MESSY

 

“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God.” I John: 4:1-3.

This scripture was not typically preached in the denomination in which I was raised. Many Christians under that label do not acknowledge the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and most believe that the need to “test the spirits” ended in the first century.
That view of a Christian’s walk on this earth leaves us with a couple of options: One, we read the Bible and try to arrive at the truth all by ourselves, or two, we ask the preacher or the elders or the brotherhood bigwigs what to believe and how to behave.

The former method, without the guidance of the Holy Spirit, is hopeless; the latter results in comfortable, codified, legalism.

But, “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”  Ephesians 6:12, 13.

Who or what are these evil powers/spirits? Do we see them? Hear them? Feel them? How do we resist them?
And if the Holy Spirit dwells in us and gives us gifts, how do we recognize Him and practice our gifts individually, in the body, and in worship?

Though the Bible offers guidance, the answers to these questions are not and cannot be codified. They are experiential and cumulative. They must be practiced over a lifetime.
And life is MESSY.

A Passing Miracle?

     Age and acid reflux have taken a toll on my vocal chords, and, for the last few years, anytime I have attempted to sing, my voice has broken, cracked, and squawked. BUT, for the last three months, I have been able to sing.  Being able to sing again is pure joy for me, and I am overwhelmed with gratitude every time anything other than screeching comes out of my mouth.

     I believe God did this. I am not sure why or how, but He restored my voice in November, shortly after my father died and my husband and I began attending a church where I, in spite of being female, am allowed to “bring a hymn”* to the worship service. Incidentally—I thought—I had also started taking a powerful medication for dry eyes.

     Then, the medicine, although working beautifully for my dry eyes, began to seriously disturb my balance. I fell—twice. No dizziness, weakness, nausea, or lightheadedness, I simply fell. I called my eye doctor who instructed me to stop using the drops. That was at the end of December, and I have not fallen since.

     I saw that doctor today. While I was in his office, the coincidence between the medicine and my voice occurred to me, and I asked if the drops could have restored my vocal chords. He said, “They do run down the back of your throat after they leave your eyes, and anything is possible.” He added, “Get your singing in now; the medicine will be out of your system in another month.”

     I am seriously sad and considering trying to take the eye drops again if my voice starts to go. I am praying that the drops have nothing to do with my voice and that my miracle will last just a little longer.

*What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up. (I Corinthians 14:26)

You REALLY had to Be There

If you have never seen 25 kids, all under 8 years of age, sing and dance their way through the Christmas story, you have missed an indescribable joy. The Sunday before Christmas, Bruce and I attended a children’s cantata at our church, Christian Fellowship Assembly in Tunnel Hill, GA.

Tiny angels, shepherds, the Magi, Mary and Joseph worshiped with abandon.  A grinning four-year-old in  gold lame’ sat atop her father’s shoulders and led the cast, including a donkey, a cow, a sheep, a bird, and a couple of critters of unknown species, to the baby in the manger.

The unconventional Christmas pageant was punctuated with familiar but reimagined carols. I don’t know about you, but toddlers bobbing up and down and singing “O, Holy Night” to a polka beat is beyond my ability to describe. You really had to be there. The director, a young woman with entirely too much energy and infinite patience, waved and pointed and shouted out the lyrics.

One thought has filled my heart and given me great pleasure ever since witnessing this miniature spectacular: never in these children’s lives will anyone at our church tell them, “You can’t worship like that.”

Praise God!

I'm Famous

My Concrete "Angel"

The saga here at “the home” continues.

When Bruce and I moved in, I placed a concrete statue of a little girl—she looks maybe three or four years old—in a niche in the wall outside our door. She is about 20” tall; her head is bowed; her hands are folded, and two concrete wings sprout from her little concrete shoulders. I decorate her every month to fit a holiday or seasonal theme. Right now she is wearing a turkey tail, beak, and wattle for thanksgiving.

Although she bears no resemblance to the angels described in the Bible, I have been known to refer to this statue as “my angel.” This has resulted in the following brouhaha:

Last month, October, I put a half mask over her eyes, put artificial green leaves on her wings, and a sunflower on her head. I hung a green trick or treat bag over her hands and spread candy at her feet. Two days later, someone left a note, “This is nothing to do to an angel.” I took it as a joke and left it for all to see. Two days after that, I found a plastic bag hanging on my door containing my “angel’s” costume. I was astounded that anyone would have the nerve to do such a thing without notifying me.

