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Today’s Blog Post
Moving from “Tall Tales” to the Truth – a Great Adventure at Selwyn Outreach Centre
The feeling this morning is one of a wee bit guilty and a whole lot sheepish. In fact I have been disarmed completely.
I am making this follow-up posting to one that I made on February 11, 2012… where I wrote about the American ship meeting the Canadian Lighthouse… and the way the story though not true is shared over and over again.
In my posting I had mentioned that I was something like the Naval Captain of the Boat going ashore to visit Newfoundland… feeling a little sheepish with what I said to the Lighthouse guy on the radio phone.
In my post I said – quoting myself…
“I have heard stories told about some of you. They were unbelievable yet I shook my head when they told me your name. “How could he do that kind of thing?!” “Can you believe that woman – how could she do that?”
Yet I believed what was said. Sorry I did that to you. But it was just something that made so much sense… I had to believe it.”
Further quoting myself…
“This Sunday morning I am speaking in a local church. This should be so much fun! I can’t wait. In that church there a whole lot of people that believed a “tall tales” about me… in fact they believed a lot of “tall tales” about me and ran away from finding out the truth. And Sunday morning I am showing up to preach! This is just too funny. Their pastor thought it would be a good idea.”
End my quote.
How do you say you were wrong? Well here it is… “I was so wrong.”
I am not sure about the “tall tales” that any one heard. People didn’t look at me any different than any other place we have ever been – after we entered that church Sunday AM. Man oh man, the fears that I hosted and harbored are strange but blown away!
Now that I have you, the reader of this Blog, completely confused I have to tell you more.
We were part of the Selwyn Outreach Centre on Sunday AM – WOW! In fact I was filling in for Pastor Brian Mahood as he had traveled south to attend a school/seminar for Ministers.
Arriving early to set up the things that I was using as part of my props for my presentation I noticed that my table covering was way too wild for the sanctuary colours. I use a bright kind of mossy green to cover the table when I present my art work… and in this setting my art work and craft work were part of my story that I was sharing.
One of the ladies that were hosting us asked if there was anything that I needed after I set up the table. I said, “I should have brought a different colour Table Cloth… this one kind of is in conflict with your colour schemes.”
She turned toward the audio-visual booth and asked the operators to change the colour on the stage! Go figure. This woman must have power. Within moments the stage curtains and background completely changed to match the colour of my Table Covering! That happened by simply changing the lighting effects.
Take a look at the photo below. WOW! The audio-visual guys were all powerful!!
An Art and Craft Table on a church platform on Sunday AM? Talking about your business in church as part of the service! You have got to be kidding – right?
It was all part of the presentation of how Misty Hollow Carving came into being and of how I had left the role of being a pastor in this community to become what I am today.
Yesterday I wove through my life story for all to hear. I told the good parts and the talked about the bad parts. I shared how I lost my job as the minister of Northview, being placed on Employment Insurance for the first time of my life just before retiring. Yep I told 95% of my life story – both good and bad.
And yep I talked about the stories that had circulated around our city about a minister that had done some terrible things – namely that he had been teaching from the Satanic Bible. I talked about the “tall tales” that had been shared by so many and even at the Selwyn church.
Gulp.
A Minister teaching from a “Satanic Bible” – YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING!?
Yep - again. That was the story that two men in Northview church started about me. And as you can see they really didn’t like me at all. They claimed I had been doing that within the youth group – away back in 1998 – just after I arrived in Peterborough. It was not a good thing to have following you around!!!
That story was like the Lighthouse and the American Naval ship’s conversation – it never happened… but is was told over and over again.
I am not going to tell you all that I talked about yesterday at Selwyn. You needed to be there. But I can say that they listened carefully to what I shared…. Every word was received well.
(On the side.. the bit about the two men that shared the story about me… one died and is very much gone… the other moved far, far, far away. God took care of them. But the story again was related to me only two months ago as some asked me if it was true.)
The Selwyn folk are the most gracious people that I have met in years. They love you and love whoever comes for help. Pastor Brian Mahood has been there since this present church was replanted and all that Brian is the church has become.
These folks blessed us and loved on us in amazing ways. It is like we have known each other forever.
So there it is. God touched me deeply at Selwyn – through the love and reception of these people. And most of all, in spite of my own fears, the stories that circulated had died with the angry people. No one cared anymore… no one at all.
~ Murray Lincoln ~
http://www.murraylincoln.com/
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