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beensetfree

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset
Too Busy For God


There is this guy named Rudy and he keeps letting God down. Rudy just got saved and is 100% on fire for him. In time Rudy finds this Girl and he falls deeply in love. He is always talking on the phone with her and always going places. He does not pick up his bible nor does he find time to kneel before God.

By the time Rudy gets off the phone he is dead tired and all he does is look at his bible but he does not take the time to read it. Before you know it Rudy is falling into the devil's trap. Before Rudy meant Maria he was going to church and always praying and reading his bible daily.

Now its amazing if he even goes to church. Rudy was too busy for God. He was too busy living his own life to the fullest. Rudy knew that once he let God come in he would not live for him self but for God.

Rudy told him self day after day that he would read his bible and that he would get his life back in order and that he would have time for God. But every time and Everyday he had the chance he would talk on the phone and do things on the weekends.

One-day Rudy's luck ran out and died. He awoke in HELL, He was screaming and yelling. Rudy could taste Hell and Smell Hell and see Hell and Hear Hell. He was horrible and scared but he was on fire and in pain. Rudy knew this was no nightmare. He Yelled to God "please give me another chance" but God cannot go back on his word. (John 3:16) Rudy was on fire day and night he could not rest nor could he see Maria. Rudy cried day and night God help me.


Rudy asked some one in Hell what happened why didn't I make it to heaven? The person Said " Rudy you were too busy for God" Just like all your other friends they are too busy for God and one day they will be here FOREVER!!!!! Unless they get wise and live for God. Then the person started to cry and said " if only I could relive my life, I would tell my friends and family not to be too busy for God.
 

beensetfree

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset

Too Late


Open your eyes, wake up, wake up
Open your ears, listen, man, listen
The devil is devouring you alive
Drinking, smoking, "We're just having a good time," you say
Then you don't honestly know what a good time is
The devil is devouring you alive
"Relax, have fun, it'll all be okay
God is forgiving, remember?" you say
The devil is devouring you alive
"It's not like I plan on doing this forever"
But you may not get the chance to decide
The devil is devouring you alive
"Gah, chill out, I go to church, I pray "
Then that makes you a hypocrite
The devil is devouring you alive
I love and respect my God and I try my hardest to prove it
Can you honestly say the same?
The devil is devouring you alive
What if God walked in right now
And saw all the the things you can't hide
The devil is devouring you alive
If the devil walked in would he smile at your ways
You would never notice him there
The devil has devoured you alive
 

beensetfree

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset
Riding On A Wing And A Prayer

I just read today's issue "His Will" and although it wasn't
specifically directed to me, it spoke to me because of the
reference to the truck - 15 years old. I am driving such a truck
myself, a 2001 Mazda B2500 with 319,000 + miles right now.

I bought it new in 2000, and she's still going and I need her to
keep going. I often joke with friends that I'm riding on a "wing
and a prayer" but I really am and I often just ask God to keep
her going because I cannot afford to replace the truck.

This issue was just a reminder that God really is in control and
will provide for his children if we just settle down and listen.

Thank you for your daily inspiration.
 

beensetfree

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset

Trusting God



There was once a climber, who thought he could do everything by himself. He decided to go mountain climbing one day. The mountain was higher than he thought it was, so it was getting kind of dark, until the point where he couldn't see anything. The mountain was slippery n full of snow, because it was so cold.

When he was about to reach the top, his hand slipped and he fell. As he was falling, he grabbed on to the rope and he was hanging from the rope. All of a sudden, a blazing light appeared, it was god. The climber was telling god to help him. The lord asked the climber did he believe in him, and the climber said of coarse I do, so help me. The lord asked him again, do u trust me? The climber nodded yes. So the lord said : "If you do trust me, let go of the rope."

The climber looked confused, and he even held the rope tighter. Then the lord said very well, n he disappeared. The next day, the park rangers found a climber hugging a rope 2 feet away from the ground.

Romans 15:13 My god of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the holy spirit.
 

akcnsze

Alfrescian
Loyal


Top Ten Reasons why Religion Is Bullshit

As an American of course I do tend to focus on Christianity's idiocy, but they're all baloney. I tried to find something less offensive than Christianity, but all the other religions fail.


