Yesterday brought a Facebook reply to the writing as medicine post, which led to some discussion, which led to a story.
Jane N. GeigerGRACE to you, brother. I will always remember you when I think of David Cromwell Johnson, and the priceless times I had with him. The Lord allowed me to lead him to Christ, and in the end, his soul was Free Indeed.
Sloan Bashinsky
David was a dear friend of mine, I was living elsewhere when he passed over. I’ve had a few dreams about him since then, in which he showed me stuff I needed to look at so that I might deal with it in a way I might not have but for the dreams.Jane N. Geiger
I’m so very glad, Sloan. I know he was dear, and he talked about you a lot. Some lawyers referred him to our little Christian Counseling nonprofit, and I took him in . . . taps on his shoes, those ties he gave away, and all. Priceless. Here we are now: www.WritersCupOfGrace.com
WRITERSCUPOFGRACE.COMHome - Grace Ministries & Writer's Cup of Grace
Sloan BashinskyI frequently and last talked with David in the fall of 2001, and he had nothing to do with Christianity. He was very interested in Native American and Taoism and Samurai spirituality, but he and I often talked of our relationship with God in private. He did have a spiritual counselor at Briarwood Presbyterian Church off the southern Interstate belt line, and I went with David one day to see that spiritual counselor, and we three talked about stuff, and not even then did I hear David speak of being saved by Jesus.David and I viewed Jesus as someone to try very hard to be like, and we were not in the least impressed by people who said they were saved by Jesus but trampled his teachings. David was in agony when I knew him then. I had known him well since around 1976? I worked in his law firm two different times, 1999 and 2001. He gave me a place to hang out. My work was very different from regular law work. It entailed viewing legal problems as messages from God about us. The beams in our own eyes.David told people I was the holiest man he had ever known, he could tell by looking in my eyes. I thought I was the sorriest piece of shit of a man Jesus and Archangel Michael could find, and they took me on as an experiment in early 1987, to see if they could do anything about that. David knew all about that, and what all manner of ordeals those two put me through, and they kept at it afterward, and keep at it today.I tell Christians they are saved by Jesus to the extent they live as he lived and taught. I can tell you a story about the guy that started Briarwood, and a discussion he and I had around 1992?, which convinced me that he didn’t know God and Jesus very well. I told that story to David, and he shook his head.
David died in early 2003. I was homeless in Key West.
As for the guy who started Briarwood Presbyterian Church in Birmingham...
In the early 1980s, I met a MN, who was a real estate broker. He liked my books, Home Buyers Lambs to the Slaughter? and Selling Your Home $weet Home, which laid bare the inherent conflict of interest real estate agents, brokers and companies had when they tried to represent both the buyer and the seller.
MN and I became friends.
Sometimes MN told me that he felt I should meet and get to know FB, who had started Briarwood. I kept replying that I didn’t think FB and I would get along.
One day, MN said, when FB was trying to start his church, he was broke and homeless, and MN and his wife took him into their home, where he lived for quite a while, as he built up his ministry, which became a very large evangelical church over the mountain south of Birmingham.
I moved to Santa FE, New Mexico in early 1986, and then to Boulder, Colorado in the Fall of 1987. MN and I talked from time to time on the telephone, and we got together when I traveled to Birmingham.
I had dinner one night with MN and his wife in Birmingham maybe in 1991? After dinner, I took MN aside and said that I felt he should see a doctor, because he did not look well to me. I flew back to Boulder.
About two weeks later, MN called me. He had seen a doctor. Tests were run, He had cancer, it was pretty far along. His doctor recommended chemotherapy, but he was considering alternative treatments. I told MN what I knew about alternative treatments, which had not helped many people with cancer.
MN went with chemotherapy. Later, he told me that he wished he had not done chemotherapy. It made him feel worse, it shortened his life. He asked me if I would be a pallbearer? I said, of course.
MN passed away. I flew to Birmingham from Boulder. The graveside service was presided by Birarwood's FB.
For maybe 20 minutes, FB told MN’s widow sitting in front of him that MN and his physical body would be resurrected and MN would be with Jesus in Heaven.
For maybe 20 minutes, I wondered when FM would tell MN’s widow how grateful he was for their help when he was broke and starting his ministry?
After FB was done, 5 men and I came forward and picked up the casket and carried it to the hole that had been dug in the ground.
After more words from FB, I walked to my rental car, and saw MN above looking at me, asking what he was supposed to do?
I said, “Tell God you are a son of God, who has come home.”
I got into the rental car and drove away.
I flew back to Boulder.
I wrote FM a letter, in which I told him he owed MN’s widow an apologly.
He wrote back, works don’t get you into heaven, blah, blah, blah.
I wrote back, he owed MN’s widow an apology.
MN and I became friends.
Sometimes MN told me that he felt I should meet and get to know FB, who had started Briarwood. I kept replying that I didn’t think FB and I would get along.
One day, MN said, when FB was trying to start his church, he was broke and homeless, and MN and his wife took him into their home, where he lived for quite a while, as he built up his ministry, which became a very large evangelical church over the mountain south of Birmingham.
I moved to Santa FE, New Mexico in early 1986, and then to Boulder, Colorado in the Fall of 1987. MN and I talked from time to time on the telephone, and we got together when I traveled to Birmingham.
I had dinner one night with MN and his wife in Birmingham maybe in 1991? After dinner, I took MN aside and said that I felt he should see a doctor, because he did not look well to me. I flew back to Boulder.
About two weeks later, MN called me. He had seen a doctor. Tests were run, He had cancer, it was pretty far along. His doctor recommended chemotherapy, but he was considering alternative treatments. I told MN what I knew about alternative treatments, which had not helped many people with cancer.
MN went with chemotherapy. Later, he told me that he wished he had not done chemotherapy. It made him feel worse, it shortened his life. He asked me if I would be a pallbearer? I said, of course.
MN passed away. I flew to Birmingham from Boulder. The graveside service was presided by Birarwood's FB.
For maybe 20 minutes, FB told MN’s widow sitting in front of him that MN and his physical body would be resurrected and MN would be with Jesus in Heaven.
For maybe 20 minutes, I wondered when FM would tell MN’s widow how grateful he was for their help when he was broke and starting his ministry?
After FB was done, 5 men and I came forward and picked up the casket and carried it to the hole that had been dug in the ground.
After more words from FB, I walked to my rental car, and saw MN above looking at me, asking what he was supposed to do?
I said, “Tell God you are a son of God, who has come home.”
I got into the rental car and drove away.
I flew back to Boulder.
I wrote FM a letter, in which I told him he owed MN’s widow an apologly.
He wrote back, works don’t get you into heaven, blah, blah, blah.
I wrote back, he owed MN’s widow an apology.
If Jesus in the Gospels didn’t think doing good works were really important, why did he spend so much time doing good works and advising people to do their own good works and to live differently from how they had been living?
Jesus’s brother James wrote in his letter in the New Testament:
Jesus’s brother James wrote in his letter in the New Testament:
James 2:18New International VersionShow me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.
sloanbashinsky@yahoo.com
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