Have you ever been super stuck?

A little bit of my redneck streak comes out with I think about being “stuck”. I will never forget the night that me and my friends were going to head to a local High School football rivalry game. Oh, those High School days. We had raided a Wendy’s and then, with our stomachs full, headed to the game. On those nights, it seemed like we all had a girlfriend, a vehicle, and a little bit of cash in our pockets. What else could you ask for on a Friday night except . . . mud. Yes, that’s right. On the way to the game we drove past a place that we frequented, although usually not with our girlfriends or when we had somewhere to be. This place was an abandoned development that the perfect ratio of water and dirt. Most of my friends had vehicles with 4 wheel drive, but the simple fact that 2 of my 4 wheels just spun never brought any hesitation to the decision-making of my very wise, smart 17 year old self.

Well, as you can guess, we ended up taking what was intended to be a brief detour. I’ve said it this way before: growing up on Friday nights the girls painted their faces with makeup and the guys painted their trucks with mud. I know - redneck! This night, however, wasn’t a quick stop to freshen up my 1988 Isuzu Trooper. A friend of mine got stuck. The English language is too limited to what I am trying to say here so I will make up a word. “Stunck”. Not just stuck but if you were to think of the worst “stuck” you could get a Ford Explorer and then add a whole bunch of “sunk”. He was stunck! It was the most claustrophobic experience I have ever had digging out the sludge/mud-like material under his truck trying to hook a strap to his tow hooks. Being fully dressed, I stood up after about 20 minutes of digging (something miners would no doubt brag about to their grandkids), I placed my hands in my pockets just to discover about 2 pounds of mud was in each one. It was everywhere! I couldn’t drive my truck home, so my very hot girlfriend at the time drove my car home while I laid in the back absolutely covered in mud. (She tells the story a little differently to our kids but I still won her heart!) After many, many attempts and his parents having to show up with some heftier equipment, he finally got unstuck. But I don’t think that Ford Explorer ever looked, sounded, drove, or even smelled the same.

When I ask if you have ever been stuck, I’m talking about that same feeling (but not necessarily the experiences of my High School years just off South Germantown Road). I am talking about having the desire for change but something beyond your control preventing it. You are stuck in those moments of feeling like you can’t move, can’t progress, can’t change; it feels like bondage. But The Lord has been setting me free in the middle of this “can’t move” feeling.

I have found a new, fresh move of the Father in my heart and I can’t move. I don’t want to move! I want to be stuck! Stunck even! It is a very weird feeling because I’ve always perceived unbound movement as how my relationship with the Lord is supposed to be. And that is still there, but I have found a flow with The Lord that I don’t want to ever lose. I want to be stuck here. I want to dwell here. Scripture says this in the Psalms:

Psalms 91 MSG

1-4 You who sit down in the High God’s presence,
    spend the night in Shaddai’s shadow,
Say this: “God, you’re my refuge.
    I trust in you and I’m safe!”
That’s right—he rescues you from hidden traps,
    shields you from deadly hazards.
His huge outstretched arms protect you—
    under them you’re perfectly safe;
    his arms fend off all harm.

14-16“If you’ll hold on to me for dear life,” says God,
    “I’ll get you out of any trouble.
I’ll give you the best of care
    if you’ll only get to know and trust me.
Call me and I’ll answer, be at your side in bad times;
    I’ll rescue you, then throw you a party.
I’ll give you a long life,
    give you a long drink of salvation!”

I feel a little bit like Moses interceding for God’s chosen people when He told God “we will go only if you go with us”. And also a little like Ruth saying to Naomi when she had hit rock bottom: “where you go I will go and where you stay I will stay.” I love how verse 14 describes it: “if you hold on to me for dear life”. “Stay stuck with me” is what God is saying.

Here is how all this has impacted my life. Planning a church start has lots of models and perspectives to think about. For years, I had wondered if God would call us to start or plant a new church and then when the time came. . . Boy, was it different from what I expected. Different than anything I had ever heard of. Different than anything I had ever read. People will tell you: clear vision is the backbone and making sure those helping start the church can repeat that vision is the most important thing. (Of course where there is no vision people perish, as the Bible says, but the vision must be God’s vision.) Vision also is suppose to “define the win” and make clear what the goal is. Also don’t forget LOCATION! LOCATION! LOCATION!

But for me, getting stuck with The Lord has revealed that His ways are not our ways. So, what is the clear vision and goal of Selah Memphis? I have been saying it this way, “the first step in becoming a church like what we see in the new testament is loving one another well.” Let’s not move to step two until we feel like step one has been accomplished. Instead of finding a physical location for us to gather together being our priority, our priority must be to strive to be defined by love. This is a love that doesn’t exist naturally. A love that can only come from God. That love is the glue that makes our relationship with Him “sticky”.

We have this ability because of Jesus’ cross, to “sit down in the High God’s presence”. Because of our redemption we can “spend the night in Shaddai’s shadow”. Isn’t this the goal of church? To live together in a community under the shadow of the Almighty God of Heaven? Church growth plans, and the how-to-start-a-church goals are not evil or bad but we must recognize that our natural bent isn’t to be stuck with God under His shadow. This is why we spend too much time doing His job in church by trying to create a “home” or a shadow for people to feel comfortable in. Instead, the purpose of Christ’s Bride is to help people get stuck in this incredible love relationship with the Creator of the universe.