
9:30 pm

September 27, 2010

8:15 am

September 29, 2010

10:04 pm

September 27, 2010

8:38 am

September 29, 2010

3:17 pm

September 27, 2010

9:07 pm

September 24, 2010

Sorry for butting in, but I had to write: We were created to fulfill God's purpose. what is that purpose? We all have that job to find out...If we hear closely he will show us the way we have to be receptive to him, and I am still trying to hear clearly what is next, it's hard to walk a good walk...
Chicky
9:47 pm

September 30, 2010

10:06 pm

September 27, 2010

1:21 pm

September 27, 2010

7:12 pm

TruthBtold.
I see a lot of myself in you. Like me you appear to me to delight in 'kicking Christian arse' too.
Hmmmmm! I'm doing my dammedest these days to refrain from this diabolical pursuit. But I must admit, I'm straining at the leash right now. đ
Assuming that you admit to the same failing as I have, why do you think that we both have this perverse desire? After all neither you nor I would delight in telling little kiddies that Santa doesn't exist and that he is a capitalist ploy to enhance the coffers of the fat cats; that Father Christmas is a tool for parents to manipulate the behavior of their children throughout the year. We gladly go along with childrens' Yuletide fantasies even encouraging them. Don't we? Why don't we similarly encourage adult Christians in their fantastic beliefs?
Perhaps we resent being brainwashed and fooled by our parents and others who should know better but don't. Is it that we deeply and unconsciously resent the childlike Christian beliefs of our parents, uncles, aunts school teachers etc? Is it that we resent their inability to see through the flaws in their beliefs - their seeming gullibility?
I saw the fear and anger in my own father's eyes when I explained to him that the sun could never have flown across the sky as was supposedly reported by the observers during the 'miracles' of Fatima. I explained to my dad that such movements of the sun would have had disastrous consequences for the solar system and at the very least would have been observed and recorded by all the observatories in existence in the first quarter of the 20th century. He was quite threatened and said very angrily: "I don't want to talk about it." Like so many Christians he summarily dismissed anything that threatened his beliefs; i.e., his lifeboat, his means for his supposed 'salvation'. Salvation from what? Salvation from horned, pitch fork bearing boogymen in some horror fantasy in an imagined afterlife existence?
What motivates us in wanting to demolish and destroy the conflicting and childlike beliefs in Christians like those beliefs mentioned above? Is it that we are trying to help them overcome superstitions from the past? Sadly, I suspect that compassion is not my primary motive!
If compassion were to be our primary motive, should we both have something better to offer them first? Or perhaps we both have! What beliefs have we to offer to dispel the fear of death and the possibility of non-existence thereafter; the threat of the unavoidable total disconnection from all that we cherish now, the prospect of consciousness in everlasting black void of nothingness, or absolute non-existence period, loss of all conscious awareness altogether. What is the boogyman for us?
What are your thoughts about all this?
9:56 pm

September 24, 2010

If you don't mind, I am intruding in your thread again, I would really like to share w/you a movie that I watched very recently "the Secret" available to you online it's really life changing, and it may answer alot of the questions adressed here no matter what your religious background it.
Happy New year!
12:31 pm

September 24, 2010

6:56 pm

September 27, 2010

Tez,
Boy - are you a deep thinker!!!!
Don't quite know how to respond exactly suffice to say that being raised Catholic left added guilt to an already sexually-abused child.
I also have a big bone to pick with the Christians, as I am part Native-American (Iroquois) and feel that the "work" that the missionaries did was unconscionable!!!!
I'm all over the board on this one, but I do consider myself to be spiritual, to some degree and feel connected with others through spontaneous acts of compassion.
I've always just "followed my gut" my whole life and in the words of Gloria Steinem: "The answer is....there IS NO answer."
Have you ever read "Necessary Losses" by Judith Vorst?
Anyway, thanks for your response.
7:05 pm

September 30, 2010

8:14 pm

September 24, 2010

Ras, and Dustpuff, I really enjoyed it b/c it brings you to a place of self awareness. I don't want to give it away but It is definitely worth the close to $5.00...I just want to share what I have learned but not saying you must...
Wishing you the very best!
my new focus:
Dream and Ask God for all you desire and focus on the having of it 100%.
Love you!
Chicky
8:35 am

