tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878914472051909043.post6198870542020682146..comments2024-01-12T12:39:47.241-08:00Comments on The Christian Monist: When Did "I Did it" Become a Four-Letter Word?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878914472051909043.post-84603499013707512712009-10-13T18:57:24.140-07:002009-10-13T18:57:24.140-07:00In cases like this, I wonder about how the brain w...In cases like this, I wonder about how the brain works: often, when I'm facing a tough problem at work, and I attack it from every possible direction and still cannot solve it, only THEN do I resort to emailing someone else about the issue. I really avoid doing that, trying to cover every conceivable suggestion that will be made, since I don't want to appear dumb or incompetent. I even wait a few minutes after composing the email before hitting the [send] button. Regardless, it's uncanny how often right after sending the email, that one more perspective on the problem occurs to me...and often it's my solution. Could it also be so with prayer requests?Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16824250710798035986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878914472051909043.post-81711261020897970682009-10-13T00:30:01.065-07:002009-10-13T00:30:01.065-07:00I like the comment above this. Also you have a lot...I like the comment above this. Also you have a lot of chutzpah belittling the prayer chain in church, haha.Jaimie Teekellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07845537262456320501noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878914472051909043.post-31095257393892923922009-10-12T10:20:41.424-07:002009-10-12T10:20:41.424-07:00Perhaps God did work "supernaturally" bu...Perhaps God did work "supernaturally" but through you. Giving you the strength, endurance, and wisdom to complete all those phone calls. <br />I mean anytime the God works it is supernaturally, it does not have to be a "miracle healing" to be supernatural. I think He uses many means to accomplish His will here on earth.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878914472051909043.post-15832961069414706762009-10-12T09:25:32.363-07:002009-10-12T09:25:32.363-07:00I agree that we use terms like "Miracle"...I agree that we use terms like "Miracle" and "God did this or that" very flippantly. In the end, this is a disservice to God in my humble opinion.<br /><br />I felt bad about my situation. As I said, I submitted my concerns to our church's "prayer chain" because I was distressed about it and I do think that God might, sometimes, do things above the natural order.<br /><br />But then yesterday in church, the reviewed the prayer chain and mentioned how my passport had come and God had done a miracle. I spoke up and added that there was a lot of phone work done in between submitting that request and seeing the passport arrive.<br /><br />To make things even worse, a lady shared how she shared my prayer request to a group of young women in her Bible study on Thursday morning (I had submitted the request on Wednesday and the passport arrived on Friday). Then she said when she heard the next day that I had gotten my passport she called the women to let them know that God had answered. One woman "was amazed and said this situation helped to confirm to her that God was really there."<br /><br />"No way!" I thought. I don't want someone's belief in God to depend on my experience with my passport. It isn't like I want to the credit for getting it, but is that I don't want to propagate mis-information. There is no evidence that a supernatural work happened Friday. But when I tried to correct the falsehood in church, I was made (a bit) to look like a un-believer (as apposed to nonbeliever).MJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09240462070445948163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878914472051909043.post-12249718815267322852009-10-12T06:59:43.327-07:002009-10-12T06:59:43.327-07:00And just how do you think "God Did X For Me, ...And just how do you think "God Did X For Me, God Did Y for Me, God Did Whatever for Me..." without Real True Christian EVER having to lift a finger goes down on those of us who scraped and suffered and actually worked to get where we are? Or worse, when we're the only one to never get anywhere (no matter what we do) while they get everything handed to them for free, wipe their mouths, and intone "God Provides"?<br /><br />It's like God hands everybody else Divine Welfare Checks on Silver Platters while we're the only ones having to grub for matches.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878914472051909043.post-74913736184767577842009-10-12T05:00:33.211-07:002009-10-12T05:00:33.211-07:00This reminds me of the book When Bad Things Happen...This reminds me of the book When Bad Things Happen to Good People by Harold Kushner. He talks about how religious people often say things like, "It's a miracle" when they are kept safe from things like cancer or accidents. People think something is special about them that they were saved. For example, my uncle got hit by a deer on a motorcycle and walked away unscathed and for some reason I have always thought "God really has a plan for his life and didn't want him to get hurt." Essentially, he loves him more than someone else who wasn't so lucky...I believed all that until reading that book and sites like this. On the other hand, I don't want to take advantage of the fact that I am safe, healthy, etc. So am I still able to say "Praise the Lord" while also mourning with those who aren't so fortunate?Brittanyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15164867624746593122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878914472051909043.post-43093730266046600582009-10-09T21:58:21.339-07:002009-10-09T21:58:21.339-07:00Congratulations, good phone work and wheel squeeki...Congratulations, good phone work and wheel squeeking, and am glad you will get to enjoy the mission trip and do more good work there.<br /><br />We belong to Him and we make it our aim to please Him, and....is'nt the US Postal Service really something???Donhttp://notwhistlingdixie.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878914472051909043.post-44660622261072042782009-10-09T14:29:03.651-07:002009-10-09T14:29:03.651-07:00Yes... I remember learning the lingo in Bible Col...Yes... I remember learning the lingo in Bible College... Originally, I would feel/sense/think about something and then go do it. I learned that, no, we say, "I'm sensing the Lord leading me to do ____," or "God wants me to ____." <br /><br />And you are so right, in that it's the same thing with situational outcomes. Good ones are miracles, supernatural things, and you'll get disapproving frowns if you share the physical/tangible things you did to help make that outcome come about. <br /><br />I get that the desire is to give God glory. It's just that the skeptics and the watching teenagers, etc, are going to see right through this. Not to mention, as you said, those who keep hearing about all these neato things God miraculously does and not realize all the hard real-live-person work that went into it, so when their cancer diagnosis comes back, they feel like God must love everybody else more...after all, He keeps doing all these miracles for everyone else... <br /><br /><br />My favorite is the praise reports about how God saved us from a car wreck, because the semi rolled over on the car behind us instead of our car, praise the Lord. <br /><br />Hmm. That's probably not what the people in the car behind you are thinking...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com