A Preemptive Biden Vacation...Curbside Service

We're careful about the pandemic. We live in a Retirement Community that has very strict rules and we rarely leave under normal circumstances. We always wear a mask, even to go for a walk outside. 

We buy groceries. We pick up prescriptions and that's it...

...under normal circumstances. 

But, we're antipating that when the new presidential administration ascends, more stringent regulations will be created. My sense is that Joe Biden wants to do more to curtail normal behavior among citizens than he has authority to do. 

So, anticipating Big Brother's interference, we took a vacation over Thanksgiving. 

Evie found a nice deal at a resort on the boardwalk in Virginia Beach, with beautiful views of the ocean and the shore.

So, we traveled down the Delmarva peninsula, checked in and quarantined ourselves, looking out at the beautiful views. The unit had a nice kitchen. We ate in, food Evie prepared beforehand and froze. On warmer days, we sat on our balcony, sniffing the sea air. A few of the days we walked on the boardwalk. It was nice. Safe.

Then we stopped off at Colonial Williamsburg on the way back and walked through the tourist area, which was mostly deserted. 

It was a good time and a much needed change of scenery. 

When we returned, we self-quarantined for ten days according our governor's regulations. Thankfully, we're still getting along well. The quarantine was not very stressful. The trip was very worth it. 

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Today, I need to fill a prescription. And, we need groceries. 

I called the (Walmart) pharmacy. They suggested their version of curbside pickup. So, I set that up.

When we pick up prescriptions, we usually buy some groceries at Walmart. 

So, Evie checked out curbside for groceries. We were stunned that Walmart was able to tell us what groceries we normally buy. It was convenient. But, for geezers, that's scary. We don't know how they were able to track us.

Anyway, we're doing curbside for groceries, too...

...life in the twenty first century, in a pandemic, for grazers. 

Atlas Shrugged

Gang,

It's been a looooooong time since I actually sent something that I've written. 

The emotional and spiritual aspect of the China Plague have taken their toll on me. We're tightly locked down in our retirement community, though Evie and I take as much liberty as any. Still, we're, by far, the youngest here and, I think, need to fly the coop.

I've written some things but, for whatever reason, haven't felt passionate enough about them to send them out.

So, here's a request for feedback on a nonchurch or Kingdom related issue. 

My local library has, in its audiobook collection, available online, Ayn Rand's classic Atlas Shrugged.

I became aware of the book when I was in college. For a brief time, I had an Economics minor. To this day, I love economics. I had a prof who was the token conservative on the Econ faculty. Incidentally, he was also a believer (in Jesus), but he was mesmerized by Ayn Rand. I doubt that there was a class session that he didn't bring up her name. So, I've been sort of fascinated by her since the mid 70s.

The book, as I said, is available to me in an audio format. It's more than 60 hours long. So far, the longest book I've ever tackled was 36 hours long. It was a good book, but the 36 hours was a challenge. 

I suspect that some of you may be familiar with Rand and, perhaps even have read this book. So, do any of you have a thought about whether or not I should tackle it. 

I checked it out the other day but I was so daunted that I returned it before I started it.

As always, on the blog or off will be fine.

Thanks. 

Luther's 95 Theses

When I was in grad school, I really wrecked my eyes from all of the required reading. So, I made an agreement with myself: I will only read serious stuff. Anything that I "read" for relaxation or enjoyment I'll consume in an audio format. 

I watch almost no TV. We don't have cable or satellite. We haven't been to a movie for years. In fact, I can't remember the last movie we've been to.

For relaxation, I consume a ton of popular fiction. I love Michael Connelly. Sadly, he only comes out with about a book a year. David Baldacci is okay and he's very prolific. I like some of Harlan Coben's stuff. I love Robert B. Parker, but he's been dead for ten years. Parker's family hired people to continue the Spenser, Jesse Stone and Sonny Randal series and some of those books are okay. Occasionally, I'll enjoy Lisa Scottoline, mostly because the novels are nearly always set in Philadelphia or eastern Pennsylvania. There was a time I nearly lived off of John Grisham novels, but for about the last 15 years, most of his stuff has essentially been sermons you'd expect to hear in a mainline liberal Protestant church, and, so, he irritates me more often than not. 

I've very rarely broken my rule not to actually read fiction. 

And, until now, I've never, ever broken my rule about reading serious stuff. 

However, I saw that my local library has Eric Metaxas' biography of Martin Luther on audio. So, I put it on hold in May. It just became available. It's 21 hours on audio, read by the author, which, usually, is a disaster, but Metasas reads well.

I didn't know how listening to something as serious as a book like this would go. The book is deep. I've, of course, been required to read a lot of books like this over my many years...and Metaxas is very deep. 

I'm about five or six hours into the book and he's already used a handful of words I don't know the meaning of.  But, it's an awesome book. Metaxas is an excellent historian. He concerns himself with things Evangelicals care about.

Anyway, to the point...

He, of course, addresses the 95 Theses and I've learned some things I didn't know. 

One is that by posting the document on the door of the church in Wittenberg, he was doing what scholars did to invite interested people to join in a debate. Nothing new there. 

What didn't I know? 

Not one person showed up for that debate.

If Luther had not sent a letter to his (corrupt?) archbishop, the 95 Theses would have gone nowhere. 

I learned one other significant fact from the book, and I learned it because this is an audio book. 

I've had the assignment of reading the 95 Theses in several courses I've taken. They're tedious. Every time I read them, I'd get to number 15 or 20 or so, and my mind would begin to drift. But, having to listen to them, one after another, made it much easier for me to pay attention and absorb their significance to the end of the list. 

One myth that some people accept is that the 95 Theses detail Luther's conviction that salvation is by faith, or that they have to do with Luther's foundational theological notions, sola scriptura, sola fidei and sola gratia. They don't. 

All of these things actually came later for Luther.

The 95 Theses are entirely about Luther's opposition to the sale of indulgences. 

What I learned, though, because I was listening an audio book, is how the ideas of grace and faith, especially, were becoming convictions for Luther. Several of his 95 arguments against the sale of indulgences were connected, particularly to the importance of faith. Interestingly, I recall only one Scripture reference in the text of the 95 Theses as Metaxas read them.

It was through the process of defending the 95 Theses that all of the theological principles which launched the Reformation emerged in his thinking. Within four years, Luther was proclaiming salvation by faith, grace, the authority of Scripture and, interestingly also, the bondage of the will.

I've obviously got a long way to go in the book. But, I know this one thing, and it's very much in my mind.

On the day that the Church of God formed in 1830, our founders called for "another great Reformation."

It was when that when we pursued something beyond what Luther started that we were being blessed. 

As a person of the Church of God, who yearns for our body to return to the faith and passions of our founders, this study of the beginnings of the Reformation includes reflection on how the Reformation failed.

Oh, that we could be like the people of the Church of God who walked in the blessing of the Spirit, even to the degree that we could live in pursuit of "another great Reformation!"

The Dopey Prophet

Yes, that's me. The way I figure, I might as well laugh about it, or, at least, make light of it. 

My back pain is, maybe, 80%? gone. The 20% that remains is more than enough. I may never entirely recover this time. 

I think I noted, in the last post, that my doctor gave me refills on my cyclobenzaprine prescription. He did. And, it helps.

But, the side effect of drowsiness dulls my brain waaay too much.

There's lots going on these days that I feel prophety about but I'm just not able to connect to the words to express it.

The best I can do right now, as followers of Jesus encounter the unique challenges of our time, is to say that we have an opportunity to repent of, and turn from, the fallen ways that are driving our spiritual decay and numerical decline. 

Behave as if the Middle Ages never happened. Think in terms of the New Testament plan. 

Be extreme in embracing the Word as your only rule of faith and practice. We have not done that since our Church of God days.

Be courageous and brutal in turning from institutional traditions. If you do that, shepherd sensitivities will be assaulted and there will be many crushed hearts. 

So, above all, practice the New Command of Jesus: "Love one another as I have loved you."

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Now, I'm going to proof read this three times. Hopefully, it will be sensical.

More Cyclobenzaprine

 I'm still struggling with the back pain. I finished six days of prednisone and it definitely helped. The side effects of the prednisone were not nearly as bothersome as I feared but I was still in considerable pain...too much pain. And, I also got to the end of the cyclobenzaprine. 

I messaged my doctor to ask if he thought I should continue taking the cyclobenzaprine. He responded simply, "Prescription sent with refills."

