The Way

I am just sick!

After stewing for days, over the insult handed an acquaintance back home on Mother's Day, I am at my wits end with religion!
So many masquerading as Christian, and yet virtually none reflect even the slightest essence of the Gospel!
We really need to start over!

Only one characteristic stood the Christian apart from anyone else in the Roman Empire, love.
A complete lack of self interest!, because people understood that God had changed them internally.
And that was costly love.
You stood to lose your family, your income, your friends by coming to Jesus for forgiveness.
They were slaughtered by the hundreds of thousands!

This early church was called The Way.
You came to understand your fallen nature.
You came to understand what real life was.
You came to understand that nothing of this world matters in the slightest, save for people.
And their relationship with God, at that!

The hatred shown my past acquaintance, shows just how far a once solid church can slide.
Is does not matter whom can stand on Mother's Day, or not.
But in asking one not to stand means they are not the same as others.
It means putting yourself before others.
It means you are special and no one else is.
Welcome to George Orwells,Animal Farm!
Where: all animals are equal,
Only some are more equal than others .....

That is why God is no longer to be found there.
Indeed, this is type of situation is true of most churches!
Jesus died for me, not you.
God blesses me, not you.
To bad for you ...

Sounds bad, but that is what these people are saying by their behavior!

So we need a new return to The Way.
The loving church where we are family and not strangers to one another.
The family where self sacrifice and improvement are the goal.
I am envious of that environment.

I experienced that type of community twice.
My life with the Hutterite's showed me all of this,
Were it not for their non-Biblical beliefs, I would still be 'plain'.
And the Jesus People Movement.
Good times.

if people are involved, and push God out,
 He will leave and we will be left to create our own mess.
Yet, He still stands by the side, watching and I imagine grieving.
He sacrificed so much, for so long, so that we can insult our members by telling them they are not good enough to be recognized for being a parent!
As if the 'haters' are 'good enough' !

Such a smack down these people are in for, from God, if not one else .....

And yet, they are completely able to repent and look to God and not themselves.
Will they?
Maybe, if we are willing to pray for their hardness of heart to be broken ...

And ours as well.

Musical Saturday Morning

I have really low thoughts concerning the music of the 1970's.
Amongst the few I will give a listen to were Heart and Quarterflash.
Heart, only because I knew the Wilson sisters so well, in college, before they made it big.
And Quarterflash's Wendy Ross had a great vocal range!

Children

With the exception of Swedish Rocket Scientist (retired), everyone I know has kids.
For better or worst.
And usually not just one.

Dutchman was the first to adopt.
He and his wife wanted children but she was not able to have kids.
Then one night he got a call one night of another pastor's "family" disintegrating.
He was an elder and expected to find accommodation for the boy in the family.
He was the only one willing to take on sheltering this little guy.
And a year after, the parents still could not be found, so they adopted him.

Unfortunately, Dutchman was traveling heavily to various avionics manufacturers, so guess whom got to get calls at 2 AM because someone would not go to bed!
I was not too concerned over having a family.
I knew that no child should ever be cursed with my genes!

Then the day came when I realized that I had a large income and a large empty house, and I could easily help some kids grow up.
So, after massive negotiations, Gaelic Girl and I adopted one older Russian orphan and one Siberian.
It went so well, that I went back for two more a year later to southern Russia.
To be followed by a flood of friends and family doing the same!
Yeah, our children became poster children for adoption - literally!
There was even a tv segment done on them!
And people realized that adopted children could be amazing.
In all, 152 Russian kids found new homes because of them ...

That was twenty years ago.

I just heard that one of my acquaintances from the old church, is changing to another church.
They live in an agricultural area and there is like one church only, in any direction for scores of miles!
Then I found out why,
And I do not blame them one bit!

It seems on Mother's Day, like in any church, the women stand for recognition.
But my friend was told to stay seated because her children were not 'natural'!
It seems that only people whom have given birth are allowed to be recognized in that church now.
Oh, were it possible for me to fly home and start the systematic beating of people on that elder board!

