A wonder-filled world to play in

 

A wonder-filled world to play in
Wednesday, January 1, 2025 by Brave Knight Writers

https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0164HULKG

 

Happy New Year! In 2025, may your blessings be many—both those gifted upon you and those you gift to others.

“The Bible is nothing more than a book of fairy tales written by men too long ago to be relevant in our technologically advanced world.”

Many times, I heard these words spoken and wondered what they meant to the one speaking them. Those who say such things tend to be heavily invested in all things man-made or man-written. They tend to have an arrogance and all-knowing nature. If you study fables or fairy tales, you’ll find classics who survive the years always carry with them very basic truths. Often they mimic the redeemer story of Jesus.

 It is not disputed that Jesus used parables in his teachings. A parable is a simple story illustrating a lesson or a narrative which often occurs in life or nature, by which a moral is drawn. The Bible is a great literary work, containing stories, psalms, studies in human nature (which hasn’t changed with technological advances), and parables, so what is the point of the denier? Let’s begin with John 1:12.

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,

As children we long to be adults, we willingly cast off our innocence to allow ourselves to become jaded and with diminished spirits. As we engage the adult world, we find it to be harsh and uncaring. Many turn to idolatry, which includes drugs, alcohol, and material possessions to numb the pain found in a world filled those who lack an indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

God intended creation to be a wonderland enjoyed with a stimulating curiosity. Play is the highest form of being—on the edge of discovering something new about a life you can’t quite inhabit yet. God intends for us to be as close to Him as we can be, this side of heaven. Playing in His creation— enjoying the ridiculous, immense variety and beauty—is His gift to us.

Without spirit, our false gods fail to suffice for our desires. Our selfish and self-centered ways can leave us embittered by age forty or fifty. All we’ve accumulated leaves us lacking.

Reference 2 Corinthians 4:4 for insight as to why the world exists as it does. When our idols fall, we tend to double down instead of walking away.

Jesus came to restore our spirit, forgive our adult nature and invite us to be renewed in the spirit, a spiritual birth. Does this apply to our modern times? How many of us wish to view the world through the eyes of a child?

So, what can we do with that? When we were born of our mothers, we needed nurturing and to learn the ways of the world. We were given instructions, we imitated the ways of adults and interacted with other children. Our formative years occurred before age seven, beyond that age we refined our ways and piled on more knowledge of the world, but we were well on our way to focus on the physical aspects of existence.

Many became very proficient in satisfying their selfish nature and made decisions based on the question, what’s in it for me? In the Bible Jesus tells Nicodemus, you must be born again. What is going on here? Jesus is also quoted as telling his disciples, Matthew 19:14 “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

After our spiritual birth, we enter a new childhood, filled with wonder. In this new childhood where we don’t imitate other adults, our instructions come from the wisdom found in the word of God. As we interact with other children of God, scripture is our guide. To appreciate more of the value found within the text, seek dialogue with others. A great resource can be found at https://www.thebiblerecap.com/start and can be added to your phone as an app or enjoyed in print.

Ego offers the stumbling block, our vanity to admit our short-comings and follies. Remember ego and vanity were Satan’s flaws. As Christians, we need to reestablish our childlike nature and enjoy life. Jesus is the adult, the one we need to imitate in words and actions. In our second childhood we should develop our love skills, working out the true meaning of the word.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NIV

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

2 Corinthians 6:18

“And I will be a father to you,

And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,”

Says the Lord Almighty.

 

Source: https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Children-Of-God

God’s creation is our playground. When your eyes open, you’ll find the miracles of life in every corner. I’m a science guy, spent my whole working career dealing with math and physics. The more I study the words of scripture, the stronger my beliefs become.

We also highly recommend Johnathan Pageau or Jordan Peterson for in-depth conversations on scripture at https://www.dailywire.com/. Jordan Peterson brings together intellectuals from all walks of life to discuss their views on scripture with in-depth analysis. You will enjoy hearing contributions from an atheist, Jew, Catholic priest, bestselling authors, and artists—moderated by Dr. Peterson.

Thank you for your support, sales of books help with our volunteer and mission work. In the new year, look for us on Amazon. God Bless.  

 

 

 

Happy New Year! In 2025, may your blessings be many—both those gifted upon you and those you gift to others.

“The Bible is nothing more than a book of fairy tales written by men too long ago to be relevant in our technologically advanced world.”