Shortly thereafter, a lady I now refer to as “Super Christian” showed up at my door. She was all smiles as she told me that she had taken down the costume while I wasn’t in because “people were talking.” She went on. “I just wanted to protect you from the gossip.”

I was incensed, but, all smiles. (I haven't lived in the South for 40 years without learning something.) I asked if she wanted any help removing the pumpkin down the hall or the witch hanging from my neighbor’s door. She answered that she was "offended" by Halloween, but she had removed my decorations only because I had done such a thing “to an angel.”

[God help us. Yet another misapplication of the Biblical term "offended" by those who would control the behavior of other Christians. *To "offend" in the Bible means to cause another to sin.]

After she left, I thought of all sorts of things to do in retaliation, including placing the following note on my statue: “I realize that those of you who have recently stopped practicing witchcraft can be very tempted to return to those practices by any hint of the occult, so I apologize to all of you former witches for having costumed my statue for Halloween. Please know I am praying for your total rehabilitation.”

But I didn’t. In the end my better angels prevailed, and I posted the following:

Dear Residents,

I want to apologize for Becky who in the past has referred to me as “an angel.” Biblical angels are scary, wingless, and male.

I am a concrete statue made by Becky’s sister to commemorate their sister, Rita, who died in a car accident.

Becky has been dressing me up monthly to try and create a more joyful atmosphere here at C--------.

For October she dressed me as a sprite for “trick or treat,” forgetting that Rita did not allow her own children to celebrate Halloween.

I will close by reminding all of us that one way we can stop the Devil in his tracks is to NOT GOSSIP.

Anytime you hear anyone say anything about anybody, tell them to go to that person and say it to their face.

Thank you, “Angel” Rita

*Romans 14: 19-23 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble.  It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall. So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves.  But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Physics, Theology, and the Expansion of the Universe

 

Just thinking:

Scientists say that, immediately after the Big Bang, the universe expanded faster than the speed of light. They also say that the universe will, sometime in the future, again expand at a rate faster than the speed of light. Given E=MC2, moving anything faster than the speed of light requires an infinite force.

What if "dark matter" is time?

What if time has mass?

What if the expansion of the universe is due to the expansion of time?

Some implications are:

·         Space has mass.

·         An infinite force created the universe.

·         Time began at the Big Bang and will end with the universe.

Of course,  infinite force does not necessarily imply intelligence, but the existence of the laws of chemistry, physics and biology ever since the Big Bang most certainly does.

 

"Going Off"

After a combined 109 years as baptized believers in the Churches of Christ, my husband Bruce and I have, as the old-timers put it, “gone off.” In other words, we are now worshiping with a body of believers who do not have a sign anywhere on the property that says “Church of Christ."

Some of the brothers and sisters with whom we no longer worship are dismayed. Some saw our defection coming. But no one has asked us why.

The why is important. The why includes years of persecution and hardship inflicted during our ministry. The why includes unbiblical beliefs and practices enforced as “law” while other biblical beliefs and practices were ignored and deprecated.

Not that we have arrived at our new spiritual location after a long search for perfection. (As the old adage says, “A perfect church is a church that would not want us as members.”)

So the question remains, “Why?”

Our shared response is that we have been led and added to this branch of the Vine by God, just as we were led to serve His body within the confines of Churches of Christ for 42 years.

My personal response is a description of my new found spiritual freedom in worship. For the first time in my life, I am FREE:

·         To follow the examples of New Testament worship.

·         To respond to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

·         To add a song, a prayer or a word of knowledge.

·         To cry out, raise my hands or fall to my knees.

·         To shed tears of joy, or relief, or sorrow.  

·         To experience and acknowledge publically the presence of God.

·         To use my spiritual gifts to edify my brothers and sisters.

   Praise God!

We have not arrived at our new spiritual home empty handed. We come bearing treasure, a profound respect for Scripture gained from our years in the Churches of Christ. But it is this treasure that enables us to follow wherever He leads without fear or regret.