Yesterday I took my mentee to the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh. One of the unique features there is an old submarine docked on the river that people can walk through to see what life was like when the sub was active. About half way through the tour, my mentee said "this is where I want to be when the world ends in 2012!" There is enough food to last for a long time in a submarine, and it seems like a good place hide out should it all hit the fan in a couple years. I sensed a theological conversation brewing, but I didn't really have the chance to talk to him about it as we made our way past the nooks and crannies and gadgets in the main hallway of the sub.
It did come up again about an hour later, though, as we were sitting in a major traffic jam. A Pirate game had just let out, rush hour was in full effect, downpours from a major thunderstorm kept visibility to a minimum, my car was overheating from idling so much, I was extremely irritated by the predicament, and my mentee chose that particular time to bring up his questions about how the world is going to end and what happens to us after we die. That's always how it seems to happen... when I am not in control, when the timing seems to be not right... yep... that sounds like God's timing. My mentee and I had a great conversation about how much God loves us, and what heaven will be like, and about God's plans for our lives here on earth now and beyond 2012.
God's timing is not our timing. Also, I've said this many times before, but ministry does not always happen in sterile environments in church buildings on Sunday mornings. God is active in the midst of complex urban environments, when we are not in control, and especially in the context of predicaments. The Holy Spirit is at work in retired submarines and in traffic jams. God is so amazing!
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