In Search of Life

I HAVE MOVED !!!

2006-12-17T22:39:00.000-06:00

I HAVE MOVED
The new web address for my blog is

http://www.donrogers.org

Please come visit me and leave your wonderful comments......
Also, please change my address on your blog if you have me listed...THANKS!

The Big Move

2006-12-16T20:44:00.000-06:00

I will soon be moving to my new website, thanks to Bruce. I will post my new website early next week. Again, thanks to Bruce D. for all his help and time spent getting it ready.

So This is the Good News

2006-12-14T12:42:00.000-06:00

Thanks to Mike Williams website for the following observation.......

So this is the "Good News"...

An angry God coming any day now to destroy this sin-infested planet?
A "loving" Father in heaven watching our every move and weighing every thought, ready to dole out much needed chastisement?
Standards of behavior impossible to perform forcing facades, judgmental attitudes, negative self-esteem, and strained relationships.
Fear and uncertainty about loved ones and friends doomed to an eternal tormented existence in hell.
Daily feelings of shame and guilt robbing peace and joy, leading to emotional instability and culminating in mental illness.
"Us versus Them" mentality.
And on and on and on . . . they call this good news? Sounds more like "evil" news to me.

Now I understand why many non-Christians want no part of this gospel.

IF_&_THEN_

2006-12-08T15:30:00.001-06:00

If I John 4:8 is true and I Corinthians 13:8 is true, then why do inerrantists believe God will eternally torment any of his creation?

The Third Option

2006-12-06T11:58:00.000-06:00

If you’ve been celebrating this amazing gospel of grace for any length of time, you’ve probably heard from someone or read in some article that either people in today’s Christian churches really don’t believe in Hell or they’re the meanest, most cruel people in the world. You know, if they believe in Hell, why aren’t they out there 24 hours a day evangelizing. I mean if all those people who don’t become Christians are going to Hell, why wouldn’t you want to tell them how to “get saved”.
Well, I’d like to offer a third option. Having grown up in church, a fundamental, conservative, evangelical one, I think there is another option here. I have talked to several others who believe now as I do, and have found something interesting. If you have been exposed to fundamentalist, conservative, ideas about God, and the Bible, after a time you become pessimistic, even a fatalist concerning the fate of people and the world in general, maybe, even about yourself, according to what you have been taught by the church.
Certainly, part of that teaching includes the fact that in reality it is very difficult to get to heaven. Not only do you have to make the decision to accept Christ as your personal savior, but make it soon after you reach that “age of accountability”. If you should die before making your “decision”, you have no chance to go to heaven. If you are fortunate enough to make your “decision” in time, you will find that’s not all there is to it. Many churches make certain rituals a part of the requirements. You still might not make it if you don’t continue to live a life free of sin; or at least if you sin, you must ask for forgiveness and mean it, repenting (turning away from your sin). Of course, there are some sins worse than others and please don’t commit the unpardonable sin (whatever that is), for you will have no chance of heaven.
Are you beginning to get the picture? I think the third option is to OPT OUT! I have seen this happen to Christian friends. He, the generic “he”, has become weighed down with guilt put upon him by the church. He is overwhelmed by the prospect of trying to live the “Christian” life. He cares for other people and is quite the humanitarian, but is that enough? He feels the burden of tithing even if he doesn’t tithe, of sacrificial giving to this cause and that in the church, of waking up every day worried about not sinning today, of constantly working to “fix” himself, “doing” enough to be worthy of heaven. The church tells him you’re NOT worthy, you never will be, but Jesus will take note of all you do for the Lord and if it’s enough, you’ll be alright. After several years of this, the Christian becomes weary, worn out, and tired of fighting “the good fight”. He raises a shield around himself to deaden the sounds and sights that cause him pain. If he pretends it’s not there, maybe it will go away; maybe it will not hurt so much. It hurts because deep down inside he feels like a failure. He can’t live the “Christian life” all the time. He can’t keep up with all his sin and failures to do the “right” thing (because he has to ask forgiveness for each and every one). Frustration is a constant companion to him. In the end, he becomes almost schizophrenic, one person at church, another person out in the world. He may finally give up completely, convinced that he can’t be good enough to make it to heaven. He resigns himself to the fact that God’s going to do what God’s going to do, and there’s nothing he can do about it. All he can do is hope that God is merciful and full of compassion, as the Psalmist said. He becomes a smile on Sunday, two-faced person. His family and friends think he’s fine, a fine upstanding Christian, while deep inside he cries for freedom from his pain. He hates himself for being that way, but doesn’t know a way out of his predicament. That’s the third option...............

Trouble in Blogworld

2006-12-05T09:55:00.000-06:00

I have discovered since moving my blog to Blogger-beta that I can't comment on Blogger blogs. Most of you would probably just as soon I didn't commment on your blog, LOL. This is only one of several problems I've had with Blogger. No one seems to know answers and contacting them is next to impossible......I surrender. I have asked Bruce for help establishing my own website and blog. Please be patient until my blog issues are resolved. HELP Bruce....

**UPDATE I have found a way comment on some Blogger blogs, but only if I can comment as "anonymous" and not have to sign in. SIGH......

Quotable Quotes

2006-12-01T12:04:00.001-06:00

Here are some quotable quotes for your consideration:

One of the dangers from which the Church should pray to be delivered is idolatry of the letter of Scripture. The letter exists for the spirit, not the spirit for the letter. Literalism is the grave in which spiritual religion is buried. The New Testament is a book which is to be spiritually interpreted. --James M. Campbell

If we move in the direction of biblial absolutism ("the religion of the Book"), how can we escape turning the New Testament into a Christian Torah and the gospel into a new law? Once we do that, religious fascism with all its sectarian ugliness cannot be far away. Far better a mistaken Christian (a heretic) who has somehow caught the Spirit of Christ, than an orthodox Protestant who thinks that the Spirit is mediated to him through the letter of correct theology. --Robert D. Brinsmead

The Bible is the written word of God, and because it is written it is confined and limited by the necessities of ink and paper and leather. The Voice of God, however, is alive and free as the sovereign God is free. 'The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.' The life is in the speaking words. God's word in the Bible can have power only because it corresponds to God's Word in the universe. It is the present Voice which makes the written word powerful. Otherwise it would lie locked in slumber within the covers of a book. --A. W. Tozer

Knowing the Word of God does not necessarily mean that we know the God of the Word. --Chip Brogden

