Keep My Hand On the Plow (A Morning Prayer)

Dear Godyou know I got started late today sometimes it's so hard to work up my momentum I pray you energize me and allow me to be a productive member of society that the good I would do I actually do let me work hard at the tasks you have set before me so that at the end of the day I am tired and happy with the work I have done I know only what I do for you Lord will last but there are many others who want, need, or expect things from me help me to be a person of my word trustworthy dependable a person of my word

thank you in advance for these and all other blessings, grace and mercy given this day

Amen

I Will Lie Down in Peace (an evening prayer)

I will both lie down and sleep in peace;for you alone, O Lord, make me lie down in safety. Psalms 4:8 (NRSV)

On this evening o Lord, I ask You for...everything Breath Life Health Strength Good dreams Awakening to a morning of new mercies Because of You I can lie down and sleep in peace The day has carried its troubles And my own failures on top of them But You have carried me Or at least you were with me I know I can't get bailed out of every situation Some lessons are difficult But at least You have been with me And now As I lay me down to sleep I can close my eyes with confidence Joy Peace like a river All the worries on my mind can be eased away The days evils are sufficient to themselves I don't have to add to them Or carry them over into the next day You bless me with a good night's sleep In the valley of shadows I will sleep like a baby

Amen

The Way (a poem)

I can't stopjust because the way is littered with accusations false I must tell myself they are false I can't stop because I fear I will never make it nearly there I remind myself I'm nearly there I can't stop because I miss the way I used to be best God wants the best for me I can't stop because I am too weak to continue eagles I will mount up with wings as eagles because I waited to You I can't stop because I am afraid love Your perfect love casts out fear

the way is littered with broken bones can these bones yet live? I trip I fall my progress is so slow shadows plague my mind and darkness it presses in on me like I belong Mary Oliver taunts me I should be able to do this failure reminds me of all the times I have quit and I stop I can't stop but I stop and then I begin to cry because I thought this time this time I could make it and I failed again

that's how You found me sunken in among the other scattered bones trying to forget how disgusted I am with everything You make a space and sit there with me until I'm all cried out

then we become eagles and I can't stop

A quick thought on grace

I was asked by a Rabbi what the Hebrew word for the Christian concept of "grace" might be (I read Biblical Hebrew). Here was my immediate response:

Strong's Hebrew Lectionary of the New American Standard Version of the bible says in Hebrew grace is h8467. תחנה techinnah; from 2603a; favor, supplication for favor:-- grace (1), mercy (1), petition (4), supplication (18), supplications (1). Or h2580. חנ chen; from 2603a; favor, grace:-- adornment (1), charm (1), charm *(1), charming *(1), favor (51), grace (8), graceful (2), gracious (3), pleases *(1).

I think grace in Hebrew would be less like "blessing" h0835. אשׁר esher;, and more like "to be made/able to stand" h6965. קומ qum; or h5975. עמד amad;

Grace and the Law are inexorably linked. In Christian teaching, Torah can not be filled by us in our natural state, the supernatural importation of grace allows for its fulfillment. Grace is giving you more than you deserve (the grace period on a bill perhaps). Mercy is withholding what you do deserve (when David didn't kill Saul that time they were in the cave).

Have attached a couple pages on grace and the law that might be elucidating. The highlight of that text is: "(e) Thus the revelation of grace, while it takes up and includes in itself the revelation of law,-a.dds something different in kind; namely the mani-festation of the personal love of the Lawgiver. Without grace law has only a demanding aspect. Only in connection, with grace does it become "the perfect law, the law of liberty" (James 1 25). In fine, grace is that larger and completer manifestation of the divine nature, of which law constitutes the necessary but preparatory stage." Systematic Theology: A Compendium -Augustus Strong

Can you handle this blessing?

Then afterward I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female slaves, in those days, I will pour out my spirit.Joel 2:28-29 (NRSV)

The book of Joel is depressing, and it is placed in a depressing part of the bible: the books of the prophets. The gist of the story is, you didn’t follow the laws I laid out for you and you think you’re going to get some reward for being the “chosen ones,” but in actuality I’m going to punish you until there is only a remnant left of who you used to be. Its the kind of message that makes people not want to read the bible and perhaps not even like God.

And here in these verses is a glimmer of hope. It seems out of place, but if you read the entire book of Joel, its only three chapters so its not bad, it begins to make sense. Smooshed in-between God’s wrathful judgment on a disobedient people is a desperate plea and a hopeful promise.

Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; rend your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing. Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord, your God? Joel 2:12-14

Maybe I’m not the only one here who’s done wrong, who’s experience horrible and painful consequences of my stupid self-centered actions. And at times like that, its easy to feel hopeless. You made your bed now lie in it, as the saying goes. But God. Here God is, saying, in the middle of the heavens trembling in rage, or nations raging against you and in the midst of giving you exactly what you deserve, there I am. And if you just turn to me -and in case you forgot, God reminds you He’s gracious and merciful and faithful and loving- and not only may I relent, I may leave a blessing as well.

There’s a Japanese movie I love called “Akira Kurasawa’s Dreams.” Its a series of vignettes and one features a team of mountain climbers. They are fighting against a ferocious storm. They are near the base camp and if they can just get there, they’ll have shelter, food warmth, and end to the madness. But the longer they are in the storm the more they start thinking they’ll never make it to the base camp, or what if the base camp has been obliterated by the storm and they are struggling for nothing? Wouldn’t it be easier to just lay down in the snow and surrender to the cold? They hallucinate that the snow goddess is telling them, just lay down with them and I’ll give you rest. They stop walking, and in the storm the cold takes them. In the next scene we see the storm is over and the climbers are dead in the snow...about twenty feet from the base camp. They were facing the wrong direction.

What would it have meant to them, what would it mean to you, if, in the middle of whatever valley of the shadow of death we are walking through, God would say, “Hey, turn around. I’m right here and I can save you?” And here in Joel that is exactly what he is saying.

The second chapter of Joel goes on to say, if you turn to me your God I will fill you with good things. Most people would be content with that. Lord, just let this storm pass. I don’t want much, just a safe place and a good meal. But have you heard God wants more than for us to be ok? He came that our joy might be complete.

That brings us to our focal text:

“Then afterwards...” We have to experience a storm before we can experience deliverance. Like the T-Mobile commercial says, “No rain, no rainbow.”

“I will pour out my spirit” What is God’s spirit? He told us in verse 13: gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing

“on all flesh” This isn’t a blessing for someone else, it is for you. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done or failed to do, this blessing is for you.

But notice it says on all flesh, not in all flesh. Rain falls from the sky but only those with the sense to get a bucket and collect it have drinking water the next day. Are you going to be aware and courageous enough to open yourself and let the spirit of God in?

Its easy to listen to whatever form the snow goddess will take in your life, that voice telling you its hopeless, that you should just give up. Turn away from that lying voice. Look up and realize God is raining blessings down on you.

But then, even if you’re aware the spirit is being poured out and is yours to take, it can be hard to open up to it. Life has been hard, and I’ve learned to survive it by being impenetrable, by closing myself off and keeping myself apart so that nothing can get in to harm me. And now you want me to give up what has become a way of life that has allowed me to survive and make myself vulnerable, God? And if I’m letting your spirit fill me, what is it about who I am now that is going to change or be replaced?

Your spirit relents from punishing, but there are some people I’m not ready to forgive yet. Your spirit is slow to anger, but there are some folk I will always be mad at. You are love, but he hurt me and I need to hate him as a reminder of the pain he caused. My pains, my hurts, my hangups, are what make me me, and you want me to give all that up God? I’m afraid. You want to make me a new creature in Christ but I’ve listened to the snow goddess so long that I think this bitter, scared, scarred person who is surviving but not thriving, is all I can be. But God, give me the courage to let you in, to give you the chance to make me than I ever thought I could be.

“your sons and your daughters shall prophesy” There’s a rap lyric that says “If you knew better you’d do better.” And that is what God is offering here. Prophecy means you are able to see what is coming and therefor live your life more intentionally, avoiding curses and embracing blessings. Teenagers act to recklessly because their frontal lobes aren’t fully developed yet. They can’t consider consequences. God is offering a spiritual frontal lobe. We can know what will bring us closer to God and what would turn us away from God.

“your old men shall dream dreams” You ever feel old and tired? Like you’re just going through the motions? It can be like we’re sleepwalking through life. I think we can all be old men at times. God is going to give even the most tired and unhopeful spirit a wakeup call. No matter how deep your sleepwalking is, God can penetrate that. Gave up? Gave out? Decided you couldn’t take it anymore and just plopped down in the snow and went to sleep? God is capable of overriding whatever lullaby the snow goddess is singing to you. To banish your nightmares and give you a dream. Dreams inspire and refresh, not tear down and tire. You may lay down an old man, but you can wake up young and full of hope.

