[ICTHUS]

Hey folks,

I have a good friend that I met online (in a MMORPG (online game) I used to play, actually) who lives in Maine who is being drawn to Christ. She comes from a Jehovah's Witness family and has recently had a bunch of weird, providential circumstances happen in her life that I've been explaining, are not actually coincidences - but the sovereign will of God working for her because He loves her and (I'm fairly convinced) is drawing her to himself.

I contacted my denomination (the Presbyterian Church in America)'s presbytery for New England (not knowing anything else about the church situation in her area, I know that I've never been to or heard of a bad church in the PCA - all of them I've experienced have been sound doctrinally and vibrant in fellowship and life) and asked for the nearest church to her and directed her there. I also recommended she pick up Tim Keller's The Reason for God - Belief in an Age of Skepticism,* which I think she's going to do tonight when she goes out. She hasn't been to the church yet, but we're still working on that. She's kind of timid and scared of large groups of people at the best of times, and there is overlap with the Jehovah's Witnesses in orthodox Christianity, and that scares her (for instance, in the JW organization their ministers are called 'elders'). She was also indoctrinated as a young child about how the devil and demons are everywhere, and constantly out to get her: it took a lot of explaining to get her to understand things like that our individual sins themselves are not what damn us - they are judged, yes, but it's the state of our rebel hearts before a holy God that damns us - and that the Bible teaches that Satan and his demons are essentially a vanquished enemy, and are on a very, very short 'leash' and operate exclusively within the sphere of God's permissive will (see Job 1-2) - and that through Christ's death and resurrection, sin, death, and Hell are conquered enemies for those who believe. I keep reassuring her that "though many foes our souls assail, the Christian's hope can never fail!"

So please thank God for the work He's already done, and pray for Jamie, and for Hope Presbyterian Church in Portsmouth, NH, that the congregation and pastor/elders there will welcome her when she (eventually) goes and that Christ will continue to draw her to Himself.

*By the way, I highly recommend this book - it has a very thorough answer to the 7 most common objections to Christianity, and clear, thorough, and systematic (yet easy to read) explanation of the core doctrines of orthodox Christianity, and a very clear presentation of the Gospel throughout the book, but especially at the end.

[Ted Logan]

I'm praying, Ryan.

[Fandrew]

Praying... it's always nice to see good news in this forum, I think we should try to post good stuff more often.

[Guitarman121319]

I will be praying and thinking God.

[ICTHUS]

Just an update on this: Jamie hasn't been to church yet, but she's about halfway through The Reason for God and she tells me the only reason she isn't finished is that she was afraid of finishing it for fear of not having anything else to read!

So I recommended J.I. Packer - "Knowing God"*. Can anyone else recommend some good books for someone who is drawn to Christianity, or a new Christian?

*Another great book - it's only been in print just over 25 years and many consider it a Christian classic - moreover, I know the author personally (used to attend his church).