Healing Blind Men

There is an old joke that tells of three blind men who were healed by Jesus meeting. One man said, “He touched my eyes and I could see.” The second man said, “He put mud on my eyes and I could see.” The third man said, “He spit in my eyes and I could see.” That day saw the birth of three denominations, the touch-ites, the mud-ites, and the spit-ites.

I would add that along came another former blind man who reported that after Jesus touched him he could see but men looked like trees walking around so Jesus touched him again. Thus was born a more radical group called the two-touch-or-else-ites.

It seems like the urge to form ourselves into groups that separate us from anyone who is different and try to put God into our particular boxes is hard to resist. I find it to be very significant that Jesus healed each one in a different manner.

Matter of fact He dealt with everyone He met in an individual one on one way. To one man He said, “Go sell all you have and give it to the poor and come follow me.” To one man He said, “You must be born again.” To one man up in a tree He said, “Come down and take me to your home for dinner.” To one woman at a well He simply said, “You need to drink of the water I offer.” To His disciples He simply said, “Come follow Me.”

After spending thirty years as a Baptist minister and ten more years as an unpaid worship leader in some experiential types of doing church I am totally convinced that Christianity is a one-on-one personal experience that cannot be structured into some set doctrine or contained in one set of beliefs. Nor can there be one way to establish what is supposed to be a personal relationship between one person and God.

This discovery resulted in me seeing the Bible, salvation, the church and the Christian life in a totally different way and is the basic reason for these blogs. I simply want to share how I now see and try to live out my faith.

These blogs come with a warning. These are my ideas. They did not come carved in some stone, nor did I stand barefoot before some burning bush nor dig up some plates in my back yard. They came from years of struggling to make it all fit real honest life. Therefore disagreements are welcomed. After all it is hard being a happy heretic if every one agrees with what you write.