September 30, 2010

Why are we here?? Oh how many times I have asked myself and others that very same question!! But then I realized something at the Christmas service this year...........
Jesus was born to die. That little baby that we celebrate at Christmas was born so that He could eventually die on the cross.
Despite that, what did He do in his 33 yrs on this earth? He helped people, He loved people unconditionally, He healed them, He prayed for them, He taught them about Himself and God, He taught them about eternal life, about heaven, He taught them how to trust by being trustworthy, He taught them how to forgive others by being forgiving Himself, He taught them how to be a good friend, a good family member, and sometimes He didnt do anything more than just BE with them.
Our reason for being here is very similar to Him. No, we will never need to die on the cross to save anyone from their sins. Thats already been done (thank God-literally), but we are all born knowing we will eventually die. So what do we do in that time we have on this earth? Lets take another look at our perfect role mode/example...
We are to heal others just like Jesus did. How do we do this, since we are only human? Think about it..isnt it sometimes very healing when we have someone who will listen to us vent, cry, etc? Isnt it healing when we know we are not alone in this world bc our best friend just called to see how we are doing, to offer an encouraging word?
Sometimes we cant do anything to help a person in their situation, but just by being there, handing them kleenex is healing, bc they didnt have to cry alone. Sometimes just knowing that there is another person on the other end of this computer or IM is healing bc again, we are not alone and they are there to offer encouragement and/or prayers.
I think our whole purpose on this earth is exactly what Jesus did..being loving, forgiving (setting healthy boundaries of course), being a friend, telling others about Him..........etc.
Turns out, our whole reason for being on this earth was right in front of our face all along...it is found in the Bible.
Psalm 139:16 says "All the days ordained for me were written in Your word before one of them came to be."
What does this verse say? That even before we were born, God had planned the exact day we will be born and the exact day we will die.
So lets get busy living and being what God wants us to be. Follow His example.
thewall
9:17 am

September 24, 2010

Thewall,
OK, so I agree w/u, it is as simple as that but it's more complex b/c sometimes as we try to be like him(the man above) we tend to forget that in the process of doing things like he would we must me changing w/in and becoming more like him during each act of sharing, or act of trying to be just being like him.
Sometimes we assist others in need out of guilt, out of responsibility, b/c of our moral upbringing, etc, but when we do it realizing that each time we do these things it brings upon change for us from w/in and that we are evolving to be like him then we realize that each chance we get to experience this is a blessing instead of acting like the person in need is being blessed.
When you become conscious of that each day w/all you do you realize how hard it is.
I have caught myself doing things out of duty, or sometimes I forget altogether that it is my chance to experience a transformation and I don't do it....
...It is easier to say we'll start being more like him but when you make a 100% concious effort w/all you do, you see how falwed we truly are and how much work we need.
Anyhow I really enjoy this thread thanks for starting it and The wall thanks for sharing w/us what you got out of service.
God bless you guys and thank you for being here.
3:24 pm

September 30, 2010

3:49 pm

September 24, 2010

Thewall, I have to tell you that I don't think God brought us here to live sad, suffering, etc... He gives us the ability to be happy always truly if we can simply make that hard choice to in every way grow to be like him, w/all we do.
In the bible he said he wanted us to live life fulfilling not to have to suffer it is b/c of our bad choices that we end up suffering. I think that the fact that he gave us the gift of choice that we are not happy completely always.
4:09 pm

truthBtold
Thanks for your response of 2-Jan-07.
For what it's worth, I think that the spirituality of the American Indians, however deficient it might be, is miles ahead of that claimed by Christianity. As I understand it the American Indian held a reverence for the land, all animals and especially the animals they slaughtered for food. Am I correct here?
You asked:
"Have you ever read "Necessary Losses" by Judith Vorst?"
No I haven't - is it about the rape of the infant mind by well meaning but misguided Christians?
8:05 pm

