Archive for October, 2009

Cold or flu?

Thursday, October 22nd, 2009

It’s not nice to be sick . . . especially when we are supposed to go see Donn, Susan and Elizabeth tomorrow. I’m pretty sure it’s not flu since there is neither fever nor achy joints. But I sure wouldn’t want to sit near me on an airplane! Both Donn and Susan responded to my Facebook status report hoping I get well soon. I’m quite sure they don’t want Elizabeth exposed to this junk!

Linda Hill very thoughtfully sent this . . .

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Fortunately Sherry is more caring, though she doesn’t seem as eager to hug and smooch as usual. I can’t quite figure it out.

We are completely out of the Mt. Tabor house. Tim and Sara are starting to move in. After I finished cleaning out out Sunday afternoon, I walked through the clean empty and wished it weren’t so. It still feels so home even when it’s not. I hope the Halsey house will be home. I pray for opportunity to make new memories, to have more times of deep prayer, to have children sing. It’s odd how things can mess with my head. Finding my old Western sweatshirt as we moved, one I’d shared with a friend and then thought had gotten lost. finding a friend on Facebook but not being able to connect, waking up in the middle of the night with this cold and not being able to call, seeing the fog around the trees in our back yard and wanting to wonder in it as on Mt. Tabor. Weird head of mine.

So we’ll see how I feel tonight. Hopefully a lot better,

 

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Restoration

Friday, October 16th, 2009

I’ve been doing a lot of restoration work in sin contexts with leaders, marriages, and all sorts of situations. As I’ve tried to think of it biblically, I’m trying to put it in steps:

1. Confession: talk about what happened, taking full responsibility for what I have done. Others will need to help in getting that straight. When the problem involves deception, getting confirmation from other people or a polygraph may be essential. The confession cannot involve manipulative phrases like “I’m sorry” or “Please forgive me.” That comes later, but at this stage, the others are under heavy pressure to say “It’s OK.”

2. Repentance: this is change of values, not just behavior. Think of Jimmy Swaggart weeping away in front of the world and then going right back to his trash.

3. Redemption: come out of the bad place. That place might be emotional, social, spiritual or physical. It may involve counselors or physicians or pastors to help with the movement.

4. Restitution: this may be monetary, confession/apology to others, clearing the name of someone who has been slandared, etc.

5. Reconciliation: clearing up the relational damage done by the sin. Normal relationships with trust and openness cannot happen until this occurs.

6. Restoration: this will be through several levels with any kind of leadership occuring only after the trust has been restored. 1 Timothy 5:19-22 is a great passage. Don’t be too quick to entertain either accusation or restoration.

One must NEVER do step 6 before going through the other steps. So often the sinner is really only interested in what minimal steps need to be taken to get back into the place of leadership (see Saul in 1 Samuel 15). There is no basic change. Work through the steps deliberately and carefully.

I’m interested in any suggestions on this process.

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