I really can't believe I'm sharing this photo with you, but it fits. Be gentle ;-)
So there I was, sweating to the not-so-oldies the other day at the gym. In fact it might be the newest song I own, since most of the stuff I listen to was dreamed up before I was and this song won a Grammy last week. It's a catchy pop tune that has a fantastic beat, rhythm, cadence. I was trudging along at the half way mark of an already tired morning when the song came on. As it started I thought to myself, "Oh no, I don't want this one to play. I don't wan't to do what it's going to cause me to do". This song was a real workout game changer. And I love it. It really does have a fantastic beat and really (really) gets me moving. I look like that girl at the gym who is running from a psycho lunatic. Luckily the song is only three minutes long because if it compelled me any longer to go at that all-out pace I might pass out.
Sometime in the 90s Overseas Christian Servicemen's Center (O.C.S.C.) Decided that the name "Cadence" fit better on a t-shirt and so they changed it (or something like that). When we share about our ministry we're sure to mention the old name, as a lot of veterans will recognize it. But why Cadence? It doesn't paint a crystal clear picture of our mission. Sure it hints at military affiliation but I could never really explain it.
But a cadence keeps you moving, it keeps you in step. A cadence keeps you going when you would rather not. That is what we as believers need. We need brothers, sisters, and mentors to keep us going. Our job in ministry is to come along side of young people who need a place to go for encouragement, rest, and spiritual support. We have met a lot of Soldiers and Airmen who have stumbled through our door looking for a good meal not wanting to change anything about their lives. They sit with us and say, "I'm not sure I want to be challenged". I'd like to think that as those people join our community they have no choice but to be challenged and changed by the Word of God. We pray that they would be compelled into an all-out run toward Jesus. We have seen that play out in our home and in our lives. We are a Cadence, called by the Holy Spirit.
hup, two, three, four...
Elaine
p.s. the song is Some Nights by Fun. I can only recommend it as a catchy pop tune good for the workout playlist.
