If you're not an Episcopalian or former Episcopalian, you may be confused by news stories about the huge war going on in the Episcopal Church of the USA (formerly known as ECUSA, now known as TEC.)
So I'm going to try to nutshell it for you.
The Episcopal Church is the US franchise of the Church of England, or Anglican Church. This historic church--which traces its roots clear back to Jesus Christ and the Apostles--is the 3rd largest church worldwide, in the form of the Anglican Communion.
The word "communion" is not limited to breaking bread or wafers and sipping wine to remember Jesus' wonderful sacrifice of His body and blood for us.
"Communion" means that a body of believers in Christ share the same beliefs. The problem arises when one member strays...and that is exactly what has happened in the Episcopal Church.
Newsflash: The Episcopal Church is NO LONGER CHRISTIAN! They do NOT believe that Jesus was divine, nor that He is the only name under which we may be saved...and this directly contradicts God's Word, the Bible. If you are in that church, please prayerfully consider leaving and joining an Anglican Church or a CANA or AMIA churh (google them) or a good Bible church.
John 14:6: "Jesus said, 'I am the way, the truth and the life, and no one comes to the Father but through Me.'"
How did this happen? It started in the 60's, with Bishop Pike of California. Don't get me wrong, Bishop Pike did some good work, including standing up for the civil rights of black folks.
However, he started saying that Jesus was not divine, that there were ways to get around Jesus and get to God, and saying that the Bible really wasn't relevant, and other heresies and blasphemies.
The church leaders met to decide what to do about this...and someone made the fatal mistake of deciding they should consult the media FIRST before they decided to try Bishop Pike for heresy, which would have been the right thing to do.
Word came back from influential media folk that no, you do not want to do a heresy trial, it will make the church look old-fashioned and you don't want that, do you?
At this point the proper thing to do would have been to stand up and say, YES, we don't care what it makes us look like, we want to do what God told us to do.
But they didn't.
They backed down.
They did end up censuring Pike, and he resigned. Later on, he and his wife went to Israel, got lost in the desert (a huge metaphor if I ever heard one), and he died in the wilderness of Judea.
This apparently emboldened John Shelby Spong, who became Bishop and began spouting even worse heresies and blasphemies in his horrible book, "Why Christianity Must Change or Die." As a Bishop, Spong participated in worship of the Hindu god, along with Allah, and Lord knows what else.
Spong has since retired, but continues to travel and speak, perpetuating his dangerous lies. For a lie is most dangerous when it has a kernel of truth in it, but then strays.
Needless to say, Spong was never censured or tried...and thus, Katharine Jefforts-Schori and a whole legion of clergymen and women were emboldened to stray from God's truth.
In 2006, Jefforts-Schori was elected Presiding Bishop of TEC (i.e., ArchBishop of the Episcopal Church.) She has refused to quit ordaining openly and actively gay Bishops and clergy, which directly contradicts scripture (hey, I know--I was gay myself for 15 years because I fell for the Big Liberal Lie that it's all OK, there is no sin if you just smile and click your heels 3 times...)
But the biggie is that Jefforts-Schori has said that Jesus is just "our vehicle to the divine," and not the only route. She says we need to go "beyond the Bible," which boggles my mind...how on earth do you go beyond God's Word? It is the ULTIMATE AUTHORITY!
So she finds herself on the outs with the Anglican Communion, because she has purposefully not shared their beliefs. And thus, the entire Episcopal Church's relationship with the larger Anglican Communion has been severely damaged.
See what happens when you don't nip something bad in the bud, like Pike's heresies?
I have been a life-long Episcopalian, but I no longer claim membership in the Episcopal Church. I cannot do it. They are against God and against Christ and they do not follow God's Word as written down in the Holy Bible.
The time is coming when we Christians will be GONE, and I will not be here to write this blog or explain anything.
If you have not drawn close to the one true God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and made atonement for your sins by accepting the Messiah Jesus Christ's sacrifice of His life for YOU and for me, you need to do this NOW!
And yes, you HAVE sinned! I have, too...we all have, every single last one of us. Thoughts count, too, you know.
Just say a simple prayer like this: "Oh God, I am so sorry that I have sinned and fallen short of what you wanted for me. I humbly repent of my sins, and I happily accept the gift you sent me of your Son's life in exchange for my sins. I invite Jesus to live in my heart forever, praise God! Please guide me to live as You would have me live, and bless me with the gift of the Holy Spirit."
