Archive for the ‘life’ Category

Nancy Unplugged

Posted: January 29, 2009 in Bible, bible study, Christian, church, faith, finances, life, Personal, Religion, Thoughts, wisdom, women
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Over the course of my walk with Christ, He has allowed me the privilege to serve Him in many avenues. My favorite would be discipling and ministering to His people and reaching out to unbelievers. But sometimes I get tired. I am not superhuman, I am not callus. I have suffered in life and in doing so have acquired an ability to share the pain of others.  Compassion can only be learned through suffering. And there is a lot of suffering out there.

As you know, the financial outlook for our country is bleak at best and has resonated through every household. Mine is not exempt. Four out of twelve couples from one of our neighborhood Bible study groups have lost employment since Christmas. The injustice of bailouts padding the pockets of fat bureaucrats and their fat friends is enough to make me want to just pack up and leave . . . and go . . . somewhere. As if there is anywhere on earth not plagued with injustice.

I get frustrated. And at the same time I know that I need to remain focused for those who depend on me.

I was reading Luke 9 this morning. Jesus had sent his apostles out on their first solo mission, spreading the gospel and healing the sick. The apostles returned to Jesus and reported their experiences, and Jesus listened. Then He took them aside to be alone with Him. They traveled across a lake to Bethsaida (house of fish or house of provision), the home town of Philip, Andrew and Peter. When they arrived at the other shore there was a crowd of people waiting for them.

Luke 9:10-11

“When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then he took them with him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida, 11 but the crowds learned about it and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing.”

Mark 6:30-34 

“The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. 31 Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” 32 So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. 33 But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 34 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.”

Serving others is great. Listening, counseling, evangelizing, all these things are worthwhile and we should do them with joy. But don’t neglect time alone with the One who sent you. You have the power to serve and the authority to serve because He equiped you and authorized you. Sometimes it is necessary to disengage from service for a season, unplug and rest. It is not a sin to say no to busy-ness, in order to say yes to His invitation.

Is He inviting you to come with Him to a quiet place and rest? Don’t hesitate. Drop what you’re doing and climb in that boat with Jesus. Let Him minister to you. There will be plenty of work waiting for you on the other shore.

Heb. 4:16

“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need”

 

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Interview with a pagan.

Posted: January 26, 2009 in Christian, church, faith, life, love, paganism, Personal, Religion, Thoughts, wicca, wisdom, witch, women
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Jonolan is a self described Pagan who serves the war and death godess Morigu and the hunter god Cerrnunos. This interview is posted with his permission. Comments are welcome here and you can also find his blog at http://blog.jonolan.net/

Nancy (10:16 AM):  Hello, jonolan! Do you have time to chat this morning?

Nancy (10:27 AM):  Some other time.

jonolan (10:37 AM):  OK

Nancy (10:48 AM):  Are you available now?

jonolan (10:48 AM):  yes

Nancy (10:49 AM):  Super! I am intrigued how you got into grief counseling. I am interested in counseling as well.

jonolan (10:50 AM):  It was a strange and uplanned vocation on my part

Nancy (10:50 AM):  Did you receive any training?

jonolan (10:51 AM):  Some, later after I’d been doing it for a while

jonolan (10:51 AM):  It’s a fairly new form of counseling – insofar as any standards are concerned.

Nancy (10:52 AM):  How does grif counseling fit with your view of your life’s purpose as a warrior for your gods?

jonolan (10:54 AM):  It fit well – especially after the 1st time I was part of the detail that handed a flag to a young widow in trade for her husband, who’d been my close friend

Nancy (10:55 AM):  Hmm, I had suspected that you served in the military. That must have been very hard for you. Where did you find comfort at that time?

jonolan (10:57 AM):  I found comfort in my faith and it gave me the strength to lend comfort to the others. You see, we don’t have Pagan chaplains in the military, so I served as an unofficial one

