Your History With Me…

THURS., MAY 10, 2001, 8:55 AM
OFFICE, PULLIAM

… and My Churches. Yes, o son, you told this small Bible Study group, this morning, something about your spiritual journey… at least the Church portion. You didn’t get to where you are now, My designation of you as a chosen mystic. But you’ve “laid the groundwork” or “paved the way” for such a “testimony.” You need some practice with this, and you couldn’t find a better helper than I, your friendly Holy Spirit.

Yes, you did grow up in the Methodist Church in Long Beach, you were active in the youth group and went to Summer Camp once, or was it twice? You were not truly comfortable with this, in interaction with friends and Comus brothers. But you led a rather successful “double life,” even as your behavior was not really contradictory of Christian principles and Methodist teachings.

When you joined the Navy V-12 program, you were sent to Berkeley, and there you were fairly faithful in Sunday worship at the Methodist Church… or with Carroll at a Lutheran place. But when you were transferred to UCLA, you either went home to be a Methodist or you stayed in WLA and sampled the Presbyterian. In a few years, after the war, you went to Hawaii and there became active in the Central Union Church, Congregational… related, indirectly, to Punahou. And then the School Chaplain you related to best was Presbyterian.

So when you got married and went to Graduate School at Stanford you and Lenore (who’s “background” was Baptist) went to church in Menlo Park… and became Presbyterians. (For two years you were back in Hawaii and part of Central Union, but when you retuned to Palo Alto it was Presbyterian again.)

But… don’t forget that experience on the solo hike across mountains to Church Camp, that summer after high school. You were “lost,” you knelt and prayed (and I was already hearing you) and I led you to the camp. You didn’t see the connection then, but I had “elected” you, first to be a Presbyterian, the denomination in Protestant Christianity whose history is one of accepting election, by Me, and later, to hear Me in this mystical way.

I didn’t want you to be uncomfortable, and you would have been then… a “weirdo,” so I just encouraged you to be an active, traditional Presbyterian. But then, when the time was “right”… when you had your doctorate and were well established in your profession… I called you to be a rather strange, 20th century mystic. In 1979 I got you to pledge faithfulness to Me, “The first waking hour of the day”… to do… what? Write… what you heard from Me, Holy Spirit. For you this seemed impossible, but you responded to My rather clear and insistent Call. … as told by Me. After two months I “had you hooked,” and you have been faithful to this Call ever since.

Oh, you have been “cautious” about proclaiming that you are a mystic who hears directly from Me, Holy Spirit. But 4 times a year you send out a Letter, in which you comment on My Teachings to you. You are not particularly evangelical about this… and you haven’t had any confrontations about this that “hurt.” (Am I responsible?)

No, you haven’t publicized this “relationship,” but each Letter tells of it, tersely but clearly. Hearing and writing these Teachings from Me is an important part of your life, and you trust that son John Patrick will keep these (and do “something” with them, after you come on over to life even closer to Me).

So… I let you grow and develop as a “middle-of-the-road” Christian, guided you to the Presbyterian fold (and knowledge of election – My initiative in some human lives), and urged you to be active in that Christian community, even while you were being more faithful to Me and My Call to you.