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I am a pastor and a clinical psychotherapist. My life's passion is defining healthiness from a human perspective and paralleling it to the holiness of God, divine perspective. Shifting perspectives creates a paradigm that is alongside of rather than over and against. The parakalein of God and the paradoxes of humanity are redefined. Humanity is all about winning and yet we are losing ground everywhere. Divinity is all about letting go of the desire to win and the fear of loss. The Divine embraces the world with loving care regardless of anything.

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Eyes of faith see more not less, see less not more

Posted by Don Paine

When you look at someone, what do you see.  What is in your eyes.  What do people see in your eyes.

I sat with a caring person who has a great heart for God and people, for truth and justice, for righteousness and freedom.  We agreed on the heart of God being for people, and that People want to know and experience the power of the resurrection.  Rising to newness of life in Christ is living in the power of the resurrection.

We disagreed on one important issue.  He wanted to use shame and blame and guilt to lead people to repentance.  When I quoted Romans 2:8 that tells us that it is the "kindness of God that leads to repentance", he objected on the basis that we have to judge sin as sin and take a stand against sin in peoples life.  For him speaking truth into people's lives seemed to be connected to telling people where they are sinning to warn them of their wrong ways.

I agree that we dare not enter into categorizing behavior as ok if by that we mean, to make people feel no shame.  Shamelessness does not lead to Godliness. Neither does shamefulness lead to Godliness.  It is repentance that leads to Godliness and kindness that leads to repentance.  this is the Biblical formula.  The call to the believer, job description if you will, is to love God and to love our neighbors (all of them) as ourselves.  The job description for the Holy Spirit is to "convict the world concerning sin and guilt".  When we take on the work of the Holy Spirit we grieve the spirit.  When we love and leave the work of conviction to the Holy Spirit we grace people's lives.  The Holy Spirit does not need my help in judging.  But without my loving people the arms of God are not wrapped around people in tangible ways.

Some seems to want to condone behavior that needs no condoning, others want to condemn behavior and people that does not set those people free, the cross calls all of us to extend compassion and care to all regardless of anything.  The covenant is to love not to condone or condemn.  It is the Chalice of Covenant that extends compassion to all and rejects the roles of condoner or condemner.

Grace is not just unmerited favor it is bestowing favor on people before they deserve it, to draw them to the God of forgiveness and grace.

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