Greetings from my Captivity

Greetings (from my captivity at Durnstein Castle) After sitting on this blog for exactly one year - I am finally released to at least write to you. Some of you are of my tribe - my spiritual family as followers of The Way - some of you may be friends, strangers, even enemies; but in this brave new world of technology we are are all bound as neighbors. As for me - I am sure who I am will present itself through my letters to you, the songs I write, and the essence & imagery of both combined. At the core of The Way is a Person, a Son, A King...the long awaited Messiah promised to the Jews.

Am I part of the church? As surely as I have faith than I am (let the reader understand). Do we attend church or are we The Church? Ekklesia - the assembly, or in proper scriptural and historical context: The Body (1 Corinthians 12:5-31). In the midst of this, I have surprisingly been called or labeled a 'Lone Wolf', an outsider. This has been a point of concern since I submitted to The Way and was 'Born Again' in 1994, at my beach flat in White Rock, British Columbia, Canada. Since then, I have attended and participated in literally hundreds of meetings, movements and services in as many buildings with all kinds of designations: Church, The Vineyard, Anglican, Charismatic, Emergent and the list goes on. Having had no previous religion, preconceived notions, traditions, or agenda for my first 20 years (other than being a broken, hardened selfish man), I had no other plan than believing and following The Way revealed to me (Acts 24:14).
It just so happens The Way seems to have been changed - purposefully, even - having been rebranded, reconstructed, and redefined, producing alarming alterations in name, function, and position. As these things dawn on you, it becomes horrifying - akin to walking in a room and catching a person trying to feed an infant child a bottle filled with bleach. One can excitedly & naively point these things out, because surely it would be insane to let that continue. Well, concerning myself, this matter of a lone wolf may be apparently so, but it is completely not the case and certainly not my desire nor my choice. I am a branch grafted onto the True Vine. I desire nothing more than to facilitate my function as part of the True Vine, or Body. Another way: I am an organ transplant - but sometimes a body will go into rejection mode after a transplant. I have no other option/viewpoint on this matter, as I truly esteem the Body and care for it's health. There is rejection, but it is one sided.

Why has the way changed so much? It is not healthy to engage and promote falsehoods. It is not healthy to consume filth. It is not healthy to stagnate and atrophy. It is also not healthy to take pleasure in error - but the church is full of 'smiling happy people', who care not to have their pleasure interrupted.

I was once Lord of the Manor, but have become it's servant. This is a good thing.

Deeply, Sir Richard