It's quite possible I was birthed in the pew of a Baptist church. Not really, but I have been a part of the Church World since my emergence from my mother's womb. Already, I have used as word that in itself inspires controversy: "emergence". More on that as time goes by.
It is enough to begin this unpredictable wilderness journey by documenting the fact that I have been immersed in the world of Christendom for all of my life. I know the "Church" from the inside as both an attendee and a professional. I will recount that journey on this blog and express my discoveries and challenges in this written format. I write for and to God, not for readership and popularity (another aspect of my rehabilitation).
My Heavenly Father has admitted me into a spiritual rehab unit; it's His fault I am on this journey and I can't express my gratitude enought. I am a recovering evangelical on a path of rediscovering who God is, what the Bible represents, and what it means to be part of the "church". Whew! The journey is fraught with obstacles and challenges. I am in detox. And it feels lonely at times. I wouldn't trade it for anything- at this time.
The boat of my life has accumulated barnacles. More than I can count, I'm afraid. I discovered that over my life these barnacles have become accepted as part of my boat's structure- a common problem I presume. The journey that God has drawn me into (spiritual rehab?) is showing me that the barnacles are NOT part of the original boat's structure and identifying them as barnacles is in itself part of the process of rehabilitation. I'm hoping to uncover what the boat of faith really looks like.
The barnacles must be challenges and removed if possible. The only thing that appears to be a barnacle's nemesis is a whelk. So metaphorically speaking, my life has brought me to a point where I am identifying the "barnacles", fishing for "whelks", and allowing the whelks to bore away at the barnacles that have accumulated on my boat.
The "whelks" include Scripture, friends, books, time, courage- to name only few. The "barnacles" include (but are in no way limited to) the Ecclesiology, "Bibliolatry", Soteriology, Theology, Eschatology, and perhaps other "ologies" that would bore You if I were to keep listing them.
I hope this pleases You.
