By the Book.............."

The world outside my window the last few mornings has been overcast. Cloudy; and quite cool for the middle of July. A persistent rain has continued to play hopscotch across the Tri-State, but, for some reason, has visited this particular area only overnight for the most part. There is the hint of a breeze. While both the magnolia and the pines seems as if painted before me, the young maple which I planted in the yard of the old house several years ago betrays such notion. Still, though gray and wet at the moment, it is my time of day. The rest of the household is asleep and I sit at the kitchen table with the dog curled up at my feet. Soon enough the grandsons will be either watching some repeat Sponge Bob episode for the umpteenth occasion or maneuvering clever Play Station characters through a maze of hoops and deadly pitfalls. The wife will arise and a list of places for us to go, things for me to do. For the present, however, all is peaceful and my mind is my own. A cup of hot coffee and all of His goodness to explore. It doesn’t get any better than this………….

I mentioned in a recent post how the author, Anne Lamott, claimed her best prayers were “Help me!” and “Thank You!”. People, I suppose, have varied opinions on the subject ; but, personally, while I believe that God hears any and every sincere heart, I would never attempt such communication if I didn’t perceive there to be a chance of Someone actually “picking up on the other end” and giving evidence that “the call was going through”. Indeed, it is because I find such success on occasion that there is faith created to give me reason to continue in the endeavor. Add to that bit of blasphemy the fact that not all my “prayers” take place while I am positioned in some customary prescribed format dictated by the ecclesiastical society at large. Then tack on the truth that they are not merely a matter of bombarding heaven with a list of my concerns. Prayer, it has always seemed to me, is as much about listening and examining oneself as it is about anything else; and that can be accomplished in just about any “quiet place” that a man makes for himself………….

Someone else, on another site, suggested that “The Gospel is good news because, among other things, it promises a life outside ourself”. Unable to locate the content in which such thought was presented, I can only assume the speaker means that in the sense of looking beyond our own individual concerns as we reach out unto others. There is, no doubt, a blessing in selflessness, but it would silly to presume that ignoring our own “inner man” is what Christ intended by that directive. Irregardless of what some may teach, the second birth doesn’t necessarily instantly transform a believer into a model of perfect spiritual health. While there is, indeed, often a “deliverance” that takes place in one way or another, yet we are “new creatures” only in the sense that He has taken up residence within us and we are made “whole” only in as much as we allow Him to minister unto us in those areas that have taken root within who and what we are. Inviting the “doctor” in didn’t give us a “quick fix”; healing via continued visitations is normal; and, humanity being humanity, regular “check-ups” are a life-time recommendation………….