Kathi: Hey Rich! How's it going?
Rich Tatum: Good.
Rich Tatum: Frustrated over the fact that I stayed up till 4:00 am to watch history being made to no effect.
Rich Tatum: :: sigh ::
Kathi: I've been talking to Don Veinot. He's a cool guy.
OH! Tell me. I'm about to keel over from exhaustion. And this was supposed to be a boring election? ROFL
Rich Tatum: No doubt.
Rich Tatum: Who's Don Veinot? Is he with Midwest Outreach?
Kathi: Yep. He thinks I should wait a while, before using my testimony. He and some folks that work with him are going to do some discipling of me. He's concerned that if I go public now, I'll get barraged with both Christian requests for time and information and outraged pagans, and I'll either burn out, go crazy, or recant.
Rich Tatum: Sounds like wisdom.
Rich Tatum: And, that's awesome!
Rich Tatum: Are they going to send you study materials, or what?
Kathi: I both agree and disagree with him … Of course, it's wise. But I'm wanting to do something _now_ ….
Yes, he's sending me a bunch of their journals. He recommended a book and a few web sites, too.
Rich Tatum: Paul said "Lay hands on no man suddenty … " for a reason, though.
Rich Tatum: Paul himself waited a few years after his conversion before he started preaching and teaching.
Kathi: I have a question, though. He's wanting to check me out thoroughly … talk to my pastor, talk to the person in charge of the pagan forum here on AOL, talk to my doctor about my hearing … he says there have been instances of fraud in the past. I certainly don't mind the background check … I have nothing to hide … but it did surprise me.
Kathi: I was just going to mention that.
Rich Tatum: Even though he was in a perfect place to begin a ministry.
Rich Tatum: I hinted about that when I first told you about them.
Rich Tatum: But, I wasn't sure how thorough they'd be.
Kathi: :::nodding::: Although he was preaching in Tarsus, when Barnabus came for him, wasn't he?
Rich Tatum: Bill Zwick told me that they are very cautious about converted pagans becuase they've been burned very badly.
Kathi: Yes, you did … but this goes well beyond what I expected. If you think its within the norm and all, I don't object a bit.
Rich Tatum: No, God told him to simply go to this house and wait for Barnabus.
Kathi: ok …
Rich Tatum: And then there are about 3-6 lost years after his conversion before Paul shows up on the scene again.
Rich Tatum: The Book of Acts makes it look like Paul immediately went on the road, though.
Kathi: Acts is a really wild book. Even with you telling me some things about it … like the length of time it encompasses … it still is tricky about who did what when why how and where.
Rich Tatum: Oh yeah.
Rich Tatum: It's very helpful to follow along with a commentary.
Rich Tatum: It's important to constantly remember it took place over 30 years.
Rich Tatum: From about 33 AD to 59 or 60 AD.
Kathi: I want to get some commentaries. Gotta wait until I'm re-employed before I do.
Hey, say a prayer for me … going to talk to the boss today with a proposal for coming back sometime in the near future.
Rich Tatum: True.
Rich Tatum: Check this out:
Rich Tatum:
For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how
intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. I
was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was
extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers.
But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his
grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him
among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man, nor did I go up to
Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went
immediately into Arabia and later returned to Damascus.
Rich Tatum:
Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with
Peter and stayed with him fifteen days. I saw none of the other
apostles — only James, the Lord's brother.
I assure you before God that what I am writing you is no lie.
Later I went to Syria and Cilicia. I was personally unknown to the
churches of Judea that are in Christ. They only heard the report: "The
man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once
tried to destroy." And they praised God because of me.
Rich Tatum: This is from Galatians 1.
Rich Tatum: http://bible.gospelcom.net/cgi-bin/bible?passage=GAL+&language=english&version=NIV&showfn=on
Kathi: :::reading:::
Kathi: Good grief. What AM I going to do with these people? Why do I do this? Why? LOL
Kathi: you should see my mailbox :-)
Rich Tatum: :-)
Rich Tatum: What people?
Kathi: healant's volunteers
Rich Tatum: Ah.
Kathi: some of whom are certifiably insane.
Rich Tatum: tell 'em you need money before you read their email.
Rich Tatum: :-)
Rich Tatum: Won't help, though.
Kathi: So anyways … Don wants to take some time, check me out, disciple me, and then we'll look at how I can best share my experiences.
Rich Tatum: Go for it. Talk to your pastor about it first, though, and tell Don that you plan to talk to your pastor.
Rich Tatum: If, for whatever reason, Don doesn't want your pastor involved, ditch 'im.
Rich Tatum: I think it's wisdom that you get some discipleship, maturity, and emotional distance behind you first. But you need to make sure your pastor is involved.
Rich Tatum: If Don sends you discipleship materials, be sure to show it to your pastor just to be on the safe side.
Rich Tatum: I don't foresee any problems with this, but you just need to remain accountable — to your pastor and your own community first.
Kathi: No, he's perfectly cool. And I told him that I'd never take anything he said at face value.
Rich Tatum: Good.
Kathi: For that matter, I seldom take anything YOU say at face value, either. Or my pastor. My poor bible's getting beat up by all the looking around I do.
Kathi: <g>
Rich Tatum: This may simply be a good test of submission that God is sending your way.
Rich Tatum: :-)
Rich Tatum: That's why I always try to copy and paste scripture to you rather than simply making claims.
Kathi: But I also told him that I would follow his advice and leadership provided that it was scriptural AND the Lord was leading me that way.
Rich Tatum: Sola scriptura , baby. Sola scriptura.
Kathi: ? Sola ??
Rich Tatum: Only.
Kathi: I thought so, but wanted to make sure. Latin, right?
Rich Tatum: Yeah.
Rich Tatum: This was one of the "battle cry" of Martin Luther during the reformation that led to the split between the Catholic church and the "Protestant" churches.
Kathi: Never had much use for it, beyond legal terms, and I only learned a few. Mostly forgotten now.
Kathi: :::nodding:::
Kathi: Hey, do you have a short definition for "calvinist" (and non-calvinist)?
Rich Tatum: Sola Scriptura is the doctrine that all that is required by God for us to know and do is found only in the Bible.
Rich Tatum: Everything else must ultimately rest on the foundations of the Bible.
Kathi: ok …
Rich Tatum: This was in direct contradistinction against Papal authority, which is ex cathedra.
Rich Tatum: Martin Luther declared that the bible is our "all sufficient guide for faith and conduct."
Kathi: makes sense to me.
Rich Tatum: Here's a useful quote: " … one of the issues that still divides us: the source of religious truth for the people of God. As Protestants we maintain that the Scripture alone is our authority. Our Roman opponents maintain that the Scripture by itself is insufficient as the authority of the people of God, and that tradition and the teaching authority of the church must be added to the Scripture."
Rich Tatum: (I don't like the language of "opponnents" but it illustrates the difference.)
Rich Tatum: From: http://www.gospelcom.net/thehighway/Sola_Scriptura_Godfrey.html
Kathi: brb. meeting
Rich Tatum: So, now 100-200 lawyers are descending on FL to recount.
Rich Tatum: Have fun storming the castle.
Kathi: Well, that was interesting.
Kathi: I have the job, but no money. LOL
Rich Tatum: Awww, that's weird.
Kathi: At least not yet.
Kathi signed off at 1:05:20 PM.
Kathi signed on at 1:10:52 PM.
