Rich Tatum: Incredible … I like what happened last night. Do you mind if I forward it to a few folks?

Kathi: Go right ahead!

Rich Tatum: Don't worry about "not having done enough" Kathi ….

Kathi: I have to.

Rich Tatum: Do what God gives you to do. You don't have to go chasing after his will. Everybody God wanted you to love last night came.
Rich Tatum: If you worry that you didn't do enough, you're telling God he has misplaced his trust in you.
Rich Tatum: And he knows whereof he trusts.

Kathi: I know. But I can't look into the eyes of those kids … especially those teenagers … and feel like I've done enough.

Rich Tatum: Imagine how Jesus felt. And yet, he said "It is finished!"

Kathi: this is true.

Rich Tatum: Jesus was able to walk by the woman who had "an issue of blood"and it was she who had to reach out to Jesus. The omnipotent, omniscient Son of God walked right by a woman needed healing, and she had to go for it.
Rich Tatum: Of course, he healed her, but Jesus said "I say what I hear my Father saying, I do what I see my Father doing." (paraphrase).
Rich Tatum: You can't do everything you have the ability to do, nor are you expected to. Jesus spent three short years doing what God gave him to do, and neglecting what wasn't in his "mission portfolio."

Kathi: :::nodding::: I know. Knowing doesn't change the feeling though :-)

Rich Tatum: Every day you have a "mission portfolio" that consists of the people God brings into your life, and to responding to his nudging. When you resist him, of course, you'll know you're resisting him, and you should feel bad about that. But don't feel bad about not doing enough because you can never — ever-- do enough. You go down that road too far you'll burn out and get disillusioned.
Rich Tatum: And this is yet another reason why I think Paul says "Lay hands on no man suddenly." (Laying hands on being the early church's way of commissioning and ordaining people for ministry.)

Kathi: I'll get over it … get used to it … or something. Don't forget this was a completely new experience for all of us.

Rich Tatum: New believers have the greatest enthusiasm and the greatest vulnerabilities with regard to ministry. Be careful.
Rich Tatum: I understand.
Rich Tatum: Rejoice at what God has done, don't focus on what you didn't or couldn't do.
Rich Tatum: :-)

Kathi: I'm hoping that at the very least, we've planted some seeds. I know the analogy is in the new testament somewhere (brain cramp this morning) of someone planting seeds, someone else watering them, and a third person coming to reap the harvest … do you know the verses I'm talking about?

Rich Tatum: Yes, that's a parable Jesus mentioned.

Kathi: no … I know He said some related things but that's not what I'm thinking of

Rich Tatum: Then he told them many things in parables, saying: "A
farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the
seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and
ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not
have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil
was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were
scorched, and they withered because they had no root.
Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked
the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it
produced a crop — a hundred, sixty or thirty times what
was sown. He who has ears, let him hear." [snip]

Rich Tatum:
"Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When
anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not
understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what
was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the
path. The one who received the seed that fell on rocky
places is the man who hears the word and at once receives
it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a
short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of
the word, he quickly falls away.

Rich Tatum:
The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns
is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this
life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it
unfruitful. But the one who received the seed that fell
on good soil is the man who hears the word and
understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred,
sixty or thirty times what was sown."

Kathi: That's not it. Although I've spent a lot of time praying about that one over the last few months :-)

Rich Tatum: I know what passage you're talking about …
Rich Tatum: hang on …
Rich Tatum:
For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I
follow Apollos," are you not mere men? What, after all,
is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom
you came to believe — as the Lord has assigned to each his
task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God
made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters
is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.
The man who plants and the man who waters have one
purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own
labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's
field, God's building.

By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an
expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But
each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can
lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which
is Jesus Christ.

Rich Tatum: View: 1 Corinthians 3

Kathi: YES! That's the one.

Rich Tatum: :-)
Rich Tatum: From Paul's pen to your eyes.

Kathi: My poor memory is so faulty. I used to be able to read and remember much better than this. :-(

Rich Tatum: Mebbe you got knocked on the noggin last night?
Rich Tatum: Oooh, speaking of which, it's egg noggin time!
Rich Tatum: Wahoo! I love this time of the year for fattening foods.

Kathi: Or maybe I didn't get hit hard enough? LOL

Rich Tatum: That's possible.

Kathi: gee, thanks :::thwap:::

Rich Tatum: Or, like a kid learning how to walk without crutches, you're learning how to think without the miasma of weird spiritual influences around. Now that you've burned and destroyed your talismans.

Kathi: You know I think you're onto something there … because things are radically different now that I've done that.

Rich Tatum: :-)
Rich Tatum: Throwing away your crutches is generally a good thing, but you'll be awkward for a while.
Rich Tatum: Just remember, "think on these things and the God of peace will guard your hearts and minds."
Rich Tatum: You need God guarding you during this time. So be careful what you dwell on.
Rich Tatum: Uh, be really careful.

Kathi: I wonder if my experiences are typical. I'd love to talk to others who've been through this to see.

Rich Tatum: I might be able to help with that.
Rich Tatum: Okay, here's the story: there's a dude here who works with the Midwest Christian Outreach (http://www.midwestoutreach.org/), which is a cult watch/apologetics group here in Chicago. This fellow, Bill Zwick, suggested you write your testimony for them, that they could publish it in their newsletter.

Kathi: Yesterday morning, I was at Ken's parent's house … his mother and I went to Bible study together. The morning news had someone reading tarot cards on it. I went and changed the channel. Didn't even want my mind to go there.

