MickinEngland

BORN AGAIN by Mick
Although the term "born again" is bandied around a tad too much for my liking, its a good description of how Jesus changes us from the inside out.
Non-christians can't understand the concept because they think Christianity is simply choosing to live like robots by a set of rules in the Bible; they can't understand that being a Christian is a LIFE-CHANGING THING !

Jesus's words in the 4 gospels can be comfortably read inside a week,the words are like seeds sown in our minds but whether they take root or not depends on the individual, it could take a day or many years,as the seeds must be watered with Jesus's words as he said -
"Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst again" (John 4:14)
As the seeds take root, they grow and send out "spiritual tendrils" through the brain, evolving us into a new super life-form, and we see things in a new way,as if we've been reborn,and it feels good!
"We look at things unseen rather than the seen,for the seen are temporary,but the unseen are eternal" (2 Cor 4:18 )

Then as the seeds begin to take root and grow, we feel Jesus himself growing in us, making us feel stronger and more powerful:-
"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power.." (2 Timothy 1:7)

I was brought up by my parents and society to be a wimp and always do what the world told me to do.
I tried but i was very unhappy because the world was crazy and i wanted nothing to do with it.
Then in my mid-teens i looked at the Bible and discovered that Jesus was on my side because he said the world was no good, so i followed him ever since:-
"Jesus saved you from the empty way of life handed you by your forefathers" (1 Peter 1:18 )
So i changed from that young wimp i used to be, into one of the toughest people i know, and it feels great!
If that's what being born again means,then so be it :)

techluck

Mack, Thank you for the fabulous commentary. Really gave me thought for this day and some to come.

Lyricb

Good stuff, Mick. I've noticed many people shudder when the term "born again" is used.

MickinEngland

Thanks Lyricb and Techluck, here's more on the same theme -

FREE POWER DOWNLOADS by Mick
The perfect example of being born again is when the psycho Christian-killer Saul was zapped bigtime by the holy spirit on the road to Damascus,then changed his name to Paul and became one of the greatest Christians of all.
But for most of us,the holy spirit doesn't come all at once like that,rather it trickles into us day by day,year by year as long as we keep seeking The Truth.
In modern terms,by seeking God and Jesus we are "logging on" to them,opening a communication link through which the holy spirit begins downloading into us.
"After Jesus spent the night in prayer,everybody tried to touch him because power was coming from him" (Luke 6:12-19)
Prayer is a great way of logging on to God to get a "power download", it doesn't have to be a long formal prayer, just a chatty few little words will do.
For example,Johnny Cash says in a line from a song - "I talk to Jesus every day, and he listens to every word I say, no secretary ever tells me he's been called away, I talk to Jesus every day".
Personally I often say "Jesus remember me" any number of times throughout each day if I'm feeling low.
In a sense, talking to Jesus is like touching him in much the same way as the woman with a haemorrhage who touched his cloak and was cured -
Jesus said - "Someone touched me, I know that power has gone out from me." (Luke 8:46)

MickinEngland

This tale is based on an incident in Mark ch 5 and involves a woman we'll call Sally..

SALLY by Mick
Sally had felt unclean for many years since her teens because of a trickle of blood ,and although she was generally liked by people, she sometimes noticed them looking at her as if they thought God had cursed her with the affliction for some reason, and she often wondered if it were true, as if she'd sinned somehow and made God punish her with a lifetime filled with blood-soaked rags..
No man would go near her of course, which added loneliness to her misery, and she cried herself to sleep many a night, feeling cursed and dirty and not as good as anybody else.
Some days were better than others, but on bad days the blood loss made her feel weak and tired, barely able to move.
It was on one of these days, as she lay on her bed weak and anaemic that she sank into terrible despair and buried her face in the pillow and tearfully sobbed "Oh God please help me.."
Later, as the day wore on, she heard an excited commotion in the street, so she slowly staggered to the door and saw a huge cheering crowd of thousands thronging round a young man at the centre.
From what she could tell, he was the new young prophet Jesus who'd made a name for himself by curing people's ills in the surrounding district.
"I wonder if he'd help a wretch like me?" she thought, and bravely staggered out towards the crowd, but it was moving with the young man and she could barely keep up, let alone push her way to the centre where he was. But she tried, oh how she tried, working her way inch by inch through the tight jostling chattering crowd.
Now and again she caught a glimpse of the mans back through the crowd, but try as she might she couldn't get any closer in her weak state, her heart began to pound and her breath began to rasp.
Still she fought her way painfully forward for what seemed like hours until she was barely a few feet away from his back, but he was still walking and didn't even know she was there.
In her exhaustion her sight began to grow dim, and as the noise of the crowd filled her ears and the jostling tumult buffeted her, she felt the last dregs of strength beginning to go as she began to faint.
In panic and desperation she summoned up enough strength to stagger three steps more towards the mans back, and with a final desperate lunge she fell forward with her arm outstretched toward him, brushing his cloak with her fingertips.
Gasping and half unconscious face down in the dust, she slowly became aware that there was total silence all around, and she raised her tired eyes to see the young man looking around and asking "Who touched me? I felt power being drawn out of me"....
"I did sir" she shyly mumbled.
"It's okay" he replied with a smile, "you're fine now"
---------------------------------------------


"...she thought 'If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.' Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?" "You see the people crowding against you," his disciples answered, "and yet you can ask, 'Who touched me?' " But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth.He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."

