Author: grahamcommand

Evolution vs creation the ongoing debate

grahamcommand Uncategorized , , , , ,

Actually debate is the wrong word, as with a proper debate both sides enter into it and discuss their side of the argument

However this is not the case, as tis discussion for want of a better suited word, is one sided

Let me explain, Christians upload praise videos with assorted Hymns and other praise songs as a way of uplifting those Christians who either need encouraging or just enjoy joining in the praise by singing along or adding thanks’ for those who uploading the collection

Then along comes the atheists with their snide uncalled for comments, which results in counter remarks from Christians, and so this lope sided discussion begins

I have listened to many arguments and read many comments given by the atheists who will argue against Christianity and creation

So I thought I would look at this argument from an objective point of view, and not as a Christian, although I am and have been nearly 67 years

Therefore will not be including passages from the Bible, but rather explaining the atheist point of view and way this logic if taken to extremes could do a U-turn turn on the very same argument

The general argument goes something like this, the Bible is made of for fairy stories written by superstitious nomadic tribes, and more over the Bible has been proved to be wrong on many occasions

But considering the time in history the “Old Testament“ (The Tora ) was written, it’s fairly comprehensive for “superstitious” people, moreover why would any people wish to have themselves portrayed in such a unflattering way as contained with the so called “fairy stories”

The atheists says that all the contents of the Bible just stories and never really happened, moreover the main characters within these stories never even existed

The atheists a that Moses was not a real person, and neither was Jesus and there for believing in Jesus is foolishness and therefore Christians are stupid

Atheists often quote evolution has been the force behind all life on earth, along with the big bang theory to explain how the universe itself was made

At a basic level what they are saying is that, there is no design –as “evolution all living life just happen” so every living creature on the planet came to be as a random series of chaotic flunks or mere chance

As they would argue there was no any intelligence or creator behind the whole process

To them this point of view is logical, but I wonder how moany have this logic to the ultimate conclusion

Which is if there was never any intelligence or creator involved, and everything was brought about by pure chance, then all of human achievements – inventions and complex devices were also brought about by pure chance

Even our creativeness and intelligence would count for nothing, for if they follow their own logic, everything humans have even done, would have come into life without our efforts or even thoughts

As to the big bang theory and it being proved by the Hubble telescope that our universe and even time itself had a beginning when the big bang happened

The big bang itself was caused they say, by a massive compact collection of matter in the form of a fireball, which seems to be hanging around within a void (emptiness – before there was space)

But nobody that supports this odd idea has any suggestion where this fireball came from or how it hung in empty space (as there was no space for it to be in) and where it came from

In fact many of those who support the big bang as the answer to the beginning of life, will not even discuss what might have been before the bang happen, or why it should explode and how was it controlled so exact

As atheists and scientist would say nothing can come from nothing

Richard Dawkins a well know atheist, stated “evolution was not random chance or chaotic” but rather an slow process of natural selection (Darwin’s theory)

Prayer versus Creative visualization

grahamcommand Christian, Religion , , ,

Prayer has become tainted by modern world thinking, which has alternative ways of getting what you want in life
Example finical freedom – New relationships – Cars and other possessions

While there is nothing wrong with wanting a better life, the bible offers a different way of thinking “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you”

This is where prayer comes into its own, as more than just getting what we want – but rather a way of direct talking with God

Now let me turn my attention to the world’s alternative methods, positive thinking – abundant thinking (part of The Secret) and creative visualization

Creative visualization is like making a mind movie with your imagination, where you can see yourself living your dreams.
Reprograming your subconscious so it accepts these imaginary thought as if they a real memory

Negative thinking is discouraged as it is said to bring more of the same negative things into your life

To get to that stage involves, meditation, determined focus on those new desires and goals
You also have to at peace with yourself and free from worries, which if you think about that you will see that it is part of what you are attempting to change
Furthermore in visualization, you are encouraged to think in vivid and colourful images, but we must fully accept what we manifest

From this brief look into this alternative way (creative visualization) that is cumbersome and demanding of much time and effort

