When I was a kid, I spend hours playing in the creeks and streams that flowed through the farm I grew up on. My buddy and I would put sticks into the water, pretend they were boats, and from our position on the bank, we’d navigate them “down-river” with longer sticks. We always thought it would be neat to have radio controlled boats that could navigate the waters with intentionality rather than just being pushed around.

When I think of the two options (being a log floating downstream without the ability to navigate or being a power vessel with the ability to turn, stop, start, accelerate and decelerate) I imagine myself moving through life. There have been times when I kind of floated along, getting hung up and snagged, not making progress. Like a log floating down the Susquehanna, my progress was entirely dependent on my surroundings. But there are other times when I have motored along, navigating the rapids skillfully.

This sermon speaks about our need to keep an eye on how we are navigating life. And underlying all else in the podcast is the truth that we can only do so as we submit to the influence, empowerment, and direction of the Spirit.

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