Grace Period

You might already be aware that I have recently moved from Cincinnati to Iowa where I'm just a mile from family. It’s all spectacular and I feel blessed!

But moving is difficult and there are just so many things to do.  There are, of course, the physical requirements of moving boxes and more.  There are also notifications of address changes. And then, changing banks, changing habits, changing expectations, and oh so very much more.

I think I’m still working on some of these things. New debit cards mean changing addresses and payment methods for all those online vendors with regular withdrawals. And, wouldn’t you know it, I missed one. 

There is good news, however.

I was notified that the payment was declined and given a grace period to fix the damage. This ‘reminder’ also served to warn me to go back and take stock of these payments by rechecking my work.  It gave me a grace period to prevent other embarrassing notices.

I took full advantage and I’m now very certain I have made all necessary adjustments.

So, with this now behind me, wouldn’t you know that I was given another reminder just the other day.

“If the Holy Spirit was withdrawn from the church today, 95% of what we do would go on and no one would know the difference.

If the Holy Spirit was withdrawn from the New Testament church, 95% of what they did would stop, and everybody would know the difference.” A.W. Tozer

I wonder why this one hit me so hard. I think I remember hearing this previously but perhaps it was just my time to actually ‘listen’. Maybe it was the medium of this age; the meme. The visualization does seem to be a bit ominous - like maybe if I don't listen to this notification, I'll crash on the rocks! 

This whole "Sandals and a Stick" project is supposed to be about discovering how I can follow Jesus - as in REALLY following Jesus!  Crashing on the rocks is not part of the plan.

And now two very serious questions are being presented here. The answer requires careful thought and consideration. 

1. Which of the 95% categories do I most resemble today? 
2. Which of the 95% categories do I want to resemble?

As I consider this, I will review an article found that discusses what Ancient Near East Christians were like. Again, none of this is new, but it's time to listen with my whole heart and soul - and then act.

5 Features That Made the Early Church Unique -- Tim Keller

• The early church was multi-racial and experienced unity across ethnic boundaries.
• The early church was a community of forgiveness and reconciliation.
• The early church was famous for its hospitality to the poor and the suffering.
• It was a community committed to the sanctity of life.
• It was a sexual counterculture.

"It was because the early church didn’t fit in with its surrounding culture, but rather challenged it in love, that Christianity eventually had such an effect on it." - Tim Keller

And while I spend time with this topic, I am experiencing gratefulness that I have been given a spiritual GRACE period to stop, review, and change direction. A grace period to learn once again that "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another." John 13:35

"Now to each one, the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good."

"Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many." 1 Corinthians 12: 7, 12-14

Come, Holy Spirit. Come.