NOUN: The quality or condition of being sincere; genuineness, honesty, and freedom from duplicity.

Paul closes his letter to the Ephesians saying: Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen. (Paul didn’t mince his words.)

I conclude that would mean that there are some folks that loved Jesus dishonestly. Or is it that they think they loved him with authenticity?

Funny how in Ecclesiastes 1:9 it says there is nothing new under the sun. Paul knew there were folks calling themselves Christians but did not honestly love Christ. Just as today, some claim Christianity, its blessings and effects but genuinely do not know the reality of Christ in their lives.

As some of you know, part of the purpose of these blogs is to relearn my Christianity and to relearn my computer skills. I have six blog sites going all with the same writings on them. Each site provided me experience to figure out what it would and would not allow me to do. Some gave me the chance to add special things like pictures, links, or other interests. I was looking for a user-friendly site. One that was not too complex in what it was asking me to do combined with the freedom to make quick edits if needed.

These are the blog sites I had going:
I’m Losing My Religion via Blogstream.com
Who’s Your Idol via Blogspot.com
The Road Less Traveled via Yahoo 360
Forsaking My Religion via Wordpress.com
A general blog on Myspace.com
Forsaking My Religion via Freewebs.com

I was testing to see audience participation, comments, visitors, friendliness, stats, available content, etc. I had just started the Wordpress and Freeweb one last week. It seemed like a constant struggle to upload anything to the Freeweb one. Pages didn’t work and it was not used friendly. Maybe it was just me. The one with Wordpress, although I had heard good things about the site, was static. I was able to post a Flickr picture thing and a few quotes in the sidebar but it didn’t seem to offer me much more. Logging on was not right there and I had to scroll the page to get to the link to log in.

My Yahoo 360 page was started the same time as Losing My Religion and Who’s Your Idol. Yahoo only allows you to upload and do certain things within their parameters. It was easy to post and view things. They did a stat report on the page. I never received any comments on the page so I had no idea if anyone was really reading. The numbers were moving but that’s all I could see. I have decided to retire the Yahoo 360 and both Forsaking My Religion sites.

Who’s Your Idol has given me the most options. I can add almost anything I want on the page. It isn’t just a blog. I can put music, pictures, links, and a whole bunch of other assorted goodies that represent who I am and what I believe. It is easy to upload, change, post and edit. I am able to add special stat reports so I can see if I am having any impact.

Even though it gives me limited options I will keep posting on Myspace only because I think that on such a wordly site maybe a tich of Christ might shine some light on someone needing it. The numbers reading or viewing my blog are constantly moving probably because of the sheer volume of people on Myspace at any given time. However, if it can impact someone at all then it will have been worth it. I do not like all the garbage I have to be confronted with on a continual basis but I suppose until God says stop I will stay there.

I will continue to post on Losing My Religion because I do have a few readers there that are sitting in the wings quietly. On occasion, they let me know they are reading even though they are not of the ‘comment’ variety of folks.

Therefore, for those of you reading this on Yahoo, Wordpress or Freewebs, if you want to still read my writings the best place to find me is at http://whosyouridol.blogspot.com.

Be blessed in his love.

Some people get real upset when one talks about Benny Hinn. For some reason, many folks are quick to defend him and his ways. That is fine. That is between them and God. Just as my opinions are between God and me.

I can give a long laundry list of reasons why I don’t like the guy. A couple would be that he misuses scripture in incredible ways, he doesn’t have a shred of humility and he can spend more money on frivolous things- money in my mind that could feed or clothe a lot of needy humans. ALL in the name of Christ of course.

This is one of the bigger issues I have with him. He claims healings at his meetings but many reliable news sources have asked for documentation yet he cannot seem to come up with any. If it were me, I would be making it a solid part of my ministry to document and make available to everyone what God has done. After all, this is supposed to be for God’s glory, right?

You see when I believed that God healed me two years ago, I could have either gone to a doctor to verify or wait the course and see for myself. I have seen myself do things that neither I nor anyone with my diseases could normally be able to do. I have let others see my complete change also. (I didn’t go to a doc to verify because I wasn’t feeling too spiffy about doctors and they sure did make a mess of my life and I didn’t want their hand in any more of my business.)

However, when that doctor called the other day to tell me my thyroid was fine and there was no sign of arthritis I finally realized that was God! Apart from man. No one laid hands on me. No one prayed for me. I wasn’t at a rally and there was no emotion or commotion yet God independent of ‘needing’ a humans intervention chose to heal me. And I now have doctors verification.

When something truly is of God, one is not afraid to give him all the glory. I read in another blog this week about ministries being named after the person and not God. Maybe that is why they call it the Benny Hinn Ministries ~ because it is all about Mr. Hinn and God got left out at some point along the line. How sad.

As some of you know, I used to be very sick. I have a memory loss due to the massive types and amounts of drugs taken. I honestly cannot recall if I ever wrote about how I got ‘better’.

It will have been 2 years this August. Since that time, I have done things I couldn’t normally do. I do my housework in a two story 3 bathroom, occupied by too many people right now. I eat, sleep, and live completely differently. Folks have been watching me to see if I was really ok. My mother said that God didn’t heal me but it was my positive thinking. For anyone who knows me that is laughable since I am not considered the most positive person in the bunch!

Two diagnoses that I had in the past were hyperthyroidism and rheumatoid arthritis. These were only two of about eight others.

The other day I went to the docs for the first time in almost two years. After having so many doctors all up in my business for so long and with having two children almost on their deathbeds for years I was completely fine if I never saw one again!

I have ‘extra baggage’ and went in to have my thyroid checked to see if that was the reason. Thankfully, I chose a Christian doctor and shared briefly about me being sick and that I believed God healed me. Had it been a secular doctor they might have been ordering psych evals instead of thyroid tests.

Today I get a call from the doctor saying that my thyroid is fine and that there is some inflammation but not anything related to arthritis or lupus.
At first, I was bummed because I didn’t have a reason for the weight gain other than the slowing metabolism due with age.

It took a while then it hit me. God did heal me! That is the proof. Rheumatoid arthritis doesn’t just go away and thyroids do not just level themselves out.

Some would have shouted to give God all the glory! Me, I am just quiet with sheer humility that God was so gracious. As he always has been in my life.

I don’t follow Christianity,
I follow Christ.
And walk in the commandment of love.
I’m not just born again
But re-birthed from above.
His hand is upon me,
In a holy, hushed awe.
Reverential fear guides me
When I am willing to obey
His word, living God,
Only begotten Son.