Divine Timing

Have you ever been anxious about something, perhaps with that anxiety maturing all the way to dread... and then you had God intervene in beautiful ways? Welcome to my last 48 hours.

The YouTube Channel we’ve begun (and I say "we" because it takes a village, not just the one in front of the camera) is just a wee bit outside of my comfort zone. Period. Social media influencer hasn’t really been high on my bucket list of job titles. Only the compulsion of God, in response to the gaping need for something to change on so many levels, would push me out of my comfort zone far enough to launch The Both-And Guy channel! And because we’re still needing some help over here at J17 Ministries, there are times when the work can’t be completed without spilling over into the weekend. This last weekend was one of those.

Filming on Sunday is on my very-much-not-preferred list, so that explains the dread I was experiencing this weekend. But the topic of the episode (which you can find at the bottom of this newsletter) adds a bit to the anxiety because the opportunity for the enemy to do his “divide and conquer” routine is quite significant. In short, I was on a national call with about two dozen leaders a week ago, and the ever-worsening political polarization caused almost every single participant to mention the immigration crisis. I know we’re called to be peacemakers, not peacekeepers, and that’s why unity and truth for Jesus are on the same team and in the same prayer. So I believe and am grateful that God has called me to have a voice at such a time as this. But still…

Back to Sunday. My wife left the house early since she was part of the worship team at our home church, so I thought I could get the filming done before I left a bit later in the morning, thus not interrupting both of our Sundays. But preparation always takes longer than anticipated, so filming ended up having to wait until the afternoon. Come to find out, this was so obviously God’s plan (and not mine)! Why? Because the church I attended was hosting the African Children’s Choir, a truly joy-filled time of worship. It’s hard to imagine how it would be possible to sit through such a concert and not have your spirits uplifted, as mine were.

And then on Monday, I had the opportunity to speak to three classes of seniors in a Christian high school about the work J17 Ministries is doing. At one point I asked them which justice issues they were concerned about that they believed God also cares about, and in all three classes, immigration was mentioned. Further confirmation that the topics being explored by the Both-And Guy are relevant, not just to those of us in my generation, but to the Gen Z folks we’d all love to connect with more deeply.

So… if you believe the both/and life is more God’s design than the either/or life, AND way more fulfilling and fruitful too, take a look at the YouTube channel, share your thoughts, and spread the word!

Dave Drum, Founder