Finally, after 6-18 months of wrangling and wrestling, worrying, deliberating, debating, praying, pouring over scripture…finally peace and wonder at the landscape before us. Yes the door behind is closed, but it’s not closed on a sad and ugly place, but on a place that also holds the wonder and beauty of the Lord at work. I have to agree with Susan “It is amazing the clarity when the decision is made to doggone do what Jesus told you to do in the first place.”
It’s interesting how this winter’s bitter cold air seeps into my house…through the windows, under the doors, from the floors and the walls. There is nothing I can do to stop the cold from creeping in. And there is nothing I can do when I feel the nudge of God, other than obey and then enjoy the peace.
On another peaceful note, I began a Bible study (in this case book study) with a group of women and we’ll be covering “Peacemaking Women.” As we began our study on Wednesday, two things struck me. First, we watched a video related to the ministry from which this book originated. The speaker introduced the general concepts and then emphatically stated, and I’ll paraphrase, “Do not take my word for it that these principals are true, search the scriptures. Be a Berean and test these concepts against the word of God.” Whew, wow, what a refreshing breeze. No pragmatic justification for buying into the concept. No rationalization from history. No disparaging of others for “getting it wrong for so long.” Just a simple explanation of concepts and a admonition to check the word of God for confirmation.
Ken Sande also made another observation of contemporary church culture. We tend to confuse the unity of the church with uniformity of thought and opinion. We live in a world tainted by the fall and as such we will experience conflict with one another. (yes, many stories in the NT bear this out). Think about this. Think about your church, family, office, organization friends etc. Is there any human institution in which you are affiliated that is not afflicted with the frustration arising from conflict? I know the answer – no. The issue is not to ignore or flee, but deal with conflict in a Biblical manner. I soooo look forward to this series. Anyone who knows me well knows I have much to learn in this arena. Ahhhh…I’m feeling the bitter cold through the windows and the hand of God in my life!
