Faith Unbelievable
Faith is what it is and taken singly by itself alone, as it should be taken, is without guile of any stripe. It does not even have to make sense. Sense, that is, sense to all or any of us.
There is no halter to it. There is no bit. Who did God get to write much of the Bible? The most direct opposite of anyone who reasonably could be chosen. And it, all worked out impossibly well.
Leaving Jesus out of Christianity looks a lot like gathering clouds are growing not far off on the horizon... what with AI masking original sin and all.
I noticed early on that when a preacher held forth before the young crowd, of which I was one but older, that he always extolled the wonderful experience it was to be saved.
The in following sermons it was often emphasized how it was not easy to be saved, that there would be difficulties, so that we had to pick up our crosses and follow Him.
So which is it? Who was going to have their sins forgiven by my doing that? What is this anyway, Christ envy? This same pattern was to be often repeated by others.
Another preacher comes along and tells us this young chappie left his scrubbing the floor Mom so she could pay for his college, from which he made big bucks and never gave mom any thought until he learns she is dead. Throwing his sob racked body across her grave he wept bitterly. Meanwhile quite suddenly he wants know who wants to give their hearts to Jesus?
What! Where did that come from? Separated from the younger students which the youngers gave their hearts to Jesus. I told the teacher, without raising my hand, that that was right. She put her finger to her lips and said for the sake of the children.
I understood then that what the adults meant by pupil talk. It was all for the sake of the children. I was instantly grown up like the adults. I was an adult now and the it was all for the sake of the children, there was no Santa Claus. It explained to me, just like I complained the same day about coloring books in Sunday School.
Later I asked the God I did not believe in why He allowed me to see and hear all these things. I was blaming God, right? Later I put my heart in logic and discovered I was following the fallacy of the misplaced authority.
So where am I now, saved by logic?. I then run into several preaching the message of Jesus without any mention whatever to Jesus himself. Now what happens? God is not pleased with proof. Jesus says anyone who climbs up another way, the same is a thief and a robber.
Not much room for myself as well in this scenario. After all logic is another way is it not? But these recent preachers preaching Jesus' message without Jesus ever mentioned looks to me that I am hooked into another way as well.
So will I have enough faith when I am in the foxhole? Do I have enough faith even now, me of so little faith?
Without the awesome, the perfect Christian story my belief is rock solid. But right now I am back depending only on my logic undergirding my belief in God.
That is a weak position to be in and it is somewhat due to yet another person or persons who proffer their belief based not on God, not on Jesus, or on any mention of Jesus but nevertheless on the teachings of Jesus.
This logic based belief is is not good because it not only does not jive with Jesus but not even with the entire Christian story. This too is climbing up another way?
Matching Wits with God:
And Getting Away with Murder?
No one can prove there is any God, or no Gods or anything not else, they can only prove there is no God or nothing else, everything to their own satisfaction. We all speak from different orbits.
Meanwhile if God could be proved to exist, then what happens to faith then? No need for faith? We can only pleased God with faith, not proof. That is, to please God that is.
Meanwhile if there is no God, then since anyone would have to be their own God else, whose or what direction could they take? Why, their own, they are their own God and can do anything, go in any direction, and pay their own penalties to themselves. Mebbe that, mebbe then, mebbe next.
Doubts assail me, so the devil is suddenly on the move. At first I was a bit alarmed but I handle doubts differently now. My "I do not matter what" strategy moved instantly to the fore but I would still like some foxhole fight to deal with the matter.
How the unseen world thru the seen word is perceived over time is revealing. The translation gives away the intensity of belief and faith of the translators. If older translators focused on the spiritual meaning or the technical meaning speaks for the translators.
Whether one chooses a words like substance rather than assurance, or evidence rather than conviction reveals this change in meaning. We have moved from the spiritual to the technical meanings over time.
The final result is seminarian teaching has moved, at least over a lifetime now, to the conviction that the technical which professes stories in the Bible are not true to only the meaning is true.
This solves the problem of those with a sophisticated lack of believe. The gulf opens between great and little faith.
It is not good for me to take offense offered in any manner because if I take them then I ipso facto become an offensive person. I try to never let anyone know if I were injured because it would reveal a weakness that gives others a signal they can take a humiliation advantage of me in my vulnerable state.
Newer translations are starting to get in my somewhat slightly more attentive eye. Hebrews 11:1 not the only one by far. Another of my old favorites verses is watered down in the newer published versions.
I hope to catch up on this in future posts but where Jesus gives us the power to become sons of God stands in opposition to the weaker wordish authority in newer versions.
She left suddenly it seemed, without warning, but thoughts of her persisted that in my sense of her had no way of leaving my mind.
