I’m sure you’ve ask where all the stuff Bob writes comes from. Well the truth of the matter is; so does Bob. Does most of it come from My Father in Heaven? I believe it does but that’s my belief.
I’m guilty of withholding a part of what I was told before I started this blog. So here it is in full: “While others teach using the scriptures, yours is to speak softly and use a tender touch. You will be shown where and how.”
Does My Friend (My Father in Heaven) talk to me in plain English? I believe He does. You believe what you want. I also believe anyone can ask questions and receive answers IF he or she has faith they can. They must also learn to listen and accept the hardest prayer line of all; (Your Will will be done).
When I ask a question, and some days I ask several, usually each question is carefully thought out. Other times they just seem to pop out. No, I don’t pray the questions; I just ask the question as I would of any of my other friends.
When I get my answer it’s an entirely different story! As the answer comes into my heart or my brain (I’m not sure which) that one answer is all I can hear. I hear or feel the words over and over. The words overpower any other thought. I hear nothing but those words over and over. It never stops until I write each word down. If I write them differently than they are spoken to me. The words continue to overpower everything else. The answer continues until each word is in its proper place. My final instruction is to date the answer I’ve just been given. I believe each answer has been given to me by My Father in Heaven, if you don’t, so be it.
Several things I’ve noticed about the answers are: many times those answers are in words I never use in my everyday speech also some of the words are words I have no idea of the meaning of until I ask or look them up.
Other times I have been told beneficial things without asking. An example of this is: Sept. 5, 2010- Harvest and dry some young tender leaves of the Lantana plant. Tea from these leaves will eliminate problems both of you will have this coming winter.
My feelings are; since my health will no longer allow me to continue my prison ministry My Friend has given me another way to continue his work.
This is my best, though long winded, answer to that question
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Monday, September 6, 2010
Meditation
Each day I try to spend some time in meditation. I use this time to plan my day, week, month, and sometimes my life.
I also use this time to talk to my Father in Heaven. I use this time to ask question and often to receive answers. Often my questions are unique to me and may sound strange to others, but they are my questions and I feel they are important enough to me that I feel I need to go to my God for answers.
When I have a problem really troubling me I have found I can ask no better source. It may sound strange to others but, the often mentioned eternal life, so often spoken of in church, has caused me much anxiety. One day I decided to talk to Him about my problem.
Many times, while sitting in church, I have heard people speaking of spending eternity in heaven sitting at the right hand of the Lord. They speak of sitting with the greatest teacher, learning the secrets of the universe. This eternity thing is forever! That is a mighty long time just to sit there and learn everything and the do nothing with all that knowledge!
I told Him that I wanted to spend time with Him, I wanted to thank Him for the many blessings I had received in my earth life. Then I told Him that I felt eternity had to be more than that. Then I ask “What can I do to help”?
After the conversation I continued with my meditation. Several days later, while in the midst of another meditation, I found myself in an unfamiliar location. I has standing in a narrow dry wash. I was at the bottom of a narrow dry creek bed with the sides standing above me. It was then I realized I had no shoes! I was standing in soft sand that felt like talcum powder. It had a pleasant feeling squishing between my toes.
As I looked ahead a person appeared. I stood there for a moment, and then I turned and started walking back down the dry stream bed. I knew the person was following a few feet behind me. We walked a short distance to an area where the dry wash ended at a small stream. At the junction stood a large shiny black rock that stood taller than me.
As I looked at the rock I expected to see my image, but the image I saw was that of the person that had been walking behind me. I reached out and touched the hand of the reflected image. Then I turned and started walking along the small stream. The person I had touched was now walking side-by-side, hand-in-hand with me. After a few steps we were walking with our arms around each other. There was a feeling of trust and love that I had never felt in my earth life! Only then did I realize neither of us was clothed but it was of no matter.
After walking a short distance my companion ask a voiceless question “where are the others”. My mute answer was “they are ahead”.
I feel my anxieties were answered. I now know that when I get there I will not be bored.
A while back I ask My Friend about meditation.
His answer was: Meditation is an important part of living-it gives your outer body the chance to unite with your inner spirit.
I also use this time to talk to my Father in Heaven. I use this time to ask question and often to receive answers. Often my questions are unique to me and may sound strange to others, but they are my questions and I feel they are important enough to me that I feel I need to go to my God for answers.
When I have a problem really troubling me I have found I can ask no better source. It may sound strange to others but, the often mentioned eternal life, so often spoken of in church, has caused me much anxiety. One day I decided to talk to Him about my problem.