He gave me a prescription for 3 pills a day for 10 days with 5 refills. That's about 2 months worth in total.

The cyclobenzaprine makes me really, really drowsy, not as much as during the first few days, but still considerably. 

I'm so diminished that I didn't listen to the last Nick and Dan's Bible Study Podcast.

I will catch up some day, I promise. 

I did read the last eNews. I have some thoughts but I'm not able to express them just now.

Now, I'll go back over this post to do my best to make sure it's coherent. If not, blame the cyclobenzaprine. 

Prednisone

 A while back, I mentioned that I aggravated my dodgy back. I actually arranged a face to face appointment with my doctor. He prescribed cyclobenzaprine, a muscle relaxant which he promised would make me sleep a lot. 

Hence, I've been asleep for most of the last week and a half. (Cyclobenzaprine is an old drug with that powerful side effect of causing drowsiness.) I think that the doctor prescribed it BECAUSE of the side effect, so I wouldn't be doing much moving around, so I wouldn't irritate my back. 

Anyway, he also offered me a steroid (prednisone) to assist with the healing and I declined it because the last time I took  prednisone the side effects were horrible. 

We agreed that I could send him a message later on to request the prednisone if I needed it. After three days, the cyclobenzaprine had accomplished little other than promote about 16 hours of sleep a day so I asked for the prednisone. The side effects this time have not been bad. I don't know why.

I just finished the sixth and final day of my packet.

It has helped. I estimate that my recovery is about 75%. I don't know that I will ever fully recover. Bad backs run in the family. My brother retired at age 61 because his back simply was shot. 

I still have one day of the cyclobenzaprine prescription. I think I'll message the doctor and ask if he thinks I should do another round.

Evie's still struggling with her own recovery from her surgeries. She's still weak and lacks stamina and has had to carry a heavier load than she really can handle. She's been valiant, as always, never complaining, but she is worn out. 

Still, our lives are extremely simplified and I suspect that we'll be able to struggle through this...in time. 

Here's to hoping that this makes sense. With the drowsiness, typing a simple note like this one is a great challenge. 

Cyclobenzaprine

Don't expect to read much on this blog in the near future. 

About seven years ago, I was diagnosed with Degenerative Disc Disease, a condition many people my age struggle with, though I suspect that my case may be more severe than what is typical. 

There have been several times when, in doing something very everyday, I experienced back pain that made any movement painful.

A few days ago, I was sitting with less than ideal posture and I coughed and something twisted or pinched in my lower back.

Evie drove me, and I waddled into the doctor's office, the next day. He prescribed Cyclobenzaprine and offered me steroids and physical therapy. 

I accepted the Rx for Cyclobenzaprine  which is a muscle relaxant. The doctor told me that, after I take it, I'll want to sleep. 

He gave me 10 days worth. I'm starting my second day. My estimate is that I slept 15 hours? yesterday. 

But, my brain is really addled. In fact, if this post is unreadable, you'll understand. I am being careful to read and reread what I'm laying down...but who knows?

Yesterday, I tried listening to an audio book I'd gotten from the library online and had had on hold for more than a month. I gave up after 15 minutes because I couldn't make sense of it.

Evie's been wonderful through this. She's still low on stamina and, for the moment, between the drowsiness and the pain, I'm useless. 

"I was a stranger and you invited me in."

 This one will be hard to write. It will also probably be poor written. 

Evie and I are very serious about living righteously...about connecting walk with talk, belief and action. 

We look to the Word...particularly to the teachings and example of Jesus...particularly to the Sermon on the Mount and the Sheep and Goats teaching...for our marching orders.

(As an aside, speaking only for myself, it's my opinion that one reason that the Lord of all authority and power and grace and mercy and blessing is not blessing us,...or, a reason that our institutional body is in the midst of a generations long slide into spiritual decay and numerical decline is that we get righteousness wrong. 

Far too many of us think of "going to church" as an act of righteousness. According to what I see in the Word, gathering is a means for disciples to spur each other on to righteousness but it is not itself righteousness.)

Anyway, when Jesus defined righteousness in the Sheep and Goats teaching, He said, "I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,..." and so on.

We believe that. We DO it. We figure that Jesus knew what righteousness is for people who follow Him.

Over the years, we've welcomed several people into our home. Some of those people were known to us beforehand. 

Some were, literally, complete strangers. 

A few years back, the company Evie was working for decided to take a bit of a risk and to hire a guy who was just getting out of prison. 

He was moving into the area and needed a place to live. After discussing it with Evie's employer, we learned that the guy had a shack up girlfriend and that she had a daughter in elementary school. 

Evie and I talked some, prayed some and allowed ourselves to be confronted by the gospel. We invited them...complete strangers...to live with us.

What an experience. 

Before they moved in, another stranger knocked on our door, unannounced and uninvited, saying that he's a probation officer and that, actually, we need to be approved by him for, their names and Steve, Jenny and Erin to be domiciled with us.

We invited him in. He had a long questionnaire to go through with us. The meeting was a tad amusing. It may be that he'd never met anyone like us. 

Apparently, normally he interviewed people who themselves had criminal records. A few questions into the conversation, he began to apologize for having to ask the questions or saying, "I know that the answer to this is, 'no,' but I have to ask it anyway..."

Obviously, we passed muster with the Probation Office.

Steve, Jenny and Erin moved in and lived with us, as I recall, for about a year before they were able to afford their own apartment. 

Jenny is sweet. She actually worked with me at the store as a part timer for a few months. Erin, her daughter, is a pretty serious extrovert. Many young extroverts just can't seem to SHUT UP, and she couldn't. She was a bit of a challenge, but her mom managed her compassionately. 

Steve was a nice guy and easy to live with. But, there was something underneath. He'd apparently made bad friends with whom he'd committed a very serious gun crime. Hence, his time in prison. And, while we only ever saw him sober, we could see that under the influence of drugs and alcohol, he might be capable of just about anything. 

When they moved out, it was nearby so we saw them, from time to time, especially when they shopped at the store. And, we were always comfortable with each other and friendly and usually sought each other out to take a few minutes to catch up with each other. 

After we moved here and I was forced not to work, we'd had no contact. Perhaps Evie and Jenny exchanged a few texts. 

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So, yesterday I was listening to local news on the radio and heard that a murder had taken place on Saturday night on the road that dissects the campus of the Home...less than a half mile from here...

...and that a guy with Steve's, very common, last name had been arrested for committing it.

I googled and, sure enough, I saw his mugshot. 

Our Steve is very obviously guilty of the murder.

I'm still trying to sort out the emotions.

We've been in contact with Jenny and made ourselves available to her.

As opportunity presents itself, we'll reach out to Steve. We may have an opportunity to do the, "I was in prison and you visited me," thing. 

But, wow.

Our Steve, a murderer. 

It will take a while for this to sink in. 

Living in our house!

It's amazing where life takes you when you follow Jesus. 

Netflix Finds

About a week ago I mentioned that I get Netflix at no additional cost with my cell plan and I asked for suggestions. 

I got nothing except that I was told Netflix stinks and to get Amazon, which I'm too cheap to do. 

I'm Pennsylvania Dutch and FREE is our favorite four letter word. 

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A joke from the store:

Q: What's the most dangerous place in the world?

A: The space between a Mennonite and a sale.

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So, I found a few things. I'll mention one now.

Later on, I'll probably mention another, MINDHUNTERS.

Last night I finished the last season of

BROADCHURCH. Broadchurch is the name of the town where the series is set. 

BROADCHURCH is very British. However, normally in British shows, the church and members of the clergy are presented in a very negative way. Jesus not so much. 

And, so, because I don't think much of institutionalized Christianity and even less of the clergy/laity error, that doesn't bother me. 

Anyway, in BROADCHURCH, there's a major character who is the local parish priest. His ministry is an abject failure but he himself is a person of character and integrity. 

One of the final scenes in the show has him preaching his last sermon before he leaves the town. 

And, it's straight from my soapbox. 

Let us consider how we may spur one another on to love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing...

Good stuff.

Do I recommend the show? It's a 21st century whodunnit. Murder. Rape.

There's little, "they all lived happily ever after." Little repentance. 

But, entertaining. And, I'm supposing, it was popular over there.

A Prophecy from a CGGC Prophet

From Andrew Draper. I found this on Facebook. "Its not too late to repent."

