Flood - The Path From Ruin to Renewal

Thursday, October 22

This week we’ve been discussing how the flood is more than just devastation, or even God wipe out the entire world and starting creation over. It is God, handing humanity over to the ruin in created and out of severe mercy, chose to recreate again with Noah, the man of comfort and rest. We said, God gave us a path from ruin to renewal.

Folks, I know that firsthand and God used a career change to show me what he means, out of death comes life, he brought me on a path from ruin to renewal.

I stepped away from pastoring in 2002 because of a series of selfish, sinful decisions. But part of the problem was trying to find a job when your degree is in Youth Ministry from a private liberal arts college, you are not very employable. My training wasn’t very transferable to the real world. I searched for a few jobs but then landed in grace at Fond du lac Bumper Exchange with David Genesier. Fond du lac Bumper was a company that took broken, damaged bumpers, plastic or steel, and refurbished/renewed them to sell to body
shops and dealerships. They also sold after-market collision parts, from hoods to trunks and most things in between.

But here is the other part of the problem. I knew nothing about cars. I couldn’t tell you who made the Grand Prix or the Astro Van or the Outback. But David met me in my ruin and had me start out as a grunt working in the warehouse and filling in on routes to deliver parts when needed. My path from ruin to renewal was interesting because after 10 months on the job and not knowing anything I became the assistant sales manager and then 6 months later I was brought on as the sales manager of a modest business.

We were in the business of taking bumpers that were ruined to a degree and renewing them. Which is exactly what God did with me, as I waited, working at Fond du lac Bumper, my ruined life of failure, lostness was renewed through grace and hard work.

As a parting gift David gave me a piece of art, taking broken down, “ruined” parts and putting together something wonderful, a sailboat with two people on it. One guy on the rutter and the other guy on the mast. It’s called “hiking out” so the sailboat doesn’t tip over as much. According to Dave, that guy was me. One who would have strength, courage and trust to go in the direction the captain wanted to go.

Folks, I don’t say that as a brag. I say that as a path from ruin to renewal. God’s work from fall of 2002 to summer of 2006 was working through the broken places of my life to create in me a new.

That’s why I love 2 Corinthians 5:17- Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! Or even Isaiah 43:19- See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

You notice the flood and creation language. From ruin to renewal. Which means you need to pause and ask some processing questions.

What areas in your life are in ruin, or dead or need to die so that God can create anew in you? To renew you?

What areas do you need renewal? (relationships, attitudes, mindset, healthy emotion, reactions)

What lies need to die so truth can live? What lies need to be destroyed so truth can be created within you?

Biblical creation is moving from non-order to order, chaos to peace, death to life. The Flood narrative is an invitation to see and live in that renewal.