Hi I am new My name is Grady

[Guest guest]

This is my search for "Higher Consciousness"

No matter what I tried to throw into my life there

still seemed to be something missing. Oh, it wasn't a

religion or anything like that. I needed something

powerful, something real. I needed a somebody not a

something. Someone who knew what was going on.

Someone who loved me just as I was. I knew there was

a God but the fact that He actually liked me and cared

for me was a foreign concept to me. So I continued to

throw endlessly into this hole all the things that I

was always taught would fill me: relationships,

sports, fitness, hobbies, career, and any other vain

thing I could; but I was not filled. I became worried

and more frustrated than ever. But I was left hungry

for more love, more fulfillment.

A girlfriend brought (dragged) me to church because

she knew my emptiness, she had it before. We are in a

fallen world and have been separated from God by our

sins against Him. To my surprise, after the girl was

gone I was still going to church. I found out that I

loved it, and I saw that there was something no girl

could give, the unconditional love of God To ME. Also

at church, for some reason, people didn't care about

my age, style, past, or color, they received me as a

brother. At a winter camp in the mountains I was

listening to the speaker and I realized that just

because I went to church didn't mean I was a

Christian. And I finally figured out that not only

was God real, but God loved me beyond all human

comprehension and has been waiting all of my life for

me to finally realize it. So one day in march 1994 I

prayed and asked Christ into my heart to be my Savior

and Lord. How? Acts 16:31 says "believe in the Lord

Jesus and you will be saved." But belief by

definition has commitment involved, so when I believed

I simultaneously casted down all my other god's I was

worshipping, god of money (molek), god of sex

(Astarte, Baal), god of sports (Gr. Athena),god of

pride (nimrod)- I humbled myself and I was saved. Now

my desire is to pray to my God and to read His love

letter every day to find out just what those promises

mean, and what abundant life is all about- Jesus

Christ!

Why should you care? You don't have time for God,

right? You have too many unanswered questions right?

Too many contradictions needing to be corrected before

you will commit to this way of life? Well, God's

offer stands and you can stand there scratching you

head like I did for years thinking- `I wonder if it's

true?"

Or you can, like me and countless others, let

go of your life, and let God take your fears of death,

and of life, and of what other people thing of you and

you can stand to be different. How hard is it to sin?

Not hard at all. How hard is it to give in to

temptation? Easy as cake. Now, how hard is it to

follow Jesus? Way hard, too hard to do on our own for

sure… and this is why Religion fails. Man is trying

to live a Godly life and refusing to accept God's free

gift of life. We need God's personal relationship

established by free adoption into His family through

the benefits of being Born again (anew).

Why should you care? See, because we are not forced

to do the `right thing;' Christianity unlike most

Religions, allows me to step aside and look at my life

and `choose' for myself that this is what I want, I

don't have to jump in the band wagon anymore, I don't

have to. God taught me not `how it was' but for the

first time in my life I was taught to think for myself

and to come to my own conclusions through the personal

aid of the Holy Spirit surrounding my life. Before I

asked for forgiveness and prayed to receive salvation,

I was forced to be a slave to everyone else's ideas,

to just believe what people said because they have a

degree. Once I started to think for myself things

were different. No longer were things true `just

because we said so.' Everything ahs a purpose for

being so. And I found out that I have a purpose for

being too. And you have purpose. You are not,

contrary to popular belief, a random conglomeration of

molecules that decided to make itself legs, and lungs,

and eyes and walk out of the sludge somewhere. When

you learn to think you realize certain things. This

stuff just doesn't happen, it just doesn't! Why is

it that we can believe in things so bizarre and crazy

when at the same time forget the simple logic of God.

 

In the year 1996, I got in an 80mph collision with

the center divider of the freeway where the car

flipped three times and skidded 500 feet on the roof,

right down the fast lane of morning commute. And I'll

tell you what, nothing makes you think about the

afterlife when either you or someone you know are in

the process of death. 10 out of 10 die. See, I said

to God "If you are real…, and if you save me…, right

now lord as I am skidding to my death…I will give you

my life. And He not only saved me but I didn't have a

scratch on me (and the car was totaled). 2 Pet

3:9 says paraphrased--"The Lord is not slack (He

doesn't delay) concerning His promises, but even

though it seems that way to some, He is actually very

longsuffering (or extraordinarily patient) toward us.

And He is not willing that any should perish, but that

all should come to repentance." He isn't willing for

us to crash in this life, He want's us to be safe.