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I know this may sound odd in a public forum like this, but I can't sleep tonight and I believe the Lord is giving me a word that I am supposed to speak publicly. There are those of you who need to receive it. You know who you are. If it isn't you, feel free to ignore it. But write it off at your own peril.

The Lord often speaks to me from the Old Testament prophets and sometimes gives me prophetic words for people or groups of people. Tonight I believe I have something that certain American Christians need to hear. Here it is:

"You have made gods of race and nation. You have made idols out of your culture and your country. You say you love Jesus but you have long since rejected him. If you would be honest with yourself, you know you don't worship him like you did before but you really don't care. Your defensiveness and pride have long since taken over. Jesus longs to be with you and wants you to love him and trust him like you did before. 

The idolatry you have engaged in is why your cities are burning. Babylon the great is falling and if you don't come out of her and repent, you will be destroyed alongside her. You have allowed and approved of violence because of racial pride and because of national pride. The blood of those you have trampled cries out to God against you from the ground. 

It is not too late to repent. But if you don't repent, your light and your lamp will be taken away."

I know this may sound harsh, but I have learned to recognize how the Lord speaks to me. He tells me that, like Ezekiel, if I don't speak what He gives me to speak, the bloodshed will be on my own head. If I speak it, I am freed whether or not people choose to listen. This is in love.

May the grace of Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

I Hate the New Blogger Format

Google has been warning that it would foist a new way of creating blog posts on us for a while. It happened today.

I suppose I'll adjust in time, but, for the moment at least, grrrrrrrr!

The Home had its First COVID Death

We have been in quarantine, except to do essential activities, since shortly after Evie went into the hospital in March.

The administration at the home was ahead of its time in dealing with COVID.

The home my mom was in quarantined about three weeks after we did it here. It was during that time that mom was infected. She died about a month later.

Still, here, there were no known cases. Eventually, the state required all homes to test every resident in skilled and, eventually, personal care.

While that was developing, our Home made the decision to create a special COVID wing to receive patients with the disease from outside. We're operated by a small Mennonite Conference. The Home's mission involves a commitment to serve our community. It was out of that commitment to serve that the decision to welcome COVID patients was made.

When the Home did its state mandated testing in skilled care, 10 people tested positive, all were asymptomatic, though two exhibited symptoms after the positive test.

Last week, our regular COVID Newsletter revealed that we've experienced our first COVID death. No other details were given.

So, it's hit us here, too.

Sad. I know our people are being as diligent as possible to keep us safe. These are difficult times.

Evie Drove for the First Time since March

About a week ago.

Her ruptured colon in March knocked her down hard. The surgery to clean out the infection and to repair the colon was a very debilitating procedure...and, the trauma to her body from the event itself was nearly fatal, as we're really coming to appreciate now.

That left her extremely weak...and with no stamina. Ten minutes of activity in a day would exhaust her so much so that she'd have to rest the entire day.

By the end, before she had her double surgery in June, she could do one light activity a day, such as prepare a meal. We called that her Occupational Therapy.

The double surgery in June was not as traumatic as what happened in March, but she ended up with two incisions one going across her abdomen horizontally, the other vertically. This made it difficult for her to move in any direction.

Still, a group of her friends, who meet once each quarter, met for an evening meal and strongly encouraged Evie to join them.

Evie hadn't driven a car since the day in March when she was ambulanced to the hospital. The drive was about 15 miles one way.

We discussed it at length and decided she could probably handle it.

She did handle it...just barely. The next two days were jammie days for her, but that's not unusual.

She still has virtually no stamina. I think it will be a long haul.

A Call from Mom's Sister

My mom's second youngest, of six, sisters, Lottie, called us yesterday. (Mom was one of seven girls.) These women had very traumatic childhoods and the five youngest remained close and fiercely mutually protective to the end. Only two survive.

As mom's health declined, Lottie asserted herself as a self-imagined protector of mom's wellbeing.

By that time, mom was physically frail and her Alzheimer's was advancing rapidly.

But, the sisters, who only saw her occasionally, couldn't appreciate mom's true condition. Lottie, especially, concluded that we were neglecting mom, so she and the others attempted to give mom the treatment they thought mom deserved.

Twice that we know of, they took mom out of the home...against home rules...and took her on field trips. Technically, they kidnapped mom.

They were certain that what they were doing was good for mom, but, in fact, it took mom days...weeks, once...to recover mentally and physically.

Several times, Lottie called us harassing for our ill treatment of mom.

It was very disconcerting.

Lottie is well into her 70s and, near the end of mom's life, Lottie had some serious physical setbacks and backed off.

I was concerned that the rift in our relationship would never be repaired.

So, yesterday she called us and we chatted for a long time. It was very amicable. We exchanged "war stories" about mom near the end.

It turns out that, eventually, Lottie saw how poorly mom was doing and, especially, how severe the Alzheimer's was. (Until the very end, if you only saw mom occasionally you couldn't tell how affected mom's mind truly was.)

It seems that Lottie came to appreciate that we were doing the best we could for her. And, it seems, all is forgiven.

Nice to know.

I'm feeling a strong sense of relief now.

I thought that there would never be peace between Lottie and us. At least, the hostilities are over.

Netflix Suggestions?

Last fall we changed cell phone service providers.

As a part of the package, two years of Netflix was provided.

I'm not big into watching TV. We don't have cable or satellite. For years, we've only watched DVDs, now Blu-rays of British TV shows.

But, we're still pretty seriously locked down here in our Residential Living apartment at the home and I've been checking out what Netflix has to offer.

I found a very little of the British mysteries we enjoy and I'm slogging through an American show starring the guy who played Jesus in The Passion of the Christ. It's okay as far as I am concerned.

So, knowing what you know about me, any suggestions?

On or off the blog.

"A lot of our churches no longer have faith in the Scriptures."

I'm a big fan of Nick and Dan's Bible Study podcast. 

Moments ago, I finished listening to this week's edition. The description of this one says that the discussion is "wide ranging," and it is. Much of this one touched on the way churches in America engage the secular world and behave politically.

This one seemed to be more of a stream of consciousness than it was devoted to a single theme followed by both guys.

That's fine. It's real.

One thing that is unusual in today's CGGC, is that when I listen to these guys, passion oozes from them.

Their passion connects me to our early Church of God days, the days when we were swimming in God's blessing.

Mostly in the CGGC today, we're temperate, tepid, thoughtful, cautious and careful, and very well spoken. Mostly, we're philosophers, theoreticians...the people who speak to us, and for us anyway.

The Nick and Dan podcast is the one connection I have to our body today where I can know, and not doubt, that we still have people who possess fire!

I praise God for these guys and what they actually do.

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I sent a note to Dan when I finished the podcast and said, among other things, that Nick produced the best soundbite in the brief history of the podcast. That sound bite is the title of this post.

"A lot of our churches no longer have faith in the Scriptures." I'm sure Nick said exactly that. I relistened to be certain that I got it exactly right.

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I have a few thoughts about what Nick said.

First, when he said it, he was merely stating an opinion, based on his considerable experience in the ERC. He wasn't preaching. He wasn't complaining. He wasn't haranging like I would. He was simply describing fact.

Second, Nick was being honest. Understand, I don't mean to suggest that other holders of institutional authority in the CGGC in recent years have been/are dis-honest. What I'll say is that, in the CGGC culture, it's become the norm to avoid the truth. Most of the holders of institutional authority in the CGGC don't talk about the past, or the present, they envision a fuzzy, better future...which never becomes reality.

Third, in my opinion, Nick was accurately describing reality. For many generations, our body has been in the midst of spiritual decay and numerical decline. The Lord loves to bless His people, yet the Lord of all authority and power and grace and mercy and blessing isn't blessing the CGGC. He once blessed us. He has stopped blessing us. Why? Nick has described one foundational reason. We no longer have faith in the Scriptures.

Fourth, Nick's way of knowing that our churches no longer have faith in the Scriptures is, in his own words, "...if you have faith in the Scriptures, you're going to act the way they tell you to."

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What you do is what's important.

What you do is the fruit of what you believe. It's what you do, the fruit of your faith, that will determine your eternal destiny. (Mt. 25:31-46)

Thank God for Nick DiFrancesco. He's connecting faith and action in the ERC and CGGC.

Thank God Nick has the courage to say, on the level of our churches, we are not doing what people who have faith in the Scriptures do.

In my  opinion, we have two serious problems with doing.

