A letter from mother and father god. Opinions please?
471366
I love the letter, its fantastics and brings many points together. Very good. It will piss of fundamentalists, I think that when you have certain believes in your family for generations it is hard to be told when you grow up that what your parents said about religion was only part of the truth. Religion brings a lot of political and power play into its dogma and so that also brings alot of anger and agression against other beliefs.
1122532
I'm sorry that you had so much trouble and pain in your life.  I am Catholic also.  I was away from the church for a long time because I just kinda wanted to do my own thing.  It was about 4-5 years ago that I started feeling something missing in my life.  I couldn't figure it out.  Initially I started looking for a sense of meaning in my life.  Tried a couple churches, even a Methodist church.  Nothing felt quite right until I found the church I attend now.  It's a Catholic church.  It is truly amazing when I look back now on things that happened in my life and to people I love.  I looked at things very much like you.  My son went to jail, I was in financial hell, didn't have the greatest relationship with my wife which caused us to separate for a year.  Looks pretty gloomy huh?  Where was God during all this?  Well, my son was running with some pretty bad people.  He was put in jail where he had time to reflect on where his life was going and he now attends mass with me and my wife who are now together with a relationship stronger than ever because we needed time apart to see how much we needed each other.  As for the finances, we still live week to week, but when I look back, there is always enough there.  There is always a sum of money that comes from somewhere right before we really need it.  Sometimes God doesn't give us what we want.  Sometimes that's a good thing because we rarely know what we want and our mind is always changing.  Mostly God gives us what we need.  Because he knows us.  I doubt what I said will change your mind about God right now.  But please keep in mind what I said.  Please give Him time to work in your life.  I don't know what you have been through, but maybe some of the things were for the better.  For your better.  Maybe they weren't what you wanted.  Maybe they were what you needed.  God is always there waiting for you to turn around and talk to him.  Start small and tell Him how you feel.  Even if it's anger.  Tell Him that you hurt and need healing.  I know it's cliche' but even if you don't believe in him, he believes in you and he loves you very much even if you don't feel it.  Faith isn't a feeling.  Faith is what keeps us praying when we have no feeling to grasp.  If everyone had that feeling of God's love and presence, there would be no need for faith.  Hang in there my friend.  God Bless you.
310815
Don't fall for this claptrap.  \n\nI get these emails from time to time, and immediately delete them.  \n\nPeople who send them originally, or who forward them, are basically saying that these emails will work like some kind of lucky charm.  \n\nAnd, as you probably know, belief in such "lucky charms," as if they have some sort of power in themselves, is un-Christian and un-Biblical.  \n\nIt's a borderline violation of the First Commandment, which prohibits idolatry and belief in any divine power other than God.  \n\nIn fact, I give you permission to copy my answer here, and to paste it as a reply to anyone who sends you such an email in the future.  Hopefully, it will give them pause before ever sending or forwarding another one again.
456123
God doesn't put you through these trials, honey.  God loves you much more than you could ever imagine.  God has given each of us free will, the will to choose what to do, say, etcetera.  He gave it to us out of His love for us, and He will never take that away.  However, because we each have free will, we make decisions to do and say things that hurt others.  Your boyfriend breaking up with you and not wanting your friendship is his decision, not God's.  God doesn't like to see His children hurt and in pain.  But because of free will, we do get hurt.  Suffering is caused by others, not by God.  Like I said, He loves you much more than that.  He cares about who you are, what you want to be, how you feel.  I come from a harsh background myself: my father was a raging drunk and an alcoholic who physically and verbally abused me when I was growing up.  My friends laughed at me when I tried to tell them; they didn't think my dad was capable of such things.  My parents divorced when I was seven, and my mom lived half an hour away.  I rarely saw her.  I felt I had nowhere to turn, noone to turn to for comfort.  So, at sixteen, I took seventeen prescription pills in an attempt to kill myself.  I felt I could no longer live with the tears and the bruises and a shattered heart.  Luckily, my mother found me and I spent three days in the hospital.  During those days, I came to know God in a very real way.  He showed me that He loves me, and cares about me.  I couldn't describe how wonderful that felt.  All my life I felt unloved and unwanted, yet all along, the God of the universe loved me beyond my comprehension, and wants to know me.  He allowed my suffering to happen, but it wasn't because He wanted me to suffer and hurt.  It was because my suffering was at the hands of my father, who chose to drink, chose to hurt me.  God loves you beyond your wildest dreams, honey.  He would never intentionally put you through anything that would cause you to hurt.  It happens because of other people, not because of God.  I hope this helps; I know it's kind of long.
