{"id":3158,"date":"2012-09-21T05:10:02","date_gmt":"2012-09-21T09:10:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/simplelife\/?p=3158"},"modified":"2012-09-21T08:12:52","modified_gmt":"2012-09-21T12:12:52","slug":"shallowland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2012\/09\/shallowland.html","title":{"rendered":"Shallowland"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Perhaps the most miserable place on earth is Shallowland. \u00a0This is a place into which most of us slip in and out. \u00a0Sometimes several times a day. \u00a0Others live there permanently, docking their storm-worn boats just outside the majestic Courts of the Almighty where amazing blessing flow.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>For the folks living in Shallowland, they are content to merely see or guess about the wonders which remain freely available inside the gates of God’s courts. \u00a0Shallowland is as dismal as the name implies. \u00a0Vacant and hallow, morbid, desolate. \u00a0Yet, the fear of giving up the familiar holds the resident boat people of Shallowland captive.<\/p>\n

Almost no one who lives in Shallowland actively engages in horrific acts of sin. \u00a0They satisfy themselves by merely existing in their world of prideful contentment.<\/p>\n

Please understand the residents of Shallowland are Christians. \u00a0They are simply not deeply committed to their Savior. \u00a0Sunday morning church is the best they can muster. \u00a0And that may be interrupted by weeks,months or years of “not feeling well” or greater commitments.<\/p>\n

When the subject comes up, Sarah tells everyone that she is a member of First Church of Shallowland. \u00a0However, she has not attended in more than ten years. \u00a0Sarah would be surprised that everyone she once knew there has also disappeared. \u00a0She doesn’t expect Pastor Whatshisname to know her; but she would be shocked that First Church took her off the roll five years ago because of inactivity.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>While most of the members of The Special Gathering which is a ministry within the mentally challenged community could not be called “Saints of God.” \u00a0They desire and aim for that status. \u00a0Like green apples, they cling hard to the Source of Life because they want to grow in Christ. \u00a0Few of them desire to live in Shallowland.<\/p>\n

I’ve learned from them that regarding growth in Christ IQ is not as important as WantTo. \u00a0While Paul emphasizes that faith cannot be bought with the price our good works, the book of James reminds us that living for Christ is hard work. \u00a0Prayer, study and commitment do not come without determined effort.<\/p>\n

But the rewards of living in the Courts of the Almighty are worth every bit of strength we muster. \u00a0The Special Gathering members are a stark reminder of the merits of pursuing\u00a0Christ. \u00a0As I look at the joy on Jack’s face and catch a glimpse of Shelley’s heart, I become more and more convinced that the Courts of the Almighty is where I want to be.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Perhaps the most miserable place on earth is Shallowland. \u00a0This is a place into which most of us slip in and out. \u00a0Sometimes several times a day. \u00a0Others live there permanently, docking their storm-worn boats just outside the majestic Courts of the Almighty where amazing blessing flow. For the folks living in Shallowland, they are…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":387,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,3,40,186,49,16,8,4,41],"tags":[690,21,688,542,7,699,715,701,689,57,541,6,700],"class_list":["post-3158","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christianity","category-developmental-disabilities","category-faith","category-hope","category-inspiration","category-intellectual-disability","category-mentally-challenged-community","category-simple-truths","category-spirituality","tag-autism-spectrum","tag-christian","tag-christianity","tag-courts-of-the-almighty","tag-developmental-disabilities-2","tag-faith","tag-hope","tag-inspiration","tag-mentally-challenged-community","tag-prayer","tag-shallowland","tag-simple-scriptural-truths","tag-spirituality"],"yoast_head":"\nShallowland - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2012\/09\/shallowland.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Shallowland - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Perhaps the most miserable place on earth is Shallowland. \u00a0This is a place into which most of us slip in and out. \u00a0Sometimes several times a day. \u00a0Others live there permanently, docking their storm-worn boats just outside the majestic Courts of the Almighty where amazing blessing flow. For the folks living in Shallowland, they are…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2012\/09\/shallowland.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-09-21T09:10:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2012-09-21T12:12:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/specialgathering.files.wordpress.com\/2012\/09\/shallowland.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Linda G. Howard\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Shallowland - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2012\/09\/shallowland.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Shallowland - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith","og_description":"Perhaps the most miserable place on earth is Shallowland. \u00a0This is a place into which most of us slip in and out. \u00a0Sometimes several times a day. \u00a0Others live there permanently, docking their storm-worn boats just outside the majestic Courts of the Almighty where amazing blessing flow. 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