One of the truths about our body is that, in our churches, everyone does what is right in their own eyes.

Another truth about doing in the CGGC is our "Talk-ism." Many of the high holders of institutional authority in the CGGC talk righteousness and obedience and love and justice and mercy, and they talk it poignantly and powerfully, but they don't walk their talk.

In our early Church of God days, we once had genuine unity, to the degree humans can have unity in this life, because we had faith in the Scriptures and we submitted ourselves to lordship of Jesus and to the authority of His Word, and we submitted to one another out of reverence for Christ...to the point that we did what we believe.

Back in the day, we were unified in deed, not only word.

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Finally, some questions. What does the reality that our churches no longer have faith in the Scriptures say about:

- our pastors, and
- our holders of institutional authority?
- our way of educating, mentoring, discipling our people?

The people of our churches were, at one time, burning with white-hot fire for the Word, and for Jesus.

The people of our churches got from where they once were to where they are now somehow.

It seems reasonable to me to suspect that our churches no longer have faith in the Scriptures and they no longer act in the way the Scriptures tell us to act from the top down: Our pastors and the people in authority in our Conferences and our educational institutions no longer have faith in the Scriptures.

Truly, how can there be any other reason?

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One other note. In chatting this through, it was suggested that most of you probably think that you do have faith in the Scriptures and that you are doing what they say...and, you also think that it's the others in the body who are the problem.

From my 40,000 foot view. You're probably wrong.

In the CGGC, many see the problem. Few think that they are the problem.

Be honest about your contribution to the problem.

"A lot of our churches no longer have faith in the Scriptures."

We must repent. Can I hear an, "Amen!" Can we see change?

How Hard would it be for Lance to Empower "Disturbers?"

I got an off the blog response to the Disturbers/Comforters post which seemed to hint that knowing how best to do these things is a problem.

In this case, though, I can't see that the first steps in walking Lance's talk can be so hard.

Lance touts the truth that being disturbed can end in good things and he quotes Catherine Booth who, along with her husband, William, founded the Salvation Army, and noted, "To better the future we must disturb the present."

Honestly, I can't see how difficult a first baby step in doing this might be.

On the surface, the CGGC is swimming in a sea of mutual affirmation. There would appear to be amazing oneness of mind among us. The old song, "Home, Home on the Range," seems to describe us.

"Never," in the CGGC, "is heard a discouraging word."

Sadly, though, metaphorically speaking, our skies are very cloudy.

While we're, on the surface, at least, unified with each other, we're not one with the Lord.

The Lord loves to pour out blessing on His people. Yet, in spite of our best efforts, we are in the midst of generations of spiritual decay and numerical decline. The Lord of all authority and power and grace and mercy and blessing is not blessing us.

Lance knows that being disturbed can be a good thing. Good for Lance. I'm certain that many in the CGGC don't know even that.

But, still, there's no disturbing happening here...

...apart, of course, from the disturbing that the high holders of institutional authority in the CGGC can't silence...

...that is the Lord's disturbing, as He continues not to bless us and to afflict us with these generations of spiritual decay and numerical decline.

Lance could, very easily, take a baby step in introducing disturbing to our culture.

We have people, people who love the Lord, to whom the Lord has given an alternate vision for our body.

All of those people I know have been pushed to the fringes of the body because of their negativity, presumably, but some are still there.

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Here's a word of practical advice to the people who regard themselves as human leaders in this increasingly small part of God's Kingdom.

1. Reach out to some of the disturbers who are still in the body, out there on the fringes.

2. Let them know that you agree with Lance about disturbing.

3. Invite them into the CGGC mainstream.

4. Assure them that you now understand that their love for the Lord is real.

5. Convince them that you believe that their voice will be heard.

6. Empower them to speak.

7. Treat their disturbing presence as an important part of the CGGC conversation.

8. Listen carefully to them.

9. Practice prayerfully their vision.

10. Understand, that, in doing so, you may be allowing the Lord to speak.

Truly, we can hardly do worse than we are doing now.

We must open ourselves up to being disturbed.

We must repent.

Lance's eNews: Disturbers Verus Comforters

Gang,

I've been holding on to this one for a few days. It's an old theme for me, but it's come up again, so, it's worth addressing again, I suppose.

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I didn't see a new eNews for this week and that's okay. I'm still fully engaged with the last one.

It's entitled, Are You Disbursed?

Summarizing:

Lance notes that these are disturbing times. COVID-19 has disturbed and disrupted our lives.

Yet, Lance's notes that being disturbed is not entirely a bad thing. In fact, disturbances can serve a positive purpose.

Lance points to the Word to prove the value of disturbance.

To reach the Promised Land, Israel needed to have its present disturbed by an extended journey in the wilderness.

Lance notes notes that Jesus was disturbing to His culture.

Consider how disturbing it was to His religious culture when Jesus flipped over tables in the temple and drove people out. As He did that, says Lance, Jesus quoted two Old Testament verses showing that He was disturbing "temple Judaism" and its false spirituality.

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And, of course, Lance is right.

Honestly it still stuns me how much Lance and I think the same things. No doubt, in our thought lives, I agree with Lance more than most of you do.

So, allow me to agree with Lance, and extend his argument.

Jesus praised and promoted disturbance.

Think of the so-called Beatitudes. They are not centered in the calm and the comfortable. Jesus connects disturbance in our lives with the ability to live righteously.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit... Blessed are those who mourn...Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness..."

Think of His wonderful invitation to the disturbed:

"Come to me all you who are weary and burdened..."

Think of Paul explaining the connection between disturbance and repentance and, ultimately, salvation.

"For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret..."

Jesus, and His disciples as well, didn't merely promote disturbance theoretically and philosophically. All four Gospels tell the story of Jesus violently and forcefully clearing the temple.

Jesus was far more than a theoretical advocate of disturbance.

Jesus was Himself a disturber.

Think of His frequent anger at the Scribes and Pharisees, on which He acted.

Think of His bold confrontation even of His followers. He rebuked Peter saying, "Get behind me satan," and of His forceful confrontation of James and John when they asked to be placed at His right and left hand when He came into His kingdom.

More than that,...

...think of the disturber Jesus made of John in Revelation 2 and 3 when Jesus dictated letters to be sent to churches in Asia. John wrote:

"If you do not repent I will come to you and remove your lamp stand from its place."

Of some in one church, Jesus turns John into a disturber who threatens, "...I will come to you and fight against them..."

"Because you are lukewarm, I am about to spit you out of my mouth."

Jesus didn't merely talk disturbance, He walked it. Jesus didn't just teach disturbance, He turned some of His followers into disturbers. 

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Lance talks the importance of disciples today being disturbers in the eNews.

Lance quotes Catherine Booth, co-founder  of the Salvation Army saying,

"To better the future we must disturb the present." 

Lance says Booth's statement "resonated deeply" with him.

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Yet, in following Jesus, the time comes when talk must produce fruit in walk.

In the Church of God movement days, we were a community of disturbers.

In fact, according to John Winebrenner on the day the Church of God formed, the first "counsel and work" of the body was "the conversion of sinners."

How disturbing to people who aren't following Jesus!

In the CGGC today, imagine having, as a primary focus, the act of approaching people who don't follow Jesus, calling them "sinners," and attempting to bring about their "conversion."

In the day, we valued disturbance in theory and we also walked that talk. The Church of God was a community of disturbers...

...as were early disciples who were accused of "causing trouble all over the world..." (Acts 17:6)

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My experience, in the CGGC today, is that we resist and quench the Spirit when the He blesses us with disturbers.

My experience, in the CGGC today, is that disturbers are not welcomed nor accepted nor mutually submitted to, nor empowered.

My experience, in the CGGC, is that disturbers are tolerated initially in the hope that they'll stop disturbing but, if they don't, they are shown the door in one way or another.

Ask yourself. How many remaining in the CGGC would say, in the Name of Jesus, "I will come to you and fight against them..."

Ask yourself, in the Church of God days, if our people would hesitate to speak that message if they believed that it was from the Lord?!

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I praise Lance because he can talk about the need for being disturbed,...most in the CGGC today can't and won't...

...but, as a body, we've forgotten how to put disturbance into action. In fact, we trash disturbers, and have for a looong time.

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The truth about the CGGC is that we are in the midst of generations of spiritual decay and numerical decline. The truth is that the Lord of all authority and power and grace and mercy and blessing isn't blessing us.

