“2 Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. 2 I went up because of a revelation and set before them (though privately before those who seemed influential) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure I was not running or had not run in vain. 3 But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. 4 Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery— 5 to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you. 6 And from those who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me. 7 On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised 8 (for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles), 9 and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 10 Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.” (Gal 2:1-10 ESV)

Part of the convert’s experience—why he or she cannot “Convert a second time”—is a peace with Opportunities: we do not covet the helm of the ship, only we do see a world rife with all manner of Issues to fight over and to let inspire and to guide us. But to the convert, the experience of a hated alternative—what the life-long Christian calls the frustrating unbeliever—is an experience of making peace, making amends, making tolerance and occasion to bless the enemy. And this… it leaves all folks who are thus inspired, at the mercy of a corporate judgment that will Never Accept the tale.

That tale being that though we try to converse and make amends, we accidentally Ape one another and anyways, “Your life experience, your come-to-Jesus… what does it have to do with me? Why should I take time out of my day?”. Still the hero in our midst Learns: know your jaunts and teaching style borders on things others call Irreverence, Humor, Disdain. And do try… if you have any care for us… do try to stick to the straight and narrow. Do try to sympathize with mother’s knee, father’s knee, where we grew up and what formed us and see: converts are a rare breed. They however know Submission, but submission before the idols and personalities were on the seen. We didn’t “Convert” to so-and-so, only to something we thought others would share with us, some corporate notion of Jesus in all the sum of our life experience thus far. Not this Jesus or that Jesus of forcible agreement, but an open field of rubbing shoulders rather than kneeling before our fellow Man. We rub shoulders because we thought others were likewise paupers in a King’s court, yet paupers still wealthy with lifelong Experience of Encounter with their fellows and gals. Knowledge. True assessment. People-experience.

The tale being that to have found things “frozen in time” is to have missed out so desperately, so sadly, on a few words of mutual kneeling, mutual submission, mutual Joy in Discovery. We have Joy in what strange haunts life has tossed our way, the would-be proselyte fasting like crazy and still sinner except: except they have put aside all the outwardly ill deeds, the better to grapple with the sins of pride and ambition. And at some point the soldier in us must cease looking for man’s praise, and simply plant a flag. We no longer have time to wallow. We no longer have time to await permission. We have a tale to tell in dire hope that those eavesdroppers called the preexisting Faithful, will themselves come to Jesus. Come to Christ. Will “unfreeze” and warm and melt a bit. To laugh a bit, and ask an innocent question or two. To see around that corner called “I can’t do that!” and say that after all we can do.

The habitual abode of the church is one with the false illusion saying, “Just bring them here! Bring these friends and companions!” But all that minus the self-awareness of ourselves as part of the problem. The church as part of the problem. We are not innocent bystanders. We harm and presume and teach false doctrines in the church. Not everyone finds it a simple thing just to “show up”. Therefore we all seek that Invite called a change in time, a timely transfer, where we learned and Discovered to blanket all life in that same Knowledge: I was wrong about so much! I was in the devil’s courts! I now and today no longer think myself fit for the journey, only insofar as Christ has made me fit, and fit for a world scary but ripe with occasions to Labor, and hopefully so to do without rubbing the would-be helmsperson the wrong way. There is so much that can benefit from an hour’s attention.