the Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean.  When they got to the Rocky Mountains, it became evident that they were going to need more than canoes and paddles to get to the Pacific Ocean. Everything they had planned on using to get to their desired destination had to be re-thought.

Covid-19 has caused a lot of church to be re-thought.  And change, when implemented at a fast pace, can be exhausting!   All of a sudden everything we know has to be re-considered in light of a new paradigm:  the Covid-19 Mountains! In “Canoeing the Mountains,” Bolsinger talks about the fact that it’s not change that we fear and resist so much; it’s change’s sidekick, loss.

As baby boomers and beyond, if we were to list the losses that accompany aging, we might  start with things like our hairline or hair color.  We need little reading glasses. A crown or even a bridge.  Kids grow up and leave the nest.  We retire and lose daily contact with a whole set of friends.  Loss of income. Parents, even peers, age and die!  Loneliness can set in. Betty Davis was right, “Growing old isn’t for sissies.”   Add to these the Covid-19 losses of freedoms and community, and it seems like too great a weight to bare!

Change is often experienced as loss. What do we do with these emotions that bubble to the surface as we consider our losses?  How well are we equipped to deal with the process of mourning that is the natural reaction to these circumstances? As the cycle of grief spins including denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance, how are we dealing?  Author Bolsinger says that often, we respond by trying to manage change that comes at us.

When given the choice, most of us, 90% of the time, would choose to keep the status quo if we could.  We let fear stagnate us. We resist any form of outside force to move us to change. We even shut down the voice of reason by believing our own set of facts on something rather than being open minded to new information.  We dread the losses that come with change.

People often want church to be safe, even insular.  We scream for stability, so we lean into verses of God’s unchanging nature, His steadfastness, His eternal purposes. These are truths that we must stand on; in fact, it’s Biblical to stand on them.  Yet, when we examine Jesus’ words to anyone who would consider themselves to be His followers, what is Jesus’ major call to us?  Jesus calls the church to die.  “And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.””  (Luke 9:23)

If ever there were a group of people who were adept at change, it should be the church. The Bible calls this process of dying to self and living into our status as the children to God sanctification.  During sanctification, I become more like Christ. It’s not by my own effort, but by the transforming work of the Holy Spirit, done in tandem with my obedient cooperation to God’s commands.  John calls it simply, “Walking in the Light.”  But I must be willing to die to self.

I see the process of sanctification being lived out in the lives of people at Countryside on a daily basis as we’ve tried to adapt to the Covid-19 crisis and it’s been amazing! Bolsinger describes the qualities that are necessary to the church’s success in this culture of change and loss in which we find ourselves as 3 R’s.

Relate – I see us learning totally new ways of relating to one another.  We’re social distancing, but despite the physical distance, we’re getting creative with how we converse (groups are experiencing church and Bible studies on-line!).  And God shows up!  We’re picking up the phone more often, and we’re zooming to be together virtually (can you hear me now?).  We’re being intentional to care for others by running errands, sharing resources, being selfless. We’re mailing thoughtful gifts.  Families are spending much more time together over school work, conversation, the dinner table.  We’ve traded crazy busy for a pace that gives room for the Holy Spirit to move and speak.  We’re humbling ourselves by having to learn technology, let others care for us, and we’re putting ourselves more and more into a posture of listening to God.

Repeat – in the process of these new practices with God and with one another, we are establishing new behaviors.  Yes, we have to give up old ways of doing things, but we’re learning by God’s grace and by repetition how to be flexible and how to change.  And these new behaviors are ones that we might not have done if it were not for our losses!

Reframe – As we develop a whole new set of practices, our thinking begins to shift. This shift isn’t just a temporary change in the way we see life.  It’s an actual change. The new normal.  We emerge on the other side of this a people who think, process, and act differently.  We’ve learned a whole new skills set to canoe the mountains.  It’s not quite so scary to change.

Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?

Has God had you die to yourself in these past few weeks?  Are you intentionally relating to God and others in new ways?  Are you yielding to His commands and allowing the Holy Spirit to work on you?  Where do you see your mind being renewed in such a way that you think differently about something important to you?  Yes, change brings about loss.  But God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  It’s us, His body, that keeps on changing, growing up more and more into the head, Who is Christ Jesus our Lord (Eph. 4:15).

We want to hear testimonies about how God is using change and loss to sanctify you, to make you more like Christ.  Would you be willing to write out your story in brief?  Or phone a Crescendo team member and share it with one of us?  We’d love to see it shared with others! - Lynn Black