My sole question in life, is something I completely

don't understand- why isn't everyone a Christian? It

was once said "An athiest has a reason but no hope for

his reason. A hypocrite has a hope, but no reason for

His hope. A Christian Has a reason for his hope and a

hope for His reason; and, I might add: Life with

Christ is an endless hope. Without Christ is a

hopeless end.

[Guest guest]

Methinks we just got spammed. Quite the devilish communique.

 

In some circles, the Ego is represented by the Devil.

 

Rose

[Guest guest]

, "Fred & Rose Lieberman" <pyrite@c...>

wrote:

> Methinks we just got spammed. Quite the devilish communique.

>

> In some circles, the Ego is represented by the Devil.

>

> Rose

 

 

 

To a visitor who claimed he had no need to search for Truth because

he found it in the beliefs of his religion the Master said:

 

"There was once a student who never became a mathematician because he

blindly believed the answers he found at the back of his math

textbook —and, ironically, the answers were correct."

 

Anthony de Mello, S.J.

 

 

What can i say...it happened to appear in my mailbox.

 

;o)

 

d

[Guest guest]

Hi Grady,

 

, "gradyll" <gradyll> wrote:

> This is my search for "Higher Consciousness"

> No matter what I tried to throw into my life there

> still seemed to be something missing.

 

It's the same with everyone. The very momentum of seeking for

happiness keeps the unhappiness going. Happiness is "uncaused" and

within the everyday experience of everyone, when you aren't seeking

for external things. Turn to yourself first and your vision will

clear. Seeking for pleasures in 'worldly' things is a sure recipe

for an endless cycle of pain & pleasure, nothing more.

 

Peace,

 

Tim

[Guest guest]

Hi Grady,

 

It's a pleasure having you here with all of us. Thanks for the

amazing testimony that brought you to where you are now. It's always

nice to have different paths represented here. If you have any

questions of anyone and their particular path, please feel free to

ask.

 

Hope you've learned to slow that car down to the speed limit by

now! :-)

 

Love,

xxxtg

 

 

-- In , "gradyll" <gradyll> wrote:

> This is my search for "Higher Consciousness" (snipped)

[Guest guest]

well praise the LORD He is my God and king,

 

I think I would like all to know a little bit of the

obvious,

 

either one religion is right, or all are wrong.

Because if christianity is in the least bit right, at

all.....

 

then christianity believes

 

"No man comes to the father except through Christ"

 

that is John 14:6 in the Bible.

 

Either it's wrong or right

 

no in the middle

 

the father is in heaven, if we want to reach Him we

must go through Christ the door, if we go another road

the Bible calls us theives and robbers.

 

so either christianity is the only true religion,

 

or all religions including christianity are wrong.

 

you know what I mean, I mean tell me if I am wrong, I

love discussing this stuff.

 

I am open to everything, meaning

 

I like to hear ya out

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Grady, Grady, Grady. You're espousing an all-or-nothing legalistic

scenario. Not terribly productive, compassionate, or workable.

 

If I may be so bold...

 

The purpose of religion is to give an individual a system within which to

"work" with his/her spirituality. Spirituality is the food, the

nourishment. Religion tells us which fork to use, if we want to abide

within a framework of rules. But when the rules get in the way of the

nourisment, you either embrace the system and starve; or dump the system and

live.

 

Rose

[Guest guest]

Hi Grady,

 

, grady little <gradyll> wrote:

> well praise the LORD He is my God and king,

 

If you are truly devoted to the lord, that is termed "Bhakti-marga"

in Hinduism and is considered a spiritual path. Just try not to be

exclusive with it, and label other devotees as "devil worshippers" --

a sure recipe for divisiveness and violence.

> then christianity believes

>

> "No man comes to the father except through Christ"

>

> that is John 14:6 in the Bible.

>

> Either it's wrong or right

>

> no in the middle

 

Have you read the original Aramaic and/or Greek text, untranslated?

Don't jump to conclusions before doing this, and imho it's worthwhile

to research the history of the Bible as well. Try to think rather

than blindly believe... thought is not a 'tool of the devil', and

what is true stands up to analysis... don't be afraid of examining

things.

> so either christianity is the only true religion,

>

> or all religions including christianity are wrong.

 

This is the conclusion you came to -- why not examine your

conclusions? Life is not a black & white, either/or sort of thing --

this is the essence of duality, divisiveness, violence. The sort of

thing that initiated witch burnings and the crusades.

 

Peace,

 

Tim

[Guest guest]

, "gradyll" <gradyll> wrote:

> when at the same time forget the simple logic of God.

>

> In the year 1996, I got in an 80mph collision with

He want's us to be safe.

