Hello Lord.

Writing that makes me smile today. 

Reading that John the Baptist was in lonely places until his public appearance makes me think that is where I am as well these days.  Not that its completely isolated – yet, I do tend to love the solitude more than socializing these days – I’m becoming awfully fond of waiting

and healing

and growing in Your grace and goodness.

I notice more and more — when I listen to secular podcasts, movies, and YouTube — that your ways are no longer an option

 and certainly not popular –

Perhaps this is what it means to be in a “post-Christian society?” –

I watch as humanity reinvents ways of satisfying their restless souls –

And think that they have forgotten that true peace is found in You.  Perhaps they never knew this? I was raised knowing it.

But.

John’s message started with repentance.

In order to find true shalom that comes from You, we need to forsake our shadows and addictions.  Funny too, how I can even glamorize sin. I think that’s what I just did by relabelling it “shadows & addictions.”  Sounds like I’m becoming a byproduct of my culture. Cringe.

But.

Lord, I know it is willful disobedience to your ways.  May I be utterly dependent on You for my life.  Because I know that Your ways lead to joy and peace — even in the midst of suffering and hardship.

What is found in You is lasting. 

Lead on O King eternal. 

Blog Aside: 

These thoughts and prayers were also generated because I watched Stutz (Netflix) last night.  My cousin was watching too and asked my take on it.  My take is this: There were moments of gospel truth in the film (i.e. practicing gratitude and working on your dark side) yet it was devoid of the Gospel. My favorite part of the film was the intimacy between Stutz and Hill. I love a good friendship. They had it.

Furthermore…

In my year of healing

and perusing YouTube messages and podcasts,

I find this to be the theme among professing agnostics:

They have some truth, but it’s incomplete. 

Complete truth is found in God.  While you can still find that Truth in the Bible (I recommend starting in the New Testament), I also recommend some theologians who help me make sense of this Truth in light of our present age. They are all over YouTube. 

I recently rediscovered Tony Campolo – a favorite of mine from the 80’s.

But, who tops the list this year for me is Tim Keller.

Frances Chan’s book on unity was fabulous. 

All three have come under attack from their own camps in recent past –

perhaps that’s one of the reasons we are now seen as post-Christian. 

Even Christians can’t seem to get their act together.  

We love bashing more than binding. 

We love being right more than loving our neighbor. 

We love circling the wagons more than inviting in the “whosoever wills.”

Bottom line for me is this:

I continue to know that my Redeemer liveth –

and I take great delight in Him.

And when I recognize an unattractive divisiveness emanating from such a ones . . . I run.