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| Open Theism Discussion Board > Public Forums > General Chat > Is this all in vain? | Forum Quick Jump
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Wahoo
Registered Member
Date Joined Jan 2004
Total Posts : 142
| Posted 4/5/2004 5:21 AM (GMT -6) |   | Tigress and all,
I started reading and writing in January of this year and I came here because I knew about the community here. I can't say how I knew but I think word gets around and that must be a direct result of the Holy Spirit in the lives of many here. AND, I did not expect that Greg Boyd would be reading and posting here because I have read a couple of his books and have heard of the work that he does. I completely expected that he would not have time to devote to this.
What I did come here for was not to stir up the controversy surrounding Open Theism but instead to hear from a community that I knew existed what they thought of some events of the time. The thread I started has since been removed. What I became familiar with as I read the threads was the community. I did feel that some were writing and writing and not listening. What I desired to accomplish in my posts was application of all the theology i read and find if a theology works like oil or like dust when applied. But it seemed more and more that my thoughts didn't matter because I didn't have the vocabulary and long rhetoric of some others.
I was discouraged by this and now I have only visited this site twice in the last month. If I am too weak to participate and have interaction then that is very unfortunate. But it was not because Greg Boyd didn't post here. Some of you are pastors on this site and I hope that you realize that. We see in a mirror dimly and the web is another manifestation of that. But by the Holy Spirit some have made this site a joy for me.
I am speaking to those of you who will be encouraged. This website is not a disgrace. Sometimes I feel that going to Sunday services is more disgraceful than this website. There will always be people who will disgrace the purpose of church services and discussion boards. It just so happens that there are some here who have contradicted that. Being full of the Holy Spirit is a contradiction to human behavior.
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Tigress
Registered Member
Date Joined Feb 2003
Total Posts : 1252
| Posted 4/5/2004 6:44 AM (GMT -6) | | | | |
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quest for truth
Registered Member
Date Joined Jul 2001
Total Posts : 479
| Posted 4/5/2004 1:24 PM (GMT -6) | | quote:
But it seemed more and more that my thoughts didn't matter because I didn't have the vocabulary and long rhetoric of some others.
quote:
If I am too weak to participate and have interaction then that is very unfortunate. But it was not because Greg Boyd didn't post here. Some of you are pastors on this site and I hope that you realize that. We see in a mirror dimly and the web is another manifestation of that.
Wahoo, I am wondering if sometimes people don't seem to listen because they do not understand? I believe that sometimes people are limited and unable to understand another interpretation or idea. Sometimes words take on different meaning and different interpretations. Sometimes people are so hung up in thought that they read past the writing..... What I am trying to say is that we all take in information differently and sometimes talk past one another. For example, I am guilty of trying to read/understand what people write but am limited -- I am working out of my own limited interpretational system.
As far as being too weak.... I believe it matters very little what others think of us but it matters much what we think of ourselves. Do not let the actions or lack of responses dictate whether you are weak. You get the sayso in this.
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Wahoo
Registered Member
Date Joined Jan 2004
Total Posts : 142
| Posted 4/5/2004 4:57 PM (GMT -6) | | Thank you Tiggers, QFT and MRJ.
I started out with a resolve to keep a gentle spirit about posting but when I was starting to go the other way, there was a warning not to get puffed up. That's when I decided to take a break. It also takes alot of time to stay current on some threads, and when it seems like a thread is voluminous with one person's ideas it feels like a waste of that time. I hope that all these poeple who are on the sidelines, reading will be encouraged to do some posting. | | Back to Top | | |
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quest for truth
Registered Member
Date Joined Jul 2001
Total Posts : 479
| Posted 4/5/2004 5:33 PM (GMT -6) | | quote:
It also takes alot of time to stay current on some threads
I know. I agree with Greg Boyd in that we need to be good stewards of our time. I have found that I need to keep strict boundaries on how much time I put into reading and responding on threads....
quote:
I hope that all these poeple who are on the sidelines, reading will be encouraged to do some posting.
I do too! I hope that more and more people will post and process their ideas and questions. It is so beautiful when people respect one another and allow others to think differently... I have learned so much from various contributors. We all make up the body. I hope more people on the sidelines will brave themselves enough to chime in. | | Back to Top | | |
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Truth Aficionado
Registered Member
Date Joined Dec 2003
Total Posts : 1544
| Posted 4/6/2004 3:37 AM (GMT -6) | | Hello All,
I would like to say thanks to Dr. Boyd for making this board available, it has NOT been in vain for me, I have gotten a lot out of it, so thanks to all of you that have contributed to this board recently or in the past. I would hope to see Doc contribute here in the future, but I can’t complain until I exhaust all the resources he has made available. Anyone can download (for free) historical sermons as recent as last week. There is also an archive here on the board of previous post along with all of his books. Another good idea for those that want to learn more of what Doc teaches is to read the books that he has read and recommends, such as: C.S. Lewis, Bonhoeffer, Kierkegaard, Hughes and others as the list goes on. I would NOT idolize him, but he is a great teacher that I do respect and appreciate.
