Posted by Anovagrrl on September 10, 2012 at 09:03:59
In Reply to: Re: To add to the conversation below posted by Pastor Don on September 10, 2012 at 08:08:05:
I remember how you came across to me when you first came to this site. (We have both changed a lot over the years.) The main thing I see in you now that I don't remember experiencing as much back then is your caring, gentle heart. It may be because I wasn't very open to that aspect of your spirit back then. When you were freshly detoxing from the cult, though, it seemed to me you were much more black and white in your thinking, more inclined to argue with the atheists. Between finishing college and going into ministry, I've seen you grow into a servant leader. Watching that happen slowly over time has increased my faith that we do indeed follow the same Master, even if we don't see eye-to-eye about the role of religion in politics.
Something I've always appreciated about you is your sense of humor and upbeat outlook. Truly, "the mind is its own place and in itself can create a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven."
A few other verses from the Message that seem to apply here:
Romans 8:27-30
He[God's Spirit]knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.
God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him.