This is my buddy Rachelle. God blessed me and my family with three awesome weeks of relationship time with Rachelle living in our home. I absolutely loved our time together. Being together in community building relationship with someone for only three weeks is like Holly making her famous Toll House cookie recipe and only letting me smell them. There is a gap, a hole in the fabric of that relationship. That is Relationship Interrupted.
Although we have been on separate coasts Holly and I have loved and missed Rachelle's mom and dad for almost 20 yrs. R..C.(dad) and Lauri(mom) have been very much a part of Holly's and my life since Genesis Discipleship Training Center, Santa Rosa CA 1991-1994. We have been in a constant state of Relationship Interrupted praying that God would allow us to be together. He gave us Rachel instead. Interesting. That is Relationship Re-connected.
This issue of Faith/Relationship Interrupted is a very real and raw place for me in my journey out of "church"ianity.
March 3rd marked one month since resigning my Youth Pastor position and stepping down from vocational ministry. After twenty two years in ministry and many valleys and mountain tops I stand on this side grateful for all that God has done, grateful for all those years of getting to partner with the best partner on earth, my beautiful and spirit filled wife Holly, but with that came being bloodied by the constant and what seemed endless confrontation with religion or as i like to call it "church"ianity.
So with that, these are the ramblings of a man well loved, kinda like a teddy bear that's fur is worn off and missing an eye(by family and friends) and thoroughly abused, kinda like a teddy bear that's stuffing has been ripped out and arm torn off (by church and religiosity). (not to forget mention of more than a few of my own self-inflicted wounds)
I have been reading specifically just the gospels and focusing on Jesus' encounters with people. Jesus is frequently involved in conflict. As a matter of fact, the gospels are filled with story after story of Jesus engaged in some sort of confrontation or conflict situation, many of which are initiated by Jesus himself. I have noticed something else. Not one of those hostel encounters was ever with a pagan (unless you count the Roman guards in Gethsemane who by the way were sent by the chief priests and Pharisees,) .
John 18:3 Then Judas, having received a detachment of troops, and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, came there with lanterns, torches, and weapons). So I guess that doesn't count either. Every single one was with the very religious people.
The gospels clearly show that during Jesus life and death, and especially documented throughout His ministry that religion is in the hands of the enemy and actually was the enemy. All of His opponents where people highly invested and committed to "doing religion right". They, the chief priests and Pharisees considered themselves "right" and above reproach. (Probably right up until the Temple quaked and the vale was rent in two.Or maybe it was when the midday sky went black for three hours. I'm not sure, I'll ask them someday. Jesus was very clear about His mission and what was before Him.
Luke 2:49 And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”
Jesus' mission had nothing to do with establishing religion and everything to do with restoring relationship with His broken and isolated children and He was very purposeful.
The enemy is very clear about his mission as well. Satan is subtle and cunning. He won't blatantly engage us in spiritual warfare or show up in church. There's no need, all he has to do is deceive by distorting. His best tools are simple deception. What better way to keep people from Jesus than to distort Jesus. What distorted Jesus have you allowed to occupy your heart?
George MacDonald, a great Scottish Prophet and teacher said, "How have we learned Christ? It ought to be a startling thought that we may have learned Him wrong. That must be far worse then not to have learned Him at all. His place is occupied by a false christ, hard to exercise."
Many years of Faith Interrupted is now being summoned from the tomb to be reunited with my friend.
That is Relationship Re-connected.
I am excited about this new season of my life and relationships. I am really looking forward to living better, loving better and being present more.
The journey is the destination,
Bob
Religion gives the impression of having Christ while it inoculates you from experiencing Christ. by John Eldredge from:
 |
Beautiful Outlaw: Experiencing the Playful, Disruptive, Extravagant Personality of Jesus
by John Eldredge |
No comments:
Post a Comment