KDs are designed/developed/inspired/mused/auto-suggested/indigested to make folks think; an especially uncommon experience among Democrats, Republicans, and jingoistic mainline denominationalists who continue to discourage dissent with their ever-threatening thought police.
With so many selfies, do You feel
squeezed out of our networking equations?
Father/Son/Spirit
seem replaced/usurped by me/myself/I.
It's hard to see
You, sooooooo hard
to see You, when focus and filter shift from Jesus by the book to what
I/we/they think, how I/we/they feel, and truth devolves to ego-extension.
Its wreckage is
everywhere.
Shared sin
surfaced while sensing pain-inundated hearts and seeing it well in the eyes of
the more humble to You as attacked as
You were in Jesus by Bible-quoting-text-twisting-self-righteous
adversary accomplices mastering the trick of accusing others
of malevolences best betrayed in their sheep's clothing unable to perfume
the stench of soiled underwearing
wolves.
Sensing and
seeing, the trickles of empathy flooded into sympathy.
While sounding
David's most soothing songs, Spirit lifted sight to tunneled trees as willing
leaves waltzed at Your Wind's invitation.
Decision was
compelled.
Selfies...or
dancing with the willing by Your lead.
Lord, am I making
too much out of this?
Aren't selfies
symptomatic of something/someone far more...?
Narcissus...the
child of...
Thank You for
dancing with anyone who drops the hands of
Bible-quoting-text-twisting-self-righteous adversary accomplices to grasp Yours
for leading.
Despite being in
my blood since first riding down Sans Souci Highway near Wilkes-Barre,
Pennsylvania in 1968 on a Honda 50, I just sold Return2 - 2010 H-D FLHTC.
No more 800 miles
door to door in under 14 hours to my octogenarian parents and sister in NE
Pennsylvania.
Rainmakers MC
will have to ride to the Black Hills moins moi and no more free
lunches/concerts at Woodstock H-D and those 1%ers who know I know will have to
get along without my apologetics and, I guess, I'll never get to ride with
Shadow.
I guess it was
inevitable in a predestinarian kinda way.
My book on biker
culture is a metaphor for many things - I
Just Wanna Ride - buuuuuuut was an underwhelming non-best-seller
along with everything else that I've written.
While I never
wrote any of 'em for money, it would have been nice to clean up a few debts
before my sons inherit 'em.
Not much.
Too much.
Anyway, it was my
therapy; so I'll be making an appointment with my personal physician for some
scripts.
I guess I just
got tired of people living prophylactic lives bugging me.
Maybe they meant
well; noting my daddy always said the road to hell is paved with good
intentions.
"Your father
and I," my mom always said, "will pay for your plane ticket or gas
and lodging if you drive out with something that has four wheels."
I got tired of
saying to other relatives, friends, and church ladies, "I ain't no kid,
Nurse Ratched."
Sooooooo many people
smiling about me getting caught in the rain.
Enough about the
helmet; as if it's any of their business or I don't believe in life after life
through Jesus or not wearing one gives hope to my enemies.
Enough annoyances
from one of my best friends: "Don't ask me to come when they're scraping
you off Route 90!"
I'm an undershepherd aka pastor.
It's one of the
only vocations in which everybody thinks they can tell ya what to do and where
to go and how to get there.
They've won.
I'm done.
Just sold
Return2.
Not!!!!!!!
Sooooooo if you've been
smiling while reading the preceding, either you know I'd never abandon my
authentic joy for the ride to satiate the control needs of inauthentics and
other chatterboxing cowards or you're one of 'em.
Truth is you're
probably reading this while I'm riding those 800 to NE Pennsylvania.
Annnnnnnd when I get back,
I'll be back to iconoclasting in "An Unauthorized Guide for Pastor Search
Committees."
Studying in Rome
about 42 years ago, I asked Ireland's Father Fachtna McCarthy, "When
will the RCC move beyond some of its traditions into this century?"
He said,
"Some cardinals will have to die."
The same is true
for too many denominations, churches, clubs, organizations, and the
like that long for the way things never were or maybe were but are no
more.
The same holds
true for the problems with our VA, health care, public education, continuing
segregations, and...
It's the problem
of wineskins.
Matthew 9:16-17.
