In the short history of this blog there have been a number of sequences. Small journeys of walking with my God. A God who has grown into my God Soft Hands Jesus – GSHJ. A God who has become so personal I cannot think of Him and me in any other way. A way of love. Mutual. Eternal. Unconditional. I am finding I am loving GSHJ as HE loves me. Without condition.

And that brought me up against “The Bible”.  BUMP!  An inviting, seductive, impenetrable barrier we call The Word of God. A barrier between me and others – and a barrier between me and God. The Bible. The Word of God.  A … “barrier” … ???

And the more I explored a way through this barrier – the more I found myself becoming a gatekeeper for God – a self-appointed know-it-all – what we call a “good Christian”.

Because the more I tailored my bible to suit the God I knew – the more I found myself excusing the God I know.  I was not seeking the God in the bible – there is a fierce God in the bible – one who demands blood – one who sanctions genocide – one who orders immediate and no-holds-barred death – who judges and punishes on the spot – “that” God.

The one we tend to put in a big box marked “Not be opened until eternity”. A box we teach as “The mystery of God”. A God we never understand – nor choose to try.

So He invited me on a journey.  A journey to look very closely at this ”other God”. An open invitation to ask the unaskable. To open this box in public – to sift through what is inside – to see if this “barrier” (that is the bible) is of our invention – or His.

And He asked that I make this journey on “Church Set Free” rather than here.

I am happy to oblige – Church Set Free is as much His as is this blog – both are “of God (Soft Hands Jesus)”.

And so the first tentative journeying begins today across on CSF,  The first step is called :

Where is unconditional love – (I)

If you want to tag along, I would really love your company!

Thank you.