Well, here we are. "Yes," you might say. "Here we are. But where, exactly, is here?" Why, on a blog, of course, silly. "Ah," you say, "that's more like it. But why, exactly, are we on a blog? And what in the world do these deep musings have to do with Cherokee Cove?" A just question, good reader. You see, we live in a world connected not only by financial and geopolitical ties, but by the power of digital media. At Cherokee Cove, we'd like to keep in touch with you, to pray for you, and to share with you how God works in our lives and yours . . . and what better way to do so than through a blog?
"Well, that's all well and good," you say, "but what, precisely, are you going to do with this blog?" Again, dear reader, you ask such marvelously leading questions! Though the answer may change over time, as we explore how to best use this resource, I believe I can say right up front that our primary purpose with this blog is to give glory to God for the ways He works in the lives of His children. Though our first post was, admittedly, a mere test, the choice of Psalm 100 to inaugurate this blog was hardly a coincidence. Rather, it sums up something essential about our relationship with the Lord: we "give thanks to Him, and praise His name,
For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations." (v. 4b-5)
Far too often, we tend to approach God from the position of those-who-request, don't we? "Lord, give me this. (Please.) Lord, help me do this. (Thank you.)" How often do we approach God from the position of those-who-have-received? How often do we focus on sincere thanksgiving, praising His name both for what He does and simply for who He is? I know this is something that needs to change in my own spiritual life.
At Cherokee Cove, in particular, passages such as Psalm 100 take on new meaning, as we watch the hand of God at work each and every day, accomplishing His purposes in ways we could never have expected. He provides through volunteers and guests, through materials and donations, and even through the rain that nourishes the gardens! Like the good father Jesus describes in Luke 11, God delights in giving good things to His children. Even when we can't see how He is working, we know that His plan is being unfolded one piece at a time, a great and glorious plan that stretches across the tapestry of history and creation.
There is a marvelous passage at the end of C.S. Lewis' book "Miracles" in which Lewis attempts to do away with some of our common notions regarding the difference between the "miraculous" and the "providential." Far too often, we tend to put answered prayers or other serendipitous goodies into a box somewhere between the supernatural and the natural - that is, we look at Aunt Mildred's healed pancreas and think, "Well, it wasn't exactly a miracle, considering how the doctors were really responsible, but it was nice of God to let it happen anyway." This sort of confusion is understandable, but it betrays a view of God that undermines His sovereignty and omnipotence. We must take pains to remember that every good thing comes from God, and we must give thanks to Him accordingly. Most of all, though, we should give thanks for the wondrous gift of salvation He has offered to us in exchange for the greatest sacrifice in the universe.
So, then, let us give thanks! Let us worship Him in voices great and small, sonorous and tinny, tuneful and dreadfully off-key! Let us praise Him with harps and tambourines and synthesizers and electric guitars! We give praise for the beauty of this world and the glory that is to come in the next . . . we even praise Him for our suffering and pain, knowing that these give greater clarity and truer meaning to the joy and beauty that still shine through in this broken creation. Let us rejoice with our Creator and Savior in everything that is good and perfect and holy!
Of course, if you'd like to come give thanks with us here at Cherokee Cove, you can come out this Friday evening when we'll be having the annual "Praise-'n-Graze" event, a time of food, fellowship, and worship. We'll keep you updated with further news over the coming fall and winter as we get the blog up and running, and we hope you'll come out to visit us soon!
Soli Deo Gloria!
Josiah Wright
(Office Assistant at Cherokee Cove)
