Sunday, February 26, 2006

Forums

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Do you post on forums all day, David?

Pert near. It's my job.

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Do you ever get tired of it?

Yes, and then God sends encouragement and breathes fresh life into me again. I also take a much-needed break and watch something on tv like Cold Case or CSI Miami or CSI Las Vegas.

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What does your mother and other relatives think of your religious views?

At first when my Grandma Vivian Hoover found out I was keeping the biblical Sabbath and festivals, she said, "Why, you're not Jewish?" I told her they were given to Israel to share with the world and that we are Israelites and encouraged her to look into it. She wrote - before looking into it, don't think she ever did before dying of leukemia at 70 - she thought it was more "fancy than fact." Which still tickles me to this day how she phrased that in a letter to me.

Grandma's sister, my great Aunt Neva, is a Baptist and knows my views and at first was typically negative about Herbert Armstrong, and then when she found out we believe Jesus is the Son of God, our Lord and Savior who died as our Passover Lamb, she agreed to disagree on other points. That's also how my mom's side of the family (Baptist, Apostolic, etc.) feel now after all these years. My great aunt has read Beyond Babylon: Europe's Rise and Fall and gave it to her minister who liked it and has quoted parts from it during his sermons, to her delight and my pleasant surprise!

My mother, who isn't "religious" knows there is a God who has intervened in my life and saved me from physical and spiritual harm, since I've survived Operation Desert Storm in Israel, a bloody robbery attempt on my life years ago, drug and alcohol abuse and addiction, etc. My mother and sisters all said God definitely has looked after me and I know He has too. He is most merciful, kind and good!

I was hurt when my youngest sister was shocked when she found out I first had HIV, because she said I was like "the chosen one." I told her those God calls to Him are responsible for how we respond to Him daily, even held to a higher standard than those who don't know better about this or that, and that God is just in all things and Father knows best and I'm sorry I haven't lived a perfect life and have been unfaithful to God too many times, backsliding and all, but that as long as we get back up and don't quit, God will forgive and forget our sins and renew us and bless us and receive us, like the Father of the prodigal son, even 70 times 70.... the conversion process takes time - a lifetime of growing and overcoming, living and learning and yearning for God's righteousness and being accepted already in His sight as clean and without sin, when we accept the blood of the Lamb who's got us covered! His sacrifice and resurrection is more than sufficient for all who ask for the pardon and the power at the Throne of Grace.

My family is used to me no longer keeping the pagan holidays and will even joke about them being pagan or something about pork, etc. But we all LOVE ONE ANOTHER and I praise God for it.

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