Last week Hilary and I attended a service of thanksgiving for the life of Don Pfotenhauer at Way of the Lord Church. The church was full for the first large gathering many had attended in months, as the restrictions in Minnesota were recently eased “…..for Don, Lord?” I chuckled…..for such was the stature of the man.
Don and Marty welcomed us when we arrived in Minnesota with the Father’s loving delight which characterized their lives and interactions with every person.
A few years ago I sang “A Rising Sun” at Way of the Lord. Afterwards Don came up to me, put his hand on my arm and said, “I’ve got to have copy of that song!”
Every time I subsequently encountered him over the next months he would ask me, “Well have you got that song recorded for me yet?”
It had got stuck in the works of an album that had ground to a halt because of Ben’s poor health. So eventually I asked Ben, “Would you be able to dig into the archives and see if there’s a decent enough rough mix of “A Rising Sun” I feel it is important to honor Don and his request for that song.” Ben managed to burn a couple of CDs and I was able to deliver a version of Ben singing the song to Don.
If you listen to the words and you knew Don, you would understand why he had such an affinity for the song it as it talks about encountering the blessings of God in every aspect of life, and the desire above all to know him and have him be fully known on earth.
The final verse goes….
“To find the hand that fits the glove
The parting hymn with one we’ve loved
The perfect time…….. to catch the wave…… and rise above.“
I realized after recording the video for this post it lasts 9.10. Don died at 91 years….the perfect time!
I also realized the last blog was entitled Caught up in the Divine Weave ………close to….. catch the wave.
Just before dinner I changed the title of the blog from ‘Moving Forward by Standing Still’ to ‘Moving Upwards by Standing Still’ …..then realized later, that too, was reflected in this last line of the final verse…… and rise above.
Bill who lives with us, like Don, is a brother whose life Father has woven together with ours. He just happened to say over dinner, “I’ve been listening to Watchman Nee again and he says there is a point in your life as a believer where you no longer are moving forward, but Moving Upwards!”
On this weekend we celebrate our common destiny and victory as “A RISING SON”!
Don came from a family steeped in the Lutheran Church, and when the charismatic movement hit in the 60’s and 70’s he paid the price to STAND in this new found freedom in the Spirit and was ‘put out’ by that denomination.
The church in Blaine which he founded changed it’s name a few years ago from Way of the Cross to Way of the Lord. I realized how Don’s life experience reflected how as disciples of Jesus we must go the same way he went…
“Who though he was in the form of God did not think equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself taking the form a servant. And being found in the likeness of men he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a CROSS
……therefore God has highly exalted him and given him a name above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is LORD.” (Phil.2)
The Way of the CROSS precedes The Way of the LORD. Before the exaltation must first come the humbling.
We follow a Jesus who “was despised and rejected by men.” (Is. 53:3) “Men” here represents what the bible calls,“the world” system. It is embedded in -“the establishment” and adhered to by “the collective.”
This is what Don discovered.
“Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus WILL be persecuted.” (2 Tim. 3:16)
Sadly a reader just commented. “It’s difficult in these days to share one’s thoughts with others without being called ‘a conspiracy theorist’, when actually you are just genuinely seeking truth and have some questions as to what in heaven’s name is going on in the world today! I feel we’ve lost the art of debate…. so we have not stated our position on some things unless asked.”
It seems that people who are wondering about an alternative narrative are mocked as ‘conspiracy theorists’. A reasoned conversation about ‘What is the truth?’ then gets shut down because they are ‘written off’ as ‘crazy’.
One of my friends pointed out that, the story of the whole bible could well be described as “The Grand Conspiracy” We remember at this time how that conspiracy (“But the Pharisees went out and conspired how they might destroy him. (Matt 12:14) came to a climax on “Good Friday” and then continued with the lies and bribery on “Easter Sunday” “So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.”(Matt.28:19)
As Don’s time came ‘to rise above’, the service provided a beautiful opportunity for the kingdom antidote to MOCKERY, as person after person gave HONOR to the legacy of a man who modeled beautifully our loving heavenly Father.
These two opposing spirits were both present at the crucifiction. We read that the Roman soldiers ‘mocked him’.(Lk.23:36) Then as Jesus yielded up his spirit on the cross another Roman, a centurion, who had withheld judgement and simply watched and listened until he saw the whole drama play out, uttered these words of HONOR, “Truly this was the son of God.” (Lk.27:54)
Although we can say a clear “Yes” to some things and “No’ to other things, we would be wise to, like the centurion, with much of life, say, “Maybe. I’ll stay open minded. We will see.”
As Don had been ‘genuinely seeking truth’, he had, once he had found “The Spirit of truth”, then courageously moved to live on the street where we live – PARK-VIEW….. by doing what the bible says, “STAND STILL …and see the salvation of God.” (Ex.14:13)
The root of division is not religion or race or politics or gender, but the fear and pride that give rise to this mocking spirit
“Drive out MOCKER and out goes strife. quarrels and insults are ended.” (Prov.22:10)
Let us as the bible instructs, rather seek to, “Give HONOR where honor is due” (Rm.13:7) so that God might open hearts to a love that humbles us and casts out our fears in order that we find true spiritual dialogue, or as my reader put it, recover ‘the art of debate’, and enter into true oneness in Christ.