Nine and 1/2 months later...

Growth.  That's the long & short of it.  After the "coming out" with deconstruction & rebuilding 9 & 1/2 months back, there's been ups & downs and, as of late - an extended quickening - a cycle of growth including a lot of enlightenment & revelation about myself & everything around me.

Yes, I still have solid opinions about all things religious or church related, but they've been sorted for the time being & put aside for a season of watching.  Specifically, the sense that I need to let things be for a solid year before any more permanent commitments of action or activity.

Things I still feel fairly solid about:

>>> Believers need to embrace the freedom they have in Christ & examine more closely the occasionally misplaced allegiance to the following of religious leaders, groups, & the spiritual hostage situations they can place people into with 100% good intentions.

>>> People are often unfulfilled & fearful in their relationship with God because they have too many "go between people" they allow to speak to God/with God on their behalf & who have a tendency to speak on behalf of the benefit of their religious organization, rather than God.

>>> We still worship our worship services way more than we walk with God. Because we read scripture through our experiences, we assume God wants or demands we sing to him & listen to a sermon each week.  I get it - I grew up in it, but it misses the boat & pretends like sitting on the dock is the trip.

>>> It's okay not to know everything or not to have the right words to convince someone of "the truth". We're called to share the hope WE have in us, not all the "right" answers. God & the truth don't need me to be ginned up & in anguish that I've not shared them well.

>>> It is 100% true that God can & does use "churches", groups & individual believers to share the gospel & build up new believers. There's more to those things than God "using them" for those purposes.  Our lives reflect his goodness as we walk with him - lean into that a lot more & watch people grow!

>>> People are really comfortable with established religious groups & afraid that any critique of them means people will leave or not come to them. It's already happening & it often has little to do with any critique being offered & more to do with religious groups not realizing they're interested more in institutional survival & less about God being known - people sense that.

>>> A time is coming when there'll be a LOT of work in separating traditions, feel good history, & comfortable rhythms from God & the good news. It won't be fun for a lot of people. It'll coincide with a lot of political, economic, & other rhythm disruptions. It won't land where you think. You'll be okay.

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The good news of God is still the same - that all sin is forgiven and he offers us new life through His Spirit living within us, all through Jesus' actions on our behalf.  The story of God reconciling us to himself is NOT us "having a chance to earn our place with God". One is good news, the other a living hell.

The people of God ARE still where many of the blessings of God "come through" - and most of those blessings are of the quality that many people do not want. They are avenues that grow our relationship with God more - not necessarily things that improve the quality of our physical or social life.

The Spirit of God does its own thing - and that isn't a regularly scheduled appearance at religious gatherings to perform. The Spirit never leaves us. Ever. God is busy among us doing things to draw people to himself. Think about what draws people to God. It might include more than you imagine.

Culture will always do its own thing - and believers and religious groups will regularly get caught up in associating with philosophical ideas, ideologies, politics, etc and will have to take the time to undo the knots they tie themselves in. It's happened for 2000 years and will continue to happen. (Col. 2:2-8)

Knowing God results in a lifestyle or movement, not simply establishing a camp to defend - people are attracted to God and to Jesus when they hear from God or Jesus, not simply what people claim is from God or Jesus. We get those confused a lot. And God is amazingly patient with us through it all. 

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That's it.  That's the update.  

Soak in all that grace from God.  

He's sitting on a throne of mercy and grace and is dishing it out left and right for those who will receive it and not insist on earning it or making it all about themselves.

Enjoy the moments you are in.  That is where you'll see him most.

Peace and goodwill.