The Mercy Papers 9

Kopp Disclosure

(John 3:10-21)

@#$%

@#$% 

@#$%

Reclaim the Bow

Discovering Original Mercy

Copyright Reserved, 2017

The Mercy Papers (9)

    I haven't been in a fighting mood since God healed me of that during a week with Eugene in Montana back in October 2011.

    It's nothing that he said; but what He did through the aura of his confession, conduct, and countenance.

    Anyway, while a fighting mood may have been exorcised by grace through faith in Him through him, I have become far more fierce when it comes to undershepherding's responsibility to protect the sheep from predators in a Matthew 10:16 kinda way.

    Sooooo though I want to be liked like most folks, His call to love exceeds my need to be liked. 

    Sooooo though I would rather sit back and not get involved as clergy, mainline/sideline/out-of-bounds denominations, and other spiritual miscreants insult God's holiness by ignoring, defying, and otherwise raising a middle finger and thumbed nose to over 2K years of Biblical, confessional, constitutional, historical, traditional, and common sense Christianity with such unseemly shamelessness and arrogance - "We know that's what God says in Jesus and the Bible but we think..." - I'm mindful of eternal grace and existential serenity juxtaposed to His promises and cautions about that kinda stuff and can't help myself from salting, shining, leavenating, and shattering the sound of silence.

    Sooooo though I would rather go with the flow of the antitheses of faith expressing itself through love generating grace and mercy so evident in church as well as society when it comes to so little forgiveness and restoration through confession and repentance, I can't help but calling out the posers of Christianity who don't forgive and restore after confession and repentance and make faith expressed through agape generating grace and mercy as common as Hillary and Donald sitting around a campfire singing Kumbaya, My Lord.

    Sooooo though people shout their appreciation of me being "fair" as long as I take their side(s) on anything while whispering they really don't want me to be "fair" if it conflicts with their discriminations, segregations, degradations, and idolatries, I'm not interested in any other side(s) than His; always being eager to be corrected by Jesus, Holy Scripture, and common sense if my "truth" isn't His.

    Sooooo I'm prepared to challenge anyone who says pro-lifers are haters.  Really.  Are you trying to tell me/anyone/Him that protecting life from womb to tomb is hate but sucking life out of the womb or pulling the plug in the nursing home is love?  Really.

    Sooooo I'm prepared to remind intellectually dishonest ideologues of darkness that exceptions to the rule are called exceptions to the rule because they occur so infrequently and justifiably that they are called exceptions to the rule.

    Sooooo though I will never leave my particularly imperfect denomination increasingly irretrievably apostate under current management for rationale repeated ad nauseum in several publications and websites  for decades with the understanding that I can't convince denominational schismatics or institutional idolaters to my point of view which is why I've stopped trying, I'm taking every opportunity to protect our particular remnantal congregation from paying taxes to anyone who violates their collective conscience captive to over 2K years of Biblical, confessional, constitutional, historical, traditional, and common sense Christianity or pledging compliance to performing rituals+ceremonies=rites violating their collective conscience captive to over...

    In the spirit of kerygma, I don't fight about that kinda stuff anymore. 

    Again, while always eager to be corrected by Jesus, Holy Scripture, and common sense so I may confess, repent, and then experience forgiveness and restoration, I proclaim Word without trying to prove Word, declare Word without wasting time debating Word, and announce Word without arguing Word.

    Unlike some pulpiteers, professors, pewsitters, and other professional religionists and navel-gazing idolaters, I just don't feel big enough to tell God that I know more than He has revealed in Jesus by the book.

    Finally, after all of these years, someone from my past, a priest who studied with me for one of my worthless degrees, came back into my life after 35 years and confirmed my quest to reclaim the bow and discover original mercy.

    If you don't get it/him/Him, I'll understand.

    I've understood a lot more since October 2011.

    Here goes...

@#$%

Dr. Bob,

When I received your email, I was moved to tears. There are few in ministry, who after hearing my story, want to get near or correspond with me. Having read your comments on ___ in your works and you knowing about my...[sin and incarceration]..., I was not sure how you would respond or if you would respond. Yet, like the man I came to know over that two year period of time so many years ago, you were true to your spirit and did respond with understanding, acceptance and encouragement.

Monday, I go in for my hip replacement; and so the necessity of me writing to you this day. I know that, for a time, I will not be sitting here at the desk or computer even if all goes OK. It was important for me to acknowledge what you wrote and shared with the hope that we continue on this path; not only be email but phone as well. My traveling days are pretty much over. The MS makes it difficult for me so it is just better not going through the pressure of travel these days.

Hope you have been able to look over some of the books that I sent. The___was the first with the publisher and I did not understand how publishers worked or what they expected. As a result, the layout, misspellings, etc. went uncorrected. By book two and three, I got better at watching what they were sending and making the corrections. Although we may see some of the topics from a different perspective, I love criticism and dialogue and wait to hear yours.

Your hunch of progress spiritually, intellectually, and as a writer now and beyond was correct.

It is interesting that even after these many years you read me well, understand Jesus-filled love more than most in our vocation, and speak the truth, whether convenient or inconvenient

Love, brother,

John

@#$%

Blessings and Love!

@#$%

Shatter the sound of silence!

Wake up!  Look up!  Stand up!  Speak up!  Act up for Jesus!

Salt!  Shine!  Leavenate!

@#$%

@#$%