and He eluded their grasp

Have to comment about yesterday's message. First, I didn't listen to it since I was flying home, so can't vouch for the notes I posted, which were second-hand. Second, my guess is that even had I listened to it live, it wouldn't make anymore sense to me than reading secondhand notes, or reading the various pages I've read today through a google search. Third, still can't decide whether seminary would've been useful or useless in better understanding this topic (part of me believes seminaries are responsible FOR this confusing doctrine).

Most importantly, however, I don't care. I don't care if I don't understand the doctrine of election. I believe it is NOT critical to my faith. Here is what is critical to my faith:
- God is a just and holy and loving God.
- God so loved the world.
- Jesus loves me to the point of death, even death on a cross

People who are unbelievers are lying when they say they aren't sure they can be a Christian because of confusing topics like election. There are deeper underlying reasons why such unbelievers reject God, so they are using a confusing topic to confuse your evangelism. Let them suffer in eternity for their choice is my thinking (not the most grace-filled perspective, I know). People who are believers who don't know how election fits into their faith and therefore struggle have small faiths, plain and simple. They are the same believers who struggle with faithful tithing, who struggle with serving others, who struggle with having a Godly marriage and a Godly family, et al other lukewarm acts.

See, my faith is bigger than mysteries. My faith is bigger than unknowables. My faith is bigger than the scope of my thinking. My faith is bigger than the ego within me that says I must know everything. My faith is bigger than my ability to comprehend. I didn't understand why my father pushed me so hard in school, until I had graduated from the finest college in the land and finally got that he was looking out for my future. See, my faith is in a great big God who loves me even more than an earthly father I didn't understand, and if that Father says something about election that my pea-brain can't grasp, well, I think I'll give Him the benefit of the doubt and say I don't understand, but I'm sure you were thinking of me all the while.