confession

Well, I wrote in a blog in September that I needed to stay off of the Advocate's forums. I tried. I confess, my resistance is low. I can gratefully say that my posts have changed in attitude. My heart has been changed. My conversion is real. I recently saw an article from China where they were using electrical shock in clinics to dissuade Internet and computer junkies. I know a few people who could use something similar.

I have always loved words. It has taken different forms at different stages of my life. I also love expressing thought. And I appreciate other of like minds. I am also an avid reader at times. this only adds to the draw.

But back to my forums problem. Here is the hook. One of the constant topics is the existence and essence of God. I admit I am a sucker when it comes to defending the person I consider my best friend, Jesus. The eternal challenge of the adversary, is the challenging His (God's) existence. It is the corner stone of challenges to the Christian faith. The rest kind of spread out, as tentacles fromthis very axis.

I personally have grown accustomed to the luxury of existing inside the very existence of God. I move about on a minute to minute, day by day, tandem, inside Jesus' world. I suppose this is what is referred to as "Living In Christ".

I was recently given a start when the words, "I will spit you out of my mouth" came to my mind one evening. I, and every other Christian enjoy the edifying verses, but when the correction comes, it is a different story. I went to the online Bible I use and looked up the words. I read my own Bible over and over. I was vaguely familiar with the words, but did not know the verse or context of them. I found the words in Revelations 3 in the letter To the Church in Laodicea. "because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth". I was puzzled and looked at almost every version Bible Gateway has, (there are many). As I studies the words, I asked the Lord, is it for me? Is it for my country? I pondered. I decided to heed the warning and turn from my own lukewarm ways.

At the same time, there are many other things going on in mine and my family's life. I have several family members that need a new church home. We have been discussing a certain church in town. My daughter and her new husband are drawn to it, because they attended a church of the same denomination in Franklin County. In addition, my mother's pastor recently retired and moved to Tennessee, so she needs a new church. I personally, am praying for a church where we can all worship as a family.

I received a call from my mother that she had indeed visited this particular church last Saturday evening. She invited me for this Saturday. I accepted. I invited my daughter and her husband, they accepted. I looked up the church to view the details and gladly found that the VERY church my new son in law is hesitant to leave, is the sister church of this one. There is even a link to his home church on their web site. I also found that there are audio links to the last two years of sermons by the church's pastor, so I decided to listen to last week's out of curiosity. I also decided to use the time as my devotion time tonight. So, of course, I got out my Bible and sat down in the rocking chair to follow along.

Lol. I have to giggle at this point. The sermon was entitled,"No Thanks, I'm Good" and it was on Revelation 3:14-22, the Church in Laodicea. Of course, lol. Well, since I really did not "get it" completely last week on my own, I listened avidly. The pastor expounded in ways I could not have ever heard without this sermon. He answered the questions I had been pondering.

My point? God is as close as the air I breathe. I am very grateful to be blessed by the kiss of God everyday I am alive, but I am not special. He is not mine alone. He is in the lives of all believers and in the lives of unbelievers as well.

The verses I mentioned above end with this.

"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. 21To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

If you have an ear, listen today! He is knocking.

If you wish to hear the sermon for yourself visit this link.

http://www.vineyardgrace.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=275&Itemid=27

and as for that Chinese therapy,

China offers therapy to 4 million internet addicts

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/3437769/China-offers-therapy-to-4-million-internet-addicts.html

redirected

I have been spending entirely too much time on my local newspaper's forums. The same posters are there day after day. Their opinions are well known, as are my own. Debating has turned into snide comments and sometimes blatant insulting each other. Some even resort to name calling and harassment of other's opinions that are opposite of their own.
I myself have sank to some moments I do not wish to recall. I loathe being baited. I have an adversary that tries his darnedest to intentionally solicit negative attention from me. Sometimes he succeeds. I try to carefully choose my words. My basic instinct is to tell him where to shove his opinion, but my manners win almost every time. I imagine I make him feel the same way, except he has no problems letting me have it. I have received insults and an occasional cuss word or two.
Politics, religion, taxes and the Constitution are frequent topics. All the tabues are present. I am a "conservative' the other side of fifty. I wasn't always. In fact, in my younger days I voted straight Democrat and considered myself a "flower child". I admired the hippies and ran with the crowd known for having relatives in the Hell's Angels and for trying to get away with anything they could. I also was aware that some of them said things like, "Smile, God loves you."
Fast forward, and today I was reminded ONCE AGAIN, by a chance encounter in a WalMart store, that God loves ME. Tonight I met a woman, JoAnn, who has a "market place ministery". She is obedient and when the Lord puts it on her heart to speak to someone, she does. I just spent two hours in the household chemical aisle listening to God through her words. I now have a clear vision of what I am to do about a personal problem I have. I am depending on God to handle the problems, but I am just going to stick to doing the right thing and not worry.

Some of you might question her sanity and mine. I know the voice of my Lord. He said in John 10:27
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

It is true. She told me what I literally needed to hear. God loves me and knows ME. She also reminded me of the verses about love.

The Greatest Commandment

28One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?"

29"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.^[e] 30Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'^[f] 31The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'^[g]There is no commandment greater than these."

32"Well said, teacher," the man replied. "You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. 33To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."

34When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=48&chapter=12&version=31

As I go to sleep tonight, I will pray that God blesses JoAnn, and I will think on these verses. I will have to rethink this forum thing. Perhaps I am not loving my neighbor as well as I think.

Thank you Jesus. Good night