“and your young men shall see visions” Prophecy is the capacity to see what will be. Vision is the ability to see what is. You don’t have to wander around blindly searching on the side of the mountain for base camp and missing it even though its right there. You will be able to see, to have discernment, to know that the snow goddess is lying and that God is truth.

“Even on the male and female slaves” This word “even” has special meaning. The Hebrew word gam means moreover, its telling us that what the writer is about to say is even greater than what has come before. But that doesn’t make sense; how can the slaves, male and female, receive a greater blessing than the sons and daughters? God has told us that the first shall be last and the last shall be first. And its amazing to think that God is telling people who’s entire existence has been one of giving that they are going to be given to.

“I will pour out my spirit” Well this is the same blessing as God promised to all flesh. But there is one important distinction and it lies in the characteristic of the recipient. A servant is obedient. They take whatever the master gives them. So when their Lord gives them something, they are going to accept it. Its a tossup with all flesh, will they receive the blessing or refuse it? But the servant, they are going to receive something for sure and it will be the greatest gift they’ll ever get.

You never know what you’re gonna get with me, sometimes I’m up sometimes I’m down. Catch us on the wrong day and we could miss the spirit being poured out upon us. But if we live our lives as servants to the Master, its a lock that when he gives, we will receive. So I’m going to take all of the liberty that I have in Christ and make the most sensible decision there is; become a servant of God. And I will take whatever my Master gives me.

Can you handle this blessing?

Sunday's On The Way: Words of Comfort on Trayvon Martin

What matters is not what we do today. Not how large or loud our protest is. It matters what we do the next day and the day after that and the day after that. Are we willing to put in the work to bring about justice in our communities, our nation and our world? The outcome of a court case wasn't going to transform our world overnight. It is going to take blood sweat and tears. Well Trayvon Martin's blood has been shed. His parents and all who stand in solidarity with them because they know what it's like to lose someone to senseless violence or to be treated as less than for no real reason, we've shed a river of tears. Now the question is, are we going to work hard enough to sweat for the kind of community where we can all feel safe, valued and equal? Those shed blood and tears are only good if they result in something positive: a beloved community.

Many of you may feel hopeless, many of you may be in pain, all of us feel ignored. And while it will take time and our ceaseless efforts to create a society that alleviates that, I came here to tell you that my God is ready to alleviate it right now. Because before Trayvon Martin there was a man called Jesus. They took him in the middle of the night, held a trial on trumped up charges and found him guilty, beat him, hung him on a cross to ridicule him. And then he died and the world forgot about him. He lay in a grave for three days while the world went about his business. But on the third day he rose with all power in his hand.

I know you feel like society has judged you wrongly, beaten you down and then forgotten about you, but I came to tell you there will be a resurrection day, for you, for me, for Trayvon Martin. And you will rise up with power in your hand. What did Jesus do with the power his Father gave Him? He didn't go getting revenge on all the people that did him wrong. He did something even more powerful: he loved them. Perfect love casts out fear and I am tired of being afraid. Perfect love banishes evil and I am tired of the evils in our society. Perfect love puts us in solidarity with God, our brothers and sisters, our neighbors and enemies, and I am tired of feeling alone and angry at others.

There will be times when we are beaten down, treated unfairly, ignored. But when everyone else has counted you out, God has not forgotten and will give you that chance to transform yourself and your situation. And even in the midst of our tears and pain, we can take some small comfort in that and prepare ourselves for the mountain of work before us.

Let us love, comfort and support each other now in this trying time. And let us always keep fighting.

God help us.

George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin: Justice vs. the Legal System

I woke this morning to the verdict of the George Zimmerman trial and not an ounce of surprise. I suppose that proves I am my mother's child. She was a black radical who insisted there was no such thing as justice in our judicial system. One definition of justice is "the quality of being fair and reasonable." Whereas the requirements for conviction in the George Zimmerman case (and let's remember it was the Zimmerman case, not the Martin case) was that it be proven beyond a shadow of a doubt, not that he was responsible for the death of Martin, but that he intentionally and maliciously meant Martin lethal harm. Despite what millions who have no direct involvement or first-hand knowledge of the case "know," whether they know Zimmerman is guilty or innocent, the case rested solely on facts to ascertain his state of mind, and since no one was there to observe the altercation, it was improbable from the outset that he would be found guilty. In America the accused is guilty until proven innocent. If in France, where one is guilty until proven innocent, the outcome could have been quite different.

