Nov 05, 2011
The Belief System Blanket
To view this player, you must have javascript enabled.
To download podcasts, click on the 
to the right side of the player.
Copyright © 2012 The Free Believers Network | All Rights Reserved
Great podcast! Wow. I loved so many comments, but was really struck when Darin said that things changed when he realized God thought he is good. My moment was similar. I was listening to Amazing Grace on my walkman (remember those?) while on a run and was singing the words in my head. "Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me." With such grace and clarity, God said to me, "I don't see you as a wretch." And I suddenly realized He would never have bothered giving us Jesus or would never have bothered with me at all if He really thought I was a wretch. He smiled at me and I saw Him! I immediately got depressed for a few weeks because it tore my whole world view apart, but I got over that and I have never stopped seeing Him smile at me. Thanks for sharing your conversation with us, Aimee and Darin!
Great talk. 5 years ago when the Mormons came to the door I, Doug would slay them with my vast knowledge of scripture and ability protect the house of Gawd. And let me tell you I won 100s to Christ. No, just kidding, I didn't convince any. It just made me look like a typical fundamentalist Christian.
Now, I live in a highly concentrated Mormon area in SE Denver. They come to see me all of the time and I just talk with them and I listen to them and am just cool to them.
Last month when they came to the door, I was talking about the experience I had with Jesus which I called the New Birth. The missionary asked me,"do you think we can have those experiences also as a LDS." I told hm, 2 years ago I would have said NO! But I asked him, "who am I to say God can't touch you or anyone else?"
I do not embrace Mormonism, but I stopped looking at people for what they believe and get to know the person. I am strong enough in my faith to not be moved by any isms.
The emotionalism part of the discussion made me laugh out loud! I have often been accused of being out of touch with God for not bursting into tears at the 'appropriate' moment. This is one of the reasons I left the institutional church -image over substance.
Doug what a heart warming story. I absolutely love grace. I love everything about it. They way it sounds. The way it looks, the way it smells; EVERYTHING. Thanks Doug:-)
What hit me was the whole discussion about desperation at the end. Much of what we believed was we had to become desperate for him and the sense of his not coming was because we didn't really want him above all else....hunger and thirst, will find when seek with whole heart etc. Even songs "I am desperate for you"....How soon we forget...I will never leave you or forsake you :-) What sweet freedom!
Wow! You guys could have named this "The Shawshank Redemption". When you're in the institution, like Red was in prison in the movie, you know there's a whole other life outside the walls, but it's scary, and there's comfort inside the walls, because it's familiar, it's consistent, etc. But something keeps calling for you to get outside the walls. If you've seen the movie, remember when Red is finally out, and he keeps having to ask his boss for permission to go to the bathroom. That's was institutions do to you. They strip away the freedom to keep you under control, so much you won't even take a leak without permission. Shawshank is my all time favorite movie, and I never really understood why. This podcast painted a picture of exactly why it's my favorite movie of all time. You helped me figure it out.
I might be different from most when it came to this message. Once I heard it and absorbed it, I embraced it fully and whole heartedly. I knew in my heart it is the truth.
Good stuff Kimball. I've seen the movie about 50 times. Love it. Yes, it's exactly like the IC. I think of that every time I watch the movie. IN fact if you go to the "Sermons" page on my website and scroll down until you find the sermon called "Into The Wild" (it was the last sermon I preached in the IC and I named the podcast show after it) I used a Shawshank illustration at the very end of the sermon that rocks the house. Great movie!!!
I will definitely do that Darin. I had one thought I forgot to include regarding Shawshank... Red was scared, had fear of being outside the prison. In other words, he feared freedom. Once he was out, stuck his head out the side window of the bus, had the wind blowing in his face, he embraced it and didn't look back! Get busy livin', or get busy dying'.
Yea I hear ya. What a great movie that SO many people can relate to in one way or another. It's just to bad they play it on television between 150 and 178 times a month.
Darin - I've been thinking about past situations lately too and wondering why. Hmmm... I just realized, as the two of you are talking, that it was God who got me out of the IC. It was He who put the disatisfaction in me. And all because He loves me! OK Going to go let that sink in for a while.....