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Monday, February 26, 2007
James Cameron does NOT have Jesus' coffin!
Filmmaker James Cameron is claiming that an old box that has been around for at least 20 years is the coffin of Jesus Christ.
This is impossible for several reasons:
1. They didn't have coffins 2,000 years ago...they had ossuaries, into which a dead person's bones went after the corpse had rotted.
2. There were many eyewitnesses who saw Jesus' body put in a wealthy man's tomb after Jesus was tortured and nailed to a cross to die. Three days later, the tomb was empty. Then angels appeared and told the women who'd seen the empty tomb not to worry.
3. Jesus Christ's body went with him down to hell for 3 days to offer salvation to everyone who had previously died. Then, on the 3rd day, Jesus came back to earth. We celebrate this as the Resurrection, or Easter.
4. Easter is not about bunnies or eggs--it's about Jesus overcoming death.
5. After His resurrection into human form again, in a glorified body, Jesus stayed on earth for 40 more days.
6. Then, he vanished upwards, into the clouds, and promised his disciples (the apostles) that He would return the same way He came. This is one reason why we Christians believe in the rapture--Jesus coming back in the air, through the clouds, to get us.
7. You can go visit the graves of Mohammed, Buddha, Siddhartha, Brahman, or other religious leaders, because they died and were not resurrected. You cannot visit Jesus' tomb because he left behind no earthly body.
Time is running out, but it is NOT too late to gain eternal peace, security, and love. Just pray to God, ask him to forgive your sins, and earnestly repent of them. Then ask Jesus Christ to enter your heart and be your savior. Tell him you gratefully accept what he did for you by dying on the cross--He made it possible for you to reach God, and reconcile with Him, even though you and I and all of us are sinners and we fail a lot!
This is impossible for several reasons:
1. They didn't have coffins 2,000 years ago...they had ossuaries, into which a dead person's bones went after the corpse had rotted.
2. There were many eyewitnesses who saw Jesus' body put in a wealthy man's tomb after Jesus was tortured and nailed to a cross to die. Three days later, the tomb was empty. Then angels appeared and told the women who'd seen the empty tomb not to worry.
3. Jesus Christ's body went with him down to hell for 3 days to offer salvation to everyone who had previously died. Then, on the 3rd day, Jesus came back to earth. We celebrate this as the Resurrection, or Easter.
4. Easter is not about bunnies or eggs--it's about Jesus overcoming death.
5. After His resurrection into human form again, in a glorified body, Jesus stayed on earth for 40 more days.
6. Then, he vanished upwards, into the clouds, and promised his disciples (the apostles) that He would return the same way He came. This is one reason why we Christians believe in the rapture--Jesus coming back in the air, through the clouds, to get us.
7. You can go visit the graves of Mohammed, Buddha, Siddhartha, Brahman, or other religious leaders, because they died and were not resurrected. You cannot visit Jesus' tomb because he left behind no earthly body.
Time is running out, but it is NOT too late to gain eternal peace, security, and love. Just pray to God, ask him to forgive your sins, and earnestly repent of them. Then ask Jesus Christ to enter your heart and be your savior. Tell him you gratefully accept what he did for you by dying on the cross--He made it possible for you to reach God, and reconcile with Him, even though you and I and all of us are sinners and we fail a lot!
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Everyone loves a feast, but few enjoy a fast
True confession: Today was the first time in at least 10 years, or maybe 40, that I've attended church on Ash Wednesday...the day of repentance and introspection that marks the beginning of Lent.
(Lent commemorates the 40 days and nights Jesus Christ spent fasting in the wilderness, during which time Satan tempted Him with dominion over all the world if He would just bow to Satan. Wisely, our Lord refused.)
Getting back on track, though, I have to admit I've attended a LOT more Easter and Christmas services than I have Ash Wednesday services.
Churches are always predictably packed to the rafters for Christmas and Easter, overflowing into the parish hall, with TV monitors beaming the service in for latecomers who sit on folding chairs.
Everyone loves the fun, festive, upbeat services that happen on Christmas and Easter, and they should. Christmas celebrates Jesus' birth, Easter celebrates His victory over death by resurrecting Himself after 3 days in the grave.
But Ash Wednesday? The church was maybe 20% full today. And I'll bet that's typical.
We're always up for a good time, a celebration, an uplifting festival. But when it comes time to admit we're sinners and we must repent and look inwards to see how we can become more Christ-like...
