Not sure how any trapperman was ever saved without Mark June and DTS

lol

Cut him some slack. He’s getting a knoggin’ full of knowledge and his cup runnith over. Being saved isn’t as difficult as it can sound.

I've tried

An example of non-edification brother.
Which is not glorifying to God.
Pure and simple.

2 Tim 3:16 is in play.

Blessings,
Mark

We practice every day with each other here on campus what's called theological reflection.
They're awesome sessions.
90 nations going back and forth and back and forth.
As followers of Jesus who is the Christ.

Now, are they easy sessions?
Well.... no.
But they're great non-the-less. Shows me my blind spots for sure!

Q: How many believers use their faith to seek understanding as Augustine reflected theologically we should be doing based on God's imperatives?

Oh and I don't mind the back and forth at all - it's all good - because we are all (believers) are the Universal Church of our Lord and by the power of the Spirit, it was written for us to reproof, correct, and teach the Truth of the Word for training in righteousness.
Some folks still read that and realize in humility and meekness we don't know very much.
Others claim they don't even need to read it because they know very much.

Jesus had a really good sermon on a Mount about that.
May the Lord keep you and bless y'all!
Blessings,
Mark

That’s all well and good but a bit over whelming for someone who just wants to know how you keep it together when there is no hope.

We all can witness without appearing greater than, which you often do btw. Save it for when you are in the pulpit. The girl crying at a gas pump just needs the short version.

Posco,

My apologies for my participation in taking the purpose of the thread off the rails.

Good comment.
But a sincere brotherly Q, "Why would we assume everyone is like us and prefer the version we prefer?"
Maybe the "long" version, as my PM box tells me, is helpful to some trappers at that moment moment in "their" life.

Blessings,
Mark

I probably did that HT. Not you.
When I asked a clarifying question.

I went thru a divorce at a young age and I turned to God (prayer) to heal me and take me to a better place!!! I later married over my head!! Still married 30 years later! I’m one of those guys that you look at and say “what does she see in him”.

Short version;
God held onto me through the majesty and wonder of His Creation
until by grace,
and nothing I did or wanted to do,
God helped me not hate Him like I did.

Blessings,
Mark

You were doing so good and then you put a booger on it. lol

Boogers are good HT. They serve a purpose

KsTrapper88,
You brother, are tracking and then some!
In response to the HUGE exodus of Americans from the pews of their churches, preachers, pastors, and priests alike made valiant attempts to "get 'em back" into the pews and so in the late 1800's the fiery preaching began and in that came a very constricted Gospel message, which was.....
Choose.
Heaven or
Sheol.

That's not what our Lord taught. He taught what the OT Scripture always taught;
Love God. Love Others.

That's Christianity. How do we know?
The Bible.

Great post. C. S. Lewis has some of the finest reflective writings and I visit him often.

Blessings,
Mark

“One of our great allies at present is the Church itself. Do not misunderstand me. I do not mean the Church as we see her spread out through all time and space and rooted in eternity, terrible as an army with banners. That, I confess, is a spectacle which makes our boldest tempters uneasy. But fortunately it is quite invisible to these humans. All your patient sees is the half-finished, sham Gothic erection on the new building estate. When he goes inside, he sees the local grocer with rather an oily expression on his face bustling up to offer him one shiny little book containing a liturgy which neither of them understands, and one shabby little book containing corrupt texts of a number of religious lyrics, mostly bad, and in very small print. When he gets to his pew and looks round him he sees just that selection of his neighbours whom he has hitherto avoided. You want to lean pretty heavily on those neighbours. Make his mind flit to and fro between an expression like ‘the body of Christ’ and the actual faces in the next pew.... “

In self consciousness I deleted my previous post thinking I was getting too far off of the main point but i will post the screw tape letters quote again. It’s so common the enemy attacks our faith in this way or isolates us this way

That's a great book. No one needs to apologize for where a thread tracks.

If someone hasn't read CS Lewis, you are missing some of the most insightful commentary from this atheist turned follower of Christ that the last 100 years has produced.
I own almost all that he has written and relish them all.

Here is the website.
https://www.cslewis.com/us/

Thanks Posco I wish I could undelete it now lol. Bad thing about these conversations in text format is that words matter and as I’m typing on my phone I keep rereading what I typed looking for mistakes or something that would be unintentionally misleading or confusing...and by the time I click post there may have been a drastic turn in the conversation.

Mark is absolutely right, CS Lewis is so good and accessible for Christians new and old, of all levels of understanding, I have a big book called “the complete works of CS Lewis”, it starts with “mere Christianity” and “screwtape lettters” then “on miracles” “surprised by joy” so many more in this one big book. I highly recommend it as well.

Before I became a Christian, I viewed most Christians as kooks. The same way a lot of you guys view us. I understand the thinking.

When I was just a kid, I'd watch Billy Graham or any number of other televangelists on the TV. They'd offer that invitation to "accept" Christ and as best I knew how, I'd do what they suggested. I'd wait for the lightning strike to hit and change me but it never came. I can't remember how many times I did this but nothing ever changed. I came to the conclusion that God didn't want me, it was something you were born into and not for everyone. I figured God didn't like me and the feeling became mutual.

I grew up in an alcoholic home that was abusive. Mostly verbal abuse but sometimes physical. Most of the physical abuse was directed at my siblings, I seemed to get a pass on most of that. I never understood why.

As the years went on, I became increasing hostile toward God. I blamed him for the bad things that had befallen me in life and viewed myself as a victim, not a sinner in need of redemption. I had a terrible chip on my shoulder and a self-righteous streak a mile wide. I hurled the vilest blasphemies toward God my mind could think of. Those would come to haunt me later on.

As I entered into my early twenties, some of the hostility went by the wayside and I decided I'd go to church and gain a bit of respectability. A friend at work invited me out to a service and having nothing better to do that Sunday I went.

I'll continue in a bit.