Thank You Ingrid Schlueter

I sent the following "Thank You" note to Ingrid Schlueter of CRN. Ingrid's former endeavor over at Sliceoflaodicea.com - now dead, may it rest in peace! - was a source of encouragement and edification for me during a very transitional time in my life. I for one am convinced the Lord directed my steps to that resource at just the right time.

I'm very thankful for the Lord's faithfulness and for the steadfast devotion of true "salt and light" Christians like Ingrid Schlueter. We in the body are sometimes guilty of spending so much time and energy pointing out and trying to correct that which is wrong, that we often fail to pause and enjoy that which is good and right.

Ingrid,

I just read your post entitled "Pastor Ken Takes the Reins" and wanted to take a moment to personally thank you for your ministry at Slice of which I was a long-time reader. I honestly can't even recall how I first stumbled upon the site, but I instantly recognized the kindred spirits in the articles and the often lively exchanges in the comments section.

At the time I found Slice I had already been a Christian blogger on blogspot for a couple of years, however I had recently deleted the blog because it was primarily an apologetic resource refuting cults of Christianity such as the RCC, the LDS and the JW's and I felt that it was time for a new direction. My readership was then – as now – limited to a very small number of fellow believers and the obligatory unbeliever or two who seemed to feel it their calling to dispute nearly everything I posted.

I was inspired by Slice to start my new blog format which still maintained a strong Christian witness with an emphasis on orthodoxy and apologetics, but with a wider range of topics. It’s amazing to me that the Lord can use me to reach folks from around the world with His message of hope and grace. I would have no confidence in the random nature of the blog format were it not for my conviction that God certainly leads people into our lives in cyberspace in the same manner as he leads people into our normal, mundane everyday lives. The world is my mission field!

You (Ingrid) actually introduced me to the wonderful works of the late Dr. Greg Bahnsen which subsequently led me to C. Van Til and for this I'm deeply grateful.

Please understand I'm not engaging in hero worship or idolatry here, but simply acknowledging the steady yet invisible hand of the Lord on my life of which you and Slice have played a part. I appreciate you and your work and just wanted to let you know that this writer has been enriched in the Lord through your steadfast faithfulness to Him.

And while I don't always find myself in agreement with your positions (nor with Bahnsen or Van Til for that matter) I find great encouragement and a healthy dose of intellectual and spiritual challenge from our differing viewpoints - which mostly tend to center upon the Reformed/Calvinistic view of soteriology.

At any rate, it seems that this message has turned out to be a rather long and circuitous way of saying "Thank you".

God bless you and yours, Mrs. Schlueter.