"... The room I sat in is typical of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).....old. Her words were not the typical words we hear from the top down. She challenged us to do the following in the midst of a denomination that is not functioning:
1. We've tried to fix the church ourselves. Presbyterians are smart people. It is time for smart people to realize we can't fix this church on our own. If we could we would have already done it. We must turn to God who is sovereign. Turn to God with hope and trust that God will mold us into the church we will become.
2. We do not spend enough time in prayer. We say we pray daily....but a very small percentage of our people say they pray one hour or more a week. We need to spend time in prayer. It is time for us to listen to God's words rather than our own! ..."
Presbyweb linked to this posting by a Texas pastor and I found it to be a breath of fresh air. Too often we hear things from the top that suggest that the only thing standing in the way of Peace, Unity, and Purity is our lack of respect for connectionalism.
Joan Gray, the moderator of the 217th General Assembly was in Texas recently and had something different to say, and I find this to be a refreshing change from the rhetoric that has characterized the debates following the last General Assembly.
Instead of the knee-jerk reactions -- from BOTH sides -- threatening legal action and bringing actual lawsuits, Joan Gray suggests that there is a way we should have been employing all along.
This is the Lord's Church, not ours, yet we are unwilling to surrender our wills. We need to serve the Lord in more than just an advisory capacity. As Joan Gray has said in the past, we need to lead from our knees.
Whatever else the 217th General Assembly may have done or failed to do, their choice of moderator for the next two years is one for which I am thankful.
Technorati tags: PCUSA
Joan Gray, the moderator of the 217th General Assembly was in Texas recently and had something different to say, and I find this to be a refreshing change from the rhetoric that has characterized the debates following the last General Assembly.
Instead of the knee-jerk reactions -- from BOTH sides -- threatening legal action and bringing actual lawsuits, Joan Gray suggests that there is a way we should have been employing all along.
This is the Lord's Church, not ours, yet we are unwilling to surrender our wills. We need to serve the Lord in more than just an advisory capacity. As Joan Gray has said in the past, we need to lead from our knees.
Whatever else the 217th General Assembly may have done or failed to do, their choice of moderator for the next two years is one for which I am thankful.
Technorati tags: PCUSA
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