He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. “
Matthew 18:2-3
I have always found it interesting that Jesus said this, since most little children can’t read. However, my experience inside of our culture’s Christianity largely consisted of ‘wrestling’ constantly to make myself read and understand the Bible.
Reading a book about someone I didn’t really know was overwhelming. When you throw in a few confusing and misleading translations, numerous conflicting ideas about what this or that passage really means, and mix it together with people who think they’ve been put on earth to set everyone else’s Bible doctrine straight or declare them to be destined for a really hot place, well - somehow the above Matthew verse never made much sense to me.
I spent years agonizing over the Bible, trying to understand it, and trying to get someone to explain it to me in a way that would help me grow spiritually as promised. Sometimes, the offered explanations further confused and scared me half to death. Things only grew worse over the years, the more I tried. The final blow came when I read a book written by a master of Scripture Twister. After that, the only reason I had any desire to remain a Christian at all was, hopefully, to keep from going to hell. I was a lot more like a 39 year old basket case than a trusting little child at that point.
These days, I find myself asking my heavenly Father to help me see what a daughter looks like in his eyes. To understand what it is like to be like a little child, in his arms, safe and loved forever.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Alabama part 1: The Experience
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.
Jesus, John 13:34
I was privileged to spend a weekend recently in Huntsville, Alabama, with some great folks, a couple who have been dear journey mate friends for over two years. Trying to describe the blessing of this weekend is hard to do. I decided to write a series of contrasts between some of the discouraging times in organized church, and a few snapshot moments of our weekend in Huntsville, as follows:
“That’s too far to drive. Why don’t we just meet somewhere in town?” was the reply I got after inviting a new acquaintance to my home for lunch and fellowship. This woman lives about 45 minutes away from me. And of course, there are the old friends from a city 3 hours away who are still ‘going’ to come and visit. None of them have showed up yet. Gas prices, you know.
Two women plotted for weeks on how they were going to work this out. Their friendship had grown and blossomed despite several hundred miles that separated them. One plan had fallen through, so they’d just make another one. After a flurry of emails and changes of plans that were beyond their control, it was finally time to pack their bags. They each drove eight hours to meet in the middle, their eagerness at being together making the miles fly by.
I went to church like I thought I was supposed to, faithfully, every week and sometimes twice or even three times a week, for years. The same people were there each week. Some of them ignored me altogether, others were ‘glad’ to see me if they wanted something. A few were genuinely kind and pleasant, giving me a hug of greeting, before rushing off to do their duty for the church, whatever it was that day.
The kitchen was filled with the sound of two women screaming for joy as they threw their arms around each other, laughing and crying. “Oh my God, I can’t believe it’s really you,” says one of the women through her tears as they cling to each other for a long moment. Then dancing for joy, they shouted gleefully, “We did it! We did it! We’re here! Yaaaayyyy!”
When my family was first saved years ago, we were told by the church we were attending that fellowship was most important. The way to have the ‘right’ kind of fellowship was to faithfully attend the home group meetings, Bible studies, and other church functions. One thing I remember about this time is the generic greeting from some of the people we saw all the time, of “hi, boys” to my two sons, close in age. Keeping their names straight must have been too much trouble, although I repeated them numerous times.
A man is talking to two teenage boys about their interests. After only one weekend of spending some time around my boys, this man tells their mom how light-years beyond most teenagers they are. They are great teens, and yet, it doesn’t really take a lot of intentional notice to see their special qualities. It just takes a few minutes here and there of choosing to listen. Knowing how to listen is one of the greatest gifts one person can give another.
“We have a great children’s program!” is one of the favorite tag lines of up-and-growing organized churches. This is code for “We have a place for you to drop your children off so they won’t bother you or anybody else during the worship service. After all, their little peeps and coos might distract the worship team from focusing on the Holy Spirit, or the pastor from delivering his sermon.
A beautiful lady with curly white hair is holding a little girl she just met. She tells her how beautiful she is and gives her a hug. Later, the man who was talking to the teen boys takes this little girl in his arms and gives her a hug. He winks as he tells the girl’s mom that he’ll take her any time Mom wants to trade kids.
I remember a typical home group meeting at our first church, everyone sitting there trying to look spiritual. It was usually very quiet except for the home group leader droning on with his Bible lesson, pausing here and there and asking if anyone had any comments. A couple of people’s eyes were often drifting shut, but they would snap to attention and put the ‘serious spiritual’ looks back on their faces. Someone might sneak a glance at his watch. A toddler might escape crying from child care in the other room, and the mother would jump up and whisk him out of the room lest the lesson be disturbed.
