get out your bible and check up on that

it is a difficult thing when you have to make the decision to walk away from your family.  it is not something anyone does lightly.  in my case it was years in the coming.  one baby step at a time until one day i realized that i didn't want to keep rebuilding the bridges between our lives.

i my case it comes down to this:

i am a bible believing christian
i refuse to bow to the gods of this world
i refuse to think, act, or believe as they do

therefore:

i am wrong
i am the hypocrite
i am the "bad" one

i understand where they are coming from.

i really do.

i have compassion on them for their brokenness

i really do.

we all suffer brokenness at times, but the way to healing is not by demeaning others. it is by seeking the healing that Jesus offers.

to my family, and to the world in general

MY LIFE JUDGES THEM

i don't have to say a word. but the way i have lived and continue to live my life causes them to feel judged.

i'm a hater because i refuse to think , believe, or act as they do.

in their eyes i am not allowed to have the beliefs and convictions that i have.

then......

they throw the Bible at me.........satan's most favorite form of deceit!

**love the Lord God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength. deut. 6:5

EVERYTHING in my life flows out of this portion of scripture.

i try not to take it personally when i am attacked for who i am.

and who i am is

A CHILD OF GOD!

it is difficult to blame broken people who desperately try to affirm themselves when no one else will.

it is difficult to even defend yourself against those who try to use the Bible as a means to attack rather than a means to convict.

i feel it is God's will for my life to cut the ties.  however, i feel it is also God's desire that i continue to pray for their salvation.  Jesus came to pay the penalty for the sins of us ALL.  but it is up to us to accept the fact that we are sinners in need of a savior.

the bottom line is this:

i love God more than anything or anyone in this world.  and i could write volumes on how this can and does impact our lives and relationships.

so......

do i need to get out my Bible and check up on that?

the answer is YES!!

and i do so daily.

my thoughts on being a "cult leader"

i am a bible believing christian.
my parent(s) and siblings(except for one) and their families are unsaved, worldly people.

they refer to me as the "cult leader" because i raised my family different than they did theirs.

to my unsaved family members, our christian beliefs and worldview bothers them.  they have to defend their choices by trying to tear mine apart.

and they have plenty of company on that wide road that leads to destruction.

while i, on the other hand, have tried to lead my family to the narrow path that leads to life.
and here we will stay.  set apart.  living daily to try to please our Lord and Savior.

our goal in life is not to look like the rest of the world and to please them.  sorry.

i wasn't sure how i felt about the title "cult leader", so i looked up the definition of
cult:  devoted attachment to a person, principle.

hmmmm.  yeah, it fits.  i have a devoted attachment to Jesus Christ and the word of God.

i have fully accepted the responsibility given to me by God to teach and lead my children.
and now my work isn't done.  there is another generation that needs me to help lead them.
this is my work until God leads me home.

i am proud of my family.  i give God all of the praise and glory for every blessing we enjoy and for every lesson we have learned, and continue to learn.

i know what parenting without God's guidance looks like and feels like because that is how I grew up.
no child should ever have to navigate the perils of growing up on their own.
children are not an inconvenience of life that need to be managed.  they are gifts from God and should be loved and led back to Him.

"cult leader"
yup
i'm proud of that title
it tells me that my family does not look like all of the rest
and for that i am thankful