tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post115936781789434310..comments2024-03-18T21:33:35.309-07:00Comments on One Cʘsmos: Memo to the NY Times: Conservatism is Caused by Fighting ItGagdad Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14249005793605006679noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1159709763973024602006-10-01T06:36:00.000-07:002006-10-01T06:36:00.000-07:00I would wager that most people who read Bob believ...I would wager that most people who read Bob believe that poverty is a sign of a weak cultural fabric, and should by all means be resolved with right economics. This is at the collective level. At the individual level, however, poverty by itself can never lead to crime, since individuals have a free will and can resist the effects of their circumstances. Proper values influence them to do just that.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1159580427556441852006-09-29T18:40:00.000-07:002006-09-29T18:40:00.000-07:00Hahaha anonymous. Funny thing is that I never actu...Hahaha anonymous. Funny thing is that I never actually said that. Good comeback though.Surafel Tsegahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17792672442572517885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1159540813856212122006-09-29T07:40:00.000-07:002006-09-29T07:40:00.000-07:00Oh, so poverty actually CAUSES bad values and not ...Oh, so poverty actually CAUSES bad values and not the other way around. Now I get it. Thanks for clearing that up, Surafel.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1159498315257650842006-09-28T19:51:00.000-07:002006-09-28T19:51:00.000-07:00What disappoints me about this post is the dismiss...What disappoints me about this post is the dismissive nature it has towards the concept of poverty and its relationship to crime. <BR/><BR/>I am not denying the fact that crime is the result of a lack of values, or a breakdown in the system of family values. At the same time, one cannot dismiss the importance of poverty in this matter. <BR/><BR/>It's much easier for those in a position of wealth (however large or small that may be) to simply say that values is the key, and thats what should be focused on. But one can only imagine how hard it must be to care for a family that people turn to drug-dealing or prostitution and the like to survive. Imagine how confusing it must be for a child that only sees gang members prospering (relatively speaking). Imagine the message being sent to kids in the form of our horrid education system; how are they supposed to see that education is the key when they have worn down books, overcrowded classrooms-- nothing to really presenting education in a positive light. <BR/><BR/>I guess what I'm trying to say is that we cannot ignore the effects of poverty; we cannot ignore the effects of values either. But if a child grows up in a family without a decent set of values, if all they see around them is how crime pays, if there isn't a good educational system to show them the alternative, then crime will persist in the inner city.Surafel Tsegahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17792672442572517885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1159491461280982292006-09-28T17:57:00.000-07:002006-09-28T17:57:00.000-07:00Steve et al,As others have stated about prying God...Steve et al,<BR/>As others have stated about prying God out with a crowbar etc. You cannot force the movement of the Holy Spirit. Do not set yourself up with the frame of mind that a "visitation" is your reward for your works. <BR/><BR/>Set your heart and your soul and your mind to truly love God and perform works with the knowledge that what is good comes from God. Give God the praise and credit for any work that is good EACH AND EVERYTIME. You're not the source of goodness, you are only a conduit. You do not facilitate goodness, you just submit to God and God does it.<BR/><BR/> The Soul of God is mysterious and mystical. The Comforter will come to you when He sees fit. But set out to love and surrender to God and be a better person, regardless of if you ever feel it. <BR/><BR/>Read Ecclesiastes, several different translations of it and something should resonate. Particularly during you quest for "It". All that really matters is that you fear God and love Him (and others) and obey.