“I love the art work on your walls,” says a woman to the hostess. The guest is then treated to a tour of some of the paintings, each with a story. They walk past a man and woman in animated conversation, two teen boys waxing enthusiastic about their sports to a listener, and a little girl happily chasing a big girl through the other room. The woman’s husband, normally not a social guy, is talking animatedly with someone he just met. Normally this couple is eager to get out of these ‘home group’ meetings. Tonight the evening ends all too soon.
“I’m going to go wait in the car,” I snapped to my husband on more than one occasion when trying to get out of the building after Sunday morning church. He would be busy picking up scattered bulletins from the floor as part of his usher duties. My children, holding a wad of Sunday school papers, treasure chest toys, and lollipops, would be whining, “Mommy, I’m hungry.” Swirls of chatting people would be moving around us like we were a rock in a rushing stream, passed over just as swiftly and casually. We’d make our way through the crowd to the door, then through the parking lot virtually unnoticed.
“I have an idea,” says a man with a kind smile. “Let’s just give each other a hug, say goodbye, and leave.” So with tears in their eyes, the women give brief and final hugs to each other and him, climb into their cars and leave. It is about time, they have been saying goodbye, smiling through tears, for 20 minutes.
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now abide in my love. If you obey my commands, you will abide in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and abide in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
John 15:9-11
Jesus, John 13:34
I was privileged to spend a weekend recently in Huntsville, Alabama, with some great folks, a couple who have been dear journey mate friends for over two years. Trying to describe the blessing of this weekend is hard to do. I decided to write a series of contrasts between some of the discouraging times in organized church, and a few snapshot moments of our weekend in Huntsville, as follows:
“That’s too far to drive. Why don’t we just meet somewhere in town?” was the reply I got after inviting a new acquaintance to my home for lunch and fellowship. This woman lives about 45 minutes away from me. And of course, there are the old friends from a city 3 hours away who are still ‘going’ to come and visit. None of them have showed up yet. Gas prices, you know.
Two women plotted for weeks on how they were going to work this out. Their friendship had grown and blossomed despite several hundred miles that separated them. One plan had fallen through, so they’d just make another one. After a flurry of emails and changes of plans that were beyond their control, it was finally time to pack their bags. They each drove eight hours to meet in the middle, their eagerness at being together making the miles fly by.
I went to church like I thought I was supposed to, faithfully, every week and sometimes twice or even three times a week, for years. The same people were there each week. Some of them ignored me altogether, others were ‘glad’ to see me if they wanted something. A few were genuinely kind and pleasant, giving me a hug of greeting, before rushing off to do their duty for the church, whatever it was that day.
The kitchen was filled with the sound of two women screaming for joy as they threw their arms around each other, laughing and crying. “Oh my God, I can’t believe it’s really you,” says one of the women through her tears as they cling to each other for a long moment. Then dancing for joy, they shouted gleefully, “We did it! We did it! We’re here! Yaaaayyyy!”
When my family was first saved years ago, we were told by the church we were attending that fellowship was most important. The way to have the ‘right’ kind of fellowship was to faithfully attend the home group meetings, Bible studies, and other church functions. One thing I remember about this time is the generic greeting from some of the people we saw all the time, of “hi, boys” to my two sons, close in age. Keeping their names straight must have been too much trouble, although I repeated them numerous times.
A man is talking to two teenage boys about their interests. After only one weekend of spending some time around my boys, this man tells their mom how light-years beyond most teenagers they are. They are great teens, and yet, it doesn’t really take a lot of intentional notice to see their special qualities. It just takes a few minutes here and there of choosing to listen. Knowing how to listen is one of the greatest gifts one person can give another.
“We have a great children’s program!” is one of the favorite tag lines of up-and-growing organized churches. This is code for “We have a place for you to drop your children off so they won’t bother you or anybody else during the worship service. After all, their little peeps and coos might distract the worship team from focusing on the Holy Spirit, or the pastor from delivering his sermon.
A beautiful lady with curly white hair is holding a little girl she just met. She tells her how beautiful she is and gives her a hug. Later, the man who was talking to the teen boys takes this little girl in his arms and gives her a hug. He winks as he tells the girl’s mom that he’ll take her any time Mom wants to trade kids.