Ash Wednesday isn't real popular. And in our self-indulgent, turbulent times...it should be.
For me and for everyone else.
Repent!
Tell God you're sorry you have sinned.
Accept Jesus' sacrifice of His life for your sins.
Ask Jesus to live in your heart forever.
And then you will be SAVED forever!
(Lent commemorates the 40 days and nights Jesus Christ spent fasting in the wilderness, during which time Satan tempted Him with dominion over all the world if He would just bow to Satan. Wisely, our Lord refused.)
Getting back on track, though, I have to admit I've attended a LOT more Easter and Christmas services than I have Ash Wednesday services.
Churches are always predictably packed to the rafters for Christmas and Easter, overflowing into the parish hall, with TV monitors beaming the service in for latecomers who sit on folding chairs.
Everyone loves the fun, festive, upbeat services that happen on Christmas and Easter, and they should. Christmas celebrates Jesus' birth, Easter celebrates His victory over death by resurrecting Himself after 3 days in the grave.
But Ash Wednesday? The church was maybe 20% full today. And I'll bet that's typical.
We're always up for a good time, a celebration, an uplifting festival. But when it comes time to admit we're sinners and we must repent and look inwards to see how we can become more Christ-like...
Ash Wednesday isn't real popular. And in our self-indulgent, turbulent times...it should be.
For me and for everyone else.
Repent!
Tell God you're sorry you have sinned.
Accept Jesus' sacrifice of His life for your sins.
Ask Jesus to live in your heart forever.
And then you will be SAVED forever!
Monday, February 19, 2007
Is yoga harmless?
As a freelance writer who writes sales and marketing material, I've got to hand it to the orthodox Hindus. They have done one of the best selling jobs I've ever seen. They've managed to convince about 99% of all Americans that yoga is completely and utterly harmless.
And that's a lie. Let me explain...
Yoga is one of the religious practices of orthodox Hindus. In fact, every yogi (yoga teacher) in India will warn students not to proceed too fast with advanced poses that they are not ready for because those poses can result in headaches, restlessness, or mental disorders. Sounds a lot like demonic possession, doesn't it? Ask your yoga teacher some time about the Third Eye...
Ever wonder what "namaste" means, and why the yoga teacher pushes it on you at the beginning and end of every yoga class? It means, "I honor the divine within you."
Sounds nice, right? The problem is that it's part of Lucifer's oldest lie, the one the serpent told Eve in the Garden of Eden: "Ye shall be as Gods," if they ate the fruit from the one forbidden tree.
He also told them they wouldn't die, as God had told them they would. So Eve ate, and got Adam to eat. Anyone seen them still walking around today? Anyone? I'll wait...
Adam and Eve are DEAD, despite the serpent's promise that they would not die and be as gods if they ate that apple. THIS MEANS SATAN LIES!
You and I are not inherently divine. To believe that we are is pure pride and ego.
Here's the GOOD NEWS: We CAN receive the Holy Spirit within us, although that is NOT what the yogis mean when they say, "Namaste"--they are talking about the false god, Brahma, of the Hindus.
The 1st Commandment states, "Thou shalt have no other gods but me." If you go to yoga, do the Hindu religious poses, and say, "Namaste," you are honoring the HINDU GOD BRAHMA!
Want the Holy Spirit within you, and the peace of Jesus to come upon you? Then repent--tell God you're sorry for your sins, and tell him you gratefully accept His Son, Jesus Christ's, gift of his life for your sins. Then open your heart and watch the miracles start!
Leave yoga ALONE! It is not of God. In fact, it goes AGAINST the one true God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob!
You can get the same benefits as yoga from good, honest aerobic exercise, a little resistance or weight training, and some simple athletic stretches.
Excellent additional material: http://sticksoffire.blogspot.com/2007/01/what-does-namaste-mean.html
And that's a lie. Let me explain...
Yoga is one of the religious practices of orthodox Hindus. In fact, every yogi (yoga teacher) in India will warn students not to proceed too fast with advanced poses that they are not ready for because those poses can result in headaches, restlessness, or mental disorders. Sounds a lot like demonic possession, doesn't it? Ask your yoga teacher some time about the Third Eye...
Ever wonder what "namaste" means, and why the yoga teacher pushes it on you at the beginning and end of every yoga class? It means, "I honor the divine within you."
