Christian suppression

It's come to my attention lately that living my life transparently, working through the anguish in my soul, is unacceptable Christianity.

Apparently there is no room or allowance for Followers to be angry, doubtful, incensed, curious, uncertain, etc. in the Body.

Even if you sense, as I do, that going through these emotions drives you deep into the claims of the Way.

So, be it known that if you are (or ever come to a point) where a battle like none other takes place in your heart and your soul, you've got a few options:

• you can be fake. Put on a mask. Put on your "I'm fine, how are you" tone with a broad smile. Put on a show and experience the lifelessness of superficiality while your soul gets emptier and emptier (yet everyone thinks you're a great brother or sister in the Lord).

• should you decide to be truthful about your heart, you will be required to restrict it to religiously acceptable expressions of emotion and word. As long as you express your situation in tones and verbiage that are deemed "acceptable" by churchgoers, you will be entitled to listen to well-intended Christianese.

(This will discourage you, but it will cause others in the fellowship to beam, for the Lord gave them an opportunity to "encourage you in the Lord". Oh, and if you don't "get" what they're saying, it's something in you.)

• should you decide to live absolutely transparently, you will be in very small company. You are welcomed at the Cross 24/7, to express your heart with whatever it is feeling, regardless of how strong, raw or ugly it is.

Prepare to witness a miracle, for in that very moment where you are unloading the most rotten, hurtful emotions that can be felt or experienced by a human being, at the same time you are doing that God will sooth, salve and strengthen your spirit with a compassion that cannot be described in earthly words.

There will also be a very small group of others who dip their ladle into the same salve God does. You will be surprised both who is and who isn't in this group. You'll be surprised both ways, pleasantly and disappointedly.

As you see this take place, remember Jesus' words about where to not cast your pearls.

tradition for healing

Jesus heals. Let it sink, folks.

A couple of days ago I was on a long road trip when the Lord decided to do a little somethin'. Actually, it took He and I together to do it.

I was stopped in a very small town, at a store I like to go into on a long road trip I frequently make. Right by where I'd parked was a fallen section of fence, probably about 10 boards of wood sectioned together. There was also one board that was separated from the section laying on the ground a few feet away.

I went into the store and got a few things, headed back to the car. No big deal.

As I got to within 15 feet of the car I noted the section on the ground. It was probably about six feet from my car.

I saw the big section of fence, but had forgotten about the lone board piece off to the side. Yeah, big mistake. Huge.

As I walked toward my car, looking at the section of fence, I discovered I hadn't made a mental note of that lone piece of wood as I felt a nail entering the bottom of my left foot like a syringe.

I felt the pain of the impaling nail quite strongly. Felt it entering and going up into my foot.

My first thought was "I remembered that board beforehand, but why didn't I see it when coming back to the car?"

Then I did the obvious thing. Looked on the board and see what I had stepped on.

Sure enough, the nail was as rusty as you can get. Jutted out from the board about three-quarters of an inch to an inch.

My first thought was "Crap. Definitely rusty."

For the next couple of seconds my mind swirled. "over 700 miles from home. Rusty nail. Tetanus shot. What to do next. No hospital nearby. Should I go to one? I should. This is an unexpected thing, but I have time to do that. I should do that."

These thoughts were then smashed by an overriding thought.

Paul and the viper that bit him.

This thought roared from within my spirit into my mind.

Now, at that point a mental battle could have ensued, but it did not.

I could have sat there and played some form of mental justification game, but I did not. As soon as I thought of Paul and the viper, I latched onto it like a bulldog's jaw and did not let go.

"Lord, I said, I am looking to You in this. I have no other choice. It's as if I'm out in the middle of nowhere. I have no options, except You. You are my only option."

I continued this prayer/pondering as I drove shortly to a gas station nearby. My foot was stinging, and whatever else feet do when a dirty 3/4 inch nail goes up in your foot.

