Monthly Archives: February 2015

In light of several things I’ve been seeing on Twitter I am in wondering: Are we, as Western Christians, so persuaded that our experience of God and His Word is the ONLY accurate way that we can truly say with confidence that others in having been raised in different cultures (ethnicity, economic, family structure and so on) MUST agree with us?

Thanks to Anthony Bradley, a professor at The Kings College in NYC I have been challenged to think about how my being raised in a white, suburban context has impacted how I read the Bible, how I pray, how I worship, and how I apply Scripture. Having done limited reading in issues surrounding the Muslim faith – particularly in light of Middle Eastern history in general, and having been challenged by some IMB folks serving Central Asian people groups – I am curious. Some of the folks involved in discussions I’ve been following on Twitter and Facebook sound VERY dogmatic about their standards being the ONLY standard by which to measure or evaluate another’s experience of Christianity.

I don’t want to stir up a hornets nest, nor do I long to be called a heretic. However, I am intrigued and challenged by the discussions to  evaluate my own understanding of living Christianly in a post Christian world.

In the past two weeks I missed two opportunities. One was a poorly thought out response to someone and the second was a missed opportunity to make a pastoral visit. There were probably multiple others as well, but these two seem to linger in my mind.

I wonder about all the missed opportunities of the past 30 years of pastoral ministry. How many times could I have shared the gospel but I wasn’t sensitive to the prompting of the Holy Spirit? How many times could a well-spoken word have soothed a relationship rather than destroyed it? How many times did I act without thinking through and applying an overall strategy to the challenge in front of me?

Rather than focus on the failures of the past, however, I would rather focus on the possibility of the present and the challenge of the future. This morning I read Psalm 71:1, “In You, O Lord, I have taken refuge; Let me never be ashamed.” Failure may abound, but when I trust God’s that God is gracious I have no reason to be ashamed. Later in verse 18 the author states, “And even when I am old and gray, O God, do not forsake me, Until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to all who are to come.”

Perhaps others can learn from my missed opportunities. Perhaps others can hear me remind them that God is gracious and that God forgives – even missed opportunities.