I want to spend some time on the “Simplicity of Christ”. My next few articles may be short or long, but I want this to be the subject. It was a deep hunger for simplicity driving me out of what has become the church system. And as I began studying the scriptures with new eyes, the first thing the Holy Spirit revealed to me was Jesus shifting God’s Old Testament Temple to a New Testament Table, because Jesus was bringing us into “family”… the family of God.
Jesus constantly fought with the complicated system of the religious Pharisees. As asked in a previous article, why would he fight that system so hard, even to the sacrifice of his life, only to create another complicated system of his own? He took that whole system of laws and summed up God’s will as “Love Upward first, and Love Outward also”.
A Temple is religion, a Table is family. Love Upward and Outward, and you will fulfill all the law. Be family.
God recently surprised me with an outreach direction for “Fellowship of the White Path”. At first I was a little surprised at what this meant, because it meant the fellowship was to not only continue, but be offered to others, which means potential growth, which means eventual multiplication, which will also mean a need for other leaders who are able to lead in this same “Table Ministry” kind of way. WOW. Our focus is not a church, but a fellowship, which also fulfills church. (Does that make any sense?)
And of course our outreach is very simple. We plan to create “Turtle Gardens”, which have a message of “Slow down and hear God”. These Turtle Gardens not only connect to the “Free Book” I am about to release, but they are also Prayer Gardens, and Fellowship Gardens. These gardens will also have a “Table”.
We are starting with 2 gardens and a Box! Sometimes a “Turtle Box” is better than a garden. More to come on the Box later. The first 2 gardens is one for my Mom, which even though it is on the farm where the Tipi is, this garden is separate and will be hers. The second garden is at our city house, which I must admit has been neglected while I have pursued the Tipi. This garden will give us a spot to invite people here in the city. We will invite them to a beautiful Table that says “Slow down and hear God”. Lets share a cup of coffee and talk about God. God likes gardens. You did know that, didn’t you?
I end with a few pictures of the ugly spot this piece of ground currently is. A Turtle Garden is coming to this neglected place, a Prayer Garden. This is only the first article on “Love Upward and Outward”. The Holy Spirit has much to say on this. Updates and pictures concerning the Garden Outreaches and the Tipi Retreat will fill the articles for this spring, summer, and fall. Enjoy, and thanks for reading. (Here’s my lovely wife showing you our ugly back yard.)
Believe it or not, there is a small pond buried in there somewhere.
Path Without End 