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Posted by daNNy LuV 1TYM on 05-16-2003 05:44 AM:

god looks out for us

what a great testimony to faith. all i can is, this is truly a miracle. i'm not gonna say this is something remarkable and should be world-renowned or anything, but these events have definitely helped strengthen my faith.

as most of you have probably realized, God answers our prayers in ways we might not expect. once, five or six years ago when beanie babies were still popular, my entire family was in line for a raffle to buy Princess and Erin for $50. at the time, my sister and i didn't have a single bear and we desperate wanted one to add to our collection. so, while we stood in line for two hours, we kept praying and praying for a bear. i beleive my exact thoughts were, "God, please give us a bear." imagine my disappointment when the end of the raffle came and we hadn't been chosen. I was on the verge of tears, but we passed through the store anyway to look around. and, lo and behold! - there was Curly, an adorable little bear for only $11!! we bought him of course, and i realized that my prayers had been answered - just not exactly as i had imagined. after all, i had been wanting a bear with either Princess or Erin in mind; but i was equally satisfied with Curly.

a couple of weeks ago, i took my driver's test for the first time. i was extremely nervous and was prepared to fail. in fact, i was almost 100% sure i would fail, because i couldn't (and still can't) pull over to the curb or park for beans. and, when i saw my driving evaluator come towards me, i almost fainted - it was the dreaded indian woman!! several friends had told me she was the hardest one at the DMV and had failed almost every single one of the people she had judged. so, i steeled myself for failure and drove away. throughout the entire test, i kept repeating Hail Mary to myself over and over again. miraculously enough, we didn't do any 3 point turns; we didn't do any u turns; we didn't do any turnabouts; we didn't even go over a tricky intersection that is always guaranteed to be on the test. so, i passed.

my school has a student-run newspaper. the current staff picks the staff that is to replace them next year, and being a part of journalism is something i've always wanted to do. i've wanted to be a part of this newspaper ever since i was a freshman. however, when it came time to apply, my interview went horribly. they asked me the most fundamental interview questions and i didn't know how to respond to them. i cursed myself for my incompetence and was therefore wasn't very surprised when i saw the list didn't have my name. i knew i could write, because my english teacher of freshman year, who is the adviser for this organization, even expected me to be a part of journalism. there was nothing i could do to become a part of this, no matter how badly i wanted it. but a few days ago, the adviser came up to me and asked me if i still wanted to be a part of the team. i couldn't believe my ears. my chance was open right before my eyes! i don't know how often he made exceptions like this, since it is a student-run organization, but i thanked God that he gave me another chance to do something i love.

Just this last Saturday, i went to take my piano evaluation. i was testing for level 12, the final level in the MTNA organization (i hav no idea what it stands for or if it's just CA or national). i had been wanting to quit playing the piano for the last six years, but my parents (esp my mom) kept pushing me to finish all the levels. so this year, i pushed myself and practiced like i had never practiced before so i could pass and be done with piano forever. the big day rolled around, i was feeling fairly confident that i would walk away knowing i would never have to play another fugue, waltz, or sonata in my life unless i wanted to. but, i had underestimated my worst quality again - my nervousness. i can't help it. every time i have to perform or go before people, whether it's playing the piano, singing, dancing, speaking, or acting, i get insanely nervous and my heart starts beating at 100 mph. i dunno if it's just me, or if other people feel the same - but you'd think that after 9 yrs of playing the piano and 7 speech and debate tournaments, i'd get used to performing for people. well, nope. i was as nervous as ever, esp since the pressure to pass was on. anyway, i played the first piece fine, but when it came to the beethoven sonata - blast it!!! i blanked out entirely and my kind evaluator let me see my book so i could continue. that ruined me. for my third and last piece, i was so badly shaken i messed up again and knew it was over. i walked away from the room trying not to cry because there was still one part of the test - the hearing test. this was by far the most difficult part, but i was in such a crappy mood that i wrote down random things and got out of there as fast as i could. as soon as i was out of the building, i broke down crying and confessed to my parents that all the long months of preparation and practice had been for nothing. the knowledge of failing wasn't what made me cry so hard - it was the realization that i would have to continue playing for another long year to pass and finish off the horrid thing. my hatred for piano grew with each minute it took to get home. my parents were somewhat sympathetic, and were finally beginning to realize that i hated this and were even thinking about letting me stop even though i hadn't finished. that was fine by me. my teacher called and asked how i had done, and i told her exactly what i had done; she said it was all right and that i still had another year. i felt my heart sink at that. but today - miracle of miracles! my teacher called me to tell me that i had passed! i had passed the 12th level, which meant i was done!!! i was ecstatic and again, i have God to thank for letting me stop doing what i hated. if i hadn't passed, im sure my parents would probably have kept pressuring me to continue for another year, or until i passed.

