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What's on your mind?

Saricharity

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I grew up in a very conservative family and I read this book when I was in grade seven and again in grade 10. It's an amazing book. *holds up my picket sign "Down with legalism!"
I can tell you this, when I read the book, even as a 12-year-old, when Tom Robinson was forced in court to repeat the words Mr. Ewell said, I cringed. I'm positive that no kid absorbed in that book would do anything else.
 
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OK Jeff

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Yeah - I grump on that one too.

I know in my own case it was how I was raised and what my congregation taught. It can be summed up in the words of a country song from the late 1970s:

God's gonna gitcha for that
God's gonna gitcha for that
No matter what you do, no matter where you're at
God's gonna gitcha for that
Sounds like we grew up in the same church. By the time i was a teenager, I’d determined I could never live up to the standard required for salvation. “Why bother” was the thought I’d carry for years.
It’s cause vs effect. Legalists believe “do (or don’t do) this and you’ll be saved”.
I’ve come to understand they have it backward. “Be saved and you will (or won’t) do.....”
 
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Dave-W

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By the time i was a teenager, I’d determined I could never live up to the standard required for salvation. “Why bother” was the thought I’d carry for years.
Yeah - I never carried that thought. But the idea of only being saved a few seconds at a time was rather disconcerting. Especially after the pastor said the only way to guarantee anyone was to go to heaven was to kill them while they were still on their knees at the altar repenting.
 
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Guy Incognito

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I've been pretty blah and lowkey this week. Things are going on and temptations are hitting big time, but God is great and giving me strength to flee time and time again, praise be His glorious name.

Really looking forward to a lot of time with my wife and loved ones this weekend.
 
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Deidre32

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God’s grace is truly sufficient. I finally have arrived at a place in my faith, or rather I’ve finally allowed the Holy Spirit to take me there, where I feel that God’s grace is sufficient and I shouldn’t worry about life stuff.
 
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Dave-W

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Thinking and praying for my youngest daughter and her 2 children. Their new dog died over the weekend from a disease I had not heard of in decades. (Parvo)

And my son and daughter in law are now expecting their 3rd - a boy.
 
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Bumble Bee

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We are having a last minute big family get together today to see some family visiting from Alaska. They didn’t tell us until last night that they would be here and wanted everyone to get together, which is super annoying. It’s immediate family, too, so it’s hard to say “no.”
 
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Saricharity

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Being kind and smiling at others is contagious! :)

I experimented this my class today. I challenged them to be extra kind and to smile at everyone they met and see how people reacted. The challenge was unanimous. Everyone noticed a huge difference in how others related to them.
It's the only way I can survive Christmas shopping at the mall LOL
 
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Guy Incognito

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Feeling down. Idk why ...sometimes I’m afraid that if I get down, God will think I’m ungrateful and I’m not.

Thankfully, that's not how God operates. We can be honest with the Lord when we're upset, confused, and down (heck, how many of the psalms are lamenting?) - the issue would be if we're blaming the Lord for it, which it doesn't sound like you are.

I'm sorry you're down though homie.
 
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