On Monday, I listened to this presentation by Andrew Peterson called "What If? The Place of Imagination in God's Kingdom."
The message sent me back to my early days as a writer and my first book, Jill, the Princess Mermaid. (True confessions.) I don't know how many books I started in my youth...and then I ended up as a English Writing major in college.
It was delightful, so I was excited to listen to the second presentation, "So What? The Place of Imagination in God's Kingdom." An early line struck me: Imagination waters the garden of hope. Got my creative juices flowing.
And then he started talking about the song, "Queen of Iowa," written about a woman with AIDS in Cedar Rapids, IA who is full of hope in Jesus. He said, "People brag about the fact that they know Jody."
And I know Jody.
Well, really, I have only gotten to meet her in person once, many years ago. But it is my growing-up church, Cedar Valley Bible Church, that is mentioned in the store Andrew tells--a story about the couple, John and Jody, and how Jody contracted AIDS through a violent rape and John has faithfully loved and cared for her for a decade and a half, and how they both came to know Jesus through it, and how a church reached out to them to cover them with care and prayer.
And it makes me again remember how thankful I am for that little Bible church, where I saw Christ's body at work in such tangible ways all through my growing up years.
And coincidentally, Andrew Peterson is coming to my other church home for a concert on September 27. Ticket information here.
So, there's a tangle of connections for you, all pointing to God's grace at work.
(Here's a YouTube of "The Queen of Iowa." Somebody tell me of that's not legal and I'll take it off!)
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