“Shattered Dreams” – Faith in the Flood of Nashville May 2010
We all deal with tragedy. And tragedy creates a tough dilemma if you’re a Christian. Which is why, if there is a God, does he allow tragedy to happen?
There are thousands of people asking that in the Nashville area right now in the wake of the tremendous flooding from the past week. I was on the road travelling most of last week and missed a lot of the action but today I had a chance to go out and get in the trenches of working with some families to help them begin the journey back to restoration.
With such widespread disaster in the area my new church Crosspoint really has tried to rise to the occasion in assembling volunteers, money, and prayers for the victimized families. I’m inspired by the Church because from what I can see they are really working hard at being the hands and feet of Christ in this pivotal time.
One of the reasons Crosspoint Church is so rapidly growing and making such a large impact is because of the leadership. The Nashville campus pastor is a friend of mine Blake Bergstrom and the lead pastor is Pete Wilson. Ironically the series that we’ve been going through in Church the last several weeks is called “Shattered Dreams.” The essence of the series is what to do when God’s plan works out differently than yours?
The series has also been congruent with the release of Pete’s new book Plan B. I started crushing through the book over the last few days and was inspired by Pete’s message. You don’t know this yet but Faith is the 7th and final strategy for improving your self-discipline in Take the Stairs (my new book that will come out once I figure out the publisher) . My speech at the World Championship of Public Speaking for Toastmasters in 2006 was actually on the topic of Faith.
I knew that my speech in 2006 wasn’t yet ready when the contest came around because I hadn’t yet discovered in my mind how to most aptly articulate what Faith is; and I lost that contest. For 4 years I’ve continued struggling to define Faith and it wasn’t until I began reading Plan B that I think I have finally landed on my definition.
Faith is choosing to believe that the pain happening now is for a Greater Glory later on.
There have been several times in my life when I have failed and when things have fallen apart. But for whatever reason I’ve always had a lot of conviction that even in that pain and loss it was just God preparing me for something else. To me that is Faith.
I’ve never experienced anything like what these people I saw today are having to live through. And I can’t answer why God allows tragedy to happen. But I do agree with Pete that it seems as though Tragedy serves a greater purpose when we have the perspective of eternity.
And from what I witnessed today I noticed that:
Sometimes tragedy bonds our communities
Sometimes tragedy binds our compassion
Sometimes tragedy builds our character
So even when there are questions that we can’t answer we have to have Faith. Faith is a choice. It’s choosing to believe that what we’re going through is preparing us and the world for God’s greater good later on. And because it’s a choice that means it’s a discipline. It’s a discipline that not everyone has. It’s hard to believe that somehow these horrible tragedies in our lives are somehow for good later on. But that is why it’s called Faith and if we do not have Faith it is then that these tragedies are only in vain.
To donate to the flood victims please click here: https://secure3.agroup.com/crosspoint/flood_fund.html
And please share your thoughts with me about what Faith is to you and how its applied in your difficult times.
See you in the “stairwell”
Rory Vaden
Explore posts in the same categories: Self-discipline Strategies, Take The Stairs Tour Photos, Uncategorized, Video BlogsTags: Crosspoint Church, Motivational Speaker Rory Vaden, Nashville Flood
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May 10, 2010 at 9:44 pm
Powerful post and video Rory. Thanks so much for sharing!
May 10, 2010 at 11:30 pm
Rory…I was so fired up to see that you would call me your friend. I agree. I love the way that you think and you are a great writer. Don’t stop. Thank you for the continual inspiration and love that you continually give to those who need it. I am so honored that you are a part of our community.
Great blog bro.
Blake
May 10, 2010 at 11:59 pm
Hey thanks bro.
BTW I’ve been meaning to ask you something…
Will you marry me?
Umm…I mean will you be the pastor to marry me and AJ?
On September 5th here in Nashville.
May 11, 2010 at 5:25 am
Congrats on your upcoming wedding Rory and hanks for sharing this video. I love the point you stress out: Don’t ask why God allows bas things to happen to good people, have faith and remember NEVER NEVER NEVER GIVE UP. You rock Rory and I love your blog. Thanks for helping us grow through your work and research.
May 11, 2010 at 2:38 am
People often ask me if I could do my life over, what would I change. The answer is absolutely nothing. Even the worst episodes in my life. For they gave me te experience, taught me the lessons and helped me build the character that allows me to live a prosperous, healthy, happy life now. There really are no shattered dreams, as much as there are delayed ones or better ones.