I remember a typical home group meeting at our first church, everyone sitting there trying to look spiritual. It was usually very quiet except for the home group leader droning on with his Bible lesson, pausing here and there and asking if anyone had any comments. A couple of people’s eyes were often drifting shut, but they would snap to attention and put the ‘serious spiritual’ looks back on their faces. Someone might sneak a glance at his watch. A toddler might escape crying from child care in the other room, and the mother would jump up and whisk him out of the room lest the lesson be disturbed.
“I love the art work on your walls,” says a woman to the hostess. The guest is then treated to a tour of some of the paintings, each with a story. They walk past a man and woman in animated conversation, two teen boys waxing enthusiastic about their sports to a listener, and a little girl happily chasing a big girl through the other room. The woman’s husband, normally not a social guy, is talking animatedly with someone he just met. Normally this couple is eager to get out of these ‘home group’ meetings. Tonight the evening ends all too soon.
“I’m going to go wait in the car,” I snapped to my husband on more than one occasion when trying to get out of the building after Sunday morning church. He would be busy picking up scattered bulletins from the floor as part of his usher duties. My children, holding a wad of Sunday school papers, treasure chest toys, and lollipops, would be whining, “Mommy, I’m hungry.” Swirls of chatting people would be moving around us like we were a rock in a rushing stream, passed over just as swiftly and casually. We’d make our way through the crowd to the door, then through the parking lot virtually unnoticed.
“I have an idea,” says a man with a kind smile. “Let’s just give each other a hug, say goodbye, and leave.” So with tears in their eyes, the women give brief and final hugs to each other and him, climb into their cars and leave. It is about time, they have been saying goodbye, smiling through tears, for 20 minutes.
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now abide in my love. If you obey my commands, you will abide in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and abide in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
John 15:9-11
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Laddie
One of my favorite heart books is “Divine Nobodies” by Jim Palmer. Two and a half years into my journey outside of organized religion, it remains among my very few favorites.
For those who haven’t read it, the book is divided into chapters drawing spiritual journey parallels with personal experiences and folks in Jim’s life. One of these ‘folks’ is Laddie, although Laddie had fur and four legs.
“The Black Hole of Intimacy: Laddie the Dog” was the hardest chapter for me to read because it was so sad. The theme of this chapter was Jim’s struggle with depression.
Laddie the dog was Jim’s childhood friend. Jim rescued Laddie from his abusive older brother’s neglect and harsh treatment, and began to care for Laddie himself. The two of them helped fill the empty spaces of hurt and loneliness in each other. Jim wrote, “Laddie and I arrived at a certain understanding: we needed each other if we were going to make it.”
When Jim’s family had to move to an apartment, his mother informed him that Laddie was going to have to go to a new home. I could hardly read the description of Jim and his sister going to leave Laddie behind in a new home. Such loss from separation from someone you love is truly a bottomless pit, in and of itself. It can seem that God simply isn’t big enough to compensate for how deep the pain goes.
As Jim so eloquently said in this chapter, “I have not easily let go of the secret hope that somehow it could all be magically erased or made right or the wishful expectation that someone or something could compensate for the sadness.” I know this feeling all too well myself.
Many years have passed since this time in Jim’s life, and almost three years have passed since I read Jim’s story of himself and Laddie. I remember at the time thinking I wish that there was some answer to these awful, unfair situations that seem like they’re nothing but a black hole of sadness that has made a permanent home inside a human heart.
Meanwhile, last month I found myself coping with feelings of emptiness and loneliness with a few too many boxes of chocolate covered cherries and viewings of “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.” This is a long season of no close local relationships in our lives, and the desire to reach out and really make a difference in someone else's life was eating at me day and night.
I suppressed a tired sigh as we rumbled down the road toward a relative’s house for an annual obligatory Christmastime visit. This one was particularly uncomfortable, someone who I never knew how to talk to and wasn’t ever really sure whether they even want us to come visit. Visits with these relatives usually consist of hours of sitting and chatting sporadically as a TV blares in the background, and this one was no different, but for one thing. As we turned into the drive, I noticed a young black Labrador Retriever lying in a bare spot on the snowy, soggy front yard.
