Forgiveness?

Within hours of writing the last post (see below), I received a phone call from a one-time friend who just got out of jail. DD was an intimate and important part of "The Gathering" from its inception, and we had great plans for him. We each invested money, time, encouragement and personal contacts in this "rising star". But instead of shining, he fell, losing his job, all his possessions and our respect along the way.

So, he called Friday night, not asking for anything but our forgiveness, still proclaiming his innocence of the charges filed against him, but confessing and admitting his mistakes and poor choices which headed him in that direction. I don't know if he'll follow up and return to us, eventually, but his return will test our (my) capacity to forgive. The world is watching!

Everything You Do Is Important!

I joined the masses and read "The Shack". I was very skeptical, not because the premise was too radical, but because of the fervent evangelical mindset of some of those recommending it. You see, I've become very jaded in my opinion of the USAmerican Protestant Church, with its emphasis on maintaining the institution, watering down the "Cost of Discipleship", and its emphasis on "good management" (yes, that is too harsh a perspective, and I repent, on my better days, anyway). This book was a quick & easy read, but struck me as being too "preachy" at times in the manner of the "Left Behind" books.

But, here's a paragraph from near the end of The Shack which is beautiful, to me. Here the main character is getting final instructions from the voice of God:
“Everything you do is important. Every time you forgive, the universe changes; with every kindness and service, seen or unseen, my purposes are accomplished and nothing will ever be the same again.” The Shack, p. 235, by William P. Young

That, my friends, will preach!

Bishop Wright on Colbert

One of my new favorite religious authors, Anglican Bishop N.T. Wright, appeared on the Colbert Report (the "t"'s are silent) on Comedy Central last week. This is a tough gig for anyone trying to make a serious point, but Bishop Wright made a solid attempt at it. He had some valuable things to say to an audience that needs to hear them. I fear that most are more likely to remember Cookie Monster's appearance on the show, however.

When God Speaks (3)

BONUS TIME!
I should be dead! That was my thought (and that's still my thought) as I laid on the ground Memorial Day weekend, 2000. I had just been up in a tree in our backyard, about 20' up, I guess, with my trusty hammer tearing down an aging treehouse. Its condition was questionable enough that I had attempted to keep everyone out of it, and I finally found the time that holiday weekend to climb up and tear it down, so no one would get hurt. I was kneeling on the treehouse floor, I reached and knocked loose an outer board, and the entire structure collapsed. I turned a 1/2 somersault on the way down and landed on my neck.
I found that I could move, and other than having the wind knocked out of me and being unable to breathe right, I seemed OK. I stumbled into the house and let Dana know I had fallen, still not breathing right. She called the ambulance, and they arrived quickly and strapped me to the backboard and hauled me to the ER. After the X-rays, they put a neck brace on me and sent me home with some Celebrex. When I went to see the neurosurgeon that week, he said I had a compression fracture of a Thoracic vertebra and several chipped ones in my neck. He also said there wasn't anything they could do about it until it degenerates further.
I took all this as a gift from God; that every subsequent minute of life was BONUS TIME, to which I was not entitled, but was still being given. So, I determined to go on with my life in a manner that will be a blessing to others and to not hide or deny my leading by the steady hand of the Holy Spirit. Our youngest daughter graduated from her high school and youth group that same week, so we went ahead and made the switch of church congregations we had been postponing. We found a grace-filled group of Christians who took us in and accepted us with our faults and baggage and whose worldview was much closer to our own. I don't think I ever did adequately explain to our dear friends at the previous congregation all the factors that went into our move. Some thought I was angry, some thought I was jealous of not being selected as an elder, and many were just puzzled. After all, we had been members there for 13 years and had raised our kids there! After all, my Dad was still a member there, so we were splitting up the family!
Some asked if we found anything that was really different there. My answer has been that Yes, we felt a breath of fresh air within Glenwood. For one thing, the predominant perspective of the members is that, if someone comes in and claims to be a follower of Christ, then they are accepted as such, until and unless they prove otherwise by their actions. At the previous congregation, no one from the outside was accepted as a fellow Christ-follower unless their history and actions led the members to believe their claim. Neither of these two views were unanimous, but my perception was that they were predominant.
So, that is why I no longer care what others think about me, as long as I'm being led by the Spirit. I refuse to be judged by anyone, even myself. I AM the Dead Man Walking! I AM crucified with Christ. I AM dead to the old way of life. I AM a new creation. I AM redeemed!
Peace to all!