I have invented the world I see.

This is more on the theme of cause and effect. According to the Course, I am not the victim of the world I see because I invented it. (In other words, the power of life and death lies in the tounge, and the tongue simply gives utterance to what is in our hearts. So if we purify our hearts, if we allow God to come in and Create Clean Hearts and Renew Right Spirits within us, then the Power of God within us will create a new world -- we can literally transform the world by renewing our minds. At least, that's my spin on all this.) Yesterday I saw a lot of garbage, and it distrubed and discouraged me. The course says I can give it up as easily as I made it up, and that I will see it or not see it, as I wish. While I want it I will see it; when I no longer want it, it will not be there for me to see.

Here's what I know. I know I had a brief conversation with my Bishop last night before he went to Communion. We didn't have time to chat, but mentioned that letter from the COB. I told him I felt that the COB had not been supportive of him, and then I heard myself saying "Ten of y'all and no one could find any charges?" We ended up just pleading the Blood over the situation and over the fact that he was due to introduce the Communion preacher.

So I go to the Verizon How Sweet the Sound concert (it was at the Prudential Center in Newark, and I was doing a test run to see how the commute will be when they move the Liberty there next year. It's gonna be ok, I think). The choirs were off the chain; they kept getting better and better. Donald Lawrence and Kurt Carr both had me wondering about the connection between men of the cloth and sexuality, but there's nothing new there. I did notice that the small choir that won, Vy Higgensen's choir for teens, seemed to be more about performance than worship. For that reason, I didn't vote for them. But they won, anyway. And Marble Collegiate's Choir, where two people of CME descent sing, won the competition!!!!

But what took my heart was Marvin Sapp. First of all, that he would even be there to, given his wife's recent death from cancer. But when he sang "The best in me," I got convicted. No, I'm not trying to justify, rationalize or minimize anything that CME bishop (or anyone else who's committed improprieties) did. I'm saying this song reminded me of God's great mercy. I'm going to see if I can get the YouTube link here:



So I started feeling that, and thinking maybe that was the COB's rationale for not bringing charges or for dragging their feet or whatever. I don't know. It's sort of like today's principle was making itself plain to me. I realized that my indignation was just that -- MY indignation. I owned it, and I could lift it up, or I could chooose to lift up God's great mercy in my own life. I don't want to be like the person who posted a list of their transgressions against the discipline; IMHO, that was just silly. I know my sins are great (though I hope that today they are not as great as they were yesterday). Still, they are perhaps exceeded in greatness only by God's mercy towards me. And when I started focusing on God's great mercy towards me, the magnitude of this guy's transgressions started to lessen. That's not the right word -- they didn't lessen, but I began to realize that God's Grace is available to him just like it is to me. And as horrible as I may think he is, so are my sins when Jesus looks at them.

And then I checked in and heard that the guy wasn't preaching the Communion service, which reminded me that maybe I should Let Go and Let God handle things. Of course, I believe that our College of Bishops has some temporal authority and responsibility in this issue. See, if you're going to let go and let God and not get involved in things, then you have to make that extend to your finances as well. Instead of getting up and asking me for money several times a day, the COB should ask us to pray for God's wealth or something. If, on the other hand, they make a decision that human intervention is necessary to operate the temporal side of the church, then my expectation is that they, as chief overseers of this church, will exercise some human intervention. Not because what this guy has done is so wrong, but because this guy's behaviors have raised some issues that need to be addressed.

But since I have invented the world I see, I am inventing a world in which Godly people are governed by Godly principles. Yes, the church must be in the world and must bear the stains of the world, but the Church should be a standard-bearer. Our actions and behaviors should reflect the Christ within, and when we are out of line with those actions and behaviors, we should be able to call one another back in line. That's the kind of world I'm inventing. I have invented the world I see.

But the deal is this. As a Christian, I have a responsibility. As a Christian, or maybe just as a human, I get to say: You can't lead me. You're going the wrong way." but if I'm not the leader, what expectation could I have of knowing the way? In this Christian journey, Jesus leads each and every one of us. That's one of those questions of theology and doctrine that need to be addressed. Yes, there is a chain of command and a pecking order and all that, but at the end of the day, JESUS has to live and move within each of us. How can I know whether or not Jesus lives and moves in the heart of another? Didn't Jesus hang out with those who were sexually immoral? Of course He did, but He always told them to Go and Sin No More. I have invented the world I see. It's kinda wack, but I'm working on inventing a better world.