The little guy got up and wagged his tail as we got out of the car. We patted him, being dog lovers. As I scratched behind his ears, he plastered himself to me and groaned in a way that caught my attention. His groan was so desperate – hungry for food, for warmth, and most of all, for attention and love. I noticed how thin he was. He seemed to say, Please, please help me. Please love me.
We asked the relatives about him, and they offhandedly replied that he was a stray who had wandered into the yard and they were planning to take him to the animal shelter tomorrow. We started to eat lunch when the ASPCA commercial with Sarah McLoughlin came on TV. I put my plate down and tried not to cry. I saw my son do the same.
I went outside in the cold and sat with the dog hungrily nuzzling my lap. Then I thought of my longing to make a difference to someone. I knew what we were going to do. We decided that that someone this Christmas was this sad-faced little dog, with his fuzzy puppy face and skinny ribs sticking out of his poor shivering body. When it was time to go, we put him in the van and started on the long drive home.
We realized that doggie might go to the bathroom on the car floor, so we stopped at a store to get a plastic cloth for him to lie on. As we tried to urge him to move so that we could spread out the cloth, he cried and trembled all over from head to toe, like Wile E. Coyote after taking an “Earthquake Pill.” We realized that he was afraid we were going to dump him out in the parking lot and leave him there. This was probably how he had ended up abandoned the first time.
I stroked his trembling body, and told him through tears, “No one is going to hurt you. No one is going to leave you. You’re safe with us. We’re going home now.” We all petted him and talked to him, and he soon went to sleep on the floor of the van and didn’t make a peep the rest of the way home. He is truly an amazing little guy. As many whining, yelping, blow-outs-from-both-ends episodes as I’ve had taking our other pets to the vet over the years, five hours in the car without a hitch with a scared young pup was more than a small miracle.
The picture at the top is our new furry friend. He is fed, he is comfortable. Already the sinkholes behind his ribs have almost disappeared. He has new furry friends to play with (my other dogs). He has humans who pet him, romp with him and scratch behind the ears where he can’t quite reach well enough. He has room to roam and run, a dog’s paradise. He is no longer abandoned, no longer without a name, no longer without a home.
Although he is young, he is like an old dog in some ways. He is gentle and wise, thoughtful and melancholy. He sits for long stretches and is clearly in deep thought. I think he remembers what life was like before, and is able to ponder where he is now, and be glad. He once was lost, and now is found.
I called to make a vet appointment for him the next morning. The receptionist asked the dog’s name, and it came to me instantly.
“Laddie,” I said. “His name is Laddie.”
Sunday, October 25, 2009
My thoughts on "Bo's Cafe"
I have mixed feelings about this book; that's not to say I didn't like it, but still I will share some thoughts that I hope someone will benefit from.
In some ways this book reminded me so much of "So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore" that I had to pinch myself and remind myself it was a different book. It was kind of like eating a casserole made with Thanksgiving leftovers - tasty, while at the same time you feel like you've eaten this before.
I also had to remind myself several times that this is a work of Fiction - like a movie, where things are so nicely resolved in an unnaturally short time span. I remember the movie "Facing the Giants" which had the same producer as "Firewall" and "Flywheel." I've heard several free-believing Christians say they didn't like these movies because they were canned and unrealistic. I'm actually having some similar feelings about some of the 'out of the box' Christian novels I've read, even though I do enjoy them to some degree.
I actually liked "Facing the Giants." I took it at face value as a nice feel-good escape from reality, a movie that was safe to watch with my kids. Not one that I would look to as encouragement for difficult situations in my own life really. My feelings about "Bo's Cafe" are rather similar.
For anyone who hasn't already read it, "Bo's Cafe" is the story of a man named Stephen who has some serious relational issues. He carries unresolved anger and a sense of underlying shame that frequently spill over onto his co-workers and his family. Things blow up when he gets into a huge fight with his wife; she kicks him out and he moves into a hotel.
By this time, a mysterious friend named Andy has shown up in his life, who knew Stephen's dad and has seen Stephen around for years, riding his company's yacht from the pier where Andy works. Andy takes him under his wing and introduces him to a group of his friends who meet each Thursday at - you guessed it, Bo's Cafe. Nine months later, things are amazingly better in Stephen's life. In a safe group of friends, he has found validation, healing, transformation, and wouldn't you know it, even a great new church. It just so happens that one of the folks at Bo's is a pastor and now Stephen and his family are enjoying a wonderful place that is good for them all.
