For those of us who pay attention to the rhythm of the "Church," a rhythm which moves differently from the daily calendar we generally follow, this coming week marks a couple of important things.
First, this coming Sunday marks World Communion Sunday. This is a day that followers of Jesus can be called to remember that though we may all think about the presence of God in many different ways, we all celebrate at the same table. The idea that Christians can have differences of opinion about scriptural interpretation or specific religious practices is a stumbling block that those who desire a closer relationship with Christ have to overcome. The confusion that can happen if you are still seeking a faith community can be pretty intense from one church to another. When you talk to people who have become a part of a faith community, they often say that they decided one day to show up and that this just turned out to "feel right." This happens time and again to those new to the Christian walk, as well as those who may have left the Church and returned later in life.
But coming together to remember the unity we share in Jesus is what makes World Communion Sunday a vital part of the year. The more all the different adjectives of faith come together, the closer we are to understanding and celebrating the richness of Christ's message and God's grace.
And this leads me to the second thing you might see happening around town this week under the guise of "Blessings of the Animals." This celebration marks the ministry of St. Francis who discovered the importance of God's presence in the natural world and who was himself ministered to by animals. So we give thanks on these days for these creatures who occupy our homes, yards, and wild lands. Leading me to share a story that I think brings these two special foci's together in my own odd way.
I have two cats. One of them is 7 years older than the other. When I first brought the youngest one, Tigrah, home, my older cat, Mittens, was not happy. My thought that they could play together and keep each other company was obviously something that either of them had in mind as my older cat, set in her schedule and ritual life, was not willing to allow.
In my bedroom, I had placed one of those cardboard cat scratchers, the kind that is filled with catnip. Now, Mittens had discovered the overwhelming power and fascination of catnip and the need to partake of a good claw sharpening and roll around over this little box on a regular basis. Tigrah, on the other hand, being a kitten, had never really seen such a thing. She had been content to play with the fake little mice, often flinging them onto the bed in the middle of the night and expecting me to interact with her as she pounced about the bed.
So it was with some curiosity as she watched Mittens each day go over to this box and perform her ritual. The two had worked out the proper distance of toleration after a few days and weeks. Yet they each had there separate spaces and places somehow silently agreed to between them. One day, Tigrah, noticing that she was alone in the bedroom, decided to check out this curious box. She crept up slowly to it, her nose sniffing carefully to see if it was dangerous. As was to be expected, the catnip soon took on its effect and she began to rub her neck against the box and soon was perched on it not sure how to use it for scratching.
Out of nowhere pounced Mittens. Hissing along her path, she ran over to the scratching box and stopped abruptly. Tigrah, unsure just where this fit was leading waited patiently. Mittens, seeing her posturing had failed to impress, struck out with her paw, not using her claws, but just enough to encourage Tigrah to leave, which she did. Of course, soon neither cat really used the scratching box at all.
It was all a bit humorous, but it struck me as the perfect example sometimes about how each of us reacts when something we find precious is discovered by a stranger. Sometimes we can find a place where our own naive curiosity is embraced, where our new way of exploring and discovering the world is encouraged, or where we can come share in the delight that others have found. But sometimes we find ourselves in the midst of, well, sour pusses. Places where the rituals have become stale, or so formulaic as to lose their power to those who come regularly.
This is why we we focus on World Communion Sunday, a time for us to remember the mystery and excitement, the anticipation of being part of a practice as old as the faith itself, and which transforms and is transformed for each new Christian. And it's also perhaps why we look at St. Francis, a person who discovered God's grace and presence in an unexpected place.
I hope you have a chance to experience God's grace this week in unexpected ways and places and I pray that By the Way can be the sort of community that allows you to scratch below the surface to a deeper understanding of God's love for you. Amen!
Monday, September 29, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Wednesday "Worship" Nights
Starting in October, we will host a little worship and prayer time at the Panera on 101A. This is pretty informal time for sharing and praying for one another.
Join us beginning Wednesday, Oct. 1 from 7:30-8:30 PM.
Join us beginning Wednesday, Oct. 1 from 7:30-8:30 PM.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Where Are You... Right Now?
In her book, “Eat, Pray, Love”, Elizabeth Gilbert is spending several months living on the Indonesian island of Bali, as a part of a year-long experience of self-discovery. As she’s beginning her time amongst the Balinese, she realizes that there are 2 questions that are always asked when someone of the Balinese culture meets someone else:
“Where are you going?” and “Where are you coming from?”
