I've never met Ryan (a pastor at the Vineyard Westside, a church my church is very friendly with), but I respect him* after reading this post of his. What do you do when you find out someone you're ministering to is a murderer on the run? An interesting read, for sure.
(*I also respect him because he writes as if he is crazy in love with his wife and his daughter, and there is an unfortunate shortage of men who are crazy in love with their wives and children. That might be another post for another time.)
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5 comments:
Incredible story! You can’t help but feel bad for the Pete’s of the world. The good Pastor is truly
doing the Lord’s work, putting it all out there.
Tough decision he had to make, no doubt.....for the better good?... probably so. But what a
predicament to be caught up in. A good read.
Dan W
What an incredible story. I'm sure that the police have their reasons for telling Ryan not to have contact with Pete, but that is basically abandonment. That is no different than saying "I din't want no boy," to Pete. Ryan needs to see him. "If you know of anyone who has a problem with you leave your gifts at the alter and go to that person to do whatever it takes to fix the problem." (Darren's revised version) He is no threat to Ryan or others now that he is prison and Pete probably needs Ryan to remind Him that he did it because he loves him and those who could have been effected by Pete under the influence.
Yeah I know I'm the armchair quarterback here, but "Love never fails."
Hi there...Ryan here. This was really weird to stumble upon this post.
Thanks for the encouraging words. Darren is right. I do want to see Pete again. I'll have to post an update after I do...we'll see what happens.
I'd strongly prefer to not pass judgment on Ryan on this one. His own words: "I feel not right about" not being in contact with him.
Heck, he was taking the advice of those who deal with this kind of stuff on a regular basis.
May the Spirit lead Ryan if (and/or when) the time is right for Pete to be reconnected with.
My perspective wasn't meant to come across as a harsh judgment on Ryan. In fact, I think he made the right decision to inform the police. Further, if I honest, I'm too much of a coward to even think of how I would handled that situation.
My perspective was really meant out of compassion for Pete. Ryan's story was filled with compassion for this man. He clearly loves him. I just think Pete should know that coming from Ryan (when/if the spirit moves him). I don't even think seeing him face to face has to be the solution. Some of the greatest exchanges in history were done by letter.
I believe our job as believers is to pray for guidance, restoration, and protection for them both until they meet again.
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