Nancy (10:57 AM):  I see. How did you choose your gods? What criteria did you use?

jonolan (10:59 AM):  It’s more like they chose me. I wasn’t really looking for them. It’s hard to explain other than just a knowing and a feeling – like when many Christians read or hear scripture

Nancy (10:59 AM):  OK, why do you suppose they chose you?

jonolan (11:01 AM):  I think it is because I am a useful tool for them. My nature is that of a fighter and defender, though there’s always the strain of choosing which fight and how to prosecute it in a way that achieve the greatest good while doing least harm

Nancy (11:02 AM):  You mentioned that your faith gave you comfort, what do you have faith in?

jonolan (11:04 AM):  That what we see as death is only the death of the flesh and we – in some form – will continue, that a life given up in service is not a wasted one

Nancy (11:04 AM):  What makes your service valued?

jonolan (11:05 AM):  I don’t quite understand what you’re asking, sorry

Nancy (11:06 AM):  If your life has value because you can serve a god, what value has someone without that ability?

Nancy (11:07 AM):  I suppose another way to ask is, what determines your value?

jonolan (11:09 AM):  Ahhh – I feel a person’s value in the end will be determined by what the strove to accomplish, why they did so, and how well they strove to do so (as opposed to wheter or not they were empirically successful)

Nancy (11:09 AM):  If you were chosen by your gods because of your value, what happens when you are no longer of use to them?

jonolan (11:10 AM):  Hopefully, I will be allowed to “retire” as it were and rest in peace (pun not intended)

Nancy (11:10 AM):  Who or what determines your value?

Nancy (11:11 AM):  Is there some universal standard by which we are all measured?

jonolan (11:11 AM):  The Gods will render their judgment of me on this life when it ends.

Nancy (11:12 AM):  and what standard do they use? You must have some idea of what you should be striving for.

jonolan (11:13 AM):  I would say that there there is a universal standard, but I would also say that it is probably both so prosaic and so profound that we mortals won’t fully understand it during our lives.

jonolan (11:14 AM):  I believe the standard is – at least somewhat – how well you served Good in your heart in the fashion that you were made to do so. By that I mean how well you tried to do so.

Nancy (11:14 AM):  How do you determine what is good?

jonolan (11:17 AM):  For me it’s simple – possibly too simple – that which serves to help the human soul grow and thrive.

Nancy (11:18 AM):  And are you the one who determines what that is? In otherwords, is good relative?

jonolan (11:21 AM):  No, I’m not the one who determines that – but I am, as are we all, the one who must at times interprate what is Good vs. Evil. Is that relative? I’m not truly sure.

Nancy (11:24 AM):  Within the Christian worldview, we can know what good is because an objective universal standard exists by which to measure. Yes, that standard is infinite and finite minds fail to fully comprehend it. But that infinite good put on our limitations in the person of Jesus to reveal Himself to us. I can know what evil is because I know the standard of good. You are wise to say you do not determine what is good. What happens to you if your gods judge you unfavorably?

jonolan (11:27 AM):  That would involve torment – much like the Christian’s Hell – before eventual rebirth to try it again. Or – in the most drastic case the destruction of my soul and therefor oblivion.

Nancy (11:28 AM):  So do you live day to day without any security of your destiny?

jonolan (11:29 AM):  Yes. Don’t you? Jesus may love all, but even a loving parent must sometimes inflict harsh punishment…

jonolan (11:34 AM):  <- – BRB

Nancy (11:36 AM):  Christians are secure in their destiny because eternal life is a gift independent of my character or deeds. Salvation from eternal separation from God (hell) is entirely dependent upon the character of God and his love. If I do nothing to earn salvation, I can do nothing to lose it. My deeds and my character are evidence of His presence in my life, but His presence in my life is not dependent upon my deeds or my character. God compares himself to a parent often especially in the matter of discipline. Scripture agrees with you.“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.” Heb 12:5- 6

Nancy (11:37 AM):  How do your gods disciple or guide you in this life? Through your feelings?