The Value of Religious Conviction

2006-11-29T15:32:00.001-06:00

This needs no further explanation:
I was walking across a bridge one day, and I saw a man standing on the edge, about to jump off. So I ran over and said 'Stop! don't do it!' 'Why shouldn't I?' he said. I said, 'Well, there's so much to live for!' He said, 'Like what?' I said, 'Well...are you religious or atheist?' He said, 'Religious.' I said, 'Me too! Are you Christian or Buddhist?' He said, 'Christian.' I said, 'Me too! Are you Catholic or Protestant?' He said, 'Protestant.' I said, 'Me too! Are you Episcopalian or Baptist?' He said, 'Baptist!' I said, 'Wow! Me too! Are you Baptist church of god or Baptist church of the lord?' He said, 'Baptist church of god!' I said, 'Me too! Are you original Baptist church of god, or are you reformed Baptist church of god?' He said, 'Reformed Baptist church of god!' I said, 'Me too! Are you reformed Baptist church of god, reformation of 1879, or reformed Baptist church of god, reformation of 1915?' He said, 'Reformed Baptist church of god, reformation of 1915!' I said, 'Die, heretic scum,' and pushed him off. --Emo Phillips

Heretics, Inc;

2006-11-29T10:06:00.001-06:00

Last night was a defining moment in my search for truth and freedom in Christ. Chaplain Roy and I met with George (Howell), Melting Paradigms for dinner in Dallas. What an experience! I had Geo all to myself for about an hour before Chaplain Roy arrived. Geo and I discovered how much our journeys parallel. We talked about the freedom we have found that cannot be taken away. I found Geo to be so accepting and loving of his fellow man. His insights are fantastic and I will certainly benefit from all of them. Words just can't express the joy that filled me as we talked and shared our lives and experiences. I can't wait for Geo's next trip to Texas. If you ever have the chance to meet Geo, DO NOT MISS IT! Bruce, SteveW, I envy you greatly!!

The Wages of Sin is Death

2006-11-28T09:30:00.000-06:00

Our friend Roy brought up a very interesting point about that familiar verse of scripture, Romans 6:23

23 For the ration of Sin is death, yet the gracious gift of God is life eonian, in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

I had thought the verse was talking about the result of Adam's sin. That is, the fact that we all will die because Adam's failure. Then, it hit me. Roy is right in his assessment of the verse. We live on this side of the cross. Those who lived on the other side were burdened with the result of Adam's sin. However, because we are on this side of the cross, the death that is spoken of is not our death, but the death which befell our savior, Christ Jesus. He took the result of Adam's sin, and all ours as well, on Himself. That's a whole new way of looking at the verse. He faced death for all sin and erased the effect of sin forever. Praise be to God!!

Roy's blog is:
http://roysblog.blog.com

Update on Martin Z.

2006-11-26T20:31:00.000-06:00

I recently received an email from Martin Zender. I had emailed him inquiring how he was feeling and that we all missed his good words. The following is an excerpt from his response:
I'm feeling better since I got allergy testing two weeks ago. I had 8 1/2 hours worth of testing done, and I ain't done yet. But I'm injecting a serum three times a week, and avoiding certain foods. I'm feeling about 70% better, it seems.

I hope this is it.

Thanks for caring, and for letting others know what has been happening.

God bless you.

Martin

We can be thankful he is much better and hopefully will be creatively active again soon. Pray God's will be done.....We miss you Martin. God Bless You......

Recharged

2006-11-25T20:03:00.000-06:00

Back home again from a great holiday in the Texas Panhandle with the wife, my mother-in-law and family. We had a great time. I'm ready for another 40 years of married life with my wonderful wife!
Wonderful news....This week Chaplain Roy and myself are meeting in Dallas with Geo of Melting Paradigms for a heretics dinner on Tuesday evening. I am really looking forward to time together with Chaplain Roy and Geo.

Time Off - Reconnection

2006-11-19T22:18:00.000-06:00

I'm taking a week off for the holiday period. My wife and I will be reconnecting. She works in Houston, about 250 miles from our home. We only see each other every two or three weeks. After nearly 40 years of marriage, this is a time which is not that easy on either one of us. It's a great opportunity for her to show the company she works for just how good a manager she really is. I support her completely. This week will be a time of reconnection for us. I really look forward to this time together. She does not share my joy in believing in the true gospel of grace. That's OK. I pray she will detect a change in me that will draw her to this gospel.

Everyone have a great week. See you soon!

T-Shirt Truth

2006-11-15T21:29:00.000-06:00

I saw a T-shirt in a catalog today that I would gladly wear, with one small change. It said, "It is what it is". I would change it to read:

"He Is What He Is"

An Empty Shell of Faith

2006-11-13T13:40:00.000-06:00

Chaplain Roy called me to recommend a read from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, our local newspaper. This is an article ALL of us need to read. When I read it, I thought, "how did this get in our newspaper". You have to remember that Fort Worth is the home of Southwestern Theological Seminary, a Southern Baptist seminary and one of the largest, most conservative in the country. Please read this:

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/opinion/15988200.htm

Christianity+Paganism=?

2006-11-06T22:14:00.000-06:00

Steve Jones posted on his blog a story about:"The Pastor- Where Did He Come From". It deals with how the role of the pastor, shepherd, priest, whatever, has changed from the earliest period of Christianity. It's a good read from Frank Viola's site and can be found here: http://www.ptmin.org/thepastor.htm
Frank said something which reinforced what I had been finding in my own studies of early Christianity. Namely, that pagan influence was much greater than most people think in the times following Constantine's conversion. That renown historian, Will Durant, is quoted by Frank Viola here: "Under Constantine, Christianity was both recognized and honored by the State. This blurred the line between the church and the world. The Christian faith was no longer a minority religion. Instead, it was protected by Emperors. As a consequence, church membership grew rapidly. Truck loads of new converts were made who were barely converted. They brought into the church a wide variety of pagan ideas (emphasis mine). In the words of Will Durant, “While Christianity converted the world; the world converted Christianity, and displayed the natural paganism of mankind.” The world converted Christianity, and displayed the natural paganism of mankind. WOW! How true that is. The ancient fathers of Christianity, like Paul, would hardly recognize today's Christianity........

The U.R. Debate Goes On.....

2006-11-06T09:36:00.000-06:00

Over the weekend, I was rereading articles on U.R. and came across this website which supplies you with lots of reading material concerning the debate. I am constantly amazed at how theologians and church "scholars" just can't let go of Godly wrath, post-resurrection. These articles make for good reading. It is true that not everything can be explained exegetically to everyone's satisfaction to "prove" U.R. How about trusting the spirit's lead. Listen to your heart. You know who resides there. Why is it that these theologian-types and theologians/scholars require scriptural proof of U.R. when their own beliefs are faithbased, open to interpretation. Yet they will require scriptural agreement to even be open to the concept of universal reconciliation. It's "a mystery" to me. All I can conclude is that their livelihood (read paycheck) is based on remaining constant and faithful to religious beliefs of their assemblage. They are slaves to religion, whatever the variety they choose. They seek the approval, assent, endorsement, sanction, of man (the ones in their particular faction). I believe ascribing to a new, often radical, position, would, in their view, isolate them from all they hold dear. How very sad.

