the encounter

I’m in the midst of reading “If God Disappears” by David Sanford. It’s an interesting read thus far. It hasn’t made it to the top of any of my reading lists yet, but several points he’s made have stood out so far.

As we talk about relationships and our relationship toolboxes, I thought these thoughts lined right up with several aspects Brian’s touched on over the last several weeks.

Over the years, I’ve discovered that whenever someone becomes enraged at me, odds are we’re only two steps away from becoming good friends.
Why?
First, because that person is emotionally engaged in our relationship. That’s passion!
Second, because if true Christianity is about anything, it’s about reconciliation. Once a matter is settled, the other person and I are bonded. Sometimes for a while. Sometimes for life.
The same principles apply to a relationship with God. He isn’t defensive or threatened when we feel angry at him. After all, we’re passionate. And he’s equally passionate about being reconciled to us, whether or not we want anything to do with him right now.
God is waiting for us to express our innermost feelings toward him and then ask ourselves, Is that true, or is that how I feel?
Sometimes we’re not angry with God, it turns out. Instead we’re angry at a caricature of God we’ve painted like graffiti on the walls of our psyche.

I can think of a couple times this has played out in my own life. Most of them came from my time working at a newspaper. Many people would write in and be angered about something I or another writer might have written. If handled correctly, we could often get to the bottom of the issue and with understanding and patience, a great friendship and bond grew out of it.

Other times, if one side or the other is firmly set in their way and there’s no chance to agree-to-disagree or build understanding, the relationship may be doomed from the get go.

I hope that I do all I can to avoid being to set in my ways to offer understanding and love to anyone and everyone – regardless of what we may disagree upon.

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When I think through the areas of my life that demand the greatest amount of time, bring the greatest amount of reward, and reach deeper into my heart than any other, I come up with the answer of relationships.

Of all issues that people look for to for proving the reality of faith, the answer is the same. What is the one area that proves a person’s faith is true? What is the one area that when out of sync in your life brings you to the greatest place of even uncertainty about your faith? Relationships.

People can deal with struggles in their finances, habits, thoughts, temptations, work, purpose in life, as long as they have a few significant relationships in their life. Put those relationships in conflict or tension and any one of the other becomes far too much for any person to carry.

The latest series at encounter, “relationship toolbox” has brought that point home over and over again. People are hungry not just for relationships, but for good relationships. Relationships that are filled with acceptance, honesty, companionship, grace, soul-sharing, and encouragement.

A generation is emerging that has not experienced relationships on that level. They have known divorce, performance-driven parenting, conditional friendships, selfishness, and pain. They enjoy hearing about a God who offers more than this through His Son. But what they enjoy most is when that type of relationship is lived out in front of them.

What an opportunity in this generation:

• to do more than just preach what we believe,but to live it out in interaction with others.
• to be more than hearers, but doers of Christ’s commands.
• to do more than sing about how amazing grace is, but to show it to the people in our lives.
• to be the church in the reality ofrelationships and not just on Sundays.
• todo more than live out our faithin our buildings, but in our living rooms.

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I’ve been inspired and amazed as I get to know a truck driver Frank Schutzwohl (aka Trucker Frank) more and more over the last few months. I originally heard his story in a series of videos by Tony Jones and then after finding Frank on Facebook, I had the opportunity to chat with him for nearly 2 1/2 hours via skype several weeks back. Our relationship has continued to grow as we chat back and forth via Facebook while Frank trucks up and down the roads.

We’re watching and discussing his videos with Tony Jones in our new community group, but thought this video bio was worth sharing with everyone here.

Join in the discussion.

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The time was 1981. I was fresh out of high school and just coming to faith in Christ. There was something fresh happening in my heart and my life was being changed. Someone introduced me to a Christian rockgroup called Petra. They were singing the song of my life at the time. It seemed every word resonated with where I was.

My friends and I were so caught up in their music that would drive to whatever city they were in to see them in concert, collect everything we could with their name on it, and even put together our own “air band” concerts where we would become the band and pretend to sing out their music.

Petra had so many great songs. Hearing their music today still overwhelms me with a rush of memories from those days. One of my favorite songs from their Never Say Die album was, “Without Him we Could Do Nothing”:

How can, how can we who are dead to sin
Live any longer therein?
We’ve been, we have been called and loved and forgiven
Our old life is forgotten

(Chorus)
Do you remember what he’s called you out of?
Do you remember where you were?
Let us not take advantage of his love
That we forget that we have been forgiven
Without Him we can do nothing

I know, I know where I was when He found me
With so much confusion around me
He’s been, He has been all that we would let Him
Without Him we can do nothing

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FROM PROVERBS 22

Many people know what they are looking for in othere when it comes to friendship. How many people know what it takes to be a good friend?

He who loves a pure heart and whose speech is graciouswill have the king for his friend. proverbs 22:11

In this brief verse, two qualities are listed as the most powerful for being a good friend to others.

• someone who loves sincerity – when you are able to trust the heart of your friend then you have a real friend. you’re not concerned about their motives. you fully trust them with your secrets, words, heart, and life. the one “who loves a pure heart” makes it their goal to be genuine, open, honest, and without a mixture of selfishness or deceit.
• someone who’s words are filled with grace – the natural follow up to a person wholovesa pure heart iscommunication with others that is filled with grace. when they speak:

there is no pride

there is no condemnation

there is no question of their motives

there is acceptance

there is concern

there is understanding

who woud not love a friend who’s heart you could trust and who’s words were gracious?

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