poor lost soul

Morning to you all,

I’ve been reminded more and more of the importance of finishing the race of life. As Christians, we are called to be finishers not just starters. It’s not the person who says “Yes, I’ll go” but then doesn’t’ go that gets accepted by the father. It’s the one that goes regardless of what he said at the beginning.

I have a friend, whether in the Lord or out I know not which, and perhaps friend is not the appropriate word either, I have former family who at the age of 50 plus finds himself in jail facing prison time. I have mixed emotions about that. Mixed emotions because the reality is he didn’t do anything, he didn’t sin, at least externally. But in the last few years our criminal justice system has been passing laws so that they can do preemptive strikes on criminals; they love to do a little shock and awe on the bad guys before they actually commit a crime so that we can prevent crime from even happening.

I find it interesting that I always hear people (especially church people) get all bent out of shape over the concept of a theocracy. They bitch and moan about how cruel it would be, how mean. People who say that obviously have not taken the time to seriously read the law of God or they have Christianity confused with Islam. The truth is in biblical law there is no such thing as preemptive justice period.. In fact, even if there is sin there is not punishment if the crime can’t be proven by two witnesses.

My friend did nothing but think about adultery. In some, sense he was simply trying to relive a little of his glory days, perhaps prove to himself that he wasn’t as old as his body was telling him. Maybe he was hoping to find that his idol was as powerful to save as it ever was. I don’t know but whatever his motives the truth is he didn’t DO anything. He talked about it. He texted about it. He drove three hours to do it. BUT he was arrested BEFORE he could sin on the pretext that he was going to sin by someone who enticed and entrapped him into false and misleading situation in the first place.

Now it is true that from a biblical perspective adultery is a capitol sin but it is only a punishable sin if first, it actually happens, and second there are two witnesses. If those things are not met there is no punishment in this life. Judgment is left to God.

The move of our justice system in the direction of minority report (which is a great movie if you haven’t seen it) makes me quiet nervous. Our move toward the protection of “children” at the expense of the rights and freedoms of the individual sets a precedent that makes me nervous for the church. Perhaps you can’t see it but I can see a time when the state will begin to protect ITS children from parents and from the church. You attempt to teach them the ‘wrong’ things and they will send you to jail for the attempt to corrupt a minor.

Anyway, that was my first response to my friend being in jail. The other was the response of Christians in his life. To my own chagrin I must admit that I haven’t been a part of his life for over thirty years and even then it was a peripheral thing; we were forced to interact through marriage. Even back then I knew he was angry at something. He quietly seethed against the things of God all the while being forced to participate until he was old enough to run away. Now, that he’s in his fifties and has fallen and can’t get up the faithful few gather together to pray for his poor lost soul.

It reminds me of a James McMurtry song (for those of you who like westerns he is Larry McMurtry’s son –Lonesome Dove) called, oddly enough, Poor Lost Soul:

You heard the bright lights calling Many years ago
You never came back crawling How you hung in there I don't know
You're at home in the big town You got it all figured outBack home they can't believe it They don't know what you're about
Your sister loves Jesus She drives an OldsmobileSays you ought to come visit Says what you need is a home-cooked meal
And she prays for your poor lost soulAnd she prays for your poor lost soul

Your brother was a doctor They sent him to the penMedicare fraud They say he's doing it again
Your mother's doing all right She owns a quick-stop storeShe used to call every Sunday But she doesn't anymore

She just prays for your poor lost soul
She just prays for your poor lost soul

Sometimes you got to wonder How it all would've beenAnd you wonder if you had to Could you go back again
You fly home for Christmas dinner It's just like the good old daysFighting with your mom Fighting with your sisterYour brother had sense So he stayed away

Back home in the big town You got it all figured outAnd isn't it a comfort knowing Without a doubt
They’ll all pray for your poor lost soul


--You see the truth is my friend was trained up in the ways of anger and rebellion by those who brought him into this world. Sure the words of the good news were spoken but the actions of the heart taught him how to live. They trained him up in the way he should go and he went that way. He’s been growing the fruits of the spirit that abides in him for a long, long time but they were acceptable fruits and he was quiet, and didn’t cause any trouble anymore so everything was ok. Until this mess.

But I have hope for my friend. Maybe now that the charade is over for him he can find the truth and turn from death to life. I don’t really care if he gets saved in the traditional sense. Everybody that he knows is saved in the traditional sense and what good has it done them? They’re still just as bitter and angry and screwed up as he is they just put on nice clothes and waste their Sundays at church pretending everything is ok.

I see a man who has been stuck in death and taught to live death his whole life and I wonder if he has the courage to taste life this late in the game. I also wonder if the church has done so much damage to this poor lost soul that he can’t see life for the death he has been taught in the name of Jesus.

Perhaps someday the church will turn from it’s sin, it’s idolatry of worshiping part of the word of God but not all of it, it’s sin of mouthing the words of scripture but never letting them get under their skin, of pretending to run the race while actually being couch potatoes (it does have an e) with very busy schedules; of being wolves in sheep’s clothing.

Perhaps, but I’m not going to hold my breath.

This is our fault and until we come to grips with that we will reap what we sow and harvest time is coming.

Brad