1searcher

2Life, Please check your e-mail. I sent you a PM. 1searcher

Why Men Hate Going to Church by David Murrow A Heretic's Guide to Eternity by Spencer Burke, Barry Taylor, and Brian D. McLaren The Inescapable Love of God by Thomas Talbott (The best book I have ever read on Christian Universalism) What Does the Bible Really Say About Hell by Randy Klassen If Grace is True - Why God Will Save Every Person by Philip Gulley and James Mulholland If God is Love - Rediscovering Grace in an Ungracious World by Philip Gulley and James Mulholland An Autumn of War - What America Learned from September 11 and the War on Terrorism by Victor Davis Hanson Between War and Peace - Lessons From Afghanistan to Iraq by Victor Davis Hanson Black Rednecks and White Liberals by Thomas Sowell (I recommend anything by Thomas Sowell)

I am so sorry for your loss. Below is a poem I wrote several years ago in honor of all who have ever served in our military. Being a veteran myself I have a soft spot for anyone who has served our country. You are welcome to use it if you want. I pray that God comforts you and your family in this time of grief. Great Souls The young man asked the older, “Where do great souls come from? Are they born or are they made? Do they look like you and me or is their honor and glory always displayed? Are their feats of courage and honor posted in some great hall? Do they know their names are revered in heaven and on earth by millions great and small? Do they love, do they fear, do they nightly engage in revel? Do they love and honor God, and hate that old serpent, the devil? Tell me old man, where do great souls come from? Tell me if you can.” The old man’s face had that faraway look, And as he pondered on the answer his body slightly shook. “I’ll tell you where great souls come from,” the old man quietly said. “They come from near and far, from the living and the dead. They are men, and they are women Who look just like you and me, Their honor and glory is displayed, but clothed in humility. When their country called they answered, They didn’t ask, Why me? They knew it was for love of God, love of country, and that certain thing called duty. Sadly, their feats of courage and honor are not posted in some great hall, The living have their memories, those who have passed on, a decorated wall. And no, they don’t know their names are revered in heaven and on earth by millions great and small. Most don’t even care, for fame is fickle and fleeting, But a thank you from the heart is the greatest reward of all. Yes, they love, they fear, and nightly they engage in revel. Most certainly they love and honor God and hate that old serpent, the devil. Great souls are found in the air, on the land, and on the foam, Their minds constantly dwelling on that little place called home. They have sacrificed and endured, they have served their country well, From Korea to Vietnam and some places much like hell. From Anzio to Iwo Jima, from Darjeeling to the Berlins. Young man I tell you true, great souls are those that we call veterans.”

Happy Veteran's Day to everyone who has served and is currently serving. Thank you for your service! 1searcher (U.S. Navy veteran)

T-Bone, I'm not sure what you were trying to convey in your message. I'm not saying I don't believe in God. I just have lots of questions and really no satisfactory answers. It seems as though Christianity is sold as some sort of panacea, a cure all for anything and everything that ails you. If you have financial problems, become a christian; you have marital problems, become a christian; you have some terrible disease, become a christian; you have no direction in life, become a christian. It seems like christianity is sold as the answer to whatever ails you, and I think it's a lie. Should I become a christian so that my life has meaning and purpose? Can't my life have meaning and purpose without being a christian? Should I become a christian so that I have fire insurance for when I die? I keep hearing how God fills the void in our lives caused by the fall of man and how Jesus enters into our suffering and all of these other things but I just don't understand how They do that on a practical basis. How do God and Jesus do all the things I hear christians say They do? It all seems like a cosmic mind game to me. God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit seem like They're out there somewhere but it all seems like a mental and emotional thing so that we don't feel alone or so that we feel like our lives have meaning and is a way to explain the unknown. I don't believe I am alone in thinking this way. I just think most people are afraid to say what they really feel because they believe God may do something to them because they are angry at Him or question Him.

How does God help you on a practical, everyday basis? Subtitled: Why should I be a christian? I am not trying to be facetious with this question. I am curious as to how God helps you on a practical, everyday basis? Is it just a mental or emotional thing? Is it a coping mechanism that helps you deal with life in this world with all of its questions and happiness and tragedies? Does being a Christian help you feel that you're not alone? I mean, God doesn't get up in the morning for you, doesn't go to work for you, doesn't give you money, doesn't deal with the mundane details of everyday life and living, doesn't do a myriad of things for you, so how does He help you on a practical, everyday basis? I'm interested in hearing your opinions.

I think men cheat primarily for sex. I think women cheat primarily for emotional fulfillment. I have no respect for anyone that cheats on their spouse. I don't care who they are, what they have accomplished, or what their situation is. John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King are two that come to mind in this respect. If I was married and my spuse cheated on me that would be it. I could never forgive them. In the world of men when a married woman cheats on her husband ( has sex with another man) it causes the most egregious and painful hurt that one could ever imagine. While I think women can empathize with this I don't think they can understand the depth of the pain or hurt this causes the man.