Dolts who idolize
past "processes" as if life doesn't evolve from #2 pencils to
computers for the glory of God and advancement of civilization like to
rearrange the deck chairs of the Titanic while it's sinking.
Tired analogy.
Pathetic reality.
@#$%
Art Pace was one
of the most authentic preachers/pastors that I've ever known.
Fresh out of
seminary, he was called to a small church in central New Jersey that epitomized
the worst of the preceding section; longing for the way things never were or
maybe were but are no more.
Also troubled by
the increasing apostasies from Jesus by the book in his franchise, he left the
church and became a career chaplain for the US Army.
When I connected
with him some years ago at one of our big denominational meetings, he said he
could talk more about Jesus in the Army than in that small church in
central New Jersey and his franchise.
Take that
MMOwazzyourname!
I don't know if
Art wrote "The Meeting" but he gave it to me about 35 years ago
and I think it still has something to do with death by bureaucracy.
@#$%
"The
Meeting"
P - I now call to
order this meeting of the Brandex Presbyterian Church. Is everyone here?
1 - I guess so.
2 - More or less.
3 - I think so.
P - Good!
Let's look at the first order of the day. As you know, we're losing lots
of members.
1 - Right.
2 - We used to
have 54.
3 - But we lost
51.
P- Remember,
wherever God is, there's a majority.
1 - Being a
majority is lonely.
P - Anyway, I
believe we need to attract new members. Any ideas?
1 - How about
saying you'll cut off your beard if we invite people to church? Or how
about a sermon without quoting dead German guys?
2 - No, I like
the sermons as they are.
3 - Yeah, I've
really liked our pastor's year-long series on the new book from Cokesbury about
The Grass is Always Greener
Over the Septic Tank.
P - Thank
you! Erma Bombeck was always my favorite theologian. But, ya know,
I think we do need more of a sharing or evangelistic approach.
1 - Movie
night! We can show movies and blanket the town with ads.
2 - No, that
costs money. Let's spend money on billboards and ads with catchy sayings.
3 - TV spots!
P - Good!
Keep going!
1 - We could hire
a sky-writer to puff our name across the sky. It would be very symbolic.
2 - How about a
dozen elephants? We could march them through town with our church name
draped on them!
P - Yes!
Yes!
3 - Excuse me,
friends.
P - Yes?
1 - Yes?
2 - Yes?
3 - Don't you
think the best way to attract people is to talk about who our church is really
named for? Don't you think it would be best to just invite people to meet
us and meet Him and...
P - Out of order!
1 - I'm no
Jehovah's Witness!
2 - You must have
fundy fever!
P- Let's
vote! All in favor of the elephants say aye.
I've often been
asked, "What happens to people who don't believe in Jesus as Lord and
Savior?"
Essentially, I'm
being asked to assume a role for which I am unfit; not to mention a role that
has never been entrusted to any other human in
a vertical relationship with Him with no apologies to the extreme left and
right and others who have the egocentric arrogance and Christological
ignorance to fence tables and pretend they're His other sons in a more
than human kinda
way.
I prefer C.S.
Lewis' approach - accentuate what we know; as in Jesus talking to Nicodemus:
"We speak of what we know."
We know how
to get to heaven - invite Jesus into the heart as Lord and Savior.
We know how to
show the signs/proof/evidence that we're going to heaven - enflesh, more than
less, the red letters of the New Testament.
Knowing that
eternal security generates existential calm as well as passion for increasing Christianity as gratitude.
So we are called
akin to the parable of the sower; spreading/sharing that good news with as many
as possible and praying/hoping the seeds hit paydirt.
Judgment is His
prerogative.
Yes, we know how
to get to heaven for sure.
Yes, F/S/HS alone is Judge.
Simply, our
privilege is to tell people how to get to heaven for sure; and it's His prerogative alone when it comes to the
other eternal destination.
If that distance
between humanity and divinity bothers you, it may be time to rethink/pray
God alone as sovereign.
Sharing judgment
may be fun; but crosses the border of blasphemy.
@#$%
@#$%
Ever since
spending time with Eugene and some brothers in October 2011 over in
Montana, I've spent more time in the book than books about the book; and
I've read those red letters over and over and over...
