Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma

What 'force' is dominant in Fallbrook?

Several years ago I went on a ride at Pacific Ocean Park that involved standing in a large circular “barrel” with our backs against the outer wall. After the “barrel” began to spin faster and faster the floor suddenly dropped out below us…but, of course, no one fell because the centrifugal force was holding us up. I have often thought of the “invisible forces” that are either pulling us apart or drawing us together.

During a program called “Edge of Adventure” everyone was asked to describe the time in their lives when they were closest to their neighbors. Interestingly ever person there described a time when they were somewhat needy. A psychiatrist said he hadn’t felt close to his neighbors since medical school. He said that each step toward financial independence and eventually success he had become more isolated from his neighbors. Fences went up, and then got taller and more substantial. He said that he had become afraid of great wealth because he would have eventually felt like he was in a prison defending himself against robbers. So we concluded that “success” had an inherent force that separates people.

During a recent interview of Princes William and Harry, they described how difficult it is to tell whether people were really their friends or whether they were just trying to “use them” for some perceived personal gain. They went on to tell how their relationships with women had also been dramatically impacted. So, I guess we could also conclude that “great fame and fortune” also have an inherent force that tends to separates people.

On the other hand, I can remember a night in which a group of 20 or so people were sitting in a living room and “laughing and enjoying each other’s company.” This group had almost nothing in common. They were from different socio-economic groups…some were yuppies, others were on fixed incomes, some were young and others were older. The one thing they had in common was that they were all disciples of Jesus Christ. They had gathered to study God’s Word together and found that they very much enjoyed each other’s company. So, I believe we could conclude that the Spirit of God is clearly a strong force for bringing people together.

Well, what about Fallbrook? Are we a community that is “controlled” by the forces that are pulling us apart or are we allowing God to draw us together? For most of the past 12 years I have been in Fallbrook, I was convinced that we are a very unusual community that has strong internal forces which “draw us together.” We seem to know that we need one another and are eager to join together for common ministry and outreach. However, in the past year there seems to be a discernable drawing apart. I am praying for a fresh outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit on the Fallbrook Christian Community. I am particularly praying that God will refresh and renew our commitment to one another and that we will resist all forces that would pull us apart.

 

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