If You Believe…

[AVG-JOE]

I would have to say that for me, right now, in spite of my hope in the possibility of God and of life after death, I have enough doubts in all of the gods named by humanity thus far to say that I don't have a Deity.

But I remember when I fell in love with Jesus of Nazareth, as described in The Torah and The New Testament.

If any of you dear readers were making book on it, pay the Monkeys who bet that I met Jesus by following a woman in to a church. Turns out God gave me a 'thing' for red-heads.

My life wasn't falling apart, I just needed something to do besides sleep, read, eat, groom and work after moving across the country, hence the going to church with pretty red-heads.

The stories made sense at the time... as did the line of thinking that sought to prove that the books themselves were sacred truth. My favorite thing about America is the freedom to believe in what makes sense at the Time.

The preacher was entertaining and he did a good job of bringing to life not only the stories, but the concept of God Himself taking on flesh and dwelling among us so that He could pay, out of sheer love, the price for human sin.

Like every other Monkey with more than twenty-five years in the rear-view, I had regrets and the idea of forgiveness for the mean things, both intentional and unintentional, that I did to other people along the way, was intriguing. I was also drawn to the concept of Jesus 'taking the wheel' and giving me the tools to live the best life that I could, via guidance from The Holy Spirit. Daddy issues, I suppose.

With my brand new Bible in hand, my index finger separating the twenty-third Psalm from the twenty-fourth, I went out back, sat down on a stack of wooden pallets, and prayed for the first time to a God that I truly believed was there. Incredible feelings washed over me. With the exception of one shot that I got in a hospital when I really needed it, that moment was better than any of the drugs I've ever experienced. For my new buddy Jesus, I even gave up trying to sleep with the girl.

 

[Derideo_Te]

I would have to say that for me, right now, in spite of my hope in the possibility of God and of life after death, I have enough doubts in all of the gods named by humanity thus far to say that I don't have a Deity.

But I remember when I fell in love with Jesus of Nazareth, as described in The Torah and The New Testament.

If any of you dear readers were making book on it, pay the Monkeys who bet that I met Jesus by following a woman in to a church. Turns out God gave me a 'thing' for red-heads.

My life wasn't falling apart, I just needed something to do besides sleep, read, eat, groom and work after moving across the country, hence the going to church with pretty red-heads.

The stories made sense at the time... as did the line of thinking that sought to prove that the books themselves were sacred truth. My favorite thing about America is the freedom to believe in what makes sense at the Time.

The preacher was entertaining and he did a good job of bringing to life not only the stories, but the concept of God Himself taking on flesh and dwelling among us so that He could pay, out of sheer love, the price for human sin.

Like every other Monkey with more than twenty-five years in the rear-view, I had regrets and the idea of forgiveness for the mean things, both intentional and unintentional, that I did to other people along the way, was intriguing. I was also drawn to the concept of Jesus 'taking the wheel' and giving me the tools to live the best life that I could, via guidance from The Holy Spirit. Daddy issues, I suppose.

With my brand new Bible in hand, my index finger separating the twenty-third Psalm from the twenty-fourth, I went out back, sat down on a stack of wooden pallets, and prayed for the first time to a God that I truly believed was there. Incredible feelings washed over me. With the exception of one shot that I got in a hospital when I really needed it, that moment was better than any of the drugs I've ever experienced. For my new buddy Jesus, I even gave up trying to sleep with the girl.

So what came next in the saga of When Avg-Joe met Jesus?

 

[AVG-JOE]

Basically, I spent the next twelve or so years discussing and learning the ancient stories, understanding the concept of God Himself donning the skin of a Jew named Jesus and becoming vulnerable to the point of death to pay for the sins of humanity, and trying to convince myself and others that what I believed was the truth.

Ya know... average religious stuff.

 

[Derideo_Te]

Basically, I spent the next twelve or so years discussing and learning the ancient stories, understanding the concept of God Himself donning the skin of a Jew named Jesus and becoming vulnerable to the point of death to pay for the sins of humanity, and trying to convince myself and others that what I believed was the truth.

Ya know... average religious stuff.

Gotcha!

So what subsequently changed?

 

[Avatar4321]

Well instead of convincing yourself that you believe, why don't you just believe?

Belief is a choice, an action, not just a philosophy or ideology.

When I get access to more than my phone ill post something for you.

 

[dblack]

Gods are creations of human brains. So are people (aka souls). Yep.

 

[Blackrook]

I was in a very bad state, totally miserable and without hope, hoping for death as an escape.

I fell down on my knees and prayed hard to God to take away the pain and suffering.

And just like that, the pain was gone. I mean, just like that.

I still had problems after that, but the total feeling of hopelessness never returned.

 

[Avatar4321]

“Lord, I Believe” - Jeffrey R. Holland

Observation number one regarding this account is that when facing the challenge of faith, the father asserts his strength first and only then acknowledges his limitation. His initial declaration is affirmative and without hesitation: “Lord, I believe.” I would say to all who wish for more faith, remember this man! In moments of fear or doubt or troubling times, hold the ground you have already won, even if that ground is limited. In the growth we all have to experience in mortality, the spiritual equivalent of this boy’s affliction or this parent’s desperation is going to come to all of us. When those moments come and issues surface, the resolution of which is not immediately forthcoming, hold fast to what you already know and stand strong until additional knowledge comes. It was of this very incident, this specific miracle, that Jesus said, “If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”6 The size of your faith or the degree of your knowledge is not the issue—it is the integrity you demonstrate toward the faith you do have and the truth you already know.

The second observation is a variation of the first. When problems come and questions arise, do not start your quest for faith by saying how much you do not have, leading as it were with your “unbelief.” That is like trying to stuff a turkey through the beak! Let me be clear on this point: I am not asking you to pretend to faith you do not have. I am asking you to be true to the faith you do have. Sometimes we act as if an honest declaration of doubt is a higher manifestation of moral courage than is an honest declaration of faith. It is not! So let us all remember the clear message of this scriptural account: Be as candid about your questions as you need to be; life is full of them on one subject or another. But if you and your family want to be healed, don’t let those questions stand in the way of faith working its miracle.