I'm trying to
rebirth faith untainted by ideologies/traditions/denominations/religions and
other idolatries; or as Kung wrote, a Christian's agenda is "to discover
what is permanent...originally
meant, before it was covered with the dust and debris of two
thousand years...This is not another gospel, but the same ancient gospel
rediscovered for today!"
I'm discovering
some very disturbing inconsistencies in today's Christianity juxtaposed to
Jesus by the book.
I'm discovering
most ideologies/traditions/denominations/religions and other idolatries are far
more egocentric by books than Christocentric by the book.
I'm discovering
any connection between most churches by books and Jesus by the book is
only coincidental.
I'm discovering
people who don't believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior have, for the most part,
been turned away from Him by people who say they believe in Jesus but don't
behave like they believe in Jesus by the book.
I'm discovering
some churches that are praying and laboring to embrace/exemplify Jesus by the
book are...awesome!!!!!!!
I'm discovering
revival doesn't only mean bringing people in;
but getting people out
who don't embrace/exemplify Jesus by the book.
I'm discovering
Jesus by the book includes pruning Christianity of books so we can grow
closer to Him by the book.
Or something like
that.
@#$%
@#$%
Anyway, I had an
experience on Mother's Day that reminded me of an experience long ago in Kansas
City.
My son David,
about 3 or 4 at the time, "took" Holy Communion.
Seeing him do
that, I knew I was gonna catch it from someone.
So I asked him
why he "took" the sacrament.
He answered,
"Jesus came into my heart."
Not bad.
A lot better than
folks who go through the motions and then hate in a Christian kinda way.
Moretheless,
it introduced me to the perils of human judgments; assuming...
Yesterday, on Mother's
Day, I was at a buffet sitting next to a really, really, really liberal
pastor from another franchise.
Weirdly, we had
studied in many of the same schools; even in Europe.
Because it was
Mother's Day, I didn't bite at any of the bait to, you know, get into it about
something or other.
Buuuuuuut I did talk with
him about churches that fence their sacramental tables because they're so
much better than...
Coming from a
liberal Lutheran franchise, we were on the same page...on that.
Then he told a
story to me that caused me to think of things that I have not thought about for
a long, long, long time; or, at least, since I was with Eugene and...
It was about his friend,
another liberal Lutheran pastor, who had a member who came to him and said,
"I love you. I love our church. But I can't stand how liberal
we're becoming. So I am going to start attending the Missouri Synod
Lutheran Church across town."
For better than
worse, they parted amicably.
A few weeks
later, the woman showed up in worship.
As they greeted
each other after the service, the pastor asked, "Why have you come
back?"
She answered,
"I went to take communion and was denied. It was the first time that
ever happened to me. Now I know what it's like to be denied. That's
so far from what I know about Jesus that I can't go there anymore. I may
disagree with you about many things; but I don't believe Jesus denies anyone
who comes to Him."
@#$%
I'm increasingly
uncomfortable with judging/judgments.
The big thing.
Or even the
lesser things.
I've got these
logs...
Annnnnnnd I'm wondering as
I'm discovering Jesus by the book rather than books about Him and the book if
God's judgments are more gracious than ours.
I'm wondering if
He came in Jesus because we're never gonna get Him right until that ultimate
face-to-face; and even then...
I'm thinking
Jesus came to save us from our inabilities/inclinations to/from fidelity as He
enfleshed by the book.
What if God really judges?
Where does that
leave...me...you...us?
What if God is
serious about actions speaking louder than words?
What if the
second table of the law really proves the first table?
What if the
second part of His greatest commandment really matters/proves most to Him?
What if God
really hates exclusions equally as much as inclusions that do not honor Jesus
by the book?
What if God
really inspects fruit?
What if God really judges?
What if me even
asking these questions indicates I've been so polluted by everything/everyone
and myself that...?
No wonder He
said, "The measure you give will be the measure you get...Judge not lest
you be judged likewise..."
Maybe I should
spend more time getting to know Jesus by the book than pretending I know enough
to...be judgmental...share in His judgments.
Maybe it's time
for me to stop trying to be so smart/self-righteous apart from Jesus by the
book.
I was in a
doubles tennis tournament many, many, many years ago after losing it on
the field, court, and diamond.