Many times, while sitting in church, I have heard people speaking of spending eternity in heaven sitting at the right hand of the Lord. They speak of sitting with the greatest teacher, learning the secrets of the universe. This eternity thing is forever! That is a mighty long time just to sit there and learn everything and the do nothing with all that knowledge!
I told Him that I wanted to spend time with Him, I wanted to thank Him for the many blessings I had received in my earth life. Then I told Him that I felt eternity had to be more than that. Then I ask “What can I do to help”?
After the conversation I continued with my meditation. Several days later, while in the midst of another meditation, I found myself in an unfamiliar location. I has standing in a narrow dry wash. I was at the bottom of a narrow dry creek bed with the sides standing above me. It was then I realized I had no shoes! I was standing in soft sand that felt like talcum powder. It had a pleasant feeling squishing between my toes.
As I looked ahead a person appeared. I stood there for a moment, and then I turned and started walking back down the dry stream bed. I knew the person was following a few feet behind me. We walked a short distance to an area where the dry wash ended at a small stream. At the junction stood a large shiny black rock that stood taller than me.
As I looked at the rock I expected to see my image, but the image I saw was that of the person that had been walking behind me. I reached out and touched the hand of the reflected image. Then I turned and started walking along the small stream. The person I had touched was now walking side-by-side, hand-in-hand with me. After a few steps we were walking with our arms around each other. There was a feeling of trust and love that I had never felt in my earth life! Only then did I realize neither of us was clothed but it was of no matter.
After walking a short distance my companion ask a voiceless question “where are the others”. My mute answer was “they are ahead”.
I feel my anxieties were answered. I now know that when I get there I will not be bored.
A while back I ask My Friend about meditation.
His answer was: Meditation is an important part of living-it gives your outer body the chance to unite with your inner spirit.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Your To-Do List
I am a firm believer in”to-do” lists. One of my reasons is that I was born with an acute ability to put things off. With my list I can do my things, how I want, when I want and IF I want. I also believe each person should write their own list, don’t be lazy and let someone write YOUR LIFE for you.
Every time I think of my long departed mother I can close my eyes and hear each of the two lines she would throw at me almost daily throughout my life. They were: “Bob, what will the neighbors think?” (I really didn’t care what they thought) and the other was “Bob, what on earth were you thinking?” (All of my life she never had a thought of how my mind worked).
Each mind and each heart works differently, our thoughts are much like our finger prints, no two people think exactly the same way so please don’t expect others to think exactly like you do. So don’t rely on someone else to plan your life for you.
I’m reminded of a coach I had many years ago in high school. It seemed to me his sole purpose in life was to make me as miserable as he possibly could. He was continually “trying to make a real man out of me”. He never succeeded; he never could realize that I already was the man I wanted to be. He could never understand that I was happy to be the man I already was and I was not letting someone like him change me into someone I didn’t want to be.
My advice: write your own to-do list, walk to that drumbeat that is only in your heart. Always remember it’s your heart that’s full of your dreams and no one else can dream your dreams, and if you can dream it, you can do it. Quite often others will try to make us someone we’re not or worse someone we don’t want to be.
Every time I think of my long departed mother I can close my eyes and hear each of the two lines she would throw at me almost daily throughout my life. They were: “Bob, what will the neighbors think?” (I really didn’t care what they thought) and the other was “Bob, what on earth were you thinking?” (All of my life she never had a thought of how my mind worked).
Each mind and each heart works differently, our thoughts are much like our finger prints, no two people think exactly the same way so please don’t expect others to think exactly like you do. So don’t rely on someone else to plan your life for you.
I’m reminded of a coach I had many years ago in high school. It seemed to me his sole purpose in life was to make me as miserable as he possibly could. He was continually “trying to make a real man out of me”. He never succeeded; he never could realize that I already was the man I wanted to be. He could never understand that I was happy to be the man I already was and I was not letting someone like him change me into someone I didn’t want to be.
My advice: write your own to-do list, walk to that drumbeat that is only in your heart. Always remember it’s your heart that’s full of your dreams and no one else can dream your dreams, and if you can dream it, you can do it. Quite often others will try to make us someone we’re not or worse someone we don’t want to be.
Monday, August 30, 2010
My Friend Bonnie
Bonnie is a neighbor that lives across the street. Several mornings a week she walks over bringing her cup of coffee. Her visit always puts a smile on my face because she always brings her own coffee, her own brand and strength. Sandra’s cup is filled with her own brand and her extra strong coffee. My cup is always filled with my favorite cappuccino, with a kicker. My mix is two scoops of cappuccino with an added spoonful of instant coffee, a real waker-upper.
