Thank you for your sharing today... Even though I cannot fully comprehend the depth of your feelings, I am deeply grateful that you've come to the realization you had, and that you had the urgency to share with us. I am so thankful to have you as a brother who thinks so clearly, who understands so much, and who loves and seeks God with all the mind and heart. It's really not easy to have someone like that to walk the journey of life with you, it's such a wonderful blessing.

What is the actual foundation of our faith... what are we actually relying on? It's really not that we have merely understood the story of salvation and that we have prayed that little salvation prayer... that's relying on our own knowledge of how salvation should "work", but that's so wrong! Who are we to claim that we actually know how God saves? We can merely rely on the assertion, or wishful thinking even, as you put it, that God is a merciful God. We need God to be a merciful God, for if this weren't true, we would have no way to ever be saved...

Ultimately, all of us Christians are wishful thinkers, or we should learn to become one anyway... We are all wishful thinkers who need and wish for God's love and mercy, and that's all we can ever rely on... I will always remember that.

In the light of God's mercy, pride pales to insignificance... What can I boast? What did I contribute for me to become any more acceptable to God? Nothing... There really should be no place for a proud Christian...

Now that I am inside Your hands
Let me not grow prideful again
Don't let me forsake sacrifice
Jesus You be lifted high

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Being close to craziness and being close to you...
Being close to craziness because not being close to you.