August 23 2014

August 23 2014 Greetings My Friend, I am reading in 1 Corinthians right now and a discussion I am running across pecks at my thoughts again. I must say that each time I come across verses like this I tend to have a stop and ponder moment. The passages reads something like this “Some say I follow Paul, others say I follow Apollos and other say I follow Peter.” Paul admonishes his followers with that all of the leaders follow Jesus, not each other or words to that effect. This generally gets my mind to engage. Through the years I find that I have a deep connection with other believers and often times they are from another denomination. My mother in law is my “go to” person I think of often. She is gone now but as I came to my faith it was my mother in law who opened my eyes to the Bible being lived out in her life. I was Presbyterian and she was Catholic. Today I am Baptist. I know some Pentecostals that inspire me with their genuine love of God. For the longest time I thought I could not feel close to God as I was in a worship service without saying the Lords prayer. I now belong to a denomination that rarely says this prayer corporately and I find peace in the love and acceptance each member of this church gives me. It isn’t about a way to come to the Lord but the Word that draws us closer. I can’t speak in tongues and that is okay. God teaches me He is in my life. The Pentecostals are able to share God’s love in a way a mainline church may not. The comfortable routine of a mainline church may speak volumes to someone totally different. I love the rituals of a Catholic service. Not one church though is more right than another. Again I think of Junior who grew up and lived the other side of the tracks than I did. He knows a real rough way of life and I know a more cultured way of life. We both grew up in dysfunction so we meet at that level. Junior can speak to people who know that side of life more than I can. I can talk to people on my side of the tracks. I keep learning that God puts us where we will have the most out reach for Him. Junior’s use of swear words turns a lot of middle class people off. To the crowd Junior knows these words are tame and they can relate and begin to hear the Good News. I am learning that God wants “all of us” to “hear the Good News.” He doesn’t want the ones who look nice on the outside only. He wants “all people” to come to Him. I again see Jesus at the well with the Samaritan woman. This woman’s life was about as low as a life could be but Jesus reached out to her and gave her “The Good News.” I see it again with the woman caught in adultery or with the lepers He healed. Jesus sat with the tax collectors another group that was despised. Jesus also taught that many people looked good on the outside but inside they were filthy. Over and over I hear Jesus say that God wants a true repentant heart not just a pretty white washed looking heart. For me as I retired and began to believe those close to me that I was about as undesirable as I could be I found God saying “You are mine and you are going to be the way I want you to be.” Once I grasped this I began to find healing and acceptance. Yes I know I can change thoughts mid stream and it can be annoying but God says “that is okay. I created you this way for a reason.” I relate to others through my experiences and many think I am “all about me.” In fact I start with me because that “I’ve been down there” road often opens the door to a hurting person seeing the love of Jesus. I am not afraid to share those deep emotions as some are. If it means a wholeness in the Lord it was worth opening that wound again. I am frank in my writings about my journey. I wanted to see a real person walking through their struggle so I could begin my walk. I resented people who pretended all was well when it was not. The only one they truly fooled was themselves. Mom comes to mind she told anybody and everybody she gave up smoking. She fooled herself only. For me I could smell it on her since I was not a smoker. Her health kept declining. So I strive to love like Jesus loves me. I know what His love is as I read the Bible and I begin to imitate what I read in my own life. As I meet other believers that are in the Word I sense our spirits joining in fellowship as I imagine we will be in heaven. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet