1920 SHEEP FROM ANOTHER FOLD
One of the challenges on this
journey is I have friends/family who have hearing problems.
My dear mom has a hard time
hearing- and it’s natural to talk loud.
You think because it’s difficult for
you to hear- that to talk loud will somehow help the hearer as well.
I have a homeless friend who has
been legally deaf his whole life.
He has learned how to talk low-
on purpose.
I was telling my friend Patrick
that this homeless friend also likes to dominate the conversation- he will talk-
nonstop- literally for hours.
To be honest- I don’t mind- or
lets say I realize that it helps him- so for 20 years I have had lots of talks
[or should I say ‘hearings’] with him.
Okay- so as I’m sitting at my mom’s
house yesterday- everyone is out- and I figure ‘wow- some quiet time- let’s
make the most of it’.
Well- let’s at least try.
My phone rings- it’s a Texas
number ‘what the heck- might as well get it’.
I usually never answer my phone
unless it’s a number I recognize.
I get it- it’s my deaf homeless friend
on the line- yelling ‘hey John- I can barely hear you’.
I know.
So- this is my buddy stuck in the
forest in Texas- his girlfriend left him there [remember the last 5 posts?]
Anyway- he does not know I’m in
Jersey- none of my homeless buddies know- I had no plans to have left the day I
left- so no one knows.
So- as Dirk’s on the phone-
telling me ‘I can’t hear you- you’re breaking up’.
I keep saying- well- yelling ‘I’M
IN NYC [that’s really the spot- N.J. - right on the Hudson] I CAN’T TALK RIGHTT
NOW’.
He keeps telling me he can’t hear
me- but says ‘well- I can’t hear- but I guess I’ll just talk anyway’.
No- no- don’t guess that- not
today!
I finally got thru and told him
I’ll talk whenever I get back to Texas.
Okay- the journey has been
interesting so far.
Whenever I drive cross country
[or south to north] I enjoy reading the different ‘church’ names along the way.
You can see the development of Christianity
across the country- by reading the signs.
As somewhat of a church
historian- when I see the signs- I remember the times I read about the various movements.
Some church signs show the debate
over the Trinity ‘Pentecostal oneness church’- they emphasize the divinity of
Jesus a lot.
‘Pentecostal Trinity church’-
they are saying ‘we are not the other guys’.
Of course you see the standard Baptist
churches- the Methodist regions as well.
Over the years all of these
groups have come to emphasize various teachings of Christianity.
As I headed further north- of course
I come to my ‘homeland’- and I see the great catholic churches- the ones I remember
from my youth [sort of like crossing the Tiber in a way- for you non intellectuals- google it].
It’s a sort of spiritual lesson-
this past week- as well as the coming months- the Catholic church is going to
focus on Vatican 2- the last church council.
This council [a meeting of all
the catholic leaders/bishops] emphasized Ecumenism- for the first time the
church recognized the various Christian churches- you know- all the ‘signs’ I
saw on the road- as ‘separated Christian brothers’.
It was a big step for the church-
a step of unity- based on the desire of Christ we read about in the gospel of
John- chapter 17 ‘that we all would be one’.
In my talks these past few days-
and my bible reading in the gospel of John- a theme kept popping up.
The Lord has been telling me to
‘shepherd all the people I bring to you- all those who are on a spiritual
journey’.
In John’s gospel the message- at least
to me- is to do my best to present the pre-imminence of Christ- that he is the source
of salvation- and to recognize that there are also ‘sheep- not of this fold
that he will bring’.
Now- in context Jesus was
speaking about the Gentiles- the ‘non- Jews’ who would convert.
In the ‘broader’ context- I am
taking it as being open to the other Monotheistic faiths.
So- I have good talks with
Muslims [and have even shared some good things about Islam- yes- there are good
things- with fellow Christians].
My mom told me ‘John- do you know
who died’.
No- who?
Sandy.
Huh?
Sandy is a nice Jewish lady who
lived right up the block from me when I was a kid.
I was friends with her son.
She became a Facebook friend a
few years back.
I am always grateful when I make Jewish/Muslim
friends on the site.
When I first friended Sandy- we
talked some.
Then I noticed one time- we
didn’t talk much [you know- when you write a lot- people are going to get
offended at one time or another].
So- when I did not see her
comments- I figured she got upset about some post.
But then one day- about a month
ago- I saw some action form her page- I forget what it was- but I saw that she
came back to read the posts.
Then- well- she passed on.
When my mom told me that she died-
I said ‘are you sure’.
I went to Sandy’s page- and there
was no indication that she died.
So I left a little note to tell
my friend good bye.
Yes- I’m grateful for ‘the other’
sheep if you will.
The other friends of mine who are
on a spiritual journey.
I’m grateful for all the ‘separated
brothers’ those various Christian churches who are now seen as brothers in
Christ.
Make no mistake- as a Christian I
believe that Jesus is the Son of God- who died- was buried- and rose again ‘according
to the scriptures’.
I believe he will come again to
judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the resurrection of
the dead- the forgiveness of sins- and life everlasting.
I also believe that in this life God
will bring to us others who are on a journey as well- and maybe for a time these
people might be on a different path- maybe they do not see everything like I
do.
But when these contacts are made-
do your best to try and see them as ‘others who are not from this group’ but
others whom God has brought your way- at least for a season.
NOTE- One sign I liked was on the
side of this huge gun store ‘GUNS- GUNS- GUNS- JESUS IS LORD’.
Note- Do me a favor, those who
read/like the posts- re-post them on other sites as well as the site you read
them on. Thanks- John. Don’t forget to scroll down on the timeline [Facebook] -
I have posted lots.
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