Hello ruwth . Thank you for entering this month's contest.

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Grill a Christian  (13+) Will God fly with us to the stars? #2327636 by LightinMind

As the official Judge of this contest, I have the following comments to offer for "ruwth is writing..." 

Did you answer the question?

You answered by saying that God was the answer and that we simply needed to trust in Him and rest in His presence. The way to approach God was in an attitude of thankfulness and praise. I got the impression you read the question, ignoring the description of it and focused on the single word peace.

Use of quotes, proof-texting or AI - could I hear your voice?

There was an extensive use of Bible quotes which were mainly useful and interpreted in the text. In the case of this quote: Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise you focused entirely on thankfulness rather than praise.

How consistent was your argument?

In a word your argument was that God is the answer which is true but not the whole story of how human beings find peace. I felt it did not really communicate the struggles we have when we seek peace. It was an excellent answer but felt a little abstract.

My thoughts on the substance of what you said

Personally I can agree that simply sitting in Gods presence and thanking Him for all the good things He has given and praising him for all the things we find excellent about Him works very well. It gives perspective, stills a persons heart and brings peace. Of course this only works if we already have a relationship with Him, if we have accepted the sacrifice that He made for us through His Son Jesus and if the dividing wall of hostility between us and God has been broken down by His atonement for our sins by the cross. So your answer really only works for people who are already saved. You assume a lot in your answer and do not articulate the real reasons why your answer seems so obvious to you. You were restless because of x or y and God gave you peace. You were wounded, stressed out, beaten down by events and yet you found peace with God. But why did God answer your deepest needs and minister to your greatest hurts? What made Him so effective where so many others had failed?

Of course as with any relationship peace is not the whole story. Sometimes there are disturbing and awkward challenges to be overcome. We can be at peace and riding the rollercoaster of life, white knuckled and our stomachs in our mouths, at the same time. Looking around we can see a world in crisis. I may be at peace but what about them, why are so many people dropping off the edge into madness and despair, how can I connect with them and find a way to share God's peace with them?

What about the charlatans peddling false religions and life coaching advice that enriches them but does not help?

Your answer was spot on, as always, but this month I felt it did not really address the issues and the soul and context of the question.

Mechanical issues

You indent quotes but it might also help to put them in italics to distinguish them from the rest of the text.


Thanks again for entering.
LightinMind

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My Philosophy of Rating and Reviewing  (E) How do I assess people's work when reviewing? #2259390 by LightinMind

My review has been submitted for consideration in "Good Deeds Get CASH!" .