Bonnie is a widow lady that lived her life in a small community just outside of New Orleans, a true Cajun lady. She lived there until she was wiped out by one of the hurricanes. After the storms that’s when she, her daughter and her two grandkids moved across from us.
I treasure her morning visits and enjoy hearing her stories of her family and the people “back home”.
Today when she came to visit I could tell she was in pain but Bonnie was upbeat and did not complain about her hurts.
During this visit there was a short discussion about the hurting people throughout the world. Then as she was leaving she turned to me and made this statement: “I give thanks to God every few minutes on how blessed I am”.
Think about that-she gave thanks every few minutes for her blessings! How many of us, after suffering so many hardships, could find any blessings to thank God for?
Bonnie has that spark of faith that many seek but few ever find. She knows that He is always by her side. She knows He is always there to talk to.
Bonnie makes my world a better place to live in.
I ask My Friend: Is it necessary to use formal prayer language each time I pray?
My answer was: When you are troubled or feel you want to give thanks, speak to me as a friend. No buildings or special places are needed. I am always by your side, special words are unnecessary, use the same words you would use when speaking to another frie
Bonnie is a widow lady that lived her life in a small community just outside of New Orleans, a true Cajun lady. She lived there until she was wiped out by one of the hurricanes. After the storms that’s when she, her daughter and her two grandkids moved across from us.
I treasure her morning visits and enjoy hearing her stories of her family and the people “back home”.
Today when she came to visit I could tell she was in pain but Bonnie was upbeat and did not complain about her hurts.
During this visit there was a short discussion about the hurting people throughout the world. Then as she was leaving she turned to me and made this statement: “I give thanks to God every few minutes on how blessed I am”.
Think about that-she gave thanks every few minutes for her blessings! How many of us, after suffering so many hardships, could find any blessings to thank God for?
Bonnie has that spark of faith that many seek but few ever find. She knows that He is always by her side. She knows He is always there to talk to.
Bonnie makes my world a better place to live in.
I ask My Friend: Is it necessary to use formal prayer language each time I pray?
My answer was: When you are troubled or feel you want to give thanks, speak to me as a friend. No buildings or special places are needed. I am always by your side, special words are unnecessary, use the same words you would use when speaking to another frie
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Bullying
All of my life I have had to contend with bullies all who have tried (in one way or another) to make my life miserable and difficult as they could.
Growing up in the Great Depression and having to live on the poorer side of town lead to my being beat-up regularly by gangs in that neighborhood.
In high-school I had one big kid that seemed like his only goal in life was to make me miserable as he could. At one time I even considered taking Dad’s gun from the dresser drawer and putting an end to his harassment.
After much thought I decided I would first try another way. This kid’s locker was next to mine so that put him nearby several times each day and each time he would hit push or call me bad names.
The day of my decision he started by name calling. I looked at him and smiled. Then: with every ounce of force I could muster I through that punch. I had intended to smack him between the eyes but my aim was low-I hit him on the end of the nose-breaking it-blood spurted all over his face and shirt. I took out my handkerchief and started helping him blot up his blood. He was still bleeding profusely when the principal came running up.
The bully explained to him that he had stumbled and hit an open locker door. My principal looked at me and winked.
My revenge was complete when the tape came off the broken nose.
The nose had healed with the outer half-inch pointing at about a forty-five degree angle from the other part! He would always look down, then think twice before calling anyone else names. He would always have to live with that kink on his nose and remember how it got there.
Throughout my school years my coaches were always some of the worst other bullies. They all wanted “to make a real man out of me”. It never worked and apparently they never understood that I was happy with the man I already was.
I ran into the same type of bullying when I “had words” with my drill sergeant in the military.
The very worst of the worst bullies I have run into are the ones that I call “Bible Bullies”, the priests, ministers, and lay persons that use their interpretation of the Bible to threaten the lives of people who trust them.
An example of this follows: I was sitting at a restaurant in Canada I had been with our group visiting a museum. I was tired so I went there ahead of the rest of the entourage. I was sitting at a table watching the waitresses prepare for our group. Suddenly one of the waitresses stopped at my table, she was a lady probably in her early to mid twenties. She looked at me with tearful eyes and then she said “My life is over, I’m going to Hell.” I sat there, shocked for an instant, I never had a stranger start a conversation that way before. Before long I learned that her minister had told her she was going to Hell with no recourse or repentance. Later (after I had explained that the Instruction Book I read would give her many ways to prevent just that from happening) she confided in me that she had married “out of her church” and that’s what brought her world tumbling down around her. As I walked away from that restaurant I could not envision what book her minister had been reading. I always believed the Bible I read to be the instruction book to heaven and it never was to be used as a threat to keep anyone from walking in their promised land.