Pale Rider In The Line Of Fire Quigley Down Under The Natural Lonesome Dove Conagher Braveheart The Man From Snowy River Mr. Destiny The Count of Monte Christo (latest version starring the guy from "Passion of the Christ") Constantine The Replacements Hoosiers

George, I always enjoy hearing your opinion about various things. I can really relate to how you feel and what you say about God and religious topics. Rascal, Of course the guy is scared. I understand that. I'm not without empathy or compassion. I just think the ideas he is espousing are offensive. I have read other articles of his and highly disagree with his theology. He believes in Calvinism and one of Calvinism' main tenets is that God chooses some to go to heaven and others to go to hell. It seems the non-elect are going to hell and they don't have any choice in the matter. What's the good news of the gospel to them? Piper, in one of his articles about the tsunami that struck Southeast Asia stated that every great tragedy is an opportunity to repent. Repent of what? Piper seems to believe that God sends tragedy our way so we will turn back to Him (God). Just to flesh out this line of thinking: God causes something bad to happen in your life so you will turn to Him for help in getting through the very thing that He sent in the first place. Piper makes it sound like God has Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome. Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome is where someone, usually a parent causes a child to get sick and then the parent gets some kind of weird satisfaction out of taking care of the child and making them better. Doesn't anyone else think that kind of thinking is simply insane? Piper has a large following and is revered by many. As a minister many think that what he says comes straight from the mouth of God and never question him. I just think that kind of blind allegiance is dangerous. I don't dislike Piper. I don't know him. I do dislike and disagree with his theology.

Mark, Would you please expand on your reply?