Here is the link to the various articles, if you are interested:
http://fireandrose.blogspot.com/2006/07/universalism-in-blogosphere.html

The Futility of Debating Grace

2006-11-01T15:29:00.000-06:00

One of Harry Tick's blogs, "Heretics 'R' Us", had a great post from 2004 on the futility of arguing about Grace. I believe it bears repeating. By the way, I'm constantly amazed at how thoughtful and well written are the posts from our blogging community. Here's the link to Harry's post:

http://hereticsrus.blogspot.com/2004/11/futility-of-arguing-about-grace.html

Are You Religious??

2006-10-31T15:00:00.000-06:00

ARE YOU RELIGIOUS? If you answered, "Yes", I'll send you a sympathy card, and a coupon for Pepto-Bismol. That's the way Martin Zender put it in his book, "How to Quit Church Without Quitting God". If you want to know what it means to be religious, including a good definition of the word, follow this link to the Gospelogic article:

http://www.gospelogic.com/articles/religion2.htm

I think you will be amazed at what you learn. I read Martin's book months ago and it changed my thinking.

PEACE.......

The Blind Horse....

2006-10-29T21:43:00.000-06:00

Trailady, over at "My Journey" posted a great story which will make all of us think about who we are and what we do for others.
Here's the link:

http://www.gracewood.blogspot.com/

Hard Times for a Fellow Laborer in Christ

2006-10-29T19:35:00.000-06:00

I had written to Martin Zender on several occasions in the past and when nothing new had appeared on his blog and website, I wrote once again inquiring how things were going. The following are some excerpts from his answer:

"I'm in a valley right now as far as ministering to the body of Christ goes. I got discouraged ministering to the body of Christ. I kept working and working and getting poorer and poorer, money-wise. I got by during those days because of a few people like yourself. But relatively speaking, it was too few and my heart soon turned away because I couldn't pay even my basic bills. I wish I was at that place where I can minister freely, but I'm not. I hope not to ignore the body of Christ indefinitely. It is just hard to produce godly work when one is discouraged and even a little bitter. I wish I wasn't bitter. It is not a good spiritual trait. But I'm being honest with you. I would like to make enough money from it to be able to serve the body of Christ without having to worry about sustenance. But I know that I have so much more to offer. I know God isn't finished with me. At least I hope He isn't."

If you know Martin, or have read his books and benefited from them as I have, here's an opportunity to help a brother. Martin did not ask me to do this and would probably be upset if he found out. He is not one to make constant, repeated requests for donations. That's just not Martin. If you can, send a donation to him, in $5.00 increments, on his website under the books section. If you can't send him anything, that's OK. However, if what he has written has made a difference in your life, or your walk with God, PLEASE write him an email of encouragement. It is the least we can do. His email address is under "Return to Zender" on his website. The website address is: http://www.martinzender.com
Pray for Martin........

In Defense of Universalism

2006-10-27T07:44:00.000-06:00

Our friend, Steve Jones has a link to a very interesting interview with Gregory MacDonald about his new book, "The Evagelical Universalist". Here's the link:
http://anabaptist.lifewithchrist.org/2006/10/24/ interview-with-gregory-macdonald-part-1.html

Hell Houses

2006-10-24T07:24:00.000-06:00

As most of you know, churches all over the country are setting up "Hell Houses" for Halloween to as they say, "scare the Hell out of kids". These "Hell Houses" come in kit form for the church to build for themselves, for only $299!! The object, of course, is to run kids through the "house", simulating Hell with all it's horrors. Frightening them to the point that they will "accept" Christ and be "saved". I was reading in the local paper all the details about the local churches who are participating. The details, complete with pictures, almost brought tears to my eyes. The "fear" factor is the major part of this idea. How very sick this is. What kind of gospel relies on fear to gain followers? The Father and His Son must be very proud of these people. It really hurts my heart to see these tactics used on young people as a way of dispensing the "gospel". What's wrong with this picture????

What the Heck Are We Doing??...OOOOh, I See

2006-10-20T13:14:00.000-06:00

Surfing through blogworld, I came upon a neat blog,"Jesus and the End of Religion". I found lots of good reading there. One thing in particular that always catches my eye is a good quote. Guess that's because I have a short attention span (least that's what my wife says). Quotes for the most part are short and to the point. Ponder the following:

"Two thousand years ago God started a revolt against the religion he started. So don't ever put it past God to cause a groundswell movement against churches and Christian institutions that bear his name"

- Erwin McManus

here's the link if you're interested:
http://endreligion.blogspot.com/

NOTE: an earlier version of this post had the wrong link. It has been corrected.

The Point of the Cross of Christ

2006-10-17T13:02:00.000-06:00

Our friend Geo made a great statement in a recent post. It came in answer to the old question, "If we're already saved (reconciled, redeemed), what's the point of living a good life"."The whole point of the Cross of Christ was to show us that we can do nothing to reconcile ourselves to God. Upholding the law won’t do it. Being good won’t do it. Being religious won’t do it. Sacrificing won’t do it. There is nothing we can do to make God to include us into His love........". The point of the cross is it's already done. Accept it. Enjoy it. Praise Him for it. God is Love.....When you come to the realization of what Christ did at the cross, the question about living a good life will become moot. God's spirit resides within us. Nuff said....

IMAGINE

2006-10-14T21:13:00.000-06:00

Do we really have "free will"? Did we really make that very important decision to "accept Christ" ourselves? Here's a verse to ponder:
"You did not choose me; but it is I who chose you" John 15:16

IMAGINE
Imagine for a moment that eternal torment might be wrong. Imagine it to be the sorry result of one or two key scriptural words mistranslated. Imagine, if you can, that Jesus Christ really did remove sin, just as John the Baptist said He would (John 1:29). Imagine, too, that He will destroy the works of the devil, which scripture says He came to do (I John 3:8). Imagine if you can, that He who wills ALL to be saved (I Timothy 2:4), is able to accomplish what He wills (Ephesians 1:11). Imagine that the same ALL dying in Adam will one day be vivified in Christ (I Cor 15:22). In other words, imagine that the second Adam will do greater good than the first did harm. (Rom 5:18-19); this should not be hard to conceive. Imagine that He is the Savior of ALL mankind (I Timothy 4:10), who will abolish all death, including the second (I Cor 15:26). And can you envision a universe finally freed from sin, all creatures of all time ultimately reconciled to Him (Col 1:16-20)? **

**quoted from "The Really Bad THing About Free Will", by Martin Zender

A Thought for the Weekend.....

