My Conclusions

My Conclusions

This is where I am at this point in my spiritual journey.

If I can help someone avoid a pitfall that they really didn’t want to be in, then that is a good thing.

If I can point out a direction that someone hasn’t thought of, but they decide it is a good direction for them and they take it, then I have been helpful.

Here is a definition of being a  Christian and growing into the likeness of Christ that I find very helpful.

It is from Carmen Renee Berry’s book The Unauthorized Guide to Sex and the Church.

Page 10

“our responsibility as maturing Christians is to learn, to think, to ponder, to pray, to ask, to recommend, to share, to rethink, and to allow the Holy Spirit to change us into more exact likenesses of Christ through the process of learning, thinking, pondering, praying, asking, recommending, rethinking, and sharing.  I believe the Holy Spirit teaches the heart that is asking questions, longing to love in a more vulnerable way – not those who think they have all the answers and are closed up tight.”

A group of independent churches uses this saying to guide their study

Where the Bible Speaks, we speak

Where the Bible is Silent, we are silent

In matters of opinion, liberality

In all things Love

Instead of the methods above it often works out the following way.

People try to start with what the Bible says.   GOOD

Where the Bible doesn’t say something on a specific subject people like to fill in the gaps with our own personal opinions.  BAD PRACTICE

The next step down this path is to  pick and choose from the Bible to try to make it fit a preconceived of how the universe should work.  Love can quickly disappear in the process of  forcing their opinions on everyone else.  UGLY

Check out my conclusions carefully.

If they help you in sorting out fact from opinion then they are of some use to you.