Sounds nice, right? The problem is that it's part of Lucifer's oldest lie, the one the serpent told Eve in the Garden of Eden: "Ye shall be as Gods," if they ate the fruit from the one forbidden tree.
He also told them they wouldn't die, as God had told them they would. So Eve ate, and got Adam to eat. Anyone seen them still walking around today? Anyone? I'll wait...
Adam and Eve are DEAD, despite the serpent's promise that they would not die and be as gods if they ate that apple. THIS MEANS SATAN LIES!
You and I are not inherently divine. To believe that we are is pure pride and ego.
Here's the GOOD NEWS: We CAN receive the Holy Spirit within us, although that is NOT what the yogis mean when they say, "Namaste"--they are talking about the false god, Brahma, of the Hindus.
The 1st Commandment states, "Thou shalt have no other gods but me." If you go to yoga, do the Hindu religious poses, and say, "Namaste," you are honoring the HINDU GOD BRAHMA!
Want the Holy Spirit within you, and the peace of Jesus to come upon you? Then repent--tell God you're sorry for your sins, and tell him you gratefully accept His Son, Jesus Christ's, gift of his life for your sins. Then open your heart and watch the miracles start!
Leave yoga ALONE! It is not of God. In fact, it goes AGAINST the one true God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob!
You can get the same benefits as yoga from good, honest aerobic exercise, a little resistance or weight training, and some simple athletic stretches.
Excellent additional material: http://sticksoffire.blogspot.com/2007/01/what-does-namaste-mean.html
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Why Jesus couldn't have been "just a good teacher"
I'm surprised people fall for the lie that Jesus was just a really good teacher...but not the son of God.
It surprises me because this lie has no internal consistency. It falls apart when we consider the possibilities.
The only reason I can think of for this lie is that it represents a feel-good compromise that doesn't offend most Christians, yet it lets the speaker off the hook.
FACT: Jesus said he was the son of God. He said it over and over again. Here's one example, in reply to a question: John 10:36: "do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, `You are blaspheming,' because I said, `I am the Son of God'?
And here are more scriptures in which Jesus states that he is of the Father, God: http://www.believers.org/whodid.htm
Now then...if Jesus was just a really good teacher, then he was lying about being the son of God and the SOLE ROUTE to salvation. (John 14:6.)
QUESTION: Do you think that telling lies is being a "really good teacher?"
If Jesus wasn't lying, then he was either telling the truth--and he was who he claimed to be--or he was insane.
And I don't think insane people can be trusted as good teachers, to you?
You can't have it both ways. Jesus was either telling the truth and was thus the son of God, or he was lying and thus NOT a good teacher, or he was insane...again, not a good teacher.
You can't have it both ways.
It's not hard to be saved--all you have to do is pray to God, tell him you're sorry for your sins and that you repent and you will try to do better, and open your heart and accept Jesus' gift of his life for your sins...and trust God and trust His Word. Then read your Bible--it is God's love letter to YOU!
It surprises me because this lie has no internal consistency. It falls apart when we consider the possibilities.
The only reason I can think of for this lie is that it represents a feel-good compromise that doesn't offend most Christians, yet it lets the speaker off the hook.
FACT: Jesus said he was the son of God. He said it over and over again. Here's one example, in reply to a question: John 10:36: "do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, `You are blaspheming,' because I said, `I am the Son of God'?
And here are more scriptures in which Jesus states that he is of the Father, God: http://www.believers.org/whodid.htm
Now then...if Jesus was just a really good teacher, then he was lying about being the son of God and the SOLE ROUTE to salvation. (John 14:6.)
QUESTION: Do you think that telling lies is being a "really good teacher?"
If Jesus wasn't lying, then he was either telling the truth--and he was who he claimed to be--or he was insane.
And I don't think insane people can be trusted as good teachers, to you?
You can't have it both ways. Jesus was either telling the truth and was thus the son of God, or he was lying and thus NOT a good teacher, or he was insane...again, not a good teacher.
You can't have it both ways.
It's not hard to be saved--all you have to do is pray to God, tell him you're sorry for your sins and that you repent and you will try to do better, and open your heart and accept Jesus' gift of his life for your sins...and trust God and trust His Word. Then read your Bible--it is God's love letter to YOU!
Friday, February 16, 2007
Why "New Age" is really just old lies
It breaks my heart to see so many well-meaning people with good intentions (particularly those of my generation, the Boomers) falling for the pack of 6,000-year-old lies known as the "New Age" movement.