I can't fault these guys for writing the book. They make their points well in the conversations that transpire between Stephen, Andy, and the rest of the gang. They do a good job of exposing the real problems in people's hearts and the various ways that we attempt to hide and compensate for them.
I just wish they hadn't wrapped things up all nice and neat in such a short time, and a relatively short book. Again, it seemed a lot like the nice feel-good but not-so-realistic Christian movies that I've heard complaints about. The reality is, things just don't happen this way for most people.
I know I'm not alone in saying that I've struggled for years in my search for real community. I've never in my life witnessed anyone acting as badly as Stephen and still had real friends stick by and help him through. My experience has been that people often run like rabbits when you unpack the rough, raw stuff. They can't or don't want to walk through it with you.
My experience has been that healing, and the people who really share community in my life, have been few and far between, and often just for a short season. The truth is, many people have to wait for a long, long time to find this type of community, and I believe some never do. I personally would have found Stephen's story more realistic (and more encouraging) with a few changes.
Some ideas are: Stephen's friendship with Andy is off again, on again. Andy disappears without explanation (often when Stephen needs him most) for months at a time. Maybe Andy drops away altogether and Stephen waits (perhaps for a couple of years) for someone else to come along who feels like sharing a friendship. Then, that friend gets tired of him and moves on. Maybe he tries the church where Carlos the pastor presides, only to have that situation fall apart because Stephen is 'too raw.' Meanwhile, the group at Bo's begins gossiping about what a pain in the neck Stephen is, and begins meeting on Fridays without telling him. Stephen suffers and is angry. Yet he struggles to hold onto the few pieces of the puzzle that he collects from each relationship. Slowly but surely he knows God is always with him, helping him walk the lonely road, sending him a friend here and there and then helping him walk alone again. Maybe by this time his wife has gotten fed up and left him, but he is rebuilding his relationship with his now-grown daughter and even finding a peaceable relationship with his now ex-wife.
I'd really like to see someone write a novel more along these lines. There are starkly realistic movies that still leave the viewer with hope and great thoughts to chew on; why not a novel? I'm thinking that part of the problem is the fact that publishing companies are now coming out with shorter, more condensed books to accommodate the average reader, who doesn't have the time or attention span to tread through a longer book. Hmm, this is the same lack of time and patience I normally see in society these days that make communities like the one in "Bo's Cafe" seem just too story-bookish to be anything but a nice idea.
In some ways this book reminded me so much of "So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore" that I had to pinch myself and remind myself it was a different book. It was kind of like eating a casserole made with Thanksgiving leftovers - tasty, while at the same time you feel like you've eaten this before.
I also had to remind myself several times that this is a work of Fiction - like a movie, where things are so nicely resolved in an unnaturally short time span. I remember the movie "Facing the Giants" which had the same producer as "Firewall" and "Flywheel." I've heard several free-believing Christians say they didn't like these movies because they were canned and unrealistic. I'm actually having some similar feelings about some of the 'out of the box' Christian novels I've read, even though I do enjoy them to some degree.
I actually liked "Facing the Giants." I took it at face value as a nice feel-good escape from reality, a movie that was safe to watch with my kids. Not one that I would look to as encouragement for difficult situations in my own life really. My feelings about "Bo's Cafe" are rather similar.
For anyone who hasn't already read it, "Bo's Cafe" is the story of a man named Stephen who has some serious relational issues. He carries unresolved anger and a sense of underlying shame that frequently spill over onto his co-workers and his family. Things blow up when he gets into a huge fight with his wife; she kicks him out and he moves into a hotel.
By this time, a mysterious friend named Andy has shown up in his life, who knew Stephen's dad and has seen Stephen around for years, riding his company's yacht from the pier where Andy works. Andy takes him under his wing and introduces him to a group of his friends who meet each Thursday at - you guessed it, Bo's Cafe. Nine months later, things are amazingly better in Stephen's life. In a safe group of friends, he has found validation, healing, transformation, and wouldn't you know it, even a great new church. It just so happens that one of the folks at Bo's is a pastor and now Stephen and his family are enjoying a wonderful place that is good for them all.
I can't fault these guys for writing the book. They make their points well in the conversations that transpire between Stephen, Andy, and the rest of the gang. They do a good job of exposing the real problems in people's hearts and the various ways that we attempt to hide and compensate for them.
