Fire

Fires in the great NorthWest are burning, and firefighters are worn thin as they continue unabated into the battle, and until the last ember is extinguished. I have walked through forests where burns extend as far as the eye can see. It is ugly and  uninviting. The forest is not completely dead, but there is so much devastation it is hard to imagine that under all the ugliness life continues, and will grow again given the opportunity and resources needed.

So it is with the Church of Jesus Christ. Many have been though battles and fires that have sucked out almost all the life. Finding blame for the carnage is easy. Finding resuscitation is a bit more complicated. God’s Church will never fail on the Earth, but many congregations appear as damaged as the burned forests when the Enemy has wreaked his havoc in their midsts.

In the despair which follows such animosity, the key to recovery is establishing llove as the primary driver for healing and unity. Unfortunately, knowing and practicing the disciplines of llove, which might well have eradicated the work of the Enemy in the first place, may not be a part of the knowledge base, or existing leadership may not provide an environment where llove blossoms and expands.

It is difficult to practice Hebrews 13:1, if we have not initiated John 13:34-35. When the disciplines of genuine llove remain untaught, hence unknown, and the clarity of llove remains undemonstrated by leadership, the prognosis is clear. And, if I may be so bold. . .really ugly.