dear Nate, Kate and Jon (and i'm going to include my sister, Eileen ...
and would be so inclined to, so i will in spirit, include my dear wife Susan...though would never think to irritate her by actually sending it to her!)...
the five most important people in my life...humanly
(and all their extended family member, with the exception of Susan's significant other, Nick- nothing personal, Nick, but you are not a part of our family...and my almost daily prayer is the God, in mercy, will return you to your own family as soon as possible.)..
this may be the first, but it may also be the only,
(who knows, i may be with the Lord before today ends)
communication of this nature,
the reason(s?) i am communicating in this manner is that i:
don't want to take up too much of your time. people, including myself, are very busy these days.
this format allows for absolutely no time intrusion..just a click and no time lost,
but it allows me, in the insanely busy life i lead to just, as it were, jump out of the stream for a second and share whatever is on the surface, or possibly deeper whatever 'needs' to get out.
understand what i mean?
(Lord, at this point, i look to You and ask that You would so guide that what is shared should be shared and would be what You Yourself would have me say...that You may be better loved and known and 'seen'...i pray with thanksgiving in the name of Jesus, amen.)
i don't have any indication that such is the case, but just in case you don't feel that i am 'paying enough attention to' you may be the result of one, all or noon of the reasons i come up with...and i may not, and you may not even know the reason.
in a perfect world people were meant to love and communicate with one another in such a way that that love is more perfectly experienced. in my experience this rarely happens and it seems that there are always reason(s) for this.
long ago i thought i lived in an ideal home and was extremely proud to be a part of the family into which i was born. this is no longer the case. over time i have come to see my family much differently. this new perspective has come from various life experiences the most important of which has been my experience of Jesus Christ.
for years i thought of myself as a christian...but was troubled with niggling doubts. this in spite of the fact that i went to seminary and briefly was pastor of two churches and, outwardly at least, lived a good (in my view) life, read the bible and prayed, etc. ad nauseum.
this is all a distant memory. sometime in the last decade i think i had some kind of encounter with Jesus Christ and as a result no longer think of myself and good but rather as very evil. Jesus, likewise, has changed in my conception from a concept into a living being. He now truly is an ongoing savior and a never absent, except once, friend. i finally have hope of heaven, not because of who i am or what i do but only because of Him and am DRIVEN more and more to give myself over to DOING what He says in His word based on two verses i believe He has given me highlighted in blazing yellow, see-in-the-dark highlighter
(matthew 7.21 - not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that DOETH the will of My Father which is in heaven.
luke 13.24 - Strive
(the greek verb agonidzO from which we get our words, agonize and agony-constant, intense pain; used of the effort made by the olympic athletes training for and competing in the games. cf. I corinthians 9. 24-5)
to enter into the strait
(lit. narrow; cf. matt. 7.13-14)
gate; for many, I say unto you, will not be able.
true faith, i have come to see has life.
it does not consist of 'going to church' but of being a living, active member of Jesus' spiritual body.
true faith is not creedal (though doctrine true to the bible is its only foundation)
but obedient action..
obedient to the written word, the bible, and the Living Word, Jesus.
i am not saved by 'works'
but FAITH always WORKS..
it is a life lived not a faith concieved.
i am grateful for God saving me eternally from my sin.
didn't get far but time is up.
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