<BR/><BR/>Others here have mentioned using substances that I'm not familiar with. All kinds of races, cultures and religions have done it since pre-historic times. I can't pass judgement on such things used as a tool for general enlightenment, but I know that the KJV, NIV and any other translation I have read does not mention anything about it. I personally wouldn't do it, and would encourage you to obstain as well. <BR/><BR/>I have written earlier that the movement of the Holy Spirit manifests itself as the release of neurotransmitters in the right temporal lobe of the brain (the so-called "God spot") Athiests think that the buck stops there. But I don't. I think that neurotramsitters are an interface between our souls and our bodies, and our selves and God/Holy Spirit. Maybe these receptor sites in the synapses, and the chemicals (neurotransmitters) that float across the cleft are what binds our metaphysical souls to our physical bodies. An maybe it is what makes us conscious of the spiritual (metaphysical) realm.<BR/><BR/>If I am right,these synapses and neurotransmitters should be protected at all cost. As a Christian and as a Family Nurse Practitioner, I'm telling you, don't jack with that interface!!!!<BR/> <BR/>Try fasting instead. Fasting is a "given" in JudeoChristian religion. I think it ties in with the whole "denying of self / selfishness = sin" premise I was writing about yesterday. Science has show that the body "medicates" itself if stressed in certain ways. I think fasting properly will release the right substances into that interface, and do it naturally and biblically. God's own Rx!! Prescribed to billions, over thousands of years. <BR/><BR/>I sing your praises to God and am filled with excitement on you decision!<BR/><BR/>Love and Prayers,<BR/>JimmmmmmmmmAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1159485318207474422006-09-28T16:15:00.000-07:002006-09-28T16:15:00.000-07:00Many thanks to everyone who offered their advice a...Many thanks to everyone who offered their advice and suggestions. You were all extremely kind, most helpful, and completely gracious. What an unusual collection of people! And on the Internet, no less. It may still take me some time to fully develop my Faith, but you all have given me faith that it will be done. For that I am most appreciative.<BR/><BR/>Bob, special thanks to you for creating this place. You are truly gifted. I can't resist the opportunity to compliment you especially on your puns. I am a tremendous fan of them, and you are extraordinary at them. Some of your puns are absolutely brilliant, but my favorites are the really bad ones; the ones that are so painful I have to wince when I read them, but they are nonetheless most enjoyable. I think that exhibits its own kind of transcendence. Keep 'em coming. I suppose it would be silly to think it a coincidence that I would find your work in such close proximity to losing Louis Rukyser.<BR/><BR/>Thanks again to everyone!<BR/><BR/>-SteveAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1159467840608087542006-09-28T11:24:00.000-07:002006-09-28T11:24:00.000-07:00It is madness to blame the West’s defense of itsel...It is madness to blame the West’s defense of itself as the cause of incitement to violence in the Islamic world. To solve a problem, it helps to identify it. The main causes of the incitement to violence are three, all attributable to the West’s surrendering of its governance to its lunatic fringes, running from left to right.<BR/><BR/>First, lunatics on the left have engaged in a short-sighted, vice-ridden celebration of depravity that has inflamed and scandalized more modest cultures against us, even while (moronically) seeking to appease such cultures (as if appeasing would entice overlooking our race to depravity).<BR/><BR/>Second, lunatics on the right have engaged in a short-sighted, greed-based, open-border energy policy that has (moronically) given enemy fanatics the financial wherewithal to buy and turn our own WMD against us.<BR/><BR/>Third, our moderates have lost the moral spine needed to regain adult supervision over the elites and effetes at either of our lunatic fringes — which now pull all of us ever more quickly towards a repeat of disastrously historic proportions.<BR/><BR/>Self defense is not the problem. Acting like morons is. We need to reestablish adult supervision. To help do that, we need to make voting mandatory — now!