As if adopted children are any different than 'natural' ones and take any less parenting!
If nothing else they take more, as an adopted child has to fight history just to accept new parents!
--- sigh ---

And instantly up came the quotation about us, in identifying ourselves as Christians, are therefore adopted into God's family.

There are an awful lot of really dumb ideas masquerading itself around the various churches of this world as "Christianity" - but this one really startled me!  ... at just how far the Western Church  continues to decline ...
So it seems that my friends do well in abandoning this place of evil,
For, as the Apostle Paul stated,
"We know them not."

Paul

Back home Tuesday, I hunted down the cards for my adoptive father.
He lives about 6 miles away from here in Seattle.
A really brilliant Christian man and the reason why I adopted him.

My 15 years a way from Seattle,
Though back home were hard,
Because I missed him so much!

And though he would never say so to my face,
He missed me just as much!

I missed his birthday last week because I was too freaked out to drive still.
Sunday, I was still having PTSD problems, so no driving!
And no father's day card to the man whom has shaped my Christianity mightily!

So, I drove north.
The first six miles were exciting but I did well.
Then I hit a construction zone and it was all over!

I rested at a stop sign to regain my composure an metabolic function
Then creeped the final 2 miles to his house.
And such a house!!!!!

Of course, he is not home anymore.
Just a shell of a man.
I am not even sure he can read any longer.
He loved opening his cards though,
And giggled.

But his gift of a Whitman's Sugar Free Chocolate Sampler was a real hit!
NOM-nom-NOM!

It is so sad to see such a brilliant mind reduced to that of a child.
But, I am sure his mind is awaiting his arrival in Heaven!
So prayer is needed for his comfort and translation into the next life.
Sigh ...

I am not looking forward to that day.
I am pretty sure he is.
And he is at the same time frightened.
Another prayer concern.

And his poor wife,
In an expensive house,
In a family of vultures,
Where it will be me versus the vultures.
(that translates to trying to protect the wife from the older daughter!)
sigh .....

And then, I will be the one needing prayer!
 

Barbara

So, up bright and early Tuesday.
Slid on my leg.
Ate a hurried breakfast of croissants and jam.
Then off to the hospital to sit with Dan.
And 7 hours we interspersed prayer with discussions on politics, mineralogy, mining lore, climbing, etrc.

At each turn I was surprised to find we are very much alike!
Right down to Pentecostal backgrounds and reason for leaving the fold!
I was very stunned.
To say the least .....

At 2:00, it was over - Barbara weathered the surgery well.

The surgeon was upbeat and positive.
Dan was relieved.

And as I thanked God quietly.

Then out of nowhere I had a vision:
In the midst of my praise,
I saw another tumor ......

Nope, not superstitious no more.

Perhaps it is true for her,
Perhaps for another.
It made me physically sick ...

Back home, my daughter called and asked what I was up to.
So I told her.
She was real quiet, so I asked what was up.
"Uhm, Papa, that does not sound like you at all."

I smiled.
God had done quite a change to get me here.
God had done quite a change for her to know that!
I smiled again ...
After a little more conversation, hung up the phone.

Yes, God is still using me in little ways.
In the midst of an awful week, my soul was quieted.

Bummed Out

One of my friends told me that his wife is going in for an emergency mastectomy.
Like my friend Penelope, a decade ago, she went in for a breast exam and OMG!
She put up a good fight but she lost in the end.
I really hate cancer!




And then I just HAD to and remember my friend Christine.
Such a good friend for two decades .....
I really hate cancer ...

So, more depressing, for I really like my friend.

And he is suffering.

I gave him some ideas on how to proceed.
sigh
She will be in surgery Tuesday morning.
And, I will be sitting with my friend at the hospital ...
I really hate cancer!

Please join us in prayer for her and her husband.
(Barbara and Dan)
Sure share with your prayer teams!

Father's Day

Sunday was a painful day for me.
No one really to look up to any longer.

But one is still alive, albeit no longer with us mentally.
All the others now long dead.
Very Depressing.