I am a newcomer here, but after reading Mishal's story (thank you) and the other posts, I feel at home. After 10 years in charismania/Vineyard with liberal doses from the apostolic camp I was over religion. I still had that "small ember" glowing but it would take another 10 years in my self-imposed spiritual wilderness to come out the other side. I was so determined to not be deceived again that I shut all of my feelings towards God out. But He was still faithful, for which I now stand in awe. It took many months of study in His word and the writings of the early theologians (why were we not taught these truths?) to rebuild what had been broken, but...and this is why the post, I now know the true joy of the Lord-and it is much quieter, and infinitely more humbling, than anything I had previously experienced. So for those still out in the hinterlands, take heart- He is still Lord and quite capable of rescuing errant lambs.
The other day I was walking, talking with the Lord and thinking of how I used to rush to and fro so as not to "miss" God's next move and as I topped a rise and there stretched before was the Atlantic Ocean that "still, small voice" said "Kind of hard to miss,yes?" Yes sir, yes indeed.