Volume 16
December 2016
Congratulations! Christ Has Come! Why the Lights are Still Lit
Carole was born on the
shortest/darkest day of the year (Winter Solstice). But it’s on that date that
the days start getting longer and brighter. For that reason, while I celebrate
her birth date, I continue to celebrate for a week or more and all year long
(because her presence brightens my life).
Also, on Christmas Day, we
celebrate the coming of Christ into a dark world to be our Savior. On the days
before, we enjoy the anticipation, but it’s on Christmas Day that the
celebration begins, not ends. So while we begin decorating our home and Christmas
tree the day after Thanksgiving, it is only in anticipation of the celebration
which begins on Christmas Day. This means, the lights on the tree and in the
windows are brightest on Christmas Day and are not turned off for at least a
week or so in celebration of the real reason for the season.
DonLoy
Whisnant/The Grace Perspective/Journey Notes 16L27
November 2016
The Jump Up and Down
I don’t dance (some men don’t dance or wear
flip flops), but in 1983 when Ronald Reagan won the election, I did the Jump Up
and Down by myself in a hotel room. When Donald Trump was elected President, I did
the Jump Up and Down with my wife in our den.
DonLoy
Whisnant/The Grace Perspective/Journey Notes 16K09
October 2016
Support for Downsizing a Church
When asked why GracePoint doesn’t use Facebook
or Twitter or other social media to communicate our message (The Grace
Perspective), I explain that it is not intended for an open forum, that we communicate
it through personal emails only to those who request it. All of which makes for
a small audience.
When asked why I don’t write a book, I explain
that more books don’t need to be written to interfere or conflict with the time
needed to read a Book which has already been written that surpasses all others.
When ask why I don’t pastor a traditional
church (GracePoint is a grace renewal “come and receive” church, not a
performance-driven “go and give” church), I explain that traditional churches
often exist to
- provide support and opportunity for guilt and ego driven service
in the community to help circumvent the outcome of poor choices,
- teach what they think the Bible says, and
- raise money in order to
- build buildings and programs,
- increase attendance, and
- pay salaries.
Jokingly I say sometimes that I might consider
a traditional church that wants to downsize (maybe to meet in the broom closet).
That’s because the ministry support I give (for learning how to read the
Scripture in order to hear God in order to experience Christ to a fuller
measure each day in order to manifest his Likeness in the world beginning at
home) is not a popular or welcomed message. It resulted in the crucifixion of
Christ, the martyrdom of his disciples, and the persecution of the First Century
Church
Members would leave the church in droves,
especially if they are addicted to
- entertainment music,
- codependent relationships called fellowship (but not the koinonia
of Scripture),
- whooptalyptics preaching or either profound sounding
intellectualizing to learn what the Bible says (not the same as
understanding what it means), and especially
- feel-good, ego, and guilt motivated programs to superficially relieve the pain of the needy.
DonLoy
Whisnant/The Grace Perspective/Journey Notes 16J09
Growing Older Just
Getting Started
I was born on this day a lot of years ago. Someone said I
had more life behind me than I had ahead of me. I said, “Are you kidding! How
can that be if I have eternal life?”
- I still have opportunity in this life to help hurting people learn how to read the Scripture in order to hear and experience Christ.
- Then, during the Kingdom Age, the “Thousand Year Reign of Christ on Earth,” I will be assigned the most useful ministry I ever had for helping hurting people learn how to read the Scripture in order to hear and experience Christ. Our message of grace will be very relevant and the most sought after at that time.
- And then in Heaven for eternity I will provide support for experiencing Christ to the saints for eternity.
Right now, I am just a kid and the ministry God has given us
has just now gotten started.
DonLoy Whisnant/Journey Notes 16J06
September 2016
Dreaming About Pastoring a Performance
Church
I dreamed last night that I pastored a church
of smiling members, except they were hired actors. Visitors to the church were
impressed. But we could not afford the actors for more than one service a week,
so we met only on Sunday morning.
DonLoy
Whisnant/The Grace Perspective/Journey Notes 16I03
August 2016
Delighting in God’s Plan for Parenting
I dreamed last night that I was
at a church picnic where many families were present. But instead of the
children being rowdy and loud, they were mannerly and composed. Thinking about
the reason for this, I understood in my dream that the children had parents who
were caring and supportive (not the same as doting and permissive) and that the
oldest of the mannerly and composed children influenced the younger. What a
delightful dream!
DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace
Perspective/Journey Notes 16H16
July 2016
Feeling Pressured to Please the President
After watching the GOP convention last night
and thinking about Trump’s VP choice, that his role would be to subordinate
himself to support the policies of the President, I dreamed I was invited by
Trump to serve in his cabinet as a spiritual advisor. He “wined and dined” me,
took me to his home, and I even slept in his bed which had his policies written
on the bed cover. At first, while I was happy for the opportunity, I felt a bit
pressured to do a good job and to win the President’s approval. But then he
asked me to bake a cake. I told him I didn’t bake cakes. He asked how he could
know whether or not I could bake. I said he wouldn’t. He lowered his head and
said okay. I woke up and then went back to sleep to dream that I was at a
function with him and felt pressured to be perfect. Then I thought, “I am a
Pastor and Elder; this relationship is not appropriate.” So I resigned.
DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace
Perspective/Journey Notes 16G22
June 2016
Hanging out with Donald
I dreamed last night that Donald Trump and I
were buddies. He had an interest in me hanging out with him for some reason. At
some point in my dream he offered to help me make financial investments that
would make me rich. I told him that would be okay but that making money was not
what I was all about. He asked me what I was all about. I quoted Acts 20:28,”I
want to finish the race and complete the task God has given me – the task of
testifying to the good news of God’s grace.” He looked at me as if he had never
heard of such a thing. Later, he said he had thought about what I said and
would support me for doing that. He asked what I would name such a ministry. I
said, “Christ for the World.” Then I woke up.
DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace
Perspective/Journey Notes 16F01
May 2016
“Déjà Vu All Over Again”: Learning Again a Lesson from Losing
I write in my testimony that my earlier
marriage, parenting, and ministry failed, that it was because my understanding
of Christian living and ministry was performance based – meaning that I was
highly motivated to be the world’s best Christian, a Champion for Christ, and
also that I depended hugely on hype and emotions (fear, guilt, and ego) to
drive my performance at home and in the church. I have been in recovery from
that failure for 33 years.
Now, as of recent, I must add to my testimony
another failure: This one driven,
- not just by a sensible need to be physically healthy, athletic,
and without decline even into my later years (“strength unabated” as
was Moses and Joshua), but
- by a stubborn desire to improve each year despite my age and family history.
The problem was not that I made physical
demands of myself but that I began in 2015 using a caffeine supplement to
increase energy/metabolism which, according to doctors, caused a heart
arrhythmia (A-Fib) and eventually a sudden onset of vertigo-type symptoms (the
result of an injury [blood clot] to the part of the brain that controls
balance). I have been in recovery for about four months and will need, I am
told, another several months for my injury to heal.
From this experience I have learned (again)
that the outcomes God gives are
- not the result of heroic performances, but
- the result of taking time each day to include his Provisions of
Grace into our lives,
- always redemptive (appropriate to and sufficient for our health
and happiness),
- according to his Law of Sowing and Reaping, and
- always “without regret” (ametamélētos) (Romans 11:29).
DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace
Perspective/Journey Notes 16E28
April 2016
Update: Working thru Recovery
Overachieving is
- attempting to perform at a level beyond the strength and skills
needed to support the performance,
- usually driven by an unmet temperament need
- to be significant (to be a hero, experience power and prestige),
- for approval and acceptance - from people but also from God,
- to be successful, and
- to feel useful, and
- often aided by stimulant (rather than natural) energy.
The result is always injury. It occurs in
different arenas of life, including education, workplace, and sports.
It occurs also in ministry.
The Body of Christ is fraught with Church
leaders who have
- suffered the injuries of overachievement,
- attempting to do God’s Work,
- impulsively,
- in the wrong place and at the wrong time,
- without his enablement/support, and
- superficially motivated by wildfire emotions -
- guilt (“Christ died for me, I must live for him!”),
- fear (to stay out of trouble with God), and
- ego (to be a hero to people and a Champion for Christ).
Personally, I can speak to the injuries in
ministry.
During my earlier ministry, I missed
understanding that God does his Work in specific places through vessels he
calls, prepares, and appoints in his own timing according to his Will. So I
jumped into the fray
- impulsively and ill prepared (having some human strengths and
skills as the world determines it, but too little of the support Christ
provides per Matthew 11:28-30 and John 15:1-8),
- motivated, of course, by the desire to bring the lost to Christ
for salvation, but
- driven also (as I am willing to confess now) by my unmet temperament needs as stated above.
The result was injury and loss. But instead of
the failure driving me away from God into despair, God used the experience to
call me into a different relationship with him beginning especially 28 years
ago, leading to ongoing healing and renewal for meaningful ministry through
GracePoint.