> My sole question in life, is something I completely

> don't understand- why isn't everyone a Christian? It

> was once said "An athiest has a reason but no hope for

> his reason. A hypocrite has a hope, but no reason for

> His hope. A Christian Has a reason for his hope and a

> hope for His reason; and, I might add: Life with

> Christ is an endless hope. Without Christ is a

> hopeless end.

 

Namaste,

 

Everyone is a Christian. There used to be a song about by

Donovan, 'Universal Soldier'. Check it out.

 

Christ means annointed one, probably some cognatives with the Greek

Kristos and Krista/Krishna.

 

What you see in Christianity is truths you can easlily recognise,

however they are present in different religions also.

 

In the end result it is good to raised in a religion, but one must

evolve beyond religion as Jesus did........Om Sakti....Saktidass.

[Guest guest]

, grady little <gradyll> wrote:

> well praise the LORD He is my God and king,

>

> I think I would like all to know a little bit of the

> obvious,

>

> either one religion is right, or all are wrong.

> Because if christianity is in the least bit right, at

> all.....

>

> then christianity believes

>

> "No man comes to the father except through Christ"

>

> that is John 14:6 in the Bible.

>

> Either it's wrong or right

>

> no in the middle

>

> the father is in heaven, if we want to reach Him we

> must go through Christ the door, if we go another road

> the Bible calls us theives and robbers.

>

> so either christianity is the only true religion,

>

> or all religions including christianity are wrong.

>

> you know what I mean, I mean tell me if I am wrong, I

> love discussing this stuff.

>

> I am open to everything, meaning

>

> I like to hear ya out

>

Hi Grady:

 

A look at what Non-duality means in the conceptual sense will help in

understanding the dilemna you are in. I don't think it has anything

to do with religion but with concepts about an assumed reality that

exists apart from ones beliefs, an objective universe. One's beliefs

can never describe God.

 

A religion tells one how to act where non-duality, IMHO, allows for

one to practice any religion that is useful in elliminating dualism.

 

Love is the binding force, atractiveness, bringing together two and

making them one. For me when I read John 14:6, I equate Christ with

love. God the Father is denied to all who are not currently loving.

 

Love your enemy because loving is the way to the Father and all

other ways lead away no matter how enticing.

 

Love

Bobby G.

[Guest guest]

, grady little <gradyll> wrote:

> so either christianity is the only true religion,

>

> or all religions including christianity are wrong.

>

> you know what I mean, I mean tell me if I am wrong, I

> love discussing this stuff.

>

> I am open to everything, meaning

> I like to hear ya out

 

Hi Grady,

 

We are not here to tell you if your religion/path is right or wrong.

Only you can answer that question. Is it possible you are doubting

the path you are on?

 

Love,

xxxtg

[Guest guest]

Hi LeTeegee,

 

, "teegee555" <Teegee555@a...> wrote:

> Hi Grady,

>

> We are not here to tell you if your religion/path is right or

wrong.

> Only you can answer that question. Is it possible you are doubting

> the path you are on?

 

Most likely, Grady is looking for a debate. The reason for this is

to further separate, to gain a stronger sense of separation and a

feeling of superiority -- this strengthens the sense of ego -- a

familiar, old and tired story for many of us.

 

When "spirituality" is built on blind beliefs (tamas), the only way

to maintain the separation is to "divide and conquer" -- if we are

the minions of Satan and Grant is the self-appointed defender of the

faith, he feels more secure in his beliefs. The action is very

different than recent terrorist attacks in the U.S., but the

underlying methodology is the same -- violent separation. It is the

essence of duality.

 

Namaste,

 

Tim

[Guest guest]

HarshaSatsaHe want's us to be safe.

> My sole question in life, is something I completely

> don't understand- why isn't everyone a Christian? It

> was once said "An athiest has a reason but no hope for

> his reason. A hypocrite has a hope, but no reason for

> His hope. A Christian Has a reason for his hope and a

> hope for His reason; and, I might add: Life with

> Christ is an endless hope. Without Christ is a

> hopeless end.

 

Namaste,

 

When Jesus said the way to the Father is through me, He was speaking

as 'The Universal Lord/Goddess. In other words he was speaking as the

Sakti and it is true the only way to Salvation/Liberation is throught

The Son/Sakti.

 

It is reading the gospels in exoteric modern terms that creates the

problem. Son, Father, Goddess etc are just conceptual descriptions.

 

We all live with the Christ Consciousnes, the Kutastha Chaitanya, but

we don't know it. Jesus' name was Jeheshua Bar Joseph, not Jesus

Christ. He was Jesus who put on or became the Christ/Jivanmukti....Om

Sakti....Saktidass.