Asking these questions, Gilbert says, helps the Balinese people to locate you, to see where you stand on their grid of comfort and security. The worst thing you can do, she says, is to answer either of those questions, “I don’t know”, because of the disorienting distress that answer might bring on.
Though we in our culture are much more likely to comfortably say that we have no idea where we are coming from and where we’re going, we also ask those questions of one another. But maybe our questions are more along the lines of, “What are your future plans?” and “What kind of dysfunctional family did you come from?”
Alright, I guess we don’t really say the second one out loud… but it’s become important for many of us to look back into our family histories to learn more about ourselves and what makes us tick. Unquestionably, it’s been a gift to many searching souls to ask, “Where did I come from?” in order to answer the real biggie, “And where am I going?”
But we know so well… every gift has its backside. Or every good idea can be taken too far. And some end up so stymied by what they find in the past that they can’t find their way to the future. Or even to the present.
Today’s Bible passage (click on the title to find the link) about God’s ancient press secretary, wildman Ezekiel, shows us that this reality is nothing new. When God’s people of old were taken from their beloved hometowns to the land of hated superpower Babylon, it was understood that the reason their country was defeated is that people screwed up and everyone was living the consequences of those mistakes. As the next generation was growing up, they felt trapped in the web of their parents’ sins. Our parents ate the bad apples, and we get a stomach ache. IT’S NOT FAIR!
Ezekiel’s got some hard words for the people. But in the end, they’re good news words. Yes, your parents made a bad investment and lost the farm. But you’ve also made some stupid mistakes. Look at your own behavior for a change. That may hurt like hell, but at least you can make some choices, if you dare to look honestly at your life. You can choose to turn toward God. Sulking is not your only choice.
The God you turn toward isn’t looking back. This God’s looking at you right now, for who you are in this minute, not for who you were or who you will be. And this God wants to give you life.
It’s plenty hard to take responsibility for your actions and make big changes. Downright impossible to keep it up. We can’t do it alone. We need God to love us into each new day. We need God’s people to hold us up and keep us strong.
Like Elizabeth Gilbert said of the Balinese, we need a grid to stand on, a community to help locate us. But most of all we need a God who takes us seriously in the moment, forgiving us, graciously turning us around, again and again and again.
“Where are you going?” and “Where are you coming from?”
Asking these questions, Gilbert says, helps the Balinese people to locate you, to see where you stand on their grid of comfort and security. The worst thing you can do, she says, is to answer either of those questions, “I don’t know”, because of the disorienting distress that answer might bring on.
Though we in our culture are much more likely to comfortably say that we have no idea where we are coming from and where we’re going, we also ask those questions of one another. But maybe our questions are more along the lines of, “What are your future plans?” and “What kind of dysfunctional family did you come from?”
Alright, I guess we don’t really say the second one out loud… but it’s become important for many of us to look back into our family histories to learn more about ourselves and what makes us tick. Unquestionably, it’s been a gift to many searching souls to ask, “Where did I come from?” in order to answer the real biggie, “And where am I going?”
But we know so well… every gift has its backside. Or every good idea can be taken too far. And some end up so stymied by what they find in the past that they can’t find their way to the future. Or even to the present.
Today’s Bible passage (click on the title to find the link) about God’s ancient press secretary, wildman Ezekiel, shows us that this reality is nothing new. When God’s people of old were taken from their beloved hometowns to the land of hated superpower Babylon, it was understood that the reason their country was defeated is that people screwed up and everyone was living the consequences of those mistakes. As the next generation was growing up, they felt trapped in the web of their parents’ sins. Our parents ate the bad apples, and we get a stomach ache. IT’S NOT FAIR!
Ezekiel’s got some hard words for the people. But in the end, they’re good news words. Yes, your parents made a bad investment and lost the farm. But you’ve also made some stupid mistakes. Look at your own behavior for a change. That may hurt like hell, but at least you can make some choices, if you dare to look honestly at your life. You can choose to turn toward God. Sulking is not your only choice.
The God you turn toward isn’t looking back. This God’s looking at you right now, for who you are in this minute, not for who you were or who you will be. And this God wants to give you life.
