05-13-2008, 06:40 AM
I like telling stories.
I believe that in the Irish Gaelic tradition that a traditional story
teller was called; 'A Seannchi' (singular) or 'Seannchd', (plural).
I have a story about when I was thrown out of my church in my home town,
Russellville, Arkansas.
Once a week, I used to be invited to dinner at the home of a Bible scholar
and his wife, who also attended there at 'Grace Fellowship'.
They had lived in Israel (on Mt. Zion, no less!) working for The
American University, back in the day.
I, like them, loved things Jewish/Christian and 'Messianic' (And I
still DO).
Their home was full of such things.
This man has written something like 29 or 30 books (most of them are
on sale at Amazon.com, til this day).
All of a sudden, I was informed by their and my Pastor that; "We
don't have a Ministry for shut in's", as he came to give me the "Your
no longer wanted here", speech in my old living room.
This was right after a post that I wrote at another "Celtic
Christian" e-list, was copied, and pasted, onto my old home church,
about their LACK of compassion.
I did not have the sense enough to not copy their (my old home
church's) website's address onto this old "Celtic Christian" e-list,
where I used to write a lot. The church's website had a direct e-mail
link for their two Pastors in it.
Anyway, the open dinner invitations at Joan and Morris' house,
immediately dried up (stopped).
I had come back from Texas to Arkansas, pretty buggered up, from 8
surgeries (and 2 more yet to go in the future),
and the aftermath of those, and hundreds of hours of physical therapy.
They told me initially that I might "never walk" again.
I was pretty much house bound in those days, except for going to the
doctor, or doing more physical therapy.
I had not at that time gotten anyone to come in to help me, and things
like buying groceries, and making meals, and cleaning house, were
becoming almost impossible, because of my continued pain.
But I had a buddy at that church called 'Ray', and he like me, loved
music, and was still pretty much 'a free spirit'. Kinda of a 1960's,
or early 1970's, 'left over', like myself.
Ray would stop by my home, and bring me free food, and make sure that
I was still alive, every so often, even though the "church" frowned at
him for doing so.
Ray was God's person, and God taught him to think for himself!
One night, Ray stopped by, and my bathtub was getting pretty dirty, as
was my commode, and I simply mentioned this to him in passing, and his
reply was; "Where are your cleaning supplies? I'll DO IT!"
So I sat in the hallway, and we talked, while Ray cleaned my bathtub,
and my commode, and it was like I was immediately transported back
into time, and I was watching Jesus wash His disciples feet.
This was one of the single most moving moments of my entire spiritual life,
and it came out of chaos, and betrayal, but it brought with it, deep
love and loyalty to God (by Ray).
And in turn, I was shown what it really IS, that God WANTS.
Willing Servants, ready at a moments notice, to wrap that towel around
them, and (if need be) to wash out their brother's (or their sister's)
bathtub, or toilet.
I know that perhaps one might needed to have been there, to truly
understand all of this, but it was perhaps the single most Holy moment
of my life, it makes me weep almost, to retell the story now.
There was NO ONE there to see this, except Ray and I.
I could NOT tell the church what Ray had done, because they had thrown
me out, so to speak, but even with all of this social pressure against
him, Ray STILL DID, the Godly thing!
But it WASN'T Ray, for those few minutes it was Yeshua (Jesus)
cleaning out my bathtub, and my commode.
May we ALL seek to LIVE, like THIS!
Shlama, Albion
I believe that in the Irish Gaelic tradition that a traditional story
teller was called; 'A Seannchi' (singular) or 'Seannchd', (plural).
I have a story about when I was thrown out of my church in my home town,
Russellville, Arkansas.
Once a week, I used to be invited to dinner at the home of a Bible scholar
and his wife, who also attended there at 'Grace Fellowship'.
They had lived in Israel (on Mt. Zion, no less!) working for The
American University, back in the day.
I, like them, loved things Jewish/Christian and 'Messianic' (And I
still DO).
Their home was full of such things.
This man has written something like 29 or 30 books (most of them are
on sale at Amazon.com, til this day).
All of a sudden, I was informed by their and my Pastor that; "We
don't have a Ministry for shut in's", as he came to give me the "Your
no longer wanted here", speech in my old living room.
This was right after a post that I wrote at another "Celtic
Christian" e-list, was copied, and pasted, onto my old home church,
about their LACK of compassion.
I did not have the sense enough to not copy their (my old home
church's) website's address onto this old "Celtic Christian" e-list,
where I used to write a lot. The church's website had a direct e-mail
link for their two Pastors in it.
Anyway, the open dinner invitations at Joan and Morris' house,
immediately dried up (stopped).
I had come back from Texas to Arkansas, pretty buggered up, from 8
surgeries (and 2 more yet to go in the future),
and the aftermath of those, and hundreds of hours of physical therapy.
They told me initially that I might "never walk" again.
I was pretty much house bound in those days, except for going to the
doctor, or doing more physical therapy.
I had not at that time gotten anyone to come in to help me, and things
like buying groceries, and making meals, and cleaning house, were
becoming almost impossible, because of my continued pain.
But I had a buddy at that church called 'Ray', and he like me, loved
music, and was still pretty much 'a free spirit'. Kinda of a 1960's,
or early 1970's, 'left over', like myself.
Ray would stop by my home, and bring me free food, and make sure that
I was still alive, every so often, even though the "church" frowned at
him for doing so.
Ray was God's person, and God taught him to think for himself!
One night, Ray stopped by, and my bathtub was getting pretty dirty, as
was my commode, and I simply mentioned this to him in passing, and his
reply was; "Where are your cleaning supplies? I'll DO IT!"
So I sat in the hallway, and we talked, while Ray cleaned my bathtub,
and my commode, and it was like I was immediately transported back
into time, and I was watching Jesus wash His disciples feet.
This was one of the single most moving moments of my entire spiritual life,
and it came out of chaos, and betrayal, but it brought with it, deep
love and loyalty to God (by Ray).
And in turn, I was shown what it really IS, that God WANTS.
Willing Servants, ready at a moments notice, to wrap that towel around
them, and (if need be) to wash out their brother's (or their sister's)
bathtub, or toilet.
I know that perhaps one might needed to have been there, to truly
understand all of this, but it was perhaps the single most Holy moment
of my life, it makes me weep almost, to retell the story now.
There was NO ONE there to see this, except Ray and I.
I could NOT tell the church what Ray had done, because they had thrown
me out, so to speak, but even with all of this social pressure against
him, Ray STILL DID, the Godly thing!
But it WASN'T Ray, for those few minutes it was Yeshua (Jesus)
cleaning out my bathtub, and my commode.
May we ALL seek to LIVE, like THIS!
Shlama, Albion