Theos-Talk Archives (September 1995 Message tl00458)

Daniel:

It's good to start hearing what *you* think and have
experienced. It's much harder to relate to a series of
citations or quotations.

>As I begin to ponder the workings of today both within
>and outside of my heart, I am compelled to express who I am
>to those that do not know me.

The first step in a dialog is to express where one is
coming from.

>Truth rather elusive and during most of my youth not wanted.
>Or at least I determined to create and form my own brand
>of truth which declared that if I stole or hurt, it would be the
>system and hopefully not a person that would be the victim.

We are all searching for Truth. The search for Truth is
compromised when we have inconsistencies in our lives that
we want to cover up. If we steal, we would attempt to "justify"
it in our thinking, but we're fooling ourselves, and eventually
will realize it.

>Out of the abundance of the heart...the mouth speaks. Little
>did I realize that I was the one that was the victim.

Not everyone realizes this yet. When we harm others, we
are the greatest victims.

>As age increased my knowledge increased and my foolishness
>increased. I was living a double minded life.

Pure intellectual knowledge without a rich spiritual life
is barren, and permits one to lead a cold, heartless life.

>At two score and four a line was drawn in the sand. I had
>experienced the power of the mystics and the elusion of the
>tarrot. I had successfully crushed men who were twice my
>size and stature through the power of Chi. The material
>needs were met and the authority of the government
>rested on my shoulders. I was a man with power, money
>and authority.

>Ahh success.

At this point, you reached a turning point in life. You
experienced a crisis of meaning.

>But the truth unfolds clearly in a password for the tippy top
>secrets that I have access to. Daniel's desired password used
>to read the traffic of the world was LOSTLOST.

>Ohh yes. Power, money and authority provide no avenue
>for true security, peace or happiness.

Some are fortunate enough to see the emptiness of material
pursuits. Others lead empty lives.

>I was as empty as I could be. At the same time that I could
>drink Yukon Jack with a 7-up back and never leave the pool
>table, was the same time that emptiness was devouring me.

You were ripe for something more to life.

>The line was drawn. An unknown friend challenged me.
>If you were to die today. Do you know whether or not
>you would go to heaven?

And now an event happened in your life that later led to
where you are today.

>Without a tradition or biblical wisdom I responded to the
>affirmative.

Most people think so, without having given the matter
much thought.

>I believed God was good God and that I was at least 51%
>pure.

>I'm in.

>The response was clear. The cross was revealed. Christ's
>salvation presented and the blood poured over my life.

>In one instant of a faithfilled prayer, I asked Jesus to
>forgive me, and to cleanse me.

>I was not seeking truth, I was needing love. It is clear
>to me that He chose me.

You were ripe for the spiritual, and had a transformation
in your life. It was real and no one would disagree with it.
Apart from the experience itself, though, we would use different
words to describe it. You may not agree with our explanation of
what happened to you. But there is no lack of respect for the
genuineness of what you felt and what happened in your life.

>As I type this letter, you will respond in a manner which
>I do not subscribe. You may be saying that my interpretation
>or my desire of fulfilling the spiritual is gathered in a
>tradition or an idol, but that inner truth and enlightenment
>occured and occurs simularly in all people regardles of
>culture, time or tradition.

This sounds a bit like what we might say, our words to describe
the experience. Considering how beautiful the experience was
to you, you certainly would want others to have it too. I
would suggest that others do, using different words and mental
images. People can connect to the spiritual through a multitude
of ways. It is not the particular approach that they take, nor
is it the philosophical way they describe it -- what is important
is that we actually have the experience.

>But as I have said before...Jesus lives in me. I hear Him,
>clearly, not as often as I would like, but none the less
>I hear Him.

This is the form that the Divine takes in order to communicate
*with you*. It takes on other forms to other people.

>The evidence of faith ...(to be continued)

Reply also to be continued.

-- Eldon