One of my fave Christian artists growing up was Ray Boltz. The lyrics to "Thank You" and "Watch the Lamb" from his Moments of the Heart album can still move me to tears [check the playlist to the right or click CD pic to hear why]. But this week, I cried for a different reason. Not because he announced he is gay [one could be a struggling heterosexual fornicator or adulterer too]. But because he has been asking God to remove these feelings for 30 years [click top pic for more from his website]!!!When discussing what commentators believe was a life long vision problem, Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12:8, "Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take away it away from me. But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'"
Do you think the church will abandon Ray Boltz? Or will we say God's grace is sufficient for him too? I don't know. What I do know is when somebody hurts, everybody hurts. "God has combined the members of the body so that if one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it."
—1 Corinthians 12:24,26 NIV. I also know that God often works some of His most miraculous miracles through some of His most broken vessels as the following list reveals:
- Adam: Good man but problems with his wife.
- Noah: Prone to unrealistic building projects.
- Abraham: He never slept with another man's wife, but did offer to share his with another man. Twice.
- Joseph: A braggart with a prison record.
- Moses: Prone to stuttering and murder.
- David: Had an affair with his neighbor's wife.
- Solomon: Wise preacher but parsonage could never hold all his wives.
- Elijah: Prone to depression. Collapses under pressure.
- Hosea: A tender and loving pastor but married to a prostitute.
- Jeremiah: Emotionally unstable, alarmist, negative, always lamenting things.
- Isaiah: Claims to have seen angels in church. Has trouble with his language.
- Jonah: Runs away from God. Moody. Cares more about plants than people.
- Amos: Backward and unpolished. Might fit in better in a poor congregation.
- John: Says he is a Baptist, but definitely doesn't dress like one.
- James & John: Ego problems. Jesus came to save. They came to destroy.
- Peter: Bad temper. Salty vocabulary. Confrontational with other leaders. A loose cannon.
- Paul: Killed Christians. Short on tact. Unforgiving with younger ministers.
Thanks for this most thoughtful response to Ray's pain Mike. And you're right on with 2nd Corinthians 12:8-9 as a powerful, reassuring, and spiritual response.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, here is the Bible in Basic English version
And he said to me, My grace is enough for you, for my power is made complete in what is feeble. Most gladly, then, will I take pride in my feeble body, so that the power of Christ may be on me.