In fact, it's worth asking: Does the "I will come to them and fight against them" threat actually apply to us today?

We need to allow ourselves to be disturbed.

We need to welcome and accept and mutually submit to, empower and heed disturbers. That was once our way...in the days that the Lord of all authority and power and grace and mercy and blessing, blessed us.

But, these days, we only welcome comforters.

Truly, comforters have their place. But, it's  never been a prominent place. It's a secondary place.

We must walk Lance's talk. We must allow for the Spirit to, as Catherine Booth said, better the future because we disturb the present.

We must stop with the comforting already!

We must value being disturbed. We must deny ourselves and welcome  and empower disturbers.

We must repent.

PTS Doldrums?

It's been seven days since my last post.

As Jackson Brown sang, I feel a tad like I'm "Runnin' on Empty." (Ear worms are no extra charge here.)

It's been a tough four months. Evie had her ruptured colon, emergency surgery, peritonitis events in the middle of March during which she told me that she was about to stop trying to fight for recovery.

Then mom tested positive for COVID-19 and died slowly and, from what we can tell, agonizingly, though none of us were able to visit her for the last two months.

Mom died May 4.

And, most recently, Evie had the double surgery, which she really wanted to have, and which two surgeons were willing to perform, but was not absolutely necessary.

Evie was fatigued and weak before the surgery. She survived it, obviously, but she continues to be fatigued and weak. She's alive, and looks very good most days, but the road back to normal is going to be a long one.

These days, we're working on mom's estate. Mom had a very good attorney who specializes in Elder Law, and that's a good thing. Mom didn't have a large estate by the end. Most of the money went to the home, and we have no complaints. Except for allowing her to be infected by COVID...early on, when no one really knew what we were dealing with, she received wonderful care for many years...and was treated with compassion to the end.

It's been, as I said, a tough four months.

This has been a little too much for me. I'm deep down tired, in every way.

I recall that Paul said, in 2 Corinthians, in the face of much more adversity than I am facing, "...when I am weak, then I am strong."

And, I lean on that truth. Any strength I'll have in the near future will be His. In a way, I'm thankful for the reminder that He'll do it when I can't...if I trust and, well, obey.

Still, for the moment, I'm not finding the joy in Him that levels me out emotionally and spiritually.

I'm normally able to look at CGGC people walking the same path they've been on for 90ish years and see it with God's mercy, grace and forgiveness in mind,...but not now.

I'm normally able to look at the folly of the high holders of institutional authority in terms of the blessing that would be ours if we walk in the Spirit and walk our talk that the Bible is "our only rule of faith and practice." When I can keep His mercy, grace and forgiveness in mind, I'm able to see the potential for a bright future and say, sincerely, and with integrity,

...we must repent. 

At the moment, the tank's so empty that I can't say those three words with integrity.

I can quote, "I am about to spit you out of my mouth." (Rev. 3:16)  Sometimes, I want to.

But, I don't want to believe that's true. I don't believe it's true.

Hopefully, as I surrender my weakness to Him, I'll find His strength.

And, honestly, there's a (small) part of me that is happy for this dryness...this trial.

I see Evie smile and hear her laugh every day, even if my smiles and my laughter come rarely.

I know I have much to thank Him for.

Repentance...From What?

Here's how Lance ended his last eNews, with emphasis added by me.

"Let’s not just move on without making changes. Let’s not just go back to normal. Let’s respond to what the Lord is doing in our midst right now with repentance and belief."

Lance is referring, of course, to the death of George Floyd and the attention it focused on racial inequality in America. Lance laments the pressure of the news cycle, which is now veering back to reports on COVID-19 and, therefore, away from a spiritually crucial issue.

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It is absolutely amazing to me, how much Lance and I believe the same things.

One of my Characteristics of the CGGC Brand is, Fadism, i.e., our body's inability to be purpose driven but, instead, to focus, from moment to moment, on what's trendy.

As far as Lance's own conviction that concern about racial inequality is a good thing, Lance agrees with me...again...that the normal thing will be for us to latch on to whatever is of the moment...or, on the next fad.

Then, as I quoted, at the very end of the article, Lance agrees with me again: The ultimate solution to our problem is repentance.

My question?: Repent of what?!!!!

Lance is not specific. He never is. Honestly, he can't be.

We know that Lance believes in Ephesians 4:13, that "until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God...," Jesus will continue to give some to be apostles, others to be prophets, others to be evangelists and others to be shepherds and teachers. (4:11)

Just where Lance sees himself in this gift bag he's never said, but it's clear that Lance is not a prophet. He doesn't produce the fruit of being a prophet.

One prominent role of the prophet is to deal, on behalf of the people of the Kingdom, with repentance.

Prophets call for repentance, and,
Prophets define the issues of repentance.

Everyone who reads the New Testament knows about the importance of repentance.

But, repent of what! How?

What, specifically, from one moment to the next, should we think about differently?

Lance doesn't say. He, by the grace of God, can't know. The Lord has not wired Lance to know.

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In the Kingdom of God, Jesus gives to His disciples, prophets to serve the body, and to be followed by the body, on issues of repentance.

Nowhere, anywhere in Scripture, has repentance been accomplished through the institution, not Old Testament kings, not Old or New Testament priests, not Sadduccees, not scribes, not Pharisees.

In the Kingdom, Jesus gave some to be apostles, others to be prophets, others to be evangelists and others to be shepherds and teachers...

...and it is the prophets to whom He gives the task and privilege of calling for repentance...

...of knowing and defining from what the people of the Kingdom must repent.

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Much of the Western organized and institutionalized church is in the midst of generations of a fall from grace characterized by spiritual decay and numerical decline because the Lord of all authority and power and grace and mercy and blessing has stopped blessing.

It's long since time for the church to repent.

By the Lord's design, it's time for prophets to be permitted to shine.

Here are four things the people of the Kingdom must do...soon:

1. Recognize prophets. 
2. Empower prophets to do what the Holy Spirit tells the prophets to do. 
3. Mutually submit to the message of the prophets.
4. Follow the prophets. 

I can see signs of people of the institutional church recognizing prophets but I still don't see fruit of prophets being empowered, submitted to, and followed.

We will go nowhere in the Lord's blessing until those things happen.

Repent?

Repent of what?!!!!

We must repent about repenting.

We won't "reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ" until we do.

A Blast from the Past: Lance's Second eNews Article

Friends,

Lance's first eNews turned out to be a commentary and response to the Supreme Court's then recent decision to legalize same sex marriage.

This second article serves as Lance's introduction of himself as, as the CGGC Constitution defines his role, our CEO.

In the article, Lance cites statistics that demonstrate unquestionably that, at the time he became the CGGC E.D., our American body was in the midst of decay and decline.

As Lance suggested then, "we need to come to grips with our present reality."

In my opinion, Lance's description of the state of the CGGC five years ago is insightful and honest and bold.

Lance concludes by asking some progressive  church-focused questions. How different are our answers today than they were five years ago?

(Please excuse my ineptitude in copying and pasting. For some reason, some of the print appears in a sort of a chartreuse color and I can't get rid of it.)

ts

I went to the doctor earlier this week for a routine check-up. These experiences are always humbling for a variety of reasons. I live in a pretty consistent mental state with the sincere belief that I’m generally in good health: I have been known to exercise, I can identify others who need to lose more weight than I do, and I have occasionally enjoyed a salad or some other healthy option for a meal. While sincere in my belief that I am one small step away from becoming a certified health nut, the numbers at the doctor’s office typically tell another story (don’t worry – it doesn’t look like I’m on death’s doorstep, but I do have some work to do). Every four to six months I get a humbling dose of reality – I’m not nearly as healthy as I’d like to believe (and back to the elliptical machine I must go).

A vital part of moving forward with any sense of vision for the future is simply coming to grips with our present reality. I’m not inclined to make many changes if I think that things are really just fine. Let’s be honest: if our local congregation is making budget and attendance is holding its own, we can be lulled into the feeling that things are generally okay. At times we may be inclined to ignore the numbers and the trends that they reveal because it’s easier to live in a false sense of security or success.

So, what’s our present reality in the CGGC?

We’re in a culture where most of the trends are moving the wrong direction. Loyalty for loyalty’s sake is down, the value of denominational ties are down, and faithful/committed church attendance now means twice a month. Add to this the rise of the “nones” (the non-affiliated) and the fact that Millennials make up the largest segment of the “nones,” it’s a much tougher landscape than we’re accustomed to.