  1. Basis in the personal revelation of one person or a string of a few loonies. Personal revelation can be lies, misrepresentations, migraine auras, hallucinations, delusions, or hoaxes. Just not a reliable source of information for basing an entire lifestyle on.
  2. Precarious transmission of the "Word." Again, lies, misrepresentations and hoaxes are possible sources of "information." There's also scribal errors, interpolations, deletions, and organizational or personal agendas to consider. Just because a text is "ancient" is no reason to grant it any kind of status. Just the reverse.
  3. Fairy tale explanations for the natural world. Genesis is only one of hundreds of creation stories. Every culture on Earth seems to have one. This would indicate there's something innate about the human intellect that needs answers for things like the movement of the stars and why humans can talk but frogs can't. The fact that there are so many of these stories leads to only one conclusion: they are all false. The scientific method is showing all of them to be false, too.
  4. Human qualities of "gods." The Genesis story gets around this by saying that God made us in his image, not the other way around, but it's not very convincing if you think about it.
  5. Tribalism. Us vs. Them. Our group of primates wants to survive and make the other group not survive. If we dehumanize them by making their belief systems wrong, it's easier to kill them. They may look like us, but it's not murder if you kill someone who's different on the inside. How do you know if they're different? If they're our neighbors, only their gods will be different.
  6. Bullshit rules. Rules about food. Rules about sex. Rules about hair. Rules about clothes. Rules about bullshit ceremonies. WTF? I can see how societies might want to regulate some antisocial behaviors, but what's antisocial about cutting your hair or eating a ham sandwich?
  7. Bullshit ceremonies. Speaking of bullshit ceremonies, again, I can see how a society might want to put its seal of approval on marriages or say goodbye to the deceased (in a way that won't bring maggots into the town) but the rest...? Christians have their cannibalistic ritual. Hindus have magic powder that they dribble around. Muslims stick their asses in the air five times a day. Haitians dance around until they believe they've been possessed. What a bunch of hooey. I don't do any of those things and I don't think I'm missing out at all.
  8. Life after Death fantasies. This is another commonality. Sure, we don't want to die. We also don't want to believe that our loved ones are truly gone when they die, but this life is very likely (like 99.99999%) all there is. Again, the fact that every culture has this fantasy and that none of them have the same fantasy is pretty good reason not to believe any of them. Notice that when people talk about Heaven they never mention anyone but the people they knew in life as hanging out there? And maybe their pets. They don't think that their granny might be in Hell or that they'll be sharing praise duty with millions of babies that died from cholera and dysentery before society started cleaning up water supplies.
  9. Fantasy of being able to make things go your way. This has probably been going on since before recorded history. Make it rain. Make it stop raining. Make the crops grow. Make the antelope slow down. Make the stock market improve. Make my team beat your team. Make the little girl with leukemia survive. None of religion's promises to change events has ever been shown to make a difference except to give comfort and false hope to the people entertaining the fantasy. Comfort and hope are not bad things, but do you really have to deny reality to feel better in times of stress? And doesn't it create more stress when things don't go your way despite praying or dancing or chanting for the supernatural being(s) to intervene?
  10. Resistance to change. Sure, tradition is one of the things that binds a community but religion gives people an excuse to resist positive change. People are against marriage not because of their prejudices. Believers who aren't prejudiced seem to handle the idea of people making a lifetime commitment just fine. Ditto, in the old (I hope) days when it was illegal for people of different races to marry.
That's my list off the top of my head. From what I've read about current affairs, history, and other cultures, these things seem fairly universal and they are all detrimental. The population of the world is about to hit seven billion. That's twice what it was fifty years ago (if that). Our species won't survive if we allow bullshit to keep us from solving our shared problems.


 

beensetfree

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset

Walking In The Light Of God



I was in the dark, but now I'm in the light
God has delivered me from wrong and turned me in to right
I thought I can do it on my own
but without god I felt all alone
I tried my best
but without god i couldn't finish the rest
the bible is right
for now I am walking god's light
 

beensetfree

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset
The Greatest Life Lesson

Tragic things in my life happened and I turned on God. I was
angry that He would let these things happen to my family and me.

Until about a year ago when I redevoted my life to God, I never
understood why those things happened. My Nanna and Poppa had
devoted their lives to God, a faith I had never seen waiver even
once during a time of crisis. I was in awe of them.

My Poppa was being transported to church one Sunday, about seven
years ago in a wheelchair lift bus. The driver failed to comply
with safety standards by making sure my Poppa was securely
belted in, and as a result, when he ended up in an accident, my
Poppa was thrown from the back of the bus into the front dash.

I was beyond livid when I heard the news. I called my Nanna and
demanded to know what the driver's name was, begging her to press
charges, and sue the company so she and my Poppa wouldn't have
to struggle anymore.