When I write about the spiritual side I think of Chapter 17 in the Gospel of John where Jesus speaks so often of being one with each other.
I thought of one mostly as in agreement, but what about one in the spirit? Would no one leave my memory spirit mind? It all would be without time, but continually be in the present.
Is there in this life of the seen no possible way to be conceived without time? This is the Sea of Lethe, forget fullness, a wide river to be crossed into a memory, but without time?
Climbing up another way, the same is a thief and a robber. My very long time understanding is that Jesus was quoted in the Bible as saying this. Also, elsewhere, Jesus said that God draws those to Him who would believe God in Jesus' name.
Today, my very short time understanding is that there are several well informed and learned scholar scientists who, in my outlook, describe investigating extra sensory mental perceptions of a somewhat similar nature built on the Christian model.
These I conditionally recognize personally as spiritual or being born again in the Christian vernacular. However I cannot be quite sure of this at this early, for me, date.
The Devil in the Flesh
Truth, or Consequences
Any debate about time is a waste of time. I really do not see the point to advocating a certain whack of time between anything that has occurred, or one so long ago to be taken exactly for granted. How long ago do scholars say some things happened? Too long for any practical meaning or believability.
I really do not see the point except for wasting a minor confusion over something that does not matter one way or the other in the unseen.
How long ago did Noah do his thing? Sounds to me as if the devil is purposefully wasting believers time in discussions of non-consequence only in the seen, not the unseen.
Time in the Present Tense
Since time does not exist in the spirit, it is a function of the flesh since time only exists in a comparative state. Christians should perhaps, in my view, be more concerned with eternity.
Talking to a new pastor, sometime ago now. I remember wondering why he was talking to me the way he was. He told me all kinds of delicate things about himself, reminding me of someone making a confession.
This happened somewhat often at the time so that as I recall the incidents now wondering, why none have happened as often as it did then.
I concluded finally that God was trying to show me something and I would wonder briefly about it? I narrow in on these sort of events thinking about what I thought was supposed to happen.
I think of myself only as a witness. And I am witnessing only about myself. Others do their own thinking. It is not that I do not care, I am just acting out my version of what happened to me. I don't question it much. Remember I am doing this for my own benefit, just as I am convinced others are investing themselves for their own benefit.
I get a great deal out of objectifying my thinking, subjecting thoughts to the rigors of grammar, and recommend the same to everyone.
My body will excuse a lot of pain, but there comes the time when only if the pain would stop, I forget the someday song and dance jazz.
This is when I tell myself this is the time. I am in the foxhole and there is no way out but up. But wait, the body knows the spirit can over rule if the spirit had enough great belief.
But hold on for the ride, there is a sin in there somewhere! And I am not sure where. Jesus knows since after receiving the answer to his question to a sick woman whether she believed He could heal her. He told her, then be it done to you according to your belief. This when he said at times further, go an sin no more.
Now what does that mean? There is a mistake in there somewhere and I am not sure exactly what it is but it is a sin in my view because Jesus said there is.
My understanding right now view as it stands tight now at this moment, is that it may be lost, (to me) somewhere between the great and the so little great faith.
A Strange Nigh Out Tonight
Life in the Happy Lane;
Does God Place Ideas in Our Heart?
Where did ideas of the prophets come from? Did God place them in their hearts? Where do dreams come from, sudden revelations?
I understand as one gets older that it has more to do with losing than not. That would be the flesh going silent bit by bit until we forget that we forgot or are forgot.
Not all of us, but it is enough for the young to write off the old. The young worry they will not have enough for when they are old. They are saving for a time when they will be too tired or disinterested to benefit the way themselves hoped.
What did B. Franklin say? When one needs money they don't have it. When they have it they work harder to enjoy it? What does that say? We can't have money, we can only control it.
I usually recall a previous problem I've had and rethink it. I never fell for the gospels do not agree routine. If they do not agree that indicates a complete lack of collusion. I could see both sides of that ring a ding.
Once I stopped judging God for the testimony of my then church leaders I was sort of home free. It never occurred to me that I was falling for the misplaced authority fallacy even after I elected logic as a subject a long ago semester.
After all they were adults, they were elder church leaders and one was even the pastor. They were my then authorities all right but I should of gone directly to God Himself.
 |
| Ins & Outs |
I have to learn to fully accept and strike all my other regrets from my memory also. So I have work to do there.
Is Time True?