Plus it is a self-centred and prone to be a self-greed based practice, whereas the process of praying is act of willing submission to the will of a higher authority
Where we learn to be patient and to accept that our heavenly father knows what we really need rather than what we want
But prayer is far more than just asking, through prayer we have direct access to talk to God and for Him to talk back in answers

Prayer also brings a sense of peace which goes way beyond our understanding, and prayer is also our way of praising too

My reply to another blogger

grahamcommand Christian, Religion , , , ,

After I had written my post about “my walk with Jesus” I received notice that another blogger though my post was awesome enough to like it
But on visiting that blogger’s blog run by Robert, I found it to be Atheist in content, as its content and reply comments made by Robert were criticism about Christianity
So I commented on his blog and this is what I wrote

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I found it strange that you came to my blog post about “my walk with Jesus” and liked my post and yet in your blog you write so much criticism about Christianity and in the process denying Christ
As without Jesus Christ there would have never have been any Christianity
You also limited the discussion to Christians and ignoring the Jews!
By doing that you miss out the 1st part of the Bible the Old Testament which belonged to the Jewish people long before the New Testament – also Jesus was born into their faith and only later on after his death did Christianity start
As the Old Testament is where the story of creation of man’s as unique is told, and his domination over all other creatures
You say Christians cannot accept reality, well the reality is Christians are human and every human being is such capable of good or evil and yes I include myself
You too are just as capable of good or evil, whatever you choose you are still capable of either
Yes the church and its leader of the past have been guilty of suppressing the truth, but not Christianity itself only those who were meant to represent the faith

As to evolution being supported by evidence, but it lack any reasoning to why the whole process should have taken place
I suggest you read my post https://storybookwriter.wordpress.com/2015/09/03/a-question-of-faith/

My walk with Jesus

grahamcommand Religion , , , , ,

Sometime ago I was asked by someone write an article for the church newsletter, it was suggested I write about my journey in life with God

As you will see I titled it my walk with Jesus, although it’s been more of a meander than a walk.
As to the straight and narrow path of my journey, all too often that straight path has been side tracked – twisted and diverted, sorry about that Lord I am just human with all our short comings.

The thing is Jesus and I go back a long way we grew up together – well kind of, I was told years ago I attended Sunday school although I have no memory of that
But I suppose some of the lessons must have sunk in, it wasn’t until I went to secondary school I began learn about God and creation with was taught through Bible readings

This may sound dated but in those days schools read passages of the Bible every morning at assembly, starting at the very beginning of creation with Genesis
I’m unsure of the length of time before they got to the New Testament and the stories of Jesus, but somehow it seemed as if I at least was being allowed to be present at His birth – through the power of imagination of course

Continuing to watch Him grow and mature later on into sinless man, experiencing with Him the trials and tribulations of His life, only to be restricted by my imagination to turn the spoken word into vivid images
I experience an intense feeling of sadness and anger and frustration, at the way His own disciples turn away from Him, and how such cruelty was inflicted on Him before He was taken from our world
But of course that thankfully was not the end of His story, even though His disciples failed to understand this and they didn’t even recognise Him until their eyes were opened
Although I considered myself a Christian and Jesus as a close friend, it wasn’t until much later on in my life I accepted Him as my Saviour; He still remains a true friend even when I am not

A friend who is always ready to listen and help me and advise me, with what most of the time must seem like so trivial matters to Him, yet He is patient and understanding
May God touch your hearts Bless you all, at least as much as God has blessed me

A Question of Faith

grahamcommand Christian, faith, Religion , , , , , ,

This is my update about a group of videos on YouTube, uploaded by a group of Atheists, who run a live phone in debate programme, and video them so they can get a wider audience watching

Who ask for believers to phone and have discussion about why they believe, and then proceed to try to make the believer seem silly or stupid or blinded by what they term fairy stories

Even going as far as stating the there is no proof that Jesus actually lived at all, and boldly claiming there is no heavily supreme god

They also question why the believer thinks the Bible is true and ask what proof the believer can offer

But when any believer say “it’s by faith I believe”, the Atheists disregard this by saying to the believer they need to wake up to reality

