At a worship collective meeting. The special guest? Wayne Grudem. Will update on how this goes.

Guys... this is actually beautiful. Like, my spirit is telling me to shut up and listen. I know y’all didn’t expect that. I’ll write more later.

Regarding worship music, Wayne spoke of how important “choruses” (read: newer songs) were in speaking beyond the intellect to the Spirit. Interesting: says his racial attitudes were influenced by “red and yellow, black and white” line of Jesus Loves The Little Children.

Side note: I think that sounds kinda backwards today, but for a guy from a tiny all-white town in the 50s/60s it was probably super progressive.

RE: current divisions in church, he seemed to have genuine tears of grief for schisms in the church when quoting an old hymn, so I decided to ask him what he’d say if he had a minute where everyone would just listen...

He said he wasn’t sure he had a good answer, then offered thoughts off the top of his head that probably could have gone in concerning directions that those who dislike him would expect (and one they definitely wouldn’t)... but he stopped, and instead offered this wisdom:

“On the Mount of Transfiguration, Peter didn’t know what to say [pause for effect] so he spoke. I haven’t thought about it enough to know what I would say.”

Wise turn there, I took that and left the incomplete comments where they lay. Final thoughts next.

The spirit has been convicting me of my divisiveness, and this was another exercise in that. I know some may feel led to call him to task for isolated statements or for his whole theology, but as he said, even his wife (of 52 years) doesn’t agree with everything in his book.

What I heard today was a sincere man who served God for generations, who is still doing his best to serve today. He is also a product of his upbringing, as we all are, so I think we (and he) may need grace for each other. I’m not going back to reading ESV only anytime soon but

My spirit tells me I can take this man’s word as sincere and wise, if not completely authoritative. Perhaps this is how we should take all writers, teachers, preachers, ect. Wisdom comes from imperfect (and even problematic) people. It’s still useful, they’re still family.

I’ll leave y’all with a verse that is on my heart. Romans 12:18 (from the CEB). I meant to be a little snarky today. God had other ideas. Sorry if y’all are disappointed.