Piloting Faith: What I learned when flying through terrible turbulence...

A Word for the Day...

A couple of weeks ago I was piloting a flight in really rough turbulence. I was fighting headwinds, tailwinds, crosswinds, and downdrafts. The plane was being beaten to death, violently pushed up 400 feet and then dropping instantly 800 feet straight down. For me, ever the adventurer, I was having enormous fun. The passengers, I fear, were not.

All pilots are trained to fly in turbulence. But the way we navigate through it might surprise you. You immediately take the plane off of autopilot. Autopilot is designed for straight and level flight; it will, by design, fight the wind at every turn. In heavy turbulence, you want to hand-fly. But instead of tightly gripping the yoke in a desperate attempt to steady the winds, you loosen your grip and "fly loose." You fly with just your fingers on the yoke, letting your touch keep the plane level without keeping it stiff. You let the plane negotiate with the wind by allowing for more flexibility in the controls.

Life can be full of turbulence. Those of us who cling desperately to our security, who have a death grip on resisting the change that is before us, suffer the most. We are battered and beaten in the winds. We even risk creating a PIO, a pilot-induced oscillation, where our actions become amplified by the turbulence, and we spiral out of control.

But those who learn to loosen their grips when the strong winds come, find that the ride smooths out in time. You make small, gentle corrections. You keep the wings level and ride it out.

If you are in a season of turbulence, try loosening your grip on your need for control. Welcome the change and trust that the plane will carry you through and ultimately carry you safely home.

Onward!

- Rev. Cameron Trimble, author of Piloting Church: Helping Your Congregation Take Flight

Prayer for the Week

Lord,

Blessed are those who hunger for justice.

In your mercy, Lord, remember those who are desperate, exhausted, beaten down, and forgotten today.

Remember those who are unfairly imprisoned.

Remember those who have limited opportunities, who see no chance to make things better.

Remember those born into failed families, neighborhoods, nations. Remember those growing up in broken circumstances of all kinds. Remember the widow and the orphan.

Remember those whose lives are torn apart by war, or racism, or religious persecution, or unfair laws that prevent them from building a life for themselves and their families.

In your sight, they are my mother and father, my sister and brother, and I am their keeper.

You have called them blessed. Help them to hear your surprising word today. Bless them. Provide for their deepest hunger. Show me my part in that provision, and help me to act on it, for your glory and the welfare of your people.

Amen.

(adapted from The Prayer Wheel by Patton Dodd, Jana Riess, and David Van Biema)