2006-10-13T13:49:00.000-06:00

I found this wonderful poem/thought at: http://hearhim.net/wordpress It was posted on another blog, "Inspired", by Mary-Anne. Thanks to Mary-Anne.....

Blessed, blessed, blessed beyond measure
This wealth inside of me
Love that has consumed all fear
And set my spirit free

Search, search, searching for approval
I can no longer be
For in His face, I discover
Just how much He thinks of me

Deep, deep, deeper, my gaze into
This law of liberty
Opens my understanding
Of His life abundantly

Joy,joy, joy, uncontainable
Because of what I see
The fruit of what I know it sings
With a voice of faith -”I’m free!”

Peace, peace, peace like an anchor
To my heart
Grounded in the knowledge
That we can never be apart

So blessed, oh world - can’t you see
This gift is not reserved for me
One died for all, so ALL could be
Partakers of this liberty!

God's Grace....................

2006-10-09T07:18:00.000-06:00

I keep finding great blogs all the time. Here's a great quote from Trailady's blog, "My Journey". Check it out at:
http://www.gracewood.blogspot.com/

“Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God’s Grace.
And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God’s Grace.”
--Jerry Bridges

Chaplain Roy

2006-10-07T21:32:00.000-06:00

My good friend, Chaplain Roy has finally launched his own blog. This man has been with more good folks when they passed over to the other side than anyone I know. Check out his blog and welcome him to blogworld. I can assure you that you won't be disappointed in any of his posts. You can find him at:
http://chaplainroy.blogspot.com/

The Fear of Dying

2006-10-04T13:56:00.000-06:00

You think that life on Earth is better than life in heaven? I tell you this, at the moment of your death you will realize greatest freedom, the greatest peace, the greatest joy, and the greatest love you have ever known................
NDW

Are We in the Midst of a Revolution?

2006-10-02T09:02:00.000-06:00

I have been a believer in universal reconciliation for almost two years now. As the Spirit leads me deeper into truth, it appears to me that there is a revolution going on at present or standing in the wings about to take the stage. My Heart says YES,my soul cries YES. The changes I have seen in myself, in my attitude toward others, and in my attitude toward religion in general say YES. Now I have been around long enough to know that often when we are in the middle of a new thought, concept, philosophy, or idea, it seems like the whole world is beginning to feel the same things you do. I also know that often that is not the reality. So, I would like to ask you, my brothers and sisters, to comment about this subject after careful consideration. It is sometimes very difficult to stand outside of yourself and objectively view the situation. Are we in the midst of a revolution in the way the world views God and Christ and our relationship to Them? Or, is this going to be a slow, person by person change in the general attitude of our relationship to God the Father and His son, Christ Jesus?

Is The Church Necessary as a Place to Worship?

2006-09-25T19:26:00.000-06:00

As most of you probably know, if you've read my profile, I'm a great fan of Martin Zender. Certainly, I don't agree with everything Martin writes. If I did, I might start calling him "Master", and I don't think he would like that too much!! But, after my journey for TRUTH had proceeded for over a year, I found Martin's website. It was there that I discovered his book, "How to Quit the Church Without Quitting God". It was the thing that allowed God's truth to really impact me. I highly recommend it if you are seeking for God's truth and not finding it inside the four walls of a church.

Now back to my question.....I'll let the apostle Paul speak for me. I trust him. I think he knows what he's talking about. I mean he had a pretty decent teacher out there on the Damascus road and in the Arabian desert.

Acts 17:24

the Lord inherent of heaven and earth, is not dwelling in temples made by hands.

So where is HE? He's in your heart. He's wherever you are. Wherever you and your friends are............

Check out Martin's book. It's worth a read......

As a Man Thinks, So is He......

2006-09-20T10:44:00.000-06:00

I have been listening to Dr. Wayne Dyer's CDs lately. I find him to be a very sincere guy. I also find what he has to say intriguing to say the least. By the sound of his presentations, he could definitely be described as a universalist. I find his ideas to be sensible and to address universal human problems and dilemmas, and they contain constant references to scripture and Christ as well as other philosophies and religious leaders. He seems to think there is a universality to God (easy enough to believe) and every man and woman can Him find no matter what his or her theology or philosophy. I find this refreshing in today's disjointed, fragmented world of theologies/religions that hate one another under the same banner, "Our God is the only God". Dyer's CDs are something I will explore more deeply, letting the Spirit lead me as He will. What do you think?.................................

A Letter to My Brother-in-Law

2006-09-08T23:00:00.000-06:00

I received an email from my brother-in-law yesterday. He's a great guy, that I love a lot. He's had his ups and downs with his religion much as all of us raised in the church. The email was a link to a video found on YouTube. When I played it, I was sort of surprised. It was a video called "Are You Ready". It showed a minister preaching to a group of people. He topic was Matthew 24. His message was about the "rapture". Using the KJV, he was telling the audience that Jesus could return anytime, and that we all had better be ready. He could come in a flash,like lightning.Then, suddenly, there was a loud boom and bright flash. When the blinding light faded, the minister and about half the audience were gone, obviously "raptured" to heaven. The people who were left stood and looked around with puzzled looks. One of them, finally realizing what had happened, fell to his knees and began weeping. The video came to an end. I thought to myself, why did Bill (not his real name) send this to me. It just didn't fit with his style. Maybe he was reaching out, asking me for an opinion on this event. About a year ago, we were sitting in his backyard, when I broached the subject of religion. I was early in my search for God's truth and my explanation of what was happening in my life was probably poorly explained. when I told him I felt all humanity would be reconciled to God, and would be with God in heaven, he mentioned that he wouldn't won't to be in heaven if Hitler was there. So, I dropped the subject for the time. I hadn't really thought about our conversation until this video showed up. I wrote Bill an email about the video and thought I would share it with you:

Bill-

Thanks for the video. But the event of which Matt. 24 speaks has already taken place. It happened in 70 AD with the fall of Jerusalem. This video is typical of the scare tactics used by the church today to frighten people into the church; to scare the "Hell" out of them, to strengthen the church's hold on them; to prevent them from learning the Truth about God. The Kingdom of God has come Jesus told his disciples that, they just didn't understand. The Old Covenant with Israel is complete. The New Covenant of grace is in effect because of the cross of Christ.. Maybe that's what the writer was speaking of in the hymn, AMAZING GRACE. The fall of Jerusalem was foretold by Jesus in Chap 24 of Matthew. This is not some future event, but one that took place over 1900 years ago when the Romans surrounded, stormed and destroyed Jerusalem and with it the old sacramental system of the Jews who rejected Him. After His ascension to the Father, He chose the most unlikely man to take the real "good news" to "the nations", the gentiles, you and me. That man's name was Saul (Paul). Paul, receiving a revelation from Christ on the Damascus road, afterwards he went into Arabia for three years, where I believe he received the real gospel, the gospel of grace. The good news that you and I are reconciled to God thru the cross of Christ. The work has already been done. Everyone is redeemed, many just don't realize it. Paul tells us that the covenant with the Jews has not been voided and eventually, all Israel will be saved in spite of their stubbornness and refusal to accept Christ as the Messiah. After all, the Jews are to reign with Christ in the millenial kingdom along with the ones who believed in this eon, before the millenial kingdom begins). After the millenium comes to a close, in some future eon, Christ will have defeated all His enemies, the last to be defeated is death,. He will then turn over the keys of the kingdom to His father and God will be "ALL IN ALL". If there is work to be done now, it is to let everyone know that Christ paid the price, our past, present, and future sins have been erased, taken care of. Now we can enjoy a full relationship to the Father, who "graciously" took care of it all for us and showed us the true meaning of LOVE, whether we know it or not. Paul's writings are the real "good news" Read Romans 5 and you will find that as a result of Adam's disobedience ALL were condemned; thus also it is thru one just act (by Christ) ALL shall be made just in the eyes of God. I Cor 15:22 states it again: "for as in Adam ALL are dying, thus also, in Christ , shall ALL be made alive.." In the letter to Timothy, (may possibly not be Paul's hand, but certainly his theology) it says: "for all this are we toiling and being reproached, , that we rely on the living God, who is the Saviour of ALL mankind, especially (which means but not exclusively) of believers". Check out Rom. 11:32, "For God locks up ALL together in stubbornness, that He should show mercy to ALL".

Bill don't be fooled by what you've been taught all your life by the church. Do your own thinking and seek the Truth. Ask the Holy Spirit to direct you to it. He will show you if you truly desire it. took me 58 years to learn the Truth. Check out my blog at: http://searchforlife-don.blogspot.com/

Read as many of my posts as you want, I encourage you to do so. I am telling you these things because I love you and don't want you to spend another moment suffering guilt and disappointment when you find you can't live up to what the church tells you to do in order to be "saved" and "get to heaven". There are more atheists in this world because of Christians than any other reason. On my blog, there are links to other blogs which I read regularly and to other websites which will add to your understanding of the "real gospel", the gospel of grace.
You probably remember one time when I was out at your house and we spoke briefly about this subject. I was only beginning to study the subject and I have a long way to go, but it has changed my life. I will never "go to church" again. I canceled my church membership and haven't looked back. Out of respect for my mother, I would not tell her what I have experienced for at her age, like your mother, she would never understand. (my wife) has been reluctant to join me, but that is fine, you see there is no rush with God. If you check, you will find that Jesus never got in a hurry to "evangelize" the people He met. He simply told them that "the Kingdom of God is among you".(my wife) is happy with totally ignoring the church. Right now, she doesn't have the desire to search for Truth. God gave me that desire about 2 years ago, and He was faithful to show me many, many truths that I had never seen before, even though they were right in front of me and in the scriptures. Christianity has done a great job of hiding the truth from us for 1700 years. A great change is coming. I don't know how long it will take , but Christianity is about to undergo a tremendous change. Interestingly enough, THE INTERNET is the vehicle God is using right now to spread the truth of the gospel of grace. Finally, the internet is being used for good. I guess we should thank ole Al Gore.......

Please take me seriously here, I love you and want you to be truly happy in a wonderful relationship with our Father, God,who loves us even more that we can ever,ever, imagine. And nothing, absolutely nothing will ever change that love He has for us. Remember the verse "GOD IS LOVE"...

Don

Sometimes I Think Too Much.....

2006-09-02T17:21:00.000-06:00

I was reading my CLNT (Concordant Literal New Testament) the other day and I came to a verse in I John (I John 3:9). It reads: "Everyone who is begotten of God is not doing sin, for His seed is remaining in him and he can not be sinning, for he is begotten of God". This verse hit me between the eyes. "Can not be sinning", because he is begotten of God. Man this really bothered me. I still sin and I do it quite well, thank you. It went against everything I had come to believe in the last two years, namely that the death of Christ on the cross had redeemed me of every sin that I had ever done, every sin that I would ever do, but didn't promise that I would NOT sin; just that every sin that I commit or had committed had been removed from my account in the eyes of God, because of Christ and His work on the cross. I was puzzled. More than that, I was troubled. I immediately thought, I have a close brotherhood of friends that I trust that I'll turn to with this perplexing verse. After seeking their wise counsel and receiving answers which certainly helped , I began to think. God, why would you lead me this far from my old evangelical, conservative roots, to freedom in Christ to have me run into an obstacle such as this verse? That's a paraphrase of what I was thinking, but my thoughts were something like that. I pondered what my friends in Christ had said. Then I thought to myself, one opinion was definitely missing. That was the opinion of "Free Thinking Faith's blogger extraordinare, Steve Jones. Now Steve has been in the process of a move, so I couldn't reach him. But, I could reach his words. I can't tell how many times they have been a comfort to me. In his wisdom, Steve has reached thru the internet world to comfort and strengthen my spirit. I found Steve thru his "Dogma Free Theology" page. I read one of the articles and was so impressed by it, I printed off the entire site and put it in a notebook. I was equally impressed by the other titles. I must say at that point in my journey, that I didn't fully agree with all that I read. However, I kept them all and found that the more I studied and opened myself to the Spirit of Truth's guidance and leadership, the more Steve's articles became clear and real to me. So, since the author wasn't around, I consulted the author's words and I found the comfort and clarity I so desparately needed. It was in two of Steve's articles, "The Limits of Biblical Authority" and "Sola Scriptura". I will not attempt to reproduce those articles here, especially without Steve's permission, but I will give you a link to them at "Dogma Free Theology". If you are bothered, troubled, or perplexed by the apparent inconsistencies of scripture, I strongly recommend these articles and the entire site is well-worth your time and effort to read. Thank you Steve for restoring my spirit. Here is the link. http://theology.wordsmithjones.com/

ET...Yes or No

2006-08-30T22:40:00.000-06:00

I was reading a sermon by a pastor of a local UR church tonight in which he asked three questions to those who believe in ET, ECT, Hell, or whatever you wish to call it. Here they are, please leave your own comments for all to read....

1. Did God ever threaten Adam & Eve with an endless burning Hell?
2. Is there a law given in the old covenant that if broken, was punishable by eternally torturing the law breaker.
3.If eternal torment in a devil's hell is the punishment for sin, then did Jesus NOT pay the penalty for our sins?

"I don't think that most Christians who believe in ET, ever stop to think what they are accusing God of doing, and even worse, of being".

(The above questions and last quotation come from a sermon delivered by Pastor Michael Spradlin of the First COvenant Church of Irving, TX)

God's Path to Happiness in Life...?