Some of the numbers specific to the CGGC are pretty troubling as well.

In the U.S. we’re in decline:

Over a 10-year period (2004-2013) 65% of our churches were in decline/stagnation in worship attendance. If you look at the most recent 4-year period (2010-2013), 80% of our churches were in decline/stagnation in worship attendance.

Nearly one-third of our churches haven’t reported a conversion in the three most recent years (2013, 2012, and 2011).

We need to come to grips with our present reality – things are not as good as we might like to believe. It’s going to be very difficult to grasp a vision of where God is leading unless we can first acknowledge the truth about ourselves.

Here are some questions that might help you get a better sense of the current reality in your local congregation:

How much of our time, energy and resources are leveraged toward gathering as opposed to sending/blessing?

How much of our growth has come from the unchurched or de-churched as opposed to just a shuffling of the sheep?

Who are the names of those outside our fellowship that we are loving, serving and blessing in order to bear witness to the reality of Jesus and his kingdom?

Who has been discipled here in the last year and who are those individuals discipling as a result?

Today is Lance's 5th Anniversary as CGGC E.D.

I point out Lance's fifth anniversary simply as a matter of fact...a look back to a significant CGGC Standing Stone.

It's true. Lance took over the corner office in the headquarters building five years ago today.

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If you read this blog regularly, you know that I often frame my thoughts about the CGGC around Lord's connection to us and around the fruit of that connection, and in terms of two questions.

1. Is the Lord of all authority and power and grace and mercy and blessing blessing us?

2. Are we continuing in the state of spiritual decay and numerical decline that began,  for us, nearly 90 years ago?

I can't see that there is any dispute. The answer to the first question is no. The answer to the second question is yes.

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In a denominational culture dominated by shepherd values, everything we say and do is understood in terms of human relationship.

In our denominational culture, by asking my two questions, especially today, I'm understood to be attacking Lance personally.

Please believe me when I say I'm not attacking Lance personally. I'm not even criticizing him. I love Lance. My heart goes out to him.

But, the real world truth about us can not be denied.

Lance's performance is no better and no worse than that of the men who came before him as our CEO. All of those men were good and nice men who had accepted Jesus Christ as their savior, who loved the Lord and wanted only good things for the church.

Is it possible for us to consider the possibility that the Lord's continued lack of blessing on us has nothing to do with the failure of the men the church elevates to the position of denominational CEO?

Can we accept the fact that the Lord refuses to bless us because, in creating the institution we have built, we have stepped outside of His will?

Can we consider that the most important sins from which we must repent are structural, organizational, institutional?

We must repent. And, we must look to the big picture as we seek to walk in the love and blessing of the Lord.

Evie at Home Update

Evie was released from the hospital on Saturday, the earliest day she might have been set free. The range her doctor gave her before she was admitted was for release between Saturday and Monday, or later, depending on when...if...her digestive tract resumed normal function.

She was weak and fatigued before the operation those realities are intensified now. She's allowing me to pamper her without protest.

Sadly for her, I don't mind cooking but I'm a HORRIBLE cook, beyond heating things up. So, I'm an ace at scrambling an egg, but I'm horrible with foods including multiple ingredients.

And, she is an excellent cook who loves cooking.

As far as recovering from the actual surgery, she healing inside AND she has two incisions that are stapled...and go different directions. This makes moving very painful.

She was given some pretty nice pain medication but she's not taking as much of it as she could, settling mostly for Tylenol.

She's not sleeping well because of the pain, and that's her fault.

She's home and recuperating. But, it will be a long haul, especially until her energy returns, if it ever does.

My Latest CGGC Blog Comment

Gang,

I hope you've read Lance's latest: Don't Just Move On 

If you haven't read it, you'll be able to glean some of its message from my comment.

I've not done much in the last week beyond taking care of Evie who, incidentally, is progressing normally after her surgery.

But, when I read the eNews, I immediately felt these thoughts...among others. (I might write up the others if I feel led and have the opportunity.)

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Lance,

Sadly, you are correct.  CGGC people today follow the culture by, in this case, briefly showing interest in the problem of racial injustice only to drop that concern to care about something else.

This has been the way of the CGGC for decades.

In Matthew 23:23, Jesus said, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others."

Like the  scribes and Pharisees, the people of the CGGC are not people of "justice and mercy and faithfulness." We might care about justice and mercy and faithfulness for a moment. But, justice and mercy and faithfulness are not in our hearts.

If our hearts had been tuned to what Jesus calls "the weightier matters of the law," we would have been living for justice, mercy and faithfulness before the George Floyd tragedy. And, there would be no concern that we'd move on from these issues close to the heart of what Jesus taught and lived.

These days, our hearts are not aligned with the life Jesus lived, nor with the teachings Jesus taught...and we experience spiritual decay and numerical decline.

Yet, we know that, in the first generation of the Church of God movement, our people were deeply committed to living lives of justice, mercy and faithfulness...and our movement thrived.

Jesus said to one church, "Repent and do the things you did at first."

I believe that those are His words for the CGGC today. The time has come for us to return to our old and radical ways. We will do that only after we repent.

I am convinced that there are people in our body who will follow you if you take your direction from our past, if you yourself live justice and mercy and faithfulness as Jesus commanded...if you live an example that can be followed.

Jesus commanded us to let our light so shine before others that they will see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven.

You are the one person in the CGGC uniquely positioned to let his light shine for everyone in our body to see.

Thank you for your challenging words. Now, please, show us the way.

Pride Month

June is LGBTQ Pride Month.

As our local churches squirm their way through the interruption to their beloved "worship services" associated with the quarantine and the serious challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic for their aging congregations,...

...and as they try to make sense of the very sudden shift in the culture connected to the rising passion for racial justice among our pew-sitters' grandchildren and great grandchildren, who are now shouting "black lives matter" when nanna and pap pap have always believed that "all" lives matter,...

...most devotees of clergy/lay driven institutional Christianity are oblivious to the vigorous, and increasingly militant celebration of LGBTQ pride that is taking place all around them.

Living the life of an ambassador of the Kingdom of God that I live, I meet, and interact with, many 16 to 21 year old people regularly.

I make it a goal to get to know these young people. I'm old enough to be their pap pap and, so, it's easy to be very friendly with most of them. It's easy to get to know many of them in a meaningful way. And, as a matter of theological conviction, I do that.

A large portion of my 300+ Facebook friends are in their early twenties or younger. I follow, very carefully, what these people think and do.

You may have no idea how far the LGBTQ way has moved to the center of the culture just in the last twelve months.

Perhaps I'm misinformed, but I think people in our body continue to hold to the historic Christian belief regarding sexual righteousness.

However, I do get that I may be making an unwarranted assumption.

I have seen how quickly some parents have dropped formerly unquestioned biblical teachings about sex and "gender" when a child has "come out."

Anyway, this post will not be a lengthy harangue.

I will only point out that the Church-es of God way is doomed to be irrelevant on this issue because members of the clergy who provide religious products and services and their laity who understand discipleship as contented consumption of those religious products and services will not be up to this challenge. They'll never DO anything meaningful about it...

...and that CGGC-ism, with its walkless radical talk, ain't going to DO a derned thing. In fact, I can't see that the producers of CGGC talk are even talking about this. I can't see any sign of awareness, even among our Big Talkers.

But, a change in the culture is well under way. It's happening at the speed of light.

We must repent. Oh, how we must repent!

Post Surgery Update on Evie: I

As far as I can tell, yesterday went as well as can be expected.

Evie was scheduled to go into surgery at 12:30. My experience has been that, by that point in the day, someone using your OR will have run late and 12:30 becomes 1:00, 2:00 or later. Evie actually went into surgery almost 30 minutes early.

I was allowed to visit after she was prepped for surgery and, when I entered the room, the young women prepping her and Evie were chatting and giggling. The actual OR nurse looked at me and said, "You are so lucky. We love her. We're her groupies."

You would have thought they were doing her nails and a facial and that they were all going out to a party together.

No doubt, Evie overcomes all the adversity she faces with the love for life that she brings to every moment she lives.

The person who did Evie's admission told us that she was scheduled to be in the operating and recovery rooms for five hours and twenty minutes for the two procedures. By the time the second doctor talked to me and she was moved to a room  it was a little more than four and a half.