Rich Tatum: He mentioned that you ought to stop by their website and send them an email through their contacts page. (I told him your testimony.)
Rich Tatum: <good for you!>

Kathi: OK, I will.

Rich Tatum: However, he did caution me that they've had a lot of people in their chat rooms pose as converted Wiccans in order to get ingratiated and involved.
Rich Tatum: So he was a bit worried that they not get taken in with another tall tale.
Rich Tatum: I told him not to worry that if you sent in your testimony for them to use that I'd encourage you to also send references that they could contact to verify.
Rich Tatum: Such as your church's and pastor's name.

Kathi: WOW … we need an organization like this HERE.

Rich Tatum: Actually, there's a dude involved in the org. in North Carolina.

Kathi: I'm happy to talk to him on the phone, too, if needed.
Kathi: Really???

Rich Tatum: http://www.midwestoutreach.org/

Kathi: I'm there, I'm still on the main page reading about all the fantastic stuff they do.

Rich Tatum: Charlotte, North Carolina Branch

Rich Tatum: Got that from their CONTACT MCO page.

Kathi: :::grinning:::

Rich Tatum: If you email them, be sure to send it to info (at) midwestoutreach.org as well.

Kathi: their website needs help. Looks like some database-driven things are broke.

Rich Tatum: :-)
Rich Tatum: They don't have much in the way of resources for Wiccans. But their resource library does mention an audiocassete:

Rich Tatum: But that looks like it.

Kathi: I'm working on a couple of articles. I'm not much of a writer, but it's good for me to do it, and maybe they'll help someone someday. Maybe I'll run them by these folks and see if they could use them.

Rich Tatum: Wouldn't hurt.

Kathi: So you talked to Bill Zwick, yes? How long ago? I'm going to mention that in my email.

Rich Tatum: They're probably expecting your email. :-)
Rich Tatum: I talked to him about it either yesterday or the day before.
Rich Tatum: Yes, Bill Zwick, he works here at Christianity Today International in Carol Stream, IL.

Kathi: Ahhh, ok! I wasn't sure if it was a ways back or recently.

Rich Tatum: What?

Kathi: It's only been three months.
Kathi: OIC

Rich Tatum: OIC?

Kathi: All of August, September, and October.

Rich Tatum: :-)

Kathi: I realized that when I was talking to someone at church Monday night … it's only been three months since all of this happened. It's definitely by grace that I've retained my sanity. I didn't know one could change that fast :D

Rich Tatum: :-)
Rich Tatum: That's why I lecture you.
Rich Tatum: Take it easy. Go at whatever pace God throws stuff at you, but just know that you can be tempted to do too much good.
Rich Tatum: :: off to grab some coffee - BRB ::

Kathi: ok ….
Kathi: keep on lecturing, I need it :D

Rich Tatum: I'm back.
Rich Tatum: Done lecturing. :-)
Rich Tatum: (I have coffee now, everything is peaceful!)
Rich Tatum: Oh, and I have leftover Tootsie Rolls!

Kathi: I gave all our tootsie's away … I don't like em.
Kathi: I ate the rest of the snickers that we had, though. I can feel my jeans shrinking as we speak.

Rich Tatum: Snickers: emergency dietary substitute for … everything!

Kathi: Anytime coffee is not available, yes.
Kathi: I think we went through six pots of the stuff last night … and we probably drank 2 by ourselves. I'm surprised that we slept.

Rich Tatum: Snickers became my favorite in college when I'd go to the snack machine and I looked at all the weights of all the products offered, and the snickers bar was, by far, the best buy.

Kathi: ROFL

Rich Tatum: It's a pretty dense little bar of caramel and joy.

Kathi: <sigh> When I was a kid, halloween candy wasn't. We got homemade caramel apples and fresh brownies and cookies and hot cider. I kind of miss that.

Rich Tatum: It's a mess to haul home in a sack, though!

Kathi: No, we'd go into each house and eat as we went.

Rich Tatum: Dang. That's cool.
Rich Tatum: Much more community oriented.

Kathi: small-town America. Can't do that anymore.

Rich Tatum: Nope.

Kathi: Now, which version of my testimony do I send? I've re-written the thing half a dozen times trying to make it more readable. Any suggestions?

Rich Tatum: If one is a bit more edgy, send that one. The people who receive this newsletter are involved in apologetics and pulling people from the jaws of hell. They'll appreciate the details.

Kathi: hmmm I don't think I have an edgy one.

Rich Tatum: :-)
Rich Tatum: Darn.
Rich Tatum: Send them the long one.
Rich Tatum: Same reasons.

Kathi: I should add the details about the book burning to the end of whatever Send them, yes?

Rich Tatum: Yes. That would work.

Kathi: I wonder if I have that here at home. I write it from work.

Rich Tatum: And, actually, with your son's permission, you might throw in something about your son being so committed to missions.
Rich Tatum: I included that in the story I told Bill.
Rich Tatum: It's another evidence of God's handiwork in your lives.
Rich Tatum: I can forward my copy you sent me if you need it.

Kathi: :::nodding:::

Rich Tatum: I know.
Rich Tatum: :-)

Kathi: ROFL

Rich Tatum: What email address? Kathi ?

Kathi: Yeah, that's fine.
Kathi: I gotta go for a little while … I'm organizing my files and then I have to install software. (gee, isn't my afternoon fun and interesting? LOL)

Rich Tatum: Have fun!

Kathi: yeah right

Kathi: thanks for the lectures <grin>