2006-08-28T14:30:00.000-06:00

After a visit with my wife who is working in Houston, I decided to take the backroads to come home. I try to avoid the interstate highways if I'm not in a hurry. As I was driving through the countryside of southeast Texas, I saw a billboard which caught my eye. It said, "The Path to Happiness in Life". Under the title was a graphic representation the tablets on which were written the ten commandments. I couldn't help but think of Roman, chapter 7. What bondage we place ourselves under by not understanding the purpose of the Law. Many, many of my Christian brothers have placed themselves in bondage to the Law by misunderstanding His purpose in giving Israel the Law. I pray that we all will seek His will and purpose for us so that we truly will find "God's Path to Happiness in Life".....

Hell in the Early Church

2006-08-23T14:00:00.000-06:00

That damnable doctrine, ET, ECT, or whatever you may call it, hasn't always been a part of the Christian experience. I know to some that may sound incredible. However, if you have been studying the subject for a while, you will have encountered this fact. Up until about the 5th century, the concept of hell was foreign (literally) to the Christian's way of thinking. It wasn' t until the universal church (Catholic) chose to use Latin as it's "official" language that hell began to creep into the belief system . In large part, we can thank Augustine for doing that. A great blog, "The Beautiful Heresy" has several good articles on this subject should it be of interest to you. Follow the accompanying link and use the search tool on the blog to find more.

http://christian-universalism.blogs.com/

Sharing Your Beliefs about the Gospel of Grace

2006-08-19T15:31:00.000-06:00

When the "Gospel of Grace" was first revealed to me, I felt, as a former teacher, I must share this wonderful news with others. I just knew they would see the logic of it and drink it in like as thirsty man in the desert. I quickly realized that's probably not the best way to proceed. I stepped back for a moment and thought about the whole picture. Being a real newbie to the "Gospel of Grace", I really felt quite ill-equiped to present it and answer questions about it. In fact, I had a lot of questions that as of yet had gone unanswered. I trusted that in His time, if He wanted me to know, God would answer.

Then I came across a word of advice from someone who had believed in Universal Reconciliation for a long time. Here is his advice:

May I share a word of advice? This word especially applies if you have experienced deep wounding through spiritual abuse. Ask the Lord to grant you grace to:
refrain from debating about this full gospel or being overly anxious to help other to "see" it. Give the Holy Spirit room to work!
forgive people who in the past conveyed the gospel inadequately to you—or perhaps even spiritually abused you. Instead, thank the Lord that they gave what they had, and ask Him to shower His healing and blessing upon them.
not make understanding Christ’s total victory a requirement for fellowshipping with your Christian brothers and sisters—whatever you do!
not make this full gospel "your subject" conversationally more than enjoying the Lord Himself and bringing His healing life to others. People who think a good deal, who have been deeply wounded, can fall into that snare while the devil throws a party! JESUS CHRIST MUST REMAIN THE FOCUS. (The early Pentecostals had to learn the same lesson about sharing their newfound freedom in the Holy Spirit!)
refuse to start a new denomination or "non’’-denomination; the Lord knows there are too many already!
be led of the Holy Spirit in all situations where the Lord Himself receives honor and—by His power—lives are transformed and healed. Even if it means on occasions He may lead you to minister truths that seem to reveal little or nothing of Christ’s total victory.
become a brighter light that attracts others to Christ Himself—and not just words and concepts about Him.
not be hurt if some Christians misjudge you. Trust the Lord to do business. He will! Hasn’t He always? Remember, some who misunderstand you today may be beside you proclaiming Christ to a needy world tomorrow!
be at liberty not to go to great lengths to hype or to hide your understanding of the gospel. Just enjoy constant fellowship with the Lord and trust His light to shine through you.
remember that, by God’s astonishing grace, many Christians who do not completely share your understanding of Scripture—nevertheless—know God’s heart, perhaps better than you do! So avail yourself of every opportunity to be blessed by your other praying, Christ-honoring brothers and sisters. You need them and they need you!

Questions on Eternal Punishment

2006-08-18T16:15:00.000-06:00

I found this list of questions on eternal punishment. I can't for the life of me remember where I got them so that I can properly give credit where credit is due. They're not mine. Thank you whoever wrote them. They are worth closer examination.........

As we are required to love our enemies, may we not safely infer that God loves His enemies? (Matt. 5:44)
If God loves His enemies, will He punish them more than will be for their good?
Would endless punishment be for the good of any being?
As God loves His friends, if He loves His enemies also, are not all mankind the objects of His love?
If God loves those only who love Him, what better is He than the sinner? (Luke 6:32-33)
As "love thinketh no evil," can God design the ultimate evil of a single soul? (1 Cor. 13:5)
As "love worketh no ill," can God inflict, or cause, or allow to be inflicted, an endless ill? (Rom. 13:10)
As we are forbidden to be overcome by evil, can we safely suppose that God will be overcome by evil? (Rom. 12:21)
Would not the infliction of endless punishment prove that God HAD been overcome by evil?
If man does wrong in returning evil for evil, would not God do wrong if He was to do the same?
Would not endless punishment be the return of evil for evil?
As we are commanded "to overcome evil with good," may we not safely infer that God will do the same? (Rom. 12:21)
Would the infliction of endless punishment be overcoming evil with good?
If God hates the sinner, does the sinner do wrong in hating Him?
Is God a changeable being? (James 1:17)
If God loves His enemies now, will he not always love them?
Is it just for God to be "kind to the evil and unthankful," in their present life? (Luke 6:35)
Would it be unjust for God to be kind to all men in a future state?
If all men justly deserve endless punishment, will not those who are saved, be saved unjustly?
If God "will by no means clear the guilty," by what means can just punishment be evaded? (Ex. 34:7)
As no man can measure endless punishment to his neighbor, will endless punishment be measured to him? (Luke 4:38)
Would it be merciful in God to inflict endless punishment? -- that is, merciful to the sufferer?
Can that be just which is not merciful?
Do not cruelty and injustice go hand in hand?
Can that be merciful which is not just?
Does divine justice demand the infliction of pain from which mercy recoils?
Does divine mercy require any thing that justice refuses to grant?
If the demands of divine justice are opposed to the requirements of mercy, is not God divided against Himself?
If the requirements of mercy are opposed to the demands of the justice of God, can His kingdom stand? -- (Mark 3:24)
If the justice and mercy of God are any way opposed, do they "keep the unity of the spirit in the bonds of peace?'