Many times, I heard these words spoken and wondered what they meant to the one speaking them. Those who say such things tend to be heavily invested in all things man-made or man-written. They tend to have an arrogance and all-knowing nature. If you study fables or fairy tales, you’ll find classics who survive the years always carry with them very basic truths. Often they mimic the redeemer story of Jesus.

 It is not disputed that Jesus used parables in his teachings. A parable is a simple story illustrating a lesson or a narrative which often occurs in life or nature, by which a moral is drawn. The Bible is a great literary work, containing stories, psalms, studies in human nature (which hasn’t changed with technological advances), and parables, so what is the point of the denier? Let’s begin with John 1:12.

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,

As children we long to be adults, we willingly cast off our innocence to allow ourselves to become jaded and with diminished spirits. As we engage the adult world, we find it to be harsh and uncaring. Many turn to idolatry, which includes drugs, alcohol, and material possessions to numb the pain found in a world filled those who lack an indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

God intended creation to be a wonderland enjoyed with a stimulating curiosity. Play is the highest form of being—on the edge of discovering something new about a life you can’t quite inhabit yet. God intends for us to be as close to Him as we can be, this side of heaven. Playing in His creation— enjoying the ridiculous, immense variety and beauty—is His gift to us.

Without spirit, our false gods fail to suffice for our desires. Our selfish and self-centered ways can leave us embittered by age forty or fifty. All we’ve accumulated leaves us lacking.

Reference 2 Corinthians 4:4 for insight as to why the world exists as it does. When our idols fall, we tend to double down instead of walking away.

Jesus came to restore our spirit, forgive our adult nature and invite us to be renewed in the spirit, a spiritual birth. Does this apply to our modern times? How many of us wish to view the world through the eyes of a child?

So, what can we do with that? When we were born of our mothers, we needed nurturing and to learn the ways of the world. We were given instructions, we imitated the ways of adults and interacted with other children. Our formative years occurred before age seven, beyond that age we refined our ways and piled on more knowledge of the world, but we were well on our way to focus on the physical aspects of existence.

Many became very proficient in satisfying their selfish nature and made decisions based on the question, what’s in it for me? In the Bible Jesus tells Nicodemus, you must be born again. What is going on here? Jesus is also quoted as telling his disciples, Matthew 19:14 “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

After our spiritual birth, we enter a new childhood, filled with wonder. In this new childhood where we don’t imitate other adults, our instructions come from the wisdom found in the word of God. As we interact with other children of God, scripture is our guide. To appreciate more of the value found within the text, seek dialogue with others. A great resource can be found at https://www.thebiblerecap.com/start and can be added to your phone as an app or enjoyed in print.

Ego offers the stumbling block, our vanity to admit our short-comings and follies. Remember ego and vanity were Satan’s flaws. As Christians, we need to reestablish our childlike nature and enjoy life. Jesus is the adult, the one we need to imitate in words and actions. In our second childhood we should develop our love skills, working out the true meaning of the word.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NIV

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

2 Corinthians 6:18

“And I will be a father to you,

And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,”

Says the Lord Almighty.

 

Source: https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Children-Of-God

God’s creation is our playground. When your eyes open, you’ll find the miracles of life in every corner. I’m a science guy, spent my whole working career dealing with math and physics. The more I study the words of scripture, the stronger my beliefs become.

We also highly recommend Johnathan Pageau or Jordan Peterson for in-depth conversations on scripture at https://www.dailywire.com/. Jordan Peterson brings together intellectuals from all walks of life to discuss their views on scripture with in-depth analysis. You will enjoy hearing contributions from an atheist, Jew, Catholic priest, bestselling authors, and artists—moderated by Dr. Peterson.

Thank you for your support, sales of books help with our volunteer and mission work. In the new year, look for us on Amazon. God Bless.  

 

Build a Church, Guadalajara

Thank you, to all who help support our missions with the purchase of our novels.

braveknightwriters.com

or

https://www.amazon.com/stores/William-A.-Wright/author/B0164HULKG?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

We just returned, what an awesome trip.

I did drywall and electrical work.

https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0164HULKG
 

Community Building

 

Community Building
Sunday, December 1, 2024 by Brave Knight Writers

 

We welcome our recent sign-ups and offers to guest blog. Watch for a future post from the owner of a company who helps set up businesses for those with a disability. Our family has experience in such matters, as one member became disabled—but went into business and even built a house.

