Two Readers Write … hard news and hope
February 2, 2019
|In Uncategorized
A reader writes:
I have recently come upon your books and your views on the scriptures. During an extremely dark period in my life almost thirty years ago which culminated with prison time [which I now refer to as my prisonic journey] I fell on my face on a concrete cell floor and cried out for God to show me His ways. I did this after I became swallowed up in a chaotic cloud of religious teachings from the religion I was brought up in. I was given a Bible and when I attempted to read it all that resulted was a strong sensation of being far away from God. There is way too much to share in an email so I will simply fast forward and share that I have come to a level of understanding similar to your view. The very first thing I discovered when I was released from prison was that the professed Christian community is not very receptive of those who do not conform to their pecking orders, stale regurgitated traditional interpretations, rituals, and regimental worship structures. It was disheartening but now that our Lord has guided me onto your path I am encouraged that He is awakening many out of the religious coma. I therefore encourage you to remain strong in what the Holy Spirit has blessed you with…sincere eyes to see! God bless!
Another reader writes:
Several years ago … my 90 yr old mother was on her death bed from cancer. My brother, my wife and myself had been taking shifts sitting with her. The morning of the sixth I was sitting with her, not knowing in the next 12 hours she would pass on. She would wake now and then and be very livid and talkative. Sitting next to her bed was a lay person from the Catholic church. She had been a life long catholic, her aunt was a Mother Superior at one point and her uncle had been bishop. So they had been raised pretty strict.My mother motion me close to her and in her weak voice goes, You know where I am, I said yes, in the hospice ward. She asked if I knew who the lady was and I said yes. She asked if the priest was coming for last rites, and I said yes just as you asked. She smiled, said yes that’s right. They are here for me because I am dying.She laid back closed her eyes, sighed, my church is dying. There will never be a layperson to be there with kind words and scriptures, No priest with last rites. It will wither away as more and more stop believing. Then she opened her eyes looked at me one last time, said go get you doctorate, help save the religion.Ten minutes later she slipped into a coma. That evening she pasted away.Today I started reading your book “The Great Spiritual Migration” I was struck like a ton of bricks by what you said in just the first few pages.
Both of these notes tell us that, yes, the status quo is broken, but also – the Spirit is moving. May we all be honest about the problems and encouraged by the possibilities!