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1159464653054258022006-09-28T10:30:00.000-07:002006-09-28T10:30:00.000-07:00Steve and JWM,As Bob has stated, the fact that you...Steve and JWM,<BR/>As Bob has stated, the fact that you have begun the journey is half the battle right there. "Seek, and ye shall find; knock, and the door shall be opened unto you." God is more than willing to meet you halfway on that journey, and carry you if necessary. The fact that you are a seeker, in my mind, already puts you light years ahead of all the Christians out there who have lots of head knowledge about God and the Bible, but would not know Christ if he hit them on the head. <BR/><BR/>I have been exactly where you are, with the added handicap of, as I stated in my first post, being a liberal. I think the moment for me came as I was proudly proclaiming my intellectual agnosticism to a fellow college student (who was himself a semi-agnostic seeker, which is why I trusted him). He then simply, matter-of-factly asked me if, before I categorically rejected God, whether I had ever considered the "mystical" aspects of God and Christ. <BR/><BR/>Well, when I heard the word "mystical", it was like a light bulb went off in my head. I had no idea that a mystical pursuit of Christ was even possible; all I had ever seen was big church buildings and TV evangelists, and lots of dry Bible teachings. The idea of a mystical pursuit of God both terrified and excited me, drawing me in inexorably like a cryogenically-cooled electromagnet. <BR/><BR/>But it was when I joined a small, independent house church with no pews, pastor or hymn books, where I was free to speak and express the reality of God inside of me, and free to further pursue that reality, along with my brothers and sisters, to whereever that would lead, that the true meaning of "mystical" began to come to fruition. I have settled for nothing less ever since, and there is no reason why you should, either.<BR/><BR/> I would advise you to find a small, independent church (house or not, pastor or not,doesn't matter)where Christ is central and peripherals (doctrine, politics, "doing good works" etc) are not; peripherals come from Christ, not the other way around. Seek out the constant companionship of brothers and sisters, especially those with a little gray in their heads. And don't ever, ever, beat yourself up about "not getting it"; God is not something you "get", he is a Supreme Being that, thanks to Christ's sacrifice, lives within you. The journey is often long and lonely, but, as God said to Jacob, "Behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places". <BR/><BR/>BTW, Steve, I don't believe that your posting necessarily indicates "hijacking"; this whole blog is about spiritual realities, and seeking answers from a God who seems elusive is about as real as you can get. <BR/><BR/>Some suggested reading (some of these are rare books that can only be found on Seedsowers.com):<BR/><BR/>The Divine Romance (Gene Edwards)<BR/><BR/>The Prisoner in the Third Cell (Gene Edwards)<BR/><BR/>Mere Christianity (CS Lewis)<BR/><BR/>The Normal Christian Life (Watchman Nee)<BR/><BR/>The Centrality and Supremacy of the Lord Jesus Christ (T. Austin Sparks)<BR/><BR/>Practicing His Presence (Frank Laubach & Brother Lawrence)<BR/><BR/>The Seeking Heart (Fenelon)<BR/><BR/>The Spiritual Guide (Miguel Molinos)<BR/><BR/>Union with God (Madame Guyon)<BR/><BR/>The Road Less Traveled (M Scott Peck)<BR/><BR/>Grace: the Essence of God (Wayne Monbleau)<BR/><BR/>Godspeed in your pursuit; settle for nothing less than Him!<BR/><BR/>P.S. Bob, I remembered to hit the Return button this time :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1159460381692785942006-09-28T09:19:00.000-07:002006-09-28T09:19:00.000-07:00Looptloop,"Grabbing a tire iron and trying to pry ...Looptloop,<BR/><BR/>"Grabbing a tire iron and trying to pry God out of his cosmic car."<BR/><BR/>I don't have time to discuss now, but I'll bring up the entheogen topic in a later thread. <BR/><BR/>I'm interested in learning Bob's take on "hyperspace."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1159460053280341942006-09-28T09:14:00.000-07:002006-09-28T09:14:00.000-07:00CAIRjacking.CAIRjacking.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1159459823639222852006-09-28T09:10:00.001-07:002006-09-28T09:10:00.001-07:00Stu-For many, I think point 3 is a bit like grabbi...Stu-<BR/><BR/>For many, I think point 3 is a bit like grabbing a tire iron and trying to pry God out of his Cosmic Car - the ego may best be served by patience until Grace is given. I hope the Muslim masses don't get this idea...they're already trying to commit sacred carjacking.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1159459811022177442006-09-28T09:10:00.000-07:002006-09-28T09:10:00.000-07:00Don't visit entheogenland without Terence McKenna ...Don't visit entheogenland without Terence McKenna as your tour guide.