Nancy (11:40 AM):  From what I understand of pagan practices you have no “scriptures” but you design your own worship practices. How can you know that your behavior honors your gods?

jonolan (11:42 AM):  In this life I am punished by myself for my failings and by what I feel is the more mechanical process of recriprocity. Good begets Good and Evil begets Evil – not Karma exactly, but word will serve well enough

jonolan (11:43 AM):  As for guidance, yes I’m guided by my feelings – especially after prayer

jonolan (11:44 AM):  And your right – we have few iff any scriptures left to us. Even our oral traditions were most abolished under ROme .

Nancy (11:44 AM):  What do you think you did to deserve losing your friend?

Nancy (11:45 AM):  Good things happen to bad people, and bad things happen to good people. How do you establish a connection?

jonolan (11:46 AM):  From a religious standpoint, nothing. When we are called to fight, some must die. That is a sacrifice that must be made and I don’t believe it’s meant as punishment.

jonolan (11:46 AM):  That was to the 2nd to the last question, BTW

jonolan (11:48 AM):  How do I establish a connection? Unles it’s something happening to me or someone I’m responsible for, I try not to make the connection. To do so, implies more knowledge or judgment than I have.

Nancy (11:49 AM):  What is death to you?

jonolan (11:50 AM):  Some odd combination of: going on leave, getting a performance review, and waking up from a dream.

Nancy (11:51 AM):  How do you know that you can have eternal life?

jonolan (11:52 AM):  That has been promised and is part of the traditions that we managed to hold on to.

jonolan (11:53 AM):  Call it faith if you will.

Nancy (11:54 AM):  How do your gods relate to what you are going through? How do they know suffering?

jonolan (11:56 AM):  I think my Gods relate to my suffering, such as it is, in the manner that parent reacts to their child going through a difficult but necessary time in life.

Nancy (11:59 AM):  That parent has experienced suffering himself so he can empathize as one who bears that pain with the child. But it seems that you are a pawn for your gods and they cannot empathize with you or comfort you as a parent would a child. I say this as an observant from what you have told me of your gods, not to be demeaning. How do your gods comfort you?

jonolan (12:04 PM):  I have been remiss in explanation then. My Gods have set me in harm’s way because they must. It is more of a parent sending their child off too war – or school – than a tyrant spending a pawn. I serve them true, but it is out of love; they are stern but not unloving. How do they offer me comfort though? They guide me to people and places that show me that what is happening has meaning and purpose.

jonolan (12:05 PM):  It doesn’t take much really. Sometimes just seeing families playing the parks and knowing that they have no clue about many of things I’ve een and done is enough.

Nancy (12:06 PM):  Do you see yourself as privvy to special revelation? How did you come to this revelation?

jonolan (12:08 PM):  No, I don’t see myself as privy to special revelation. Anyone can see the same things; they just have to look.

Nancy (12:09 PM):  What happens to all the people who do not see what you see?

jonolan (12:09 PM):  How do you mean?

Nancy (12:11 PM):  What happens to all the people who do not have your revelation or your understanding of reality? How are they judged by your gods?

jonolan (12:12 PM):  They do not serve my Gods; they will be judged by their own Gods and held to Their standards.

Nancy (12:13 PM):  How are people matched with gods?

Nancy (12:13 PM):  Are you saying they are judged according to the gods they choose? what if they do not choose a god?

jonolan (12:13 PM):  I really don’t know and it’s a question I ask myself fairly often.

jonolan (12:15 PM):  I’m saying that their Gods will judge them according to Their standards. I’m frankly unsure of what happens to those without Gods.

jonolan (12:15 PM):  I’ve got to go for about 20 minutes

jonolan (12:15 PM):  sorry

Nancy (12:16 PM):  That’s fine it’s been lovely talking with you this morning. Have a beautiful day, jonolan!