i don't think God always answers our prayers for our own personal benefit, though. i believe he has everything planned out, but some people do things that they weren't meatn to do - like committing suicide. in my opinion, that is a very serious sin and is definitely not something god is happy about. answering our prayers could just a be a little thing on the side that may or may not contribute to his plan, but makes us happy.

but, sometimes our most pleading prayers go unanswered. last month, during my friend's brief hospital, everyone at my church prayed as hard as they could for god to leave her on earth for us. but, god couldn't do that and so even though it probably pained him to do so, he took her away from us. i wasn't angry with Him for not answering our prayers to leave her, because i realize He knows what He is doing and everything is according to what He has in mind.

from sharing all of this, i hope all of you can gain some insight or a new perspective on your faith. i don't proclaim myself an expert or very knowledgeable in Christianity or Catholocism; all i can say is that i believe in what He is doing.

Posted by Jj2 on 05-23-2003 09:25 AM:

great testimonies you inspire me and help me regain my faith in the Lord Himself. May God bless you

__________________
"Remember...hope is a good thing,
maybe the best of things,
and no good thing ever dies."

Posted by Crazydeb8ter on 05-23-2003 09:35 AM:

no offense, but i think God has better things to do than help girls pass their driver's exams or get little stuffed bears.

As you said, God doesn't always answers prayers for personal benefit, but then again, why should he? All your testimonies there (again, no offense intended) seem pretty self-centered, even to the extent of being quite trivial in nature.

__________________
ni pour ni contre; ça m'est égal

"The weight of this sad time we must obey,/ Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say./ The oldest hath borne most; we that are young/ Shall never see so much, nor live so long."
King Lear (V.3.300-304)

Posted by YaaMaKoh on 05-23-2003 07:43 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by Crazydeb8ter
no offense, but i think God has better things to do than help girls pass their driver's exams or get little stuffed bears.

As you said, God doesn't always answers prayers for personal benefit, but then again, why should he? All your testimonies there (again, no offense intended) seem pretty self-centered, even to the extent of being quite trivial in nature.

what other things can God do then? if we are true christians he will answer our prayers (the ones he find fit), its all about connecting with him through our mind and soul. although they are self centered, all she is trying to do is prove a point to us, that god is watching over us and he will help us in ways that we can not explain. and by what you have said, she probably has taken some offense for you testing her faith like that (i definitly would have). the testimonies she has listed has happened, and she has believed that god has helped her in those situatins, because how else can she explain it? and yes, he does answer all prayers... if you truly believe it will be done in some period of time, the reason why people are frustrated is because their faith isn't strong enough (like mine) but if you refer to pastors and missionaries think about how much theyve been through. the more you pray, the better you become at it which makes you more and more connected with god, therefore makes it easier to communicate with him. (read bible, pray, notes, quiet time, interpreting verses) that is what my youth pastor as said, and he knows by experience of him and through others. they are many ways to interpret faith, all about how you think of it, there is no one answer... the only way we can find the answer is pray and trust.

__________________

Posted by phil c on 05-23-2003 07:51 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by Crazydeb8ter
no offense, but i think God has better things to do than help girls pass their driver's exams or get little stuffed bears.

