Homeschool · poetry · prayer

At the Beginning

Sally

At the beginning
Of my journey into conservative Christianity
I heard this sermon:

“If Christians were rounded up and put on trial, would there be enough evidence to convict you?”

And I thought, Of course there would be. I know my Bible. I pray. I have memorized countless verses.

But then, at the beginning of the AIDS crisis, when Christians were condemning homosexuals and saying this disease was proof of God’s judgment on their immoral lifestyle, my brother, a Presbyterian minister, honored people with AIDS and their caregivers by having a dinner for them at his church. I thought about that action for years. Now there’s a conviction.

In the middle
Of my thirty years of homeschooling
I heard a homeschool convention speaker say:

“Ninety percent of homeschoolers vote in national elections when they are old enough to vote. That fact alone should have politicians shaking in their boots.”

And I thought, That’s a pretty remarkable fact. That’s a lot of power. Dear God, may they use it wisely.

But then, I watched my own homeschool convention heroes fall one by one. Joshua Harris renounced his faith. Cheryl Lindsey was excommunicated. Doug Phillips had an affair. They all are, after all, very human. And that voting power is a little scary.

And now,
I watch “Christians”
Wielding a sword and showing no love.

Dear God, I pray, convict me of compassion. May there be evidence of that in my life. Not power. Not judgment. Just kindness.

This is my submission to SoCS where the challenge was to write a stream-of-consciousness post using the words, “at the beginning.“

It’s also a response to the W3 Challenge this week in which the poet of the week challenged us to use one or both of the following images and write Prosimetrum or Versiprose: both forms combine alternating passages of prose and verse.

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Published by Sally

20 thoughts on “At the Beginning”

  2. I know Cheryl Lindsey from homeschooling back in the day. Not as a fundamentalist however. I can’t remember if we met in the aol homeschooling community or after.

    I choose kindness too.

    Reply

    1. I loved Cheryl Lindsey’s writings. The other day, while clearing out stuff in storage, I found a whole pile of Gentle Spirit magazines. She had so much wisdom — and then she was gone. I had to look up what had happened to her!

      Reply

  3. A powerful post. I’ve had two ministers in my lifetime that truly walked the walk, so to speak, and seeing them move in the world was inspirational.

    Reply

      1. Absolutely. They were powerful behind the pulpit but went out into the community actually doing the work. Leading by example.

  4. Sally that is the most honest post I’ve seen lately. The song “They’ll know we are Christians by our love” seems to have been tossed aside. We do need to extend love and kindness and compassion to all. We are supposed to welcome the stranger, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, house the homeless and most of all be Christ to the world… not just our family but everyone! 💗💗💗

    Reply

  5. What an emotive text. I really enjoyed your journey. May you learn to follow in the footsteps of the god of your understanding- so that you may remain understanding- and compassionate in all things.

    Reply

    1. It does sometimes feel like evil wins all the time, but I feel like I’m moving forward in a positive direction and I think there are other people on that journey with me as well.

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