Making the Break

2006-08-17T14:45:00.000-06:00

After nearly two years of my journey to find God's truths, I found myself still a member of a conservative, evangelical church. I haven't been inside the building this year, but my membership was still there. This week a was rereading Martin Zender's book, "How to Quit Church without Quitting God", and was reminded how it once was for me on the inside of organized religion. So, I did it. I called the church office and asked that they remove me from the church roll......Nothing happened.. No bolt from above, no calls from the membership committee. I made the break! I don't know why I hadn't done it before now. There had been no contact with anyone from the church since February of this year. I had long since felt no need for the coffee, donuts, and social niceties associated with Sunday mornings at 9:30. There are nice folks who attend there. The pastor is a very nice, warm-hearted guy, who I like. There are some not so nice, fundamentalist, hellfire and brimstone types as well who I won't miss for sure. Christ and His father along with my good friend Roy keep me anchored now. Roy and I meet at the 1st Church of Mickey D as often as possible to discuss things. He's always got a new story to tell concerning his job. Roy is a hospice chaplain. He's seen more in 4 years of dealing with death and the dying than I have in a lifetime. It was Roy who challenged me to see things with a different perspective. And Roy was on the staff of a local, conservative, Protestant church for over 25 years. He peaked my curiosity about a lot of things I'd never thought of before in my church-filled journey. That curiosity lead me to Martin Zender and his book. I saw the title, and thought to myself, "how can I possibly do that?" That being quitting church without quitting God....I was immensely curious about it. After a couple of weeks of internal debate, I ordered the book from Amazon. It changed my life. Martin was raised catholic and eventually left the church at 18 and never looked back. I, on the other hand, had been in a basically fundamental, conservative, Protestant denomination for 58 years!! Martin had a headstart on me. Everything he presented in his book made such sense. Imagine a Catholic telling a Protestant about how to quit church! What a novel idea! All I can say is Thank You, Martin, from the bottom of my heart. My only regret is that I took so long to find the truth and then waited so long (1 1/2 years) to Make the break..............

A Letter to My Brother-in-Law

2006-08-15T04:34:00.000-06:00

I received am email from my brother-in-law today. He's a great guy who's been down the religious road as I have and can now take or leave church. It was quite unusual for him to send me a graphic video from YouTube on the "rapture". In it, an English minister is preaching from Matthew 24, on the rapture of "believers" which could happen at any time in an instant, like a bolt of lightning. The video scan the typical church going audience, then BOOM, like a bolt out of the blue, the preacher and about half the people disappear. The ones left stand and look around in shock, trying to figure out what happened. One guy eventually realizes and falls to his knees,crying his eyes out. Now, as I said, this is a very unusual thing for Bill (not his real name) to do. I began to ask myself, why he did this. Then I remembered a conversation we had sitting in his backyard a couple of years ago. I broached the subject of UR after he opened the door. Perhaps he wants my reaction to the video. I really don't know for sure. But I wrote him the following letter which I wanted to share with you.

Bill-

Thanks for the video. But the event of which Matt. 24 speaks has already taken place. It happened in 70 AD with the fall of Jerusalem. This video is typical of the scare tactics used by the church today to frighten people into the church; to scare the "Hell" out of them, to strengthen the church's hold on them; to prevent them from learning the Truth about God. The Kingdom of God has come. Jesus told his disciples this, they just didn't understand. The Old Covenant with Israel is passe. The New Covenant of grace is in effect because of the cross of Christ.. Maybe that's what the writer was speaking of in the hymn, AMAZING GRACE, although I'm not sure he understood what he was saying. The fall of Jerusalem was foretold by Jesus in Chap. 24 of Matthew. This is not some future event, but one that took place over 1900 years ago when the Romans surrounded, stormed and destroyed Jerusalem and with it the old system of Law He made with the Jews, who,by and large rejected Him. After His ascension to the Father, He chose the most unlikely man to take the real "good news" to "the nations", the gentiles, you and me. That man's name was Saul (Paul). Paul, receiving a revelation from Christ on the Damascus road, then went into Arabia for three years, where I believe he received the real gospel, the gospel of grace. The good news that you and I are reconciled to God thru the cross of Christ. The work has already been done. Everyone is redeemed, many just don't realize it. Paul tells us that the covenant with the Jews has not been voided and eventually, all Israel will be saved in spite of their stubbornness and refusal to accept Christ as the Messiah. After all, the Jews are to reign with Christ in the millenial kingdom along with the ones who believed in this eon (before the millenial kingdom begins). After the millenium comes to a close, in some future eon, Christ will have defeated all His enemies, the last to be defeated, Death,. He will then turn over the keys of the kingdom to His father and God will be "ALL IN ALL". If there is work to be done now, it is to let everyone know that Christ paid the price, our past, present, and future sins have been erased, taken care of. Now we can enjoy a full relationship to the Father, who "graciously" took care of it all for us and showed us the true meaning of LOVE, whether we know it or not. Paul's writings are the real "good news" Read Romans 5 and you will find that as a result of Adam's disobedience ALL were condemned; thus also it is thru one just act (by Christ) ALL shall be made just in the eyes of God. I Cor 15:22 states it again: for as in Adam ALL are dying, thus also, in Christ , shall ALL be made alive.. In the letter to Timothy, (may possibly not be Paul's hand, but certainly his theology) it says: for all this are we toiling and being reproached, , that we rely on the living God, who is the Saviour of ALL mankind, especially (which means, but not exclusively) of believers. Check out Rom. 11:32, For God locks up ALL together in stubbornness, that He should show mercy to ALL.

Bill don't be fooled by what you've been taught all your life by the church. Do your own thinking and seek the Truth. Ask the Holy Spirit to direct you to it. He will show you if you truly desire it. took me 58 years to learn the Truth. Check out my blog at: http://searchforlife-don.blogspot.com/

Read as many of my posts as you want, I encourage you to do so. I am telling you these things because I love you and don't want you to spend another moment suffering guilt and disappointment when you find you can't live up to what the church tells you to do in order to be "saved" and "get to heaven". There are more atheists in this world because of Christians than any other reason. On my blog, there are links to other blogs which I read regularly and to other websites which will add to your understanding of the "real gospel", the gospel of grace.
You Melchior
Modest Menzinsky
Giorgio Merighi
Francesco Merli
Alexander Miltschinoff
Frank Mullings
Corneliu Murgu

Sergej Naida
Nikola Nikolov
Hanns Nocker
Virgilijus Noreika

Carl Martin Öhman
Stephen O’Mara
Dennis O’Neill
John O’Sullivan
Giuseppe Oxilia

Elliot Palay
Antonello Palombi
Antonio Paoli
Tino Pattiera
Luciano Pavarotti
Aureliano Pertile
Wladimir Piawko
Nino Piccaluga
Frank Poretta
Gilbert Py

