I've had a few of my friends mentioned that it seemed I changed my mind after my first blog post about these articles and questions. So, I wanted to briefly clarify (in case someone is reading who cares about the discussion but hasn't asked me).
When I first wrote the post about Hard Questions, I wasn't really saying I agreed completely with the articles. I just said that they put some questions in my mind.
I've struggled with the church's use of the words "God's will", "calling", God "speaking" to us individually, etc. for several years. It's something Joel and I discuss on a somewhat regular basis.
Part of it stems from seeing friends change their position on things they were adamant about at one time. Part of it has come from people asking us how we knew we were "called" to move to Harrisburg or join GFA staff. I'm sure it wouldn't surprise any of you to know that not everyone likes the decisions we've made in life...serving in ministry, moving, having more than one kid, what we name our children, how we raise our kids, how we educate our kids, what we eat, etc. When you talk to some people about these kinds of decisions, some say "God told me...".
We have said "God led us to...".
That's where this issue came from.
Have we tried to "pass the buck" and "blame" God for decisions we've made? How has God led us? Should we be more careful when we say God told us to do something? Perhaps we need to be using different verbiage.
I put the articles on the blog so others could read it and encourage/challenge me with their thoughts and insights. I appreciate the feedback I've gotten. I'm already feeling like I'm in a totally different place with my mind understanding things more clearly.
In future weeks I may blog about specific topics within the book and articles that have resonated with me or things I didn't agree with. But, for now, this will wrap up the Hard Questions. I'm always open to emails or feedback, so comment or send me a note and we can keep dialoguing about it.
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