I went into the station, and the entire time I was talking to the Lord about it.

As I exited the gas station another something came to mind.

It was a line from an old hymn. A hymn I haven't even thought of in I can't even remember how long. Years. Many years.

When the words came to mind, I half-sung/half-spoke the words out loud. "Standing on the promises of Christ my King."

I was going to sing/say the rest of that chorus, but something happened.

As soon as I said those words, something happened in my foot.

Suddenly, drastically--boom--my foot felt noticeably different. Undeniably and certainly different.

So strong was the difference I instantly knew nothing else would be necessary with regard to my foot.

And herein lies one of the reasons the Lord does so little in America. We have too many options. So many man-made inventions. Man-made progress.

Let's be real honest here, we generally only go to God when it's serious stuff, life-threatening. I'm not knocking manmade things in all circumstances, I'm saying God is an afterthought for us an awful lot unless it's horrific.

And let's be dead honest, how often do we cling to the Lord for the non-crises in our lives? Really, how often?

This ties into one of my ongoing frustrations, which is very obvious throughout this blog. It frustrates me how much we underlive the jaw-dropping, inexplicable power through Jesus and the Holy Ghost. That's its own post for another time.

Anyway, to close with this. I could not help but laugh at the Lord for using the words to an old hymnal as part of this miracle. He knows how strong my aversion is toward "traditional" churching.

And He puts a traditional hymn in my spirit, and when I vocalized the words to it He moves.

Here I am now, five days after the incident. Never any swelling. Never any irritation. No infection. Just a faint pink flesh color where the nail entered in.

He heals, folks.

Christian Hemorrhoids

Just to let you know, everyone, your name being written in the Book of Life is directly correlated to your willingness to pass along annoying emails from other Followers.

Here's an email I received just a few minutes ago:

"When Jesus died on the cross he was thinking of you!

If you are one of the 7% who will stand up for him
forward this w/ the title 7%

Would you believe 93% of people won't forward this."


Okay, so if I'm a Follower (which I am), and I receive an email saying "when Jesus died on the cross he was thinking of you", what is that? Are you expecting or hoping I break out into some type of Christian jig-a-boo, or that the Holy Ghost will be knocking me prostrate from this "revelation"?

If I receive the email and I'm NOT a Follower, what is this? "Jesus was thinking of me." What the hell does that mean?

I get it. You're "witnessing" to unbelievers and you're "being an encouragement" to Followers.

That's what you think.

Have you just earned warm fuzzies and brownie points with the Almighty?

I think you're a sucker for platitudes, and you are a pain in my ass.

Oh, yeah. As a Follower, I believe that 100% of people should not forward that email.

Crikey.

church marquees, stoop down

Amidst the recent church marquees (signs) I have seen, the most recent three of which have made me want to puke, I have wondered:

when is a church going to put up a marquee that says "doubters, haters and scorners welcome"?

This would do more than this current thread of PR-Jesus unrelatable bunk that most (all?) churches put on their marquees now.

••••••

I've been offered to ignore or smooth over the current anguish in my heart and join a group who has largely proven themself to be pock full of platitudes and unrelatablility. These are well-meaning people who love the Lord, yet I cringe at each Christianese cliche said, and my heart right now is not geared toward masking itself or 'playing small group'.

I've had two solid brothers pose opposing insights on this situation. One says "live what's in your heart. You are in a season of dying and rebirth. Don't concern over not being a fruit bearer right now. God has you in a different season right now."

The other says that my willingness to love, teach and serve amidst intolerable trial is fruit. I see this too.

So, I go to the Cross to unload the anger stoked from this crud, and to the Throne to get a pulse on this.

Malchus' ear, acts of God, more from the Garden

Some of the latest things I've pondered...

