Life & Death

Time is being spun in dramatic colors of life and death. There are no neutral tones these days – only the stark darkness of death and the bold brightness of life.

Two good ministries have been laid to rest,
the result of what they call "moral failure" - a term I don't quite understand.

"Laid to rest" is really too gentle and peaceful an expression. Two ministries were fumbled, dropped on their heads, and left to bleed to death as we stood watching, helpless, mouths gaping. The ripples or after-effects can’t be fathomed. We scramble to wipe up the bloody mess and see, to our dismay, our own reflections in the red puddles. There are not enough rags and the floor – it stains. There is no way to hide what has happened. No way to protect people from the shock of the gore and from the horror of seeing our own faces staring back at us in the blood.

It’s ugly.

The power – the authority of these was dead and buried in that far away country even before they sheepishly showed up here, hat in hand, on our doorstop – ready and still reluctant to be released from their assignments and to mail in their documents of ordination, now blank pieces of paper. This is just the aftermath. It seems there will be no funeral - no closure.

Then today I learned of the physical death of someone whose life had briefly grazed mine. He was 29. I wasn’t very nice to him.

Both types of death and each of these situations require processing on my part. Each scenario has played out too close to me. I can’t help but wonder what is going on. At the same time, the bright colors of life are spinning out all over and have been, in the past month, woven more and more prominently in the fabric of me. Faith yawns and stretches and rubs the crust out of it’s eyes. Belief begins to pump through and fill my dried up veins again, and God talks to me.

Yes, God talks to me.

No, I’m not crazy.

In the midst of this war-zone, the light of life continues shining. It does not let us retreat into the darkness without knowledge of it’s presence and power.