And this is why there is a substantive and profound difference between justice and our legal system. It is one of the reasons for the scripture: "There is one lawgiver and judge who is able to save and to destroy. So who, then, are you to judge your neighbor?" James 4:12 (NRSV) Our laws and courts are in place to facilitate the functional operation of our society, not to provide restorative justice, the likes of which only God can truly provide. Yet we mistake a functional system for the divine one all the time. It's understandable.

The pain is so deep this time because to many this case was not just about George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin. It was about systemic inequity in American society. If you experience it, you probably know it exists. If you benefit from it, you probably will deny its widespread reality with your last breath. After all, it is not until you are deprived of something you took for granted, like the ability to go to the store for candy and walk back home without being murdered, that you realize the existence or preferential treatment. If you haven't been negatively impacted by systemic inequality, particularly the pernicious racism that plagues the U.S. uniquely because of our history of slavery, then what happened to Trayvon Martin may simply be an isolated "shame," and not a personal outrage.

Whatever the verdict of the George Zimmerman trial, it was never going to address the systemic racism and inequality, that bleeds through every aspect of our society. The only thing that was ever going to change that, that is ever going to change that, is us. But are we willing to put in the work? Schools achievement for African Americans is lower and neighborhoods are more racially segregated than they were before Brown vs. the Board of Education, yet still we look to the courts to fix both themselves and society of their systemic problems.

Are we willing to put in the long, unrewarding, back-breaking work of transforming ourselves and our society, instead of desperately needing a three week trial would strike a blow for us? God has asked us to care for the lost, least and left out, but in ancient days to now, it is the human condition that we look after ourselves first and most of all. We must love our neighbors as ourselves and, as Christ tells us, both Martin and Zimmerman are our neighbors. (Luke 10:25-37)

So, while the rage, confusion, sadness, indifference or smug satisfaction may be natural reactions, love is divine and the emotion and behavior to which we are called by God and must aspire at this time as in all times. Ask yourself, "What can I do to truly love Trayvon Martin? What can I do to love George Zimmerman?" And if either of those questions offend you or don't affect you, go back to the Lord in prayer and ask God to change your heart. Keep asking that question until you receive guidance from God. Then, let's get to work on changing our communities, society, nation, and world for the better.

But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever- flowing stream. Amos 5:24 (NRSV)

The Difference Between Waiting and Searching

You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God.

James 4:2

I've been waiting for God to reveal the next step in my path to me. I was quite pleased with myself actually. Patience has always been a challenge for me. I usually decide what I am going to do and, unless struck down by lightening, charge straight ahead with my goals in impressive fashion. Three years ago, confronting my vulnerability when I found that the demands of being an interfaith chaplain at Children's Hospital Boston were too much for me, I became a lot less headstrong (and more hesitant). So waiting, something I have never been good at, comes a bit easier now.

A friend and colleague in the ministry asked me recently if I had been asking God for guidance, instead of just waiting for divine intervention.  I hung my head in embarrassment. I had been so focused on not going against God's will that I had not been diligent seeking out God's will.

So lately my prayers have changed from, "Lord help me be patient," to include, "Help me. What is your will for me oh Lord." There is a great difference between being comfortable with God and actively seeking direction from God. It's a stronger and more intimate relationship. I realize I had become a bit complacent with God, as I suppose you can in any relationship. Things were good, so I stopped wooing God and got comfortable.

A well placed word from a friend reminded me that asking is a crucial component to receiving. Not only did I realize that patience alone would not deliver my fate, but I was also again struck by how awesome my Father in heaven is. Rekindling the passion of my relationship with God has been delightful. 

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Hebrews 11:6

Forgiveness As A Gift

Forgiving others' trespasses against us because we know that God forgave us our sins, is easier said than done. The level of pain caused when a person wrongs us, combined with how "sorry" the person seems to be, often play the biggest role in whether or not we "choose" to forgive. It is very human to hold grudges. The Gospel tells us to treat others as we want to be treated, but this may not always lead to forgiveness. How do we want to be treated? What do we think we deserve? Although we may be aware intellectually that God have forgiven us, it may be hard to feel free from the wrongs we have done. When we feel imprisoned our sins, it is impossible to release others from the weight of the wrongs they have done to us.

God wants us to know with all of our minds, hearts and strength that God has blotted out our sins and accepts us. Christ's incredible sacrifice on the cross shows us this in the most intense way possible that he loves you enough to take on the burden of your sin so that you may be free from it and come into full relationship with God.

When we can love one another and believe God loves us enough to have completely forgiven us, then we can forgive others. The capacity to do these things comes not from ourselves, our own hard work, or our own kindheartedness. They come as gifts from God.