She insisted she wasn't going to do anything about it; she was
too busy tending to my Poppa. So I went behind her back and
called the company screaming like a banshee at the owner for
allowing such a person to work for him.

A couple of years later, I was sitting in the bar drinking my
problems away till the next day, when I heard a guy I knew from
karaoke describing this accident he'd once gotten into at work
where an "old man" was hurt, and the family called his office to
scream at his boss.

I walked over to his table, asked him if he worked at the same
company my Poppa used to take; he nodded. I asked him if he
remembered the guy's name, he said only the last name, and
proceeded to tell me what it was.

I plowed him with my fist as hard as I could and left.

I never spoke of the issue again until about a month ago with my
Nanna. We were discussing God's wrath and how I'd just
recently realized His may not be immediate, but in the end it is
far worse than mine will ever be.

She asked me if I remembered her response to Poppa's accident.
I hung my head in shame and nodded.

She told me that her faith in God's wrath is what stopped her
from doing something. I was stunned like she had just hit me.

"He will be judged," she said, "and I don't want to be a part of
it when he does."

The big revelation.
Allow God to judge, and you will have nothing to repent for.

We make enough mistakes of our own, why add someone else's to
the pile?
 

beensetfree

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset
Walking In The Light Of God


I was in the dark, but now I'm in the light
God has delivered me from wrong and turned me in to right
I thought I can do it on my own
but without god I felt all alone
I tried my best
but without god i couldn't finish the rest
the bible is right
for now I am walking god's light
 

beensetfree

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset
Where's God In Your Life?


Life can be tough, life can be the pits.
Its important to know God is always near, He will
guide you through.
Where is He at in your life?
Is He going up, at the peak, going down, in the trough, that's not good!
Going up, thats good!
At the peak, thats great, thats where He ought to be.
Going down, oh no!
In the trough, oh man! Thats NOT where He ought to be.
Going up, at the peak, going down, in the trough. Where is He at?
I DON'T KNOW, I WISH I DID!
 

beensetfree

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset
How Much Can You Take?

"I am not sure how much more I can take."

It is a common theme in many prayer requests.

They are tired.
They are at their wits end.
The situation has been going on for a long time.
They are frustrated and things aren't getting any better.

So I tell you, don't worry about everyday life - whether
you have enough food, drink and clothes.

Doesn't life consist of more than food and clothing?

Look at the birds. They don't need to plant or harvest or
put food in barns because your heavenly Father feeds them.
And you are far more valuable to him than they are.

Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
Of course not.

And why worry about your clothes? Look at the lilies and how
they grow. They don't work or make their clothing, yet Solomon
in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.

And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today
and gone tomorrow, won't he most certainly care for you?
You have so little faith!

So don't worry about having enough food, drink or clothing.
Why be like the pagans who are so deeply concerned about
these things? Your heavenly Father already knows all of your needs,
and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live
for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.

So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its
own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today.
(Mat 6:25-34 NLT)
 

beensetfree

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset
Who Am I?


Do you know ---- I am lost in this quest many call Life
There is a fork in the road

Which road do I take?
One easy and One hard

The easy one lets me be accepted and one of the world
The hard one helps me to step away from the world

And take up my cross and follow Jesus
I am so confused
What do I do?

I want to be accepted, but yet I want to follow Christ
I know I can't have both, but I want to so bad

Is it wrong to want to be accepted?
Is that not what everyone wants?

O Lord, Hear My Cry, What do I do?
My mind is torn as if I live two lives

As if I am running from my past
But I can't keep running

I must decide here and now
Which road do I take in this fork in the road?

I turn to the easy and think of were it leads
Then to the hard and think of were it leads

Now or never I have to chose;
For I never know if I will ever get another chance

The easy seems so tempting, but has a strange sense of pain
The hard not appealing at all, but full of Love

Now I know which path to take and with all my strength and courage
I turn to hard path and with patience walk down it I know what to do?

I won't get lost for I know that the blood shed at the cross was for me
And so I will no longer ask ..... Who am I ?
 

beensetfree

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset
Who Packed Your Parachute


Sometimes in the daily challenges that life gives us, we miss what is really important. We may fail to say hello, please, or thank you, congratulate someone on something wonderful that has happened to them, give a compliment, or just do something nice for no reason.

Charles Plumb, a US Naval Academy graduate, was a jet pilot in Vietnam. After 75 combat missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb ejected and parachuted into enemy hands. He was captured and spent 6 years in a communist Vietnamese prison. He survived the ordeal and now lectures on lessons learned from that experience.

