The true hallmark of a Christian in-the-making is gratitude. In fact, when expressed sincerely, and in full appreciation of that for which one is grateful, it is worship of God. Gratitude abounded in the first letter I received from Timothy Ross [see Second Prison Letter Response: Prayers borne of true faith never go unanswered], who is incarcerated at Pelican Bay State Prison, and I say so in this, my second letter to him [see also The Prison Letters of a Demoniac]:
By pointing out the distinction between the grateful and the otherwise, I hope to steer him away from the very forces of darkness that devoured nearly everyone I know (and knew, for that matter). I hope to put even greater distance between him and the pitfall by showing him how to find, express and otherwise come to know love on the deepest levels possible. If I succeed, he's saved; if I don't, the world will swallow him alive in just two short years from now (he will be released in 2018).
By pointing out the distinction between the grateful and the otherwise, I hope to steer him away from the very forces of darkness that devoured nearly everyone I know (and knew, for that matter). I hope to put even greater distance between him and the pitfall by showing him how to find, express and otherwise come to know love on the deepest levels possible. If I succeed, he's saved; if I don't, the world will swallow him alive in just two short years from now (he will be released in 2018).