Roadtoad
Bufo Caminus Inedibilis
First, give me a moment so I can pound my head against the keyboard.
Okay, let me try and get this cleared up.
Keep in mind, when you are discussing God, or what is purported to be God, the whole thing centers not on Holiness, or the Sacred. You have to remember that most people who discuss God aren't really interested in the realities that may or may not exist in regards to Deity. What's really going on is a power grab.
See, I understand this quite well. I've been there. The whole business with Guilt and Sin really is designed to get you to surrender your autonomy to someone who claims to have your best interest at heart. Give up some of your free will in order to gain an eternity in Heaven. Of course, if you pray a lot, and donate money, Jesus will be happy with you and will set aside all the rules of physics and logic just so he can BLESS you. Just ask Benny Hinn, or Kenneth Copeland, Joyce Meyers, or any number of the "Blab It and Grab It" crowd who are out there telling you that if you'll just pray their way, (and send along a sizeable donation), your life will be easier, your world will be one of joy and celebration.
I have to repeat something (again): In running this whole business by one person in this household who remains devoutly Christian, Peggy, she's left shaking her head. "She doesn't get it," Peggy will complain, (even as she's making a prayer list for people on this board, hoping that Fowlsound's tests come up negative, that Suez's heart will be healed, that Randi's health will return, and he'll be back to his skeptical self).
I married a woman who loves her Lord. But she loves Him so much, she is realistic about what she's to do in this world. She didn't preach at TAM. She listened. She wanted to spend time with some of those I've talked about, (except her damned asthma kept kicking in). She crocheted. (BTW: LostAngeles, if it was you, Peggy wanted to know how you're doing with the pattern you copied. She's doing okay, but sometimes, that stuff reads like heiroglyphics.) She spent time listening to guys like RandFan and Robert Lancaster. She wanted to know what she could do to serve others, rather than try to turn people into something they're not. We didn't get as much time to spend with people we wanted to meet, but you know, there's always next year. (And I'm hoping to be there.)
See, one of the things I got from reading the Bible was that life is one hell of a hard road. God may be good, kind, and generous, but that doesn't mean that you're going to have it easy. If anything, if you're a true believer, life is going to be harder than ever.
So what's it all about? It's not about grabbing your ankles for your local minister. It's recognizing that life is hard not just for you, but for everyone. It means you close your mouth, open your hands, and help others when the call goes out. It means you SERVE. You EARN the right to be heard, and you only do that by surrendering yourself, not to be another body in the pews, playing the same games as everyone else in the Church, but to give of yourself to help others within that body and well beyond.
Hell, I wanted to be a missionary. I had a pastor who told me that was an honorable goal. At least, it was, until I told him I wanted to teach people how to dig wells, maintain water pumps, and how to do basic maintenance on mechanical equipment. Suddenly, that wasn't such a hot idea, because a "REAL" missionary went to Bible College and went out and preached the Word. Except that I kept reading the climbing numbers of people throughout the world who died every year from a lack of potable water. I figured if I wanted to tell people about Jesus, the best way to do it would be to show them that Jesus cared enough about them to send someone to show them how to dig a well and set up a hand pump so they wouldn't die. I might still go into the Third World to do that, except now, I won't be pounding on a book that seems to have less and less to do with the world as it really is.
Or for that matter, nor will I be associated with a group that is more intent on filling souls, but leaving bellies empty.
That's the problem I have with Kathy: she talks, talks, talks, but there's nothing to show for her actions. Kittynh has served, still serves, and is a joy to hear from day in, day out. MLynn, KellyJ, and several others who post here, are involved, and serve, and give of themselves. They can relate to where I am, who I am, and what I'm doing in my life. My regret is that Peggy couldn't have gotten together with these people. (Kittynh, as some of us remember, wound up getting sick herself at TAM.) While Kathy babbles on about Jesus, there are those in this community and beyond who actually are involved on a daily basis doing what they know the Gospel commands.
It's actually pretty simple. When the multitudes came to hear Jesus preach, the Apostles told him to send the people away so they could get something to eat. Jesus answered, "You give them something to eat."
You know, Kathy actually reminds me of the rich man in the parable about Lazarus. At the end, while he's suffering in Hell, he keeps telling Abraham, "Send Lazarus..." "Send Lazarus..." "Send Lazarus..." She doesn't get it. She doesn't want to serve. She wants God to send someone else to do all that icky stuff, the feeding the hungry, the sheltering the homeless, the healing the sick, the teaching the untutored, and so on. She wants to be one of those "FOPs," the Friends of Pastor, who can turn up their noses at those unenlightened heathens. She wants to be a Church Lady, like Dana Carvey showed us. And what's so sad about this is she's succeeding.
In the meantime, she's showing us, in reality, that if there's a God, he's not someone you really want to know. Since the body (the Church) can't do anything without the Head's (Jesus') approval, you have to wonder just what sort of snot-nosed punk this guy Jesus is if you have to use Christian Dude, Kurious Kathy, 1inChrist, or any number of pseudoChristian trolls as examples.