So why do I continue to watch these videos you may well ask, because those Atheist radio phone in programmes only serve to make me more determined to prove them wrong, even at times I can see valid arguments against religion as a whole

 

As there have been many occasions in history that Christianity has been used in a self-righteous way by a man’s vanity to be superior over of the races

Killing or enslaving many others in the name of Christ, although this was totally wrong and against Christ’s teaching, this was because of man’s inability to interpret capital God’s will

The Pharisees of the Old Testament often by adding to their own regulations which became burdensome to the people they were meant to be teaching

Pharisees well-known for this form of self-righteousness, Jesus frequently chastised them for almost completely turning away from the rules that there have been given by God

As to the remark by the atheists that Jesus was never born and the story of his birth history as another fairy story within the holy Bible which according to them is full of for fairy stories

Many are the atheist’s claim that the holy Bible has been proven to be wrong and it was written by nomadic tribes of a superstitious nature and therefore has no truth in it in

However this argument by the atheist’s falls short Internet the Bible is in two sections, the first being the Old Testament and the other the New Testament

New Testament was written by the apostles, including the devout zealous Jew, Paul who before he became a Christian put many of Christ’s followers to death until the day Jesus appeared to him until the day he would accept Christ as his saviour

 

As to the atheists statement that Jesus was never even born, and purely a fictional character they failed to provide any reason why stories of Jesus

Why would anyone produce such stories and include them in what was to become the New Testament of the Holly Bible book?

Furthermore if Jesus was not in life had never been born and lived and died on the cross or tree as explained in the gospels, then how is it possible that so many people’s lives have been transformed when it pray to Jesus coming to you, into their lives?

For example the founder of the salvation army William Booth was stronger convinced that the word of god needed to be taken to those who needed the gospels taught to them and he went into the east end of London which was in those days unsuitable place to go preaching

As there were many vices were rife, also there was no compassion within that community

Even so he went ahead and preached frequently although there was great opposition to his and his speaking and all did not go well but he persisted

Overtime conversions to the faith began and grew, for many would transform from their worthless and pointless lives into more fulfilled and happier lives

Even in these present days, many lives have been totally transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit, after accepting Jesus as their Lord and Saviour

 

When I was young and foolish, I never knew my heart

grahamcommand Christian, Religion , , , , ,

This is the first line of a song I wrote, which I mention further on in this article
I was brought up as a Christian, I was told by my mother I went to Sunday school even though I don’t remember that, but I do remember school ensembles
School in those days was where the Holy Bible was read aloud by the headmaster, I’m unsure how many other boys listen, but I found the stories fascinating and believable
This may have been due to my Sunday school lessons, I guess some of those must have stuck in my memory more than I thought
Later on in my youth, I also heard other stories about fictional people, who had become legends and touched my impressionable mind so they became my heroes
Sometimes later around the 1960s, I acquired an interest in science fiction and bought many “strange tales of the unexpected” comics
It would not be until many years later in my young adult life, I would become curious enough to start reading the Holy Bible and much later on after doing a scripture Bible study and decided to get baptised
I got to a point in my studying the “word” I could find passages for all kinds of situations without effort, but sadly my enthusiasm for reading and studying the Bible lost its appeal or I got too distracted
Perhaps as a result, even after a short while away from studying the Bible, I found even though I tried I no longer had that ability to find suitable passages
My one saving grace was the Hymns I had learnt from my school days, even though I really did not appreciate their power, which I will explain more about later on
Shamefully I grew further away from any worship or study, not even allowing myself time to pray and more importantly to listen for answers
This was a very dark time in my life, one that led me to experiment with things best left alone, that only gave fleeting pleasure, then emptiness inside
I found that giving into self-indulgences only dragged me further down into a dark depressive lonely place, void of hope love or joy
I’m unsure how long this period of time lasted, in my desperation I used a song I wrote as a prayer but that was more of a plea for help
Our heavenly father graciously listened and forgave and lifted me up
Even though I still allow myself to entertain strange thoughts and visit Agnostic discussion television programs that they recorded and uploaded to YouTube videos, which plant seeds of doubt in my mind, as they demand that callers provide proof that the Bible is true and what proof do we Christians have the there is a heavenly god
My response would now be, that I have no real proof, except my own experiences, for there have been many people in the past who have written songs of praise and Hymns
When sung they lift up our flagging spirits, and our hopes and fill us with a love so deep and perfect that it is proof enough for all Christian believers