I have witnessed both priests and ministers denying the sacrament to members of their churches. I ask My Friend about this.
This was His reply; “The sacrament should never be used as a tool of punishment either by the church or oneself. Everyone who partakes of the sacrament is worthy, for it is a tool of faith”.
Growing up in the Great Depression and having to live on the poorer side of town lead to my being beat-up regularly by gangs in that neighborhood.
In high-school I had one big kid that seemed like his only goal in life was to make me miserable as he could. At one time I even considered taking Dad’s gun from the dresser drawer and putting an end to his harassment.
After much thought I decided I would first try another way. This kid’s locker was next to mine so that put him nearby several times each day and each time he would hit push or call me bad names.
The day of my decision he started by name calling. I looked at him and smiled. Then: with every ounce of force I could muster I through that punch. I had intended to smack him between the eyes but my aim was low-I hit him on the end of the nose-breaking it-blood spurted all over his face and shirt. I took out my handkerchief and started helping him blot up his blood. He was still bleeding profusely when the principal came running up.
The bully explained to him that he had stumbled and hit an open locker door. My principal looked at me and winked.
My revenge was complete when the tape came off the broken nose.
The nose had healed with the outer half-inch pointing at about a forty-five degree angle from the other part! He would always look down, then think twice before calling anyone else names. He would always have to live with that kink on his nose and remember how it got there.
Throughout my school years my coaches were always some of the worst other bullies. They all wanted “to make a real man out of me”. It never worked and apparently they never understood that I was happy with the man I already was.
I ran into the same type of bullying when I “had words” with my drill sergeant in the military.
The very worst of the worst bullies I have run into are the ones that I call “Bible Bullies”, the priests, ministers, and lay persons that use their interpretation of the Bible to threaten the lives of people who trust them.
An example of this follows: I was sitting at a restaurant in Canada I had been with our group visiting a museum. I was tired so I went there ahead of the rest of the entourage. I was sitting at a table watching the waitresses prepare for our group. Suddenly one of the waitresses stopped at my table, she was a lady probably in her early to mid twenties. She looked at me with tearful eyes and then she said “My life is over, I’m going to Hell.” I sat there, shocked for an instant, I never had a stranger start a conversation that way before. Before long I learned that her minister had told her she was going to Hell with no recourse or repentance. Later (after I had explained that the Instruction Book I read would give her many ways to prevent just that from happening) she confided in me that she had married “out of her church” and that’s what brought her world tumbling down around her. As I walked away from that restaurant I could not envision what book her minister had been reading. I always believed the Bible I read to be the instruction book to heaven and it never was to be used as a threat to keep anyone from walking in their promised land.
I have witnessed both priests and ministers denying the sacrament to members of their churches. I ask My Friend about this.
This was His reply; “The sacrament should never be used as a tool of punishment either by the church or oneself. Everyone who partakes of the sacrament is worthy, for it is a tool of faith”.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Light Switch Christians
When I was told to start this blog one of my instructions was “While others teach using the scriptures, yours is to speak softly and use a tender touch”.
That sounded easy at first glance but I found it was necessary to use quite a bit of God Stuff to introduce this Bob to you.
Some would call it faith, call it what you want, I knew my Heavenly Father was always by my side as early as age four or five as I skipped home from Sunday school singing “Jesus Loves Me, Yes I Know” at the top of my voice.
This part of my life has not changed. I still believe He is by my side awake and asleep. Yes-like each of us, I have taken Him places that later I was ashamed to have taken Him. Even then I still knew He was always there. I could never see Him, I could never reach out and touch Him, I guess that’s why they call it faith because I always knew He was there.
Because I knew He was always there, I never felt that I had to use special words to talk to my Friend. I never had to flip a switch and wait for Him to appear, then when I was through with Him, flip the off switch and He would be gone- kind of a out of sight out of touch switch.
Knowing of his all-time presence has had a major effect on my use of profanity in my speech. It’s kind of like, if I wouldn’t use those words in church why would I ever use them in front of Him?
Please don’t look upon me as a “Dudley Do Good”. I have desires and temptations like everyone else, I have messed up many many times and I’m sure I’ll mess up again but that changes nothing. I know He is still right there ALWAYS by my side.
If you feel I have gone a little heavy on the God Stuff please bear with me. I felt this blog was necessary to help you know this Bob.
I wanted you to meet my Unseen Friend, the One I never have to flip the switch to have Him appear and then flip the off switch so I can live my life as I choose.
