| Author | Message | ||
| Goose Registered user Username: Goose Post Number: 76 Registered: 11-2011  |
Anyone who goes through me will be cared for--will freely go in and out, and find pasture. -- Gospel of John, Ch 10 (The Message Bible) We can learn a lot from observing nature in the behavior of a pet. A cat, for instance, seems to have a way about itself. When it wants to go outside, it must go outside. Once it's out, it may change its mind and want inside again. Sometimes, if a cat is left inside too long - as when it's "master" is gone on a trip - upon returning, the cat will try to reassert it's will and want inside and out over and over again - for days! Apparently, it does this to re establish in its mind that it has power and a say that matters. It also wants to know that it is still loved. If we were disconnected from reality and enclosed in a cult or a spiritually abusive organization, wouldn't we have as much a right to complain as this cat? If we were told that our "rebellious" bent on asking questions would have "eternal consequences" or that a particular deed - or misdeed - would cause us to be "lost," we may still be worried about whether we have God's approval to leave such a church. We may still feel slightly condemned for wanting out. The God of our spirit knows we need spiritual food. In order to find it, we often have to find different pasture. | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 13332 Registered: 12-2003  |
True enough. And that lingering guilt is addressed only as we immerse ourselves in His word—because His word is truth—and allow Jesus to reshape ourworldciew to reflect reality. It is not easy to leave a cult or other controlling/abusive group. God is faithful, however, and He asks us to follow Him even if it means leaving what we know. He gives us Himself in return when we leave for His sake. Colleen | ||
| Goose Registered user Username: Goose Post Number: 79 Registered: 11-2011 |
Colleen, my topic post was one of over 400 little pages I wrote, the winter and early spring of 1992. This was a couple years after my last appearance in a 7th Day Adventist Church, as I grappled with Scripture and wrestled with God over the experience. My only disappointment with this has been I never found a publisher interested enough in the material. | ||
| River Registered user Username: River Post Number: 7630 Registered: 9-2006  |
Then publish it your self if you think its worth publishing. My e-mail address shows up in the members only section under my name. If you are interested in publishing it and need some help, I'll be glad to tell you what I know. Least I think its current, I'll go over there and make sure it is. River Yep, its current. (Message edited by river on January 21, 2012) |
