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Have you ever considered, or rather pondered and reflected on your life experiences questions about whether you have or had been exactly where you were supposed to be at any given time in your life? John 16:33 New International Version (NIV) 33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” I am reluctant anymore to retrace my specific cult learning by taking apart or parsing scriptures the way wierwille modeled for us. So, I won't explore any of the Greek words in the quoted passage. But despite wierwille's admonition that "experience is no guarantee for truth," I will share insights from "trouble" I recall that I experienced. Without oversharing, I can easily cite my marriage which ended in divorce. It was a dark and stormy time. Well, much of it. Yet there were good times. And next week, my daughter will reach her 30th birthday. Her two children, my grandchildren, are truly the biggest joy of my life. But the divorce was hard. Much harder than anything I went through in MY time in twi. (Your mileage may (WILL) vary). I mention it to highlight that rather than having wasted 12 years of my life, my fundamentalist cult history provides context in which I can share stories that some of the more than 6 billion people alive today can relate to in the journey through this life. And telling my own stories is how I choose to carry out my ministry of reconciliation. TWI is no longer the "church" into which I try to recruit people in hopes they would find a path to reconcile them to God. Rather, twi is a major part of the context of my life that I can share with them to provide insight. Because in this world you WILL have trouble. But take heart. Jesus said he overcame the world. He didn't do so by getting rich, winning the lottery, or having an easy time of life. He did so by enduring more of the trouble than you and I have. That being said, I'll offer you this, from a daily reading of brief insights from Stoic philosophy. There's no group to join, or class to take. It's YOUR life.