Father’s Love Letter

Posted: January 26, 2009 in agnosticism, atheism, Christian, church, faith, Islam, life, love, Religion, Thoughts, wisdom
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Just curious what you Atheists think when you watch this.

Interview With a Witch

Posted: January 9, 2009 in Bible, Christian, church, faith, family, friends, life, love, Personal, Religion, Thoughts, wicca, wisdom, witch, women
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One of the blessings along my journey of studying world religions has been meeting the people who practice them. Following is a transcript of an interview with a very gracious witch who practices hoodoo. Comments are welcome.

Posted with permission from dragon_cooky.

 

jbnb31691: Hello, Ren. Do you have time to talk?
dragon_cooky: Sure
jbnb31691: So tell me about hoodoo. Is that a form of voodoo?
dragon_cooky: It is of of African origin characterized by the casting of spells using herbs and roots..  Not really Voodoo, but close..  Voodoo is more spiritual than hoodoo..  there is a lot  of ritual and working with saints..
jbnb31691: How were you introduced to the practice?
dragon_cooky: Here is a definition that might help..
dragon_cooky: Hoodoo consists of a large body of African folkloric practices and beliefs with a considerable admixture of American Indian botanical knowledge and European folklore. Although most of its adherents are black, contrary to popular opinion, it has always been practiced by both whites and blacks in America. Other regionally popular names for hoodoo in the black community include “conjuration,” “conjure,” “witchcraft,” “rootwork,” and “tricking.” The first three are simply English words; the fourth is a recognition of the pre-eminence that dried roots play in the making of charms and the casting of spells, and the fifth is a special meaning for a common English word.
jbnb31691: Is this something you learned from your parents? How were you introduced to the practice?
dragon_cooky: I saw a voodoo doll in a store once, several years ago..  I was curious about it origins so I bought a couple books about Voodoo..  That led me to learning about hoodoo..   Since hoodoo is more spell work that actual religious work, it was easy for me to get into it..  I have been pagan all my life anyway, so the transisition wasn’t difficult..
dragon_cooky: I guess hoodoo is just another form of spell work for me..  It’s not full of rules or ritualistic as wicca..
jbnb31691: You say you have been pagan all your life. What does that mean to you? Is this something you learned from your family?
dragon_cooky: Partly..  My father was Mormon, though not very good at it..  My mother was mormon only because my father was..  We were all free to learn about other religions and lifestyles..  Paganism just seemed to come a little more naturally to me..  Mormonism just didn’t make any sense..  At least not to me..
jbnb31691: LOL, Mormonism doesn’t make sense to me either. You might have gathered that from my blog. What is it about witchcraft that appeals to you?
dragon_cooky: The freedom of it..  The practicality..  There is no leader or book telling you what is right and wrong..  What you should or should not do..  It’s up to me to decide what is right and wrong..  Did that make sense?
dragon_cooky: Wicthcraft isn’t really as strange as it sounds..  It really just deciding what you want, who you want to be and making that happen..
jbnb31691: Of, course. It was my understanding that is what Wicca is as well. Picking and choosing your gods, and creating your own worship experience. Although it seems to me you enjoy the practice minus the worship. Am I right?
dragon_cooky: Yes and no..  Wicca isn’t a very old religion..  IN MY OPINION, wicca is just something created by a man who didn’t like being christian..  He  took what he liked from old pagan beliefs, and added rules to it..
dragon_cooky: I do worship, I pray, I believe in karma, I believe in more than one god..  I even believe that the god of the bible does exist.. 
dragon_cooky: There is very little actual witchcraft in wicca.. 
jbnb31691: From what I have learned from my research the practice of witchcraft and sorcery dates back to biblical times and beyond. But I want to learn more of what you practice and believe.
jbnb31691: Well, from the books I have read from Wicca practices they seem to think they are practicing witchcraft.