As we pray for the gift to be able to truly forgive, both ourselves and others, we should seek to know the love of God, the grace of Christ, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, and all these things will be added unto us.

Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? But strive for the greater gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way. 1 Corinthians 12:30-31

The Season of Lent

Lent calls us to reflect on the fragile nature of our humanity. The human condition is one filled with imperfection and impermanence. It can be easy to become uncomfortable with these thoughts and therefore dismiss them. Lent calls us to focus on where we would be without God’s unconditional love for us. We remember that we are from dust and will return to dust; that we all sin and the wages of sin are death. Sitting with this knowledge is difficult, but ultimately gives us a greater appreciation for and reverence of God’s unconditional love for us as expressed through Christ’s ultimate sacrifice. When we meditate on where we would be without the love, grace, and communion of God, we more fully and passionately take hold of all that salvation in Christ gives us. Give yourself the gift of heightening your love for God by understanding how completely and desperately we need to be saved.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

Why I Need A Church Home

How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! - Psalm 133:1

It's been utterly exhausting not having a church home these past few months. I began to wonder why I'm feeling the absence so badly when so many others seem either completely unaffected or are passionately against church fellowship.

Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” Matthew 8:20

Part of it is completely emotional. It feels good to belong. Simply having a place to go where people know me and I know them satisfies a deeply human urge to exist as a social being. At its best, a church fellowship is a family. A place where you feel at home and nurtured and loved. Who wouldn't love that?

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” - John 14:1-4

Part of it is mutually therapeutic. I stopped thinking a church was supposed to be my own personal Eden, a perfected oasis that serves as a needed escape from the cares and trials of the world. I think that mindset is what leads to great disappointment. We come to church, perhaps bruised by the world, seeking a place of idyllic sanctuary. It should not be surprising that church is full of imperfections, comprised of people who are, well, human. But so often when church fails to live up to the a standard to which no other human institution is held, it often hurts those who went to the church hurting and in need.

"Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." - Matthew 11:28-30

A more serviceable metaphor for me is to think of a church community as a hospital. I come there sick and can receive treatments and rehabilitative services, and should feel driven to give treatment to others and help them to rehabilitate as well. The treatments and rehabilitation won't always feel good, but sometimes the only way to get better is to swallow that bitter pill that I know is for my own good. There are plenty of times I make a thousand excuses not to go to the doctor, even when I am in pain or know that something is wrong. There are times when either I simply don't want to know, think I can tough it out and live with it because I've gotten used to it, or the lack of routine "check-ups" mean that something I haven't noticed goes undiscovered and unremedied. But treatments sometimes hurt, needles or surgery never feel good. And it often takes more time to fully heal than we would like. Just as this is the reality of how things work in the medical world, I've found it can be even more true in the spiritual and emotional worlds. If I want to be healed, it is always better to go to the hospital, the only place where I can be properly diagnosed and treated.

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed. - Hebrews 12:7-13

And, alternatively, giving treatment and therapy can sometimes seem even more difficult. We all know a wounded animal will lash out when it is hurt, even against those who may be trying to help. It can be hard to remember the same thing can occur with people who are hurting. Often we want the help to be one-way and painless. And having to heal others sometimes, is a responsibility and potential danger that is the absolute last thing I would ever want to do at times...Until I remember that Christ, and through him others, have done it countless times for me. Its the difference between being merely a mere recipient of society's benefits, as opposed to a full-fledged participating member.

In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” - Acts 20:35

Part of it is pure challenge. Our church family is the chosen community where we can covenant with one another to love one another as Christ loves us, no matter how much it hurts. It can be transformative and healing to receive the unconditional love Jesus gives us. Giving it, is an entirely different matter. And no matter how messed up we were and badly we behaved when Christ found us and gave us that love, we are not as strong as him. It can seem impossible to extend even ourselves, much less others, the love he gave us. The road we walk to follow Christ is difficult. Not an effortless skip and a jump to paradise. Growth is almost always hard. But it is rewarding, delivering a fuller and fuller communion with God at ever step. In a church community we have an opportunity to do that growing to which being a disciple of Christ commits us.

Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. - I John 4:20

It is always easier to love than to be loved, but without learning how to and actively practicing love, we miss out on the fullness of joy that is a big part of the reason we follow Christ. Learning to love, even when its difficult, even when its excruciating, is the only path to loving myself truly being loved. It is the key to truly giving our self to God. And that's where the joy, peace, and communal love are found.

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. - I Corinthians 13

I embrace, value and need the emotional, therapeutic challenge that is true church fellowship.