-RG
May 11, 2010 at 8:29 am
That’s powerful Randy. Thanks for sharing. I think for a lot of us we very often look at successful people like you and just assume that they are successful because they haven’t had pain; because all their dreams have come true. In truth though it’s almost the opposite. As you say it is the moments of brokenness that shape us into the people we need to be in order to achieve those greater dreams later on. Thanks for validating that for us. Perhaps that is a part of the attitude that you have that allows you to be so thankful and grateful. And as you teach us gratefulness and thankfulness are are pre-requisites for prosperity.
May 11, 2010 at 9:57 am
This is a great blog and a great video. It’s a powerful message to remember that many times we become who we are because of the hurt, loss and tragedy we experience. It’s these experiences that God uses to shape our character and prepare us for His plan – not ours.
Thanks for taking the time to share this message.
May 11, 2010 at 11:02 pm
Rory,
I appreciate your video, blog, and ideas. Your definition of faith is excellent. Before I came down to check my email, my daughter Lindsey and I were talking about tragedies and fate and predestination and God’s role in all these things, so I should believe that your email is God’s plan for me to deal with this concept and that it is fate, but I just don’t accept that God plans these tragedies even for future greater good. You asked for our ideas of faith, and I hadn’t really given it much thought, but your blog was very thought provoking, so I am going to respond.
For me, Faith is believing that we will be united with our God. Hope is the thought that we can endure our lives and keep the faith. For me, Hope is what we need during tragedies. I don’t believe in fate, predestination, or that God controls what happens (even though many things have happened in my life that should make me believe God is controlling my life). I believe that life just happens. Tragedies happen; floods happen; shit happens, and we have to find a way to deal with it. How we deal with it is our choice and leads to new consequences and events. How with deal with problems is Hope, and what helps us keep our Hope is our Faith that no matter what happens, good, bad, or indifferent, we will be united with our God. Love is our caring for other people by following Christ’s example. We selflessly serve others, and this is our union with our God. Loving and helping others unites us to our God so that the greatest of these is Love. This goes along with your idea that tragedy binds our communities and compassion and helps build character because we work together to overcome floods, oil spills, or whatever with our Love for each other because together we need to endure and keep the faith that we will be united with our God. Our Faith and Hope leads to Love to help others in need.
Keep up your good works to help the people of your community and keep searching for answers and keep the Faith.
May 11, 2010 at 11:14 pm
Thanks for the transparency Terry. Yeah I guess we all struggle with whether or not these are planned by God. It’s a tough balance and interpretation of God’s plan vs man’s free will vs nature. About all I can speak to is in my life personally when I thought things were falling apart and thought they should’ve worked out differently it ended up being better in the long run.
Another pastor once told me that heaven is a bunch of people sitting around going “OH! Now I see why God did that; now it makes perfect sense.”
It seems to make sense that way to me because it’s just like a young child or student who is “punished” by their parent or teacher who doesn’t like it at first but grows up later and realizes why it was in their benefit to have had consequences and punishment. I guess since he is our heavenly father I guess that it would be very similar with us.
I love what you wrote about union, and love and hope. I also definitely agree that we are closes to God when we serve and also when we forgive.
May 12, 2010 at 3:56 am
Hey Rory,
I went and watched again your video after reading the other considerable comments and I asked myself what is the real message we can get especially from this flood tragedy. I actually was trying to get a message that would connect Faith, God’s actions, and everyone personal life. If we consider Faith as an unconditional abandon of our life in God’s hands, we shouldn’t matter about what is going on but how we run our life. Tragedies, whether planned by God or not show that any material acquisition is nothing but vanity. It doesn’t matter much if it’s your whole life investment that has just been destroyed. However, just like Gandhi said: “Make your life a message.”
So here is the message got out of your video Rory: the real tragedy is not in a natural disaster, but in man incapacity/failure to love one another in times of need. Living our Faith is to be convinced that whatever happens, there will be someone who will show up to help the other one get back up.
As you would write on facebook: “He helps others, he is disciplined.” ^_^
May 12, 2010 at 1:28 pm
Rory,
I met you first at the 2009 Regional International Speech Contest in Nashville, TN — just one year ago and the words you spoke during your presentation gave me the strength I needed to take the stage that afternoon. I didn’t win first or even second place, but I knew I was a winner because of your words.
This year, I started early on my speech and was well prepared until February when one of my husband’s brothers had a massive heart attack and stroke. As he stabilized another brother let us know he was dying of a lung disease. My husband literally ran the 2 hour distance between them almost every other day. In March I learned I had torn the meniscus in my knee and would likely need surgery. Then just days after that diagnosis, my husband had a stroke — very slight, but he really slowed down. Then two days later, his brother with lung disease passed away. I tell you these things, because you ask about faith — faith for me was knowing that there would always be a tomorrow and that although it might not be what I had wanted it to be, it would be everything I let it be.