Piglet

I was born again
but died 32 seconds later

Its a VERY thin substitute for reason.
Like a soap bubble pricked by a cyborg

For that is where we are going, and god damn us.
We'll just crash on through and f**k the religious.
They can stay in their little huts by the pretty lake
And pray to god . While Humans+ build new universes
and make their own destiny.
Immortal

Piglet

__________________
Vir prudens non contra ventum mingit

MickinEngland

STEPHEN AND THE HITMEN by Mick

There's a true episode in the life of Stephen of Perm, one of the early Russian missionaries that shows how everybody likes a true, proper Christian:-
He discovered in the region of Perm pagans with a different language and therefore out of reach of the Gospel.
He learned their language and went out to preach in their midst.
The local shamans wanted to destroy him and they sent a group of armed men to kill him.
They came back and the shamans said, "Is he dead?"
"No", they said, "we couldn't kill him, when we met him face to face, there was such love and openness in him that we knelt down and begged for his blessing."

We don't know how he treated them when they turned up to kill him. Maybe he knew they'd come to get him, maybe not, but it made no difference to him.
He probably said something like "Hello my friends, have you come far?
I was just about to sit down for a meal, come in and join me.
Tell me about yourselves, you lived in this area long?
Got any family?
Tell them they're welcome to visit me anytime, i'm going to build a small meeting hall for the community, everybody'll be welcome.
You look like hunters, we'd love you to show us how to catch some fish and game, you can take groups of kids out to teach them woodcraft if you like..
Want another cup of tea?
Oh you're not leaving already are you?
Just a sec, let me pack a few sandwiches and a little wine for you in case you get peckish on the way back.
Come again soon, i've enjoyed your company.."

Piglet

Theres a true story of some indiviual

Who was thrown in a cell and called a pagan. He knew nothing of the judeo/christian mythos.

He said.

I believe in the huamn spirit.
I believe in justice.

The religious 'enforcers' stuck his legs in clamps and tortured him for days.
They wished him to say ' jesus is your saviour'
Who is jesus he said.???
So they tortured him for a week
Do you believe in jesus they then asked
'who is jesus' he said
So they made reality hell for him for weeks.
His body was destroyed by their ministrations
And in the end he said ,, 'who is jesus'.

So they chained him to a grid and he was ripped appart by horses

Not knowing in the slightest , who jesus was.

Piglet

That is the true face of religion.
Ironicallly. religion did not know who jesus was.
But the tortured pagan knew him all too well
he was him.

And, this is not fiction...MILLIONS died at the hands of the church.
10% of all humans at the time.[the other 90% lived in absolute terror of being noticed by the church.]
All, for the love of god.

So. Mike in England. .. dont feed us with your feelgood stories about NICE missionaries.
Tell us about what missionaries did in the south sea isles?
Got the guts?
Or in south america. Where your nice little religion killed millions.
You wish all that history would go away.
Soz mate. Your messengers of god lined them up and shot them through 5 at a time.
To save bullets. Prick

__________________
Vir prudens non contra ventum mingit

Piglet

We love you
Even if you are born agian and need therapy

Piglet

__________________
Vir prudens non contra ventum mingit

MickinEngland

I'll PUT THE KETTLE ON by Mick

I lived in the red light district of Leicester (England) for 5 years and got to know all the girls by name on my way to and from the grocers in the evenings after dark.
I'd always nod hello or stop for a chat on their street corners, or even buy them little presents (bar of choc, can of coke, packet of Opal Fruits etc) from the shop and give them to them on my way back.
Never, ever, did I preach to them or even let on I was a christian, but in time I think they guessed..
One night I was woken at 4 in the morning by a feeble knocking at my front door accompanied by what I at first thought was a kitten mewing, but then I realised it was a tiny sobbing female voice calling "mick....mick..."
I opened the door and saw it was Sue, one of the streetgirls, looking tired and washed out.
"A man's just beat me up" she whimpered, "the hospital fixed me up and I was just on my way home.."
It was obviuos she wanted human comfort so I said with a smile - "Come on in darling, i'll put the kettle on"..
We chatted a bit and by way of comfort I told how Jesus had said prostitutes will get to heaven ahead of the snooty priests.
"Ooh that's nice" she replied with a smile.
I let her have my bed for the night while I slept on the couch.
"You can get in with me if you like" she sleepliy said, but I made some excuse not to, boy am I weird..
I later saw her out and about in the streets as usual afterwards and on one occasion as I was chatting with her, her girl pal came up and asked her "Is he a client?"
"No" replied Sue, "a friend"..
The moral of this little tale is that when the chips are down, people instinctively turn to christians because they know they'll never let them down, not ever, whether at 4 in the morning or any other time..
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Jesus said to the priestly classes- "The prostitutes will get to heaven ahead of you,you think you look good in your fancy robes but inside you're full of filth and corruption!" (Matt 21:32/Matt 23:27)