Among the arresters of Jesus was Malchus, a servant of the high priest. When the arresters went to seize Jesus, Peter drew a sword and cut off Malchus' right ear. (John 18)

I wonder what went through Malchus' mind in the following moment, when Jesus touched his ear and healed it. (Luke 22)

What did Jesus' eyes say to Malchus when He healed him?

What must have gone through Malchus' mind. What must have transpired nonverbally as his eyes met Jesus.

What about Malchus' heart? Was it so calloused he remained allied to the brood of vipers and continued with the throng?

Or did Jesus' touch more than heal his ear? Did the Word divide his soul and spirit in that moment?

The canned-text, popular, intellectual Christian answer would be "oh yes, this must definitely have touched him to conversion".

I'm not so sure. Jesus says about some among us that though the dead be raised before our eyes we will still not believe.

Besides, being raised from the dead is a much bigger miracle than healing a severed ear, isn't it?

I wonder what Malchus saw. I wonder what he felt. I wonder what he thought.

I wonder what he did.

••••••••


hurricanes, tornados, technology and America

In speaking with a friend recently, he said the following:

"Consider where we find ourselves in the history of humanity. We are at the height of knowledge. Knowledge has become the doorway to 'truth'. Our beloved 'scientists' and 'experts' are uncovering more and more of the 'mysteries' of our life as humans. We have an addiction to explanation, both in secular and in sacred areas of life.

HOW has taken the place of WHY.

And so we blindly walk toward the perfect state of absurdity--for what could be more absurd than to have complete knowledge of 'how', but no grasp of 'why'? Think on that.

We allow for fewer and fewer mysteries. Which also means, less wonder and imagination is required to get by.

In a word, less faith. The Spirit and our spirit are lost in the fray. Working, but forgotten.

The institutional church is no less guilty of feeding this addiction to explanation. Books, lessons, sermons, sunday school, radio preachers, devotional books, language books. How-to's, tips, ideas, conversation starters, small group material, blah, blah, blah.

Ok, I'm perilously close to committing the crime I am accusing both science and the institutional church of doing. But this is where I stop, and suggest: the less we know, the more we believe.

Here's another way to say it: the less we look at, the more we see.

I choose not to know. I choose not to choose. I choose the un-known. I run from understanding. I embrace mystery."

In thinking about his comments the other day, my mind drifted over to the recent tornados and last year's hurricanes in the U.S.

A mesh of these acts of God and his comments blended together. There has been a lot of postulating about God's judgment and satin's attacks about these things last year and this year, and I like most folks have pondered them.

Yet a new thought came to me in light of my friend's comment. Regardless of it being judgment or attack, I thought of another angle.

Maybe one of many messages might be: "I AM above your technology. You can develop and engineer til the cows come home. Above all the human wisdom, knowledge, progress, comforts, conveniences and inventions you have, I AM. I desire you. I've tried to love you into this. I've given soft reminders, patient reminders. I try to draw you unto Me, but you're too busy and knowledgeable. I don't prefer these eye-openers, but how much choice are you leaving Me? Your ears only open and the scales from your eyes only fall when it's really strong."

There is no shortage of intellectual head knowledge of Jesus in this country. Yet how much do we crowd Him out with our own attainment and wisdom?

Why ask Jesus to heal a headache when we have aspirin? Why ask for healing of serious ailments when we have surgery?

God welcomes fools and the simple who believe (the Greek word for "believe" translates "trust in, cling to and rely on").

Are we trusting in, clinging to and relying on Jesus?

This is not asking what we philosophically think.

We are known by our fruit. What's the fruit in our living? He really does crave to be more than we let Him, yet He's a gentleman and does not enter where He's not invited.

Jesus didn't say "unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven" just to hear Himself talk.

And yet how often do we yawn at this, and scurry off to revel in our human solutions? (human ideas, human logic, human feeding of our soul, etc.)

I'll be a fool and an idiot, Lord.

•••••••••••

I can't help but thinking about Jesus' arrest in the Garden again (residual from yesterday's post, "before Jesus was silent").

