There’s more to write, but I haven’t had much time lately. This week is annual Clean-Out-Your-Desk week, so I should be able to elaborate more this week.

BTW Doug, tis okay. I understand where you are coming from. God has worked things out in all my bad decisions, as well as my good ones. Looking back on the bad ones, though, I wonder if He would have preferred a different choice. It’s difficult for me to believe in a personal God that is ambivalent in major decisions. However, it is quite easy for me to believe He would answer, “neither A nor B, just follow me”. Jesus did that kind of thing a lot.

To everyone else:
I’ll be back in the new year. I’ve made peace with the fact that God is not going to answer me at this time. I think about Gabriel sending news to Elizabeth about the upcoming birth of John the Baptist: up to that point, God had not spoken to his people directly for hundreds of years. People lived and died for generations without ‘hearing the word of the Lord’ so to speak.

In my case, I will have to base my faith on trust alone. For reasons known only to Him, I’m not getting an answer. So, I’ll do what I think is best for my family and me.

Thanksgiving, I visited my wife’s family. We went mainly to retrieve certain items from her father’s house. Still, who can resist a group photo?

I began talking to her father about our decision to stay with the family instead of visit the ICoC(Cooperative) church in Minneapolis. He raised his concerns with my wife’s involvement with the church from 10 – 15 years ago up until she moved to be with me. He expressed some happiness to meet the folks that are part of the ICoC(Cooperative) church we attend here. He felt that they were good people that wouldn’t take advantage of my wife and me.

He also went on to share a common thought I hear from non-Christians. He talked about many Christians do not seem to represent to teaching of their founder. I expressed to him that my wife and I’s days of passing eternal judgment are over. At this point, we are going to strive to obey our founder rather than point out why others are going to Hell.

I give all credit to the wonderful people in the church we attend.

For that reason, I’m staying. My wife has always wanted her family to know God (as opposed to church) and it seems that the Body of Christ locally is representing God very well.

Merry Christmas to everyone. Much love from all of us.