Three part Post – The Threshold Volume Two
Part One of Three
From time to time pastors leave a church or the style of music changes. At that point I seriously hang in there giving the new pastor or the music time to help me worship at my best. But they do not.
New ways, new sounds just don’t feed my old hunger. Searching for a church was and still is a repeating activity, as the Lord leads.
It’s a struggle when I move my residence and begin looking for a new church and congregation to worship with. After five then six Sundays the remaining choices are farther and farther away.
Then God opens the door to what seems like a great fit.
Similarly looking for employment can be very challenging. Like a church there are trade offs in deciding where to plunge in.
Marriages are life time commitments or they’re supposed to be until a regrettable change comes about.
If you’re single there can be years or even decades between positive friendship/relationships of the opposite sex. Marriage is optional.
In 2007 my searching was a lot like it was in other years. I was looking for a church, but I had a job and I was looking for a Christian woman to share time with and be friends.
From – The Threshold Volume Two
Chapter 3: Steeple Peaks and Valleys, pages 48-49
From boredom and curiosity, I bought a second computer, a large laptop, to begin exploring on the Internet. Becoming more familiar with that source of media was to help my creative writing.The new Internet computer was kept separate from my creative-writing computer.
If there was a danger of the Internet world invading my personal space, I didn’t want my writing attacked by viruses. I found, however, that even though I was on the Internet, I was still without any interest to do anything with it. Without interest, I couldn’t find a reason to even turn the new computer on—until I thought of exploring the so-called Christian dating sites to help get my hurt feelings of lost love off my mind.
The Internet dating search began to fill my emotional void. My curiosity was short-lived and dampened by the distance and the lack of seeing real women. Without human contact to help discern a person’s character, there seemed to be an increase of overall absence of honesty. The Internet service was soon canceled. Live people were hard enough to understand.
Online Dating
I joined a computer search for a woman in a church.
She came up in my lonely world. Her name is Pearly, Pearl.
She don’t care if I can’t spell; I don’t care if she’s got a dell
Typing words we’re friends; it helps my broken heart mend
Borders are gone online. Photo faces do shine.
Feelings of love combine, hope is a song divine.
Online Dating, so near, so far.
I like the way things are flowing. Online Dating, so near, so far.
Where on earth will we be going?
Says she likes purple and blue. I like her, her picture too.
Words tell of her tenderness; somehow maybe we will kiss.
Pearly, Pearl types from PA. Pearly makes my New York day.
Is there love that’s solid gold? All I know is what I’m told.
Borders are gone online. Photo faces do shine.
Feelings of love combine, hope is a song divine.
Online Dating, so near, so far.
I like the way things are flowing. Online Dating, so near, so far.
Where on earth will we be going?
From – The Threshold Volume Two
Chapter 3, pages 54-55
Going into January 2007, I had growing satisfaction with my writing and my job helping the learning-disabled. But I was through with local Christian dating services. The Internet was tasteless and lacked the subtleties and nuances of spontaneity. There was no looking into a woman’s eyes and listening to her voice.
How foolish was the pursuit of a distant personality regardless of whatever kind of device, machine, or computer I could use. Long or short distance was still distance and not face-to-face. Perhaps I should have tried a mail-order bride.
The few women I dated felt too engineered and so artificial. Dating by way of a machine felt like sitting where you sat in alphabetical rows because you had a particular name, age, etc. all statistics not because you wanted to sit there. I am a visual man; I need to see what’s real.
As in my past, the need for my time alone to write in the diaries had now become more essential. I never really designed this kind of living for myself; it grew that way before I designed it,and I was living it at age fifty-four. But I was reminded my God allowed it all and He chose me to receive His blessings.
I could see my trust in God’s will had grown over my will in the years as He allowed me to follow His lead. I was blessed to know the wonders of the Holy Spirit’s work in my life. If I loved a woman again, the will of God would be first.
Friends First and Foremost
First hellos walk the line,
Let hope grow in sunshine.
I like her, smiles we miss,
Say goodbye, blow a kiss.
Friends First and Foremost,
The two of us with the Holy Host.
Friends First and Foremost,
Three Friends, First and Foremost.
Every thought held captive,
Living how we should live,
Motives clear, we agree,
In God’s grace, there’s harmony.
A kiss may or may not make us,
A kiss may or may not mistake us.
Friends First and Foremost,
The two of us with the Holy Host.
Friends First and Foremost,
Three friends, First and Foremost.
A kiss may or may not make us,
A kiss may or may not mistake us.
Wait on God, He’s the source.
Let His love run your course.
Our friendship has the room;
If God wills, our love will bloom.
*******************
Life was laying out like a rolling plan to be a living adventure of trust and faith in God. The next fist full of years weaved in and out.
Exploring new churches came when time brought enough change to roll me onward.
As life’s physical, economical and emotional conditions demanded my efforts to except change and move on I did so. My faith grew stronger.
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