After reading the book (Love not Religion) that he recommend to help us prep for his soon to be released new book “Repenting of Religion”, I would have reason to believe he is editing his time by rolling up his sleeves and acting on things he preaches about, such as prioritizing and simplifying life. So I wouldn’t be surprised to find him spending his new found time with his family, friends, neighbors, ministering to the thousands of people at WHC or volunteering down at a homeless shelter, food bank or some other community service or charity. (in a sense he is still teaching a lesson in his absence) Personally, I wish MsMe (and others like her) would come back to this site, yea ms me I miss you. For those of you that don’t know who MsMe is, she reached out for help one night and posted to the “I did not ask to be born” topic. I want to continue to learn from Greg and all of you because it helps me give back to the MsMe’s of this world and hopefully empowers me to serve and advance the Kingdom of God.
I encourage all to keep this train a running and keep posting to this board, as I do appreciate and enjoy reading it, even thou I don’t always respond. At times, I find it can be difficult interacting with a computer (some folks with little or no info on their profile) and would welcome the opportunity to be introduced to fellow Christians from this board face to face. I agree with POW, “for real fellowship, find a church”, but you have to appreciate the world wide fellowship that the internet and this board can provide. Debating here can challenge the intellect in all of us (ok I’m intellectually challenged), but hopefully it does not come at the expense of the spiritual. I can attest to the fact on how easy it is to let the Sprit take a back seat to our ego and to forget that there are real people behind the name we interact with. Wahoo, I agree with you about the rhetoric, NO intellect has a monopoly on the Spirit. Even my 6 year old can ask enough questions until you have to answer “I don’t know”. In fact, I think the more you know, the more you know that you don’t know. Yes, that’s right so I’m feeling less “intellectually challenged” by the minute, no wait, I feel wiser when I don’t know it all. Darn, was it a European or African swallow?
So is this all in vain, heck no. I will never be able to look at a TULIP  the same again. It has been worth the price of admission just to learn from Laika; one thing he taught me was to never overlook the wisdom of the Doobie Brothers
(or lame train analogies). So in the famous words of the Doobie Brothers, Long Train Runnin’:
Where pistons keep on churnin'
And the wheels go 'round and 'round
And the steel rails are cold and hard
For the miles that they go down
Without love
Where would you be right now
Without love
Where would you be now
So all aboard my Brothers and Sisters united in Christ, let’s keep this train a runnin’, bearing the fruit of the Spirit along our journey.
Thanks to all and God bless,
Mark
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feelinahole
Registered Member
Date Joined Jan 2004
Total Posts : 754
| Posted 4/6/2004 4:25 AM (GMT -6) | | | | |
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Truth Aficionado
Registered Member
Date Joined Dec 2003
Total Posts : 1544
| Posted 4/6/2004 10:01 AM (GMT -6) | | In hindsight, sometimes it does all seem in vain as reasoning falls on deaf ears. It appears that there are those that think they know it all; their tongues do the work of their ears.  | | Back to Top | | |
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feelinahole
Registered Member
Date Joined Jan 2004
Total Posts : 754
| Posted 4/6/2004 10:26 AM (GMT -6) | | | | |
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feelinahole
Registered Member
Date Joined Jan 2004
Total Posts : 754
| Posted 4/6/2004 12:06 PM (GMT -6) | | | | |
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Leila
Registered Member
Date Joined Apr 2003
Total Posts : 93
| Posted 4/6/2004 1:54 PM (GMT -6) | | I’m one of those quiet “people on the sidelines” who has gained a TREMENDOUS amount by this site.
It was about a year ago when I was at one of my lowest points spiritually. My faith and salvation had been questioned by a so-called “church leader,” my small-group community felt superficial and strained, and I felt I had nowhere to go with my theological questions. As I had read Greg Boyd’s “Letters from Skeptic” a few years prior, I felt that he would be the one person who could understand where I was coming from. So I googled his name and came upon this site. I felt as if I had stumbled upon a spiritual gold mine.
I haven’t posted too much on the discussion board, as I don’t feel that I have that much to contribute. But I enjoy reading everyone’s posts and have learned so much by you all. And I know that when I do ask a question, this is the one place where it will be seriously and sensitively answered. Thank you all.
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Laika
Registered Member
Date Joined Mar 2003
Total Posts : 2433
| Posted 4/6/2004 3:16 PM (GMT -6) | | | | |
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feelinahole
Registered Member
Date Joined Jan 2004
Total Posts : 754
| Posted 4/6/2004 4:11 PM (GMT -6) | | | | |
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Laika
Registered Member
Date Joined Mar 2003
Total Posts : 2433
| Posted 4/6/2004 4:35 PM (GMT -6) | | | | |
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