One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man at another table came up and said, you're Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!" "How in the world did you know that?" asked Plumb. "I packed your parachute," the man replied.

Plumb gasped in surprise and gratitude. The man pumped his hand and said, "I guess it worked!" Plumb assured him, "It sure did. If your chute hadn't worked, I wouldn't be here today."

Plumb couldn't sleep that night, thinking about that man.

Plumb says, "I kept wondering what he might have looked like in a Navy uniform: A white hat, a bib in the back, and bell bottom trousers. I wonder how many times I might have seen him and not even said good morning, how are you or anything because, you see, I was a fighter pilot and he was just a sailor."

Plumb thought of the many hours the sailor had spent on a long wooden table in the bowels of the ship, carefully weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands each time the fate of someone he didn't know.

Now, Plumb asks his audience, "Who's packing your parachute?" Everyone has someone who provides what they need to make it through the day. Plumb also points out that he needed many kinds of parachutes when his plane was shot down over enemy territory-he needed his physical parachute, his mental parachute, his emotional parachute, and his spiritual parachute. He called on all these supports before reaching safety.

His experience reminds us all to prepare ourselves to weather whatever storms lie ahead. As you go through this week, this month, this year...recognize people who pack your parachute!
 

beensetfree

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset
Whom Do They Say I Am?


Jesus of Nazareth, without science and learning, . . . shed more light on things human and divine, than all the philosophers and scholars combined; without the eloquence of school, He spoke words of life such as were never spoken before, nor since."

"When God chose to reveal himself, he did so through a human body. The tongue that called forth the dead was a human one.

The hand that touched the leper had dirt under the finger nails. The feet upon which the woman wept were calloused and dusty. And His tears came from a heart as broken as yours and mine ever has been." "In Jesus not only do we have a window to God, we also have a mirror of ourselves.

Human beings were, after all, created in the image of God; Jesus reveals what that image should look like." "Of the great religious leaders of the world, Christ alone claims deity. It really doesn't matter what one thinks of Mohammed, buddha or Confucius as individuals.

Their followers emphasize their teachings. Not so with christ, he made Himself the focal point of His teaching.

The central question that He put to His listeners was, whom do you say that I am?" "A man who is merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would wither be a lunatic - on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg - or else He would be the devil of hell.

You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God; or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God."
 

fishbuff

Alfrescian
Loyal
You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God; or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God."

let me paraphrase that;

"some says 5678 will come out 1st prize next week. do you have enough faith to buy 1000 small? or will you call me bluff?"
 

beensetfree

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset
The Move

In order for God to take you to another place,
He must first move you from where you are.

The move often seems like disaster,
but it's only the creaking and groaning of a reluctant door.
 

beensetfree

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset
You Must Go Now


Here you are at the Gate of Heaven
Asking if you can get in
I ask you one simple question
During your life, did you chose me or sin?

Your head hangs so lowly now
You cannot look me in my eyes?
"Forgive me, Lord, Forgive me, Lord
I want Heaven's paradise"

I've been waiting for you to say that
I tried many times to get you to
But you ignored my many tries
And now I'm done with you

Your chances are now over, I'm sorry
You've spoken up much too late
I was always there for you
Trying to lead you to the right gate

I asked you not to swear
I told you I will care for you more than any drug
I forgave you time after time
And you continuously refused my love

Do not fight, drink, or swear
I promise I can show you more fun
But you just couldn't believe me
Well I hope it was worth it, son

I fought the devil off of you many times
The scars for you I could show
But they could do nothing for you now
And I'm sorry you must go
 

beensetfree

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset
A Letter From Home


I had a safe trip. The angels carried me safely into Father Abraham's bosom. Oh, the thrill I felt when I met the one that died for me!

And no matter what you've heard, there's just no words to describe the glories that surround him. I'm satisfied here; every need's been supplied. Just wait till you see my new home.

I'm satisfied because there's no sin here, no murders, no divorce, no abortions, and no need to ever have locks on the doors. Perfect peace reigns here. I'm satisfied because there's no sickness. Why, I've never felt better in my life! I have a brand new body just like Jesus.

And oh, I wish you could hear the singing. David played his harp today, and a great crowd gathered by the river of life and sang a new song. Of course, the angels couldn't sing that song, but they sure were listening. It's really wonderful here, because there are no strangers. Everyone knows me by name.

Why, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego showed me around. Seems like I've been here forever. The weather is great. There's a cool breeze blowing all the time. And you know one of the nicest things, night and darkness never comes. It's light here all the time, for Jesus himself is the light of the city.

