RonD1120

Substance abuse/chemical dependency is a primary Axis I diagnosis according to the DSM-IV. There is no further consideration of core problems. Stay abstinent, stop committing crime. If you use, you go to jail. I don't know of any truly free programs. They are usually not for profit organizations but BIG bucks flow through them. Clients are required to pay something. In my last position, a court ordered probationer paid about $650-700 for the 12 week program. It is my understanding that alcoholism in the Muslim culture is punishable by death. I may be mistaken but seems like I heard it grouped in with homosexuality and the like. Many recovery programs exits without Jesus. As I said earlier, the concept is higher power, God as you understand him. Yes, I support them and yes, they are effective. You do not have to be a Christian to be straight, clean and sober. I prefer Christian counseling but, I am a professional and can operate in any client centered environment. I don't care if the client chooses to worship the high priest of the church of the live wire. Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

Well, that just wiped out and negated the professional field of substance abuse/chemical dependency. I retired just in the nick of time, eh. I'm sure that a free program is more popular than the $40 an hour psychologist. The "whatever is the most popular is correct" technique of decision-making is amazingly poor. Perhaps that is how they started their chemical dependency. The "higher power" technique is crutch substitution. It provides a stopgap measure for people whose problems have overwhelmed them. "I can't deal with my problems without a drink." "Put all your problems in the hands of the mythical being and don't worry." That's not a solution. The goal is problem solving not problem avoidance. Psychiatrists may provide medication in the short term until actual healing can occur, but the goal is healing. No, the goal is "abstinence based recovery." Once an alcoholic/addict always an alcoholic/addict. There is no cure, only management. At least that is the way it is at this time. The cost of a licensed and certified mental health counselor on a private basis is more like $150/hour. Most insurance companies will pay for three sessions. Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

First, Wendy did an excellent job responding to your posts. Second, I have no profit motive here, 12 step programs have no profit motive beyond sustaining presence. Their primary function is to offer support. The 10% tithe concept comes from the OT and is not mentioned in the NT. Unfortunately, many churches in America abuse that concept but, no one is forced to attend those churches. I do not represent any church. My purpose here is fellowship not recruitment. I share my stories, my beliefs, my experiences, go do whatever you want. Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

I have read and re-read your response and it makes perfect sense. I cannot pick holes in your train of thought. Back in the late 80's I produced and hosted a call-in TV show on Public Access targeted to Vietnam Veterans. It was called "LZ VICTORY." I remember getting into this same debate with a caller. I have ended up in the same place with your response as with his. Namely, I wish I could prove what you say is true. If I could be certain that my peace of mind, sense of being loved by God, deliverance from fear, alcohol/drugs, and generally having a purpose in life where none existed prior was simply a manifestation of my college education, experience as a sport parachutist, or being a military veteran then I could have marketed that path for personal financial gain. I can't find any ego centric evidence that indicates my positive change of life style was anything other than a supernatural gift from God's grace that began when I surrendered to Jesus Christ on 16 Mar 81 and was followed by three other supernatural experiences during Apr 83. The explanation of God's grace and favor actually belonging to and a product of mortal man is generally referred to as reprobate. That is given to the flesh, denying God, seeing self as god. When a person maintains that perspective of philosophical reasoning he is denying the ministry and guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is my understanding that such behavior, expression and conviction is regarded as the unpardonable sin. Meaning, if a person denies the path to Christ, then he can never be forgiven. Forgiveness comes from Christ and the individual must voluntarily seek Him. The Holy Spirit points the way; the choice is personal free will. Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

used to fish people that have problems into a culty sect and gather new members; when they're down, kick them in the dirt, take all their money and tell them they're healed now! You are so far off base with that remark you have made yourself look foolish. Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

He was certainly Jewish. He was also the Messiah, The Son of God, The Word in the flesh, The Son of man, the propitiation for man's sin, victorious over death to name a few things. When Saul encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus his name became Paul and he was subsequently directed to take the message to the Gentiles. Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

Well, that just wiped out and negated the professional field of substance abuse/chemical dependency. I retired just in the nick of time, eh. i'm interested in what you stated here, can you please expand on what you mean? Every treatment program I have worked in since the mid-80's utilizes the 12 step program in some manner. The 12 step program is based on surrendering to a higher power. Google 12 Step, Twelve Step, Alcoholics Anonymous or, Narcotics Anonymous. There are others but this is the core. Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

Thank you. So if God loves all equally then why did you make a distinction between Sprit filled Christians, Christmas and Easter Church attenders and the hedge betters? God doesn't make the distinction, men do. Thats right, YOU did, why? Referencing rlucus post and question. He said he knew Christians whom he did not consider fanatics. Among believers there are "in house" distinctions. Not everyone who attends a church is a Christian. An saying, "Going to church won't make you a Christian anymore than sleeping in a garage will make you a car." My message is and always has been, to be a Christian you must have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ of Nazareth as your personal Lord and Savior. Without that relationship you are merely following a religious dogma, code, tradition, catechism, etc. I guess if you had to label me it would be something like born again, Spirit filled. Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