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1159459350629661392006-09-28T09:02:00.000-07:002006-09-28T09:02:00.000-07:00Stu said:...Salvinorin-A are of particular interes...Stu said:<BR/><I>...Salvinorin-A are of particular interest here.</I><BR/><BR/>The hammer of God.<BR/><BR/>JWMAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1159458034796154142006-09-28T08:40:00.000-07:002006-09-28T08:40:00.000-07:00Steve,Since everyone else is freely doling out the...Steve,<BR/><BR/>Since everyone else is freely doling out the advice, I'm going to jump on the band wagon. I have a few suggestions for you.<BR/><BR/>"So BP, or Bob, or anyone with a constructive suggestion; any ideas on how I can overcome my fear of myself as well as my pride in myself, and sincerely invite God into my life?"<BR/><BR/>1) Fear cannot be totally supressed, only understood and put in it's proper place. Try giving in to the fear. I mean the really debilitating kind that makes it impossible to do anything but curl up in the fetal position or scream uncontrollably. Don't supress it. Let it grip you and take you where it will. <BR/><BR/>2) Start meditating. On anything, it doesn't really matter. God, death, your personal identity, the universe, love, nothingness, whatever. This should help clarify your thinking and free up some mind space. <BR/><BR/>3) Entheogens might help too. DMT and Salvinorin-A are of particular interest here. These chemicals can loosen the ego's death grip ever so slightly. But it can be incredibly difficult to interpret and assimilate the experiences. And of course there are legal considerations with DMT in the U.S.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1159450857431487002006-09-28T06:40:00.000-07:002006-09-28T06:40:00.000-07:00Wise advice, Will! :)Wise advice, Will! :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1159450686485536482006-09-28T06:38:00.000-07:002006-09-28T06:38:00.000-07:00JWM and Steve:Asking and seeking is a great start,...JWM and Steve:<BR/>Asking and seeking is a great start, and it doesn't stop there.<BR/>I was afraid to ask God to enter my heart and being, because mainly, I didn't want to lose my self, my identity, and become a robot.<BR/>For years I had felt emptiness and loneliness...I was incomplete.<BR/>I tried to feed my spirit with drugs, booze and sex. <BR/>That only made my spirit sicker.<BR/>When Navy doctors told me I was going to die in 2-3 years<BR/>I felt numb.<BR/>At the old Balboa hospital, in San Diego, I met several sailors and marines in the same situaton I was in.<BR/>Some exhibited amazing faith, while others became bitter.<BR/>Bitterness leads to death, for the body and soul.<BR/>Most, like me, were numb.<BR/>I had a wife and 2 wonderful kids. <BR/>What was I to do?<BR/>I could no longer serve aboard ship, doing the job I loved.<BR/>Depressing. Despair.<BR/>That is when I knew I had reached the bottom. I knew how wretched I was, and I hated myself.<BR/>I asked God (Christ) to enter my heart and being, to forgive my sins,<BR/>and to show me the Way, the Truth.<BR/>My old self was crucified, and I discovered my true self. <BR/>I wasn't a robot, God didn't force me to do anything, He was so gentle, and His grace and mercy enveloped me.<BR/>When I read His Word (Christ), I saw His Truth, and found wisdom and eternal meaning (and still do)!<BR/>I was and am eternally grateful for the precious gifts my Father gave me, and He loved me first.<BR/>That was in 1989, and obviously, I'm still here.<BR/>The brushes with death, the constant pain, strengthened my resolve to keep asking and seeking.<BR/>To fight for Life, and search for Truth, and to develope a relationship with God (who am I Lord, that you care for me?).<BR/>To be sure, you will encounter deserts, but that is when God molds your character if you let Him. <BR/>That is when you grow. The desert can be a beautiful place, but it is harsh! Truth can hurt!<BR/>You will experience the mountain top,<BR/>where you feel the glory, the magnificence, the love and peace that transcends all understanding. Bliss! Beyond belief!<BR/>Build on Truth, the Rock of Salvation, the Messiah (God), and the storms will not break you.<BR/>I recommend reading the book of John and the rest of the New Testament (and One Cosmos) to start, and meditate and contemplate His Word, a veritable treasure trove of Truth and Wisdom.<BR/>God doesn't want blind faith, lest we be deceived.<BR/>Faith and reason is crucial, and verify.<BR/>God gave us free will for a good reason, and He wants us to use it.<BR/>He desires our love and a deep, personal relationship and bonding.