The growth of our Brave Knight Writers community is exciting! Please remember to grab your free copy of the book we sent you. Make sure to check your emails, including your spam file, to find your free e-book.

We have a new book out this month. Check out             Instead, I cooked: you do the dishes

We love feedback, either by email or posted reviews on Amazon.

Guest blogs: we encourage authors to reach out to us, make our site about you and we will share your contact information if your submission meets our standards. Quality works can be shared free of charge on our friends’ page, it will direct interested parties to your purchase site.

If you aren’t an author but want to share your true story about courage or overcoming a challenge, please let us know, we may be able to help you express your thoughts. Our mission is to create a community where everyone shares, we don’t want it to be about us. Become a Brave Knight Writer.

Below are some specifications we adhere to.

We like our posts to be very pointed, every word counts.
Please submit a post between 1400 to 1600 word count.
Your grammar must meet our standards.
Our site lends toward the human spirit, and the courage found in a relationship with God. We won’t refrain from posting an informative and inspirational post which does not mention such beliefs.
No money is exchanged with others on our site. We take no liability for money exchanged by others at their sites. Please include a statement taking all responsibility for your post, the statement should include any technical, medical or financial advice given in your post. We never seek donations or financial support, other than those received from the sales of our literary works. We are not a 501c or church-affiliated. We seek only inspiration to overcome fear and lift others up.
Your post should guide people to contact you directly.
In the future we will publish a book of our blog posts. Please state whether you allow us to do such without financial compensation. You also must acknowledge you have no expectation of financial compensation for any dealings with braveknightwriters.com.
If an edit of your post is required, we will contact you with our recommendations so you can do the edit and agree with our points before we publish it. Please acknowledge we are under no obligation to make posts not meeting our standards. We do not accept political blogs or references.

We hope everyone enjoyed a day of giving thanks, a grateful heart is large and filled with power.

One evening before Thanksgiving one of our granddaughters stopped by to visit. She’s about to graduate from college and plans to enter the medical field. With a love of travel and adventure, one of her options is to join the military. Since my wife is a nine-year veteran, our granddaughter hoped to gain some insights into military life. The visit lasted nearly eight hours so you can imagine we covered more topics than the military. One subject close to my heart involved the influx of people crossing our southern border.

While we welcome immigrants, a country needs to control who enters, and determine if they bring skills useful to our communities and useful in sustaining their own needs. In our discussion, I shared my experience drilling clean water wells in Central America, specifically Guatemala. The countries south of our border are gorgeous and rich in assets, there should be little need for anyone to migrate away from their established communities. The driving force is corruption and crime—both issues need to be addressed. Community building is the answer to the human condition, hearts offer the answer. People’s hearts need to be touched by the Holy Spirit. Our human spirit must overcome greed and a lust for power.

“Everything is meaningless’” (Ecclesiastes 1:2) Here we find a great point to ponder. Replace the word meaningless with vanity or futility. Solomon had it all, yet he found everything under the sun to be empty and void of meaning. Keep Solomon’s point of view in mind, it might appear to be depression, but it is not. In Ecclesiastics 1:14 “I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” The key is, under the sun, it references Solomon’s earth-bound perspective. A human life lived with no consideration of God, rests under the sun. From that godless perspective, everything is indeed “meaningless.” Ecclesiastes presents Solomon’s meaningless endeavors when viewed “under the sun”, or without God: human wisdom (2:14-16); labor (2:18-23); amassing material (2:16); life (3:18-22); competition (4:4); selfish works (4:7-8); power/authority (4:16); greed (5:10; wealth and accolades (6:1-2); and perfunctory religion (8:10-14). Keep in mind, Solomon does not say everything is of zero value. He posits that God adds meaning and purpose. So, what can we do about this?

As we drilled our well far out in the country, on a dirt road in an impoverished village, where the school well contained a dead cat and sewage overflowed from flooded latrines, I stood to watch a banana-harvesting machine pass. The machine towered over the rooftops of the village’s huts; the tires kicking dust. The machine likely cost more than the entirety of the village. The land surrounding the village was lush with banana plantations. If not for the village poverty, I thought I was in paradise. What would it take for the large corporations to gift sewage and clean water to this community? I am all for capitalism, but a healthy capitalist builds the community where he does business. The key to the human condition lies in strong healthy communities run by honest caring businesses.

