on getting tough with God

Have ya ever wondered where God is when you Really need Him?

Ever get Really mad and say - Where is God in this time of My Great Need?

If you have ever found yourself in that position - like I did a couple  of days
ago - just come right out and say it.


I said to my daughter - I Believe that God could help me with this - but where is He?


And you can be sure that I was plenty Mad when I said it Folks.


Well and ya wanna know what happened shortly after we hung up?


GOD SHOWED UP AND HELPED ME OUT.


You see - He's always there - but it's just that He gets a little busy at times - what
with the population of this Really Great Planet of ours topping out at around 7 bil.

So Ya Just Have To Speak Up And Make Yourself Heard - and he'll always be there for you.









Now don't expect Him to solve the Problem for you - because he wants you to figure
that out on your own - He's smart like that.

what constitues a religion - anyway?

My Webster's New World Dictionary (paperback) - revised and updated - 2003 -
says this about Religion:

1.  belief in or worship of God (or gods)

2.   a specific system of belief, worship, etc., often involving a code of ethics


Now some People (and you know who you are) have been really making
Bill Maher mad by claiming that Atheism is in fact a Religion - the very
thing that Bill is going around dissing.

According to Webster - at least in definition no. 1 - Religion means that you have
to Worship God or gods.  Here let us confine ourselves to God with a capital G.

So by that defintion - Atheism would NOT be a Religion - since Bill and his Athiest
friends clearly state that they do not even Believe in God - although I heard Bill say
right on his show that even Richard Dawkins leaves a small margin of error - just
in case they are wrong.  I mean nobody wants to knock at the Pearly Gates and then
have St. Peter say, 'Sorry *ssh*h*le.  You were not a Believer.  Enjoy Hell.'

At this point I would like to say to Bill Maher that I am on a first name basis with
God and will put in a good word for him - but he really ought to watch himself
in the future.


Now - this is where it gets REALLY interesting.

Some say that Scientology is NOT a Religion. 

But does not the second defintion say that:

'Religion can be a specific system of beliefs and involving
a code of Ethics.'

Now I'm not a Scientologist - I'm a Christian - they got me when I was a kid -
but excuse me folks I've read that Scientology does fit into this second category.


What's the bottom line here?

Let's stop obsessing already about what each other believes and concentrate on
my Divorce - anyone have $1500 for the Retainer 's Fee?

Because I 'm in Love with Bill Maher - and I want out of the Loveless situation I'm in.

John 20: 27-29

This Scripture is what I like to call my favorite:


Then saith He to Thomas,  Reach hither thy finger, and
behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust
it into my side:  and be not faithless, but believing.

And Thomas answered and said unto Him, My Lord
and my God.

Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen
me, thou hast believed:  blessed are they that have not
seen,  and yet have believed.


Blessed Are They That Have Not Seen And Yet Have Believed


I say - blessed are they that truly believe - even though others may
say that they don't believe.

Blessed are those whose belief is so strong that they can keep it to
themselves and don't go around tebowing or trying to save others.



it's all about believing - and not about just talking about it





Blessed Are Those Who Say They Don't Believe But I
Know They Really Do

I mean I heard Ricky Gervais say that he was an Athiest -
and if anyone really believes that then I'm not a traditional
idiot housewife.

: ]

Isaiah 40: 5

And the glory of the Lord shall be revealedk and all fleash shall see it together:

for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

Isaiah 41: 10

Fear thou not;

for I am with thee:

be not dismayed;

for I am thy God:

I will strengthen thee;

yea, I wil help thee:

yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand
of my righteousness.
~~~

I usually like to write on my Religion Blog about Scripture
from the Gospels - but tonight this was the best I could find.

I like Isaiah because many of the lyrics in Handel's Messiah are
taken from Isaiah:

~Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your Godl.

Speadk Ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that
the warfare is accomplished, that the iniquity is Pardoned...

The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness.

Prepare ye the way of the Lord.


and this





Isaiah 40: 4

Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill made
low, the crooked straight and the rough places plain.


and this from


Isaiah  7: 14

Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son,
and shall call his name EMMANUEL.

God with us.


and Matthew 1: 23  also says

BEHOLD, A VIRGIN SAHLL BE WITH CHILD AND
SHALL BRING FORTHA SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL
HIS NAME EMMANUEL, which bing interpreted is, God with
us.

Matthew 2: 23

And He came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might
be fulled which was spoken by the  prophets, He sahll be called a
Nazarene.

Matthew 3: 16

And Jesus, when He was baptized, went up straightway out of the
water:  and, lo, the heavens were opened unto Him, and He saw the
Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon Him:

And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in
whom I am well pleased.

Matthew 4: 23

And Jesus wnet about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and
preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness
and all manner of disease among the people.

Matthew 5: 2

And He opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,


Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they that mourn:  for they sahll be comforted.

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness:
for they shall be filled.

Blessed are the merciful:  for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart:  for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake for
theirs is the Kingdom of  God.

Blessed are ye when men shall revile yo u, and persecuted you, and shall
say all manner of evil agaoinst you falsely, for my sake.


Matthew 5: 15

Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlstick;
and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and
glorify your Father which is in heaven.


Ok.

I feel better now.


Any prayers would be appreciated.

Mark 1: 16-18

Now as He walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and
Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.

And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after Me,  and I will make you to
become fishers of men.

And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed Him.
~~~

Simon and Andrew dropped what they were doing and followed
Jesus - as He told them to do.

Did they follow Him becasue He cast a spell over them?

I don't think so - but I wasn't there.  Maybe He did.

I believe that Simon and Andrew followed Jesus because they
just knew - that it was the Right Thing To Do.
~~~

In my Faith Journey - which I consciously Believe started about 25
years ago - I have done the same thing over and over.  Although
in retrospect - I see now that my Faith Journey began when I was
born.  And furthermore - I Believe that my Faith Journey began
even before that - although I cannot remember where or when.

Which is to say - that I 'forsook my net' and followed the same
compelling 'force' these Fishermen did.

But along the Way I have stumbled and doubted - and I have tried to
ignore this Compelling Force - to no avail.

Now more recently - I have made a Conscious Choice - to follow this
Compelling Force - for the rest of my Life.

That Choice  - to Follow the Force - is based on my Faith in Him - and
my Faith is based on my experiences of Doubt and Stumbling - and having
been - as I like to put it - dangled over the edge time and time again - and
then having been pulled - to my great relief - back to safety.

I'm in This for the long haul - and nothing can change my mind.

Matthew 8:5-10

And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came
unto Him a centurion, beseeching Him.

And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy,
grievously tormented.

And Jesus saith unto Him, I will come and heal him.

The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that
Thou shouldest come under my roof:  but speak the Word only,
and my servant shall be healed.

For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me:  and
I say to this man, Go, and he goeth;  and to another, Come, and
he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.

When Jesus heard it, He marvelled, and said to them that followed,


Verily I say unto  you, I have not found so great Faith, no, not in
Israel.



And here we have it folks.



Faith.




If even a centurion can know what Faith is - then anyone can.