The following is an article written by John Piper, a fairly famous Baptist minister. He has written a number of books and articles. His website is Desiring God. Rev. Piper was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer and is being treated for the same. I believe this article was written before he underwent surgery as part of his cancer treatement plan. I can't tell you how offensive I found this article or how angry it made me. I can't imagine that anyone other than those who revere Rev. Piper would like this or even put up with this type of thinking. Doesn't anyone ever challenge this guy or confront this type of theology? I can't help but wonder how this would be received at any cancer ward at any hospital in the world or say St. Jude's Children's hospital. I should add that my opinion is permanently colored because my dad died of cancer back in 2003. I believe that if Rev. Piper suffered like my dad did the last few months of his life that he wouldn't be thinking about how he may be wasting his cancer. He would most likely be asking God why he had to suffer like that or what he had done to deserve such punishment. I would like to hear your opinions of this article. Don’t Waste Your Cancer February 15, 2006 I write this on the eve of prostate surgery. I believe in God’s power to heal—by miracle and by medicine. I believe it is right and good to pray for both kinds of healing. Cancer is not wasted when it is healed by God. He gets the glory and that is why cancer exists. So not to pray for healing may waste your cancer. But healing is not God’s plan for everyone. And there are many other ways to waste your cancer. I am praying for myself and for you that we will not waste this pain. 1. You will waste your cancer if you do not believe it is designed for you by God. It will not do to say that God only uses our cancer but does not design it. What God permits, he permits for a reason. And that reason is his design. If God foresees molecular developments becoming cancer, he can stop it or not. If he does not, he has a purpose. Since he is infinitely wise, it is right to call this purpose a design. Satan is real and causes many pleasures and pains. But he is not ultimate. So when he strikes Job with boils (Job 2:7), Job attributes it ultimately to God (2:10) and the inspired writer agrees: “They . . . comforted him for all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him” (Job 42:11). If you don’t believe your cancer is designed for you by God, you will waste it. 2. You will waste your cancer if you believe it is a curse and not a gift. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13). “There is no enchantment against Jacob, no divination against Israel” (Numbers 23:23). “The Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly” (Psalm 84:11). 3. You will waste your cancer if you seek comfort from your odds rather than from God. The design of God in your cancer is not to train you in the rationalistic, human calculation of odds. The world gets comfort from their odds. Not Christians. Some count their chariots (percentages of survival) and some count their horses (side effects of treatment), but we trust in the name of the Lord our God (Psalm 20:7). God’s design is clear from 2 Corinthians 1:9, “We felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.” The aim of God in your cancer (among a thousand other good things) is to knock props out from under our hearts so that we rely utterly on him. 4. You will waste your cancer if you refuse to think about death. We will all die, if Jesus postpones his return. Not to think about what it will be like to leave this life and meet God is folly. Ecclesiastes 7:2 says, “It is better to go to the house of mourning [a funeral] than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart.” How can you lay it to heart if you won’t think about it? Psalm 90:12 says, “Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” Numbering your days means thinking about how few there are and that they will end. How will you get a heart of wisdom if you refuse to think about this? What a waste, if we do not think about death. 5. You will waste your cancer if you think that “beating” cancer means staying alive rather than cherishing Christ. Satan’s and God’s designs in your cancer are not the same. Satan designs to destroy your love for Christ. God designs to deepen your love for Christ. Cancer does not win if you die. It wins if you fail to cherish Christ. God’s design is to wean you off the breast of the world and feast you on the sufficiency of Christ. It is meant to help you say and feel, “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” And to know that therefore, “To live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 3:8; 1:21). 6. You will waste your cancer if you spend too much time reading about cancer and not enough time reading about God. It is not wrong to know about cancer. Ignorance is not a virtue. But the lure to know more and more and the lack of zeal to know God more and more is symptomatic of unbelief. Cancer is meant to waken us to the reality of God. It is meant to put feeling and force behind the command, “Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord” (Hosea 6:3). It is meant to waken us to the truth of Daniel 11:32, “The people who know their God shall stand firm and take action.” It is meant to make unshakable, indestructible oak trees out of us: “His delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers” (Psalm 1:2). What a waste of cancer if we read day and night about cancer and not about God. 7. You will waste your cancer if you let it drive you into solitude instead of deepen your relationships with manifest affection. When Epaphroditus brought the gifts to Paul sent by the Philippian church he became ill and almost died. Paul tells the Philippians, “He has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill” (Philippians 2:26-27). What an amazing response! It does not say they were distressed that he was ill, but that he was distressed because they heard he was ill. That is the kind of heart God is aiming to create with cancer: a deeply affectionate, caring heart for people. Don’t waste your cancer by retreating into yourself. 8. You will waste your cancer if you grieve as those who have no hope. Paul used this phrase in relation to those whose loved ones had died: “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). There is a grief at death. Even for the believer who dies, there is temporary loss—loss of body, and loss of loved ones here, and loss of earthly ministry. But the grief is different—it is permeated with hope. “We would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8). Don’t waste your cancer grieving as those who don’t have this hope. 9. You will waste your cancer if you treat sin as casually as before. Are your besetting sins as attractive as they were before you had cancer? If so you are wasting your cancer. Cancer is designed to destroy the appetite for sin. Pride, greed, lust, hatred, unforgiveness, impatience, laziness, procrastination—all these are the adversaries that cancer is meant to attack. Don’t just think of battling against cancer. Also think of battling with cancer. All these things are worse enemies than cancer. Don’t waste the power of cancer to crush these foes. Let the presence of eternity make the sins of time look as futile as they really are. “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?” (Luke 9:25). 10. You will waste your cancer if you fail to use it as a means of witness to the truth and glory of Christ. Christians are never anywhere by divine accident. There are reasons for why we wind up where we do. Consider what Jesus said about painful, unplanned circumstances: “They will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake. This will be your opportunity to bear witness” (Luke 21:12 -13). So it is with cancer. This will be an opportunity to bear witness. Christ is infinitely worthy. Here is a golden opportunity to show that he is worth more than life. Don’t waste it. Remember you are not left alone. You will have the help you need. “My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). Pastor John ©Desiring God Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way, you do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction, and you do not make more than 1,000 physical copies. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be explicitly approved by Desiring God. Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: By John Piper. ©Desiring God. Website: www.desiringGod.org. Email: mail@desiringGod.org. Toll Free: 888.346.4700.

Sorry, but this has been on my mind recently. What really puzzles me is that so many Christians think what is happening to Terry Schiavo is inhumane but seem to have no qualms at all with God torturing billions for all eternity in hell.

Just for fun: It is a brace, flock (in flight), raft (on water) team, paddling (on water), badling of ducks. Go to www.npwrc.usgs.gov/info/faqs/animals/names.htm to see what various groups are called.

I am thinking about going to Washington D.C. on vacation this year and wondered if anyone has a favorite hotel they would recommend? I would prefer something in the downtown area but will consider anyplace the metro runs. Also, what would you consider the "must see" sights in D.C. or the surrounding areas?

I love talking about Christian universalism. The best book I have found on the subject is “The Inescapable Love of God” by Thomas Talbott. Dr. Thomas’ web site is http://home.att.net/%7Et.b.talbott/. Other really good books on Christian universalism and related subjects are: “Universal Salvation? The Current Debate” Edited by Robin A. Parry & Christopher H. Partridge “The One Purpose of God: An Answer to the Doctrine of Eternal Punishment” by Jan Bonda “Destined for Salvation: God’s Promise to Save Everyone” by Kalen Fristad “What Does the Bible Really Say About Hell: Wrestling with the Traditional View” by Randy Klassen “If Grace Is True: Why God Will Save Every Person” by Phillip Gulley and James Mulholland There are plenty of really good websites concerning Christian universalism. They include: www.tentmaker.org/ www.auburn.edu/~allenkc/univart.html www.universalistchristians.org/ www.savior-of-all.com/

I suggest contacting all of the realtors in your area. Perhaps you could do some work for them to establish your reputation and gain their confidence. Whenever I need any work done at my house, I call my realtor and ask who they recommend.

