| Author |
Message |
Flyinglady
Registered user
Username: Flyinglady
Post Number: 727
Registered: 3-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 09, 2004 - 6:10 pm: |     |
Colleen,
As usual, you said exactly what I would like to say about a former's attitude toward the SDA church and its members. Thank you. God has give you a very nice way with words.
Diana |
Doc
Registered user
Username: Doc
Post Number: 166
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 09, 2004 - 10:47 pm: | |
Colleen,
I think one reason you are not "moving on," is that what you do here is not just for yourself, but for all the people that you help, who are going through similar experiences in leaving SDA as you did.
2 Cor 1 says that when we suffer, we learn to be able to comfort others who are also suffering (or something like that, I am in a hurry).
But I'm sure you know you don't have to justify yourself to us :-)
God bless,
Adrian
|
Colleentinker
Registered user
Username: Colleentinker
Post Number: 926
Registered: 12-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 10, 2004 - 9:14 am: | |
You're right, Adrian--I do know I don't have to justify myself here. And I am so grateful to be able to share this experience of knowing Jesus with all of you!
Colleen |
Nate
Registered user
Username: Nate
Post Number: 6
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 10, 2004 - 10:16 am: | |
Thanks for sharing your heart, Colleen. I couldn't agree more. I personally find a growing heart of compassion for those still in the SDA system and that is why Paula and I keep contact through occasional articles for "Proclamation", keeping our story on a website, have written a book explaining our journey, etc. We have grown so much since we left the SDA church we long for our brothers and sisters still caught in the system to be able to experience the freedom to study the word without prescribed interpretations. We long for them to experience the power and freedom of the Holy Spirit that makes it a deilght to serve and honor the Lord.
I relate to the Apostle Paul. He went to the synagogues, to his jewish brothers and sisters in every city,first. He wanted them to hear the good news first. He said he would give up everything if his own flesh and blood could embrace the Gospel. As one raised in the SDA church, the Adventist people are truly my flesh and blood. They represent my heritage. Much of the heritage was good. But some of it truly interferred with my undersganding of Grace and the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Fear, seperation from other belivers, fear of deception kept me locked in.
I cannot conceive of any of us finding the Good News and keeping it to ourselves. How wrong it would be if we did not to try to share the blessing with those we love. I know there afe many SDAs that do not understand this motive. They think there is some cynical angry attitude in us that wants to hurt the Adventist church. That is so far from where our hearts are. But Paula and I we can relate at one level. When we first ran across some of the former SDA ministries we got upset to. We were defensive and angry about what these peole were saying. Some pastor friends of ours shared their discoveries from the Word and it truly unsettled us. We were angry with them. We sent some hostile emails to some of these folk. We thought they were all a bunch of disgruntled SDAs trying to get back at someone who had hurt them. But now, on the other side of the issue, we know the heart. It is a heart of compassion and love that just can't keep silent. Having met many other formers now, I know that is what drives them as well. We pray earnestly and tearfully for our church of origin and long for the truth to be openly embraced. We want others to find the joy of the gospel.
Thanks for sharing Colleen
In Christ,
Greg Taylor
(Nate) |
Praisegod
Registered user
Username: Praisegod
Post Number: 158
Registered: 3-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 10, 2004 - 10:21 am: | |
The article about their new stand on Creation and the picture came out in our area too exactly as you described it. This is a huge region and a paper with a lot of subscribers. I was quite shocked at the prominence it was given on the front page of one section over the weekend.
Here is a URL for the article. Would love to find how the rest of you take this. I'm suspecting it says more to us as formers than to the evangelical population as a whole. Hopefully, though, people can read between the lines at the lock-step rigidity.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/R/RELIGION_TODAY?SITE=DCTMS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Praise God... |
Jeremy
Registered user
Username: Jeremy
Post Number: 80
Registered: 10-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 10, 2004 - 1:43 pm: | |
Wow, this sure got me started on something... ;-)
I went to Google News (http://news.google.com/ and typed in "Adventist" and "Adventists." You sure get a lot of interesting results by doing that. ;-)
Anyway, I went to one of the results, which linked to the Wikipedia entry for Adventism. I didn't realize until now that anyone who wants to can create/edit/change articles on Wikipedia at will, instantly.  Here is the URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seventh-day_Adventist_Church. I added the links at the bottom of the page to make it more balanced. If any of you all want to help change it some more, go right ahead. ;-)
Jeremy |
Jeremy
Registered user
Username: Jeremy
Post Number: 81
Registered: 10-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 10, 2004 - 1:51 pm: | |
Wow, this sure got me started on something... ;-)
I went to Google News (http://news.google.com/ and typed in "Adventist" and "Adventists." You sure get a lot of interesting results by doing that. ;-)
Anyway, I went to one of the results, which linked to the Wikipedia entry for Adventism. I didn't realize until now that anyone who wants to can create/edit/change articles on Wikipedia at will, instantly. Here is the URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seventh-day_Adventist_Church. I added the links at the bottom of the page to make it more balanced. If any of you all want to help change it some more, go right ahead. ;-)
Jeremy |
Jeremy
Registered user
Username: Jeremy
Post Number: 82
Registered: 10-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 10, 2004 - 1:53 pm: | |
Sorry for the double post. It said there was an error.
Jeremy |
Carol_2
Registered user
Username: Carol_2
Post Number: 181
Registered: 2-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, November 11, 2004 - 3:10 pm: | |
Glad you added those links! Talk about unbalanced! It was obvious an SDA had posted the information, huh!?! You might want to check on it from time to time Jeremy, in case the links disappear. |
Dd
Registered user
Username: Dd
Post Number: 199
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, November 11, 2004 - 7:33 pm: | |
Jeremy,
You sneaky little devil....WELL DONE!!!
My prayer is for someone to check the links you posted and for the Holy Spirit to direct the reader into His truth of the New Covenant. |