Here's one of the things I've overlooked for years, and it's either awesome or hilarious, or both.

Okay, yesterday's post talked about the awesomeness of Jesus saying "I am He" and His arresters being blown back and falling to the ground. What a pure miracle to ponder--God speaks and man cannot stand. (And that's not really scratching the surface.)

I'm a detail nut by design, so here's where my mind goes:

Can't you just see Jesus and his handful of disciples in the Garden. He's just scathed them for falling asleep on Him several times, when He knew His hour was at hand and had asked them to pray.

I can see the mood being kind of dead-air or even a little tight because of that, not neutral or stoic, when all of a sudden this large group of hateful people shows up.

Jesus knows it is time, and does not cower. He steps out and says "Who are you looking for?"

(okay, pause for a second. Imagine the tenor of this angry crowd. These people have hated Jesus. They've mocked Him, done all they can to trick Him with religious questions, tried to trip Him up, tried to get Him to commit double speak. He'd called them a brood of vipers and whitewashed tombs. He'd called them pretenders, fakes and actors. He shamed them with questions they could not answer. They hated Jesus' guts in their blind religious fervor. Okay, back to the Garden.)

Can't you imagine then, when He asked them who they sought, that there was defiance and pride and perhaps even some growling when they said "Jesus the Nazarene".

They may have even shouted it, with spit or froth coming from their mouths. They hated Jesus, they'd despised Him for some time, and they knew it was now their time to get Him and unleash their pent up hatred.

So after they have said Who they are seeking, Jesus says "I am He" and the power of His words knocks them (literally "lurches" in the original Greek) backward to the ground.

Then Jesus asks a second time, "Who are you looking for?"

I wonder how long the pause between their falling down and Jesus asking again. I don't perceive it was right away. It seems in addition to the shock, wouldn't Jesus give it some time to sink in and for them to realize what had happened. Ten seconds? Thirty? A minute? Five minutes?

The account in John doesn't indicate anything was said between the fall-down and Jesus asking them a second time. So it was silence however long it was. And it seems good the arresters would be given a moment to absorb what happened.

Because of what happened the first time, I can see them wincing and gritting their teeth, with only one eye open and their heads cocked, bracing for what might come next when they say "Jesus the Nazarene" again.

If instead of growling or defiantly shouting His name, as they may have the first time, I wonder if they squeaked "Jesus the Nazarene" like a little field mouse or Caspar Milquetoast wimpette the second time they said His name.

They probably did not want to say it again, for fear of what might happen worse. They had already been knocked to the ground. What might happen next? No telling.

But they muster the courage and they say a second time, probably much less haughtily and thinking 'don't know if we should say this but gonna bite the bullet': "Jesus the Nazarene".

So what happens? Jesus says "I told you that I am He."

I wonder if Jesus said this tongue-in-cheek. You know, with some disbelief-amazement in His tone, as in "what's the problem? I already said 'I am He' and you fell down. What did you do fall down for?" (snicker snicker)

I wonder if Jesus turned and winked at His disciples either before or after saying "I told you I am He".

I wonder if Jesus toyed wtih the mob in this way, demonstrating both His authority and His humility.

The knock-down said "I AM Who I've said all along I AM, and I've just given you one last sign that I AM".

And then, in humility, following that last moment of showing the power of God, Jesus relents. His hands prophetically come down. He pauses (temporarily) showing the Kingdom, and He now becomes the silent Lamb of sacrifice. it is now time for Him to become our sin. Mine. Yours. All of ours.

You know, it may well have not happened like this. Maybe Jesus and the mob said what they said monotonously and on key, in simple fulfillment of Scripture. Or maybe it was as solemn as we grow up being taught, and even how we may read it today.

Maybe Jesus didn't have a twink in His eye toward the disciples when the crowd fell back to the ground.

