In Reply to: Re: To Swede posted by OT2 on September 07, 2006 at 13:12:18:
Swede, you said, you have alife to live...tha's true, we have to gon on & try being "successful" in a world, we once dropped out of...& as I see it, to help our own kids to get a good start, so I want to praise you here..
Frankly, I was always thinking/ judging you to be honest & sincere, so maybe that helps you & even OT 2.I didn't read allt he posts in all the time of confrontation, to be a good analyst, my 2 cents worth of opinion/judgement...
however, I really would be sad, if you left the site, with a somewhat "bitter" tast from all that...cause as a believer I'd never think of myself being better than non-believers, very often I get discouraged about myself, having not improved in many pheres/walks of life, as I still have some very undesired behaviour-pattern, especially when frustrated, discouraged or when I consider myself not being dealt with fairly etc.
But at least I realise it ...as someone said, Christians are not better (by themselves), they have it better (in a spiritual sense & often in a physical as well)...so please stay, if you have the time & get also something out of it...
Dear OT 2...I picked this up at movingonorg about the bright crayon in the box (unfortunately about Sean Swede, another Swede ; ) , but I think those northerners are a lovely bunch!!)...so I think, you're the bright crayon here, the bright bulb...
compliments...plus, I never realised until late, that you must have quite some tragical/personal/physical hardships to endure, which explained to me a lot...I thought of some parallels to dear Alan, you know what I mean...
his testimony/biography is here on the site & it's very powerful...have you already written something up yourself...although, if we'd paste together all you said, then we'd probably already have quite a mine...What do you think?
Just to say, I am happy to hear, that leaving the board was just one consideration...
I bet, we both wouldn't be always in agreement, but I love to hear your side, given, that you have a brought range of knowledge & experience...but may be there is also a bit the crux of the matter:
when we perceive, that someone has less teaching & experience, talks some BS, misbehaves etc. "we" sort of expect the other to sometime to knuckle under & say pls & thank you...for the other just doesn't seem to have it...this is true for religious subjects as wellö as wordly affairs.
I am a bit amused at times, how our Lord (speaking of us believers) had sometimes a bit of a tough time with his own followers, slow to understand, slow to believe etc....seems, we can be quite a drain...I must confess, that I often loose the patience with God (father - allknowing, omniscient/omnipotent etc.) too, as I cannot believe/handle the almost daily s.it which can happen in a "row"....I am inclined to believe, that He wants to teach me endurance & patience, which is easy to have, if everything is smooth(even on a southsee island I'd probably complain about the flies & whatnot)
Someone said: if someone has a parrot, one should be very mindful of what to say, lest when the dear animal should have new owner, he/she shouldn't be shocked about any foul vocabulary...(Did you hear about the parrot Churchill owned & the bird outlived him much...he/she (female birdie!I think)
said some hilarious foul words about Hitler, a real scream
Anyway, tha analogy is: other people read here, without commenting...I am not afraid to be honest & I think it's a good swedish virtue to be brutally honest, I like that better, than having a hypocrite in front of me...that is pretty biblical & you adhere to it yourself ; ) ...but if I please may say that....Susie put it in anice short sentence - cause she can be sometimes also be quite direct & that was the "cute" part about it...the irony, that even by her "standard", she thought this & that comment to be too harsh...
I thought myself, that Swede didn't deserve the full "flak" of the verbal defense/attack & you're very bright & I think sometimes the cookies are on a pretty high shelve (Peter once talking about the epistles of Paul...; ) )
My conclusion(not com.) : I think, that people need to know, that you're very decided about your thoughts & believesystem/faith & I guess, everyone buys it, that hardly anyone could challenge you easily & get by cheap (& victorious)
As much as it is important to really mean what we say & being precise & even adamant about fundaments...it's sometimes even more important to not say all at a certain time...something I have hardly mastered...simply because often the audience, the opponent is not ready for it...his&her part of the journey...I like Matthew 13 a whole lot...the ground is not always fertile, ready to receive, that's just it often...
If you think that some opponent could be a possible "swine", well that is tough...but sometimes a stone is really bread & a swine might be a sheep & we're shortsighted...In a way, we're supposed to live more the gospel, than to solely preach it...although the word never comes back void, but people could easily think: what a crappy message, if some believer does/says this & that...
I know that I am often a very poor sample of the gospel, by being very sharp myself & then I am afraid to witness, cause people could easily call me a hypocrite....but I don't think, one should wait to preach, until one is become perfect...cause tha'll never happen before...
Just to say, sometimes we need to swallow some
"rubbish/&our pride" for the sake of the witness & because people are not ready for some thought & not even for the blunt truth...so it's needless steam...unless directed with a lot of patience in some long process...but to have that much patience is really trying...
I hope you're doing physically fairly well???(I need to read more what was said below...repost from May...@ that time I was missing a lot here)