I can also speak to the injuries that are the
result of trying to perform athletically to a level beyond my strength.
At the beginning of last year, despite growing
older, I set out to better my running times and endurance as in previous years.
I had read that athletes drank lots of coffee before events to improve
performance, so I foolishly began using caffeine supplements before my runs. As
a result, I developed an irregular heartbeat (A-Fib) (which I may have already
been subject to genetically given my age and family history) which doctors say caused
an injury (blood clot) to the area of my brain that controls balance.
So instead of increased performance, my
running speed and endurance was cut in half. I expect to recover with hard
work, sufficient rest, and proper nutrition, but without the caffeine supplements.
DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace
Perspective/Journey Notes 16D30
March 2016
Recovering to Become a Zero: A Mixup in Rehab
At my first visit to rehab following an
injury, the therapist and I had our scales mixed up when she asked me to rate
how I felt. Thinking 5 was good, I said 4.
“I’m sorry you are that sick,” she said.
“It’s not that bad,” I said.
“No, 4 is not good; we don’t want you to be a
4,” she said.
“I thought 4 was pretty good,” I said.
“No,” she said, “zero is good.”
“I don’t want to feel a zero,“ I said.
“But if zero means no pain, we want you to
feel a zero,” she explained.
“Oh!” I said. “So, I am a 1 and definitely
want to be a zero!”
DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace
Perspective/Journey Notes 16C30
A Different Day When the Party’s Over: Dreaming About a Renewed Church
Last night I dreamed our community was under
siege by terrorists. Suddenly, the party was over: Recreation and entertainment
lost their appeal, raucous laughter and folly ceased, God’s name was no longer
profaned, and both saints and sinners filled the churches, not for programs and
social life, but for extended hours of confession of brokenness and need for
support to experience Christ.
DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace
Perspective/JourneyNotes 16C28
Missed Support, a Guarantee for Superficial Success
Failure is a powerful teacher. (That's why we
learn quickly not to put our hands on a hot stove.) But from the beginning it
was God’s plan for us to be supported in our formative years by resources in
the home and Church and even community (parents, pastors, and mentors) for
learning how to make wise choices so that we would be spared having to learn
mostly from our failures – which is painful and takes much, much longer.
I could have been saved from unmet
psychological needs (for information, affection, and structure) if earlier in
my life I had been supported for learning
- how to experience God through Scripture reading and quiet-time
worship and that
- his relationship to and through us to others is organic.
As it turned out, left in my ignorance, I was
driven by the need to perform heroics (overachieve) which almost always
guarantees failure – both in
- my home and ministry (which I experienced over 30 years ago), and
also
- physical health (which I experienced this year).
In both cases, I had information and support,
but they were not complete. I had some success as the world understands it, but
in many ways it was superficial and not enduring.
DonLoy Whisnant/Journey
Notes 16C07
February 2016
Set Back Pressing to Perform
Several weeks ago (January 14), I experienced
a sudden onset of vertigo-type symptoms (severe dizziness, nausea, and
weakness). I recovered in about 18 hours. About a day later, I experienced the
same symptoms, but recovered in about 10 hours. After about a day, the symptoms
returned with force. I vomited for four hours and could not stand up. When
Carole returned home from work she found me slumped over in the bathroom. She
helped me crawl to the shower, and then called EMS .
I was in Cone Hospital
As I understand it now, my problem may have
begun ten months earlier in March on a visit to Gold’s Gym. I had a great 2014,
conditioning wise, so wanted 2015 to be even better, which was unrealistic
given my age. At the end of an hour long run on the treadmill at a 6 mph pace,
I experienced a sudden weakness. I staggered over to a bench to recover. After
about 10 minutes I was able to get to the van and drive home.
Throughout 2015 I continued my exercise
program logging about 1200 fitness miles, although my running times were about 25%
slower. I was also strong physically (muscularly) to keep up with mowing and
landscaping and even helping with yard work for two of my elderly neighbors.
However, after the March episode, I noticed an
irregular heart beat which turned out to be Atrial Fibrillation (A Fib), a
genetic, age-related development, worsened, I think, by my attempt to better my
running times (a performance issue) – which resulted during this last episode
several weeks ago in an injury (blot clot) to the part of my brain that
controls balance.
Doctors say my conditioning saved me from a much worse experience, also that I will be able to work and run again, but a full recovery may take several months. We’ll see.
In the meantime, I will continue to develop OISGC and hope to continue postings on the website and sending emails.
DonLoy Whisnant/Journey
Notes 16B15
