The Eclectic Evangelical-Arlene Bridges Samuels : 2019-07-07

Many people live in the cocoons of their own habits unaware that a butterfly is possible! The Bible describes this almost unimaginable process in 2 Corinthians 5:17: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he (and she) is a new creation; the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come." God, through the Bible and nature, shows us that transformation is possible! Butterflies emerge from cocoons!

Trapped in darkness and swathed in unremarkable larva, the insect gradually slips out of its cocoon into the light, now adorned with wings of beauty. Our lives hold the same possibility. The first step in our transformation takes place when we encounter our Lord Jesus. We recognize our darkness, our struggles, and admit our brokenness.
With willingness to repent and by our invitation, He comes to release us from our cocoons. His finished work on the cross as our sacrificial Lamb bestows the gift of unconditional love upon us and delivers us into beautiful possibilities. We abide in His light and depend on Him for our new life of redemption. He takes residence in our hearts. It's too good to be true, but it is! Take heart! The Lord removes cocoons and off we fly! Beautiful!

My husband Poet Paul Samuels describes transformation in his poem

"Metamorphosis."

The caterpillar climbs a tree and finds what it considers an appropriate place

It creates a cocoon, a safe haven for the process of re-birth

Somehow, without dying it ceases to be what it once was

Perhaps the process is without pain. No one really knows except the caterpillar

And those memories stay in the cocoon, for the butterfly moves too freely

To carry a burden of any sort but what of me?

How do I find a safe haven for this process of rebirth occurring within me?

Surely, I'm not dying, it just feels that way

as old patterns of survival are revealed

as trails to destruction of relationships which count

and cannot take the strain

But I cannot climb. There is no cocoon!

The process isn't hidden and there is pain

Yet, even in this hurt that cuts deep within to those

Places which contain the ways of the past

There is hope, because the surgery in process

Is being performed by the Spirit of God

Who has the power to heal in such a way

So that as time passes, I too, can leave behind

Those burdens too heavy to carry, in a cocoon,

I cannot see and move along

As the butterfly-FREE

www.paulsamuels.com

A Tapestry of Churches

A splendid tapestry of churches has ripened my faith with fruit from many good trees; as a missionary with Mercy Ships in a crew I describe as a "Christian United Nations," and also living in Switzerland and Romania-plus moving around the United States.

Growing up, my Southern Baptist church laid my foundation built with singing the great hymns of the church, where to locate books of the Bible, and scripture memory. Through my youth group, I encountered the Lord in a personal way on July 31, 1963.

Presbyterians fed me at a buffet of Protestant theologians especially my favorite one, Dietrich Bonhoeffer and emphasized God’s sovereignty.

In The Episcopal Church, I waded into two different streams, one liturgical and the other charismatic. In the liturgical "high" Episcopal church, I feasted at the Eucharist each week and navigated the ups and downs of kneeling. In the charismatic Episcopal church, I connected more deeply with the Holy Spirit, finding freedom to raise my hands in joyful worship. As a member of a black church on then-small Hilton Head Island, the pastor and choir fed me with vibrant songs and eloquent sermons.

Living in Switzerland, we enjoyed worshipping with other ex-pats in the Church of Scotland. During our eight years with Mercy Ships, the world's largest private Christian hospital ship, we sailed the seas with a crew from 35 nations-among them South Sea Islanders who introduced us to their lovely, worshipful dances. On the mission field living in Romania, my senses delighted in the Romanian Orthodox Church replete with incense and gilded, intricate altars.

In a non-denominational church with contemporary music, I engaged with believers from varied church backgrounds and joined a small group. At the Church of God, I worshipped in a Pentecostal setting in a distinctly pro-Israel denomination that displayed the American and Israeli flags. Belongling to a small Anglican church I relished liturgy, weekly Eucharist, missions outreach to Rwanda, and acoustic guitars.

Transferring from small Anglican to big Baptist, I have reconnected with my chidlhood biblical roots where I feast on hymns sung by an outstanding choir and orchestra, an excellent Sunday School class, bible-focused sermons, and a prolific domestic and international missions focus. Last but not least, the Jewish community and expert Hebraic roots teachers have opened a door of deeper understanding that Judaism nurtured Christianity in an ancient cradle rich with commandments, festivals, wisdom, poetry, patriarchs, prophets, and Older and New Testaments. Significantly, learning more about Jewish culture and Christianity's Jewish roots has deepened a richer relationship with my Savior, a Jewish Rabbi. I've received an extraordinary gift as a non-Jew grafted into the branches of the ancient Jewish tree connecting me to Israel, my spiritual homeland. .

I invite you to walk with me through a lifetime of adventures reflecting a tapestry of faith that I hope will encourage you in your journey to discover extraordinary beauty and limitless fulfillment of our Christian faith.

In Him we hope, Arlene

Be a Butterfly

Only One Name, Only One Verse