Torsten Ralf
Lance Ryan
David Rendall
Ilosfalvy Róbert
Helge Rosvænge

Gabriel Sadé
Miguel Sanchez
Gino Sarri
Norbert Schmittberg
Bruno Sebastien
Josef Simándy
Raimo Sirkiä
Leo Slezak
Zurab Sotkilava
Ian Storey
Set Svanholm

Francesco Tamagno
Vitaly Taraschenko
Georges Thill
Larry Thomas
Eugene Tobin
Richard Tucker

Jacques Urlus

Jon Vickers
Eduardo Villa
Ramón Vinay
Franz Völker
Oleksander Vostriakov

Jon Frederic West
Wolfgang Windgassen

Renato Zanelli
Giovanni Zenatello
Renato Zuin

Jesus' Commission

2006-08-14T23:00:00.000-06:00

About five months ago, I came across a verse which I had never noticed before (by no means the only I never noticed before. I was reading out of the CLNT. Since purchasing the Concordant Literal New Testament, I have discovered a lot of verses I hadn't noticed before or had missed the significance the verse. Now I don't get a percentage, but I hardily recommend it. But I digress.). When I read the verse in one of Martin Zender's books, I checked it out. I stopped and said, "Huh??? That can't be right." But there it was, straight out of Matthew's gospel; Chapter 15, verse 24. It was pretty plain and simple. Does it mean what it says? I thought to myself, "Literal first if possible. If not possible, figurative." This verse seemed a completely plausible verse which made perfect sense to me. But, did it really mean what it said. I like some comments about what you think it means. Go for it. MATT 15

24 Now He, answering, said, "I was not commissioned except for the lost sheep of the house of Israel."

I Have to do it.....

2006-08-14T21:38:00.000-06:00

I work downtown in a city of over half a million population. In the central part of downtown is an entertainment district called Sundance Square. It has movie theaters, stage production theaters, a large concert hall, clubs, bars, and many restaurants.

On Friday and Saturday nights, street preachers from around the local area make their way to Sundance Square to "preach the good news" to the sinners who congregate there. They are for the most part very confrontational, standing on the corners, yelling to people as they make their way to the restaurants, bars, and movies. A friend of mine's son and girl friend were down there one night and were called "fornicators" by one of "God's messengers" as they walked by his location. Now I'm pretty sure this guy was making a fairly wild prognostication about these two young people. Does this kind of evangelism bother anyone else than just me. The local newspaper did a story on the street preachers who told the reporter that God instructed them to preach there. " I have to do it". They claim they were just doing the Lord's Work". There's also a homeless shelter downtown. I wonder if these street preachers show up there yelling their condemnatory remarks at the regulars who sleep at the shelter or do they bring food and clothing instead. I have an idea I know the answer to that one. These men shout the "good news" that God loves you; if you are smart enough to realize it, make the right decision and mean it, then live a basically sinless life, all the while living with the guilt of constantly failing to live up to the standard. That's the "GOOD NEWS". I don't think so. I think they're wrong in so many ways I'd need a small book to put it all down. Man, I'd like to show them the REAL "Good News". I'm glad I don't frequent the preacher's territory. I'm afraid I might say something I shouldn't to one or more of them, and it wouldn't be "good news".

Salvation at Thirteen

2006-08-12T09:10:00.000-06:00

There he sat, a hot sweaty, thirteen year old kid. It was a hot, stiflingly hot, summer afternoon in Texas. The parents, good, God-fearing people, were really worried about their only son. He hadn't made a "decision for Christ", and he was way beyond the "age of accountability". What if something happened to him, God forbid. He was destined for a Devil's Hell. They had to do something about it, even if he wouldn't. To top it all off, his best friend had made his "decision" that morning. Wouldn't it be great if they were baptized together. Well, if he wouldn't do something about that, they would. They called the pastor and asked him to come over and speak to their son.

That thirteen year old kid was me. Making a "decision for Christ was the farthest thing from my mind as I was playing outside with the neighborhood kids on that hot, Texas Sunday afternoon. I remember my Mom calling me inside. I remember wondering whose car that was in the driveway. Then it hit me. It was the preacher's! Holy cow, I mean spirit-filled bovine, what had I done? I had no clue. I then remembered that my friend had "gone down front" that morning and I thought that must be it. As I walked, sweating like a pig, into the house, there he was, the preacher. The man scared me to death. He was a stern-faced individual who rarely smiled. His booming voice during services had certainly put the "fear of God" in me, just not quite enough to get me to "make my decision". So now he was here to beat it, no, no coax it out of me. First, an aside, you gotta understand that our house had one air conditioner and it was in my parent's bedroom/ TV room. So on this near 100 degree day, where did all of us go to discuss this very, very, weighty subject, the living room. The unairconditioned living room. I mean, that's the only place to visit with the pastor, right?
There we were, my parents and the preacher sitting on the couch and me, sitting across from them, in the hot seat, so to speak.

I am only quoting from a distant memory now, but I believe the preacher said something like this, "Donnie, you know Bill (not his real name) made his "decision for Christ" this morning and will be baptized tonight. Don't you want to do the same, so ya'll can be baptized together?" There was a long pause.........What was I supposed to say? No thanks, don't think so, I got things to do outside. Can I go now? The sweat began to roll down my forehead onto my nose as the steely-faced preacher waited for my answer. I finally said, "OK". Everyone smiled, including, unexplicably, the preacher. Whew, glad that's over. So, I "went down front" that night at church and was "saved". Oh, and I was baptized that same night right behind my friend.

So what's wrong with that picture? You know, I remember making fun as a kid of all the ritual stuff that the Catholic kids in my town had to do at church. Up and down, up and down, repeat this prayer, say that phrase, go to communion, go to confession. How silly I thought that was. I made fun of THEIR ritual. I can remember thinking all those other churches are wrong and WE have it right. Was what happened to me on that hot Texas summer day RIGHT? Did all the others have it WRONG? Was I then as a thirteen year old kid assured of "going to heaven" because the preacher put me in the (literal) hot seat and got me to "give it up"?

I don't blame my parents. They were wonderful, loving parents. I always felt safe and loved. It WAS and IS the system which tells us God loves you more than you can imagine, IF YOU LOVE HIM BACK (ENOUGH).....................................

Every Knee will bow.........

2006-08-11T21:00:00.000-06:00

Welcome to my blog. Never in my life would I have ever thought I would be doing something like this. Please bear with me as I learn the ropes. Maybe "old dogs" can be taught new tricks. If you haven't read my story, you can find it at YBMT, my friend Bruce's blog at http://blog.ybmt.org . Saves me a lot of typing, at which I am not all that great.

As a great master once said, "keep it simple stupid". So, I would like to start by asking for your comments on bowing the knee to God. This idea is found in several places in scripture. What does it mean to you? How is it to be interpreted? Let me hear from you. Your comments are important to me. Till next time......