{"id":25006,"date":"2025-04-01T10:18:40","date_gmt":"2025-04-01T14:18:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/?p=25006"},"modified":"2025-04-01T10:59:28","modified_gmt":"2025-04-01T14:59:28","slug":"25006","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/?p=25006","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Tauren Wells - Known (Official Lyric Video)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xckDgX8xNfg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Not Joining the Crowd<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Religion scholar Diana Butler Bass ponders the crowd\u2019s outrage after Jesus\u2019 first sermon in Nazareth (<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/email.cac.org\/t\/d-l-sihiuz-dkgktyktu-j\/\"><em>Luke 4:18\u201330<\/em><\/a><em>)\u2014and the courage required to resist it:&nbsp;<\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A preacher gets up, quotes scripture, and reminds the gathered congregation that God loves the outcast\u2014those in fear for their lives\u2014the poor, prisoners, the disabled, and the oppressed.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In response, an outraged mob tries to kill the preacher\u2026.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jesus spoke directly to the congregation saying that God loved widows and those stricken with leprosy\u2014implying that his neighbors had not treated widows and lepers justly. <strong>They praised God\u2019s words&nbsp;<em>about&nbsp;<\/em>justice but were not acting on God\u2019s command to enact mercy toward outcasts.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s when they \u201call\u201d got angry and turned into a mob. At least, the majority of them didn\u2019t want to hear this. They flew into a rage.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way. [Luke 4:28\u201330]&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8230; What do you do when the mob turns ugly? When widows and lepers, when LGBTQ people and immigrants, are afraid and treated cruelly\u2014and when a brave prophet calls out the self-righteous? What do you do when there\u2019s a lynch mob or a cross-burning?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I suspect the unnamed heroes of this story stepped outside of the \u201call,\u201d not willing to be part of the totality, and made a way for the intended victim to pass safely. Did they spot one another in the angry throng? A furtive glance, seeing another hesitant face across the room? Maybe they moved toward one another, hoping to keep each other safe. Did a few others notice the two and the small band then began to multiply? <strong>The \u201call\u201d was furious; the few didn\u2019t understand how it had come to this.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was frightening for them; it must have been hard to go against their family, friends, and neighbors. As they followed the mob to the bluff, they must have worried that if they spoke up they could be thrown off, too. But<strong> instead of submitting to the tyranny of the \u201call,\u201d maybe they formed a little alternative community in solidarity with each othe<\/strong>r. When Jesus was herded to the cliff, perhaps it was they who saw an opening\u2014made an opening\u2014and helped him escape.\u202f<em>He passed through the midst of them and went on his way.<\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That is, indeed, a miracle. The bystanders find the courage to do something.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If <strong>Jesus needed that, so do we\u2026. We must form squads of love and make a path through together \u2026 no matter how fearsome the mob.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And that\u2019s the overlooked miracle of Luke 4: <strong>Only a community\u2014even one that goes unnoticed in the crowd\u2014the band that refuses to join the rabble\u2014can keep us from going completely over the edge.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Untangling Twisted Teachings:&nbsp;<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>A Journey to Joy and Identity<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">by Jennifer Cochrane.    (@Life Model Works)<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>At 45, I began the painful but freeing process of learning to live from the heart Jesus gave me. Ironically, it was \u201cchurch hurt\u201d that became the catalyst for discovering true healing and identity.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I was raised in environments steeped in legalism and performance-based Christianity\u2014a rigid home, a fundamentalist school, and a denomination more focused on theology than genuine connection. <strong>Joy\u2014the deep assurance that God and others delighted in me\u2014was missing.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I internalized damaging messages:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>God\u2019s acceptance was conditional.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>I was inherently worthless.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>My emotions and needs were dangerous and needed to be suppressed.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>After becoming a believer at 32, these lies only deepened as I absorbed teachings on biblical womanhood: that my primary role was to serve men, that my discernment was inherently flawed, and that forgiveness meant unconditional relationship\u2014regardless of harm.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These teachings fractured my sense of self and left me with no voice, no confidence, and a deep ache I couldn\u2019t name. When my suppressed emotions of grief and anger finally surfaced, I felt overwhelmed and lost.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But in that painful season, I began to hear God\u2019s voice for myself.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One night, in the midst of my confusion, I heard Him whisper:&nbsp;<br>\u201cYou have value to Me. And I\u2019m not okay with the way you\u2019re being treated.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was a turning point.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>God gently began dismantling the lies that had bound me. I slowly reclaimed my agency and began trusting my own discernment again. Though I wrestled with triggers\u2014tightening in my chest, swirling anxious thoughts, and a sense of dread when stepping into traditional church environments\u2014they gradually lost their power as I allowed God to meet me in my pain.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>God\u2019s promises of \u201chope and a future\u201d (Jeremiah 29:11) and \u201cwide open spaces\u201d (Psalm 18:19) began to manifest. He provided<strong> a life-giving, multi-generational community at work and supportive friendships that mirrored my true identity. Healthy men in my life challenged my distorted view of masculinity, showing me compassion and kindness.<\/strong> These people held space for my grief and didn\u2019t rush my healing process. Over time, I <strong>began to see myself through heaven\u2019s eyes and experience the joy and freedom I had longed for.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I also began learning about attachment, relational circuits, and fear\/love bonds, which brought clarity to my past and healing to my present.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Looking back, I\u2019m amazed at God\u2019s faithfulness to redeem what was broken.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re walking through the pain of \u201cchurch hurt,\u201d know this:&nbsp;<br>God\u2019s commitment to your healing is deeper than your own.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Courageously face the pain.&nbsp;<br>Let Him untangle the lies.&nbsp;<br>And ask Him to bring even a few safe, like-hearted people who will walk with you toward wholeness.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From&nbsp;<em><a href=\"https:\/\/shop.lifemodelworks.org\/collections\/on-sale\/products\/living-from-the-heart-jesus-gave-you\">Living from the Heart Jesus Gave You<\/a><\/em>, p.20:&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cCentral to the Christian experience is an unchanging belief that God is at work in all things for the good of those who love Him (Rom. 8:28), and that means&nbsp;<em>all<\/em>&nbsp;things.<strong> He is particularly at work when we are stuck in pain that seems to be endless and meaningless.<\/strong> The time-honored Christian approach to pain and wholeness involves our activity as well as God\u2019s:&nbsp;<strong><em>His work in us is to bring redemption to all of the traumas that have broken us, and our work is to strive for maturity as we progress to wholeness<\/em>.<\/strong> The word \u2018redemption\u2019 is sometimes difficult to understand, simply because it is used in so many contexts. Here is the way it is used in the&nbsp;<em>Life Model<\/em>: <strong>Redemption is God bringing good out of bad, leading us to wholeness, and the experience of God\u2019s amazing power.&nbsp;<em>Redemption means that out of our greatest pain can come our most profound personal mission in life<\/em>.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Not Joining the Crowd Religion scholar Diana Butler Bass ponders the crowd\u2019s outrage after Jesus\u2019 first sermon in Nazareth (Luke 4:18\u201330)\u2014and the courage required to resist it:&nbsp;&nbsp; A preacher gets up, quotes scripture, and reminds the gathered congregation that God loves the outcast\u2014those in fear for their lives\u2014the poor, prisoners, the disabled, and the oppressed.&nbsp; [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25006"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=25006"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25006\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25011,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25006\/revisions\/25011"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=25006"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=25006"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=25006"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}