balance ./_ .

in the pursuit of balance ...

there was a time when i was locked-in
to a particular theothink

it was important to me
to study and defend it ...
like it was Scripture or something

and then my personal Fall happened
and i deemed all but Jesus, God and raw Scripture
to be worthy of question ...
all i had learned
all i had taught myself ...

i'm re-learning
re-scripturiing
re-thinking
... = new theothink

on this journey
i so need to be balanced

sometimes i question my self ...
are you on the rebound?
are you swinging too far?
have you wandered too long?
... are you escaping ..?

and then the years kick in
and my life experiences with self
and i know
that this is as necessary as being born again
virtually

because if i am not in this with my heart
and if my theothink and my heart are at odds
then i'm doomed to personal failure
and bring personal failure to the kingdom
and i beeeeeeen there and doooooooone that ...

no more

i have the mind of Messiah
i have the witness of the Spirit
i have the scriptures
and insomuch as what i 'believe'
is winessed-to
by scripture
by the Spirit
and looks like Jesus
then i need no other authority

point is
i've come to 'see'
that there are a bundle of things
a whole bunch of 'em
that don't mean a hill-o-beans
if the core issues are off-balance ...
and not much more when they aren't ...

i want to be
of a mindset
that encourages me
to be bold
in listening
to
other
viewpoints

this is the way of christian community
a way that espouses
unity
a way that recognizes
we are still in the looking-glass stage
and perfection has not come
as yet
a way that is willing
to discuss, fairly
to listen, wholeheartedly
to speak, respectfully
to always be looking for reconciliation
always
always
under the cross
in the shadow of the cross
at the foot of
in light of
under the overspreading shadow
of the cross of Lord Jesus
lord of both sides

in him we live and move and have our being

if my desire is to stand on my truth
affirm my truth
establish and foster and distribute
my truth
then i am of all men most pitiable
for i have just sidelined the other half of christianity
for a questionable doctrine
or practice
a different view ...
  and like i said
  all but the core
  are up for loving discussion

how un-loving is that
and that is a core issue ...
least in my bible
.... is it in yours?

i'm just sayin'
i done
unless you cross into no-mans-land
on the core issues
  of which there are precious few
  many fewer than i was willing to allow
then we can talk
we can parlay
we can discuss
peacefully
respectfully

selah .~

a life-example applies ...
but before i go there ...............

i have often told my self to shutup
because what you say now
could damage
a friendship ...

i get that
i been getting that
and while i surely have no desire to do any such thing ...
if i blog
and i blog my heart
and my friend is offended
then are we not back at square 1   ? ? ..

and am i to be so cognizant of every friend's definition
that i can't go anywhere that crosses their lines ? ? ..

i want to be your friend
please don't be angry with me because i don't sit where you do
walk where you trod
... yet

shalom ...

life-example ..
i spoke with a friend recently
who was quite passionate
about some issues
a few of which we discussed

i listened
for the most part
asked a couple questions
to encourage more discussion
because i wanted to understand their pointofview
i wanted to hear where they were coming from
in their heart

that's how much i respect my friend
and i'm not just saying that
i respect their pointofview a lot
i love listening to their wisdom

but
i have to
develop
my
own

that's the point ...
we can be different
and yet be family
we can be diverse
and be loving
we can disagree
and still be
one
body

that's my brother

now
since i listened
genuinely
and he is aware of that
if when we meet again
i speak my pointofview
i hope he will entertain me
...

as i walk now on the waning side of noon-sun
i realize
what what was important to me in the morning of life
is no longer as important in the evening

selah .~

one of the things i came away from that conversation with is
a determination to re-immerse my self
in the scriptures
to balance my openness
with an ever increasing
ever widening
re-reading
to allow my self the balance
that comes from an acceptance
that understanding develops
as i grow
always
it is not fixed
i know that
because i don't understand things
the same way i did before
because i am finite

and my faith is absolutely uninjured by that
nay
it's stronger

at the same time
i keep listening
to the 'other' side
so that my eyes are open
to all my brothers
not just the ones
in this camp
or that
on any particular issue

balance

do not be afraid ...

God is not offended by my struggle
in fact as i said in another post
he is delighted
clapping his hands in glee
because
i am
diligently
seeking
him

i have to
all else is vanity ....


selah ...