Both doctors said their procedures went well, but the doctor who reversed the colostomy talked about issues with scar tissue and left open the possibility that there might be the need for another "little operation" to fix some things in the future,  things he couldn't do yesterday because she'd been opened up to have the other procedure as done. We've heard that this guy is a very highly skilled surgeon, and I believe it.

I visited Evie for about two minutes in her room and she looked totally run down, as you'd expect. I said one thing to her that made her smile...she's so amazing!

The nursing staff at Penn Medicine is incredible. Evie's nurse told me three different ways I could be in contact with the staff about Evie and she offered to let me stay longer. But, I knew Evie likes to be alone during those times. So, I left.

I woke up this morning at my normal time, about 5:00 and saw that Evie sent me a text at 3:28, saying that she slept and telling me that she loves me.

I have her land line number for her room and, of course, her cell number but she has always hated talking on the phone. If her recovery proceeds normally, we'll probably talk once a day but text a couple dozen times.

Having said all that, her health is not good. She's been through cancer and open heart surgery. She now has issues with her colon and needed to have the hysterectomy done by a cancer doctor.

She's been very weak and fatigued since the emergency surgery in March. My guess is that she'll push herself through the recovery from surgery and be home as early as they'll allow, though I won't be shock if there are complications.

In order to be released, she have to demonstrate that her bowels are working normally again. Who knows how well that will go. Everyone says that, in the best case, it will be three days, but may take longer...and it may be that she may need to have another colostomy, which would be permanent.

Either way, I'm hoping to have her home soon.

There's no chance that I'll go back to my ambassadorial job until she's well on her feet.

---------------

Thanks for your prayers. Please continue to pray.

Updated Prayer Request for Evie

Her surgery is scheduled for early afternoon today.

Her prep was extensive, including a variation on the prep for a colonoscopy. She struggled with that but completed it.

Of more concern, she was supposed to take a very large dose of two antibiotics orally. She was unable to keep them down so that an important part of her preparation was not completed.

How that will impact the surgery and her recovery, we don't know. She called the surgeon's office but didn't talk to the surgeon himself.

Please keep this issue in your prayers.

Evie has Double Major Surgery on Wednesday

The biggest thing in life for us during the last three months has been Evie's health.

I've been less than fully open about this,...more so on Facebook...but she had a brush with death in March.

She began to experience sudden intense lower abdominal pain. Living in a retirement community, I "pulled the cord" and a nurse ran to our apartment.

She took Evie's vital signs which, as it turns out, were essentially nonexistent. At one point there was no discernable blood pressure and a weak pulse in the low 40s.

The ambulance got her to the ER of the local hospital that has the best ER in time. Tests were taken.

She had diverticulitis and her intestine had ruptured in two places. Infection was spreading. She developed peritonitis. She was given massive doses of antibiotics yet her white blood cell count continued to rise.

The day after she arrived at the hospital, a surgeon performed emergency surgery. It was touch and go for about a day. Until she began to gain strength.

She survived, but has a colostomy, which she HATES!

At about that time, she experienced a recurrence of an ongoing, unrelated problem which, doctors advise, should be resolved through surgery.

So, Wednesday, June 24, she'll undergo procedures from two different surgeons: First a hysterectomy performed by an oncological gynecologist. Then a reversal of the colostomy by the surgeon who created it.

Evie's still very weak from the trauma of the ruptured colon and the emergency surgery. She's extremely weak and lacking in stamina. However, if the colostomy can be reversed successfully, she can't wait long to have that surgery.

I decided with my parents, as their health began to decline, that quality of life is important. I didn't want to maintain their lives, if their lives weren't worth living.

It's been hard, but I'm at the same place with Evie. Neither of these procedures are absolutely necessary. But, to be able to have a robust life...

So, please pray for her.

This one could be tough.

How do People of the "CGGC" become Warriors for Justice, Mercy and Faithfulness?

Here's a summary of what I see as the three eras/ethei (ethoses) of our body. (These descriptions are, with minor editing, copied from an earlier post.)

It's the third era, the CGGC, that is the focus of this post. Denominational holders of institutional authority, many pastors/parish priests and congregations in our body in the year 2020 fit this description. (This post is a follow up to the earlier, How do People of Church-es of God Congregations become Warriors for Racial Equality?)

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1. The Church of God, the movement which envisioned itself as joining in a "new Reformation," and that formed around the ministry of John Winebrenner and others,  which was blessed and thrived from before its first moment and which inspired the "planting" of about 800 congregations within 60 years. For these people, the Bible was, literally, the only rule of faith and practice.

2. The Churches of God, the denomination that rejected the radical to settle for being a small, respectable, Protestant, church, which progressively institutionalized the former movement, created the beginnings of a hierarchy and which witnessed the beginnings of what is, by now, a generations-long trend toward spiritual decay and numerical decline which continues to this day. For these people, the assertion that the Bible is our only rule of faith and practice merely is a creedal statement.

3. The CGGC, the effort to reverse the disaster that was the Churches of God, attempting to end decay and decline by increasing the size of the denomination's hierarchy and adopting a leadership model which describes its highest ranking official as the denomination's Chief Executive Officer, and which defines a disciple as a person who attends church worship and which has seen the spiritual decay and numerical decline of the Churches of God continue. In time, the CGGC became characterized by radical Bible talk accompanied by extremely moderate, even conservative, action.

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In addition to high holders of institutional authority in our body, there are many pastors and congregations today who appreciate the radicalism of our body's faith.

Those people who are of the CGGC culture know that, in the days when the Lord of all authority and power and grace and blessing blessed the Church of God, we were radical people in many ways. We were known, for instance, for our extreme position on racial equality because of many things that we were doing.

For the people of the CGGC unfortunately, it's the doing that's the rub.

CGGC people are at home with radical talk. They can be eloquent in their talk. They are unable, however, perhaps, worse, unwilling, to achieve a fierce walk.

The truth about following Jesus is that Jesus didn't write weekly (J-News) updates on His ministry. He didn't write manifestos. He didn't WRITE anything. He's know more for His walk than His talk.

Jesus made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant. He humbled Himself and became obedient to death...to, among other things, incarnate a life of "justice, mercy and faithfulness." (Phil. 2. Mt. 23:23.)

No one in our body talks incarnational living, no one promotes the life of justice, mercy and faithfulness better than the people of the CGGC.

For more than a decade, our CGGC faction  has talked a fierce Bible, sometimes even Jesus, talk...

...but the denominational hierarchs who are of the CGGC have done that from behind their big desks in their fancy offices...

...the congregational pastors who are CGGC have done it from behind their pulpits...

...and the people of the CGGC laity have left their passion for justice and mercy and faithfulness...to the degree they have it, in their pews.

CGGC people don't take it "to the streets."

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So, how do the hierarchs, the pastors and the laity of the CGGC become warriors for justice, mercy and faithfulness?

Follow.

To talk but not walk is a definition of hypocrisy.

I've often flirted with accusing the whole CGGC culture with hypocrisy...

...and I have no doubt that some of these people are, truly, hypocrites. Hypocrites could easily blend in with the CGGCers.

But, I have known some of these people fairly well, in the past, anyway. And, I can't see hypocrisy in them.

I am convinced of two things about the prominent CGGC people, at least.

1. Despite their lofty positions in the institutional hierarchy, they don't DO things that can be followed, or, they don't create followership, they are not followable. They don't lead.

2. They are sincere.

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The truth of the gospel is that we are saved by grace, through faith, to do good works that God prepared in advance for us to do. (Eph. 2:8-10)

CGGC people, specifically those in denominational and congregational "leadership" are decent at the grace thing and the faith thing, but they're atrocious at the good works which God has prepared...

Left to their own devices, they'll do nothing about grace and mercy and faithfulness, other than talk. I know that BECAUSE THEY NEVER HAVE!

But, they can serve productive role in following in the crucial work of following Jesus in promoting justice and mercy and faithfulness by empowering our people who are followable! And, following.

Blessings on them.

Growing Weary of Doing Good

From time to time, I say that one characteristic of being a prophet is the ability, in Christ, to view life among disciples from a 40,000 foot perspective.

That's the best way I can describe one of the realities of my walk that distinguishes my walk from many others who love and serve Jesus.

I don't have to try to do it. I do it as easily as I breathe.

One frustration for me is that there are times when I want to come down to earth, I can't. The Lord put me up here, and, it seems, He is going to keep me here.

However,...

...there's one aspect of life that I don't view from that lofty perspective, that is my own life.

