Reflecting

As I look back over the past few life episodes I sense a mellow but confident view. Admittedly I was a inflexible Pentecostal with narrow viewpoints because of tradition and hierarchical leadership.  I will not deter from certain observations and conclusions. The most important thing is that I have an inner peace. There will be occasional rants that emit from my mouth or writing but I know real freedom is my colleague.

The fault-finder who reads my expressed opinions and conclusions will have to seek another to place guilt upon. I have no reason to accept guilt for declarations against me.  I would suggest your self-examination in light of the Word and see the frailty that possibly exists within you. Yes, you can judge me and likewise I can judge you, but with that judgment we both will face the Eternal Judge.

My tone of expression may seem a bit harsh, but life experience has brought certain callousness to those things that don’t matter and softness about those things that do. It isn’t about popularity or earthly achievements; I seek a higher prize.

As for my former church realm, be blessed in your efforts as you follow God’s direction. Avoid frivolous activities; they often lead to political nepotism.  Thank you for the experiences. Sometimes I learned what not to do, other times I was blessed. The bitter taste is rinsed out and spit out with a far better taste of the present. There is a remarkable peace enfolding me.

I seek after God’s favor above all else.  There is a new day of ministry that has dawned upon me and I feel more fulfilled than ever.

My satisfaction comes from seeing conversions that are not counseled in legalism or neglected in instruction. The true transformations come through instruction of honesty and knowing who one is becoming through acceptance of Christ as Savior and the development to maturity as defined in Scripture. That relationship, not religion, will sustain the believer in the darkest of hours.

BOOKS

I have recently assessed some “stuff” that my wife and I have accumulated through the 28 years of marriage. ------ We got lots of it! Too much! Amongst the stuff there is memorabilia that is priceless as well as junk that needs to be tossed or donated. I personally have a difficult time trying to yard sell. I don’t like the haggle or the mess. It could mean extra cash . . . to buy more junk . . .


My search involved a specific task of finding a book that I will be using to lead our Journey Group Bible study beginning in September. I knew I had it amongst the stuff but it was going to take some digging. My books had mostly been boxed since our departure from full time ministry. Fortunately I knew the general area where the books were packed away in the garage. But of course it was in the last box that I found it.

Printed material, i.e., books, notes, etc can serve value if we can find it again. Although I destroyed all my printed sermon notes as a symbolic gesture that was mentioned in a very early post, my books have always been somewhat of a treasure. I simply like books on a shelf and how they seem to intellectualize my being. Thus I kept my books; the library look is a vision of grandeur.

Keeping these books in boxes for four years was not my intent. It was just one of those unfortunate things. But as I looked through the boxes and found the particular book I was looking for, I realized how dated many of them had become. No, I don’t have signed copies to make them valuable, but I do have memory of how they assisted me in the process of life. Many inspired me, some were tough plowing through.

With the internet accessible information, some of these books could well find a better home and release me from some clutter. I prefer books because of underlining and highlighting for later reference with the physical page flipping. Does that make me old school? I will have to think deeply about any discarding.

Blog Anniversary

June was the second anniversay of this blog.

I truly cannot believe where time has gone.

I am not sure who has read or demonstrated any interest in my blogging but that may never be known to me. This forum serves the purpose of providing me with a venting which brings therapy to my being.

The offenses may hit hard. The facts may be one sided in some instances. The reader have to find out some other way. I can only express for myself. I have no intention of bringing harm to anyone. My prayer is that God can use this for His purpose in the lives of both writer and reader.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! -------