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...from an ordinary believer in Christ, sincerely proclaiming truth as God gives him the light of that truth...
Let me introduce this page and myself to you. I am Aaron J. Smith, and the following verbal mishmash will give you a general idea of what you will get in this space:
You will get the weekly reflections of one (me) who is not a preacher, teacher, lecturer or anything other than an ordinary John Doe who happens to be a believer in Christ. I want to use this forum to "speak" to my readers on a one-on-one basis. The first and second personal pronouns will be used extensively. It will be “you” and “I” as though I were talking directly to you as an individual. Then again, at times I may choose to write in a more formal manner. In other words, what you see at the moment is what you get.
In instances where I seem to veer away from what you think is traditional thinking, don’t be hasty in your judgment. There certainly is no wish here to be known as a radical thinker. That attitude and approach are reserved for the “angry young men” who want to make a dent in the Church’s consciousness by their clash with the Church’s established mores.
Neither do I want you to see me as a rebel, charging on my steed of self-righteousness against foes I have conjured up in my own imagination. That too is for young hotheads.
I only sincerely want to proclaim the truth as God gives me the light of that truth. Far from leaving the rudiments of biblical teaching, I ardently want to remain true to biblical doctrine and not be turned from my course by an agitated imagination or an emotional high, whether it be my own or someone else’s.
I must inform you, too, that the things I write (and I write them in all earnestness) do not mean that I am a perfect example and have fully implemented their teachings in my own life. BUT -- please don’t relegate me to the status of hypocrite. I am aware of my own shortcomings as I write. But I must write because God has told me to write and what He gives me to say to you He is demanding of me. So you can see that I have to exert every effort to measure up to the standards contained in my written articles. This is what Christ expects of me; it is what he expects of you.
Also, in this space I want to be a voice of moderation as opposed to the extremes of spiritualizing everything at one end of the spectrum and minimizing the working of the Spirit at the other extreme. God doesn’t need us to assist Him in being who He is by turning every event in our lives into a specific move by God. There are things that just happen, not that God is unaware of them, but He is unconcerned about them. Not every dream is a message from God. Not every random thought is of divine inspiration.
Now, I don’t want to get too far into the subject at this time, but this I firmly believe: Although God sees and knows everything, He sometimes lets matters run their course even while they are continually under His watchful eye. When He needs or chooses to intervene and change their course, He does. But enough of that. We'll have to pursue this train of thought at another time.
Now – the rambling thoughts above are a sample of what you will get in this column and, come to think of it, at this Web site. You will get exhortations to trust God and you will get words that smack of practicality. You will be urged to follow good advice that others give you and yet you will be cautioned to think for yourself. And you will often be told to pray and meditate so that you can achieve an intimate relationship with Christ, which enables you to discern the good advice and reject the bad. What you see (here) is what you (will) get. Wysiwyg.
Stay in touch -- there's more grist to be ground out of this rickety old mill!
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