Conversations with ATX Leaders: Jurie Kriel

April 27, 2020 / ABBA Admin / Comments Off

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” Proverbs 13:12

The greatest distance in life is the gap between our expectations and reality. As we attempt to gauge timing and distance through Corona-virus we have all these expectations but they continue to be extended and postponed. Leaders are asking “How do I plan?”

Jurie Kriel is the Senior Pastor and Founder of 512 Church in downtown Austin. Giving us a crash course in South African history, Jurie shares how his experience as a teenager navigating apartheid in South Africa shaped how he now leads through this pandemic.

Jurie shares his insights in the midst of what he calls, “Change Fatigue & ZOOM Fatigue.” Normal may be done, but hope lives on. “Fear is a combination of two things, a lack of perspective and a lack of trust. If we are going to overcome fear this time and day, then we are going to have to change our perspective and where we place our trust.”

Responding to ABBA Executive Director Rich Carney’s question of what’s around the corner, Jurie challenged us to see beyond the pandemic, considering what a post-pandemic norm may look like. “We are going to see some wild swings of the pendulum.”

As information emerges daily, where can leaders go for reliable communication? Jurie considers that we will need to adapt to making decisions with a lower percentage of information. “The problem isn’t access to information, but that we don’t know how to deal with so much information.” We view more words driving down Main Street in one pass than they would have read in an entire year not too long ago. “Now, I gather more information. I get more information and I hold it lightly.”

Through this season we have an opportunity to see hope every day. Just take a walk around dinner time and notice how many families are gathering and connecting more consistently. “We need to celebrate those connections…Many families are healing and restoring as they are finding time and a rhythm with one another.” Join us for an inspiration conversation!