Conversation Board - Testing 1-2-3: God calling

Bruce Moen YaBB Administrator Offline Posts: 587 YaBB Admin Land	Thanks Don Reply #15 - Aug 30^th, 2008 at 10:32pm Hey Don, Just wanted to say that I am thoroghly enjoying this thread. The precision of your logic is for me an experience of appreciating a work of art. The discussion it has sparked is a treat. Thanks, Don Bruce
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vajra

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Re: Testing 1-2-3: God calling
Reply #16 - Aug 31^st, 2008 at 6:55am

Good going Don.

I hope this isn't a diversion, but the nature of manifestations gets interesting if we factor in the view that some traditions hold to the effect that this entire dualistic reality is illusory, and a creation of mind subsequent to the separation I mentioned before.

This opens the possibility of differing types of manifestation - essentially Spirit, apparently (see below) embodied aspects of Spirit, or aspects of mind of varying intentions ranging from good to less so.

Add the creative nature of mind and it seems likely that not only may we receive communication from the above, but that these communications are packaged in forms we can relate to. Hence the possibility of communications from everything from aliens to angels and just about anything/anybody we can imagine in between.

So Spirit may manifest an apparently individual being as a means of communication, despite the fact that this being as a dualistic phenomenon presumably has no absolute existence.

Put another way. There's a view that the cosmos finds ways to speak to us using the library of concepts, images, language and so on that we are familiar with, but that these forms have no objective or absolute reality of themselves......

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Alan McDougall

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Re: Testing 1-2-3: God calling
Reply #17 - Sep 1^st, 2008 at 8:15am

Heck guys if God communicated with us all the time our free will will vanish. Then we will be controlled by a fear or respect aganist offending this infinite being.

So I believe God very seldom communicated with us in a direct manner such as an audible voice etc for this exact reason.

What about the Pope does God rate him in some way as very special?

Regards

Alan

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Blessings and Light

Alan McDougall

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Rog_B Junior Member Offline Afterlife Knowledge Member Posts: 54	Re: Testing 1-2-3: God calling Reply #18 - Sep 1^st, 2008 at 9:50am Just to follow up on Bruce's post- yes, Don is a great member of the AK board. He challenges us in our thinking, and adds an important perspective to afterlife discussions in terms of scriptural content and teachings. Thanks Don, and I surely hope you'll stick around for a long, long time.
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betson

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Re: Testing 1-2-3: God calling
Reply #19 - Sep 1^st, 2008 at 10:42am

Greetings,

A big difference exists between intensely wanting something and being open to or receptive to its existence, IMO.
A person might even be receptive to the possibility almost unconsciously, just because they opened that channel when reading of others who have had such contact -- Moses, for example. Attitude determines so much in the spiritual realms.

I can't decide about calling the messengers God. I guess it's a good idea because it keeps a person focussed in the right direction. Yet my own spiritual development didn't begin until I accepted that a whole hierarchy of heavenly spirits can be involved. -- It's still an overwhelming thought.

Bets

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There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
Shakespeare

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vajra

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Re: Testing 1-2-3: God calling
Reply #20 - Sep 1^st, 2008 at 1:17pm

A source like ACIM suggests that communication from God happens, but very rarely and not usually in personalised form Bets.

I too find it all a bit overwhelming - and it's such a subjective judgement as to what is actually happening.

I suspect too that what you say is true about the difference between consciously wanting and truly being open to communication - that quite apart from it taking two to tango that there's very few of us able to consciously access the deeper levels of mind/consciousness where these decisions are made...

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Berserk2

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Re: Testing 1-2-3: God calling
Reply #21 - Sep 1^st, 2008 at 3:43pm

Thanks everyone for the kind words. When people complain to me about life's unfairness and the implausibilty of their prior conceptions of God, I often invite them to play God and pretend that they could invent the spiritual laws and value system that governs our universe and alternate realities. Usually, they spotaneously espouse neglected biblical principles that they always assumed contradict Scripture. Then I encourage them to make it their top priority to develop a critically astute spiritual discernment through trial and error, a discernment that they can check out in a support group of likeminded explorers. Our church's Sunday night group features Bible studies with this difference: we focus on how biblical texts might enhance our quest to supplement personal beliefs with life-changing direct experience. To that end, our spiritual discernment must gradually subsume the role that sacred texts once exclusively assumed. Last night, Leah shared another glowing example of how marvelous spiritual intuition can be.

Leah's friend was driving down Interstate 90 in Montana. Suddenly she felt a strong impulse to find the nearest exit and turn back. This impulse was supplemented by the feeling that she should enter the lady's bathroom at a McDonalds she had passed several miles ago.
When she entered this McDonald's bathroom, she approached the closed toilet stall and simply asked, "Are you all right? I'm here to help?" A distraught female voice replied, "No, I'm not all right. I'm trying to find the nerve to commit suicide!" A long discussion ensued in which Leah's friend was able to give this depressed woman hope. The paranormal way in which she drove back to the scene allowed her to be perceived as an instrument of divine mercy and comfort.

How many of us would inconvenience ourselves by honoring such a seemingly irrational impulse? Openness to potentially healing impulses can be verified and upgraded in reliability through trial and error. Divine guidance is often a function of an experimental mindset that is free from the restraints of socially acceptable rational behavior.

Don

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Alan McDougall

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Re: Testing 1-2-3: God calling
Reply #22 - Sep 2^nd, 2008 at 7:50am

Don

While it is nice that God communicated directly with these skeptical members of your congregation and made them Christian mystics in the process, in my limited finite humble view he should first convince skeptical people of great influence and redeem them. Then maybe we could talk about moral absolutes becoming a reality

Of course God is Sovereign and does not need my silly advice and I know he will continue to do exactly what he likes with his creation.

I once in a severe uncontrollable manic state phoned the White House to and asked to speak to president Bush. The lady at the White house switchboard asked politely who was talking. I said ‘God’ there was a prolonged pause and she said ‘WHO???.’ So I then spelled God out for her G-O- D wants to speak to the president.

Another prolonged pause and she politely came back with the response, "I am sorry the president is not taking calls".

So the leader of the greatest power on earth was too busy to talk to Almighty God. ( I thought I knew where Ben Larden was hiding)

OK laugh if you like, but my poor wife did not think it very funny at the time and this account is absolutely true. Matthew being a doctor would know that a severe manic depressive like me when out of controll often experience this type of grandiosity, especially in the psychotic high mania I was in at the time.

"But the point is not that Don the point being that perhaps It could really have been God, and Bush was just to busy to talk to him"

By the way guys I have been I have been well controlled for years now and feel that I now know the active forum members to reveal more of myself to them.

Regards

Alan

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Blessings and Light

Alan McDougall

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recoverer Super Member Offline Afterlife Knowledge Member Posts: 5027 Gender:	Re: Testing 1-2-3: God calling Reply #23 - Sep 2^nd, 2008 at 12:23pm If we can feel love, then God can speak to us.
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Alan McDougall Super Member Offline Posts: 2104 South Africa Gender:	Re: Testing 1-2-3: God calling Reply #24 - Sep 2^nd, 2008 at 1:05pm Recoverer Quote: If we can feel love, then God can speak to us. Yes he can but does he really? Alan
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recoverer Super Member Offline Afterlife Knowledge Member Posts: 5027 Gender:	Re: Testing 1-2-3: God calling Reply #25 - Sep 2^nd, 2008 at 2:47pm Alan: I figure love is the main thing God would want to tell us about. Alan McDougall wrote on Sep 2^nd, 2008 at 1:05pm: Recoverer Quote: If we can feel love, then God can speak to us. Yes he can but does he really? Alan
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hawkeye

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Re: Testing 1-2-3: God calling
Reply #26 - Sep 2^nd, 2008 at 3:12pm

Don, This last story you related...Now, this lady had a impulse to turn around and go back to the gas station. Did she say she received a message from God when she relayed the story to you all, or just an impulse to turn around? If your beliefs are that the message comes from your God then surely that's where it comes from. But if you don't hold the belief that God communicates with us, then these messages come from where...? When I drive down our long and dangerous road to town. (some 100 Kms away and each way) many time I get this feeling to pull over to the side of the road. Many times it has saved my life as another vehicle was coming towards me on the wrong side of the road. This "message" I receive, in my case, I don't believe it comes from my God. But it comes from somebody (or thing). Isn't that really because of my personal belief through? "If" I believed they came from my God, then who could argue with me about it. I would be here saying "God speaks to me all of the time." Or " I talk directly to God". If I went around saying that I talked to God and he talked to me I could end up in a sanitarium. So Leah's experience...paranormal, yes....spriritual....yes.....devine...well.....I am not so sure. Only she knows. How fortunate if her God has seen fit to communicate with her. The love experienced must be overwhelming.

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Alan McDougall Super Member Offline Posts: 2104 South Africa Gender:	Re: Testing 1-2-3: God calling Reply #27 - Sep 3^rd, 2008 at 5:10am There are so many voices all speaking at once in my mind and dream, how can I know for absolute sure, which is God?, which is the devil?, which is my ow?n or even those of people all around me?? Neale Donald Walsh claims to be in constant touch with the almighty, the almighty has even become his personal buddy Alan
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Berserk2

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Re: Testing 1-2-3: God calling
Reply #28 - Feb 17^th, 2009 at 9:06pm

Just an update on the faith journeys of Shane and Leah:

Leah's Dad is a sweet man, but is a depressed alcholic who just lost his job. Her Dad made comments suggesting that he might just commit suicide. So Leah asked me to activate our church's prayer chain. A couple of days later, an insurance rep knocked on the door of this Dad's home in another city. There was no answer. The rep then did something bizarre. He checked the door handle and noticed that it was ajar. He then opened the door and looked in. His gaze caught the body of Leah's Dad who had just overdosed on sleeping pills. Dad is now in a treatment center and responding well.

So here are my 2 questions. (1) How likely is it these days that an insurance rep would make a house call at all, let alone a call shortly after a suicide attempt? (2) How likely is it that when his ringing and knocking got no response that he would not walk away, but would instead presume to open the unlocked door and look around? To me, this incident is an impressive verification that the recent prayers offered up in this Dad's behalf were answered. Testing 1-2-3: God calling--through this insurance rep.

Don

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DocM

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Re: Testing 1-2-3: God calling
Reply #29 - Feb 18^th, 2009 at 12:17pm

Don,

For me, your story is important, and touching, especially to me. The perfect synchronicity of events that leads to a good outcome defies the standard odds and probabilities.

However, I have seen the power of prayer groups and my own subconscious mind change and alter probabilities in the real world to bring about events. I had a profound experience with this for myself and my family on another forum about three years ago. The healing I and my family received, the protection and removal of a danger and threat did not have to occur, but for the synchronicity of events which defied any conventional odds. I owe that healing circle much, and I believe my own meditation and prayers helped a little with them.

The question then comes up, is it your prayer circle from the Church accessing their connection to God to change probabilities, or is it a more direct diivine intervention, independent of the intent of people? In the last case you describe, it appears to me that the good intent of your prayer group, changed the probabilities of events, and nudged the insurance rep. to the desired, loving outcome.

There are some cases, different than this, where a divine intervention appears to come out of left field, sometimes to those who don't believe in it.

Some mystics, and spiritual people of faith believe that there are no accidents - no randomn events, and they see every interaction they have in life (even the most mundane) as a chance to act in a loving or divine manner. While I haven't gotten to that stage, I hope to look for, find and see the synchronicities happen, as you describe.

When we access that power deep within us, as I know you have, and when it is coupled to a loving intention, then we truly get to see how awesome our creative power on this planet can be. It is humbling and at the same time invigorating, with all the fear of the afterlife and spirituality to hear stories like this of love and healing.

Matthew

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