No disbeliever or atheist or anyone else can rob us of this precious gift, if we don’t allow them too

Alternative History, what part of history will be yours?

grahamcommand Inspiring, Story , , ,

Here I’m not talking about a “Back to the Future” type of thing, were one person altered another person present life by changing the past 

Exploring history
Isn’t history something that you and I learned a school, about what happened in the past?
That’s the way I used to think of history, as events that happen long ago that included famous people
The inventions they created, the masterpieces they wrote or the music they composed became their legacy left to future generations
However, no matter how great the people of the past have been, history is more than dusty old books or events that happen way before we were born
We are all part of the present-day history, which may sound odd but once a day or month or year is gone it becomes part of the past or history
So in fact each day of your life that you have lived so far, becomes part of your own personal history
You may say “I’m not famous” or “There is nothing left for me to invent” or even “I’m not talented enough to create a masterpiece”
All of these are excuses for not even trying, “You never know what you can do until you try” quote from my late father
Even famous people from the probably have no idea or intention of becoming famous, while it’s true there have been many born with the ability to rise to genius, others struggled throughout their lives
Such as Vincent van Gogh who struggled in the early part of his life and didn’t become recognised as a great artist until after he died
As to the alternative history, I wondered what famous people might be like if they had been born, in our present days, would they have still become famous or faded into a mundane life
Would have Shakespeare have written such elegant masterpieces, if he had been born in a different time and country perhaps the words and phrases he used would be totally different
Well that is something will never know, as that historical figure was from the distant past
But how about the ongoing history, your history in the making?
Everyone has the power to affect other people’s lives within the present day, which later on will become history, so make your mark and become an important part of history
Not for vanity, but for the enduring sweetness of knowing you made a difference

What wondrous story can I write, what words can I use?

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To kindle a fire of hope and joy with your hearts, what words of wisdom could I give – if wisdom has anything to do with years!
Then I should suitably wise, for many years have passed me by, in fleeting moments of time and here I am at the ripe old age of 67 even so I will not bemoan the fast passing of time
As with many others, there have been things I have done and regretted in the past and equally as many things left undone
While no one can alter the past or those thing they regret, we are still able to do those things left undone by starting them without further delay
By adopting the attitude of “never put of till tomorrow what you can do today” we can tackle everything undone as a new and exciting challenge
With this in mind I intend to make out a list of things I have left undone, and work through them one by one until I have achieved them all
I say this not to boast, but to encourage you to do the same as life needs to be lived to the fullest possible for you may never know what you can do unless you at least try
You may never know whose life you may touch and influence by what you do and say, and by enriching someone else’s life you add value to your own
While you may never rise to the dizzy heights of the famous or well renowned, you can always aim to exceptional, never settling for second best or mediocre
Allow yourself to grow beyond any limitations that you or others may have set up in your past, progress onwards and forwards into new adventures

Music I love Listening to

grahamcommand Christian, Music videos , , , , ,

My favourite music has to be Praise and good old classic Hymns

It Is Well with My Soul, this always touches my heart and soul, not just because it’s beautiful, but I was also impressed by the writer of this piece

Who went through many testing traumatic events and yet wrote theses praise words to this wonderful Hymn

 

Down To The River To Pray

 

None Christian music I enjoy listening to

Bee Gees Massaxchusetts

 Dolly Parton Jolene

Don McLean – Vincent ( Starry, Starry Night [youtube

Gilbert O’Sullivan – Alone Again

Carpenters -We’ve Only Just Begun

Terry Jacks Seasons In The Sun

Monkees – Daydream Believer

A Whiter Shade Of Pale – Procol Harum

Paul Potts “Nessun Dorma”