As you said, God doesn't always answers prayers for personal benefit, but then again, why should he? All your testimonies there (again, no offense intended) seem pretty self-centered, even to the extent of being quite trivial in nature.

you're right crazy, God doesnt always answer prayers, but thatz because the motives of those prayers are not just and right in God's eyes. God has better things to do? God can do infinite things at one time. and your comment about the tesitimonies being self-centered and trivial? God helps us to our own benefit when God sees it fit. If God chose to help danny, then that's totally right because God's always right. And testimonies being trivial is totally wrong in my opinion (no offense i totally respect ur opinion) because testimonies are written or said or made for the purpose to glorify God, and that's the most important thing to do. God helps us----we help God by glorifying Him.

__________________
phil c

Posted by requiem on 05-23-2003 09:56 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by phil c
you're right crazy, God doesnt always answer prayers, but thatz because the motives of those prayers are not just and right in God's eyes. God has better things to do? God can do infinite things at one time. and your comment about the tesitimonies being self-centered and trivial? God helps us to our own benefit when God sees it fit. If God chose to help danny, then that's totally right because God's always right. And testimonies being trivial is totally wrong in my opinion (no offense i totally respect ur opinion) because testimonies are written or said or made for the purpose to glorify God, and that's the most important thing to do. God helps us----we help God by glorifying Him.

__________________
When the day is done
you are all that is left

Posted by Crazydeb8ter on 05-24-2003 06:59 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by YaaMaKoh
what other things can God do then?

Something that is actually relevant to his commandments.

quote:
Originally posted by YaaMaKoh
and yes, he does answer all prayers...

Let's take one out of a million scenarios and plug it back into your absolute statement. A man during the Bataan Death march stops for a while on the side of the road to pray to get back to his family in america. A japanese soldier, walking up and down the line spots the man and decides to make an example of the soldier who isn't moving with the line and keeping pace with the rest of the prisoners. The Japanese soldier grabs his rifle and runs the american through, gashing the man's abdomen and spilling his guts all over the road. The Japanese soldier then grabs the corpses hair and decapitates the dead man, leaving a headless body resting in a pathos-invoking, and ultimatley helpless posture.
Yes, God does answer all of prayers. Yes, indeed.

quote:
Originally posted by YaaMaKoh
if we are true christians he will answer our prayers (the ones he find fit)

Yes, getting beanie babies and driver's licenses are oh so fit for his almighty plan- meanwhile, we have the soldier in my above example praying his ass off, trying to invoke the power which he has steadfastly followed for his entire life, dying with his prayer ultimately unfufilled. His prayer, constrasted to the exhortations for little stuffed animals and other things that have nothing to do with advancing god's faith and commands, must have been inadequate in comparison.
At least we know what to pray for now.

quote:
Originally posted by phil c
you're right crazy, God doesnt always answer prayers, but thatz because the motives of those prayers are not just and right in God's eyes.

And yes, self-serving goals such as adding a new toy to your collection are very right, as well as extremely just. Give me a break. Reality deems a contradictory case, and what happens in real-life is the outcome of God's decrees (or so religious kiddies say). Therefore, how you can make the assumption that some prayers are not just or right is ludicrous, even brashly offensive.

quote:
Originally posted by phil c
God helps us to our own benefit when God sees it fit.

and getting something that will have no impact on your future whatsoever is deemed as "fit", while others starve, die, and puke their guts out literally in front of their parents.
God must have a sick sense of humor.

quote:
Originally posted by phil c
because testimonies are written or said or made for the purpose to glorify God, and that's the most important thing to do. God helps us----we help God by glorifying Him.

Ah the superficiality of religion. Getting a beanie baby or a driver's license does not glorify God- it makes him look fickle and quite frankly, stupid in his choices.
Now, i'm not arguing that it's bad to glorify God, or that he's a terrible deity, but I'm just saying that little events like these wherein God "helps us out", which have no lasting effect upon His own greater glory, and which do not have any basis upon his own words- the commandments, are not a product of his will but rather, chance events that happen.

Oh, btw, why did askdlgjjkgkl's (or whatever his name is) post get deleted?