Please, remember, I'm safe, I'm satisfied, and I'm not sick anymore. There will be no need for me to write again, because I was told today that nothing here ever changes. In closing, the only thing that would make this wonderful place more complete is for all my family and friends to join me here in Heaven.
 

beensetfree

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset
A New Meaning For ASAP


Always say a prayer
There's work to do
Deadlines to meet

You've got no time to spare
But as hurry and scurry
Always say a prayer
In the mist of family chaos

"quality time" is rare
Do your best
Let god do the rest
Always say a prayer

It may seem like your worries
Are more that you can bear
Slow down and take a breather
Always say a prayer

God knows how stressful life is
He wants to ease our cares
And he'll respond asap
Always say a prayer
 

beensetfree

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset
"Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face evermore." Psalm 105:4

Believe Whatever You Want, But…

Jane was under a very strange misunderstanding. She’d been told that she could believe whatever she wanted about everything and was living her life as if believing something made it true. The only problem was, that simply wasn’t the case, as she was soon to find out.

Jane sauntered into the bank and confidently walked up to the teller. “I’d like to withdrawal one million dollars,” she announced confidently.

The teller looked up in surprise. “May I see your I.D. and have your bank account number?” she asked suspiciously.

Jane promptly handed over the requested items. After a minute, the teller announced, “I’m sorry, but your account balance is only $200. That’s the maximum you can withdrawal.”

Jane shook her head. “I believe my balance is 2 million dollars, and I’d like to withdrawal 1 million please.”

The teller tried again to explain reality to Jane, but she simply didn’t want to hear. Finally, Jane realized she was getting nowhere and stormed off to her car. Realizing she was late for her weekly kayaking trip, she sped down the road.

Soon, she heard a siren and found herself pulled over to the side of the road. The cop informed her she’d violated the speed limit and needed to pay a fine.

“But sir, I don’t believe in the speed limit,” she informed him.

The cop raised his eyebrows a little. Was this girl for real? “Well believe in it or not, you have to obey it,” he replied calmly, handing her the ticket.

Jane again realized there was nothing she could do but accept the ticket and be on her way. She was immensely relived to reach the riverbank at last and hop into her kayak. As she was heading down the river, she wondered what the river was like. She’d never been down this particular river before. She wondered if it had any rapids.

Jane felt a momentary panic at the thought of the possibility of rapids, but then a smile returned to her face. She didn’t believe the river had any rapids, so she’d be just fine.

As she happily rowed along, she past another kayak anchored up on the shore. The man in it frantically waved her down. “Hasn’t anyone told you? There’s a huge drop-off up ahead. You’d better pull off here. I’ve got a friend coming with a van who can drive you back.”

Jane did not welcome this intrusion on her happiness. “Look, I’m very happy. I don’t want to think about a drop-off. I don’t believe in it.”

The man tried his best to explain the pending danger, even pulling out a map of the river, but Jane refused to listen. “You can believe whatever you want, but let me believe what I want too. Let’s both just be happy.”

“It’s not about happiness! You’re believing a lie and about ready to-”

Jane cut him off. “I can believe whatever I want. Who's to say you’re right and I’m wrong?”

The man tried again. “You’re right--you can believe whatever you want. But you’d better make sure your belief is anchored in truth. I believe in the drop-off because of this map--it clearly shows it and warns about it.”

“And I believe there is no drop-off,” Jane repeated.

“But on what basis?”

Jane squirmed. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore.” With that, Jane continued downriver, inching closer and closer to the drop-off which if she continued along her present path, would hurl her to her death, whether she believed in it or not. Oh, if only she would stop to make sure her beliefs were grounded in truth!

I have been reminded a lot lately of the importance of making sure our beliefs line up with the truth of God’s Word, the Bible. God does not lie. He means what He says.

"God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?" Numbers 23:19

"Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever." Psalm 119:160

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:" 2 Timothy 3:16-17

When God tells us in the Bible that Jesus is the only way to God (John 14:6) and there is salvation in no one else (Acts 4:12), He means it. When He tells us He will punish all whose names are not written in His book of life (Revelation 20:15), He means it. When He tells us that He is able to save (Hebrews 7:25), He means it. When He tells us nothing in all creation can separate those who are in Christ Jesus from the love of Christ and that we are more than conquerors in Him (Romans 8:37-39), He means it.

The only question is, are we living like we believe the truth of God’s Word? Can we say with the Psalmist that God's Word is lighting our path, or are there areas where we're clinging to our own darkness?

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." Psalm 119:105
 
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