Jonathots Daily Blog
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Life is not about feverishly searching for the pearl of great price, but rather, developing a ravenous appetite for oysters–and every once in a while, in a blue ocean, getting a magnificent surprise.
As I sat in the hallway of my motel, getting ready to depart, I listened to the sounds of sweet humanity squirming from behind the doors of the rooms around me–a baby crying, televisions growling and grumbling, a young couple arguing, and even a very robust snorer.
This is reality. It is not an inconvenience to my wishes and dreams, but rather, the climate in which they are permitted to bloom.
This weekend I had two opportunities to be in front of that humanity and accept the portion of their hearts they afforded in my direction.
Saturday morning at the Moscow United Methodist Church, I shared readings from my new book, PoHymn, in front of a sparkling handful of locals who overcame the apprehension of how boring it might be to just sit and listen.
It was amazing. At that event I discovered that the pastor of my Sunday morning church in Tunkhannock was a former clergyman at this Moscow church. The Moscow folks had such wonderful things to say about him.
Then I was off to see the gang in “Tunk” for two services on Sunday morning. I will be candid with you–the different audiences across America have unique meters of reaction, but the temperature of their appreciation remains pretty much the same. In other words, some people clap their hands and others stare with interest.
Yet people are tired of being told that where they are, who they are and what they’re doing is ineffective and that they must become something else or they will suffer with incompleteness.
The beautiful thing about Jesus was that he met people in the street and started working with them at their own street level. He didn’t wait until they worked up the courage to come to synagogue or to a seminar he held in the hillsides of Galilee. He met them where they were and made it work.
It reminds me of one of the ladies who came to my table yesterday. She told me that the church just loved Pastor Jon. I explained to her that I had just appeared at his former church. She said she loved him because she heard that a local church in their town was holding some sort of bake sale, and even though it was not his congregation, he was over there with them, standing on the street corner, calling to people, inviting them to come and buy some sweets.
She was moved.
Now understand–she didn’t mention his sermons. She didn’t tell me about how well he uses his vestments or conducts the liturgy. She loved Pastor Jon because he was trying to find ways to agree.
If only we could become convinced about how much we actually agree instead of meticulously digging through the dead body of our theology to discover bones of contention.
Finding reasons to agree. You see, that’s the good news.
And the better news is that when you actually pursue this lifestyle, the human race finds you much more agreeable.
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Jonathan’s Latest Book Release!
PoHymn: A Rustling in the Stagnant
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