Here are the Big 2 Lies that the serpent in the Garden of Eden used to tempt Eve...and how they are used today as part of the unGodly "New Age" movement, which is designed to separate people from God so that they will burn in hell:
1. "And the serpent said to the woman, 'You shall surely not die!'" --Genesis 3:4, New American Standard Bible (NASB). This was in response to Eve informing the serpent that she and Adam could eat from all of the trees in the Garden except one...and that God had told them that if they ate from a certain tree in the middle of the Garden, they would die. Sadly for us all, Eve believed the serpent's lie, she ate, she got Adam to eat...and you don't see her around today, do you? Nor Adam, either--THEY DIED, despite the serpent telling them they wouldn't.
The "New Age" version of this lie is, of course, reincarnation and karma. Neither of those is real. The only way to achieve eternal life and not die it through faith in Christ Jesus as the Messiah of God. And karma? Give me a break! It's basically work-based salvation...more on that later...which is highly appealing to our basic sense of fairness, but it's simply not of God.
And if it's not of God...that only leaves the other guy. You know the one.
2. "For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil,"--Genesis 3:5, NASB. This here's the serpent telling Eve that she and Adam could achive godlike status, that they could be little gods. Sound familiar?
Actress Shirley McClaine had a bit TV show back in 1987 called "Out on a Limb," in which her New Age coach had her standing on a beach, throwing her arms upwards, and screaming, "I am God!" I would not want to have been standing next to her at the time.
"New Age" teaches that we can all be god, that we have god within us. Sounds great and it sucks a lot of poor souls in...but it is simply not true. It's a lie as old as the Garden of Eden.
Listen to me, New Agers-aren't you just a bit embarrassed to be falling for lies that are 6,000 years old?
This isn't even anything NEW...I have no idea why they call it "NEW Age," except that Alice Bailey wanted to toss in one more lie...more on her and the origins of the "New Age" heresy and blasphemy later on...
If YOU are a New Ager, you need to repent, give it up, and pray to God, telling Him you're sorry for your sins and your unbelief. Open your heart to Him, trust what He says, and read His Word in the Bible. Then you will REALLY have eternal life, and you can be with God eternally!
Do this NOW!
Here are the Big 2 Lies that the serpent in the Garden of Eden used to tempt Eve...and how they are used today as part of the unGodly "New Age" movement, which is designed to separate people from God so that they will burn in hell:
1. "And the serpent said to the woman, 'You shall surely not die!'" --Genesis 3:4, New American Standard Bible (NASB). This was in response to Eve informing the serpent that she and Adam could eat from all of the trees in the Garden except one...and that God had told them that if they ate from a certain tree in the middle of the Garden, they would die. Sadly for us all, Eve believed the serpent's lie, she ate, she got Adam to eat...and you don't see her around today, do you? Nor Adam, either--THEY DIED, despite the serpent telling them they wouldn't.
The "New Age" version of this lie is, of course, reincarnation and karma. Neither of those is real. The only way to achieve eternal life and not die it through faith in Christ Jesus as the Messiah of God. And karma? Give me a break! It's basically work-based salvation...more on that later...which is highly appealing to our basic sense of fairness, but it's simply not of God.
And if it's not of God...that only leaves the other guy. You know the one.
2. "For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil,"--Genesis 3:5, NASB. This here's the serpent telling Eve that she and Adam could achive godlike status, that they could be little gods. Sound familiar?
Actress Shirley McClaine had a bit TV show back in 1987 called "Out on a Limb," in which her New Age coach had her standing on a beach, throwing her arms upwards, and screaming, "I am God!" I would not want to have been standing next to her at the time.
"New Age" teaches that we can all be god, that we have god within us. Sounds great and it sucks a lot of poor souls in...but it is simply not true. It's a lie as old as the Garden of Eden.
Listen to me, New Agers-aren't you just a bit embarrassed to be falling for lies that are 6,000 years old?
This isn't even anything NEW...I have no idea why they call it "NEW Age," except that Alice Bailey wanted to toss in one more lie...more on her and the origins of the "New Age" heresy and blasphemy later on...
If YOU are a New Ager, you need to repent, give it up, and pray to God, telling Him you're sorry for your sins and your unbelief. Open your heart to Him, trust what He says, and read His Word in the Bible. Then you will REALLY have eternal life, and you can be with God eternally!
Do this NOW!
About your comments...
