I wanted to respond to your recent Purpose Weekly but couldn’t find a place on the site you recommended. I recently bought the book because of your last weekly and I have an open mind to the message and to what he may be trying to convey. One thing is for sure God certainly doesn’t like when we put Him in a box. When we want answers to life’s difficult questions we must be open and teachable for the Holy Spirit to reveal truth. I do believe Mr Young was searching for an answer. We live in a fallen world and we know from God’s word that satan is the god of this world. I look forward to reading it and I am going to let the Holy Spirit reveal to me what the purpose really was. I appreciate your honesty and of course stirring the hearts of individuals to rethink their relationship with the Lord and allowing Him to be Lord of our lives. Sometimes we allow ourselves to get into a rut even when it comes to the Lord. He is always challenging our faith and seeing how we act in certain situations.

Just wanted you to know that my book was released August 1. The Power of Love, Forgiveness and Surrender. My desire is that it too will challenge people about their walk with God. I truly believe that believers call Him Lord but He is not in reality. He truly helped me write the book and He gets all the Glory.

Keep up the good work….keep stirring hearts.

In His Love

Millie

You have a remarkably humble heart Steve. I must say, I’m not quite as good as you at being challenged, I tend to jump into defensiveness and then have to calm myself down. I’ve been working on that ever since I accepted Jesus as Lord. You are a very, very gracious man and having these exchanges has been a great blessing to me as well. I DEFINITELY learn from you, that’s why I read what you write.

I’m grateful you didn’t see this as me being petulant and wanting to argue with you. Although rereading what I wrote one could take it that way. I’m very grateful you didn’t because it truly wasn’t meant in any way to upset you. None of my emails or postings to you are meant in anything but the love of Christ.

The thing about me is – once I was delivered from cult teachings/brainwashing – and it was literally in a moment of time deliverance Praise God — the Lord quickly also delivered me from feelings of inadequacy and insecurity. Therefore even though I was always a bold type of person to an extent, this afforded me the ability to write and speak about the truth of the gospel without caring what others think about me. So – I tend to be blunt sometimes. I’m working on that as well! I’m relieved you didn’t see my postings as too harsh.

What is that saying, “Be patient, God isn’t through with me yet.”

I definitely see what you’re trying to do with your writings that’s why I read what you write. I don’t “do” newsletters too often. I can’t stand the Spam, then the newsletters and I also sift through Michael English’s fan mail. So I get hundreds of emails a day, sometimes per hour. But “something” (the Holy Spirit?) told me to subscribe to your newsletter. THEN – even on the rare occasions that I do subscribe well-intentioned, I find I don’t have the time to read them! But yours I read. And you hit it on the head, I’m HYPER about staying totally, utterly spot-on when it comes to scripture. I that is a concern with you as well.

Privately, if someone like you – very, very, VERY seasoned in God’s Word picked up something like “The Shack”, I have zero problem with it. I have every confidence you would pick out the Biblical inaccuracies as you already have. What I have taken issue with is you publicly endorsing it. You’ll have someone out there like my oldest daughter—teetering on the precipice — do I believe again or do I continue to reject Jesus Christ? Then she reads the Shack on your recommendation or because other respected men of God said it was “Good” or “Alright” to read it. That’s why this discussion continues!

But you’re sticking your neck out there, and believe me, I know that’s not easy. I was on the Lansing State Journal’s advisory board. There were 18 of us along with two editors and we’d meet once a month to discuss how the newspaper was living up to community standards as well as write editorials for the newspaper. To say I was vilified is such an understatement. To see first hand how a head editor of a major newspaper HATED and I mean spit flying from his mouth when he spoke of him – George W. Bush, was such an amazing insight. I was the only Christian conservative in the room each meeting. One evening, because I wrote about MY faith and the faith of the President, one woman hissed at me in front of everyone, “YOU BIGOT! YOU RACIST ANIMAL! YOU ARE WHAT’S WRONG WITH THIS COUNTRY!” Huh? I didn’t even IMPLY something about anyone’s race, or speak about anyone else for that matter other than the President and that he’s my brother in Christ.

Well – the woman was a Jew. I met with her afterwards and asked her was she sure she read MY column? Then she told me her daughter read it too and came up with the same conclusion – with hatred burning in her eyes. I apologized if anything I had written upset her and her daughter, then calmly told her I love Jews! My mother was born and raised on Delancey Street, New York and for most of my life I thought so many things that were Jewish was Italian and vice-versa. I said my Italian culture and the Jewish American culture are SO similar that the line distinguishing the two was blurred. Then I said to her, “My Savior, the very reason I breathe, was a Jew, how could I hate or even dislike Jews? I love them with all my heart!” I knew she believed me. She didn’t WANT to believe me, but it was the truth and she knew I was telling the truth. So for one single second, there was a truce. But as the days went by, her hatred for me knew no bounds and she would tell others in the community (outside of these meetings) things about me and why I was such a horrible person.

We do it for love. The Love of Jesus. We stick out necks out there because we are called to do it. We do it Because He Lives! I know what you do and putting yourself out there isn’t easy. You’re doing an excellent job! And since you asked for it, you have my permission to use whatever you want. IF you promise not to expose my typos!! God bless, have a terrific Lord’s day!