I just wish they hadn't wrapped things up all nice and neat in such a short time, and a relatively short book. Again, it seemed a lot like the nice feel-good but not-so-realistic Christian movies that I've heard complaints about. The reality is, things just don't happen this way for most people.
I know I'm not alone in saying that I've struggled for years in my search for real community. I've never in my life witnessed anyone acting as badly as Stephen and still had real friends stick by and help him through. My experience has been that people often run like rabbits when you unpack the rough, raw stuff. They can't or don't want to walk through it with you.
My experience has been that healing, and the people who really share community in my life, have been few and far between, and often just for a short season. The truth is, many people have to wait for a long, long time to find this type of community, and I believe some never do. I personally would have found Stephen's story more realistic (and more encouraging) with a few changes.
Some ideas are: Stephen's friendship with Andy is off again, on again. Andy disappears without explanation (often when Stephen needs him most) for months at a time. Maybe Andy drops away altogether and Stephen waits (perhaps for a couple of years) for someone else to come along who feels like sharing a friendship. Then, that friend gets tired of him and moves on. Maybe he tries the church where Carlos the pastor presides, only to have that situation fall apart because Stephen is 'too raw.' Meanwhile, the group at Bo's begins gossiping about what a pain in the neck Stephen is, and begins meeting on Fridays without telling him. Stephen suffers and is angry. Yet he struggles to hold onto the few pieces of the puzzle that he collects from each relationship. Slowly but surely he knows God is always with him, helping him walk the lonely road, sending him a friend here and there and then helping him walk alone again. Maybe by this time his wife has gotten fed up and left him, but he is rebuilding his relationship with his now-grown daughter and even finding a peaceable relationship with his now ex-wife.
I'd really like to see someone write a novel more along these lines. There are starkly realistic movies that still leave the viewer with hope and great thoughts to chew on; why not a novel? I'm thinking that part of the problem is the fact that publishing companies are now coming out with shorter, more condensed books to accommodate the average reader, who doesn't have the time or attention span to tread through a longer book. Hmm, this is the same lack of time and patience I normally see in society these days that make communities like the one in "Bo's Cafe" seem just too story-bookish to be anything but a nice idea.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Bound and Loosed
Here is another Bible verse that I've always wondered about: "I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." Mt. 18:18
I've seen this verse applied something like this: A person with a cold has the 'demon' of illness over them bound, and is expected to instantly be healed. Or, someone with financial trouble has a prayer binding the devourer prayed over them, with the expected result of money appearing to solve their problems. I'm not even sure what the 'loosed' part of the verse means.
The following verses, Mt. 18:19-20, is often simultaneously applied. "Again, I tell you that if the two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."
I've seen this passage used as the 'vending machine God' approach. Supposedly if two or more people agree on any type of healing, problem solving, or blessing prayed a certain way, God just has to do it for them. They have this verse as 'proof.'
I've seen this approach fail often enough that I'm looking for better answers. I think the lack of real relationship between people and between God may be the key as to why we often see little in the way of results from our asking prayers. As if God is just someone to go to to fix your problems, not someone to walk with as a friend and Father.
What I've usually seen when Christians get together for the "two or three" prayers is to get some sort of quick fix for something, not just to hang out with each other and God out of sheer enjoyment and love. People want quick fixes because they don't necessitate the kind of relationship it takes to walk through things with each other on a more realistic, God-orchestrated timeline. That's my .02 worth.
So, what are your thoughts?
I've seen this verse applied something like this: A person with a cold has the 'demon' of illness over them bound, and is expected to instantly be healed. Or, someone with financial trouble has a prayer binding the devourer prayed over them, with the expected result of money appearing to solve their problems. I'm not even sure what the 'loosed' part of the verse means.
The following verses, Mt. 18:19-20, is often simultaneously applied. "Again, I tell you that if the two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."
I've seen this passage used as the 'vending machine God' approach. Supposedly if two or more people agree on any type of healing, problem solving, or blessing prayed a certain way, God just has to do it for them. They have this verse as 'proof.'
I've seen this approach fail often enough that I'm looking for better answers. I think the lack of real relationship between people and between God may be the key as to why we often see little in the way of results from our asking prayers. As if God is just someone to go to to fix your problems, not someone to walk with as a friend and Father.
What I've usually seen when Christians get together for the "two or three" prayers is to get some sort of quick fix for something, not just to hang out with each other and God out of sheer enjoyment and love. People want quick fixes because they don't necessitate the kind of relationship it takes to walk through things with each other on a more realistic, God-orchestrated timeline. That's my .02 worth.
