Is that Grizzly Adams?

This Blog is Updated each Tuesday.

I once thought Christianity was about being an advocate for "Christian" things. I signed up for all these "action" newsletters and so forth. They still come in my inbox and I usually delete them. The other day I got one about Praying the vote. It gave a list of what each of the Presidential candidates stood for so we could accurately ask God for the right candidate. What!? I stared at it for a minute and thought, "Didn't we try telling God what we wanted in a ruler before?" King Saul didn't work out too well for anyone. Don't you think God Almighty can pick the candidate

most like His Son? Does HE really need us to go through a list of criteria for Him and judge properly so that HE can give us the best President? At the bottom of the email it said "so you can pray as one informed." Right. I told Denbigh it should say, "so you will be persuaded to vote according to our conservative right-wing agenda." Do you think Jesus likes politics? Are we really so hungry for control that we would attempt to manipulate God with our agenda driven prayers?

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I cannot picture Christ crusading with an advocacy group. He would be showing kindness to the man with no advocate to speak of.

Insert random quote I took of Robert Barge's weekly newsletter this week:

"Revivals should not be necessary.  God intended that His people should grow in grace without periodic spells of backsliding and repenting.  But so long as we have such a malarial brand of Christianity, a fever and a chill, a fever and a chill, we shall need revivals." -Vance Havner

 Let's go on to talk about serial killers... In The Shack, a man's daughter is kidnapped while they are camping. As I was reading it, I got the chance to go out to a camp site and ponder how the character must have felt having his daughter snatched from him...his helplessness. 

Let me interject something here...if you are looking for an excellent summer read, pick up this book. It will bring healing to your spirit.

Back on task: All of my pondering got me to thinking about how we could forgive people who would kidnap, murder, abuse, etc our loved ones.

Forgiveness is ever elusive when we hold onto pain. During a few day stay at my mom's house last week I saw about fifteen minutes of a show about the Green River Killer. In case you don't know, he killed somewhere in the neighborhood of 80 women. They talked about how cold and calculating he was... unemotional. Aired were about 5 minutes of clips from the families of the slain women. Over and over they looked at him with hate and told him that they hoped he would burn in hell. He stared at them blankly probably believing hell was his home.

One old guy got up. He looked like a mix of Uncle Jessy off the Dukes of Hazzard and Grizzly Adams. He stood there with the kindest eyes and told Gary Ridgway, the monstrous Green River Killer, about the forgiveness of God. Gary Ridgway began to weep.

How often do we refuse to show kindness and the love of 

God over minor offenses? How could this man who had a child brutally murdered by this man look at him and offer him the love we refuse to show to people who damage our ego or hurt our feelings? Maybe we are the ones who are brutal and offensive.

That "Grizzly" man was able to forgive because he had experienced forgiveness. He took God at His word. He took his own hurt to the feet of Christ and was wrapped in HIS healing love. Then that wounded man was able to give that love out to the very man that killed his daughter.

What old wound do you need to have redeemed today? What in you needs to be wrapped in the healing love of Christ?

Cherry Photo by Anne Lively (Smith)

For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not
delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
a broken and a contrite heart--these, O God, You will not despise.
--Psalm 51:16-17

Are we diametrically opposed to the very love God wills us to offer?