A present-day example might be David Green, former owner of Hobby Lobby. He is quoted, “wealth is a curse” Green credited his faith and higher power as the "true source" of his success, noting that "God was the true owner of my business," He felt he had been nothing more than a steward. Green’s net worth was more than 14 billion dollars, nowhere near the wealth of Solomon, but nothing to sneeze at. Mr. Green gave it all away. Reference check, (ttps://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2022/10/27/hobby-lobby-founder-giving-away-company-wealth/10613377002/). My point isn’t to give away your source of wealth or income, but more to embrace the power and joy of a grateful heart. Let’s all work to build better, stronger families and communities. You don’t have to be a billionaire to help someone. Pass on the love to your children and grandchildren. Volunteer. You won’t need to look far for opportunities in your own community. Volunteer fire departments and churches are usually needing volunteers.

Traveling to impoverished villages in Africa and Central America, I witnessed the imbalance of basic needs and can understand the motivations to head toward what appears to be places of wealth. Desperation offers evil an opportunity to enter even good hearts. Corruption and crime fill desperate hearts with fear. Community building requires filling basic needs, not skyscrapers. It’s the stability of community which offers the true wealth of grateful hearts. Eliminate corruption and crime and allow the freed people to build dreams on their own soil, with the basics filled. The cost of drilling a well is out of reach to so many, it isn’t laziness. The average person doesn’t want to build an empire, they just want to be comfortable, free to pursue happiness, and support their family.

We welcome some companies we’ve noticed, new to our Brave Knight community.

Mhtlaw.com

Houstonmethodist.org

Mizunousa.com

Network Solutions

Twru.com

Praedicat.com

Ace-it.com

abilitator.biz

Our latest production, Cooking at the Instead

https://tinyurl.com/Instead-I-Cooked  

Tasty dishes. Concocted by a man, based on what's at hand.

No Grilling. No Meat. For Experimenters.
A labor of love, to help you learn to love preparing a tasty and nutritious meal
for your family.
To Whomever doesn't cook--you say grace, and do the dishes!
Basics-beans-vegetarian-vegan-fun!
Many are all of the above.
Quick-Easy-Nutritious-Fool-proof.

Others works https://www.amazon.com/Instead-Grace-light-William-Wright-ebook/dp/B09PHYGJFZ

We Who Wrestle with God

https://www.foxnews.com/media/jordan-peterson-shreds-justin-trudeau-changing-tone-after-demolishing-canadas-immigration-system

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/207611500-we-who-wrestle-with-god

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/207611500-we-who-wrestle-with-god

October Surprise

 

October Surprise
Friday, November 1, 2024 by Brave Knight Writers

October 2024 was filled with chaos, confusion, and distractions for our nation and families. We pray our readers were spared or at least will recover from the events. Hurricanes, wars, rumors of war, politics, and drama combined to debase our thoughts and lives. In this blog I share how we handled events we found ourselves dealing with. I may not fully convey the turmoil and undercurrents the events inflicted, but I will share a bit of our struggle to maintain a positive attitude. Reference Ephesians 4:2-3.

We had close family in the path of both Helene and Milton. Helene came at the end of September with horrific damage far inland in the Carolinas, where some of my cousins reside. We were in contact with them, and I volunteered at our church to haul supplies to the area, but my offer went unfulfilled

A cousin asked me to bring my chainsaw and come cut up fallen trees, but common sense told me not to venture into a disaster area without official contacts.

Our children and grandchildren in Sarasota had weathered Helene relatively unscathed. We had prayed heavily for a hedge of protection and knew our prayers mingled with millions of others. Hurricane Milton, drew a direct path on their town and since they are just a few hundred yards from the bay, the storm surge was expected to take their home.

They evacuated to the Fort Lauderdale area and my wife immediately bought the two grandchildren and herself plane tickets. In one day, she swooped in and brought the children back to our home. The operation came off without a major hitch and was covered by our prayers and those of our friends. The children were safe, and the grandchildren were with us. Damage to material things would be as it would be.

The Florida kids seriously thought they suffered frostbite from walking out of Eat-n-Park and to the car!. The next day, they enjoyed a fall pumpkin patch experience like can’t be found in Florida. They enjoyed a corn maze, obstacle course, corn pit, zip line, apple cider slushies and corn dogs. Being a refugee ain’t all bad!

