Yes – this is a heavily misunderstood topic. Again – a case where it helps to know The Creator in order to know the scientific and spiritual truth about a matter. I don’t claim to have it all figured out, but because I know Him, I have figured out a few things that even Freud couldn’t have imagined.

The trick, as always, is Jesus.

Thanks for your comments Daphne.

I think that the human idea of the church ‘running smoothly’ is incorrect. As with so many things, we’ve misunderstood what God meant and instead replaced it with our own wisdom.

I actually do believe that it is Godly for a church body to ‘run smoothly’ – but under His definition of ’smoothly’ rathe than the human definition.

Amen – we are saved by grace.

I’m 100% devoted to Jesus (during the 1% of the time when I’m not focused on myself). So I’m not a great role model in many cases. But the way I see it is that I only have to answer to God – not anyone else. That’s why I write these things. In fact, that’s exactly why this site was created – to present a platform for ideas exactly like this one.

One trick I’ve been learning lately is to seek His timing, and be on-track with His plan – as opposed to my own. This keeps my from stupid decisions, and ultimately leads me exactly where I ought to be – in His footsteps.

Disregard the terrible cliche.

A few months ago there was this homeless drunk in the middle of a big shopping area. I had spoken with him before when he had been in a better state – so I knew his manner a bit. He was obviously not feeling very well and was leaning over a bench in pain. He had a buddy with him, who was a bit more on the ball.

As I walked near, his buddy asked me for some money “to buy my friend some food – he’s not doing very well and hasn’t eaten in three days – I’m a Christian”.

I stopped, quite shocked by the compassion this guy’s buddy had for him. The drunk guy wasn’t in much of a state to talk at all, as he was in serious pain. But as I started speaking with them, I realised that the drunk was hardly able to move at all, and was completely disabled by too much booze, and didn’t really feel like eating at all – even though he “hadn’t eaten in three days”.

So eventually the drunkard had managed to muster up enough energy to ask me for money. He had told me he wasn’t hungry, and hadn’t mentioned what he had planned to spend any money on. I felt that, given the situation, cash-in-hand was not going to be what this dude really needed.

So I told them I wouldn’t give them any money, but that I’d buy them some food.

The drunk protested, saying he just wanted money. I reiterated that he wasn’t getting any money from me because I didn’t think it would ultimately be very helpful to him. I asked him if he were hungry, what would he want to eat?

McDonald’s

So I took them both, very slowly, to the nearest McDonald’s and bought some food, which they both thanked me for (they were both very polite), and even though the drunk didn’t feel hungry, they both sat and ate all the food. I left.

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Generally, I don’t have a problem with giving a smoker a cigarette, or a drinker a can of beer. But perhaps I should? I don’t know whether or not to think that’s okay to help fuel a habit – but the reason I do it because it’s a way for me to show people I love them – to give them something.

You can argue back and forth whether that’s really love – fuelling habits – but as a smoker, I would certainly be grateful if someone gave me a cigarette if I was out.

I read “Life Together” a few years back, but perhaps I should go through it again.

It’s funny- because all these things I’m saying are really just observations. I think I notice them because I naturally have a certain set of values for Community, but I think in (probably) ANY organisation it’s very difficult to overcome the Capitalistic social value of being the ‘biggest and best’ of everything… but I think that’s one value that community members struggle to overcome.

I believe that change can only come from The Spirit working through individuals, and in-turn, those individuals working together, in community, to realise a truer set of ‘Kingdom’ values as we move further down the road of discovery of the social Kingdom Culture.

The ‘tapping’ is another way of relating our the idea of human momentum- in direct opposition to the ‘now word’ of God- which is His plan- The Kingdom.