Rhonda, your thoughts here are excellent.  I am blessed reading them.

Helen

At 12:56 AM 12/7/03 -0500, Rhonda wrote:
>I see nothing wrong with Christian counsel, but shouldn't a person ask
>God first, I guess we feel so inadequate, and others seem so smart, so
>capable of knowing just what we should and should not do.
>But we forget that they are only human just like us, no one perfect,
>this pastor used to say if you had a problem in marriage you could ask
>him or his wife, because they had a perfect marriage.  He insisted that
>I would not be having problems in my marriage if I would only become the
>wife God wanted me to be.  Apparently speaking my opinion was not what
>God wanted, he quoted a verse about a quiet spirit, and winning them
>with our a word.
>I read a very cute book once called You Shall know the truth and the
>truth shall see you free, but first it will make you mad!
>this fellow was always right, those who did not agree, or see the vision
>he saw should just leave.
>If you weren't for him, then you were against him.  I have since written
>this man explaining my concerns and telling him of the things that were
>good at that local fellowship.
>Nothing is all bad, but when you constantly just push people out of your
>life because they want line up with your demands, what do you have but a
>bunch of people who will never tell you what they really think.  I don't
>know about him, but I need people to be real with me, sometimes that
>means a comforting word, sometimes that may  mean saying take a time
>out, cool off, don't say words in anger that you can never take back.
>Real friends know how to speak the truth, and they know how to do it
>with love.
>
>Wouldn't it be better for us all, if we could be real with other, and
>admit we had problems, I don't know all the answers, but I know who
>does, He is bigger than my fears,stronger than what can happen tomorrow,
>and He is not lessened by my admission of weakness.
>
>Rhonda
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Phil Scovell" <[log in to unmask]>
>To: <[log in to unmask]>
>Sent: Saturday, December 06, 2003 11:56 PM
>Subject: Re: hearing God
>
>
> > Rhonda,
> >
> > I went to a church with a pastor just like you described once, too.
>He even
> > preached a sermon one day and said when you are going to buy a car,
>you
> > should come to his office and talk with him about it first.
> >
> > Phil.