They enjoyed joining Grammy for her 4th grade Sunday School class, a first for them. As we studied the Israelites in the desert, one home-schooled 4th grader informed us all that the word ‘manna’ means, “what is it?”

 

Our 8-year-old soccer fanatic was able to enjoy watching two local soccer games while here. He boldly went to the team huddle after one game, informing the player we went to watch, about the mistakes of the coach in how the playing field was set up. Apparently, he wasn’t wrong.

The undercurrents beneath the hurricane involve culture, politics, religion, and ego. Attitude either overcomes an issue or enhances it. We choose to be overcomers through God’s strength. Fortunately, all these issues were set aside for the good of human survival and under the threat of the storm, rational thought prevailed. Like most families, ours has differing opinions on how life is best viewed. Who thinks what or why doesn’t matter to the point of this writing or in life and death situations. We were blessed to be able to help, none of it was viewed as a sacrifice, and the children brought with them few belongings, but much joy. For the next week we shared this joy with them and with their two cousins who live near us. To have four children aged eight and younger was a handful for two grandparents, but the rewards exceeded any disruption of our routine.

As the week wore on, we wondered when and how we would get the children back to Florida. Miraculously, Milton changed course ever so slightly, and just that 5-mile difference in the huge storm spared the Sarasota home from damage. The community’s infrastructure was disrupted, with streets blocked by fallen trees and debris, and no power or water.

We decided to hook up our camper and take a slow ride to Savannah, Georgia, where we would turn the children over to their parents. In addition to the Florida kids, we would take a seven-year-old and our ancient beagle. We chose Savannah because this is where my wife’s sister resides in a nursing home. A niece with a teenage son lives nearby. We viewed the chance to visit as an added joy.

We are adventurers and have never let fumbles or missteps ruin our travels. If things don’t go as planned, our motto is to shift gears and keep on. Traveling in a vehicle was never a thing for our beagle, so he panted heavily for the first few hours. We coddled him for reassurance, but then, the beagle developed gas. His releases brought tears and shouts for open windows. The gas bombs became a point of laughter and accusations as to who was the guilty party.

We travelled all day with construction delays, potty stops, and a walk at the New River Gorge Bridge. Well, I said we were making this a camping trip, keep in mind the camper we were using is the one we lived in while building our home 16 years ago. The first night, in the cold hills of West Virginia, we discovered the furnace wouldn’t ignite and the floor outside the camper’s bathroom had softened from a water leak. When we arrived at the campground the store was closed, and we couldn’t buy firewood. Even though temperatures dropped, and darkness shrouded in, we let the kids unwind at the camp playground.

My wife hadn’t brought her winter coat, the one with her ATM and credit card in the pocket. We slept in our clothes covered with blanket and towels. Our spirits remained high, and we fended off grumpy thoughts.

Our phones told us our next day’s stretch would be 5.5 hours, which promised us plenty of down time at our lakeside camp in a warmer South Carolina. After ten grueling hours we arrived at our next campsite with the feeling we must have been abducted by aliens, but no, it was the three hours of traffic getting through Charlotte, NC and other construction delays.

In addition to our travel foibles, I was receiving text messages from my children about a most disturbing situation. My ex-wife, their mother, has dementia, and whose husband suffered recent stroke symptoms and personality changes. His brother is a defrocked Catholic priest who has dark sealed history and has entered the picture to manipulate financial matters to gain access to my ex-wife’s rather large estate. He has an attorney and has installed himself as his brother’s advocate. His latest move has been to go to court to claim my ex-wife is a burden and detriment to his brother’s health. Text messages from children report a court order to place their mother in a nursing home in leu of home care, which she can well afford. To add to the indignation, my daughter is to be the one to take her to the nursing home. The ex-priest has convinced her mother my daughter is evil. To be sure, I struggled with resolutions of a sin nature.

As we traveled, I prayed for divine intervention and my wife read Psalm 27 aloud. I prayed silently, in search of God’s face rather than his hand. My prayers in no way asked for a specific solution, rather I stated the situation and asked for intervention. It struck me that my ex-wife, who was raised Catholic, was never a believer and didn’t like priests. Now one is trying to take away all she has. The enemy loves to infiltrate religion and other noble institutions to lead people away from God. This premise certainly would make for a good novel or novella.

