I received this message below, not once, but twice on the same day from 2 "holier than thou" family members in my email inbox a few days ago.

Everytime I receive something like this I am more appreciative (now) I was not indoctrinated by any religion, but at the same time it's extremely frustrating to me.

My spirituality has been an intense struggle through the years because of feeling like an outcast, a "sinner," inferior, unclean, "unrighteous," and also filled with many questions and paramount confusion.

I did not grow up in a family that belonged to a church, and we were never members of any church. We did have a bible, but there was never any bible stories, it wasn't on any table in the family room, nor on any bookshelves, or accessible anywhere.

But, somehow when I was 12 yrs old I knew exactly where I could possibly find a bible when I needed it after something of significance happened to me,

What I found inside that bible that night was shocking, and is where my confusions and struggles began with flashes of earlier memories combined with a complete lack of knowledge and understanding, and no indoctrination.

I had zero foundation to stand on. I had no basic principles. I had nothing to build a framework on, except what I had.

We didn't go to church, we were not members of any church. Most everyone I knew then were at least members of a church, or went to church faithfully. I was not one of those, which was something I wasn't proud of, or made to feel proud of either.

Thank God!

2 b (cont)

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Email I received:

Judg. 10:13 – You have forsaken Me … therefore I will deliver you no more

Tough love is what it’s called these days. That is what we sometimes must do to our children or friends who continually get into trouble. In their case it seems that the more we help them get out of trouble, the more trouble they cause for themselves. They just don’t seem to learn from their mistakes when there are no lasting consequences for them. Because we love them, we must allow them to learn from their bad choices.

Because our heavenly Father is a forgiving God, we often continue in some of our sinful behavior without concern since we know20He will restore us to favor after we repent of our sins. We fully expect Him to “swoop” down and catch us before the consequences of our sins come upon us. But God is a better Parent and Friend than we could hope to have. When we brazenly launch into sinful behavior, He will not soften the blow for us. How could He protect us when we continue to wrench ourselves from His embrace?

Father, keep me closely linked to You as I go through t his day. Amen

God bless you,

"He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted ... and to comfort all who mourn" (Isa. 61: