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In response to Barb and her question, “How are you” (I’m more interested in how you are than in what you think about a subject), I’m going to try and share some personal details of our journey. The word “journey” is a most apt word in that it speaks of life and discovering what that encompasses apart from the religious matrix we have all been born into.
To clarify this point, I mean any and everything apart from Christ and His total unconditional love is religion, in any nuance or description.
As Barb pointed out in her blog, A Former Leader’s Journey:
“I pause to read personal stuff. I skim over anything else...basically uninterested. Something has shifted in me this summer. Suddenly the subjects we are talking about no longer interest me. Suddenly they are not important. YOU are. They are not as much.
I want personal details. How are YOU? Your Family? Your finances? What are you doing now? And, how are you feeling about that?
Maybe it is my bent lately to have community. Maybe it is my lack of caring about the topic of Church, Christianity, abuse or anything else.”
How am I? Well, on any given day I am fine, meaning that ‘fine’ can simply be the short and long of a day that encompasses a myriad of thoughts, emotions, from the sublime to the ridiculous in interacting with fellow humans at work and simply living in the real world. If you were to delve deeper, you would know that we struggle with a myriad of issues, some life-altering, and some heart-breaking, others merely frustrating.
Regarding Barb’s question: “How are you?” maybe it’s much more to the point to ask, “Who are you”? The first two questions mentioned in the bible were addressed to all of mankind, as in, “Where are you?” and “Where is your brother?” I see this as a picture of the cross, the vertical beam signifying our being in right relationship to God, and the horizontal beam signifying our right relationship with our brothers and sisters. What I see happening in my life as well as my wife’s life is an on-going discovery of whose we are and out of that, much clarity defining who in fact we truly are!
For further thoughts regarding Barb’s question, please refer to Cynthia’s blog, “A Life Profound”, in her comments.
Prior to being apprehended by Christ, I really didn’t see anything that ever stood out to me as having any facsimile of an identity except that of being a “Christian” (although at the time I had no understanding of any of that; all I knew was that I was a totally changed young man. Everything had suddenly become new to me).
Sadly, within a short time an identity was being fashioned within me that only served to alienate me further from the only true source of knowing and discovering who I really was. From the moment of being re-birthed I arrogantly figured I was destined for greatness because of being told over and over again of my ‘giftedness’, and that fit in with what I perceived as being ‘called to the ministry.’ No, sir, I was not going to be a blind lemming dumbly following some leader - and yet unfortunately that is in fact what did happen.
From my perspective it wasn’t until 1991 after having been, euphemistically speaking, ‘let go’ from the Holy Grail, a.k.a. ‘the ministry’ that my life came to a screeching halt! Slowly, from been buried alive as it were, the real me has been and continues to emerge.
There is so much more that I would like to share, possibly in another blog entry.
Rich
Has our Saviour made us savory?
"Through us, he brings knowledge of Christ. Everywhere we go, people breathe in the exquisite fragrance. Because of Christ, we give off a sweet scent rising to God, which is recognized by those on the way of salvation—an aroma redolent with life. But those on the way to destruction treat us more like the stench from a rotting corpse.
This is a terrific responsibility. Is anyone competent to take it on? No— but at least we don't take God's Word, water it down, and then take it to the streets to sell it cheap. We stand in Christ's presence when we speak; God looks us in the face. We get what we say straight from God and say it as honestly as we can."
This hiddenness we have in Christ (which by the way was the fruit of what Jesus asked the Father for, “that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me),” is way too ethereal for us to grasp, so we have invented numerous things to try and make the Christian life look way more appealing, imitating Christ being but one of them.
As I have often asked, was Christ’s oneness with the Father only relegated to those last three years of his life in what many refer to as “his ministry days”, if so, what a pity that those first thirty years were wasted on such pathetic and humdrum day in and day out stuff?
What I detect is this, as the Father was living his life out through Jesus as Jesus, everyday living took on significance and purpose that didn’t suddenly become something far more thrilling as he stepped into those last three years “of ministry.”
Is it any wonder that so many have sniffed out the hypocrisy of the artificiality that has been masquerading as to what it means to be a Christian and what the Church is really all about?
Without revelation of whose we are and what that encompasses, at best we’re only playing charades, but for those who know and are growing in the truth that Christ is disguised as us, are not fooled as they pick up His sent!
Rich
As the Word that was fully processed, Jesus the Christ, the word made flesh, it is my opinion that like wise that Word is being fleshed out in and through us. There is lots of hammering out as it were going on in the life of those wanting to know Him the Truth, not what I think or you think, as in my truth vs your truth, but THE Truth!
Love, His unconditional love is the only thing able to free us to begin letting go of anything that stands in the way of this most incredible journey.
It’s the questions within themselves that are so liberating, as we question what I think, what you think and to bring it before the Lord and say, Father, what’s the truth in all of this?
I see this being done within my own life as well in the lives of so many all around the word, especially within the believers lives.
One example of this ongoing dialogue of pondering, thinking, questioning is a delight to listen in on is over at the Free Believers Network with Darin Hufford and the other siblings. The latest pod cast (Do we need spiritual authority?) is but one example of the Word being fleshed out in the lives of those discover the Truth of His love for us!
If you haven’t had a chance to listen, I encourage to give it a try.
Rich
In continuing to read further, The Naked Church, Wayne Jacobsen uses a word I was unfamiliar with, ‘abstraction,’ “Abstraction uses a strategy of simplification, wherein formerly concrete details are left ambiguous, vague, or undefined; thus effective communication about things in the abstract requires an intuitive or common experience between the communicator and the communication recipient.”