Our second campsite in South Carolina was at the lake’s edge. When we booked it, we pictured ourselves walking the nature trails throughout the area. We showed the children the glaring signs warning of alligator dangers posted between our site and the waters. Watching the pond, we spotted alligators drifting in the calm waters well offshore, it was a bit chilling.

We began receiving conflicting and alarming texts about the care of our grown grandson, a Navy veteran. He suffers severe medical conditions, and the protocols at the hospital were threatening his well-being, to say the least.

Our new camp was a half hour drive from the Savannah nursing home. We had plenty of firewood, plenty of sunshine, and warm evenings. The nursing home visit was bittersweet, as my wife’s sister was extremely frail and bedridden. The staff came off as rather inept as they told us we would have to wait to see her as she was in the bath but never came to where we waited to tell us when she was dressed, and they had placed her in her bed instead of in a wheelchair.

The bonus, the 17-year-old great nephew came to the nursing home to meet us. It’s nice to see a young man with a caring heart. The people camping next to us were North Carolina Helene refugees who evacuated before the storm hit. Now, they couldn’t return home because of the damage and had decided to travel the country until the roads to their house were reconstructed. Again, an example of attitude overcoming a dire situation.

On Sunday, the parents arrived, and we enjoyed a leisurely lunch with them before they headed south with their little hurricane refugees. The camp grew silent without three children, as we now had only one, and he is a joy unto himself. He became our full focus. One of the signs of how successful our days were was when the Sarasota parents gave us feedback from the children’s teachers. They said the children were calling their teachers Grammy by mistake!

Another bonus was a text from my daughter, the court order turned out to be a recommendation, not an order, to deliver their mother to a nursing home. I can’t explain how it had all been hashed over by the attorneys as an order and now all the sudden, it was no longer a court order, and arrangements were underway for in-home care for my ex-wife, with no interference from her husband or his ex-priest brother. In my mind, nothing is so evil as someone who claims to be a man of God and yet drives people away from salvation by engaging in evil and selfish works.

Our grandson survived his hospital stay and returned home to recover and heal.

Shortly after we arrived home a fellow author and friend handed us his latest work., Stop Your Stinkin’ Thinkin’ is all about taking charge of the damaging thoughts within our minds, by Richard W. LaFountain.

“Bringing every thought into the obedience of Christ.”

After reading the intro and first chapter, I felt this is what we just lived. Our attitudes had overcome, not only overcome but turned the tables on evil. When you come under attack, never feed your enemy with negative thoughts and actions. Rather, remember Philippians 4: 8 & 9.

 

 

Forever Followers
Tuesday, October 1, 2024 by Brave Knight Writers

 

M. Robert Mulholland Jr. wrote in his book Invitation to a Journey, “If you want a good litmus test of your spiritual growth, simply examine the nature and the quality of your relationships with others.”

Like all aspects of life, one must assess self and others:

 Lamentations 3:40 ESV Let us test and examine our ways and return to the Lord!

Romans 12:3 ESV For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

As our church encourages everyone to find their place within one of the church’s groups, we chose to join Forever Followers. Recently we attended a gathering of Christians at the home of a couple in the group. The setting exuded beauty and peace, the landscape was filled with gorgeous flowers and plantings. The attendees were a mixed bag of professionals, convenience store clerks, missionaries, and retirees. In attendance were both singles and couples. Basically, it was a cross section of educational and economic society. If anyone had any pretentious thoughts or attitudes they hid them well, because the mingling and conversations flowed between everyone without regard to worldly status. The world pushes its agenda of inclusivity, but inclusivity occurs naturally in another realm. Our short comings make us equal; all have fallen short of the glory of God.

What struck me most about our group was the laughter resonating from the smaller groups which formed on the patio, and in different rooms within the home, as everyone enjoyed the company of those gathered. The relationships derived emulate the standard of perfection the world cannot possibly produce. Such a standard can only succeed and be maintained in a spiritual realm and to a person, everyone at the gathering is aware they fall short in their own special ways but forgive each other for it. This is the essence of the fruits of the Holy Spirit, and just like each fruit of the world has a unique flavor and texture, so do the fruits of the Spirit.

