Snapshots and Synapses

I discovered some years ago that being “nice” was not the same as being “loving”. We can be nice: avoiding arguments, telling people what they want to hear and being generally pleasant. Or, we can be loving: willing to confront, telling people what they need to hear without fear of any lash back. Sometimes, I believe, it’s impossible to avoid conflict and still show love. I personally believe that “nice” is overrated, but still, it has its place. Just because “nice” isn’t always loving, doesn’t mean that “loving” can’t try to be nice. In the past, I have at times been far too willing to confront. Now, I have never entered into confrontation easily, but I rationalized that any confrontation was okay so long as it brought out the truth. After all, when we know the truth, we are set free, right? (See John 8:32) So I don’t doubt the motivation of people who, like my younger self, are willing to walk into the fire for the sake of someone else. However, I’ve discovered that an action m...

Somewhere between my birth and the present day (a LOOONNNNGGGGGG time if you ask my kids), churches started to adopt marketing disciplines. Now, I have nothing against applying wisdom and truth to church administration, and I believe that all truth is God’s truth, whether it’s written in scripture or discerned through scientific method. Finally, to be completely honest, I tend to like marketing. It’s a powerful instrument, but like any tool: it can be misused; it can be applied to promote good; and it can be used for bad purposes. So having a little bit of knowledge, I’ve observed a few things over the years and have developed some opinions about what happens when churches apply marketing principals. Now any organization that has not matured in its marketing practices tends to be internally focused, and when it’s a congregation, it can be rather cliquish. However, as an organization starts to understand marketing, it becomes “market driven”. The organization promotes activities and p...

Right is wrong and Wrong is right    and all throughout the land is night. The sweet-sick words of lying mouths-    have taken hold of wandering moths So off into the fire they fly;    determined creatures, they flit to die. My children, beloved, how far you have strayed,    thus now as a Harlot, I cast you away! Away with your stupid, your foolish delights!    Away with you, creatures, and out to the night! But yet to My Remnant do I still proclaim:    Right is still right, and day is still day. In you, My last Remnant, do I still delight.    Continue to search Me and bathe in My Light. copyright ©2011 Mitchell Malloy ( http://mitchellmalloyblogspot.com/ )

In Sympathy for the children who cry, with tantrums and screams and yelling out, "Why?" I simply shrug an indifferent shoulder and allow my fires of warmth to smolder. With empathy for the people who dream while mothers with bloodied children scream, I rationalize: "This has always been." But realize my own great sin. In anger against indulgence and waste, which seems to penetrate the human race, I urge the sluggish to quickly make haste and sometimes wonder at my own disgrace. My passion for the dignity of man and my belief in God's majestic plan Sometimes falls prey to that which's despised and perceptions of Truth mingle with Lies. I pray for my soul in this storm -- stand strong, and my faith in the Light everlasting long, and that compassion and passion, like tides in a day, evolve into currents which never change. copyright ©2011 Mitchell Malloy ( http://mitchellmalloyblogspot.com/ )

My life seems a whirlpool; a tempest of terrible torrents which assails my senses and assaults my soul. In wondering amazement I turn with jarring twists and stumble onto pastures green I would otherwise not see. copyright ©2011 Mitchell Malloy ( http://mitchellmalloyblogspot.com/ )

“You can’t legislate morality.” My friend stated it as if it was a well accepted fact. “I believe that abortion is wrong, but it should not be made illegal… Women will have abortions and we should make it safe… creating laws is an attempt to control people… creating a law against abortion is controlling and judgmental.” Where to begin? First, this is NO condemnation against the woman who found herself in the situation where abortion seemed the best option and chose that option. I do not condemn you or your decision. Life is hard and God, your Father, loves you and wants to stay in relationship with you.  He wants to wash away your sorrows, and He has a plan to bring good from every situation. When we draw close to Him, we start to join Him in that plan for our lives. So while my friend and I both desire God’s goodness in the lives of ourselves and others, we have not been able to agree on how we should join Him in His work with respect to abortion. Now, my friend would say that t...

In 2004 / 2005, the Lord started speaking to me about some changes. He gave me this picture of fallen leaves, where the leaves were people and where trees represented churches. The leaves fell from all sorts of trees. They were different sizes and shapes, having come from different church trees. But they all had at least one thing in common: they no longer belonged on the tree. In some cases, the leaves were no longer attached to the tree, even though they remained on the tree for a period. The visions stretched out for months and were echoed in the circumstances of my own life in the church; I had become a “fallen leaf”. The visions stretched out, beyond the present to times in the future, some of which I see happening now, and some of which are yet to occur. Now the fallen leaves in my visions did not fall to the ground, dry up and crumble to dust like the leaves we typically see. These leaves drew their nourishment directly from the ground, remaining supple yet turning coppery in c...