Falling Upward

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This is the clever title of a book by Richard Rohr about the second half of our life. Some things appropriate to the first half of our life become ridiculous in the second half.

You have met people trying to act and look young way beyond their natural aging process, still playing the ego boosting games, we all do it some times. But there are really opportunities to grow in vital ways if we accept the purpose of our lives for the second half of life. Very good book, my second time through.

My second half began against my will, when circumstances cast me out of tribal Christianity, my denomination, into the world of independent churches. The way I thought and taught was suddenly out of sync with my new congregation. They did not get me. It led to some interesting conflicts that were very helpful in bringing me to the point of being willing to test my worldview and my time developed theological glasses.

I was 44-45, a very good age to rethink and reframe, and the last two decades have allowed me the freedom, the pain, the struggle and the joy of finding out who I am and what I value.

It is amusing that the subject of my greatest conflict over the years has been endtimes theology. My first major breakthrough was understanding why the book of Revelation was written. And it was also the major thing that put me in a minority viewpoint and further pushed me away from the silliness of those who get caught up in trying to figure out the times and the seasons.

I am still on this journey beyond my first identity, it was very important and necessary to do all those things, but I am firmly turning my eyes and ears away from the crowded way and listening to the still small voice that met me at 17 and promised that the truth would set me free.

All this to say I will be looking as passages from the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ next month, God's purpose for the church