I did compete, but didn’t make it past District — that really doesn’t matter to me because I have faith that tomorrow will come and I can’t wait to see the joy that I know is just ahead of me.
My heart aches for those in Tennessee and all over who suffer from national disasters or health issues, etc., and for them I wish they could share my faith and feel the confidence I feel that there will be a tomorrow.
Thank you so much, Rory, for this video — I am constantly amazed at how much you offer all of us by your insights and guidance.
Your friend in Wisconsin — Barbara
May 16, 2010 at 4:20 pm
Barbara, wow what a challenging turn of events for you dear. I’m sorry to hear about that, especially you’re brother in law. It is amazing how trivial things like a speech contest seem when they are in the wake of things that really matter in our lives. You do have a strong Faith. It is obviously showing up in your life. Perhaps that is because God is using you to show it to other people who need your example. Glad you enjoyed the video and the other work that our team is putting together. Stay strong in that Faith. Faith in the storm is “taking the stairs”. Most people look to blame God but you are looking to lean into him and that is encouraging.
May 15, 2010 at 11:37 pm
Great post and video, Rory. Glad to know you’re at Cross Point. Hope to meet you soon!
May 17, 2010 at 8:21 pm
Thanks Grant. Great meeting you yesterday. I’m proud to be a part of Crosspoint. Talk to you soon!
May 16, 2010 at 2:35 pm
RV,
i always thought your initials were sweet, especially now that you’re on a world tour.
anyways, glad that you made this video, and even more thankful that you addressed this question instead of letting it slide.
i enjoyed your definition of faith…it points in the right direction, up to Jesus. and if our pain is for God’s greater glory, then it can tell us something about why…though not necessarily a solution.
a pastor named John Piper said that “tragedy of all kinds reminds us of the horror of sin,” in the world at large and in each of us individually. but greater still it reminds us that something is wrong, that we need help, and that that help must come from a God that is infinitely greater than ourselves. it reminds us that we are dependent on Him whether we like it or not.
i also loved what you said about “community, compassion, and character.” good word my friend.
May 16, 2010 at 4:12 pm
Glad you like the post brother. I guess I never realized the irony of “RV being on a world tour”!
That’s hilarious.
And soon enough I’ll be with my wife AV not to be confused with A/V at an event.
Tragedy definitely does remind us we need help. I’m hoping that if I remind myself every day that I need God’s help that maybe he’ll continue to spare me from major tragedies. I can’t really be one to preach on the topic of tragedy since the ones I have experienced are very small to what so many other people have had.
Nonetheless it seems that community, compassion, and character does come out in the world when tragedy shows up.
Thanks for spreading the word man. You’re doing good work.
May 17, 2010 at 2:10 pm
Great post. My thoughts: I don’t believe that God directly “allows” or “causes” these things to happen to us. I believe free will has an affect, that the rain falls on the good and the bad alike just as the sun shines on the good and the bad alike. I do believe that all things happen for a reason and that God can use any event – “good” or “bad” in our perception – to teach us and to help us grow. I also believe that “judge not lest ye be judged” pertains to more than just not judging ourselves better (or worse) than others. I believe God gave us that instruction to protect us from our own ignorance – and that it pertains to not judging situations as well as people. Because we, as humans, cannot fully see life’s big picture, we cannot possibly know if something is truly bad – or is in fact a blessing in disguise. In my life, there were many “bad” things I went through and I often wished I could change certain events. However, looking back now, I realize I wouldn’t avoid going through any of the events even if I could because they prepared me for the road ahead and many times led to great blessings. Of course, that still doesn’t stop me from looking up sometimes and thinking, “Lord, I don’t think I want to go down the path this is preparing me for!”
When I was 20, my best friend’s husband was killed in a car crash – just 7 months and 7 days after they were married. He was about to start his dream job, he was on fire for Christ, and everything seemed perfect in his life for the first time. As my friend and I struggled to understand, one thing that a church counselor said stuck with both of us: we were focusing on our loss and why such a terrible thing had happened; however, we hadn’t stopped to think that perhaps the Lord welcomed Steve home at a time in his life when he had finally found happiness, forgiveness, and no longer lived with regrets and guilt about his past. And while it was painful to go through at the time, the “ripple” from Steve’s death actually had a very inspiring and positive impact on many people.
Thank you for not only sharing your Faith, but living your Faith everyday.
September 21, 2010 at 10:35 pm
Rory, I have glide to your blog and found a great thoughts and I love the way you’re written.
Thanks heaps.
Greetings from Singapore/ Angelinal1n.
September 21, 2010 at 10:51 pm
Thanks for the compliment of checking out my blog. Glad you’re getting enjoyment from it. Stay tuned we have a great new blog posting tomorrow called the Trajectory Test! All the best. See you in the stairwell! Rory