I'm so connected to me that I can't see me  as if from a great distance. And, that's a problem.

Living in the midst of quarantine though, I think I have achieved a degree of big picture perspective on my life before quarantine, simply because I have been separated from it by the passage of time.

Some time ago, I had the thought that, in my life as an ambassador of the Kingdom of God, working in the supermarket, I had begun to lose my edge. I've mused over that insight and I'm convinced it's true.

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I love Galatians 6 because it is practical. In part of verse 9, Paul admonishes his readers not to grow weary of doing good.

I remember a time that I preached on those words, and I have kept them close to my heart.

Nevertheless, I think that, in my life before quarantine, I was wearing down. I was becoming weary.

Allowing yourself to grow weary in doing good is a dangerous thing.

In a way, I'm thankful for the quarantine because I'm not certain that I would have repented of my, well, dysfunction, my sin of overdoing, in time before it was too late.

Ultimately, it's the good works that your salvation by grace through faith produces that connects you to Jesus. (Mt. 7:21-23, 25:34f, Eph. 2:8-10)

I suspect that people who have been convinced that "going to church" is the central act of righteousness as a disciple are profoundly wrong, perhaps even lost. And  that's a bad thing.

But, there's the other danger, one that I was facing.

I was close to the point, I'm afraid, that I was about to become so tired in doing good, that I very well might have stopped.

Clearly, there's a bigger sin that led me to the place that I was at and,...

...sadly, I'm not sure I've put all of those pieces together, even now.

Who John Winebrenner was in APEST

If you watched the Nick and Dan's Bible Study Podcast Facebook live session yesterday, you saw their interactive conversation on prophets.

I watched it any interacted briefly.

What I liked most about the Facebook live session was their discussion on the importance of "mutual submission" and their comments about APEST in general.

If I heard correctly, Nick said that he took a well thought of APEST test and scored as Evangelist.

Actually, observing his fruit, I'd already strongly suspected that.

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But, that led me to think about something that I've thought about almost since the Spirit showed me APEST.

Because our body traces its history to the ministry of John Winebrenner, and because who we've become is dependent on who we've been, it's important for us to consider who Winebrenner was in the APEST spectrum.

I'll be happy to discuss this on or off the blog, but I'm convinced that Winebrenner was not an apostle.

In my opinion, and without a doubt, I'm certain that Winebrenner was, primarily, a PROPHET.

Part of that conviction is based on the obvious passion that Winebrenner had for SOCIAL justice (wink wink),...

...or to use the language of Jesus in Matthew 23, "justice, mercy and faithfulness."

I believe that Winebrenner's gifting as a prophet was edged up by a touch of gifting as an evangelist.

I say edged up because one important characteristic of both giftings is that they call for repentance.

Prophets call disciples to repentance. Evangelists call people who do not believe to repent.

On a Facebook discussion, Cindy Warner, who has sometimes commented on my blogs, said to me, "I'm sure John Winebrenner was a very nice man..."

I didn't make the point on Facebook, but I will here.

No, I don't think that John Winebrenner was a nice man. He was a man of love, certainly, and of spiritual passion and zeal and fire. But, nice?

I don't see much evidence of that.  Winebrenner was a prophet-evangelist.

Who we have become today is a response to who we were in our beginnings.

Who we were in the beginning connects significantly to who John Winebrenner was.

Based on what you know, what do you think?

APEST and Justice, Mercy and Faithfulness

What will people of the Kingdom of God actually do in the wake of the changes in the United States that took place almost immediately after the story of the murder of George Floyd became public knowledge?

I don't know that a more compelling challenge has confronted the "church" in the last few decades.

What's happening in the world now could become a moment in which the Kingdom scores one of its great victories in its history...

...or, it could lead to one of the most debilitating disasters the church has ever experienced.

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A few thoughts.

1. In the first years of the Kingdom, the Lord prepared, called and empowered one person to be the, I'll say, instrument the Lord would use in expanding the proclaiming of the gospel to the gentiles.

Certainly, it was His will that all believers support that ministry but, as crucial as evangelizing the gentiles was to God's eternal purpose, leading that Kingdom ministry fell to one person who was prepared, spiritually gifted and empowered. That person, of course, was Paul.

In a sense, all of the subjects of the Kingdom of God participated in the preaching of the gospel to the gentiles, but the leading of that ministry was focused on one man...and, eventually, to the, well, team, he assembled.

2. Honestly, I've been watching to observe how some of the people I know of in ministry, are providing ministry that can be followed in these times of racial strife.

It seems to me that what I'm seeing is APEST in action...for better and for worse.

When I see an APEST person whom I believe to be a shepherd, I hear shepherding words in the sermon, no matter how much angst there may be in the listeners' heart, no matter how much must be done. When I listen to a sermon from someone inclined to be an evangelist, I hear the strong and simple gospel truths. And, while the gospel is always appropriate, in these times, the gospel could be applied in specific ways and, I've not heard that. And, and you get it: Teachers are teaching.

Often, if I didn't already know it, as I view the messages I'm seeing, I wouldn't know that riots are taking place and that there is upheaval everywhere.

Here's what I know. This is not a time when evangelists and shepherds and teachers will be able to be followed in doing the things that Kingdom people need to do.

3. This is a serious problem for the CGGC. Since I entered our ministry in the mid 1970s, we have not been faithful in integrating apostles and prophets into our ministry.

Often, we have, as quietly as possible, sent prophets packing or made it so uncomfortable for them to stay that they moved on on their own.

Our experience with apostles has been nearly as tragic. It's normal that our institutional authorities will offer an apostle the chance to plant a church or, perhaps, to be an intentional interim. But, apostles are men and women of innovation who make God's new ways clear and able to be followed.

We are people of our own churchly tradition. The truth is that we haven't kept many apostles and, certainly, our approach to ministry is not driven by the apostolic gift, as it always is when the Kingdom thrives.

4. At times like this in the history of the Kingdom, when the organized church has met the challenge, it is because the Lord empowered apostles and prophets to provide ministry that can be followed. At the times the church advanced in crisis, the people gifted to be shepherds and teachers, especially, followed apostles and prophets.

For the most part, the people who hold positions of authority in our churchly institutions are shepherds and teachers. This is not a time when the world will benefit from an institutional response from the church.

On the other hand, it is a time when the people of the Kingdom, following apostles and prophets called to specific ministries, can, to use the language of the Book of Acts, "turn the world upside down."

5. I am not hope-less...I can't go so far to say that I'm hope-ful...for the CGGC in this moment of crisis and change.

We do have some people who are able to provide ministry that can be followed in this moment.

I'm certain that there are more than three, but from my place 40,000 feet in altitude, and out here in the wilderness, I can point to three.

One, obviously, is Andrew Draper, who's been living what needs to be lived for a long time, at great personal risk. Undoubtedly, he can be followed.

Second, Nick DiFrancesco. While Nick has a position of prominence in the ERC institution, he, nevertheless, produces fruit of a person with either apostolic or prophetic gifting. The wisdom and passion that oozes from him...and his ability to connect talk and walk, common among APs...suggests that, in this moment of Kingdom opportunity, he can be followed.

Third, a name that is less familiar. Jack Guyler. I mentioned that I have watching to see how people I know are providing ministry that can be followed in this challenging time. I've seen sermon crafters simply be who they are, often in ways that are irrelevant to the challenge of the moment.

When APEST was new to me, Jack and I were serving together on an ERC commission and we had several APEST conversations that were helpful to me. And, Jack and I agreed that he probably has some apostle in him.

I watched his message yesterday. It was simple, natural to him, innovative, compassionate and powerful. It was as appropriate a response to these times as any message/sermon I've seen.

Based on that, I can say Jack is providing the sort of pulpit ministry that can be followed. I access him on Facebook at, I think, Harmony Church.

Check him out. This message is not long and, based on what I understand, it oozes apostleship.

And, as I said, it is extremely followable. If you're a pastor, you might want to steal it. You could do worse.

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My friends,

We are in a time when the Kingdom will advance or the church will be defeated.

Times like these have never been times when institutional Christianity has distinguished itself.

But, these are times when apostles and prophets, called and empowered by the Holy Spirit, have created for the Kingdom, its greatest moments.

It's also, sadly for the church, the sort  of moment when new movements...

...such as ours...

...have emerged as Kingdom remnants because the institution would not walk in the Spirit.

This is a moment of opportunity.

We must repent.