<BR/>He will guide you if you ask, and show you if you seek.<BR/>Keep knocking and the door will open.<BR/>God bless you Jwm, <BR/>and you also, Steve, on your journey!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1159421422830051382006-09-27T22:30:00.000-07:002006-09-27T22:30:00.000-07:00JWM - I sometimes think that the "waiting for some...JWM - <BR/><BR/>I sometimes think that the "waiting for something to click" is the very thing that prevents the clicking. The clicking wait is, I suppose, an expectation, a conceiving, and in a way, is a *demand* for our spiritual yearning to be fulfilled. <BR/><BR/>But of course, without such, an abyss opens up in our minds, a big . . . nothing, a void. It's very difficult to jump into that abyss because it seems like hopelessness, at first. And we're very accustomed to having something *there*, something or other, to fill that empty space. And so we fill it with expectation, conception, demand.<BR/><BR/>To jump into the abyss without expectation, conception, or demand is to surrender to God. That's when, I think, you hear the click. Only the click is soundless.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1159419318896676302006-09-27T21:55:00.000-07:002006-09-27T21:55:00.000-07:00You should also *sigh* go to church. Yup, I know....You should also *sigh* go to church. Yup, I know. it can be a bummer. But it's necessary. Find a worship that moves you. Find a preacher that challenges you. Then ask the church elders/decons to help. Sometimes the prayers of others and a moving worship is the missing ingredient. <BR/><BR/>Love and prayers,<BR/><BR/>JimmmmmmmmmmAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1159418782783168022006-09-27T21:46:00.000-07:002006-09-27T21:46:00.000-07:00Steve!You are on the right track when you start ev...Steve!<BR/><BR/>You are on the right track when you start evaluating your motivations for not submitting to God's authority. You are stuck in that "free will thang"<BR/><BR/>I believe that sin can simply be described as selfishness. If someone lies, cheats, steals, kills or committs adultry, one does it because it's what one wants to do and so puts his/her wants ahead of the greater good of others. As Bob has described over the last few weeks, half of the ten commandments are about how one is selfish (sinful)to others, and the other half is how one is selfish to God.<BR/><BR/>So contemplate some of Bobs posts about the Big Ten, what I have said about sin being nothing more that selfishness and then decide how you can change your thoughts, motivations, and behaviors to live a more selfless life. Both to others and to God. <BR/><BR/>Every thing that is good comes from God. Look for good things and thank God for them. Be vigilant about this. Goodness and excellence is everywhere if you look, therefore the Source of that goodness is everywhere too.<BR/><BR/>Summary: 1) pursue selflessness and try to serve others.<BR/><BR/>2) Look for goodness, and give God credit for it.<BR/><BR/>This is also know as WWJD.<BR/><BR/><BR/>Now here is the kicker. Every good thing that you have done in your pursuit of selflessness (if you are TRULY being selfless)is not a product of yourself but a product of God! This includes the "Warm and Fuzzies" you may feel as you have done good things.<BR/><BR/>That warmth you feel is more that the release of serotonin, dopamine, and endorphines in the right temporal lobe of you brain, but also a manifestation of the Holy Spirit.<BR/><BR/>You will find that the love you start to feel for those you serve is actually God's love. You are simply a conduit. If you send your own love out with Gods love, you will feel God loving you at the same time. This is very addictive, as it should be. You will find yourself literally craving these movements of the Holy Spirit.<BR/><BR/>Now think about this whole selfless servant thing and how God did the SAME thing for us out of a love that is greater than we can comprehend. The Glorious Gist of Christianity is this: That He could have forgave us by simply thinking it, but he chose to became a Selfless Servant for us. He chose to serve the the soiled, the rotten, the fallen, the perpetually disappointing. He, pure and sinless, not only chose to be beaten beyond recognition for for our crimes, but absorbed the filth of our sins. The pristine chose to be soiled. What god would chose to wear the sins of all humanity? What god, knowing every sin you have ever committed and HAVE YET TO COMMITT, would still choose choose to die for you and do the same for each and everyone of us? <BR/><BR/>Hint: I don't think it's the God of Mohammed.