That sounded easy at first glance but I found it was necessary to use quite a bit of God Stuff to introduce this Bob to you.
Some would call it faith, call it what you want, I knew my Heavenly Father was always by my side as early as age four or five as I skipped home from Sunday school singing “Jesus Loves Me, Yes I Know” at the top of my voice.
This part of my life has not changed. I still believe He is by my side awake and asleep. Yes-like each of us, I have taken Him places that later I was ashamed to have taken Him. Even then I still knew He was always there. I could never see Him, I could never reach out and touch Him, I guess that’s why they call it faith because I always knew He was there.
Because I knew He was always there, I never felt that I had to use special words to talk to my Friend. I never had to flip a switch and wait for Him to appear, then when I was through with Him, flip the off switch and He would be gone- kind of a out of sight out of touch switch.
Knowing of his all-time presence has had a major effect on my use of profanity in my speech. It’s kind of like, if I wouldn’t use those words in church why would I ever use them in front of Him?
Please don’t look upon me as a “Dudley Do Good”. I have desires and temptations like everyone else, I have messed up many many times and I’m sure I’ll mess up again but that changes nothing. I know He is still right there ALWAYS by my side.
If you feel I have gone a little heavy on the God Stuff please bear with me. I felt this blog was necessary to help you know this Bob.
I wanted you to meet my Unseen Friend, the One I never have to flip the switch to have Him appear and then flip the off switch so I can live my life as I choose.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
God wants us to smile
I know you wonder how Bob comes up with some of his stuff. Before I start, I’m going to give you an idea of how I came up with this one.
I work many hours each day on the computer and all I see is that big square eye looking back at me. This morning I had been moving the mouse and pushing buttons for about an hour when Sandra asked me if I would like to get away from the computer for awhile and go with her to Walmart.
I agreed and we set off for the store. After I parked I decided to stay in the car while she shopped. I like to just sit and think and watch people. As I sat there several little things made me smile, then the thought broke through, ”God wants us to smile”. I consider a smile a blessing I can give and also a blessing I can receive. When I smile I believe My Heavenly Father is also smiling as I know He is always by my side.
God puts smiles there to make us feel good. I was setting in the car (on the sunny side) with the outside temperature at 88 degrees, the windows were down and there was a nice breeze. Then a thought came into my heart; how many times had I smiled in the short time I had been parked there?
I started reflecting; I had looked into the clouds and I saw the image of a dog-then I smiled. A familiar face passed my window-I smiled, they smiled back. An unfamiliar face passed my window-I smiled, they to smiled back. I looked toward the door of the store as a man walked out, he was talking on a cell phone, he was talking with his hands as well as his voice-I smiled. An elderly lady drove round and round the parking lot looking for a place near the door. She must have driven ten miles before finding a place across from me. She got out, locked her door and went into the store. A few minutes later out she came with only a frosty bottle of water in her shopping cart-I smiled.
It was while sitting in that parking lot, that while thinking back I could not begin to count the many times I had smiled or been smiled at. It was then I realized that God wanted me to smile because he had given me so many opportunities.
I work many hours each day on the computer and all I see is that big square eye looking back at me. This morning I had been moving the mouse and pushing buttons for about an hour when Sandra asked me if I would like to get away from the computer for awhile and go with her to Walmart.
I agreed and we set off for the store. After I parked I decided to stay in the car while she shopped. I like to just sit and think and watch people. As I sat there several little things made me smile, then the thought broke through, ”God wants us to smile”. I consider a smile a blessing I can give and also a blessing I can receive. When I smile I believe My Heavenly Father is also smiling as I know He is always by my side.
God puts smiles there to make us feel good. I was setting in the car (on the sunny side) with the outside temperature at 88 degrees, the windows were down and there was a nice breeze. Then a thought came into my heart; how many times had I smiled in the short time I had been parked there?
I started reflecting; I had looked into the clouds and I saw the image of a dog-then I smiled. A familiar face passed my window-I smiled, they smiled back. An unfamiliar face passed my window-I smiled, they to smiled back. I looked toward the door of the store as a man walked out, he was talking on a cell phone, he was talking with his hands as well as his voice-I smiled. An elderly lady drove round and round the parking lot looking for a place near the door. She must have driven ten miles before finding a place across from me. She got out, locked her door and went into the store. A few minutes later out she came with only a frosty bottle of water in her shopping cart-I smiled.
It was while sitting in that parking lot, that while thinking back I could not begin to count the many times I had smiled or been smiled at. It was then I realized that God wanted me to smile because he had given me so many opportunities.
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