lbj, thanks for sharing your experience.

quote:

Originally posted by lbj:

Yes, the Episcopal Church left me.
They changed the liturgy for one thing.
It was a big political left turn.
The Bible interpretation seemed more opinion than Word based.

Perhaps I am in error on that but I don't think so.

No, sir. It is absolutely not an error.


So wonderful to know that you are again on your path

Today will be the first church service I have attended in decades. And about a decade for my youngest daughter.
I have been reading up on the Oneness doctrine of the Pentecostals versus the Holy Trinity others use.

I was taught the Holy Trinity but the Oneness doctrine seems to fit how I understood the Holy Trinity many years ago.

Oneness seems to make sense to me but it is all very confusing.
I am not a scholar in these matters. I am going to talk with someone about this difference in the near future.

I usually dress up a little for church, but my feet cannot stand shoes due to the meds, so I will look a little odd with my feet in socks and sandals.

Pretty sure that a rather well known carpenter wore sandals, but not sure about the socks though

Funny.

best medicine

Great story, I agree god sent him to you that day - nice you went through the door with your daughter and grandson. Thanks for the public witness. I have always been a jeans and sneakers church goer, when I was stationed in Charleston in the early 80's, I showed up in my usual attire, to find them very dressed up. I decided how you dressed had no bearing on your relationship with god.

We are back from services.
It felt like home, I am home now.
Around 325 A.D., the mainstream religions went to the Holy Trinity and branded Oneness as heresy.
It's fine to believe in The Trinity, however,
Oneness was doctrine at a time closer to Christ living on the Earth.
I am now a proud heretic, I'm a Pentecostal.
Soon it will be official, I will be a member of The Abundant Life Church.

http://www.altonline.org/

When my brother and sister read this, and they will, I figure they will be surprised but happy for me.
They are like that you know... good people.

No one is more surprised than me.
Yet there it is.

I think what happened this week is proof positive that about anything is possible.

Most anything in this world needs maintenance.
My spiritual self is no different.
***people running for the exits at this point.***

This message has been edited. Last edited by: lbj,

Of COURSE I'm happy for you! You've always been more spiritual than me, and I was surprised when you told me a year ago that you'd never lost your faith! I'm always jealous of someone who has that type of belief, I don't, sadly.......so yeah, I'm totally on Team Tom!

Thanks Rob, that means a lot.

quote:

Originally posted by lbj:
We are back from services.
It felt like home, I am home now.
Around 325 A.D., the mainstream religions went to the Holy Trinity and branded Oneness as heresy.
It's fine to believe in The Trinity, however,
Oneness was doctrine at a time closer to Christ living on the Earth.
I am now a proud heretic, I'm a Pentecostal.
Soon it will be official, I will be a member of The Abundant Life Church.

http://www.altonline.org/

I've been listening to some of their sermons online, so far it sounds pretty good, with sound doctrine/theology being relayed to me! Good stuff on their website also.

quote:

Originally posted by lbj:
Today will be the first church service I have attended in decades. And about a decade for my youngest daughter.

Welcome back brother.

Sandals and a camel hair robe is all you need. No one will even ask if you're free-ballin.

quote:

Originally posted by AKSuperDually:
I've been listening to some of their sermons online, so far it sounds pretty good, with sound doctrine/theology being relayed to me! Good stuff on their website also.

Yes, the message works for me so far.
I feel exactly as you.
The doctrine is sound IMO.

Yesterday's sermon was good:
I Am The Vine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUs6VPW-qms

I was correct above:
I am a member of The Abundant Life Tabernacle of Johnstown, Colorado.
Man I have a ton of work to do on myself.

It's kind of like when you begin learning, and as you learn you realize what you learned taught you there is even more you don't know and need to learn.
Right?
I started out in a row boat crossing a pond.
Now I realize I am crossing an ocean.
There is just so much more out there than I initially thought.

One of my favorite bands is Procol Harum.
In their song Wreck of the Hesperus, they sang:
"We'll hoist a hand, amidst a troubled sea
I fear a mighty wave is threatening me..."

Yeah and I am gonna catch that wave and ride it across that ocean to shore.

It's been several days and the feeling has not abated. So wonderful.

Until recently, I have lived behind my eyes.
My brain resides in my skull and I've been stuck in that space.
Everything I perceived, observed, ever thought about, my whole life resided in my brain behind my eyes.
That's where I lived.
I could close my eyes, yet still felt me at the top of my body living in my head.
Even my belief in Christ as taught to me early my life by the Episcopal church meant my religion was in my head behind my eyes.

After my recent baptism, I feel a certain satisfaction like eating a good meal, feeling full with some very slight body chills.
This continues today, it's never ceased since last week.

Finally finally finally, I live somewhere other than in my head behind my eyes.
Make no mistake I still reside behind my eyes, but I have the added whole Christ life force thing running through my body.
I call this "in my heart of hearts".
I am not trapped behind my eyes anymore.


There is a better way to live my life and I'm on my way there.

I may or may not be healed physically, sometimes the answer is no.
One thing I know for certain though, my body has no chance of healing without my spirit healed first.

In the end, my spirit is what is important, God has a plan for me. Such may include dying from my disease.
But my spirit will be healed and that's what important anyway.

I would have been fine going the path I used to be on, my belief in Christ was solid, I am smart, I am introspective, and I am perceptive.
I love my family and they are taken care of financially.
But what of their spiritual needs?
I am working and praying on that.

But when my youngest daughter wished to be closer to Christ, I thought that this was all for her, that I was fine and all set.
Wrong!
It's also for me, how great is that?
Greater than I can describe and completely unexpected.
Unbelievable wonderful, a better me, closer to God and begin to walk with and live in the spirit of Jesus Christ.

Praise God!

Wow.

I just got back from a (mission) trip to Malawi. Highlight of the trip was a visit to a country church, with the congregation singing with full throat and open hearts, not an out-of=tune voice, and no "moving the lips" but not singing. They were filled with the love of Jesus.

The young man we thought was the chief pastor gave a message, led the singing, prayer, and offering, then it turned out he was just warm-up for the head preacher: a woman, perhaps 35-40, who is a seamstress by occupation, but called by the Lord to preach. She was wearing a t-shirt that said "Pentacostal Evangelical Ministries". What a sermon--I'd say 45-50 minutes, no notes, but returning to the text, with interpretation and life application--she was dynamite!

I mention this, lbj, because of your experience, and because this was a fabulous experience for those of us on the team.

The church had a tin roof, but straw walls. There was no dress code, although I wore a white shirt and tie. We felt very welcomed there.

One church, one faith, one Lord. What a concept.

Thank you for posting your affirmation.

You see what I see, you feel what I feel, you know what I know.

It's available to all of us, but simply wanting it yet not changing oneself won't cut it.
I had to accept it and begin living it.

Yes, this just happened, it hasn't been but a week, this time God called me and I finally heard and now understand.

I do my best with the words I write. But my words do not do proper justice to the situation at hand.

BTW As I have posted before, I have been thinking about my impending death every moment of every day.
In some way my thought process is changing and this my death thing is slowly morphing into something like "for the rest of my life."
That's a better way to think and live with my disease.

I find it interesting that perhaps the disease that is killing me physically is also saving me spiritually.

Awesome to hear, I'm so glad Christ is in your heart, feeling great as I head off to bed!

I have cursed like a drunken sailor most of my life.
However, the words I speak affect my circumstance, so I am attempting to have a better vocabulary.

Man, this is tough.

I have a gazillion things to work on, the above is just one very minor example.