It’s plenty hard to take responsibility for your actions and make big changes. Downright impossible to keep it up. We can’t do it alone. We need God to love us into each new day. We need God’s people to hold us up and keep us strong.
Like Elizabeth Gilbert said of the Balinese, we need a grid to stand on, a community to help locate us. But most of all we need a God who takes us seriously in the moment, forgiving us, graciously turning us around, again and again and again.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Join Steve Wednesday next week
Next Wednesday, Steve will be at the Panera off Exit 1 (behind the Barnes & Nobles) in Nashua. Stop by to say "HI" and check-in.
We are in the process of discerning a physical location for our ministry this Fall so stay tuned for more developments!
We are in the process of discerning a physical location for our ministry this Fall so stay tuned for more developments!
Monday, September 15, 2008
Steve-o's Devos: Woe is...Hunh?
There is a saying that "hindsight is 20/20," perhaps meaning that we make lots of decisions that potentially could cause us pain. When they do, we tend to regret ever having made them instead complaining about it to others, or wishing we had chosen differently. A lot of the time our friends and family may simply smile warmly and help us get through the pity party, or they may just say, "See, what did I tell you?" Either way, it rarely makes a whole lot of difference in how we might feel.
I am struck this week by one of my favorite moments of complaint in the Bible. It happens smack dab in the middle of the Exodus and it is a wonderful example of what happens often in our lives when we can look back and try and wish we had made different choices.
You can catch the story of the Exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt in the Old Testament book of the same name (or the Hollywood version in films like The Prince of Egypt or The Ten Commandments). But let us for a moment think through this situation. People are being enslaved. They have a miserable existence where they can be whipped, overworked, and killed, or simply die from exhaustion. Could anyone in those conditions ever look back and say, "Ah, those were the good old days..."?
Yet, this is exactly what was happening with the Israelites. You know they headed out into the desert in the largest Honda ever constructed...(because they went in one accord...). But seriously, the excitement of all those miracles that Moses performed, the strength of his leadership and a tremendous amount of momentum brought them all to this point in time. In the rush to get out of town, to escape oppression, to find a new freedom unlike any of them had ever seen, they evidently did not take the supplies they needed for the journey.
Moses in faced with a crowd of complaining people. They are running out of food. So they manage to discover a sort of bread that is "rained down from heaven." Wow, they can eat! But it is not enough. "Man cannot live on bread alone! We need meat!" So, soon a flock of quails descend into the camp. The Israelites are fed.
What I love about this story is that Moses states clearly that they are complaining. All of them have blamed God for the situation they are in and expect an answer, no basically demand an answer. You have to wonder what their other options were. There was no place to go, no town nearby...they were in the middle of nowhere. Yet, they demand and expect God to help them. God does. The miracle we see is that the Israelites are fed. But the greater miracle is that God listens.
God listens to our complaints. God does send us the way to change how we are living. God provides ways that can get us out of bad decisions if only we look closely. Even when a food stuff appears on the ground, someone needed to say, "Look, we can eat this!"
It is not uncommon for us to take time and lift our complaints up to others. But this story encourages us to lift them to God. It is a reminder that we make decisions...what a blessing!....they are not predetermined, and they are fluid in that we are not stuck with where we are in any given moment.
"Woe is me? I wish I had never _______________." Can you fill that in?
Perhaps look back at a time when those words, or some like it, came out of your mouth. When you do, you'll likely see that a way out appeared and life went on with the crisis averted. Because when we are in the middle of our journey, it is difficult to see just where we are headed. It was true of Moses and the Israelites journey into the desert, a journey that would lead to the birth of a savior...all in good time.
If we think back to those critical moments of pain or joy, the fleetingness of them is like the blink of an eye. It is a simple instant in our lives that moved us further in the right direction, or momentarily off course. But, if we lift our complaint up to God, there will be a "Hunh" moment when the solution to our situation is staring us in our face. When life takes a turn in unexpected ways with unexpected results, we can lift our complaints to God and be willing for the surprise of our lives. Amen.
I am struck this week by one of my favorite moments of complaint in the Bible. It happens smack dab in the middle of the Exodus and it is a wonderful example of what happens often in our lives when we can look back and try and wish we had made different choices.
