Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
James 5:16
The Blessing Heights church of Arkansas City will be having a healing and prayer service at Wilson Park today at 6:30 p.m. They held one about a month ago and it went well.
This is always a controversial issue - prayer or healing.
Prayer is powerful though. But it is not magic. It is not a way of "making" God do what you want. We don't always see the whole picture so we think God isn't listening when we don't get what we ask for.
Also sometimes in certain religious circles people are led to believe it is their fault if they are not healed. Because they dont have enough faith.
I think it is good that a church is doing something like this publicly. One thing Arkansas City needs - maybe the biggest thing - is a spiritual healing.
It is a positive witness to the community.
Im going to go. See you all there?
hocus pocus, alakazam!
ReplyDeleteGod does promise us healing. However, we need to submit to the soverenty of God before that is possible.
ReplyDeleteAmen.
ReplyDeleteIt was a moving service.
I want to write about it, but im hesitant because i dont want it to be ridiculed.
I have some nice pictures that ill post on the site later.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lvU-DislkI&feature=fvw
ReplyDeleteI wish there were a hell, so Benny Hinn and his ilk could burn in it for eternity. Anyone who takes advantage of the sick, needy, and desperate for monetary gain deserves no less.
And the parents who let their children die from curable diseases because their church does not allow them to go to Doctors should be put in prison.
Interesting that an unbeliever might expect one to fear prison more so than hell. Very interesting.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, how many would hold fast to their faith under the threat of imprisonment?
Either way, the post at 10:09 seems decidedly more pursuaded by incarceration than by incineration.
JJ,
ReplyDeleteWhat about that old blog that you started years ago? Is it still avaialable? Put it there and add a link!
here you go
ReplyDeletetravelereditor.blogspot.com
I don't think I made myself very clear - so put the article you wanted to write on Jesushunter(?)
ReplyDeletewith that link or add a religion section to the website.
I can understand your concern where you are using sponsors and trying to attract the general Public - don't let it stop your ability to connect with all the people!
If you are going to cover the city and local governments it is best to keep your religious posts either on another blog or somewhere else.
ReplyDeleteBTW: If you put in a Religion section you might get some of local clergy to post - that would fall in line with your desire to get more writers.
ReplyDeleteI like the fact that you want to get people involved and I think that has a lot of potential!
Maybe even a daily or weekly devotional?
Thanks.
ReplyDeleteIm planning on doing that.
You know I always post some spiritual thoughts on the blog on Sunday. Im going to probably always do that.
I think a church doing something to reach out to the public in a public place is newsworthy. :)
There is a balance there .
You should reach out to non-christians in the community and offer to let them write a column too.
ReplyDeleteI have done that :)
ReplyDeleteReally?
ReplyDeleteYup, More than once. Couple days ago I did an entire post on it.
ReplyDeleteIve already started other pages from that.
Keep up man !
This blog and website is better than Ac.net on steroids!
ReplyDeleteLOL
ReplyDeletethats the best line ive heard in weeks.
i may adopt that as my motto.
"On the other hand, how many would hold fast to their faith under the threat of imprisonment?"
ReplyDeleteDo I take from that statement that you are proud of the parents who let their children die rather than get them a flu shot because they stood up to authorities and did what their Doctor fearing preacher told them to do, even though it could, and has on many occassions, cost the lives of their children?
What kind of god would allow his subjects to die after telling them not to seek medical care because he would cure them? Think about that.
Question: How many children and adults have died because they left their fate up to god instead of seeking medical care from a Doctor? The answer: Too many!
Question: How many children and adults have died because they left their fate up to god instead of seeking medical care from a Doctor? The answer: Too many!
ReplyDeleteWRONG ANSWER!!!!!!!!
If (and I cannot make the IF large enough to catch the attention of some argumentative hothead whose soured on the miraculous power of God) God said it it will happen.
Let's not be foolish and blame God for humans who misspeak out of their own zeal.
The earlier question posed to me about "Do I take from that statement that you are blah blah blah blah...."
Once you let go of your hostility you might re-read that post and acknowledge that it made absolutely no mention fo faith healing or defying doctors orders. It only asked plainly and simply of who might be willing to sacrifice their freedom in defense of their faith.
Sweetie, that could mean if one were threatened for praying in a public place or refusing (like one Bible story) to bow down and worship some idol or it could mean any number of tests of faith.
One noted author on leadership put it this way, Some folks listen only to respond. Don't have a clue what the speaker is saying, just waiting to stab another word of their own opinion in so as to kill anyone's thoughts but their own.
Hey, he didn't say it that way. That was actually pretty good. Too bad I put it out as anonymous. Now I can never take credit for my own phrase without being outed to the angry blogmobsters.
One side of my family is involved in religion that believes in only faith healing and not medical care. Luckily none of my living relatives are involved with the religion any more. But I got to spend my teenage and early adult years watching grandparents, aunts, uncles, good friends, all die for the belief in faith healing. I have seen teenagers die from easily treatable sinus infections. I watched a prominent business man in AC die from a spider bite. Friends in the prime of their lives die from very treatable cancer. It is a sad deal if your family really believes in this voodoo.
ReplyDeleteI went to Orem, Utah on a vacation with a friend one Summer first year out of Jr. College. We took his Corvette on a trip to California. Never again in a Corvette but it was a Hoot!
