The Crisis of Now

"The Crisis of Now"

By: Pastor Jack Schneider

“In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the God of Jacob. He will teach us His ways, so that we may walk in His paths.’” [Is.2:2,3, NIV]

            We’re not in the country any more, are we? 25 years ago St. Paul was surrounded by farmland, but now 273,000 people live in Plano, roughly the same number as Buffalo, N.Y., Norfolk, Va., and St. Paul, Minn. It’s also true Plano has the highest median income [$85K] among large U.S. cities, even as we’ve begun suffering the growing pains and struggling tax base Richardson and Garland did 20 years ago.

            Nothing shocking about this info… It’s from a fine article by Theodore Kim and Matthew Haag of the Dallas News. What’s more intriguing is their revelation that nearly a third of Plano’s primary language at home is not English. That’s up 11% in the last 10 years. Before you jump to conclusions, yes, Plano has a significant Hispanic population; what city in Texas doesn’t? But Spanish is not the only major non-English language used in Plano homes. Read the Isaiah 2 text again and consider this phrase: “all nations will stream to it.” The fact is 14.4% of Plano’s population is Asian -- three times higher than the national average -- a result of education and technology.

            Kim and Haag suggest some city leaders seem to feel Plano faces an identity crisis based on how we plan to face issues like poverty, homelessness, budget and age. I’d suggest we indeed have an identity crisis on our hands, but from a spiritual viewpoint, and with an incredibly rich opportunity for our witness to the transforming power of Jesus Christ in this community. Our own Christian Day School is a microcosm of the greater Plano community, and not a day passes without every person, from classroom teacher to facility supervisor to pastoral staff and volunteers asking, “How can we be the presence of Jesus Christ to every person who walks through these doors?”

            What about you? Does Jesus walk with you…in you…alongside you…through you each day wherever you go? You have been placed here for a purpose, to touch specific lives in His name.

“…And He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so men would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of Us. For in Him we live and move and have our being.” [Acts 17:26,27, NIV]

- Pastor Jack