Miles' Faith
On the net, I'm sometimes known as The Unorthodox Fundie.
Doctrinally, I'm somewhat of a fundamentalist.
(Though I'm pretty unorthodox for a fundie, I've recently
found out I'm more Orthodox than I had realized.)
While this means I view certain things that
are currently Politically Correct as sinful,
it in no way means that I want to shoot someone
on sight just because of their behavior or
lifestyle.
Jesus made a major difference in my life.
Still does. I'd probably be dead, or at best
have a prison record for a resume by now, otherwise.
I'll happily discuss such things with anyone
interested (naturally, my ``testimony''
[1] is
rather bizarre), but don't want to shove
anything down anyone's throat any more than I
want someone else's view shoved down mine.
You need to know Him, but I recognize that you
have the right to dispute that.
The only answer I have for that is why I would.
I guess I'm sort of a Pentecostal, Charismatic, Baptist, Lutheran,
Methodist, Orthodox, Catholic, Presbyterian, Trinitarian, Saved by
Grace, God is both Just and Merciful sort of guy.
Yup. I haven't yet found a box I really fit into. Nor have I
found a box to fit God. There's just not enough material for
that one. What it all boils down to is...
- God loves you.
- God loves me.
- No, this isn't the Barney song. [2]
- We all sin (that is, we do things that separate us from God).
- God doesn't like being separated from the people He loves,
and knows it isn't healthy for us.
- So God sent His son Jesus down as a human.
- Jesus lived a perfect life,
was murdered by those who disagreed with Him, refused
to be dead, came back to Earth, and went back to heaven.
(He moved around more than I do.)
- Shortly after that, His spirit showed up in a majorly
awesome way to dwell in & with His people.
- Jesus' death can take the place of our ultimate death
(not our physical death, but our separation from God,
both now and for all time, and on out beyond time).
- If you believe this, and ask Jesus to forgive you for
your sins (screwups against God), then He comes to
live with you, and when your body dies, you go to live
with Him, in the coolest place ever (harps are optional
(I'm hoping for a radical guitar, and the ability to
play far better, or maybe just to be able to sing like
Robert Plant and Diana Ross)).
Some people think Christianity is a bunch of rules. It isn't.
It's a relationship.
There are some rules. Real freedom generally includes boundaries.
"You're free to roam anywhere inside the fence. Outside the fence
there are wild animals that will kill you." The boundaries are
there to protect, not limit. And in fact, the area inside the
boundaries is much, much bigger than the area outside the boundaries.
For instance, in the Garden of Eden, the fence was around one tree.
The point is not ``you have to give up all this stuff''. The
point is that Someone loves you. Someone who is the daddy and
mommy you always wished your parents were. Someone who is the
perfect lover / friend / companion / brother / sister you always wanted,
but never quite had. Someone who loves
you just as you are. Unconditionally. Not
``when you get your act together'', or ``when you change'', or
``when you quit doing this and that''. Yeah, the boundaries
remain. And after you discover why they are there, you won't
want to cross them any more. God doesn't force you to do
things at gun point (zap point, whatever). God shows you reality,
explains your options and the consequences, and you make the
choices.
Some pretty amazing, way cool stuff happened at our summer Youth Camps:
- 2006
- 1999-2005 - I have never written these up. I missed one of them
covering at work for someone with a death in the family. But they
were all great, too.
- 1998
- 1997
- 1996
- 1995
Or read about when
the Toronto Thang came to Austin.
rmc (say what?)
Because I'm a Christian who happens to love music, I maintain the
general FAQ
for the Usenet News group
rec.music.christian
(which I also read and participate in when I have time), and
its web pages.
Notes
[1] from the greek "testa" meaning origins,
and the Romanesque "antimony" (a metal), which
combine to mean, "the roots of heavy metal". Yes,
I remember when early Black Sabbath was as heavy
as it got.
[2] But the next line IS, "We nailed Jesus
to a tree."
Last modified: 26 Jun 2006
Miles O'Neal
<roadkills.r.us@XYZZY.gmail.com>
[remove the "XYZZY." to make things work!]
c/o RNN / 1705 Oak Forest Dr / Round Rock, TX / 78681-1514