You can catch the story of the Exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt in the Old Testament book of the same name (or the Hollywood version in films like The Prince of Egypt or The Ten Commandments). But let us for a moment think through this situation. People are being enslaved. They have a miserable existence where they can be whipped, overworked, and killed, or simply die from exhaustion. Could anyone in those conditions ever look back and say, "Ah, those were the good old days..."?
Yet, this is exactly what was happening with the Israelites. You know they headed out into the desert in the largest Honda ever constructed...(because they went in one accord...). But seriously, the excitement of all those miracles that Moses performed, the strength of his leadership and a tremendous amount of momentum brought them all to this point in time. In the rush to get out of town, to escape oppression, to find a new freedom unlike any of them had ever seen, they evidently did not take the supplies they needed for the journey.
Moses in faced with a crowd of complaining people. They are running out of food. So they manage to discover a sort of bread that is "rained down from heaven." Wow, they can eat! But it is not enough. "Man cannot live on bread alone! We need meat!" So, soon a flock of quails descend into the camp. The Israelites are fed.
What I love about this story is that Moses states clearly that they are complaining. All of them have blamed God for the situation they are in and expect an answer, no basically demand an answer. You have to wonder what their other options were. There was no place to go, no town nearby...they were in the middle of nowhere. Yet, they demand and expect God to help them. God does. The miracle we see is that the Israelites are fed. But the greater miracle is that God listens.
God listens to our complaints. God does send us the way to change how we are living. God provides ways that can get us out of bad decisions if only we look closely. Even when a food stuff appears on the ground, someone needed to say, "Look, we can eat this!"
It is not uncommon for us to take time and lift our complaints up to others. But this story encourages us to lift them to God. It is a reminder that we make decisions...what a blessing!....they are not predetermined, and they are fluid in that we are not stuck with where we are in any given moment.
"Woe is me? I wish I had never _______________." Can you fill that in?
Perhaps look back at a time when those words, or some like it, came out of your mouth. When you do, you'll likely see that a way out appeared and life went on with the crisis averted. Because when we are in the middle of our journey, it is difficult to see just where we are headed. It was true of Moses and the Israelites journey into the desert, a journey that would lead to the birth of a savior...all in good time.
If we think back to those critical moments of pain or joy, the fleetingness of them is like the blink of an eye. It is a simple instant in our lives that moved us further in the right direction, or momentarily off course. But, if we lift our complaint up to God, there will be a "Hunh" moment when the solution to our situation is staring us in our face. When life takes a turn in unexpected ways with unexpected results, we can lift our complaints to God and be willing for the surprise of our lives. Amen.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
BTW Updates
Believe it or not we are hoping to locate a more "real" space in Nashua in the coming weeks. So watch for updates as we go.
In the meantime, Steve will be at Panera next Tuesday from 3:30 - 5:00 PM down off Exit 1. Feel free to stop by and say hi, or spend some time in deeper conversation. Bring a friend too!
In the meantime, Steve will be at Panera next Tuesday from 3:30 - 5:00 PM down off Exit 1. Feel free to stop by and say hi, or spend some time in deeper conversation. Bring a friend too!
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Wednesday Conversation Info: Handling My Emotions
Join us Wednesday night at Panera on 101 A for a chance to discuss how we deal with family issues.
This week we will see what happens when a group of friends has to deal with conflict (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%2018:%205-17;&version=65;) and then we will talk about ways to live a life worth living (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Colossians%203&version=31).
We start at 7:30 PM and go to about 8:30 depending on our conversation.
See you there!
This week we will see what happens when a group of friends has to deal with conflict (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%2018:%205-17;&version=65;) and then we will talk about ways to live a life worth living (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Colossians%203&version=31).
We start at 7:30 PM and go to about 8:30 depending on our conversation.
See you there!
Monday, September 8, 2008
A Truth Worth Trying On
Last week Steve reflected on the enormously tough but endlessly rewarding work of forgiving those who’ve messed with you. You get hurt. The hurt creates a wall. You can either live with the wall in place or you can do something about it. Be honest. Keep reaching out to the offender. Show the same patient compassion to others as God shows you. Forgive. Or else…
Or else? Yeah, there are consequences to not forgiving. They range from being mildly irritable to living a tortured life. And if the negative consequences are not enough to motivate you, try the positive: True forgiveness is so sweet, such a release, refreshing as a deep cleansing breath. Not to be missed.
