The Bible and biblical doctrine is powerful in the context of real life

The Bible and biblical doctrine is so powerful and so meaningful and so relevant, but you *have* to see it in context, in something attached to real life. And you have to recite it to yourself.

It is endlessly practical and powerful and deep.

I was reading the chapter on Adoption in A Puritan Theology the other day. It doesn't hit you when you just read about such a topic of systematic theology. You have to meditate on it. You have to see it practically.

Being adopted into God's family is a rather big thing. With big implications.

Mock me or gainsay me if you will, but listen to this inner dialogue which is all real and based on real events:

Me talking to my oldest sister: "I was talking to [my older brother] D. about my [other] brother S. and D. said, 'S. is my friend!' OK, so I can't talk about S. who did a criminal lunatic act against me to D. without D. saying, 'S. is my friend!' See, I'm no longer in this family. I'm in God's family now. I've been adopted by God. And the reason you all got slammed is because God protects His children. Vengeance is mine, I shall repay, God says. In other words, God is saying to His children, don't *you* make any moves on anyone, let *Me* take care of it. And that's what you're dealing with."

Cancer, blam - stroke, blam - broken back, blam --- all to the main players in the event. I started getting phone calls: "We love you, C." I'm thinking, "Oh, my, they think I'm doing voodoo on them." So I made it a point to say to them: "I hope I don't get slammed by something." In other words, I'm not such a failed New Age Student that I think I can make people burst into flame by looking at them. What happens happens, and it can happen to any of us. I actually did nothing but pray for all of them. I prayed that God would send the Holy Spirit into their heart. Prayers can be answered in unusual ways. I'm not saying my prayers were answered, that is up to God, in His will. But I only prayed for them to get understanding and ability to see the truth of God and His word.

But the fact was: I had been adopted into God's family, and their transgressions were transgressions against a child of God. And God protects His children. Not in ways that would necessarily seem consistent from our limited understanding, i.e. He could have taken me up to be with Him as a way to deal with it. See it for what it is. Take it or leave it.

[I should really mention what the transgressions were for the context. I was accused of child molestation by a sibling who was a from-hell drug addict because I stood in the way of said sibling turning our parents house into a crack den. I had to go through a prolonged process with law enforcement and social services before being exonerated from the charge. Awful, awful false witness. Second, I was charged falsely with attempted murder by another sibling who was going bankrupt and I stood in his way, his scheme, to sell his parents house and keep all the money before any will would kick in. He accused me of attempting to murder my father. As lunatic a charge as it gets, but, again, I had to go through the exoneration process because law enforcement has no clue what is going on when somebody makes such a charge. My other brother was also a part of that accusation against me. This is all persecution from the world that happens to a true Christian. I handled it all very well. I would take long walks in the midst of it all simply praying to God. As a spiritual warrior I was as in shape as I'll ever probably be in my life. Meanwhile I was taking care of two dying parents 24/7 - no other sibling wanting anything to do with that. One of the ironies is the two brothers in question both belong to the same Unity/Universalist church that tells them they are good and holy and 'of the light.' They are big on Islam and any other faith other than Christianity of course. Also, truth be told, my knowledge and development with Fourth Way ideas, practices, and goals helped me immensely during the whole travail. But when you have understanding and ability to separate wheat from chaff it is esoteric - i.e. practical level - Christianity. And, yes, it was a travail. YOU get accused of child molestation and attempted murder in quick succession WHILE taking care of two dying elderly parents with all the STRESS that is involved with (some of you know)...quite a travail. No resentment from me at the time though. I just had to play it right, i.e. not kill anybody, things like that...]