dragon_cooky: Yes, the do think that..  They also think that dancing naked around a fire is going to get them what they want..  lol
jbnb31691: So how do you determine what spells and when you are going to cast?
dragon_cooky: Lte me think of a way to answer that in a way that makes sense..
jbnb31691: OK, tell me how you get what you want from your craft.
dragon_cooky: Oh that’s easy..  It’s mostly manifistation..  I know what I want, I see myself having what I want..  I believe that I will get what I want..  I KNOW I will get what I want, and I get it..
dragon_cooky: That sounded really stupid didn’t it?
dragon_cooky: When we do a spell, it’s not much different than a prayer..  We just use other things besides out voice..  Herbs, roots, oils, other components..
jbnb31691: No, it confirms what I have read. You say that you believe the god of the bible exists, that seems to be unique. Most witches reject the bible as archaic and irrelevant. What do you know of the god of the Bible?
jbnb31691: How do you think these materials help you get what you want?
dragon_cooky: I have studied some of the bible..  Some I simply do not believe..  BUT, unlike other pagans who believe that the bible and everything in it is untrue, I look at it like this..  If we can believe there is an Odin, a Zeuse, Ra, etc..  Why is it so difficult to believe there is a god of the hebrews also?
dragon_cooky: Oh, the roots and stuff..  Everything has energy..  It’s simply manipulating that energy..  It’s really no different than herbs that have medicinal purposes..  We just believe that certain things can do more than just heal..
jbnb31691: Tolerance is the hallmark of your belief system and I think your opinion is in agreement with that worldview.
dragon_cooky: Ah..  Tolerance..
jbnb31691: Where do you suppose the energy comes from?
dragon_cooky: Funny..  EVERY pagan/wiccan will tell you that they value tolerance above all else..  I will probably be stoned or burned at the stake for saying this, but that is a big fat lie..  At least for just about every pagan and wiccan I have ever met..
jbnb31691: Well, you know, they wouldn’t be practicing and dedicating their lives and lifestyle to something they did not believe to be true. In doing so, they believe all other opposing beliefs to be false. Black cannot be white. True?
dragon_cooky: True..  But to preach tolerance abouve all else and then damn every christian they pass on the street is hypocritical..  They want christans to tolerate them, but they have no tolerance of their own..
dragon_cooky: If your a chirstian, you are wrong..  If you preach or try to convert anyone to christianity, you are a bad person..  Yet they all do the very same thing..
dragon_cooky: They refuse to believe one word of the bible, yet they will believe every word written by people live Ravenwolf.. 
dragon_cooky: Sorry, I’m ranting..
jbnb31691: Some prophessing Christians commit the same sin, condemning where we have no position to do so and in violation of what we are taught in scripture. But you bring up another point. witches do not evangelize. Why do you think that is?
dragon_cooky: I can’t say that none of them do..  But I think they don’t simply because that would be far to openly hypocritical..  You can’t condem every christian for doing so, and then turn around and do it yourself..  Another reason my be that they are afraid or persecution..  Or, maybe they just don’t know enought information about their craft to actualy argue about it..  Me personally, I don’t feel that I need to.. I don’t think I need to go out and tell the world to learn about what I do.. 
dragon_cooky: Or follow what I believe.. 
dragon_cooky: I don’t know..  Could it be that many christains feel that they need to “save” others?
dragon_cooky: When you don’t believe in hell, or that those who do not follow Christ will burn in hell, maybe there isn’t the need to save them from it?
dragon_cooky: I have to go outside for a smoke..  I’ll be back in a couple minutes..
jbnb31691: I posted a great video from comedian Penn Gillete, an atheist, commenting on this very thing. If I believe that I know how you can have eternal life, and I don’t tell you, what a cruel thing that is. I cannot save anyone. But if I know someone who can, isn’t introducing you to Him the right thing to do? How about you? What do you believe happens when you die?
jbnb31691: Not only can I not save anyone else, I cannot save myself. That is why Chrisitans surrender to a Savior.
dragon_cooky: That makes perfect sense
