THINKING THROUGH THE THIRD PATHWAY PT. 1

Posted on February 9, 2026 by joseph elon lillie under Uncategorized

In a post, last week, I mentioned that the Lord had been impressing on me that it was time to find another pathway of life ( a third pathway) through the increasingly complicated maze of our culture here in America. I sensed, during that time, that if Christians were to remain Christian, in the days ahead, we were going to have to withdraw from the world’s way of doing things and embrace a new way…which I guess is really an old way we have neglected for a bit.

you may remember we started here: FULL POST HERE

So let’s begin at the beginning. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO STAND WITH SOMEBODY?

Well, here is what AI suggested as a definition of “stand with”- To “stand with” somebody means to publicly support, align with, or show solidarity with a person, group, or cause, often during times of conflict, difficulty, or in a shared, unified effort.

We’ll get to what it means to be underserved tomorrow but let’s talk about:

Public support– For me this means to love people unashamedly and to publicly build relationships with people… By love I mean….Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

⁸Love never fails. 1 Cor. 13:4-8

Align with- To me this means finding the spaces of community cooperation with people I do not see eye to eye with. Alignment is not, in my mind, perfect agreement but cooperation on values we do agree with.

Show solidarity– I had to look up a definition here. Solidarity is unity or agreement of feeling or action, especially among individuals with a common interest; mutual support within a group.

Again this is not about perfect agreement but about finding those things we can agree on to build our communities together. I hate to keep talking about the absence of perfect agreement, but I realize that in our Christian communities we have embraced an unwillingness to work with people unless they agree with every one of our doctrines and ideals of personal holiness. This has to change if we are to become effective parts of our communities again and if we are to gain a voice at the community table. This is not about compromising what we believe or our identity in Christ. It is about us learning how to live out our identities peacefully in a world that does not understand or agree with them.

This does not mean I am going to join in every project our community puts forth. It means I am going to be an active part of my diverse community and work with the underserved just like Jesus did. He wasn’t in perfect agreement with the people of his community. He still worked within the community. He attended weddings and parties and synagogues. He went to the Temple as required. He walked among the underserved of His day with love. He conversed with zealots and tax collectors and Pharisees and Saducees and Essenes and Centurions and prostitutes alike. He helped. He healed. He argued sometimes. He taught gently at others. Sometimes he flipped tables, but he stayed. He worked.

That’s at least a part of the Third Pathway.

WHAT ELSE COMES TO YOUR MIND WHEN YOU HERE THE WORDS STAND WITH.

21 DAYS OF FASTING AND PRAYER 2026 MEDITATION 17

Posted on February 6, 2026 by joseph elon lillie under Pastor Wrinkles

Here is the afternoon devotion for Day 20 of the 21 days of fasting and prayer.

1 John 4:13-21

his is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. ¹⁵If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. ¹⁶And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. ¹⁷This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. ¹⁸There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

¹⁹We love because he first loved us. ²⁰Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. ²¹And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.

1 John 4:13-21 (Source: Equip the Called)	Theme: Living in God’s Love
	1. You know that you abide in Him and He in you because He has given you of His Spirit.
	2. Perfect love casts out fear, because fear has to do with punishment; you can have confidence on the day of judgment.
	3. If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; you cannot love God without loving His people.

THINKING TIME:

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO HEV THE HOLY SPIRIT?
HOW DOES PERFECT LOVE CAST OUT FEAR?
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO LOVE YOUR BROTHER?

21 DAYS OF FASTING AND PRAYER 2026 MEDITATION 13

Posted on February 5, 2026 by joseph elon lillie under Pastor Wrinkles

Here is our 13th meditation for the 21 days of fasting and prayer this year. We are brining the fast to a close in a few days and so we will be finishing up these meditations by posting several a day.

1 John 3:11-18

¹¹For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. ¹²Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous. ¹³Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters,^[b] if the world hates you. ¹⁴We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death. ¹⁵Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.