With God’s help, and only with God’s help I’m afraid, forgiveness can become a way of life… a way we stray from, to be sure… but the Spirit keeps tugging on us to come back and taste its sweetness again. It can be downright habit-forming.
Forgiving those who’ve injured us is vital. But if you limit yourself to just forgiving the jerks around you, you’re missing out.
This week, try forgiving Life. Try forgiving God. Try forgiving the jerk you sometimes see in the mirror.
List your grievances. Call in your witnesses. Be honest to God. Dare to lay it all on the table. Write it down. Whine a little. Confess to a friend. Do whatever works for you to clean out the stuffed closet that holds all the times life has let you down or you have let yourself down.
Then let it go. With God’s help, let it all go. See God's image in the mirror instead. See God's grinning face when you look out at Life.
Then do it again tomorrow morning, too. Because forgiveness is a gift that keeps on giving. Trite as it may sound, it's the truth. A truth worth trying on.
Many of us visualize the never-drying-up well of forgiveness that is our God with the sign of the cross. All the grievances of all time can somehow fit on that cross.
It’s now a reflex action for me. When my waking-up toes touch the braided rug right next to my bed, my hand flies up to my forehead and down to my heart, across to my left shoulder and on to my right. I’ve sketched a cross upon my body, and I can’t get up out of bed without walking through it.
A new day of forgiveness begins.
~ Kari Henkelmann Keyl
Or else? Yeah, there are consequences to not forgiving. They range from being mildly irritable to living a tortured life. And if the negative consequences are not enough to motivate you, try the positive: True forgiveness is so sweet, such a release, refreshing as a deep cleansing breath. Not to be missed.
With God’s help, and only with God’s help I’m afraid, forgiveness can become a way of life… a way we stray from, to be sure… but the Spirit keeps tugging on us to come back and taste its sweetness again. It can be downright habit-forming.
Forgiving those who’ve injured us is vital. But if you limit yourself to just forgiving the jerks around you, you’re missing out.
This week, try forgiving Life. Try forgiving God. Try forgiving the jerk you sometimes see in the mirror.
List your grievances. Call in your witnesses. Be honest to God. Dare to lay it all on the table. Write it down. Whine a little. Confess to a friend. Do whatever works for you to clean out the stuffed closet that holds all the times life has let you down or you have let yourself down.
Then let it go. With God’s help, let it all go. See God's image in the mirror instead. See God's grinning face when you look out at Life.
Then do it again tomorrow morning, too. Because forgiveness is a gift that keeps on giving. Trite as it may sound, it's the truth. A truth worth trying on.
Many of us visualize the never-drying-up well of forgiveness that is our God with the sign of the cross. All the grievances of all time can somehow fit on that cross.
It’s now a reflex action for me. When my waking-up toes touch the braided rug right next to my bed, my hand flies up to my forehead and down to my heart, across to my left shoulder and on to my right. I’ve sketched a cross upon my body, and I can’t get up out of bed without walking through it.
A new day of forgiveness begins.
~ Kari Henkelmann Keyl
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Wednesday Conversation Info: Dealing With Family Issues
Join us Wednesday night at Panera on 101 A for a chance to discuss how we deal with family issues.
We will take a look at the story of Hagar from the book of Genesis (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2021%20;&version=65;) and then discuss ways to gain some peace with comforting words from Paul's letter to the church at Ephesus (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians%202:%2011-22&version=31).
See you there!
We will take a look at the story of Hagar from the book of Genesis (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2021%20;&version=65;) and then discuss ways to gain some peace with comforting words from Paul's letter to the church at Ephesus (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians%202:%2011-22&version=31).
See you there!
Steve-o's Devos: You Hurt Me, I Forgive You
The Gospel passage (click the title above to read) has some often difficult words to hear. Perhaps my title is a bit more provocative than the scripture even intends. This is because the interpretation of what is being said here can really veer us into dangerous territory, a place that would inapropriately allow us to not deal with a variety of abuses inflicted on us. But if we look very carefully at what Jesus is saying in this passage we can come up with only one end result: that we own the decision that will shape the direction of the relationships we are in.
Think about that for just a minute. Too often someone hurts us (mentally, physically, verbally) and we have several choices available to us. We can simply ignore the abuse, we can attack back, we can wait until time passes and then seek revenge, or we can seek to repair the damage and hope for healing. It is this latter path that Jesus encourages but with a specific request: that we not go it alone.