I welcome your comments, but I do reserve the right to moderate them as I see fit. This does not mean I will edit them--being a professional freelance writer myself, I'm very sensitive to the ethics involved in editing people's stuff without permission.
What it DOES mean is that I will delete anything obscene, rude, or commercial (i.e., don't post comments just so you can push your Google ads page or your products/services.)
If you are an atheist, New Ager, Hindu, Muslim, Jew or otherwise, I welcome your comments and dialog. I'll talk with you as long as it stays calm and rational, without bad language or name-calling.
It's sad that I have to put this caveat here, but such is the age in which we live...and make no mistake about it, we are in the end times and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ is very, very near.
I have no idea exactly when nor does anyone else, because in scripture Jesus specifically says, in Matthew 24:42, "Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come."
However, Jesus goes on to say that we WILL know the season, and he listed specific signs of his imminent return, all of which are present today. More on that later...
Beware of false teachers and false Christs--they are EVERYWHERE in the 21st century!
Repent of your sins, tell God you're sorry for them, and open you heart and trust him and accept Christ's sacrifice for your sins. That is ALL you have to do--the Lord will help you with the rest!
What it DOES mean is that I will delete anything obscene, rude, or commercial (i.e., don't post comments just so you can push your Google ads page or your products/services.)
If you are an atheist, New Ager, Hindu, Muslim, Jew or otherwise, I welcome your comments and dialog. I'll talk with you as long as it stays calm and rational, without bad language or name-calling.
It's sad that I have to put this caveat here, but such is the age in which we live...and make no mistake about it, we are in the end times and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ is very, very near.
I have no idea exactly when nor does anyone else, because in scripture Jesus specifically says, in Matthew 24:42, "Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come."
However, Jesus goes on to say that we WILL know the season, and he listed specific signs of his imminent return, all of which are present today. More on that later...
Beware of false teachers and false Christs--they are EVERYWHERE in the 21st century!
Repent of your sins, tell God you're sorry for them, and open you heart and trust him and accept Christ's sacrifice for your sins. That is ALL you have to do--the Lord will help you with the rest!
Introduction and testimony
This blog is to address all things Christian, answer questions, and most importantly, spread the Gospel, bringing hope and salvation to all that will accept it.
In a nutshell, the God of the Bible, meaning the God of the Jews and specifically of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, is the one true God. There are no others, only counterfeits designed to lure the unwary in.
Religion is man's attempt to reach God. Jesus Christ was God's attempt to reach us. If you repent of your sins and believe and trust in God and his son, Jesus, the Holy Spirit will come upon you as God's gift and bring you true peace. And you will be spared the second death that occurs after you die...the eternal one.
Listen, I'm not anyone fancy. I'm a middle-class American woman, caught in the middle-class budget squeeze/debt trap, and I'm not a glamourous woman, although I am very athletic.
I am one of God's people, I am a daughter of the King, and I trust Him and follow Him, and I believe in His Word as written and translated in the Holy Bible. More on that later...
My testimony, or how I came to strong faith in the messiah, Jesus Christ:
I was born into a good, strong Christian family, but like many Baby Boomers, as soon as I got to be teen-aged, drinking and hell-raising and running around with the cool crowd became my passion...along with athletics.
And then I fell into homosexuality, becoming a lesbian for 15 years.
Then one night in late 1993, after a particularly miserable day with the woman I'd lived with for the last 7 years, I remember crying myself to sleep, alone, thinking, "Maybe I should just find a good man, get married, and settle down."
It wasn't even a prayer...just a thought. But it was enough.
In the following two months, I started noticing that I wasn't looking at other women the same way. In fact, I wasn't looking at them at all. I was looking at me!
Before you start nodding off, let me add that it wasn't all rosy after that. Even though my orientation changed effortlessly, without me even having to work at it, and even though I was never tempted by other women again, there was PLENTY of other sin that I still had in my life, and continued to have.
Unfortunately, since I'd been gay since my teen years, here I was in my early 30's, and I didn't really know how to act with men as an adult woman. So I ran around a lot, and was very loose.
I also continued to drink too much--and that is a sin I struggle with somewhat to this day. Don't get me wrong, I'm all in favor of moderate drinking...unless you have a problem with it. If you can't dial it down to a truly moderate level, though, you really need to give it up. I haven't given it up because I've been successful at dialing it down to 7-8 drinks a week.
But I digress...