¹⁶This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. ¹⁷If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? ¹⁸Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

1 John 3:11-18 (Source: Equip the Called)	Theme: Love in Action
	1. You should not be surprised if the world hates you; you have passed from death to life because you love your brothers and sisters.
	2. Love is not just words, but actions in truth; share your resources with those in need.
	3. You know love by this: that Jesus laid down His life for you, calling you to do the same for others.

THINKING TIME:

WHAT IS YOUR EMOTIONAL REACTION WHEN THE WORLD HATES YOUR CHRISTIANITY?
WHEN THE WORLD REACTS BADLY TO YOUR CHRISTIANITY HOW DO YOU STAND IN LOVE?
WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR YOU TO BE WILLING TO LAY DOWN YOUR LIFE LIKE JESUS?

PRACTICE WRITING 4-6-25

Posted on April 6, 2025 by joseph elon lillie under PRACTICE WRITING, The Stories

I haven’t been practice writing much lately. Honestly, I have been struggling with the discipline of my lifestyle for the last several weeks.

I have been chalking it up to transition. So much has changed in the rhythm of the Vicarage these last several weeks it has been a bit overwhelming for all of us. It’s been good, but admittedly a little daunting.

Add to that, the fact that I am about to go through oral surgery to remove three teeth tomorrow….

and I think I have a perfect recipe for a procrastination depression. I don’t feel sad, but I know I am hiding in YouTube, Facebook and episodes of “CALL THE MIDWIFE”.

I think I am also struggling with the permaculture mindset that flows between ministry and forest gardening. The two things seem to be a perfect complement for each other. Yet they also call for a mindset of self discipline that is, frankly, a new level for me.

I keep watching episodes of the “The lazy Gardener” and “Huw Richard” on YouTube. While they talk about how permaculture is cooperating with nature and actually less labor intensive than conventional gardening, I am left wondering if this is the “lazy” way then……GOOD GRIEF!

I am also powerfully aware that my perspective is being powerfully effected by all the changes going on inside my home and in the community. The return of my sister is wonderful…and it is the fulfillment of prophetic forth telling that comes at the convergence of many prophetic forth tellings. Add to that the currents of global instability and…. GOOD GRIEF!

So I guess I will wrap this up by saying I am struggling a bit and praying a lot for the new level of self-discipline this new season is calling me into both as it regards the Vicarage forest garden and the ministry here in the town of Winchendon. If there was ever a time for prayer it is now!

PRACTICE WRITING 3-12-2025

Posted on March 12, 2025 by joseph elon lillie under Pastor Wrinkles, PRACTICE WRITING, The Stories

From my childhood I was spiritually sensitive. I know that in our “modern” world saying something like that has the potential of offending our culture’s deep bias toward a skeptical humanism, but there is no better way to explain the road I walked from my earliest memories.

I was deeply interested in the supernatural and by the time I was 12 I was intentionally seeking a deeper spiritual experience that would awaken something inside I knew was there but did not remotely understand. I read about the new age. For a while I actively sought out the power it purported to have.

Then I met a young lady in my class who was a Jehovah’s Witness. She began sharing her faith with me. It was the first time I had ever heard about Jesus as a Savior (previously he had been introduced to me through my reading as a powerful seer or psychic). It was also the first time I had ever come close to any kind of biblical explanation of existence.

I didn’t understand it then but I was being guided by the Hand of Divine Providence. I can look back on it now and see how God moved the pieces around the chess board of my life, but then it was just questions and realizations coming in real time.

I ended up hearing the full gospel message first from my eighth grade social studies teacher and then through another twist, my father who was most definitely not a believer called my “crazy uncle” and asked him to take me to church. I ended up attending church with at a little Assemblies of God in my hometown (where I am now the pastor). I sat in that little church for six months before I made a true personal commitment to Jesus Christ as my God.

I have learned that there are many bends in the metaphorical road of faith. The way is narrow and it winds precariously up a very high mountain. I have also learned that on this journey of faith, truth is not so much discovered as it is revealed.