A Life Transformed
by Jim Gardner
(Kentucky, USA)
I cannot express in words how grateful I am to have found this website. My path to Christ has been a slow, long, and then of a sudden--quick and bright one! Christ Jesus has most specifically called to me in every detail of my life and I am grateful. I ordered your book, Gay Christian 101.
In the evening, I was driving to Borders to buy a new Bible and was overcome with a form of crying I had never experienced before that was a response to my hurt and prayer.
I finished my first reading of Gay Christian 101 last night and will be handing it along to a friend. I have been well-served by my studies as a young man in understanding your classical sources when Biblical lexicons have failed.
I read Dover's book around the same time I read Boswell, Plato, etc. Is there a term for bringing context by the use of external sources? I certainly agree with your conclusions about the pais passages.
What is entirely new to me is your conclusion about eunuchs and when I saw that phrase "born this way" I chuckled with joy (it's NOT just a Lady Gaga song!)! Nevertheless I feel a need to get closer to the Greek (the Hebrew seems un-doable at this point but who knows where the Lord's work will take me when I've traveled so far in only weeks?!)
What do you think would be a good lexicon for me? Are there specific study aids that helped you along the way to writing your book? See this Link and Comments.
In morning prayers I continue to have a new sense of myself that is something entirely new to me and I believe the feeling corresponds to what you term "indwelling."
Jesus has begun his work with me right where I stand. I will check in occasionally with you to see how your ministry is going, as I am keen to continue to learn and utilize the web resources you have so kindly built.
I am burgeoning in my Bible studies, praying everyday and seem to be getting the hang of it. I now have the sense of a conversation going and my voice seems to be coming to me. I have really dealt with a lot of anger, Rick. My warrior's attitude so well developed in the martial arts was to take no captives and this actually held me back from Christ.
Every day is a struggle. Last night I watched Stonewall Uprising on PBS and I could feel that old flame arisen. Not that self-defense and a solid sense of who I am and the history of "my people" is in itself bad, but that I need to emulate Christ in dealing with "enemies" as anything else is only harmful to me and my soul.
I am most certain you know what I mean. For the first time in my life, I am honestly and with all my heart trying to practice Christian precepts beyond mere "ethics." I am quite ethical but now see ethics without Christ as a straw man.
Once I began reading and studying (not long before I contacted you the first time), the Lord began working in my life. I found a Baptist Church have attended it voraciously, met hundreds of seeking, thinking, believing folk; cried, prayed, worshipped, and healed more than I could ever have believed possible in so short a time.
The Baptist church is probably a bit more "liberal" in some ways than I am (that L word is most inadequate) but it is also solidly Bible-centric. I have been watching very closely on that account.
Every day I wake up and am excited to pray for more, and surprised that I don't feel in the least deprived of anything I was doing before. Before Christ, I had already decided my life was too complicated and so finding faith has been an extension of that work begun, that ultimately would fail without Him.
Your brother in Christ,
Jim
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