I was still caught up in sin even after my orientation changed. I went after a married man at work--unsuccessfully--and got myself accused of sexual harrassment. I'm deeply ashamed of this to this day, and I repent of it and am sorry for it.
Finally, the Lord freed me from all that running around, and I met my husband in 1996. Even so, I still struggled with the sins of selfishness, pride, greed and drunkenness. I'd like to think I've made some progress on that front, as well as on the sin of pridefulness, which is huge with me.
Which brings me to a major point: the existence of sin. It DOES exist, it is real, God describes what it is in the Bible. And Satan is very real, too.
Consider this: if you had an enemy you wanted to attack, wouldn't it be to your advantage to first convince them that you don't exist, and that none of your tools are real, either? One of Satan's greatest accomplishments is the convincing of large numbers of people that he doesn't exist and that there is no such thing as sin. Our permissive society has bought into this, and it is ruining us. More on that later...
And please don't think I'm holding myself up as perfect. I still struggle with sin...the only reason I don't run around more and sin more is because I'm pushing 50 and my energy and mobility isn't what it used to be. But I still struggle every day...as I know you do. We all do.
May God bless you and keep you!
In a nutshell, the God of the Bible, meaning the God of the Jews and specifically of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, is the one true God. There are no others, only counterfeits designed to lure the unwary in.
Religion is man's attempt to reach God. Jesus Christ was God's attempt to reach us. If you repent of your sins and believe and trust in God and his son, Jesus, the Holy Spirit will come upon you as God's gift and bring you true peace. And you will be spared the second death that occurs after you die...the eternal one.
Listen, I'm not anyone fancy. I'm a middle-class American woman, caught in the middle-class budget squeeze/debt trap, and I'm not a glamourous woman, although I am very athletic.
I am one of God's people, I am a daughter of the King, and I trust Him and follow Him, and I believe in His Word as written and translated in the Holy Bible. More on that later...
My testimony, or how I came to strong faith in the messiah, Jesus Christ:
I was born into a good, strong Christian family, but like many Baby Boomers, as soon as I got to be teen-aged, drinking and hell-raising and running around with the cool crowd became my passion...along with athletics.
And then I fell into homosexuality, becoming a lesbian for 15 years.
Then one night in late 1993, after a particularly miserable day with the woman I'd lived with for the last 7 years, I remember crying myself to sleep, alone, thinking, "Maybe I should just find a good man, get married, and settle down."
It wasn't even a prayer...just a thought. But it was enough.
In the following two months, I started noticing that I wasn't looking at other women the same way. In fact, I wasn't looking at them at all. I was looking at me!
Before you start nodding off, let me add that it wasn't all rosy after that. Even though my orientation changed effortlessly, without me even having to work at it, and even though I was never tempted by other women again, there was PLENTY of other sin that I still had in my life, and continued to have.
Unfortunately, since I'd been gay since my teen years, here I was in my early 30's, and I didn't really know how to act with men as an adult woman. So I ran around a lot, and was very loose.
I also continued to drink too much--and that is a sin I struggle with somewhat to this day. Don't get me wrong, I'm all in favor of moderate drinking...unless you have a problem with it. If you can't dial it down to a truly moderate level, though, you really need to give it up. I haven't given it up because I've been successful at dialing it down to 7-8 drinks a week.
But I digress...
I was still caught up in sin even after my orientation changed. I went after a married man at work--unsuccessfully--and got myself accused of sexual harrassment. I'm deeply ashamed of this to this day, and I repent of it and am sorry for it.
Finally, the Lord freed me from all that running around, and I met my husband in 1996. Even so, I still struggled with the sins of selfishness, pride, greed and drunkenness. I'd like to think I've made some progress on that front, as well as on the sin of pridefulness, which is huge with me.
Which brings me to a major point: the existence of sin. It DOES exist, it is real, God describes what it is in the Bible. And Satan is very real, too.
Consider this: if you had an enemy you wanted to attack, wouldn't it be to your advantage to first convince them that you don't exist, and that none of your tools are real, either? One of Satan's greatest accomplishments is the convincing of large numbers of people that he doesn't exist and that there is no such thing as sin. Our permissive society has bought into this, and it is ruining us. More on that later...
And please don't think I'm holding myself up as perfect. I still struggle with sin...the only reason I don't run around more and sin more is because I'm pushing 50 and my energy and mobility isn't what it used to be. But I still struggle every day...as I know you do. We all do.
May God bless you and keep you!
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