Black, white, and red

It's a new world out there. I've been contemplating a lot of different approaches to ministry and why Jesus said and did some of the things he did. When I first got into ministry I was just a kid working with other sheltered church kids and we could address "issues" all day and we were all on the same page...until somebody "went off the deep end." Somewhere along the way ministry changed, the people changed, the culture changed, I changed. With statistics rising out of our favor and poking our noses out of our safe houses, I realized the people outside our world are dying and going to hell in complete bondage and blindfolded by the lies, deceit, and trickery of the devil while I've discussed dresses, journals, and courtship. All the while I've ignored depression, drugs, and purpose. I've been part of multitudes of denominations and heard the plans and programs and become disenchanted with cliches and cliques and theologies and in all this I have realized why Jesus called ordinary men to come and follow and he never did the same thing twice an he confused religious leaders and seemingly broke laws and was a stumbling block to them, but what they failed to see was that those laws had been established for their safety and he was now their safety. Call me a radical or crazy or whatever you want but I've seen and heard men and women of God calling a generation out if sin and bondage and they just don't look like I did when I was sitting in my safe house talking about dresses, journals, and courtship. These ministers are out in the ditches pulling kids up who have no parents, strung out on drugs, and scars to prove their desperation. They aren't in a safe house and the laws that I was convinced were black and white, I see are blotched with red. Some, though not all, are covered with the blood of Jesus. And the river of his blood covers the safe house but then runs into the street. It drives me to serve the forgotten, to give hope to the hopeless, to love the unloved, to give rides, to give hugs, to pray, to smile, to touch...the untouchable. Some of the ones that were in that safe house with me shake their heads or have become eerily silent. I wonder what they think, but I can't stop. There's too much at stake. A life, a soul, a heart waiting for love, hope, faith...Jesus

Save the last dance...

I've been thinking of blogging for awhile, so here it is... 😉

As I come home to myself tonight, I take account of my day. It's been a long and busy day at work. Every muscle in my body reminds me of 10hrs on my feet with a half hour break this afternoon. It seems there's even more on my mind but all the details can't fit in this post. Tonight's meditation is simply this, after the work day is over and the dishes washed, a dinner visit with my mom and 2 sisters ends with an episode of HGTV, and my political musings on Facebook, I find my fulfillment and contentment in just talking to Jesus. The song in my heart right now is "I know that you are for me..." So my last dance for the day...that's saved for him. Goodnight, world!