September 30, 2010

9:16 pm

September 27, 2010

Tez,
Yes, while the beliefs differ from tribe to tribe, essentially, there is great reverence given to Mother Earth and Father Sky. "Big Picture" analogies kind of like that sitcom.....Third Rock From The Sun. (Not the content of the show...just the name.)
A sense of connectiveness with the entire world around you.
My ex-husband was part Sioux and he once told me that deer hunting for him was a way to keep him humble. He knew that he was taking this animal's life for food and back at my ex in-laws house where we would process the meat - not a scrap was wasted. NOT the sort of thing you think about at our local grocery store...so far removed.
It's kind of like living life...deliberately - you know?
That ALL of nature....the seasons, the incredible intelligence of other creatures....like the perfection of a bee hive or the artistry birds use to construct a nest or the incredible emotions of elephants...all examples for me to learn by and appreciate.
You know, it's a FACT that at one stage the human embryo actually has a tail which drops off. I never could understand why most people are so appalled about this? (Guess it's because it flies dead in the face about Adam & Eve and the whole rib thing.....)
But to me, It just makes sense. This is why so many Native cultures consider all other forms of life to be DIRECTLY related to the Human Being as sort of like extended families - like brother, sister or cousin etc. to the reptile, the fish, the bird, the mammal...at least to my heart and mind.
It's so ironic, because the idea of pollen is so poohed-poohed in "modern" society as just being nothing more than just a nuisance....something to apply an index to...or to complain about how it covers our automobiles...when actually - pollen is a really great thing!!!!! It spreads life!!!!
I have often thought that the development of our neo-cortex...(he organ which supposingly distinguishes us from "lesser forms" of life)is what gives alot of us our grief and troubles.
If you will permit me, I will share with you a poem I wrote on just this subject:
GRAY MATTER
Hatched with everything it needs to know, fights amongst it's own with nary fatal blow....Knows NOT of guilt nor sin or vile - - - AHHHH, the simple life - -of a reptile.
Born with little it needs to know - save instinct warns of who's friend and who's foe., as each day's end reaps...triumphal!!!! (Such is life for the infallible mammal.)
Evolved? with still less it needs to know, dependent and helpless....learning comes S L O W ---- and THIS from the one boasting superior of organ....., has yet scarcely a clue...what it means...to be human!!!!
đ
Along those same lines...another poem: (Inspiration taken from the book: "Waking The Tiger - Healing Trauma" by Peter A. Levine:)
BLAME IT ON THE NEO-CORTEX:
Blame it ALL on the neo-cortex -
question existence perplex.
Unguided and lost....all human suffering vortex.........
.......answers lie in the unleashing,
stifiled reptilian reflex.
For vestiges and remnants of social mores foregone......., and thrown straight out the window - all rationale bygone.
And by God don't you know - - - that my sanity restored.........
now that "looking for answers......" I've since PURPOSELY - withdrawn.
Thank you for indulging me. Not often that I can share this kind of stuff.
As far as the book Necessary Losses by Judith Viorst (mis-spelled name in previous post) It's about the "loves, illusions, dependencies, and impossible expectations that all of us have to give up in order to grow" as cited from the cover. It's a hard read. It is definitely a Freudian approch - which I do give some consideration to - but the bulk of it addresses the very real idea of loss and grief. She uses loads of referneces to quotes and short poems to accentuate her point, which I find interesting.
Anyway, sorry for the length. TBT
7:11 pm

truthBtold
Thanks for your very informative and interesting response.
Never be sorry for the length of your post. That only worries those readers who find it an effort to maintain their concentration for more that a few minutes.
I found your poetry very insightful.
Yes, I think one of the prices we have to pay for the development of our cognitive abilities is living with the knowledge and fear of our unavoidable death. There is no way out of that.
I often think that the Garden of Eden is a metaphor for the way humans were at a time past when our species were only capable of only living in the moment without the ability to consciously recall the past or imagine the future.
Our 'original sin' and our punishment of being thrown out of the 'Garden of Eden' can be seen as a metaphor for the development of the neocortex and all the inherent mental suffering that entails.
Letting go of preoccupations with our own welfare and all the fear that such a preoccupation generates, is not easy. Choosing to live in the moment with as much loving kindness in our heart is even harder. Yet it is certainly the most rewarding way to live.
We are in a severe drought in Australia. Our major dams are running out of water fast. The Hume weir, one of our largest dams in one of our largest states is down to 4% capacity. This is where all the bush fires are happening. In my state of Queensland, our biggest dam is down to 24% and falling fast. What rain we've had is missing the catchments. Last night I observed huge ants seeking water in the toilet bowl. I had an irrepressible desire to stomp on them. I looked closer and saw sentient beings struggling for water just to live. I held myself back and let them be. I felt soooo good inside after that - not because I thought of myself as a goodie two shoes or anything like that, but because I responded to 'nuisance' causing sentient beings with love. It is astounding how living in such caring way, despite the response one gets from recipients both human and other, can create a heaven on earth in our heads for us.
All I have to do is to discipline my mind(neocortex) by practicing mindfulness and my life will be infinitely better for me. If I can choose all my intentions to be loving ones then heaven is mine here and now. The alternative is to choose a 'f..ck you I'm all right Jack' attitude - that is, to choose a fear response - and then I can live a miserable, hellish existence.
If only ... ... ...
Why were we born??? The Buddhists say that we chose to be born to get a body in order to satisfy our cravings for sex, etc. They say that we are intimately conscious of all the sexual goings on in the world before we are born and want to get in on the act.
Purpose?? Again according to the Buddhists, there is no purpose or reason for being born other than because of our past mental conditioning(karma) that sets up the cravings in us that require a body to temporarily satisfy only to reappear stronger. They say it is a vicious cycle of birth, aging, and death, gaining and losing, over and over.
Salvation, according to Buddhism, if such a thing can be thought of that way, comes from realizing the cause of our being born and working at an insightful letting go of all past conditioning completely. Coupling this with the wisdom and insight that gives us the freedom to choose wisely next time we see our potential parents copulating, we can free ourselves from this infernal cycle of ultimately unsatisfactory existences. Of course then the raindrop merges with the ocean never to separate again. Yet we fear even this - the annihilation of the self completely.
The annihilation of the self completely entails the loss of all consciousness of the existence of a separate self. This does not mean the annihilation of consciousness itself as many people think it implies! We all momentarily experience this from time to time now. The feeling is ecstatic. The height of a great orgasm is one such time. In fact I believe that what makes the orgasm so ecstatic is just this loss of consciousness of a separate self, albeit that is is only for a few milliseconds. What lingers on and makes it seem longer is IMHO the 'afterglow'.
Now I'm the one who should be sorry about going on and on. But I ain't. đ
7:36 pm