Maybe He didn't shoot His disciples a glance and flash them a quick eyebrow raise along with a smirky grin on His face to silently say "how'd you like THAT, boys?" before He turned back and gave himself willingly to the crowd.

I don't know.

The religious would gape their mouths at me for suggesting this.

And yet the Jesus I know...it wouldn't surprise me at all. ;-)

before Jesus was silent

There's a hidden jewel in the arrest of Jesus I deeply savor.

It's one of many glimpses of Jesus often bypassed. It's easy to miss, yet every time I read it my spirit literally leaps and comes ablaze.

As I read the story again and again my spirit roars. It reveals a facet of Jesus that isn't preached or taught much.

That's unfortunate, but the good news is: where I am in my pursuit of Jesus right now, this moment in Jesus' life speaks volumes to me.

I also love the wild, creative thinking of the whirlwind which took place in just a brief moment--the tension, the assumptions, the expressions, the power, the humility, the surprise, the fear, the reactions.

Every time I read this passage my spirit soars...and I see Jesus sneaking us a peek at the last William Wallace card He played before He became a lamb to the slaughter.

"Then Jesus, knowing all that was about to befall Him, went out to them and said, Whom are you seeking? [Whom do you want?] They answered Him, Jesus the Nazarene. Jesus said to them, I am He. Judas, who was betraying Him, was also standing with them. When Jesus said to them, I am He, they went backwards (drew back, lurched backward) and fell to the ground. Then again He asked them, Whom are you seeking? And they said, Jesus the Nazarene. Jesus answered, I told you that I am He. So, if you want Me [if it is only I for Whom you are looking], let these men go their way." (John 18, Amplified Bible)

I can literally think about this for hours on end...the mystery and the power in it.

There is so much paradox in Jesus. The Master who is a servant. The King who is a pauper. The Creator with no place to lay His head. When He speaks the blind see and those who claim to see are blind.

Because of all this paradox it makes me wonder: were the words Jesus spoke, which knocked His arresters down, a whisper?

All the incredible paradox ways in which Jesus moves, it would not surprise. And how awesome would it be if that were the case? A mere whisper blasting the defiers of God to the ground.

Or…did Jesus simply saying the words normally become hurricane strong as He identified Himself?

Or…in that moment was Jesus the Lion of the Tribe of Judah? Did the words roar and resound forward in the might of the Lion that Jesus is?

I love pondering this.

There is so much teaching on Jesus as the Lamb of God. So little teaching on Jesus as the Lion of Judah (Revelation 5).

So much teaching on Jesus saying "turn the other cheek". So little teaching on Jesus saying "I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions" (Luke 10).

So much teaching on Jesus who calms storms. So little teaching on Jesus saying “the axe is already at the root” (Luke 3).

So much teaching on Jesus who calms fears. So little teaching on Jesus who says "I came not to bring peace, but division" (Luke 12).

So much teaching on the Sermon on the Mount. So little teaching on Jesus saying “I will come to you and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth” (Revelation 2).

So much teaching on Jesus saying “My Peace I give you, not as the world gives” (John 14). So little teaching on Jesus saying "I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!” (Luke 12)

And this is what makes Jesus’ words and the arresters’ fall so awesome...and simultaneously so mysterious.

And it is being in a fierce, bloody battle, as like none I could ever fathom, which leads me cling to mighty, powerful, sword-wielding, snake-trampling, root-cutting, arrester-knocking Jesus.

So much teaching on Jesus as wonderful. So little teaching on Jesus as terrible.

Come, Terrible Jesus.

If You are willing, Lord, you can whisper into my life.

tetalesti

Paid In Full

a new message

I've been restless the past few days.

As I've pondered the nature of this restlessness, there have been a couple of roots to it that I've seen. If there are more, they'll come to bear.

One of the roots in my heart is a bucking toward the traditional celebration of Easter. It's the same sense I had this past Christmas season. People seem to get friendlier, more sincere around this season. And that bothers me.