Early round.
No officials.
Honor system.
Yeah, right!
I hit an ace
right down the middle on the line.
Guy on the other
side yells, "Out!"
I rush to the
net: "Out? OUT? What the...?!!!!!!!"
Catching myself
and remembering the cross on my neck that weighed about 99 pounds at that
point, I turned around and headed back for my next serve.
My partner came
over, patted me on the shoulder, and whispered into my ear, "God
knows."
@#$%
He said he loved
them just last Sunday.
Said he would
never leave them.
But why does he
keep interviewing for other...?
Then he took a church
in...
They don't
understand; but...
God knows.
@#$%
They say they are
a Christian country/church/school/home/whatever.
They really, really, really say
that; and exercise judicious umbrage against anyone who witnesses
otherwise.
But with
increasing intensity and frequency, their correspondence to Jesus by the book
is coincidental.
Yeah, they say
they are a Christian...but...
God knows.
@#$%
He works in a
church as a...
Treats the right
people sooooooo well;
and they defend him...despite the rumors of sooooooo
many others that he treats sooooooo
many others sooooooo...
He quotes the
Bible...a lot.
Psst. So did Satan.
He criticizes the
Christianity and parenting and discipleship and...of others sooooooo regularly; even
the ones who defend him so mindlessly.
Sneaky.
He's sooooooo two-faced.
He lights fires
in the backyards of others; sooooooo
the right people don't see his house is going up in smoke.
Buuuuuuut...
God knows.
@#$%
Like sentences
ending in a preposition, there's something deeply to pathologically wrong with
people who agree with the last person that they've talked to.
Pathetically,
they have the moral backbone and personal integrity of slugs.
They wanna be
liked by everybody at the expense of...
But...
God knows.
@#$%
Of course, nobody
really trusts two-faced people.
Here's why.
Sooner or later
and usually sooner than later, people on different sides of the fence get
together, compare notes, and recognize/expose the duplicities.
Moreover...
God knows.
@#$%
You may have
heard this before.
There are three
sides to every story: her side, his side, and the truth.
People like to
gather people around 'em who suck up to 'em and agree with 'em on everything
all of the time to continue the facade of fraternity/sorority.
Some people don't
need drugs.
They've already
anesthetized their noodles.
They live on
fantasy island; but...
God knows.
@#$%
Some people are
really nice to some people and really nasty to other people.
Have you ever
noticed some dads/moms/wives/husbands/whoevers who are really nice to everyone
outside of the home and really nasty to everyone inside of the...?
The people on the
nice end really like the people who are really nice to 'em and can't
fathom/entertain the people who say they are nasty to...
Making matters
worse, the people on the nice end, even when they sense or even see the people
on the nasty end, are so happy about being on the nice end that they become
like ostriches to protect their...
Some people don't
care about what's happening to other people as long as it's not happening
to them; and...
God knows.
@#$%
Have you ever
listened to some pastors, politicians, school boards and administrators,
and...?
A new member of
the church asked, "What should I call you?"
I replied,
"I've been called many things."
True.
Vocational/discipleship
hazard.
Read Matthew
10:22 for the bad then good about
it.
@#$%
Then there's my
sister's recent post on Facebook.
She congratulated
our parents on their 60th wedding anniversary (May 5).
Cool.
I'm 62.
Not cool.
So I called my
dad: "Is there something that you forgot to tell me? Sue just posted
on Facebook that it's your 60th wedding anniversary."
Despite being an
upper octogenarian, my dad's noodle is as sharp as his handicap index at Irem Temple
Country Club in Dallas, Pennsylvania: "Ha! Well, well, well, I guess
some folks are right about you being a bastard!"
Yeah, real funny.
Later in the day,
my dad left a short/sharp message
for my sister: "Your brother is not a bastard."
64th.
I'm relieved.
@#$%
There are no
bastard children in God's family.
He loves everyone
no more nor no less than anyone.
He came and
sacrificed Himself and rose and reigns for everyone no more nor no less than
anyone.
He loves the
world.
That includes you, me, and, uh, them.
While that comes
as a shock to religionists/denominationalists/parochialists and
other segregationists who try to fence His table of Holy Communion and prance
around like nobody knows Him like they know Him, it's/He's true.