September 24, 2010

6:54 pm

September 29, 2010

Well, I am currently right there with ya. I am a born again Christian...Christian for me means the literal translation,
Greek(?): "Christ in you". I know he is in me through the Holy Spirit. I feel dead inside. But I think it is that for so long I believed the "stone builders" so to speak rather than the "Stone" himself. Like Christmas....Christianity has become commercialized somewhat!!
I found this article, and I like it because she talks about Jesus...simply Jesus. ....And speaks of the dissonance of the "programs and programming" of our Christian culture. Some seem to think that the more they do, the better they will be. That is not what Jesus teaches. Simply, just give me Jesus...and not all of the hullabloo in between.....and I am not even sure yet what that means, but I know that my life feels crowded, down, confusing at times, and I think to myslef...hey I'm a Christian...aren't I supposed to 'feel' better, act better? I must be seeking the stone builders instead of the real Aunt Jemima!
OK, here is the article.
"To Walk with Jesus
A Conversation with Anne Graham Lotz
âProfessional Christiansâ can easily be convinced they are maintaining a relationship with Christ when, in fact, they are doing just the opposite. Bible studies, seminary classes, prayer breakfastsâthey consume a great deal of time, but those pursuits can leave the busy Christian depleted and ill-prepared for lifeâs real hardships. The dissonance between working every day in the Lordâs service and truly knowing the Lord is a prevalent problem in the evangelical community. Itâs one with which Anne Graham Lotz, daughter of evangelist Billy Graham, is well acquainted.
She remembers vividly a time in her recent past when the stress of life crowded Jesus out. She didnât mean to let it happen; it just did. Within a two-year period, Anneâs three children were all married, her son was diagnosed with cancer, her aging mother was hospitalized five times, her husbandâs dental office burned to the ground, and two hurricanes devastated her property. Despite the tempest of pressure in her life, she maintained a rigorous speaking schedule and wrote a book. The stress eventually drove her to her knees. âI think for a lot of people it would be burnout,â she says, with authentic sympathy. âIt would be burnout big time. Thatâs what pushed me over the brink until my heartâs cry was, âJust give me Jesus. I just want Him back in my life.ââ
She felt like Mary Magdalene, who wailed at the empty tomb, âThey have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Himâ (John 20:13). Anne, too, cried out to God, âJesus used to be in my life. I used to know Him, but I canât find Him now.â Looking back, she realizes that were it not for a fresh encounter with almighty God, she would either have withdrawn from ministry completely or resorted to medication for help. Instead, she gritted her teeth and wrestled God for a blessing. She remembers her desperate prayers: âI canât get through this. I canât manage. I canât keep my head above water. Iâm going to burn out and go down in smoke. I just need a fresh touch from Heaven.â
âI didnât want to escape and quit ministry,â she recalls. âI wasnât looking for a vacation. I wasnât even asking God for a miracle. The cry of my heart was, âJust give me Jesus.â When you have Jesus, He is the answer. [So,] I went to the pages of my Bible. If we want to know more of Jesus, thatâs where we have to begin. Jesus is revealed to us through the pages of Godâs Word. So, I went to the Gospel of John.â
An intense study and meditation in that book deepened Anneâs love for Jesus and her awareness of Him. He opened her eyes and helped her see there are a lot of people like her, born and raised in Christian homes and in the churchâpeople who call themselves Christiansâbut come up short.
Anneâs meditations in John so profoundly changed her life that she put the study into a book, My Heartâs Cry, for others to read. She begins by telling how the disciples, toward the end of Jesusâ earthly life, hungered for more of Him. They longed for Jesus in the same way that many of us do today.
More of His voice in my ear
ââŚhe calls his own sheep by name⌠and the sheep follow him because they know his voiceâ (John 10:3-4).
âI want to hear Him speaking to me,â Anne says. âHow many people today are listening to other voices? Iâm talking about your professional Christians, or the people within the church. Weâve just gotten away from the simplicity of the basic Christian disciplines: daily prayer, daily Bible reading, obedience, and sharing our faith. Weâve made all these things programs. Maybe youâre a prayer or maybe youâre a Bible student or maybe youâre a witnesser, but theyâre like programs. Iâm convinced that weâve weakened the church through all of that. The programs have not strengthened us.â
