"Humility..........................."

I’m sitting in the parking lot of the Cincinnati Eye Institute, Beth inside with the sister-in-law for another check-up before surgery Friday. It’s early, the sky overcast and rain predicted to hopefully lower the temperature somewhat, a good breeze, at the moment, reinforcing that forecast. I’m not thinking so much, however, about the weather. My mind is focused on “walls”. Our visit yesterday to the Youth Detention Center was successful in so far as the kids being open to us, having seen no arms folded and locked across anyone’s chest, no anxious tapping of the toes signaling a desire to “just get it over with”, no foreboding frowns on faces showing obvious disagreement with what we said. They were listening. Our words were being received. Nonetheless, when it came down to final prayer, neither was there any sign of “surrender”, any penetration accomplished through the Spirit remaining a private matter locked up and hidden inside each Individual’s heart…. Sitting in church last night, then, I found myself observing from the balcony how that same scenario works itself out within the sanctuary. Fellowship may well not be what coming together to worship is all about, but a willingness to “let down the barriers”, to share one’s heart with another, creates that space for the Holy Ghost to move in our midst. It doesn’t require everyone believing all things the same; nor does it demand some standard of perfection achieved by those who enter into it. Indeed, if “love covers a multitude of sins”, then grace overlooks an abundance of ignorance, stupidity, and humanity as it exists. In that sense, “unity” is a mutual move toward each other that becomes alive in Him……