So, what are your thoughts?
Sunday, September 13, 2009
A beautiful poem
Here is a beautiful poem written by bretttact, from the Free Believers site. In case you missed it on Aida's blog, here it is:
Heavenly Deception
There is so much Lord,
That is claimed in Your name,
For which we are ashamed.
Truth whispered from ear to ear;
Prized, hidden, cloaked,
Disguised from the world;
For we are one of the chosen few,
Initiates into the mysteries of time,
And the world laughs at us.
The works of man feel soo good-
Discipline, love, acceptance,
Unity in uniformity,
Common belief,
With no grief, no pain-
We’re anesthetized,
So we believe everyone else is insane
Living in vain,
While we're mindless -
Drugged out, washed out,
Unable to know our feelings & doubts,
Because we know Truth,
We're in the Family,
We're his 'children'
And must express the reality thereof;
Perfectly loyal, without fear, doubt,
Or equivocation.
Just claim emancipation,
As we sink deeper,
And deeper,
Thru mere participation,
Into mindless submission,
Performing the deception,
Ordained of god,
To advance the Work,
Amongst all these clods.
Heavenly Deception -
In the name of Truth.
We sit back,
Having it all pat,
Swallowing Satan's con:
Surface religion.
Tired of his standard brands,
We searched for truth, peace & love.
He offered us suitable facsimiles,
(Empty & hollow,
The only level deception survives at)
Just prior to our reality confrontation;
Plucked out of the rat race,
Placed into Satan's deceptive grace.
But then the moment comes,
The true moment of truth,
When we see
From the simple gut level values of our conscious,
That what the group speaks,
To its members
And the world,
Don't match.
The moment of confrontation -
When we find politics preempts truth.
"God, what do I do?
This group teaches the truth,
The fruits are good,
But God,
This is hypocrisy,
Help me Lord!
I want to believe!
I want to belong!
I want to serve You,
I want to do what is right!
Help me God,
Show me how to reconcile the two,
Maybe this…
Or maybe that…
But it doesn't fit!
It just doesn't fit.
Lord, why aren't you answering me?
Can You?
Maybe they don't reconcile -
But they've got to -
What they preach and write is so true -
I've put so much into this organization -
They can't be hypocrites,
Can they?…
Why not?
Why do they have to be different from other men?
Why can't money, power & fame
Get to them,
Making religion one big game?
God!!
Help me!!!
I don't want to think these thoughts,
I don't want to believe this to be true,
I want to believe in You,
I want to do Your work,
And they're doing it.
God!
Help me!!
I can't figure this out!
Its driving me mad!
Help me!!!
Then more information came pouring in,
Confusing me more,
Friends desperately bombarding me with questions and facts;
The dilemma worsens;
I can't hold on,
But I must,
They are God's chosen,
The true church,
The only way to eternal life.
"I just want peace Lord,
I don't want anything new in my life;
I just want to sit home.
Leave me alone everyone,
I'm busy hanging on to the truth;
Please, don't change anything in my world,
I'm just barely in it now.
Oh Lord, I can't wait till the day I die'
Thoughtless death,
Sweet death,
Please come to me."
But it didn't.
Instead, You sent a message,
You reminded me of our first meeting,
How You convicted me to search for the Truth,
Showed me to judge honestly.
Thank You Lord,
For renewing my faith in You to see me through.
Be with me as I study YOUR Word,
Let me not take sides,
Nor make artificial standards to measure by,
But seek the Truth,
Which shall make me free;
If I am free
I am free totally.
There is so much Lord,
That's destroying people in these cults;
Use me to help them,
To help pluck them out of the fire somehow,
As You have plucked me,
Saved me from deception's misery.
Come Lord Jesus,
To save us all from ourselves.
Come.
Heavenly Deception
There is so much Lord,
That is claimed in Your name,
For which we are ashamed.
Truth whispered from ear to ear;
Prized, hidden, cloaked,
Disguised from the world;
For we are one of the chosen few,
Initiates into the mysteries of time,
And the world laughs at us.