More of His tears on my face
âMary then took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfumeâ (John 12:3).
Maryâs offering to Christ speaks to Anne of her own longing for Jesus: âShe broke that alabaster jarâwhich basically was her dowry or her savings for the future. She just smashed it and poured it all out on Jesus. Then she was mocked and criticized. But Jesusâ response to her is so tender that when I read that chapter, I weep. He said, âSheâs done this for my burial.â Somehow Mary, with her womanâs intuition, sensed He was going to die, and she wanted to share in that suffering with Him.â
More of His praise on my lips
ââŚwhen they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, [they] took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, âHosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lordâ (John 12:12-13).
Anne insists, âGenuine praise and worship is not something you work up in a meeting where you have drums and a band and you wave your hands and you get emotional. Worship happens when you are praising Him and nothing is going right, but you praise Him for who He is, not just because of what He has done for you. And itâs a reality of praise that I think weâve lost. Weâve substituted emotions for real worship and praise.â
More of His dirt on my hands
âThen He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciplesâ feetâ (John 13:5).
Telling the story of Jesus washing His disciplesâ feet, Anne draws a parallel to the Christian life. âWe have to be willing, as Christians, to get down and dirty,â she says. âThereâs not anything we can say that is beneath us or below us. You know, that has no place in the Christian life. The night before Jesus was crucified, He was in the upper room with his disciples. He washed their feetâeven the feet of Judas, who that night would betray Him. Jesus humbled Himself and served one who would betray Him.â
More of His courage in my convictions
âIf they persecuted me, they will also persecute youâ (John 15:20).
Jesus warns His disciples that they will be persecuted. âI think itâs a warning today that in our politically correct society we have to stand up and be counted for His name,â she says. âAnd weâre going to be persecuted. We think that if weâre persecuted or criticized, itâs because weâve been intolerant and unlovingâthat is what our society tells us. And weâre intimidated. Weâve just got to cut that out. We must be willing to stand up for His name when the whole society is saying, âHow divisive and intolerant!ââ
More of His glory on my knees
âJesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to Heaven, He said, âFather, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify Youââ (John 17:1).
Anne closes the book with Christâs own longing for more of His heavenly Father. âJesus was saying, âFather, Iâve had the glory of the Son of God since before the foundation of the world. Now I want you to add to it the glory that Iâve earned as a Son of Man.â And so, He was asking for more glory. And I felt like His heartâs cry was for more. And so we just came back full circle at the end of Johnâs Gospelâthat our heartâs cry for more of Jesus was even His heartâs cry that God would give Him more.â
When she finally finished the book, Anne realized she would never be completely satisfied until she sees Jesus face to face. But she steadfastly proclaims that He is the answer to shortcomings in the lives of believers. âWe desperately need revival or a fresh touch from Heaven,â she says. âWe need to refocus on the person of Christ. I think we need to come back to the simplicity of those spiritual disciplines. And we just need to go deeper in our personal walk. Because when we love Him more, then weâre going to love people around us more. Weâre going to serve Him more wholeheartedly and consistently. Everything else will fall into place.â
Perhaps professional Christians have begun to rely on formulas, programs, and agendas more than on Christ Himself. Maybe our hearts have become deserts, weary from a lack of holy precipitation. Jesus once said to the church at Sardis, âYou have a reputation for being alive, but youâre deadâ (Revelation 3:1). If this is the case in your life, you are not alone. Thankfully, He offers a way back to Him. The Bible tells us that if we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us (James 4:8). God has drawn near to us in the person of Jesus, and His Word is the revelation of Himself in Christ."
âTonya Stoneman
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