Just a few thoughts, gang. Sorry to have disturbed the "debate," such as it is... was... whatever.
Okay, let me try and get this cleared up.
Keep in mind, when you are discussing God, or what is purported to be God, the whole thing centers not on Holiness, or the Sacred. You have to remember that most people who discuss God aren't really interested in the realities that may or may not exist in regards to Deity. What's really going on is a power grab.
See, I understand this quite well. I've been there. The whole business with Guilt and Sin really is designed to get you to surrender your autonomy to someone who claims to have your best interest at heart. Give up some of your free will in order to gain an eternity in Heaven. Of course, if you pray a lot, and donate money, Jesus will be happy with you and will set aside all the rules of physics and logic just so he can BLESS you. Just ask Benny Hinn, or Kenneth Copeland, Joyce Meyers, or any number of the "Blab It and Grab It" crowd who are out there telling you that if you'll just pray their way, (and send along a sizeable donation), your life will be easier, your world will be one of joy and celebration.
I have to repeat something (again): In running this whole business by one person in this household who remains devoutly Christian, Peggy, she's left shaking her head. "She doesn't get it," Peggy will complain, (even as she's making a prayer list for people on this board, hoping that Fowlsound's tests come up negative, that Suez's heart will be healed, that Randi's health will return, and he'll be back to his skeptical self).
I married a woman who loves her Lord. But she loves Him so much, she is realistic about what she's to do in this world. She didn't preach at TAM. She listened. She wanted to spend time with some of those I've talked about, (except her damned asthma kept kicking in). She crocheted. (BTW: LostAngeles, if it was you, Peggy wanted to know how you're doing with the pattern you copied. She's doing okay, but sometimes, that stuff reads like heiroglyphics.) She spent time listening to guys like RandFan and Robert Lancaster. She wanted to know what she could do to serve others, rather than try to turn people into something they're not. We didn't get as much time to spend with people we wanted to meet, but you know, there's always next year. (And I'm hoping to be there.)
See, one of the things I got from reading the Bible was that life is one hell of a hard road. God may be good, kind, and generous, but that doesn't mean that you're going to have it easy. If anything, if you're a true believer, life is going to be harder than ever.
So what's it all about? It's not about grabbing your ankles for your local minister. It's recognizing that life is hard not just for you, but for everyone. It means you close your mouth, open your hands, and help others when the call goes out. It means you SERVE. You EARN the right to be heard, and you only do that by surrendering yourself, not to be another body in the pews, playing the same games as everyone else in the Church, but to give of yourself to help others within that body and well beyond.
Hell, I wanted to be a missionary. I had a pastor who told me that was an honorable goal. At least, it was, until I told him I wanted to teach people how to dig wells, maintain water pumps, and how to do basic maintenance on mechanical equipment. Suddenly, that wasn't such a hot idea, because a "REAL" missionary went to Bible College and went out and preached the Word. Except that I kept reading the climbing numbers of people throughout the world who died every year from a lack of potable water. I figured if I wanted to tell people about Jesus, the best way to do it would be to show them that Jesus cared enough about them to send someone to show them how to dig a well and set up a hand pump so they wouldn't die. I might still go into the Third World to do that, except now, I won't be pounding on a book that seems to have less and less to do with the world as it really is.
Or for that matter, nor will I be associated with a group that is more intent on filling souls, but leaving bellies empty.
That's the problem I have with Kathy: she talks, talks, talks, but there's nothing to show for her actions. Kittynh has served, still serves, and is a joy to hear from day in, day out. MLynn, KellyJ, and several others who post here, are involved, and serve, and give of themselves. They can relate to where I am, who I am, and what I'm doing in my life. My regret is that Peggy couldn't have gotten together with these people. (Kittynh, as some of us remember, wound up getting sick herself at TAM.) While Kathy babbles on about Jesus, there are those in this community and beyond who actually are involved on a daily basis doing what they know the Gospel commands.
It's actually pretty simple. When the multitudes came to hear Jesus preach, the Apostles told him to send the people away so they could get something to eat. Jesus answered, "You give them something to eat."
You know, Kathy actually reminds me of the rich man in the parable about Lazarus. At the end, while he's suffering in Hell, he keeps telling Abraham, "Send Lazarus..." "Send Lazarus..." "Send Lazarus..." She doesn't get it. She doesn't want to serve. She wants God to send someone else to do all that icky stuff, the feeding the hungry, the sheltering the homeless, the healing the sick, the teaching the untutored, and so on. She wants to be one of those "FOPs," the Friends of Pastor, who can turn up their noses at those unenlightened heathens. She wants to be a Church Lady, like Dana Carvey showed us. And what's so sad about this is she's succeeding.
In the meantime, she's showing us, in reality, that if there's a God, he's not someone you really want to know. Since the body (the Church) can't do anything without the Head's (Jesus') approval, you have to wonder just what sort of snot-nosed punk this guy Jesus is if you have to use Christian Dude, Kurious Kathy, 1inChrist, or any number of pseudoChristian trolls as examples.
Just a few thoughts, gang. Sorry to have disturbed the "debate," such as it is... was... whatever.