I also am unsettled by the intellectual-based verbal accounts of Jesus which I see cropping up. It's as if people think if they simply verbalize the story of Jesus that that will compel people to Him.

To my spirit, these accounts are as effective (powerless) as the Christianese cliches and platitudes I see well-meaning Followers sloughing out of their mouths about dealing with life.

I am disappointed in the local body to which I have been going. I see the desire for God intertwined with an inability to separate from religious and denominational rhetoric, and wonder why this is done. Specifically, the church website announced a "Maundy Thursday" gathering. I've heard that term since a child, having grown up in a heavily denominational environment.

When I went to the website to see more, it stated there would be communion and foot washing. Why not just say that, instead of guising it behind some "Maundy" religious blah blah?

Maybe there's some neat story behind Maundy. I have no idea, and if it's a warm, bubbly feel-good Christian story behind it, great. I am really missing out.

I grew up with religion and denominationalism exalted above Jesus and above Truth, so maybe this strong aversion and opposition is that frustration and disdain resurfacing in my heart because of what I see in Christiandom.

As I think about the frustration, it stems from seeing religion in places I wouldn't expect to see it. Religion in the denominations which have always had it is one thing, but to see it in places and people where it's not expected, that frustrates.

I don't care about contemporary Christian phraseology, the Christian "latest", or 21st century acronyms, etc. that puts the Way into jargon, coin phrases or anything else.

There's another stint to my restlessness. I am weighing heavily to buck traditional "church service" this weekend, and see if some good friends of mine just want to get together to break bread and talk Jesus.

They've had some life circumstances, not insurmountable, which have led to their not "going to church" as of late. I just might check with them if they want to do church the original old-fashioned way, in the home. That might be a Christian "tradition" I could actually embrace.

So, amidst all this frustration I ponder what God wants to do. With me, with the Body, fellowship.

I don't sense these emptinesses and observations are just for me to be bum about the Body. I know God's heart aches and breaks over some (many?) of the things being done in His name today. (Heck, if He were me He'd be puking.)

So where I am is: I see this hollow Christianity all around me, and I'm disturbed and restless about it. This unsettled feeling in my gut is not just happenstance. I ponder: Where and what is Your lead because of this? To or toward...what? where?

pursuit of desires, tainted or true

Read something interesting this morning:

"The Scriptures say that the Lord wants to give us the desires of our hearts, but we so often find ourselves desiring false-wants. Instead of wanting the true desires, we find ourselves 'settling' for something less or something counterfeit."

That gives rise to the thought, how often are the desires we ask of God nothing more than a reflection of what society is telling us to pursue?

Are we truly in touch with the desires of our reborn spirit in Jesus in what we want, seek and ask? Or is our laundry list of what we wish God to do for us, for others, and in our lives a 'false echo' of requests that are not anywhere on God's radar?

Do we ask Him to check what it is we want, or do we just blindly babble requests at the Throne and walk away, having never taken the time to see if our desires are in line with Him and in line with our walking in step with the Spirit? (Galatians 5)

"walking in step with the Spirit". Signifies a synchronization of our steps with the Holy Spirit's steps. Our desires in sync with God's desires. To what extent are we on the same page with God?

The range of our desires can be so vast. Someone of age or with an infirmity or going through a valley may simply desire for the Lord to help them through to another day. Others, overblessed, may continually have their lists full and ever refreshed before the Lord of what they want.

Others may fall in between these polars somewhere.

Others, and I find myself often in this category in life right now, should express more desires to God but don't. My being like this is an utter disdain for and aversion from being Mr. Name-It-Claim-It.

God showed me several months ago how dysfunctional this is, where I don't look Him in the eye as His child to share with Him what I desire. And yet I find myself falling back into this dysfunctionality on a regular basis.

Others are like this out of false humility. Others because they hold a view of God as the unapproachable God of the Old Testament (where you weren't allowed so much as to speak His name, only His initials), instead of knowing Him as a true father.