You can probably think of any number of people that you have been in conflict with in your life. Often we try to deal with the conflict with that person on our own, suffering the pain alone or lashing back at that person or someone else to spread the frustration and pain around. Jesus encourages us to take a second person along when we want to address a problem and that together you are able to discern the problem and perhaps come to a solution. If that does not work, involve the community in solving the problem with the hope that reconciliation and healing can occur. Jesus does not expect the community to take a side, only to live out a chance to hear the problem and discern a solution that solves the conflict.
What is fascinating is that while this often seems quite idealistic, it is obvious that the reality may not allow for resolution between the two people involved. So, there is a way that we can work towards having our own peace of mind and soul that allows us to move on with our lives and to not let that person have power or control over us any longer. It means sitting down in prayer with another person and giving over our pain and hurt to God. It means not letting that pain have power over our life our our daily living. It is about offering the one who causes us pain a chance for repentance and then handing over to them the power to change, forgiving them in the process.
When we forgive someone it allows us a chance to no longer let them have power over us. It will take a long time. In fact Jesus encourages us that we will need to forgive people 7 X 70 times before we will even be able to move on with our lives. I think rather than giving us a number to remember, Jesus just reminds us that forgiveness is not simple and it takes a long time to take root. But it needs careful nurturing, a time for reconciliation to take root, and a supportive community to hold us close and remind us that we are loved and lovable. The result of having others around us reminds us that Jesus is part of that loving circle and that when we come together in prayer to rejoice in our faithful living we discover that joy that comes from living out our messy lives together.
So, while provocative my title may be for today's devo, I don't mean to imply that you should stay in an abusive situation. God does not want you to live in abusive relationships with others either and this passage from Matthew reminds us that we need one another to overcome those times when it may be too difficult for us to confront the realities of relational abuse.
By the Way we hope will be, and is, such a developing community, where we can walk, or perhaps stumble, towards a great understanding of support and forgiveness made possible through Christ.
Think about that for just a minute. Too often someone hurts us (mentally, physically, verbally) and we have several choices available to us. We can simply ignore the abuse, we can attack back, we can wait until time passes and then seek revenge, or we can seek to repair the damage and hope for healing. It is this latter path that Jesus encourages but with a specific request: that we not go it alone.
You can probably think of any number of people that you have been in conflict with in your life. Often we try to deal with the conflict with that person on our own, suffering the pain alone or lashing back at that person or someone else to spread the frustration and pain around. Jesus encourages us to take a second person along when we want to address a problem and that together you are able to discern the problem and perhaps come to a solution. If that does not work, involve the community in solving the problem with the hope that reconciliation and healing can occur. Jesus does not expect the community to take a side, only to live out a chance to hear the problem and discern a solution that solves the conflict.
What is fascinating is that while this often seems quite idealistic, it is obvious that the reality may not allow for resolution between the two people involved. So, there is a way that we can work towards having our own peace of mind and soul that allows us to move on with our lives and to not let that person have power or control over us any longer. It means sitting down in prayer with another person and giving over our pain and hurt to God. It means not letting that pain have power over our life our our daily living. It is about offering the one who causes us pain a chance for repentance and then handing over to them the power to change, forgiving them in the process.
When we forgive someone it allows us a chance to no longer let them have power over us. It will take a long time. In fact Jesus encourages us that we will need to forgive people 7 X 70 times before we will even be able to move on with our lives. I think rather than giving us a number to remember, Jesus just reminds us that forgiveness is not simple and it takes a long time to take root. But it needs careful nurturing, a time for reconciliation to take root, and a supportive community to hold us close and remind us that we are loved and lovable. The result of having others around us reminds us that Jesus is part of that loving circle and that when we come together in prayer to rejoice in our faithful living we discover that joy that comes from living out our messy lives together.
So, while provocative my title may be for today's devo, I don't mean to imply that you should stay in an abusive situation. God does not want you to live in abusive relationships with others either and this passage from Matthew reminds us that we need one another to overcome those times when it may be too difficult for us to confront the realities of relational abuse.
By the Way we hope will be, and is, such a developing community, where we can walk, or perhaps stumble, towards a great understanding of support and forgiveness made possible through Christ.
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