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I tended to use PFAL's definitions of the characteristics of God-breathed scripture, as they were the only ones for which we all had a common frame of reference. Whether a scripture can be "God-breathed" and not have those characteristics is a whole other issue. I think if anyone is going to make a case that a work is God-breathed, it's incumbent on that person to define it in a way that's falsifiable. You don't get to just say "It's God-breathed and you can't prove it's not." You have to prove it IS. That's how burden of proof works. If you make an affirmative claim, the burden is on you to prove it. Give PFAL credit for defining the characteristics of the God-breathed word, even if you don't agree with it. PFAL does not live up to those characteristics. Neither does the Bible. If you have an alternate set of characteristics, I'm happy to entertain them. If you have a definition of God-breathed we can explore, I'm happy to explore it.

Yeah I’m with you on depicting true leadership…I’m trying to cut down on my typical post length - and that may mean I don’t define all terms. Good leadership principles are important in any context - to provide direction, take risks, challenge the status quo, inspire others…my previous posts are from another angle - maybe runs parallel to the absent Christ thread - the frustration I felt in TWI. It was an inarticulate frustration - that took me many years after leaving TWI to figure out. I’m of the opinion whatever your physical role might be you can lead by example. I think of verses like I Thessalonians 1:6 you became followers of us and of the Lord…I Peter 5 reminds those who selflessly shepherd God’s flock will receive recognition from the Chief Shepherd. The leadership training program of Jesus Christ is learning to follow His example of service to others, in compassion, sacrifice, etc…If I could do a quantum leap back to my time in TWI with how I feel now - I’d probably get kicked out because I’d challenge the status quo of a cult’s groupthink, and then I’d flex more” leadership muscle “ by directing others to flee TWI and take risks in self-determination.

and the honey badger is a completely completely absolutely complete bad-a$$

I think I am finnally free of them because when I read that piece you mentioned I really felt like I was on the outside looking in and going WTF? Oh yeah....

I feel there's a parallel with the Tower of Babel and the day of Pentecost. It's like the same story but in reverse.

My meaning was I was a kid and when I questioned matters I was told I'd understand when I became an adult. By being a kid I didn't have the ability to understand. I guess it's a type of future faking.

Promises? . . . you'll understand when you're older

I know from experience what it's like to deal with mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. The recommended treatment for me has been the use of both medication and therapy although an either/or option can work as well for others. It's all very individualized. Medication is for chemical imbalances in the brain and therapy deals with the thoughts and feelings in the mind. I find having knowledge of how our brains work is helpful as well. A lot of progress has been made in the area of neuroplasticity which is the brain's ability to change, reorganize, or grow neural networks. Terms that help to define it are having a "growth mindset" and "rewiring the brain" so habitual behaviors can be changed. This is a website that explains it in more detail. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-brain-plasticity-2794886 Then there's the spiritual side of healing which is the most powerful of all but only if you have sound doctrine. Unsound doctrine can make matters worse because on top of everything you're already going through, you can't understand why you're not really getting better even though you're doing everything twi tells you to like doing retemories and applying the law of believing (as mentioned above) and I'll add having a "renewed mind." I found that my symptoms "improved" but eventually came to realize that spiritually I was merely standing on sand instead of a rock (you know what happens when the wind and rain beat on each) . So like OldSkool and penguin2, I too am working out my salvation because doing so can improve mental health. My main issue is learning how to stop trusting in my own works to bring about deliverance but to instead trust God to do the healing because of His faithfulness in keeping His promises. My goal is have a greater understanding of the verses below which speak of God, Christ, spirit, the mind, power, strength and trust. Knowing how all these work together would be life changing (Bravo God! ). Ephesians 1:18-19 I pray that the eyes of your heart (mind) may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe (trust). Ephesians 3:16-17 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being (mind), 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. Looking forward to learning more from this thread (thanks OldSkool for starting it)!