I remember meeting someone once who it appeared had a strong belief in (or at least awe of) God. It seemed very genuine. Yet as we continued to converse, he had this interesting stance (I'd never encountered) of God being so awesome and so powerful that he was hesitant to approach Him. It was as though he revered God from a respectful distance, instead of embracing Him.

God as our Father. He longs to be. He yearns to be, yet He does not automate us to this end. Just as John said to check the spirits, we should likewise check our desires.

sincerity with God

It has been extremely refreshing of late to talk with other Followers who embrace vulnerability, transparency and honesty in their pursuit of the Way.

These conversations have been spring water, compared to the well water that is so prevalent when speaking with many Followers today.

This is not because churches or those of the well-water variety are bad. These folks mean well. They do hunger for God, most of them. And they're nice.

Truth be told, though, I can find nice people anywhere. Out of church, in church. Doesn't matter. Nice does not directly correlate to the transparency or honesty of one's heart. I can meet a whole room of nice people and not one of them willing or interested (able?) to talk about what is really going on with the heart.

Why not?

As one of my friends said recently, sincerity exposes. Sincerity brings all the ugliness out from under the covers and puts it on the table. This ugliness, this struggle of the soul, grates against the facade of "all togetherness" which society and largely Christiandom wants us to live, or more realistically said, wants us to pretend to live.

God is okay with our warts. He knows they're there, and He wants to work through the gunk of our struggles and ultimately remove them.

Yet what lengths do we go to to hide, ignore and rationalize the warts and pimples in our lives? Amazing how we run from God in life, then come to Him in a moment of honesty for salvation, then go back to hiding and covering up the things He wants to change in us.

He wants to bring fullness and maturity to our rebirth, and we instead play hide-and-seek with things we should be taking to the Cross.

It's not difficult to veil the things we struggle with from others. And yet we do this, then go to God and expect to be intimate and close with Him. Or, as some describe this, prayers don't seem to be going past the ceiling.

As one of my transparent friends said recently, if I go to God for counsel He says "first things first, it's difficult to counsel you through that mask".

How much more, when I want to hang out with God, or be intimate with Him, He says "I really don't enjoy loving you through that mask. I do love you, but our relationship, our intercourse, is not designed to be done with a mask on."

The Lord knows when we lay down and when we get up, He knows when we go out and when we come in (Psalm 139). He knows and weighs our heart. Why do so many of us then engage in pretention, denial and cover up?

God offers a much better Way than playing this game of religious Clearasil.

vulnerability

with only minute modification, here is a quote sent to me a few days ago. It says in two brief paragraphs what I would take 20 paragraphs to say. I've come across several things about vulnerability and transparency which I hope to post soon. This quote below perfectly describes one of the major plagues in American society, which sadly has also infiltrated the Body and frustrated me for months.

"Our media are saturated with images of individuals wearing the mask of 'all togetherness'. I rub shoulders daily with people quick to reassure me of the unreality 'I'm fine, thanks'. I find myself trapped in a superficial community, stuffed in my self-imposed cocoon, hesitant to share my brokenness and weakness. I can't face the possibility of rejection and loss, not making the cut, not fitting in. To break out of this prison, we are invited into the honesty of becoming vulnerable. Vulnerability dismantles our obsession with getting it right.

As I take off the mask of 'all togetherness', I discover a vast world of freedom. In my vulnerability, I become accessible to fellow companions on the journey. My vulnerability invites others in, offers understanding and empathy, but also can be a cry for help. Even though vulnerability's path is often painful, its reward of deepening intimacy is welcome. Being vulnerable opens my heart. I become free to explore beyond the exhausting self-focus of supporting my false image of 'OKness'. I find myself challenged to deeper transparency as I sing along with Leonard Cohen 'Ring the bells that still can ring, forget your perfect offering, there is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in'."