Christian topic

Hi Jaquie,

For the first time I can think of nothing to say that might help.

I was confident you would find your way...but this post is a little worrying. Please take it easy, and give yourself more time.

Love,
Leonard.

jaqueline

If truth be told, nobody knows if there is a God or not, or indeed what it's true nature is or might be.

Anyone who tells you differently is a charlatan.

If its any comfort, if there is a God worth knowing and worshipping, they will treat your wondering/wandering with compassion and understanding.

In the meantime, maybe the answers for you are here in the here and now amongst your fellow human beings, and religion has become a diversion from your true source of growth and contentment.

jacqueline, you sound like you are on dangerous ground here, but important ground all the same.

Sounds a bit like you're experiencing what St John of the Cross called the Dark Night of the Soul.

You might find this classic work of contemplative spirituality of use in this difficult and testing time.
www.ccel.org/ccel/jo...

With every blessing,
David

jaqueline - M1

You said "I realised that as I take the next step, I will leave God behind and in the progress discover...........God".

For years I thought I was on the right path - conventional Christian faith in the Trinity et al - until quiet recently. I then discovered discovered Spiritualism - quite by chance in doing some research on life after death. It just seemed to 'click'. Reading Leslie Flint's autobiography, and hearing about 40 tapes of recordings from his sessions just seemed to confirm.

I believe God does exist but not in the 'person' of the Trinity if I may use that term. I believe God is spirit, the animating life force of the universe, a creative, directing force and is in all that has life. In that regard, Pantheists were on the right path. I believe we work out our salvation every moment of our lives and that spirit within - the character that we are, the essence of ourselves, our consciousness - passes over to a higher state of reality on the physical death of our bodies. I beileve there are many, many different levels that we will find ourselves on depending on our character development and spritual growth on Earth; that we will judge ourselves in that regard and we will find ourselves with like-minded. I believe in the eternal progress of our spirit - ever learning, progressing ever higher.

jacqueline, it goes without saying I will pray for God to continue to lead you into His truth.

Good for you, Jaquie!

Leonard

I knew you would understand and realise there was nothing to worry about after all

good for you, Jaquie!

Quoted from this message

(ps I went poaching last night with Rams, the PHILanderer wasn't about, it was good fun )

I have posted my original post over on nogreaterlove, different repsonses.

MDM said my journey was like Peter walking on hte water, very true.

God calls us all, we can choose to play safe and stop in the boat, or we can have an adventure with God.

I have chosen the adventure.

Fen - mystical language can be defined as trying to describe the undescribable, a lot of it comes from 'seeing' it is as if the words have suddenly come clear.

I write because what is in me 'burns' only later do I get to the point of understanding, which is why I might appear to be repeating stuff sometimes.

All Christians are on a journey, each at a different stage of the path God has chosen us to follow. Often the path is one dreary plod, almost a hard slog at times and you can wonder what is the point and then suddenly it is all sunshine again and your heart feels lighter and your path is one of joy.

...the closest I come to thinking of myself being on a journey is trying to change to become more like Jesus in my attitude and behaviour

Quoted from this message

It is not for you to try to change your behaviour/attitude because none of us can, it is the Holy Spirit at work within us that brings about the change and we have to let Him do it. As for our feelings they can be deceptive, so we shouldn't place to much emphasis on them, to see if we are right or wrong with God as this can lead to being too introspective, to the point where we can become depressed.

A spirtitual journey is one where you are being led to deeper understanding of the spiritual life, a journey that is prompted by the Spirit Himself. It is a journey of stages, of understanding one before going on to the next. Each level of understanding brings us closer to understanding who God is, for He is Spirit and it is only through the spirit that we can come to know Him.

This journey can lead to Theosis - the divination of the human life - not everyone can do this and without proper guidance theosis can be dangerous, for it is extremely easy to be mis-lead in matters of the spirit.

The path to theosis, brings us to a state of Being, of knowing Reality and Truth, all of which is bound up in God. But God is not 'God' but a word to help us understand who He is. God said I AM, not I was or I will be, but I AM, an hour ago I AM, in an hour's time, I AM, He simply IS, transcanding both time and space because He is eternal.

As for the signposts, I only discovered what they were recently. For years I had 'seen' images either in prayer or in Bible study and for a long time I believed that I had an overactive imagination, until one day I had a very vivid vision of Christ, and through that I began to see that the images was God's way of communicating to me (being deaf I am a very visual person)

But I never saw them as signposts as such, until Eliezer from the JTB said that I wasn't putting the correct value or significance on the signposts. Signposts are there to tell us where we have been, but also where we are heading and suddenly several things fell into place.

What I am writing about these days, is the result of understanding the journey to where I stand now. I understand the signposts and their meaning.

I hope this is of help, if not, feel welcome to keep asking me.

Librarian's corner (if you're the bookish sort):
"How (not) to speak of God" by Pete Rollins (SPCK, 2006)
"A Churchless Faith" by Alan Jamieson (Also SPCK? 2001ish)

Both look at journeys into the unknown and about deconstructing and reconstructing faith (and our concepts of church). The second has some interesting stories by fellow travellers - but the first is just plain exciting!

Dangerous ground is the best place to be, in my opinion. Lots of Love there! (But I am, besides being a potential rev, an atheist Christian...)