ReplyDeleteHis Uncle worked for Bethlehem Steel but wasn't
a Mormon! So he filled us in on that religion and culture. They are the Government in Utah.
They even withhold 10% from their paychecks for the Church.
But, to get to the meat of this story he told us about their Garments. They believe that if they die with their Garments on - which are similar to underwear - they will go to Heaven.
I know a nurse who did some training in Utah and she said there were procedures that had to be followed regarding treating the injured and their Garments.
Now fast forward a few years and I know of at least one Gentleman that went to BYU for a treatment for Parkinsons that involved implatation of devices in his brain that interrupted the circuits that caused his tremors.
So, its kind of interesting how people can be indoctrinated to believe the things they do even when it goes to the extreme.
I think the Bible puts it like this:
Matt.7: 15-16
"Watchout for false profits. They come in sheeps clothing, but they are ferocious wolves.
By their fruit you will recognize them."
5:13 PM said: "Question: How many children and adults have died because they left their fate up to god instead of seeking medical care from a Doctor? The answer: Too many!
ReplyDeleteWRONG ANSWER!!!!!!!!"
___________________________________________
Really? So what is the answer? Not enough? I hope you don't have any children that you subject to your views if this is what you believe in.
______________________________________________
and then said: "Sweetie, that could mean if one were threatened for praying in a public place or refusing (like one Bible story) to bow down and worship some idol or it could mean any number of tests of faith."
_______________________________________________
Oh, excuse me for thinking you were applying that logic to faith healing, SINCE THAT IS THE SUBJECT OF THE THREAD! Silly me.
The whole prayer thing gets me.
ReplyDeleteDon't get me wrong, I do it.
I just don't know why?
Can we really change the mind of God?
Do we think God decided one thing, or caused or allowed one thing to happen, but then said, "I was gonna let sally die, but Jim has bugged me so much, what the heck, I think I'll let her live?" Or conversely, "I really wanted to heal little Billy, but there just wern't enough people praying... Oh well, to bad for Billy."
Do we really think God works that way.
I have seen too many people of deep faith pray really hard for miricals, for healing, only to see their loved ones suffer long drawn out illness, and painful death.
Then again, I have seen miricals and answered prayer. Why some and not others? I don't know...
Good questions.
ReplyDeleteThese questions have bothered people for thousands of years, so I doubt we will figure it out either:)
my theory is - and you have to understand that i tend to believe most things are already set - that prayer is more for us than anything else.
Prayer is a way of communicating with God and coming to grips with reality. it is sort of like a therapy.
The point is not to change God, but to change ourselves through prayer.
I dont think it as ever meant as a means of changing God's mind.
Of course, that opens the whole question of free will versus election.. predestination and all that.
So my theory there is ... that God is not limited by our concept of time and space.
Time probably does not even exist on the spiritual realm. That means God already knows the future because God is already there.
I dont think that means God made those choices..
This is a really complex issue :)
but thats the basics of my theory.
"Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteOh, excuse me for thinking you were applying that logic to faith healing, SINCE THAT IS THE SUBJECT OF THE THREAD! Silly me."
July 28, 2009 7:16 AM
This person is a hot head. Let us pray that thy head be cooled lest it melt down into a puddle or, if you don't beleive in prayer, lets just dump cool water on it and hope that stops you going around picking fights with everyone who won't kowtow to your insistence.
Why don't you talk to someone who can make you laugh or smile or something to release all that bitterness and hot headedness?
It does seem that some people protest too much ... don't you think?
ReplyDeleteWell, if you are that dumb, maybe the caps were needed. It was obvious to me that he or she thought you were talking about faith healing. And they had every right to think so, since, as they said, that is the topic of the thread. BTW, The holier than thou attitude only works with people who believe in holyness in the first place.
ReplyDelete"God is not deaf, he listens; more than that, he acts. He does not act in the same way whether we pray or not. Prayer exerts an influence upon God's action, even upon his existence. That is what the word 'answer' means. ... The fact that God yields to man's petitions, changing his intentions in response to man's prayer, is not a sign of weakness. He himself, in the glory of his majesty and power, has so willed it.”
ReplyDeleteKarl Barth
"Anonymous said... Well, if you are that dumb, maybe the caps were needed."
ReplyDeleteA proliferation of hot heads. Folks, you don't even read what anyone says other than to know they do not fully agree with you. Now you resort to adolescent insults. Perhaps they are pre-pubescent insults.
I have no problem with your oversold protest about what someone thought I meant. However, the fact that someone thought I meant something does not make it so!
That's the problem with hot-heads. They never even puase for a nano second to consider they may simply have jumped to a wrong conclusion. Hence they just keep jumping to wrong conclusion after wrong conclusion thinking they are trampling out any opinion that challenges their absolute (and incorrect) view of life.
Being right should sometimes give way to being understood.
Being angry tends to only direct one into being foolish. And then of course name calling and hurling of insults which are natural progressions of a temper tantrum. (of course there is always the invitation to a fist fight to setlle it all but that's a bit difficult to do over the net)
Amen.
ReplyDeleteWe all must admit that we haven't got it all figured out.
We must be open minded, and willing to change.
We must be willing to consider other options;
otherwise there is no point to engageing in dialouge.
This 7:00 am post is right and can you imagine how boring life would be if we all thought the same? I don't think we will ever know complete truth until we die.
ReplyDeleteAs for fist fighting, couldn't be done without police involved. Gone are the days a simple fist fight to settle differences!!