As we got into line at the coffee shop we waited behind another couple, also with two kids of their own- a boy and girl. The mother asked us if we wanted to go ahead, and we politely declined, still looking at the menu. I noticed the father’s sneakers. These comfortable, but rigged looking heel hugging combat boots. Definitely boots. But not less than comfortable. Somehow also shoes. I’ve got to find out what kind they are, I thought to myself. The guy had a size able beard, and looked like a rugged veteran of sorts. A tough guy, if I ever saw one.
My wife and I made our way to our table with the kiddos and had our breakfast and coffee. The other couple took theirs somewhere outside to find a table out there near the kids play area, fit with a jungle gym and slides. After we were done, we decided to take our son out there too so he could get some play time. He is all boy and doesn’t like sitting for too long. We encountered the couple sitting down with their kids also playing. Here was a chance to ask him about the shoes. I decided to hang back and “watch the coffee” at a distance where my wife placed them on a nearby table, while she watched our son play. Eventually we switched places though. I got a chance to talk to the guy. He was friendly, and gladly told me the name of the shoes as I asked. They are “Nobles,” he said. Really comfortable! He also has another pair to go with a dress shirt or suit. I thought, let me keep a mental note. I looked closer as he showed me, and the name actually read, “nobull.” Even cooler! My wife and the mother ended up talking and me and the guy spoke also. Turns out he works for a non profit called Mighty Oaks, which helps combat veterans especially with PTSD to get treatment they need for their mental health! I shared how I work in the mental health field as well. And we discovered how our lines of work actually crossed with a job he did in the past. We discovered this couple are Christians as well and we shared where we go to church. It is funny how when you have a driving question that allows you to spark up a conversation with someone, how you end up coming away with more than you might have previously bargained for. It is so like God to do it this way. This is real talk, things that go beyond the surface. Though the question at the surface level might spark the discussion that traverses the depths. There was the woman in Mark 5:25 with the issue of blood. She had a driving desire. To be honest, it was one of desperation though. She thought if she could just get to Jesus, that she might get some type of healing or something to help with this life debilitating condition. She left with far more than she bargained for. Her faith made her well, in more ways than physical. There are things that drive us at a basic level. We have questions about God,. Low and behold when we continue out our search about Him, we find, as Eugene Peterson says, “He has been questioning us.”
It’s funny this comes to mind, as the verse they wrote on my coffee cup this morning was out of Jeremiah 29:11! Where God talks about His plans to give Jeremiah a future and a hope. And plans for shalom.
Eugene Peterson:
“Before Jeremiah knew God, God knew Jeremiah: “Before I shaped you in the womb, I knew all about you.” Jeremiah 1:5
This turns everything we ever thought about God around.
We think God is an object about which we have questions. We are curious about God. But that is not the reality of our lives with God.
Long before we ever got around to asking questions about God, God had been questioning us.
Long before we got interested in the subject of God, God subjected us to the most intensive and searching knowledge.
Before it ever crossed our minds that God might be important, God singled us out as important.
Before we were formed in the womb, God knew us. We are known before we know.”
—Eugene Peterson, “Run with the Horses” 🐎
November 4, 2023
AJ Oram
James1Seventeen 