week 22, post 4: the subversive nature of the Gospel

"...for we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers..." The Gospel lived out is inevitably going to cause trouble/run into resistance. Here in the bayou communities it is strongly entrenched in the culture to have a high, thick boundary around the (extended) family and virtually no boundaries within the family system. This is a recipe for trouble on many levels and good therapy or social casework often encourages a revision of that. Separation and differentiation of individuals in a family is generally seen as healthy; not so here. So Bayou Grace makes trouble -- a little -- as we do our work. We're building healthy families; we're building community. The work is not without aggravations, risks, outright hardships. Causing trouble does not mean we're doing the Gospel; doing the Gospel does mean there will inevitably be some conflict. Pray for us, that we may indeed not lose heart in the work, that we will keep it always in mind that powers and principalities are the opponent, and that we will always be serpent wise and dove innocent in all we do. Peace, Warren