Pay attention to how the definitions of words are being skewed these days, what is that all about? It’s about creating doubt and confusion, blurring the realities and condemning every thought of a standard. When we speak of the fruits of the Spirit, we must hold to the definitions provided, in standards. Love is my first example. The word love gets applied in so many vague or strange ways, it loses meaning. The reason can be found in the inadequacies of our language where instead of creating or using more specific words to define our feelings we opt to just use the word love. True love, the one specific love of the Spirit is defined by selflessness, sacrifice, forgiveness. Hints of love’s flavor run through all the other fruits. So, what are the other fruits of the Spirit? What I saw at our gathering were these, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

What do Christians talk about when they gather for a house party? Non-believers shy away from Christians with fear, some of it based in hear-say, some from personal negative experiences, some totally unfounded self-doubts, or even just lazy thoughts (works don’t make you a Christian but being one takes work).

So how is it possible to hear laughter coming from a group of what non-believers might call judgmental sour-faced Christians who reject the offerings of the world? Well, for myself, I related stories to the group—of growing up above my grandmother’s tavern and how she always packed a pistol and had to have a six pack of beer with her. One female guest spoke of her time in the Air Force working on F-16s. Others shared stories of faulty misadventures in their youth, such as going to a strip club for a bachelor’s party. Surely there was some restraint in play but basically everyone appeared comfortable to share their follies in a humorous manner, making fun of missteps of the past. Another fellow confessed his hatred for a man he worked with and how he overcame it to become friendly with him. He made his journey of hate into a humorous anecdote. There were serious moments, as we started off the evening with a brief prayer and ended it with another prayer. One characteristic runs true in all who gathered, they want to be better people and want to create a peaceful community.

Just before we left for the gathering, I received a text message about my adult grandson being rushed to the hospital for a hole in a collapsed lung. The remedy involved removing a portion of the lung and scraping the inside of the chest cavity to create scarring to reinforce the support structure for his lungs. The surgery would take two hours, everyone at the gathering shared our concerns and offered to pray. How can you place a value on such support? In short, our common beliefs had created a community with common goals based on love. I ask you, as you look around your neighborhood, doesn’t it seem we are overburdened with chasing the things of the world? We barely know those who live near us and as Christians are accused by non-believers with being judgmental. Doesn’t such guilt fall on non-believers as well? Judgements based on the size and quality of houses, cars, lifestyles, race, and political views all ignore and mask the true inner workings of the person. These are the ways our communities end up in division.

Our Christian group does not refrain from exposing their human side, their weaknesses and flaws. One fellow, who is highly educated and professional shared the story of failing to learn French in High School. It was his worst subject, he was failing his second term while all his other grades were stellar. His French teacher took him aside and confided she would grant him a minimal passing grade as she saw no likelihood the French language would have any bearing in his future. Well as fate would have it, he found himself working in France for thirty years, married a French-Canadian woman who was a French language professor and he now owns homes in France and Quebec. This is how a community rolls, to hear other people’s experiences and life journeys endears them to you, builds a community, and relieves the fear of judgment. Before you throw someone under a bus, get to know their story first. There will always be another bus coming along later.

George Alexander Aberle (April 15, 1908 – March 4, 1995), known as eden ahbez, (he never used caps in his name) was an American songwriter and recording artist who said, “So you see it's not an issue of black and white, it's an issue of lovers and haters." In his song recorded by Nat King Cole, he wrote “"The greatest thing you'll ever learn, Is just to love and be loved in return"

Most of this post has attempted to define love, so what about hate? If we look at 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NIV 4 Love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. If hate is the opposite of love, then we must assume it to be impatient, unkind, envious, boastful, proud, it dishonors, it is self-seeking, easily angered, keeps records of wrongs. Doesn’t the opposite of love look a lot like selfishness or self-love? The greatest book on the human condition and love is the Bible. Non-believers can dis on it, but without studying the Bible, their words are dribble. Healthy minds study their world. Christianity has been a major influence, standard, and guiding force in our world. The best approach to gaining knowledge is to refer to the basics, so study scripture, while tuning out the static noise generated by haters and mockers.

A Christian who wants to grow (and following Christ is inherently a lifelong journey of walking closer with Christ) takes on the endeavor of lifetime study and seeks fellowship within a community of students. Expect a life of quizzes and exams, the most important aspect comes in the acknowledgement you were challenged. Some challenges you will pass, some you will fail, but take ownership, write your name in bold letters across the top of them all.

1 John 4:8 NIV 8 Whoever does not love, does not know God, because God is love.

So, what does it mean when someone declares, “I don’t believe in God!”?

We recommend among other authors, the works of Richard W. LaFountain, such as Time Alone with God.