I recently read an article by John Piper, “Tsunami and Repentance” at www.desiringgod.org/library/fresh_words/2005/010505.html. After reading the article I felt several emotions, but the primary ones were anger and sorrow. I was angry that he would propound what I consider offensive and sorrowful that so many people that follow him would consider and even believe what he had written. Piper states: “The point of every deadly calamity is this: Repent. Let our hearts be broken that God means so little to us. Grieve that he is a whipping boy to be blamed for pain, but not praised for pleasure. Lament that he makes headlines only when man mocks his power, but no headlines for ten thousand days of wrath withheld. Let us rend our hearts that we love life more than we love Jesus Christ. Let us cast ourselves on the mercy of our Maker. He offers it through the death and resurrection of his Son.” The above paragraph is only a sample of what I find disconcerting about Mr. Piper’s article. After reading the whole article I remember thinking, “Does God have such low self-esteem that everyone must love Him or worship Him or He will send some deadly calamity their way? Mr. Piper makes God seem like a young child who throws a tantrum when they don’t get their way. For example, “You had better love me and worship me or something bad is gong to happen to you.” To me that type of thinking leads to superstitious beliefs and a life that responds to God out of utter fear rather than love. Mr. Piper makes it seem like God sends us deadly calamities for our own good and then is pleased when we turn to Him for help getting though the calamity that He sent in the first place. That type of action sound curiously like Munchausen syndrome by proxy, where a parent causes harm to a child and then gets some secret satisfaction from helping take care of the child they hurt in the first place. Please tell me that you don’t subscribe to the same belief as Mr. Piper. Looking forward to your opinions on Mr. Piper”s article.

Sorry. The link should be working now.

Unfairenheit 9/11 The lies of Michael Moore. By Christopher Hitchens The complete article can be read at http://slate.msn.com/id/2102723/ After seeing the movie and reading the article referenced above, what do you think of Michael Moore and the movie now?

I saw the movie yesterday and thought it was one of the funniest and most insightful movies I have seen in a long time. I highly recommend it. I will warn you that if you are easily offended, take yourself or your religion, in this case Christianity too seriously, you should not see the movie.

The following information is to the best of my knowledge: Howard Allen's healing was discussed at length at the Advanced Class in 1984 in San Diego. V.P. Wierwille said that they thought that Howard Allen had been bitten by a spider while hunting and that was what caused his illness. V.P. also said that he had picked up a hitchhiker who he believed was an angel that helped keep him awake while he drove Howard Allen to the hospital. Grace Bliss recommended feeding Howard Allen blackstrap molasses.

In loving memory of my Dad and Uncle. They were two of the "great souls" I have had the privilege to call my brothers in arms. Great Souls The young man asked the older, ?Where do great souls come from? Are they born or are they made? Do they look like you and me or is their honor and glory always displayed? Are their feats of courage and honor posted in some great hall? Do they know their names are revered in heaven and on earth by millions great and small? Do they love, do they fear, do they nightly engage in revel? Do they love and honor God, and hate that old serpent, the devil? Tell me old man, where do great souls come from? Tell me if you can.? The old man?s face had that faraway look, And as he pondered on the answer his body slightly shook. ?I?ll tell you where great souls come from,? the old man quietly said. ?They come from near and far, from the living and the dead. They are men, and they are women Who look just like you and me, Their honor and glory is displayed, but clothed in humility. When their country called they answered, They didn?t ask, Why me? They knew it was for love of God, love of country, and that certain thing called duty. Sadly, their feats of courage and honor are not posted in some great hall, The living have their memories, those who have passed on, a decorated wall. And no, they don?t know their names are revered in heaven and on earth by millions great and small. Most don?t even care, for fame is fickle and fleeting, But a thank you from the heart is the greatest reward of all. Yes, they love, they fear, and nightly they engage in revel. Most certainly they love and honor God and hate that old serpent, the devil. Great souls are found in the air, on the land, and on the foam, Their minds constantly dwelling on that little place called home. They have sacrificed and endured, they have served their country well, From Korea to Vietnam and some places much like hell. From Anzio to Iwo Jima, from Darjeeling to the Berlins. Young man I tell you true, great souls are those that we call veterans.? Author: Gene Baker Copyright 1998