I must follow, if I can

Interesting article. God spoke to Mr. Piper in northern Minnesota--cool. Lots of creation up there, it's very, very beautiful. Spring in Minnesota is fantastic!

Jesus and I *speak* all the time outdoors. Just this afternoon I was working in the yard, revelling in all He's made and is making this early spring; I'm sure Jesus is happy to hear about us human's appreciation of His work (or at least that's how I'm interpreting the warm feeling in my heart).

To me, His speaking to me is in relation to our personal relationship and in no way reduces or questions the authority of the Bible.

* Does one form of speach have to be in competition with the other? As long as they're congruent, can't they *both* be wonderful? One form is his Word to all humans for all time. The other is to one little human in Michigan enjoying the crocus that are just starting to bloom. The personal words make the written word more *three dimentional*, more real, more personal.

I missed hearing your response to my questions re the former post (I'm a fundamentalist.). Whatever, the ideas have been turning in my brain and bring me to a *wondering*. I'm wondering if this church is simply accepting people *where they're at*, getting them into church, with the goal of teaching them the Truth about the True God? Or, is this simply *flip-flop spiritually*?

Please enjoy the rest of your day.

Good Morning,

Here's another thought on God speaking to us. I wrote this as a response to a topic of spirituality for a group I'm a member of. Some of us would die without Him speaking to us.

Beautiful topic, thank you, I love talking about spirituality.

I was raised Christian, which I see as a good foundation for the spiritual aspect of me. Growing up, though, it was religion, not necessarily spirituality, to me--something for the brain (how to behave in this life) and body (what to do Sunday mornings) to do. I didn't have a personal relationship with Jesus, as I didn't *need* anything beyond what I had.

After my accident in 1985 all that changed. I had very severe physical injuries, but the most debilitating was my brain injury. Simply put, I was in acute distress, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

After being medically retired from the Army and discharged from the hospital, I went home to Minnesota. Very shortly after arriving home I visited the Pastor of the church I attended while growing up. I asked why God had done that (the accident and its subsequent injuries) *to* me.

The Pastor's response to me was, "God didn't *do* this to you, He *allowed* it to happen".

Although I wasn't able to analyze that comment as thoroughly as I can today (my brain was working pretty simply then), I got out of it what I needed to: God was not there to punish me for the many sins I've committed (picture me saying this with a loud, booming, overly-dramatic voice, ), God was there to walk with me through this.

Side note: if you've ever read the *Footprints* poem, you know it talks about sometimes God carries us 'cuz life is so hard. I saw a poster that I had to purchase (it's now framed and in a place where I see it daily) that shows *two* sets of footprints side-by-side. I like it because it better illustrates my experience with Jesus; I don't feel I've been *lifted out of* difficult trials, ie., God carrying me. I feel I've had Someone *by my side* walking *with me* over the (proverbial) road bumps.

When I've felt alone and rejected by humans (and that's been way many times), I've known (and I have to *know*, because sometimes I don't *feel* that way) that Jesus will never leave me, He'll never forget me.

In other words, I needed God to have a relationship with me *personally*. My life was a mess; I couldn't fix it, but God said He could.

I've learned 100% that having Someone to walk with *does not* mean life will cool, pain-free, sinless, and full of delight. When I want that (note I said *when*, not *if*), it's really my ego (Edging God Out) getting a word in edgewise.

I've learned that this planet is full of humans and we humans are basically self-focused (admittedly some more than others) and with that approach, we'll hurt each other sometimes (admittedly some get hurt more than others).

So life will happen to this human, but I have a God who will walk side-by-side with me *through* anything, *inspite of me*, no matter what.

What I'm left with today is spirituality. The outside rules of religion just work on an ego level for me and I need more than that. I need Someone to reach me at a spiritual level to heal my sense of self.

Jesus does that for me. Inspite of all the things I've been through
physically, mentally, and emotionally, Jesus has taught me (and will remind me, when I forget) that:

*My value as a human being is contingent o*n*l*y upon the fact that I'm a child of God.*

Everything else is just biz.

Thank you,

Lori

Hi Lori,

Piper has a great article called Why I Do Not Say, "God Did Not Cause the Calamity, but He Can Use It for Good". It's in reaction to those who, like your pastor after your accident, argue that God doesn't cause these things but merely allows them. Piper has a lot of scripture references in there that help you (and me) to separate the emotions and the reasoning that argue against it, at least if we believe the Bible. Sometimes I forget something and have to be reminded of a Bible verse that I might not always have at the front of my mind at all times. But, because I believe the Bible, I make an attempt to change my state of mind as soon as I see the verse. These are those kinds of verses. Good stuff, and it applies in war, hurricanes, traffic accidents, personal letdowns, etc.

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