tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3321402.post5594400144479025318..comments2023-09-18T01:46:27.105-07:00Comments on Speaking Natalie: Actions, Consequences, Free Will, and DisneylandUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3321402.post-28778445925005628852008-04-29T10:21:00.000-07:002008-04-29T10:21:00.000-07:00I loved your thoughts on David as well. Very insig...I loved your thoughts on David as well. Very insightful and thought-provoking. How about let's get together sometime soon?Estherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17527648206224801609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3321402.post-43374889291122606392008-04-10T22:57:00.000-07:002008-04-10T22:57:00.000-07:00The struggle I have is that my natural tendency is...<I>The struggle I have is that my natural tendency is to assume "I won't worry about it, it's in God's hands." This follows easily into "so...it doesn't matter how hard I try." If I listen too hard to that Message I risk being blown further away from the truth.</I><BR/><BR/>I fall into the same trap, myself. It's easy to slip into that idea -- oh, well God's going to show me the next step, so I just have to sit on my butt and wait. (Or maybe that's just how I deal with it :) ) While waiting -- patience -- is of course paramount to seeing where God will lead, there is that idea that you must make some kind of effort. <BR/><BR/>Though having put it into a pithy statement like that, it sounds cheap. It's hard to codify what I mean by that -- because its not the "God helps those that help themselves" -- I think that God genuinely wants us to strive for that next step, while trusting that he'll make it clear if we're moving it the right direction. At least that's what I've been working with recently, focused on my own direction :) <BR/><BR/>Any any rate, dear Natalie, I loved your thoughts on David! Made me think twice about it...emilyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08868470182177150645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3321402.post-14671026535640057542008-04-10T02:43:00.000-07:002008-04-10T02:43:00.000-07:00I think one of my great gifts is the ability to li...I think one of my great gifts is the ability to listen to a message (or perhaps more accurately a Message) and to immediately discern whether the Message is for me or not. Many have been the occasions when I have heard a message from the pulpit and said to myself "This is not for me."<BR/><BR/>I don't ever mean to suggest that we can take and leave God's truths as we choose. God, and the Truths He represents, are eternal and unchanging. What I DO mean is that the Truth lies in a certain place, and while some Messages are designed to pull people in from one direction, other Messages are designed to pull people in from the other. I imagine the Truth as some central location, and each Message as a...wind, almost. Sometimes the wind blows in one direction, to pull people in from one side. Sometimes the wind blows in the other direction. But if the people on the far side get caught in the wind, they'll just be blown further away. The Free Will discussion is a classic example.<BR/><BR/>A great deal of time is spent in sermons on the idea that no matter how hard you try, without God, you cannot achieve any meaningful success. I invariably listen to these sermons, recognize their value, and discount them completely. I'm located on the other side of the truth.<BR/><BR/>The struggle <I>I</I> have is that my natural tendency is to assume "I won't worry about it, it's in God's hands." This follows easily into "so...it doesn't <I>matter</I> how hard I try." If I listen too hard to that Message I risk being blown further away from the truth.<BR/><BR/>I'm not sure if this is something that other people struggle with. I feel like one of my blessings is the ability to quickly ascertain whether something is bringing me closer to the Truth or further away.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3321402.post-17085675957758027742008-04-09T23:08:00.000-07:002008-04-09T23:08:00.000-07:00i'm a downer, i know, but somehow you turn everyth...i'm a downer, i know, but somehow you turn everything i say into something good and meaningful. it's a special gift you have, sweet boy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3321402.post-80474307049239495922008-04-07T17:08:00.000-07:002008-04-07T17:08:00.000-07:00Well said, Little One who is no longer little.Well said, Little One who is no longer little.Oswell55https://www.blogger.com/profile/16086143697523976111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3321402.post-84120373780740860662008-04-07T15:30:00.000-07:002008-04-07T15:30:00.000-07:00Well, it seems sticky when you get into issues of....Well, it seems sticky when you get into issues of. "Well, if God really wants it to happen, then He will make it happen", but I imagine that kind of falls apart in the face of "No realy, <I>all</I>-powerful".<BR/><BR/>Likewise, I think that remembering that fact helps keep us humble. Without God, humanity drops the ball, consistantly and thoroughly.<BR/><BR/>Might be considered a little depressing, but I think the "without God, we can't do anything" is tempered by the "with God, we can do anything" idea that sensibly follows it.Williamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15480452524845413806noreply@blogger.com