Today, the email was to let me know that it is Christian Person Week.
Officially, THERE IS NO SUCH THING!
What followed that false statement was an unaccredited poem that turned out to be originally written by Carol Wimmer. Part of the reason that the original author of the email did not give Carol credit for her beautiful poem is that the anonymous email author changed just about every line of Carol’s poem! Here is Carol’s poem in its original form:
When I say, “I am a Christian”
by Carol Wimmer - Copyright 1988
When I say, “I am a Christian”
I’m not shouting, “I’ve been saved!”
I’m whispering, “I get lost!
That’s why I chose this way”
When I say, “I am a Christian”
I don’t speak with human pride
I’m confessing that I stumble -
needing God to be my guide
When I say, “I am a Christian”
I’m not trying to be strong
I’m professing that I’m weak
and pray for strength to carry on
When I say, “I am a Christian”
I’m not bragging of success
I’m admitting that I’ve failed
and cannot ever pay the debt
When I say, “I am a Christian”
I don’t think I know it all
I submit to my confusion
asking humbly to be taught
When I say, “I am a Christian”
I’m not claiming to be perfect
My flaws are far too visible
but God believes I’m worth it
When I say, “I am a Christian”
I still feel the sting of pain
I have my share of heartache
which is why I seek His name
When I say, “I am a Christian”
I do not wish to judge
I have no authority
I only know I’m loved
On her site, Carol explains the history of her poem:
My heart was heavy as I wrote the poem, When I say, “I am a Christian.” The year was 1988. I had begun to sense an increasing societal resentment toward the attitude of self-righteousness that has been adopted by so many Christians. I knew such behavior was and is a perversion of Christianity. Thus the sentiment of the poem was born out of my personal awareness of this perversion and the heartache it can cause in our pluralistic society.I jotted down my thoughts with an inner determination to define the Christian spirit as I wished to experience it. The resulting words formed a reflection of my own beliefs and the reputation I hoped to secure for myself. Four years later, I sent the poem to 5 different publishers. As a result of its first publication in 1992, someone placed the poem on the Internet where it miraculously began taking on a life of its own.
From Manila to South Africa; Australia to Singapore; Finland to Bahrain—I’ve received e-mails from people all over the world who express a common desire to walk humbly with God. Therefore I owe a sincere “Thank You” to the unknown person who originally posted the poem on the Internet and the countless number of readers who have subsequently passed this simple expression on to others.
Used with permission; Carol Wimmer.
For more information about Carol, she has a web site at:
http://carolwimmer.com/
How do YOU say: “I am a Christian”?
Your brother in Christ,
Dave
Because of people like that I rarely say I am a Christian. Lately I say I am spiritual. They have not perverted that word yet. At one time it was in vogue to say you were a Christian.
ReplyDeleteAbout the fan mail from some flounder: I am 59 years old and back in elementary school hand written letters like this were called (it was just on the tip of tongue), sorry about that. Either something good or bad would happen to you if you did not mail the 10 letters.
Well first of all I could not afford even one stamp. And, you could see some kids looking out the corner of their eye to see if you were scared. The first few really scared me.
Now, that I might miss out a blessing because I did not obey Jesus and forward a email to 10 of my friends (by the way I don't have 10 friends to email) sent chills down my bones and I thought, "That is technology catching up with elementary school pranks and I can't see the looks from the corners of their eyes."
You might want to visit my blog. Did Jesus tell me to say that. Well, you might receive a blessing. Read my book, "Life In The Spirit" for starters. If you tell 10 friends it is up to you. I make no promises on Jesus' behave.
http://www.chaplainwinston.blogspot.com
God bless. You have some interesting topics I have commented on. I'm blessed I tuned you in when I did. It is not often that I read what follows my list of blogs.
Chaplain Winston…
ReplyDeleteI love the Rocky and Bullwinkle “fan mail from some flounder” reference!!! They were called “chain letters” back in the day, and I wrote in greater depth about them in an entry called “Breaking the Chain.” Look for it at the top of this blog… under Favorite Posts. Or, if I did this right, you can just follow the following link:
http://aliveinthespirit.blogspot.com/2009_01_01_archive.html
I’m glad you enjoy the blog. Your blessings become my blessings as you comment. I have been off doing other things lately, hence a rather long dry spell in new blog posts. That you have found connection in a few of my posts is like rain on a parched and dusty field. Already ideas are taking off, and I am energized with the knowledge that at least one person has found something of worth here (it’s been a long time since the last comment… of any kind). I started in, and shall continue on… in faith. Blessings on you and your ministry!