Thoughts and Ruminations

                                                                                                                             
1

A Mother is angry. This mother’s son is attending a church of another denomination. Her son and a boy from this other church met at school and became friends. Her son enjoys the other church more than the one he grew up in. She does not trust that other church. If she fails her son may become a passionate witness for Christ at that other church. If she fails her son will not necessarily be shot.
Another mother is angry. Her son refuses to attend any church, anywhere, at any time. If she fails her son may be shot in a drive by shooting.

In this way their worlds are different.


2

God is not a good fortune teller. He does not look into the future. He does not look into the past. God sees and abides in all time at the same time. God lives in the infinite present, which is eternity, as well as every part of the linear progression known as time. Therefore God sees all of time and everything that has and will happen much like we look at a map of the world. God sees the beginning and end of great roads of history, boarders of change, intersections of conflict and more.
The most important to him are small, short side streets.

Your life is a small short side street.


3

Pharisees, Sadducees and teachers of the law have taught us many lessons. One of the most important lessons is that religion and or religious culture can live separate from, antagonistic to or even the enemy of the life of Christ.

Many churches continue this lesson today.


4

When we first come to God he follows us and is with us always. No matter where we go or what we do he loves us and ever desires to be closer to us and bless us. In all things he was crucified for us.
Then things may change.
When our love for God becomes deep enough we follow him and are with him always. No matter where he goes or what he does we love him and are ever desiring to be a blessing to him. In all things we are crucified with him.

The second way is more excellent than the first I think.


5

A pastor must grow his church. He recruits Christians from other churches. He recruits people from the world he is familiar with. He studies the latest business models. He drives past the crack house every day.
They are not good recruits neither are they mentioned in his business model. They have not been invited. They are in very good company. The spirit of God has also not been invited.


6

I once owned a dog that was known as a fear biter. Fear biters are dogs that are insecure and therefore always intimidated by people and other dogs. This makes them unnecessarily dangerous and destructive because they will attack innocent people and dogs based on their own unwarranted fears. These dogs always feel vulnerable and threatened even when no threats exist. They are especially dangerous when facing the unfamiliar or something they do not understand. A fear biter that perceives a nonexistent threat will attack viciously to protect itself and its territory.

Note to self: I must always and in every way endeavor to be better than a frightened dog.


7

Christians, the really good ones, know better than and therefore take great care not to be associated with, be seen in the company of, or risk their reputation with the sexually immoral, drunkards, thieves or anyone else of ill repute. In this way Christians, the really good ones, know better than Jesus who had the unfortunate circumstance of being called the friend of tax collectors and sinners.


8

Augustine is intelligent. Augustine has studied many books for many years and has many answers. One of Augustine’s answers is that if there is a God at best he can only be understood through a complicated philosophical journey and at worst is unknowable. Augustine is not aware that he and his books have found many answers but that none of these answers spring from the correct questions. Many years later Augustine has become St Augustine and he says, “Understanding is the reward of faith so seek not to understand that you may believe but believe that you may understand.” In this statement we see that St Augustine has learned the most important question and its answer.


9

The enemy of all souls works hard to shape this world in his image. The enemy of all souls also works very hard to disguise his hand in this shaping. This world provides more food than is needed but people go hungry. This world provides more land than is needed but we have war. This world kills adults and children with preventable diseases. This world provides humans with opportunities and training to perform limitless forms of wickedness and cruelty from our early life to our death bed. In all the history of humanity we have never been able to slow, much less stop, this systematic degradation.
The world as OZ…

Please pay attention to the mind behind the curtain.


10

See our God. He is laughing loudly. He is laughing in heaven and he is also here on earth.
The nations are very angry. They are so angry that they point their water guns at God and squeeze the trigger. He laughs even more. The nations go into a rage. They call our God rude. They say that to laugh while someone is trying to disbelieve you is extremely impolite. They threaten to disbelieve him more and also to shoot him again. This makes God hysterical. He almost doubles over with laughter. The nations have imagined a vain thing. They have imagined that to disbelieve God is to make him not exist. So they wave their water guns violently and disbelieve harder. This makes God slap his knee and vibrate laughing. Our God is laughing. Our God who longs to be their God is laughing.
Our God is laughing to keep from crying.

Poet Ntwadumela
From the book: "Christian Poems and Other Radical Explorations"