The works of man feel soo good-
Discipline, love, acceptance,
Unity in uniformity,
Common belief,
With no grief, no pain-
We’re anesthetized,
So we believe everyone else is insane
Living in vain,
While we're mindless -
Drugged out, washed out,
Unable to know our feelings & doubts,
Because we know Truth,
We're in the Family,
We're his 'children'
And must express the reality thereof;
Perfectly loyal, without fear, doubt,
Or equivocation.
Just claim emancipation,
As we sink deeper,
And deeper,
Thru mere participation,
Into mindless submission,
Performing the deception,
Ordained of god,
To advance the Work,
Amongst all these clods.
Heavenly Deception -
In the name of Truth.
We sit back,
Having it all pat,
Swallowing Satan's con:
Surface religion.
Tired of his standard brands,
We searched for truth, peace & love.
He offered us suitable facsimiles,
(Empty & hollow,
The only level deception survives at)
Just prior to our reality confrontation;
Plucked out of the rat race,
Placed into Satan's deceptive grace.
But then the moment comes,
The true moment of truth,
When we see
From the simple gut level values of our conscious,
That what the group speaks,
To its members
And the world,
Don't match.
The moment of confrontation -
When we find politics preempts truth.
"God, what do I do?
This group teaches the truth,
The fruits are good,
But God,
This is hypocrisy,
Help me Lord!
I want to believe!
I want to belong!
I want to serve You,
I want to do what is right!
Help me God,
Show me how to reconcile the two,
Maybe this…
Or maybe that…
But it doesn't fit!
It just doesn't fit.
Lord, why aren't you answering me?
Can You?
Maybe they don't reconcile -
But they've got to -
What they preach and write is so true -
I've put so much into this organization -
They can't be hypocrites,
Can they?…
Why not?
Why do they have to be different from other men?
Why can't money, power & fame
Get to them,
Making religion one big game?
God!!
Help me!!!
I don't want to think these thoughts,
I don't want to believe this to be true,
I want to believe in You,
I want to do Your work,
And they're doing it.
God!
Help me!!
I can't figure this out!
Its driving me mad!
Help me!!!
Then more information came pouring in,
Confusing me more,
Friends desperately bombarding me with questions and facts;
The dilemma worsens;
I can't hold on,
But I must,
They are God's chosen,
The true church,
The only way to eternal life.
"I just want peace Lord,
I don't want anything new in my life;
I just want to sit home.
Leave me alone everyone,
I'm busy hanging on to the truth;
Please, don't change anything in my world,
I'm just barely in it now.
Oh Lord, I can't wait till the day I die'
Thoughtless death,
Sweet death,
Please come to me."
But it didn't.
Instead, You sent a message,
You reminded me of our first meeting,
How You convicted me to search for the Truth,
Showed me to judge honestly.
Thank You Lord,
For renewing my faith in You to see me through.
Be with me as I study YOUR Word,
Let me not take sides,
Nor make artificial standards to measure by,
But seek the Truth,
Which shall make me free;
If I am free
I am free totally.
There is so much Lord,
That's destroying people in these cults;
Use me to help them,
To help pluck them out of the fire somehow,
As You have plucked me,
Saved me from deception's misery.
Come Lord Jesus,
To save us all from ourselves.
Come.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Infamous quotes from the Bible
Hi everyone, due to numerous computer problems and time constraints I have not posted in a while. I am hoping that I can do better in the next few weeks! I have enjoyed reading others' blogs though.
I am going to post a few of what I believe are the most well-known 'proof texts' that have been misused over and over to put people into some sort of bondage and keep them there. I would like others' feedback on what you believe was really intended for us to glean from the text.
I will start with the infamous Hebrews 10:25. "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
I'm wondering why some of these people had 'given up meeting together.' The early church sounded a lot more spiritually healthy overall than most of what I've seen in my day. Maybe I'm wrong? As I stated some time ago on my 'Going to church' blog, why would people NOT want to go to a meeting with other believers if they left feeling enouraged?
What are your thoughts?
I am going to post a few of what I believe are the most well-known 'proof texts' that have been misused over and over to put people into some sort of bondage and keep them there. I would like others' feedback on what you believe was really intended for us to glean from the text.
I will start with the infamous Hebrews 10:25. "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
I'm wondering why some of these people had 'given up meeting together.' The early church sounded a lot more spiritually healthy overall than most of what I've seen in my day. Maybe I'm wrong? As I stated some time ago on my 'Going to church' blog, why would people NOT want to go to a meeting with other believers if they left feeling enouraged?
What are your thoughts?
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