What is God doing?
I've asked that question with various inflections and emotions throughout my life. With tears of confusion, I uttered, "What is God doing?" It is the familiar "Why me?" dressed up a little bit. I have also had the opportunity to ask that same question with a sense of wonder. And then sometimes I find myself right in the middle with a big 'ol question mark as I shake my head wondering how a situation will turn out. (Insert adult children, anyone?)
This blog fits somewhere between the question mark and the wonder category. If you follow me on social media, you may notice that I stink at posting. I try my best, but my interactions are limited. However, recently, I posted a trailer for a documentary on my husband's life. Even as I type that, I shake my head. How in the world?
I share the backstory here for two reasons… that I will get to in a minute.
In 2019, Chris and I were in the tearful version of "What is God doing?" Living in Atlanta and trying to hear from the Lord, God provided for our family by Chris teaching Christian peer advisory groups throughout the country. Just when we began to question where our next paycheck would come from, another group would reach out and schedule Chris to come to teach. One of these groups was in Lancaster, PA. Chris flew in, taught business leadership, met the members, and flew back to Atlanta.
Fast forward to January 2021, just a few months after God called us back to Memphis to launch One City Church and Race for Reconciliation. One of the business owners of the Lancaster group turned to his wife on a Sunday in the middle of COVID and said, "Let's see if we can find Chris Conlee teaching online." "Somehow" (aka God's hand), this gentleman and his wife landed at the last sermon Chris taught before we moved from Ohio. That message was Chris's testimony of God's amazing redemptive work in his relationship with his dad. After a life with a painful father wound, God provided a level of healing that caused this wife to shake her head in wonder. This gentleman is the 2nd generation owner of a Christian film company. He turned to his wife and said they needed to make a documentary on the story of God's healing in Chris's life. And here we are.
Why do I tell you this?
If you have heartache over a friendship gone south or a broken family member with whom you have a broken relationship, I urge you to watch Love Works: A Story of Healing and Hope. This is what God can do in every relationship. And honestly, freedom and healing do not even require two people. If you are in Memphis, we invite you to come for the national premiere on October 23rd.
God never wastes a wound. We have taught this. And we have lived this. No matter what you have walked through, God sees it and wants to use it. The most painful part of your story, when put at the feet of Jesus, will be used.
In a fallen, broken world, we experience things that we would never choose, but we also choose how that experience will be used. God brought this crazy opportunity to us. We trust He will bring hope and healing to all who watch it. If you want more information and help dealing with broken relationships and adversity, check out loveworksdocumentary.com.