What comes to mind in understanding the definition of this word is what Paul said here, “The unspiritual self, just as it is by nature, can't receive the gifts of God's Spirit. There's no capacity for them. They seem like so much silliness. Spirit can be known only by spirit—God's Spirit and our spirits in open communion. Spiritually alive, we have access to everything God's Spirit is doing, and can't be judged by unspiritual critics. Isaiah's question, "Is there anyone around who knows God's Spirit, anyone who knows what he is doing?" has been answered: Christ knows, and we have Christ's Spirit.”
My question; is it any wonder why ‘Christianity’ is seen as a relic, dinosaur, lifeless, fetish used by some to invoke this mystical deity to save them from having to face the realities of every day living?
I use to like the commercial that came on a while back (it’s not on anymore) for a soft drink, the motto was, “Taste is everything, and image is nothing.”
The Father has never used or operated in using the language of ‘abstraction,’ to my way of thinking the language He speaks is an inner intuitive knowing, an innate recognition, ‘This is my Father’s (thoughts) voice.’
There is so much His children are in the process of discovering. I use to hate it every time my former pastor would say, ‘be patient with us in leadership, as we are on a huge learning curve.’ Again, I mean no disrespect, but this usually meant more academia on top of already piled high spiritual abstractions.
How is it possible for us alive in this hour to become as Jesus said 2,000 years ago, “I will make you witnesses unto me” if he is no longer here with us? Or is He?
Indeed he is here in us as us, but that in my opinion has become another religious abstraction, the ‘right’ form-terminology, but no substance, because of the blindness of our inner eyes.
There is a most wonderful illustration in the Old Testament in Amos 8:10-12; "Behold, days are coming," declares the Lord GOD, “When I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine for bread or a thirst for water, But rather for hearing the words of the LORD. "People will stagger from sea to sea And from the north even to the east; They will go to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, But they will not find it.”
I see this being the norm within the ranks of Christianity viewed through the language of abstraction. As it were an imprinting that is still resident within all flesh, yes that means even in yours and mine, brother, where we have been lied to in thinking there is no way of knowing for sure the heart and mind of the Father without consulting the ‘anointed ones’ that have special revelation and insight into this at best ambitious abstraction called, ‘The Good News.!
I join with the same spirit of the Father that has been very much alive from the very beginning when He poured out the promise of the Father, His spirit into lifeless needy flesh and blood people, and as this glorious God, King, Lord and Father began to make himself real, things such as this were launched likened to heat seeking guided missiles to the Father Himself.
Even so, Lord come!
Rich
I love how our Father is lovingly persistent in wanting to establish us, rooting us in the fullness of His love. This piece from Norman Grubb, entitled "Life's Supreme Secret" is so encouraging to me in light of the thoughts I have shared above.
There is so much brewing in my heart at this late hour, well late for me that is.
Normally I would hopefully be fast asleep by now, but I am just finishing up my third week of holidays. Preceding that I have been off for five weeks with a torn ligament in my right knee.
I really am glad I do not know or am I trying to figure anything out regarding the wonderful disturbance Papa is doing one more time within me. He and I have weathered so many storms, always He is there much like me tonight being with my terrified Bearded Collie at my feet. He is terrorized by the sound of thunder, so I am comforting him with Papa’s love as I type and muse.
All I need in my storms is His assurance, “It is I,” and just like my precious pouch tonight, I will lay my head down later knowing He is perfectly bringing forth His son in me.
One of the things that has deeply stirred me today is in reading what free spirit shared here, Aint It Just Like a Kid.
Those who may be reading here, I encourage you to look at the Father’s heart expressing itself through what she wrote in response to a comment I left on her blog. Even as I write this my eyes well up with tears knowing it is Him wanting to bring us to place in Him where we know we are His, now and forever, no matter what we have yet to face!
I too join with our dear brother Paul and cry out, shout out to OUR Father, that he would give to each of His children a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the true knowledge of Him who has called us to Be His, that our inner most being would be saturated with this inner knowing of Who’s we are, and how smitten He is, over taken with rapturous joy with each of us.
What sounds, what sights are waiting our discovery as He makes known the depths of His heart for you, me.
I was doing some research today on cicadas and in the process found myself over whelmed once again by accident in discovering His delight in delighting me as I slowly step out and explore his handiwork.
I discovered there are more than 2,500 different kinds of cicadas and some that have yet to be identified. Of all the insects of the world, these are able to emit some of the loudest sounds known. Also there are some who emit a sound, a frequency so high pitched no human is able to detect it.
What became clearer to me is, so much that is within His heart for me is waiting yet to be made know. As I said, there are sights and sounds I am blind and deaf to regarding His intense love, but I know he refuses to let go of me. Somehow in the deep places within me, I sense Him saying, ‘Son, you bless me so’.
There is a pleasure that each of us uniquely bring to Him, he so longs for our interacting with him in and with all that touches our lives. He became fully human so that we might be able to fully relate to a God and friend now abiding in us as His house.
I eagerly look forward to discover all that Papa has hidden for me and my siblings, the best is yet to be.
Rich
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In response to Barb and her question, “How are you” (I’m more interested in how you are than in what you think about a subject), I’m going to try and share some personal details of our journey. The word “journey” is a most apt word in that it speaks of life and discovering what that encompasses apart from the religious matrix we have all been born into.