<BR/><BR/>That is the most gutwretching part of the Passion-it wasn't the nails that killed Him, or the beatings, or the stabbing...it was us.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1159417982709833272006-09-27T21:33:00.000-07:002006-09-27T21:33:00.000-07:00Amen.Amen.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1159414354225313552006-09-27T20:32:00.000-07:002006-09-27T20:32:00.000-07:00Great posts today. Steve- I hear you. I am dealing...Great posts today. Steve- I hear you. I am dealing with much the same thing myself. I have reached a point with faith, where it seems that all the components seem to be there. I have to acknowledge that I have come a long way. I've made many changes. Yet I just know that there is some sort of 'clicking into place' that has not yet fully occurred in me. BP: I like the "challenge of the note"<BR/>Here's part of my daily prayer:<BR/><BR/><I>...Father<BR/>For this one day I place my life and my will in your care.<BR/>Please guide me.<BR/>Instruct me.<BR/>Show me the way that you would have me follow.<BR/>Teach me the path on which you would have me walk.<BR/>As this day unfolds-<BR/>Guide my heart.<BR/>Guide my mind.<BR/>Guide me: emotion, intention, thought, word, and deed.<BR/>May the Holy Spirit-<BR/>Suffuse my emotions<BR/>Shape my intentions<BR/>Inspire my thoughts.<BR/>Temper my words.<BR/>And guide my deeds.<BR/>It is not what I want,<BR/>but what you want for me.<BR/>Not what I would do,<BR/>but what you would have me do.<BR/>It is not my will,<BR/>but that yours be done, that I humbly pray...</I><BR/><BR/>There's more. But this is the important part.<BR/><BR/>JWMAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1159411373443824692006-09-27T19:42:00.000-07:002006-09-27T19:42:00.000-07:00Steve, you've already done most of the heavy lifti...Steve, you've already done most of the heavy lifting for your impending spiritual expansion; that is to say, you are sincere. One way to ask God into to your life is to pray, either out loud or silently, and with some emotion (as much as you can muster)-<BR/><BR/> "God, I give my life to you. Show me what to do. You take over, I cannot do this myself. I am unable to lead my own life. I need guidance. Please help me now."<BR/><BR/>Give your past to God. Say to Him<BR/><BR/>"You take it, please, I offer my past to you. Do with it what you will." <BR/><BR/>You don't have to "believe" these prayers or try to force sincerity. Just say them and concentrate on your longing to have God take over your life. A sense of desperation is a plus.<BR/><BR/>You may find yourself weeping as you pray, which is a good sign. These kinds of tears, like those you have already shed, are very healing.<BR/><BR/>After praying (I think of it as crying out) you may feel very hollow or empty, which is good. You must empty out your vessel to make room for God to come in. You may feel nothing at first, or, you may get feeling, a sensation like a warm hand on the top of your head, or a whisper in your mind, deep in your intuition, saying "yes, I am here" or some very fleeting, vague sensation of light in the mind's eye. <BR/> The following days repeat the prayer and be alert for signs that He is with you. Finding a coin on the ground, or getting a call from an old friend, or a particular song plays on the radio at just the right time...be in tune with your intuition, and try to follow your hunches.<BR/> This would be a good time to have some quiet time to meditate, to go for long walks, or to be in nature. <BR/> In your dealings with people flood them with your words and feelings. Talk to anyone who will listen to you. This is a good time in your life, but it will seem wierd and you'll need your "support group" at this time.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1159410822153887502006-09-27T19:33:00.000-07:002006-09-27T19:33:00.000-07:00....the great project of your life is how the divi...<I>....the great project of your life is how the divine is going to get himself out of this jam he got himself into.</I><BR/><BR/><BR/>Cool way to put it. Hadn't thought of it quite like this before.<BR/><BR/><BR/><I>....you're having some experiences of what you call a "crappy person" in order that you may in turn have experiences of God loving this person, and of the process by which God brings you out of that experience and into the experience of who you really are. This process is the road along which you learn who God really is.</I><BR/><BR/><BR/>Different instruments. Same sheet of music.