Hi, welcome to Redeem the Commute. I’m Ryan, your host for the daily challenges.  This week’s topic is part of our series called EPIC where we’ve been exploring how Jesus is found throughout the Old Testament part of the Bible. We’re reading some epic old stories from the Old Testament, some of which you might have heard before, some of which might be new to you. But our hope is that in each of them we’ll see how they’re part of one big epic story: the story of the Bible, the story of the world, God’s story.

Our daily challenges are meant to help you explore what it means to follow Jesus, even if you don’t have a lot of time. That’s why we have a rhythm that keeps us in sync, even if we’re not a community that meets together in person regularly. This means every Monday we introduce the week’s idea. Every Tuesday we study it in the Bible. Every Wednesday we see how that challenges and transforms our thinking on the topic. Thursdays we try to apply and live it out. Friday is a day for prayer and reflection before we take a rest on Saturday, and Sundays we meet together with other Christians in community.

Life doesn’t always go as planned!  Mine didn’t – I left high school with a clear nine-year plan.  I had joined the armed forces, and my life was planned with military precision.  A summer at basic training, four years in university, five years of guaranteed work.

When that all fell apart, and my life plan as gone, it was a challenging experience that I wouldn’t have chosen, or wished on anyone else.  But in the end I can look back, and see how the experience is part of who I am now.  Failure and disappointment led me to some even better things in life than I’d planned.

Now, this story of career failure at Age 17 pales in comparison to what others go through.

Two of the best preachers I know have experienced serious illness in themselves, or a child.  Coincidence?  I don’t think so.

There is a pattern throughout history, and in people’s lives today, of God redeeming the pain, frustration and fear of life.

Redeeming, or redemption is a term you might not use regularly.  It’s got religious meainings, but also comes up in business, like when you redeem a gift card.  You unlock the value otherwise confined to a plastic card, and get something good in return.

Or you might refer to someone’s redeeming quality – the one part of their character that counters lots of negatives.

Or, this app is named Redeem the Commute for a reason.  We’re all about helping you redeem the commute, unlocking some value in otherwise lost time, and what can feel like a waste of life.

This week we’ll see redemption in the story of Joseph – yes – the one with the technicolour dreamcoat.

It’s a great story, beloved by many fans of the musical.

But first:

Question: Have you ever looked back at a bad situation and found some redemption?  Share that story with someone else, or your group.

• You can [permalink append=”#comments”]Discuss the Challenge[/permalink] online, or by starting a local discussion group!
• Are you meeting just once a week with your discussion group?  You can find all of this week’s discussion material in our Weekly Study Guide