I’ve been rather tired this week and I don’t know why.
I’m weary of people assuming I guess. I don’t know.

Online friends have been having a tough go of it.
Quantum Tea had a car accident, Such Small Hands holding firm, Jordon Cooper had a borderline heart attack, Ganns dad died last week….

Familar voices stepping back because life is happening.

There was a small moment over at Real Live Preacher that was for reasons I can’t explain, a bit like a smack across the head.

RLP has a writing commitment to a magazine once a month and he faithfully puts up the link. I saw it and decided to wait until I had time to read his piece.

Remembering Mrs. Fortner is about his days in his hospital chaplaincy residency.
Nice article, reminiscent of a book I like - Go Out in Joy - a story of a former TV reporter who winds up becoming a children’s hospital chaplain.

It’s a article that freezes a life lesson, an important life lesson.
There was another lesson in it for me personally. I always read comments, to me that is half the fun of blogging. There were the predictable thank yous, acknowledgements and sharing from students going through their residencies.
And then what I thought was a piece of spam.

It’s a stream of consciousness comment. I thought it was auto-generated.
It makes your head ache. There is a bizarre desperateness in it, a disconnect, unreal to the surroundings. Painfully glaring.
I would have deleted this without a second thought. It wouldn’t have occurred to me it wasn’t spam.

Free, Free, Free! Specifically, a spiritual stronghold is anything that has a demonic strong hold on you. It is any physical, soulish, or spiritual force, power, or influence that robs you of the fruit and power of the Holy Spirit operating fully in your life. It is any thing or any being (human or demonic) which takes from the abundant life in Christ which Jesus Himself promised to you. It’s time for you to recognize and tear down all these limiting, destructive strongholds. It’s time to be really, really free! Jesus said, “I’ve come that YOU might have life and have it more abundantly.” It is absolutely imperative that YOU discover today how to specifically and effectively “tear down” these very strongholds that are tearing you down in order to be truly spiritually free. You are to be 100% free of any and all entanglements, hindrances, yokes, bondages, shackles, chains, mentality, mindset, philosophy, or spirituality - anything or any one who might take from you the incredible liberty that exists in Christ Jesus for YOU. Yes, YOU are to be 100% free!

RLP is web-saavy. He saw that this was an actual comment by an actual person.
Rather than dismiss this long rant he addressed the person.

Fight to Win, I’m going to leave these two comments here because this is the first time you’ve done this. But really, if you want to leave a comment, leave a comment. Keep it short and to the point. 1500 words, and they aren’t even your own! My gosh, that’s longer than most of my essays.

RLP was remembering Mrs. Fortner.
I couldn’t have been gracious about such odd desperate online point-making.
RLP’s response wasn’t about proving anything, or striving, it was just about being.
Allowing ‘Fight to Win’ some space to be, without relenquishing being RLP.

‘Fight to Win’ being given some humanity was like a drink of cold water in a dry dusty week when I’ve felt like I’m swimming against the tide. When I see online friends hurting and I can’t fix things. When I haven’t got the desire to defend who I am. When I’m told I’m off base and I just don’t fit the program. An online reminder from another online friend a long time ago - Nill illigitimi carborundum! When the inside gentleness I count on hides behind curling clouds of contempt.
Thanks preacher.