Obviously, you don't know Him. Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

What is evasive? God is love and loves all equally. Not all love God. Thank you. So if God loves all equally then why did you make a distinction between Sprit filled Christians, Christmas and Easter Church attenders and the hedge betters? God doesn't make the distinction, men do. Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

Well, that just wiped out and negated the professional field of substance abuse/chemical dependency. I retired just in the nick of time, eh. Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

Too old. If I were younger I would certainly consider it. A friend of mine is a US NAVY Chaplain, LTCMDR, and he advised me that the military is conducting missionary efforts throughout that part of the world in delicate social interface with foreign commanders. Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

What is evasive? God is love and loves all equally. Not all love God. Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

I will forward your message to Mike Swain. I don't think he frequents DZ.com. Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

No, Muslims have the same option for salvation as anyone through Jesus Christ. Obviously, Muslims have a very small probability of accepting Him. Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

Excellent, thank you for your thoughtful response. I am going to think about what you wrote and get back to you later. I am working outside at this time. I have read or heard of your conceptual philosophy before but I forget the context. Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

I think they are one and the same. What you describe as "a personal spiritual relationship with God" and "the awakened awareness within your soul", I describe as "a conscious thought process within - and created by - a sentient mind" - nothing more, nothing less. You think the difference you're describing is incomprehensible to me. But it's not; I do understand the concept, albeit as an abstraction. I simply don't believe in its existence in actual fact. I have to admit, I'm starting to feel like I'm on a psychedelic merry-go-round. The terms "sentient mind or sentient being" are used frequently in your posts. I felt like I had some familiarity with the concept but it was not used in the counseling facilities where I have been employed. So I Googled it and it led me primarily to Alan Watts. OK, I know a little about Watts, no problem. The difficulty I have in understanding your position is that you separated sentient being/mind from mystical experience and Watts refers to the term as mystical within the Buddhist philosophy. If fact it appears that he believes it unique to Buddhism. Sentient beings with sentient minds have spiritual epiphanies. Your posts appear to have an inherent contridiction of thought. Please clarify your position. Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

To answer the question, fanatic is an adjective used by the observer to a greater extent than the participant. The NT covenant states that we all have equal opportunity to come into relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Most refuse to accept the gift. Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

Minor correction to your post, my born again experience occurred in 1981 not 1972. I agree with what you state. Bottom line, I have experienced the supernatural epiphany of entering into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. And, that is a very good thing. I truly believe that experience is available to others, as a very good thing. Those not interested have their choices. The amusing thing to me is that the naysayers don't seem to have to ability to ignore Christian testimony. There's something about the name of Jesus. If the whole concept is foolishness why bother to refute it? Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

I think your post is right on. In my situation nothing made concrete sense until I experienced being "born again" on 16 Mar 81. I had been on a spiritual quest since 1972 when the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said, "Why don't you try Jesus, you've tried everything else?" I was alone at Mono Lake in the Sierra Nevada Mountains at the time. It was right after sunset. He gave me a mental picture of being inside a C-47, looking out the door. Many times I had gone through a fuselage door into the unknown. He challenged me to go through the door of salvation by surrendering to Jesus Christ. It has often been said that going to church won't make you a Christian anymore than sleeping in a garage will make you a car. Establishing a relationship with God comes from the heart not from rote memorization of religious concepts. At least, that was how it was for me. Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

I am not a member of the Roman Catholic Church. Yes, that is certainly true. I saw that I was dead in my sin. I reached out Jesus and experienced being born again. Then I started reading and studying the Bible. My relationship with the Lord began to grow and I began experiencing blessings. Things started happening for me instead of to me. And so you should. It does no good whatsoever to accept a path without heart. Just remember when you have your back against the wall, you're lost, and things seem hopeless they are not. When you get to the point where Jesus is all that you have, you will find that Jesus is all you need. File the info in the back of your mind. It will come in handy. Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

A Christian fanatic is anyone who loves Jesus Christ more than you do. I am not Christian in any way. I know plenty of Christians that are not fanatics. Your definition is flawed. Are they Spirit filled Christians, carnal Christians or Christmas and Easter Christians hoping to get their ticket punched? Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

A Christian fanatic is anyone who loves Jesus Christ more than you do. Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

I understand, I used to have the same attitude and say the same things when I was your age. It sounds as though you have thus far avoided the responsibility of being a husband, father and provider. The light bulb did not begin to glow for me until I was almost 40 YO. Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

I was in a men's prayer breakfast a while back. One of the members was a retired Green Beret NCO. Following the breakfast he made a poignant statement, "When you have the Holy Spirit in you, the Bible becomes the greatest love letter ever written and it is just for you." Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.