http://growmercy.org/2006/12/18/prayer-for-paul-barnes/ Mercifully gumming up the scapegoating mechanism Fri, 18 May 2012 16:34:21 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 http://growmercy.org/2006/12/18/prayer-for-paul-barnes/comment-page-1/#comment-30734 Stephen T Berg Fri, 26 Dec 2008 18:42:42 +0000 http://growmercy.org/2006/12/18/prayer-for-paul-barnes/#comment-30734 Thanks for your comment, and more importantly, your courage. Thanks for your comment, and more importantly, your courage.

]]> http://growmercy.org/2006/12/18/prayer-for-paul-barnes/comment-page-1/#comment-30712 Charlote Fri, 26 Dec 2008 01:43:49 +0000 http://growmercy.org/2006/12/18/prayer-for-paul-barnes/#comment-30712 I am sad but yet i feel a glimmer of hope. I too was WAS a pastor, I heard and still hear from the voice of God. but all those around me say im not saved anymore. im a sinner! I went on a trip this summer, after i resigned and I was contemplating suicide. But God came to me at the end of my rope and asked me this..'havent i loved you ...knowing you were gay?' ...i sat there on the pier at Stanley park, miles and miles away from home wth no money no where to go..homeless and God touched me. He loved me, he loves me and He loves you too Pastor Paul, I've been their in that place, God is with you. I am sad but yet i feel a glimmer of hope. I too was WAS a pastor, I heard and still hear from the voice of God. but all those around me say im not saved anymore. im a sinner! I went on a trip this summer, after i resigned and I was contemplating suicide. But God came to me at the end of my rope and asked me this..’havent i loved you …knowing you were gay?’ …i sat there on the pier at Stanley park, miles and miles away from home wth no money no where to go..homeless and God touched me. He loved me, he loves me and He loves you too Pastor Paul, I’ve been their in that place, God is with you.

]]> http://growmercy.org/2006/12/18/prayer-for-paul-barnes/comment-page-1/#comment-756 Connie Tue, 19 Dec 2006 16:28:59 +0000 http://growmercy.org/2006/12/18/prayer-for-paul-barnes/#comment-756 But don't you know that THIS is where it all stops? Mercy's fine to grow, but theology trumps mercy, particularly on this point, remember?....pardon my sarcasm here, but so many are being devastated (including the wives and children of these leaders) because we've forgotten that it is in our power to be merciful, which is at least partly defined as alleviating distress...we could actually open our minds to new understanding of scripture and let go of "it's always been understood this way" (it hasn't), and finally accept gay Christians exactly as they are. I'm so tired of seeing the casualties, because each one reminds me of the others—the ones who've taken their lives, or spend their entire lives struggling with wanting to, or who cannot, for a second, think of God as love, because they've been so hurt by this. But don’t you know that THIS is where it all stops? Mercy’s fine to grow, but theology trumps mercy, particularly on this point, remember?….pardon my sarcasm here, but so many are being devastated (including the wives and children of these leaders) because we’ve forgotten that it is in our power to be merciful, which is at least partly defined as alleviating distress…we could actually open our minds to new understanding of scripture and let go of “it’s always been understood this way” (it hasn’t), and finally accept gay Christians exactly as they are. I’m so tired of seeing the casualties, because each one reminds me of the others—the ones who’ve taken their lives, or spend their entire lives struggling with wanting to, or who cannot, for a second, think of God as love, because they’ve been so hurt by this.

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