On another note to danny, how is getting a beanie baby 'helping you out' (refer to the thread title) anyhow. Does is bring you lasting joy? Does is give you pleasure? Can it do tricks? Does he do a little dance? Clarify if i've misunderstood you, but I cannot see the little stuffed animal's concrete role in 'helping you out'

Posted by daNNy LuV 1TYM on 05-28-2003 02:19 AM:

quote:
Originally posted by Crazydeb8ter
Oh, btw, why did askdlgjjkgkl's (or whatever his name is) post get deleted?

On another note to danny, how is getting a beanie baby 'helping you out' (refer to the thread title) anyhow. Does is bring you lasting joy? Does is give you pleasure? Can it do tricks? Does he do a little dance? Clarify if i've misunderstood you, but I cannot see the little stuffed animal's concrete role in 'helping you out'

i don't know how the post got deleted

and about the beanie baby - at the time, it did seem like he was helping me out. adding to my beanie baby collection may seem insignificant now, but at the time, it was extremely important to me. when he gave me the chance to get that bear, i thought he really was helping me enlarge my collection and by happy. it does bring me everlasting joy, because i'll remember that event for the rest of my life. i don't know if He does a little dance, but if it makes Him happy to see me happy, then He can dance all He wants. the only trick my bear can do is to restore my faith every time i look at it.

now, i realize that that isn't a paramount event in this world, but when i gave these little testimonies of faith, i wasn't trying to impress people with awe-inspiring stories that could be recorded in books or something. i know these stories probably seem stupid, but i wasn't planning on having atheists, agnostics, or skeptics pick at everything i shared. really, i don't think any of the above-mentioned kind of people will understand these kinds of stories.

so you think this is all unjust - that my little prayers about driver's licenses and beanie babies go answered while the soldier in the bataan march died. well - who are you, or i, or anyone else to say what is fair? what is fair? no one can say. no matter how you try to point out all the flaws in religion or anything, you yourself cannot say what is fair in this world, and what isn't.

Posted by YaaMaKoh on 05-28-2003 02:46 AM:

crazydeb.. why must you question the miracles of god? if we believe than leave it like that (something coincidental like a beanie baby), there is no point in changing our view of what we believe in. i know your trying to state a point, and i understand of what your coming from, but really.. tesing our faith and debating in what we seem to believe in is kind of ridiculous.. it is spiritual life you know
and i deleted that post, i thought it was unnecessary, offending to the original user of this thread. LOLOLOLOL is not an opinion or a fact, just someone who laughs at others beliefs, which ticked me off.

__________________

Posted by Crazydeb8ter on 05-28-2003 05:45 AM:

quote:
Originally posted by YaaMaKoh
crazydeb.. why must you question the miracles of god?

why not

quote:
Originally posted by YaaMaKoh
if we believe than leave it like that (something coincidental like a beanie baby), there is no point in changing our view of what we believe in. i know your trying to state a point, and i understand of what your coming from, but really.. tesing our faith and debating in what we seem to believe in is kind of ridiculous.. it is spiritual life you know

You are basing your replies on a dire misconception- I did not, in any post, try to convert people or test the amount of faith others have. Give me a break. How you reached made such a leap in reasoning is completely irrational, and might I add, ludicrous.

quote:
Originally posted by daNNy LuV 1TYM
but i wasn't planning on having atheists, agnostics, or skeptics pick at everything i shared. really, i don't think any of the above-mentioned kind of people will understand these kinds of stories.

that is quite ironic, considering that the Lord's message is supposed to be universal; and what you're proposing is a construct of excusivity between those who are faithful and those who are not.

quote:
Originally posted by daNNy LuV 1TYM
well - who are you, or i, or anyone else to say what is fair? what is fair? no one can say. no matter how you try to point out all the flaws in religion or anything, you yourself cannot say what is fair in this world, and what isn't.

Very well, if you really want to play the subjectivity game then i'll just demand, "who knows the true message of god, and how does your belief system dictate the standard upon which dissent is screened against?"
btw don't give me that "who knows what's really fair" shit because the contrast between the two example are great enough so that the answer is obvious.

Posted by YaaMaKoh on 05-28-2003 12:07 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by Crazydeb8ter
why not

You are basing your replies on a dire misconception- I did not, in any post, try to convert people or test the amount of faith others have. Give me a break. How you reached made such a leap in reasoning is completely irrational, and might I add, ludicrous.

that is quite ironic, considering that the Lord's message is supposed to be universal; and what you're proposing is a construct of excusivity between those who are faithful and those who are not.

Very well, if you really want to play the subjectivity game then i'll just demand, "who knows the true message of god, and how does your belief system dictate the standard upon which dissent is screened against?"
btw don't give me that "who knows what's really fair" shit because the contrast between the two example are great enough so that the answer is obvious.

bah... heres no hope of giving up in you is there? i tried

__________________

Posted by daNNy LuV 1TYM on 05-29-2003 12:12 AM:

quote:
Originally posted by Crazydeb8ter
that is quite ironic, considering that the Lord's message is supposed to be universal; and what you're proposing is a construct of excusivity between those who are faithful and those who are not.

Very well, if you really want to play the subjectivity game then i'll just demand, "who knows the true message of god, and how does your belief system dictate the standard upon which dissent is screened against?"
btw don't give me that "who knows what's really fair" shit because the contrast between the two example are great enough so that the answer is obvious.

it is universal. the choice is yours to make whether you want to heed it or not. i'm just saying that for those who refuse to believe, they of course won't acknowledge it.

no one knows the true message of god. and exactly what 2 examples were you referring to? beanie babies and that man's death? death is never "fair" to us. do you i think I thought it was fair that my friend had to die?
anyway...i can't answer all your challenges and questions. i don't profess to know everything about my faith and the doings of God, because He does seem whimsical to me at times.

Posted by Crazydeb8ter on 05-29-2003 12:51 AM:

quote:
Originally posted by YaaMaKoh
i tried

Tried what? To stop a potentially fruitful discussion from ever occuring? In that case, I would have to stand up and applaud your hapless attempt at pseudo-censorship.

quote:
Originally posted by daNNy LuV 1TYM
it is universal. the choice is yours to make whether you want to heed it or not. i'm just saying that for those who refuse to believe, they of course won't acknowledge it.

heed and understand are two completely different things. You said 'understand' and that is what i am addressing.

quote:
Originally posted by daNNy LuV 1TYM
no one knows the true message of god. and exactly what 2 examples were you referring to? beanie babies and that man's death? death is never "fair" to us. do you i think I thought it was fair that my friend had to die?
anyway...i can't answer all your challenges and questions. i don't profess to know everything about my faith and the doings of God, because He does seem whimsical to me at times.

very well then. So why, therefore, are you accusing me of not understanding and attacking the "flaws" of something that no one even knows the truth of.

Posted by daNNy LuV 1TYM on 06-01-2003 02:49 AM:

it seemed that you weren't just attacking the flaws of the religion, but more like you were condemning all of it. sorry if i misinterpreted, but that's how i saw it.

Posted by Crazydeb8ter on 06-01-2003 03:58 AM:

quote:
Originally posted by daNNy LuV 1TYM
it seemed that you weren't just attacking the flaws of the religion, but more like you were condemning all of it. sorry if i misinterpreted, but that's how i saw it.

its ok

Posted by .aS.|5p!7f!|23 on 06-02-2003 12:59 AM:

i dont like victor as a person but he owns the debate.

Posted by requiem on 06-02-2003 02:39 AM:

It's easier to "own" debates with logic and reason.

__________________
When the day is done
you are all that is left

Posted by kRypTic_nABi on 06-02-2003 03:00 AM:

quote:
Originally posted by .aS.|5p!7f!|23
i dont like victor as a person but he owns the debate.

so you knoe vic personally?

Posted by daNNy LuV 1TYM on 06-03-2003 04:20 AM:

quote:
Originally posted by requiem
It's easier to "own" debates with logic and reason.

true. it's usually easier to make judgements when one is objective and isn't biased.

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