{"id":5698,"date":"2024-04-03T00:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-04-03T04:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kingdomresourcesforchrist.com\/?post_type=article&#038;p=5698"},"modified":"2024-11-08T14:32:22","modified_gmt":"2024-11-08T19:32:22","slug":"gods-surprizing-intimacy","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/e-krc.org\/en\/article\/gods-surprizing-intimacy\/","title":{"rendered":"God\u2019s Surprising Intimacy"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.kb-image5698_d92a6c-8b.kb-image-is-ratio-size, .kb-image5698_d92a6c-8b .kb-image-is-ratio-size{max-width:201px;width:100%;}.wp-block-kadence-column > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image5698_d92a6c-8b.kb-image-is-ratio-size, .wp-block-kadence-column > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image5698_d92a6c-8b .kb-image-is-ratio-size{align-self:unset;}.kb-image5698_d92a6c-8b figure{max-width:201px;}.kb-image5698_d92a6c-8b .image-is-svg, .kb-image5698_d92a6c-8b .image-is-svg img{width:100%;}.kb-image5698_d92a6c-8b .kb-image-has-overlay:after{opacity:0.3;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-image kb-image5698_d92a6c-8b\"><figure class=\"alignright size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"812\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/vkl.umo.mybluehost.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Surprising-Intimacy_article_images_1a.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"kb-img wp-image-7894\" srcset=\"https:\/\/e-krc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Surprising-Intimacy_article_images_1a.png 812w, https:\/\/e-krc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Surprising-Intimacy_article_images_1a-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/e-krc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Surprising-Intimacy_article_images_1a-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/e-krc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Surprising-Intimacy_article_images_1a-768x766.png 768w, https:\/\/e-krc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Surprising-Intimacy_article_images_1a-50x50.png 50w, https:\/\/e-krc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Surprising-Intimacy_article_images_1a-12x12.png 12w, https:\/\/e-krc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Surprising-Intimacy_article_images_1a-400x399.png 400w, https:\/\/e-krc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Surprising-Intimacy_article_images_1a-600x599.png 600w, https:\/\/e-krc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Surprising-Intimacy_article_images_1a-100x100.png 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 812px) 100vw, 812px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-ad2f72ca wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<p>There are a handful of times in my life where God has surprised and \u2018spoken\u2019 to me even more overtly than I\u2019d ever expected. At a time when I was feeling particularly discouraged with the re\u00adturn on my efforts in life, I was grumbling internally (partly to God, but mostly to myself) as I walked the short distance from my mom\u2019s house down the street to my dad\u2019s. It was late at night, and dark save for a few dim street lights. I was so spiraling in my frustrations that at first I didn\u2019t notice the man bik\u00ading towards me on the sidewalk. We lived in a col\u00adlege town, so while this was unusual, it wasn\u2019t out of the ordinary to come across something unusual late at night.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<style>.kb-image5698_806469-0e.kb-image-is-ratio-size, .kb-image5698_806469-0e .kb-image-is-ratio-size{max-width:258px;width:100%;}.wp-block-kadence-column > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image5698_806469-0e.kb-image-is-ratio-size, .wp-block-kadence-column > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image5698_806469-0e .kb-image-is-ratio-size{align-self:unset;}.kb-image5698_806469-0e figure{max-width:258px;}.kb-image5698_806469-0e .image-is-svg, .kb-image5698_806469-0e .image-is-svg img{width:100%;}.kb-image5698_806469-0e .kb-image-has-overlay:after{opacity:0.3;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-image kb-image5698_806469-0e\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"972\" src=\"https:\/\/vkl.umo.mybluehost.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Surprising-Intimacy_article_images_1b-1024x972.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"kb-img wp-image-7895\" srcset=\"https:\/\/e-krc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Surprising-Intimacy_article_images_1b-1024x972.png 1024w, https:\/\/e-krc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Surprising-Intimacy_article_images_1b-300x285.png 300w, https:\/\/e-krc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Surprising-Intimacy_article_images_1b-768x729.png 768w, https:\/\/e-krc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Surprising-Intimacy_article_images_1b-50x47.png 50w, https:\/\/e-krc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Surprising-Intimacy_article_images_1b-13x12.png 13w, https:\/\/e-krc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Surprising-Intimacy_article_images_1b-400x380.png 400w, https:\/\/e-krc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Surprising-Intimacy_article_images_1b-600x570.png 600w, https:\/\/e-krc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Surprising-Intimacy_article_images_1b.png 1050w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>As he approached passing distance of me and I shifted to make way, the biker wobbled a bit, then lost his balance altogether and tumbled down onto the sidewalk and into the road. There was no traffic this time of night, but as I helped the man up (he looked to be in his 40s, rather than the college age I was expecting) I could tell he was pretty well drunk and not in optimal night-time biking condition. We got him to his feet, checked for any alarming injury, and I offered a few times to help him home. While he politely declined and thanked me, my mind had already started back to my spiraling, including judg\u00ading the man and the situation. Why was the world such a mess? Why do I end up always helping peo\u00adple? Is there a point to anything I do? Will it make any difference? (I think I may have been simulta\u00adneously reading Nietzsche and Ecclesiastes around that time.)<\/p>\n\n\n<style>.kb-image5698_fa8b2f-c2.kb-image-is-ratio-size, .kb-image5698_fa8b2f-c2 .kb-image-is-ratio-size{max-width:198px;width:100%;}.wp-block-kadence-column > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image5698_fa8b2f-c2.kb-image-is-ratio-size, .wp-block-kadence-column > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image5698_fa8b2f-c2 .kb-image-is-ratio-size{align-self:unset;}.kb-image5698_fa8b2f-c2 figure{max-width:198px;}.kb-image5698_fa8b2f-c2 .image-is-svg, .kb-image5698_fa8b2f-c2 .image-is-svg img{width:100%;}.kb-image5698_fa8b2f-c2 .kb-image-has-overlay:after{opacity:0.3;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-image kb-image5698_fa8b2f-c2\"><figure class=\"alignright size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"851\" height=\"787\" src=\"https:\/\/vkl.umo.mybluehost.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Surprising-Intimacy_article_images_1c.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"kb-img wp-image-7896\" srcset=\"https:\/\/e-krc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Surprising-Intimacy_article_images_1c.png 851w, https:\/\/e-krc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Surprising-Intimacy_article_images_1c-300x277.png 300w, https:\/\/e-krc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Surprising-Intimacy_article_images_1c-768x710.png 768w, https:\/\/e-krc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Surprising-Intimacy_article_images_1c-50x46.png 50w, https:\/\/e-krc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Surprising-Intimacy_article_images_1c-13x12.png 13w, https:\/\/e-krc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Surprising-Intimacy_article_images_1c-400x370.png 400w, https:\/\/e-krc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Surprising-Intimacy_article_images_1c-600x555.png 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 851px) 100vw, 851px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As I began to turn and continue on my path the man thanked me once more and I gave a reassuring \u2018No problem,\u2019 or something of the sort, as a last word in the matter. But rather than continue on, now walk\u00ading his bike, he more emphatically interrupted my meager politeness and added some last words I\u2019m not sure were entirely his own. He said, \u201cNo, HE thanks you,\u201d and pointed up to the sky, then held it a moment as if to make sure I caught his meaning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I don\u2019t remember anything of the encounter beyond that, but to this day weep at the remembrance of being and feeling seen and heard by the God of the universe. And anytime I\u2019m feeling down or discour\u00adaged about life and ministry, God brings me back to those \u2018last words\u2019 He spoke to me on a weird quiet night in a small college town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He\u2019s here. He\u2019s with us. He knows us. Amen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:17% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/kingdomresourcesforchrist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Matt-Reffie_headshot_blue-round-1.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4119 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/e-krc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Matt-Reffie_headshot_blue-round-1.png 800w, https:\/\/e-krc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Matt-Reffie_headshot_blue-round-1-400x400.png 400w, https:\/\/e-krc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Matt-Reffie_headshot_blue-round-1-100x100.png 100w, https:\/\/e-krc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Matt-Reffie_headshot_blue-round-1-600x600.png 600w, https:\/\/e-krc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Matt-Reffie_headshot_blue-round-1-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/e-krc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Matt-Reffie_headshot_blue-round-1-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/e-krc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Matt-Reffie_headshot_blue-round-1-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/e-krc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Matt-Reffie_headshot_blue-round-1-50x50.png 50w, https:\/\/e-krc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Matt-Reffie_headshot_blue-round-1-12x12.png 12w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p>Matt Reffie is an itinerant minister and armchair philosopher who enjoys writing deep, thought-provoking themes through engaging and accessible stories. His traveling circus-like upbringing, traversing the country selling at antique trade shows with his dad, has instilled in him a great appreciation for diverse experiences, as well as engaging local histories. He believes that each story leading up to a major event is just as im\u00adportant and interesting as the benchmarks that write our history. He also enjoys short walks (but only if there is a purposeful destination in mind).<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<div style=\"height:53px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There have been times in my life when God has surprised me and even \u201cspeak\u201d to me more visibly than I expected. In my efforts in life...<\/p>","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":5699,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"give_campaign_id":0,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":""},"issue":[241],"section":[276],"class_list":["post-5698","article","type-article","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","issue-issue-75","section-project-arctos_articles"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"issue":[{"value":241,"label":"75\u671f"}],"section":[{"value":276,"label":"\u795e\u570b\u82f1\u6587 Project Arctos"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/e-krc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Issue-75_banner_Gods-Surprising-Intimacy.png",1000,400,false],"author_info":{"display_name":"Matt Reffie (\u5442\u9081\u98db)","author_link":"https:\/\/e-krc.org\/en\/author\/matt-reffie\/"},"comment_info":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/e-krc.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/5698","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/e-krc.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/e-krc.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/e-krc.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/e-krc.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5699"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/e-krc.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5698"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/e-krc.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/issue?post=5698"},{"taxonomy":"section","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/e-krc.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/section?post=5698"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}