An Increase in Courage
We’re honored to share a reflection from Ted Yap, a member of Renovare’s community. Ted serves as Director of Spiritual Formation at The Heights Presbyterian Church, and has been an encouragement to us in our Renovare Journey.
Courage can take many forms. One form of courage is storytelling. The best storytellers bring you into the world of the story that they’re telling. They also tell stories that need to be told. That is exactly what my experience has been like with Renovare. The music of Renovare has drawn me into stories that need to be told. Actually, I would say they have drawn me into stories that other storytellers would be unwilling to tell or even get close to.
Whether that’s highlighting the creativity of one of their students or the (surprisingly interesting) life of St. Patrick, I see an invitation embedded in Renovare to see beyond the comfort of my everyday life into being aware of something much more beautiful. Namely, the often unseen work that God does in the hearts of men and women. With that I’m reminded that all people have inherent value and have a story that’s worth telling. One of the things that has impacted me the most is the genuineness of how you are invited into the music. There’s no bait and switch, no manipulation. There is a true sense that Renovare has been so present in the lives of others and their personal stories, that you feel like you’ve been with them too. You feel like you’ve met the person they teach that lives behind bars, you even feel the struggles in the heart of St. Patrick even though he lived several centuries ago.
Both the most recent Renovare events that I have experienced left me asking myself “what stories am I unwilling to tell and get near to?” Afterward, I felt an increase in courage within myself. It’s one thing to believe that God is restoring all things. It’s another to get near to the marginalized and easily forgotten because God is restoring all things. I’ve seen hope in the music of Renovare because the stories they share and that they invite me into are simply glimpses into the grander thing that God is doing throughout the world. There’s nothing so broken God can’t make better than new. There’s no person that God is afraid of being close to and to love. I think that’s probably the most courageous thing. Telling stories of hope and restoration in unexpected places, then inviting others into that.