Healing

Last time I wrote, I mentioned some things I was going through. I'm going to start with the doctrine of healing, then I'll get into the proofs of God's existence and what kind of God he is.

I have to do a lot of research before I will be able to make my conclusion. I'm hoping that I'm not getting the cart before the horse, so to speak, but this issue is the closest to my heart.

Again, to give a little background, I must tell you that my wife has had three miscarriages and has taken the last one very VERY hard. Several times, different ladies of our Church, including our Pastor's wife laid hands on my wife and prayed for her that she would carry this baby to term and deliver a healthy child. We were told that we had to have faith and not believe the doctor's report (while obeying the doctor's orders) but to believe in God and that he always answers prayer "yes, and amen." I grew up in the Assemblies of God, which is the Church we are attending currently, but I had been a part of the quote, unquote "Fellowship of Christian Churches and Churches of Christ," but they're not a denomination. That was somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but I left that "fellowship" because a small, rural Christian Church treated me horribly while I was their minister, so I returned to my childhood fellowship, even though I had rejected some of thier "cardinal" doctrines. Anyhow to get back on track, I had been taught in the Christian Church tradition that God will also answer, "no, maybe, and wait." Who is right? Looking back on my past it is no wonder why I have been torn between these two traditions since my teens.

I digress.

If I pray for God to heal me, how will he answer? What does the Bible say? I must research this. If you are reading this and you wish to help me e-mail me at gbrannan@yah... and let me know what you have found.

Background

My life has been full of ups and downs. There have certainly been times when I've felt that the downs outweigh the ups. I don't really want to whine, but after this last bout of downs, I've really begun questioning what I really believe. I feel betrayed by certain people who should be close to me and I'm questioning what they have taught me about faith and about the Lord.

Where to start?

Does God exist? What kind of God is he? Why would he allow bad things to happen to good people? What kind of worship pleases Him?

I don't question that God exists, but I am questioning what I have been taught about Him, about Jesus and his teachings, and about the Holy Spirit and His work and ministry.

I have a lot of random thoughts floating around in my head and I'm using this blog to get them written and thought out. Hopefully you will be blessed as well.

Just to give you a taste of the kind of things I've been thinking about and how God wants me to understand His created world here are a few examples. How often should communion be observed; what is the meaning (memorial, consubstantiation, or transubstantiation); and what should the emblems be made of? Is there a separate baptism in the Holy Spirit? What is the true meaning of having freedom in Christ?

Obviously, I'm full of questions. I hope to address all these and more in the future, along with some random thoughts. I want it to be informative and entertaining as well as thought-provoking. I hope you enjoy.