jbnb31691: What do you believe happens when you die?
dragon_cooky: We believe in reincarnation..
dragon_cooky: most pagans and wiccans do, though what happens and why?  Well there are different opinions about that..
dragon_cooky: Wiccans and many pagans believe that we are put on this earth to learn a lesson..  We may have to live several lives to leanr this lesson..  when we do, our souls will go to whereever it is we are meant to go..  the summerland, heaven, Asgaard..  Some sort of afterlife..
jbnb31691: What convinced you that reincarnation is true?
dragon_cooky: I don’t believe that we are meant to leanr a lesson..  If you do believe in past lives, no one remembers what they learned in those lives..  If you are meant to learn a lesson, how can you learn it if you don’t remember what you learned in your previous one?
jbnb31691: You seem to be ahead of the game, Ren!
dragon_cooky: Yeah, I rock..  LOL 😀
jbnb31691: So, if you are not here to learn a lesson, and reincarnation is hokey, what is the purpose of your life?
dragon_cooky: I don’t think reincarnation is hokey, I believe that the wiccans reason for it is..  I think we choose to live other lives..  I don’t believe that each person is put on this earth for a certain period of time and that’s that..
dragon_cooky: I think the purpose of my life is to simply be..  To live, love, hurt, give birth, etc..  That sounded quite Buddish didn’t it?
jbnb31691: Oh, OK, I apologize. I hope you are not offended by my comment. I misunderstood.
dragon_cooky: Not at all
dragon_cooky: I believe that our creators put us on this earth to live our lives, to experience the joy and the heartache of life..  Rather simple, but that’s what I believe..
jbnb31691: Why do you think to live, love, hurt, give birth, etc. are important? Are you here just to experience life? Do you have any eternal value?
dragon_cooky: That, I am not sure of..  That is the big question isn’t it?  What will happen when I die?  I can believe with all my heart that what I have studied and learned is correct, but when I die, I may just find out that I was completly wrong..  I may learn that there is only one god, or no god..  I may even learn that there is nothing after death..  So I guess it all comes down to the F-word..  Faith..
dragon_cooky: I suppose it’s all a matter of choice..  What do I choose to believe?  I guess that is what we all do..
dragon_cooky: I think it’s the same for any belief system..  Athiests believe there is nothing, Christians believe there is heaven or hell, pagans believe in reincarnation..  No one forces us to believe any of this..  We choose to believe it..
jbnb31691: What do you have faith in?
dragon_cooky: Honestly?  This will sound incredibly smug..  I have faith in myself..  I have faith that I know what is right for myself..  I have faith in karma.. 
jbnb31691: Why do you think that is smug?
dragon_cooky: I assumed you would think it was 🙂
dragon_cooky: I suppose for many people it is easier to say that they have faith in god..  That no matter what happens, god will care for them and see them though anything.. 
dragon_cooky: Kind of like our children know that whatever happens, their parents will take care of them..
jbnb31691: I cannot create nor sustain my own existence, can you?
jbnb31691: It only makes sense to me to trust the One who can.
dragon_cooky: So the question would be, who is that one?
jbnb31691: We can’t both be right, can we?
jbnb31691: We could both be wrong.
jbnb31691: Is it possible for you to live consistently within your worldview, or have you experienced some contradictions?
dragon_cooky: I believe that the gods created us..  but I do not believe that our lives are planned out for us..  I don’t believe that we are simply playthings for some higher power..  I believe that we were put on this earth to make our own mistakes, solve our own problems and decide what is right or wrong..  I simply can not believe that there is a higher power just waiting for us to cry out for help every time we face a preoblem.. 
dragon_cooky: Did that make sense?
dragon_cooky: We could both be wrong, true..
dragon_cooky: again, it’s comes down to faith I guess..
jbnb31691: Absolutely. The bible tells us that this attitude to do things our own way with out acknowledging the source of our existence is what causes all of our problems. Isn’t that why you practice witchcraft? To solve your problems? What do you see as humanity’s biggest problem?
dragon_cooky: I think humanity is humanity’s biggest problem..
