Can We Praise the Lord?! Thankfully every time I hear a song, I can indeed Praise Him!
I was born without a father--an earthly father... But my Mom quickly began to deal with that...
We were taken to and grew up in the Baptist Church in New Geneva, PA, where we lived until after I had graduated... I gave my life to God at age 13, and quickly learned about The Holy Trinity... I've said this before, but it's worth repeating. What that meant to me, as I learned from those teachings, was that God was our Father, Jesus was born and died for all of us so that we could live--He became my first and most loyal friend. Yes, I know that Jesus was the Son of God, as written, but I was forming my own beliefs, remember... Often through songs...
In those days, in a small village community, we were somewhat isolated and I would spend many hours by myself, walking along the Monongahela River nearby, or walking to the grade school building where I knew there was a big rock upon which I sat, alone, being in nature, hearing the birds' music, and learned my favorite verse: "I Will Lift up mine eyes unto the hills from which cometh my help--My help cometh in the Name of the Lord." I was the youngest with a brother coming between two older sisters. I was an introvert by nature and have always been... Sometimes later I came to think of myself as the black sheep of the family... But that's another story... The thing was that I have never felt alone, lonely, or in need to be more than I was...
So when I was old enough to read and digest--ponder and consider--I found I had questions for just about any book I would read. That included the Bible... I found that the stories that most affected me were when Jesus was involved...
So, one of the questions, for example, that I have pondered was when, after the parting of a major body of water to escape from oppression, as a certain group of people left their land to be guided to a new home... And, along the way, God provided the food--the bread of heaven while they walked, there began to be those who complained about the food... Seriously?! In the midst of a miracle as the Bible was written, humanity, who was created by God with Free Will, chose to start complaining...?
And it seems like that has never stopped... In fact, I've watched many years as it has grown so far away from the teachings of God Himself that I began to doubt, question... Certain parts of the Bible would come to mind... Even as Jesus was preparing for death but still teaching... He taught to turn away from how the pharisees stood so that people could watch them pray... He talked about the rules which needed to be set aside... And yet, in many religions, and it appears to be in the newest one, Christian Nationalism, that rules were to be very clear, severe, and based upon violence... At the same time, I felt I had met many different people on a large campus who seemed to be cordial, friendly and concerned about their lives... Some of you may remember that I began to point out the split in type of person by those who chose Barabbas to live rather than Jesus... I haven't had occasion to change that opinion...
So I was moving through my life, reading a lot, living as I did within a small community, then to Morgantown where I began to work at West Virginia University right out of high school... joined a church there, but began to watch... Meeting people from different nationalities was normal on a university campus. I enjoyed meeting and interacting. At that time, I started attending special services at various churches, etc. My life was family/church/work until... I retired, BEFORE I got a letter that my position was being eliminated... Fired was the only word I would use... I was fired simply because... (think about just how many government people have been fired for no cause and you'll begin to possibly understand how I got involved into politics with my eyes fully open... Still knowing...
Then I read a fictional book which told me something that I had not learned in church and did not understand from the Bible... I learned that King David had a daughter that was raped--and he did nothing. So her brother killed his half brother to defend his sister's honor... Was this story of the Old Testament really the Word of God? And, if so, what was I to learn from it. I had, by that time, already placed myself into the "Me Too" movement. And, I was not willing to believe that God had meant that we were to learn from that entire story?! Well, I did! I could not support the Bible. I chose to believe that some of the Bible was inspired by God... That's about as far as I could accept... I knew that Jesus had also acted toward a woman involved in a sexual situation...
There was no way for me to think that all that has gone on for, it seems, thousands of years, even after the crucifixion of Jesus...for us... that the Bible was The Word of God. And then I read the words of a man who had already thought what I thought...and had written about it...
All we needed was the New Testament. The Old Testament was, in my mind, archival, worthy of being used to embrace the words that came to my mind and could be referred to. But, not, studied daily to override, essentially, all that God had sent His Son to die for... US...
Where then do we find God? We find Him in the words of Jesus, His Son. This, too, is a choice for each of us... His Love is greater than ours will ever be or, even, could be... For God is Love Itself...
This then is my story. The Lord has made me, molded me after His will. I believe this one book is the basis upon which I am able to move forward in sharing My Truth, My Life... His Love Living In Me...
This book became a solid basement (rock) upon which I was able to start building, actually rebuilding my faith, a true faith in God who is alive, today, inside... He guides me. I feel His presence through every song, through every day... and I am never, ever, alone...
Did You Hear What I Heard?
