Chosen Lady

The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth. - 2 John 1 v 1

This verse made me stop in my tracks this morning and ask myself how do I speak about the Church.
Beyonce has a single lady but God has a chosen lady.
Here John seems to speak with such tenderness about the Church.
A chosen lady with children.
It reeks with tenderness, love, care and intimacy.
Often when we talk of church it can be as an inanimate third party not as a dignified mother caring for her precious children.

"The church is not a voluntary organization but the fellowship of those called together by Christ. For such a fellowship, family imagery is all the more appropriate, for it suggests the bonds of intimacy and love that bind the family together. Family imagery also underscores that it was not by the children's initiative that this family came into existence." - IVP Commentary

The Church is also called the Bride of Christ and here a God chosen dignified mother.

Let's remember not to trash her.

Prayer changes the world

Caught this video clip on Facebook yesterday. John Piper talks about the power of "Small Prayer groups that change the world."

"God's hand is not shortened by the size of the prayer gathering" - amazing stuff

Maybe it will give you a new perspective when you talk to God today. It did me!



(Click here if you cant see the video)

Forgiveness

Last night I watched a very disturbing documentary on the BBC - Abused: Breaking the Silence.

"It recounted the harrowing account of former pupils from two Catholic prep schools in England and Tanzania were reunited via the internet. Chatting in cyberspace, they discovered they had all suffered terrible abuse at school: mental, physical and, in some cases, sexual. As young children they were frightened into silence by their abusers.

Now, as men in their fifties and sixties, and strengthened by the group, they want the truth to come out. Twenty two men have started legal proceedings against the Rosminian Order for compensation. They want justice. But half a century has passed, and their abusers are now elderly. What will it take to repair the damage and for the victims to feel able to move on?" - BBC Website

One of the victims was asked if had or could forgive his abuser. Clearly it was a difficult question for him and after mulling it over he said.
"Well to forgive is to stop renting the abuser space in my mind."

Just an amazing statement!

The documentary is available on iPlayer for a few days.

He cares.....

I've been thinking about God's healing recently.
The Bible says that Jesus healed EVERYONE that came to Him.
I believe passionately that God still heals today.
But I am still left with many questions that I can not answer yet.
Most of them start with: WHY?

But what I do know is that HE CARES.

As John Piper puts it in this video:

"He cares about our ... tears .... cancer ...... leukemia ..... sore throat ...... depression .....
BUT he cares about our soul 10 million times more."