Thursday, June 30, 2011

Healing and God's Love

Although the title to this blog entry could encompass 10,000 blogs for 10,000 years, both divine healing and god's love are subjects that have been increasingly calling my attention for the past several weeks. My husband and I have both become disillusioned with the standard "church" and with the standard "religion". We are both desperately seeking that personal relationship with Jesus. It can be frustrating at times- it seems as though there is a universe up for grabs for whosoever has the faith to grab it. Divine healing is only the beginning of the miracles that can be performed by someone who is truly in tune with the holy spirit. God's love is so overwhelming and unconditional that sickness could not possibly be in His plans. Therefore if it is not of God, then what is it?

I have been listening to Curry Blake's healing seminars as of late and I am still in the very first handful of mp3s. But he has said some very profound things that have impacted how I live my life and how I view everyday things. He said that there is only black and white and if something is gray, then it is black. Simple enough, but the implications are truly profound. If something is not godly, then it can only be of satan.

I am truly inspired and encouraged by the teachings of men like Curry Blake, and of the information provided by websites such as: revivalorriots.orgiamaspirit.org, and several others that have captured my attention. There are multitudes of Christians out there who have become tired of religion. The legalism that has placed conditions on God's unconditional love has kept countless Christians from realizing a true relationship with Jesus- the saddest consequence of all. Many well-meaning individuals attempt to comfort each other with words such as: you were stricken with this illness in order to further God's glory. But, if we are truly God's children as it plainly says in the bible, then how can God want his children to suffer? There are so many bible verses that reference healing and I am still in the beginning stages of reviewing them all.

I will continue to post as this journey unravels itself. I am excited to keep learning about divine healing and I am encouraged to keep seeking an even-closer relationship with Jesus.

Monday, June 27, 2011

Macarthur Book Review

Generally when you hear of Douglas Macarthur you think of the great WW2 general. I am intrigued by the WW2 era and by the Great Generation, overall. I am fortunate to have a grandfather-in-law that is a veteran of WW2 that survived malaria, small pox, a boat accident, and a plane crash. He initially started telling me about Macarthur while watching the news together. There is a rather large, well-traveled overpass in the San Francisco bay area that is named after Macarthur. I felt that this book would be a great opportunity to make even further conversation with my grandfather-in-law, but also to learn more about Macarthur.

I was fascinated to know that Macarthur's father was also a great military hero. He was awarded the medal of honor, an accomplishment that would be followed by Macarthur in later years. They are the only father-so duo to have earned such a prestigious honor. I felt that the book allowed the reader to view Macarthur in a new light. He was rather flamboyant, smoking out of cigarette holder and wearing kimonos. He was a great lover of Filipino culture and served closely in the Phillipines for several years. The author really brought these years to life in his descriptions of the feelings of Macarthur during the various time periods.

I felt that Macarthur was a great way for a normal reader who is interested in WW2 to learn more about Macarthur without dedicating a huge amount of time and effort. Some books centering about pivotal American military figures seem as though they require some in depth knowledge about the figure in order to best understand the book. Yockelson presented the material in a fashion that was simple and easy to understand. This book might not be for everyone- I feel you have to have somewhat of an interest in WW2 or Macarthur to make the read worthwhile, but I felt that it was a great way to learn more about a very important part of American military history.

I was given this book by Booksneeze.com through the publisher, Thomas Nelson, in exchange for my review. I was not required to write a positive review and everything presented above is my own opinion.