Light from the Reformation

[Ani_Ibi]

Teflon93:

In all honesty, I can’t think of a one.

It’s early. Give it time.

Teflon93:

My wife on the other hand was inspired by her grandmother, however, a Presbyterian who always insisted on taking her and her sister to church when her parents would not and who set a great Christian example for my wife growing up which she otherwise would not have had.

A Presbyterian neighbour of mine had a locution in the middle of a service. The voice said to go and visit me in the hospital. She didn’t really know me. She got straight into her car and drove immediately to the hospital. We spent some time together when I got home and she told me many things about presbyterianism. She is an elder.

When I lived upstairs I had a Jewish neighbour. She is a very brilliant and sensitive soul and adjusted badly to an environment in which she was often disrespected. Much of her anger was displaced onto me in the early years. But I prayed to God to help me forgive all my neighbours on that floor because I didn’t want the war that close to where I lived.

Years passed and she began to be very friendly and came to visit me when I was ill.

Funny how prayer works. Oh it works! I am convinced that God will use whomever is there if no one firmly steps forward and says “Here am I, Lord.” He is Awesome.

 

[LilyM]

Absolutely - two or three examples come to mind for me.

One is my devoutly Baptist bestest bud, with whom I’ve had some really good discussions about religion, and is one of the few people in my life apart from you good folks and my parents with whom I can flex my religious muscle.

The other (as I’ve stated in another thread) was Joyce Meyer. I came across her show a few months before my reversion, and it certainly made me fall in love with Christianity all over again. Though it didn’t take long at all before I was drawn right back to my Catholic roots and going back to confession for the first time in 12 or so years.

The third would be the Dalai Lama - in spite of the differences in our faiths I feel there is a lot we could learn from him about enduring hardship with grace and integrity, which is a virtue we should all be striving to cultivate.

 

[Ani_Ibi]

I work close to the worst corner in the country for ‘stuff’. Once a week in the good weather, a van would come down from north of the city and Protestant folks would hand out to the street people free coffee, free hotdogs, and free bags of chips.

Some of them would climb onto the hill under the big oak tree, play their guitars, and sing hymns for the folks.

Gosh you could read the eyes. Some of the street people went beserk having Christian folks on ‘their’ corner. Hated it. Others were so surprised – like stunned sparrows – being fed hot food. They would gravitate slowly over to the hill and listen happily to the music.

Others were puzzled, curious, shy, taking mental notes for some time in the future when they would check all this out again. Me, I would just saunter up, get my coffee, and chat everyone up, so chuffed to have Christians sing praise to God on my way home.

Just remembering this makes me miss it because it is no longer there.