Thoughts From My Heart, 1

For a long time now, I’ve kind of resented the fact that authors aren’t supposed to have opinions about controversial subjects. Not if we want to sell books, at any rate. At the top of the ‘no-no’ list are politics and religion. And I’m  okay with avoiding most all things political. The vitriol found on all social media sites, from both sides, is enough to send me into a depression most days, which is why I spend little time on social media now.

Besides, immersing myself in that much hatred makes it almost impossible to get any writing done. Since writing is my job, my focus needs be on happily-ever-afters. I’ve literally been writing since I was a kid. I need to write. It might not be as important to me as breathing, but it needs to be a priority again.

I do have another priority though.

While most of my posts will be the same as they’ve always been, some will be different. I promise I won’t shove religion down your throat (even I hate it when people do that to me) but sometimes, I will be sharing my thoughts on God.

For those not into ‘religion,’ I’ll give you a heads up so you can skip it. If you see “Thoughts From My Heart,” followed by a number (for each installment), you’ll know not to bother clicking on it.

So…

I shared the video (below) with a small group I’m in – after giving it some serious consideration. Why? I was afraid they might look down on me. Again, why? Because so many people think big ‘television churches’ are a bad thing. And I’ll admit, some of them probably are. But I’ve been a Christian long enough to have learned a few things:

1. I’m far from perfect, and would never expect anyone else to be. Not even the pastor of a big church.
2. Those who have a problem with the pastors of big churches don’t seem to have any problem with the fact that Jesus preached to crowds of thousands. 
3. The bible is pretty clear that we’re not to judge others. Just because a few people have had unpleasant experiences with big churches doesn’t make them bad.

I’ve had bad experiences in small town churches with no more than a handful of members. That doesn’t make all small churches bad, or even the churches where I had the unpleasant experiences bad. It just means I don’t always get what I want. I don’t stop doing business with my favorite grocery store just because the occasional employee is rude either. Maybe they were just having a bad day – like I sometimes I do.

Anyway, I base what I choose to listen to on the bible. If the sermons are scriptural – and I do check to make sure they are – then I’m okay with it. And so far, the ones I watch seem to be biblically based. Even if they miss the mark a little sometimes, I always remember Jesus telling John that anyone who wasn’t against them was for them (Mark 9:38-41).

With that said, one of my favorite preachers is Steven Furtick. I started watching his videos two or three years ago and, around late summer/early fall 2019, even started playing YouTube playlists of his sermons at night when I was sleeping.

And I honestly believe that because I did, my faith was strong enough to get through two cancer diagnoses and major emergency surgery during the first fourteen days in February 2020. It was strong enough that I wasn’t afraid at any point during the more than two week stay in the hospital. And it was strong enough that even in the face of the oncologist telling me they wouldn’t know what kind of treatment I’d need until they got the biopsy results back – but that I would need treatment – I still believed God would heal me. And He did. The cancer hadn’t spread and I didn’t need chemo or radiation. But, according to the doctor, I was supposed to need it.

As for the rest, I only needed the temporary colostomy for four months instead of six because I healed miraculously fast. And except for a scar I’ll probably always have on my nose, the skin cancer surgery went well too. The scar there, and the ones on my stomach, don’t bother me at all. As I mentioned it in another post, they mean I’m alive. And, I’m not exaggerating even a little when I say I’m very glad to still be here with everyone I love. 

Last year was filled with several miracles – and I’ve decided it’s time to stop being afraid to have an opinion about God. Not that I’ve never had an opinion – I’ve just worried about offending people. People who plaster their own opinions all over the internet and expect them to be respected. So, I’m stepping out of the boat and will be sharing some of mine. I won’t judge people, and I won’t preach at people. Not even in my books. I hope they can return the favor and not judge me. 

So, for those who just might need to hear about God, and how much He loves them, I will be sharing some things, both here and at the end of my future books. Don’t worry. If you’re not interested, I’ll always give a warning so you can pass on those posts/parts of the books. 🙂

Today, I’ll leave you with a song that brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it. I’ve loved it since the first time I heard it.

Photo credit: Pixabay

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