dragon_cooky: kidding..
dragon_cooky: I think if people seriously just lived and let live, we would all be better off.. 
dragon_cooky: We have a lot of problems..  Power, greed, self gratification..  The whole “top of the foodchain” mentality..
jbnb31691: I don’t usually quote scripture to unbelievers, but you keep referring to faith and the necessity of it. Would it intrigue you to know that my God agrees with you? Hebrews 11:6 says, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
dragon_cooky: That doesn’t surprise me at all..
dragon_cooky: But like I said, I do believe there is a hebrew god..  I just don’t believe he is the only god..
dragon_cooky: If you don’t mind me asking, what religion are you?
jbnb31691: If live and let live is relative without any universal standard to measure right or wrong, it seems that your philosophy of life is embraced by most people. If I am the one who determines what is right, then it is. If you determine what is right, then it is. Seems incredibly selfish.
jbnb31691: I have faiht in Jesus Christ. That He is who he says he is and he will do what he says he will do. Not without reason, but because of the evidence supporting the truth of his existence.
dragon_cooky: Who is to say what is right or wrong?  I know what is right for me..  Is it not selfish to say “I am the creator of all things, only I know what is right for you, don’t think for yourself, just do what I tell you..”?
dragon_cooky: Oh, I have no doubt that Christ existed..  However I do not believe that he was the son of a god.. 
jbnb31691: It would be incredibly selfish, if he were not the creator of all. Doesn’t it make sense that my maker would know what is best for me? You brought up children earlier. Children have a limited understanding of their world and their existence just as you and I. As parents, we discipline them, protect and provide for them. Just as God does for us. It is when the child rebels that they hurt themselves or others.
dragon_cooky: Yes, and then when they reach a certain age, we let them go..  Though we worry that they may not make what we think are the right choices, they are still free to make them..
jbnb31691: Absolutely, and God allows us the freedom to choose as well. There are those who say to God, “They will be done.” and there are those to whom God says, “Have it your way.” CS Lewis
jbnb31691: Thye not they
jbnb31691: good grief I can’t spelll
dragon_cooky: I guess we will have to agree to disagree then..  And my spelling has been horrible all morning..  I haven’t had enough coffee
jbnb31691: I thank you for your graciousness in sharing your thoughts with me this morning, Ren. I’ll let you get to your coffee. Have a lovely day. I hope that we can chat another time!
dragon_cooky: Anytime.. Have a good day..

Please Be Seated!

Posted: November 21, 2008 in Bible, bible study, children, Christian, church, faith, family, finances, life, love, Personal, Religion, Thoughts, wisdom
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Mark 8:1-9 records Jesus feeding the 4000. The text begins with Jesus telling his disciples in his compassion that he is concerned about the people who had been listening to him for three days. He did not want to send them off without anything to eat. They had a few fish and loaves of bread which Jesus blessed and distributed among the over 4000 present before sending them on their way.

Mark 8:6 “He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. When he had taken the seven loaves and given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people, and they did so.”

Jesus addressed a basic need out of compassion for those who followed him, filling that need to overflowing. But it was not until the people obeyed the voice of the Lord, ordered themselves and sat down that they were satisfied. Can you imagine all of the commotion with thousands of men women and children milling around for three days and suddenly the Lord saying, “Please be seated!”

This is a reminder to me that when I am anticipating provision from the Lord, that I need to be seated. I need to be still. But before that I have to drop everything and focus on the Lord, giving Him my undivided attention so that I can hear his instruction.

Are you in a waiting pattern right now? Have you positioned yourself to hear His instruction? Sometimes if you want to be filled, all that is required of you is to be seated.

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