<BR/><BR/><BR/>"My brother Bill and my other brother Jack<BR/>Barrel full of beer and a possum in a sack<BR/>Fifteen kids in the front porch light<BR/>Louisiana Saturday Night"<BR/><BR/> - Alabama<BR/><BR/><BR/>Yeahhhhhh.Big 'Possumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14646287143376549419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1159410230687047142006-09-27T19:23:00.000-07:002006-09-27T19:23:00.000-07:00Steve,Then night I invited God in I was standing i...Steve,<BR/><BR/>Then night I invited God in I was standing in the 'crows nest' (roof porch) of a beach house. Like you seem to be dealing with now, I experienced a lot of trepidation. I recall actually whimpering to God, "Okay, you can come in, but please don't take away my cold beer and my golf weekends with my buddies". That was one part of my problem, the fear of losses of the things that gave me pleasure and the experiences with friends that buoyed my self esteem. The other part of my problem was embarassment over some things, one being that at the time I liked looking at porn magazines.<BR/><BR/>Well, it is now about 8 years later for me, and things are certainly a lot different. I still enjoy a cold beer from time to time (not to mention a Vodka martini) but I don't get shit faced. If I showed up for a week in the bahamas to find no alcohol on the island, I'd be cool with that now whereas 8 years ago I'd want back on the plane. I still get a bit excited by the presence and/or pictures of hot girls, but the idea of looking at porn doesn't appeal to me anymore. <BR/><BR/>What's the point? Well, for me the point has been that in relationship with the living God I do not necessarily experience as much "pleasure" as I did before, but don't seem to need it. For me, pleasures were always sought and indulged in as a form of temporary relief from my general dissatisfaction with myself. Now, though not necessarily satisfied with myself, I really ENJOY myself. Or better yet, I would say that I enjoy God's involvement in myself, sometimes to the point of laughing my ass off. As important, I also get to experience God's enjoyment and appreciation of me. Hard to explain until it starts happening, and its usually pretty subtle, but when it does start happening it is pretty darn cool. Furthermore, as my enjoyments have increased in relations with God, I've startied worrying less and less about when/how/where I will get my next fix of "pleasure".<BR/><BR/>To be honest with you, while I disagree with many of Bob's political opinions, I like reading his stuff because I trust God's involvement in his life and get a kick out of the way Bob reveals his relationship with God in his writing. Though Bob's a real smart dude and I can learn some stuff here, more than it is the content of the writing that attracts me it is the "vibe" of the place; Bob is having fun playing around with this same "involvement" that I experience. At least this is my impression, and I particularly like the way that it comes through in many aspects of his book.<BR/><BR/>Anyway, speaking of involvement, I need to wind up my involvement on this board for a spell. I've kind of latched onto the "good vibe" and have enjoyed giggin on it. Before parting, however, I'll leave you with this thought. You are not a "crappy person", as you have written. At worse, you're having some experiences of what you call a "crappy person" in order that you may in turn have experiences of God loving this person, and of the process by which God brings you out of that experience and into the experience of who you really are. This process is the road along which you learn who God really is. Then, rather than saying you love God just because a book instructs you to, you will exude love for God because of what you have experienced of God's love for you.<BR/><BR/>If I may make a recommendation, I have a book that is coming strong to mind right now. I'm sure you know of the parable, but should the suggestion resonate with you at all, I think you will find Nouwen's presentation to be a real treasure.<BR/><BR/>"Return of the Prodigal Son", by Henri Nouwen <BR/><BR/>God IS Love<BR/><BR/>BPBig 'Possumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14646287143376549419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-1159409022145011412006-09-27T19:03:00.000-07:002006-09-27T19:03:00.000-07:00And community. I think you will find the direct ...And community. I think you will find the direct testimony of others whom you respect quite helpful.Gagdad Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14249005793605006679noreply@blogger.com