Time is always different. As measured, to us time can only exist in a comparative state. Time cannot stand alone unless it is eternity. Then there is no time except the present tension.
 |
| Time is soon gone... |
The point of my interest in time is that when my flesh is in final decay will my belief in the unseen world be great enough to carry me out of the seen world and into the unseen. One that is, with Jesus, the Trinity, including the Holy Spirit. God knows my spirit and I am counting on the other Helper we were promised, my Paraclete, to speak for me before God. No one has ever seen God. This is my understanding and my belief. That is, that Jesus was given the power to make me a son of God.
I just want to be where Jesus is.
Time to Die
Ever notice a day can seem like a thousand years? It makes me think of it that way. Isn't that like God's way? When the day ends we lie down and go to sleep. This is when we are as close to death, during the night, when our bodies close way down from the exhaustion of the day.
Then when the final day comes it seems like life was over way too quickly. I think I would feel that way even if I really did live a thousand years.
When it comes time for me to die I am certain it will come too soon. Like Rutger Hauer in Bladerunner, I would think of all those days lost, like tears in the rain.
After figuring it all out to my own satisfaction my conclusion is I do not care what argument is presented. I am confident the Christian story, right into the core of every detail, is true. no matter what.
I used to study a great deal in the Chinese tradition which was and are very impressive, but all I am left with today in my memory of it all is that while carrying a pail of water at night the moon is reflected in the water. Get it? The moon is in the pail.
Oh well, then I turned to a somewhat scientific approach and got quite deep into that but abruptly lost interest when a spokesman, was quoted in print about interest in mind over matter. It had to do with a carnival trick of diving into a pail of water, while riding a horse I think it was.
There was a west coast idea of this view. The current thinking among the youth at the time was anything goes. They joined one of these churches and until they could vote the sedate elders out, taking over the entire shell of the church for themselves.
So it goes, as someone forgotten famous out of mind liked to say. I say the Christian story is in my very certain mind to be very complex and very true. There are no lose ends. What catches my mind is that Jesus died and rose again. But no other religion has ever even tried to duplicate this twist!
 |
| For Sale |
Meanwhile Christianity is the most successful religion we have in the crowd. But there are dimming shadows on the red sails in the sunset. Christianity is not the fastest growing. There is another growing faster. I have to say it, reap for the night is growing.
Caught Up in the Reading
My favorite chapter is in John. I like to read it often and last night it was with electrical emotion. Reading is the only official way I understand to gain faith ... is to read the Bible, and keep reading.
My favorite verses are in Chapter 17 of John, also my favored Gospel. I read it more often than any other. This is the High Priestly Prayer by Jesus. John 17 is engraved on our family cenotaph.
All Things Seen
Came from the Unseen
There is a war going on, without let up in intensity, between this world and the spirit. It is mentioned in Galatians, 2 Chronicles, and elsewhere. These verses are on my favorites list. I have them bookmarked in my print Bibles and in my Kindle.
This world is temporal and the spirit world is eternal. These are the seen worlds and the unseen. If I am on the right track my flesh is decaying day by day while my spirit is growing. Jesus said the flesh would not help me.
When I was in the womb being born I had no attraction whatever with the information I had at the time. Who needed hunger and cold with the perfect situation I had then?
Now it is as if I am once again pressing up against a similar series of events taking place. I made my decision. My Granzeemother often reminded everyone, I am told, that everyone should work out their own salvation decisions.
God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never find God through human brilliance.
As I alluded last post, I can only please God through faith.
It is better to love than to hate. But the difficulty I've had in the past, as many people have, is Jesus loves and is willing to forgive all. This was formerly to me a problem when it came to the devil and anything evil, most especially to the utmost evil.
Yet Jesus actually loves all, and top of things is forgiving all in the bargain. He is love but He knows the laws of love and the laws of His Father, God. He will not and does not hate.
Those who do evil are due payment in kind. Since God is in charge of vengeance, and not me, evil doers reap their own reward themselves unless they repent and ask forgiveness. Forgiveness unless it is against the Holy Ghost.
Hate by itself, does not do good things to our flesh. And this is only a side issue. Even so, hate seems justified against many criminals in their crimes. They are completely consumed by spirits of Satan.
Their acts of choice have been completely taken over by demons. So while they must be contained in that state, I would say, there are some who unwisely actually want to release them to do further damage while still in that state.
To be like Christ, I must do like Him to be like Him. This, however, is a picture of how I deal with this question right now. It is as far as my understanding takes me. Still, my faith carries me where my understanding falters.
If anyone disbelieved anything about anyone else it would have be to only to the extent of their own belief, or the lack thereof. So even if something entirely unbelievable did happened to anyone else it would have to be very convincing.
 |
| Beholding Eye |
I think the entire story turned out too perfectly believable for it to be anything than exactly what it all turned out to be, that is to say, to my view it is, and continues to be so.
