Rise up and build

Trevor and Kate are on a sabbatical at the moment, so in the coming weeks different people will be blogging instead. David Cooke, who is a prolific blogger in his own right, kicks us off here ...

I gave a copy of Donald Miller's 'A thousand miles in a million years' to a friend. They texted me this having read it. 'Fantastic - laughter, tears - you could have warned me ...' I tried to.

Good stories are important.

Now, are you old enough to remember the classic jean ads that Levi produced in the 1980's that made 501 the jean of choice? Sadly I am. I have ever since followed this brand's fortunes from a distance and how fashion seems to periodically look with favour on them. Jeremy Clarkson did at one point cause them an unfortunate sartorial dip. Why am I telling you about Levi's? Well, this post really moved me and I do recommend that you watch both films. We are preaching through Nehemiah which is all about rebuilding a city and this is a story of it intentionally starting to happen.

Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision.” And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, “Let us rise up and build.”

(Nehemiah 2: 17-18)

These Levi films reminded me of the difference between a good story and a bad story. Donald Miller talks about this so profoundly and the joy it is to see a good one birthed from the bad. I hope I am in the birthing good stories business and I believe we can all be. Something resonated deep within me when I watched the story of Braddock and read Miller's book about the things that may lie ahead for us in 2012.

Maybe they will with you too.

David Cooke