These are times of constant change and uncertainty. Our lives have changed unpredictably, and we increasingly realize we have no control over them. The global pandemic is not over, although most of us have learned to live with it or try to ignore it and think it was just a nightmare that disrupted our existence, but now, when we wake up, it is behind us. However, we know well that our plans can change at any moment and that we are no longer the same as before.
During these circumstances, two things remain constant in our lives. One of them is, unfortunately, the great polarization around us. We live in a broken and divided world from which we cannot seem to escape. Mental, social and emotional problems have increased dramatically and beyond measure. Emotional fatigue and hopelessness are in the air. The search for easy solutions to complex problems has made radical politicians and leaders increasingly popular. Sometimes, some seem to want to live in an alternative reality to escape a harsh and sad reality.
On the one hand, our God still reigns on his throne over the entire universe and controls everything. Our triune God is immutable; his grace never changes, and his power always sustains us. The church continues to be the light of the world, shining the true light of Christ to all those who live in darkness. Circumstances around us divert our gaze from Jesus and cause us to lose focus on the God who loves and sustains us.
The next Biola University Hispanic Conference has as its central theme “New Wineskins, New Wine: Renewing the Church, the Mind and Hope in the Midst of a Divided and Broken World.” This conference is 44 years old, and this year reminds us that these two constant areas in our lives need to be put into proper perspective. We need to accept that we live in a broken world and have all been affected somehow. On the other hand, we must remember that the Holy Spirit renews us and that God sustains and blesses us so that we can bless others.
Next Saturday, September 30, 2023, promises to be a day to learn together as Hispanic people to renew our minds and hearts to God’s work in our lives and ministries. The conference will have practical, relevant and transformational conferences and workshops. This year, a special ingredient is the presence of Dr. Justo Gonzalez, perhaps the most important Hispanic theologian and historian in the United States in recent decades. I invite you to register as soon as possible and invite others to this conference, and we will be waiting for you with open arms!
