relaxing kind of Saturday. SU is reading Terri Blackstock’s Last Light, which I picked up at Lifeway Thursday. I’m just browsing the net and working on playing Sunday Morning Coming Down. Love that song, even if It is so, so sad.
It reminds me of CH, an acquaintance and husband (for the moment) of SU’s friend, SH. I say SU’s friend and that is true but it is more of a spiritual connection than anything. They rarely if ever see each other, I’m not sure how they communicate. But they do, almost as if the “feel” each other’s spirit and know what to pray for and when to talk.
For years those girls prayed for me, that I would turn back to God, that I would hear His call. And they never gave up, didn’t give up on God or me. And I heard and returned humbled and grateful for both a God that didn’t give up on me, just kept calling and for those two’s prayers.
Back to the bookstore, the reason I was there is that CH continues to reach out and I must continue to respond. I picked up a copy of Brennen Manning’s Ragamuffin Gospel to give to him. If I were a rich man, I would give a copy freely to any and all that wanted it. It is so sweet, so gentle, such a different perspective of Christ than we learn in church or Catholic schools.
While I was in the bookstore, I also picked up three copies of When God Speaks: How to Recognize God’s Voice and Respond in Obedience, a six week study by Henry and Richard Blackaby. I haven’t gone through this study before, so that is a bit of a chance, but I’ve done other studies by the Blackaby’s and something just nagged at me to pick this one up.
Three copies because I asked LB to participate with us. Six weeks is a big commitment, especially for LB since he’s never even met CH. But I think it will be a good way to mentor LB and it will be an awesome thing if CH does participate.
I say that because when I met with him to discuss my thoughts about the books last night, I wouldn’t let him say yes then and there, even though he tried. I need him to and he needs to make a real decision about whether or not he really wants to do this. I don’t want to waste my time or LB’s time if he is going to fake his way through this thing in some misguided attempt to regain his family.
He has to realize that it isn’t about his wife, his boys, his marriage, his job or anything else. It is about his relationship with God. I can say that with conviction because I know that God is calling to him and I know that he is longing for God. But the appeal of drugs and alcohol that Satan is using to pull him down is strong. Very, very strong. Satan always attacks us at our weakest points and that is what has destroyed CH’s life to this point.
So I need him to really think this through. Does he want to change? If he does, then I’ll be there to help. As will the prayers of people he’s never even met. Thursday, I asked ND to pray for him. Last night, I asked another guy to pray for him. And even though I haven’t physically met either of these guys, I know they will because they said they would and if you promise someone that you will pray for them; you better dang well do it!
Plus he has the prayers of the two gals that prayed for me. Trust me, that is some power.
The bottom line is that it is up to him. No one else. So often we try to transfer our responsibility to others because it gives us an out and we don’t have to change. We can point to “them” and say I’m better than that guy, therefore I don’t need to change. Jesus mentioned this when he talked about the splinter and the log.
Hopefully, he will decide to continue to reach out, continue to wake up in the morning and allow the Holy Spirit to control him that moment (repeating as necessary), continue to go to church to be around other believers and begin to understand that God loves him, as he is, where he is and that he can return home. That, at least, is my prayer.
This is pretty good version and film of Sunday Morning Coming Down. I’m sitting here crying, thinking of a broken man. CH.
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