94769
God shedding His wonderful grace on you and despite circumstances finally seeing the truth. It is nothing of your own power but of Gods mercy and grace. He chose us before the foundations of the Earth.\n\nEyelovesJesus: You are so sweet! God bless!
862098
"He who has ears, let him hear."\n\nOnce, I asked Jesus to come and live in me, like he said him and his father would if asked.\n\nYears later, I was at a tough place in my life. \n\nI was alone and I was scared and frustrated and angry.\n\nI cried out "God, you said you would come and live in me, so where are you?! I cant see you, I can't hear you, talk to me please, show me your self, why won't you communicate with me?!!"\n\nThen i heard it...clearly in my mind.\n\n"I am with you right now, I have always been with you. I haven't left you. Its going to be ok..." and He was speaking with my own voice!\n\nInstantly I realized that He was always with me, BUT my recognition of Him, my ability to hear Him was clouded and blocked off because I was still under the impression that I was seperate from Him.  \n\nBut of course, God's gift of Jesus and each person's own sincere acceptence on faith is/was the seed that fianally grew into a real relationship.\n\nFinally it was as clear as day. His voice was my own voice in my head. He had come to live in me and was always speaking with me. The scriptures "I and my father are one" and "nothing can seperate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus" came to be an understandable reality for me.\n\nHearing is about wanting to hear and then listening. \n\n"Faith is the assurence of things hoped for and the substance of things unseen."\n\nNow, I hear and see God in more and more interesting and new ways. The whole thing really panned out and i gotta say- it was all worth believing in.
841564
a very sad situation but wonder why the minister of the Church couldn't do something about this. what bothers me the most is the confidentiality issue along with others being hurt if the information fell into the wrong hands.\n\nselling these letters on e - bay might cause great personal trauma and harm to those involved. in my opinion these letters should not be sold but prayed over and then either shredded or burned.\n\na legal issue may be involved here depending on the laws rules and mores of the state.
1172628
My mom led a double life.  My dad suspected, but couldn't prove it.  She encouraged him to take his anger out on me, and he did because it was easier than to actually deal with her.\n\nAll my life, she told me that Dad's rages were my fault and that if I were better, he wouldn't hurt any of us.  She let me feel guilty for the times when he would lose it with her.  She stood by when he would lose it with me, and then later tell me what I should have done better so that I could have prevented it.\n\nShe's told me all my life that I don't love her enough.  That I don't try hard enough, but all my life she's had that secret.   How close could she let me get?\n\nShe asked me to come home with her and my dad one day.  On the car ride to their house, she confessed her double life.  She should have told Dad first.  It was then that it clicked with me that I had always been sort of a human shield.\n\nEven after she admitted her lifestyle, and that she had set me and my dad against each other all those years, she judged me for how I handled her confession.  My forgiveness wasn't good enough.  She thought I should immediately comfort and reassure her.\n\nI have forgiven her.  I doubt that I've done it to suit her, exactly.  She wants me to go back to feeling responsible for her happiness, and I'm not going back there.  Ever.\n\nBut I do want what's best for her.  I pray for her wellbeing.  I have tried to help her work things out with my dad.  I begged them to get counseling.\n\nI know I have forgiven her because I don't want her to make the past up to me.  I don't feel like she owes me anything.  When good things happen for her, I'm happy for her.\n\nI've also accepted that we're never going to have a close relationship because for whatever reason, she can't do that without requiring me to take responsibility for her actions.  I've accepted that that's where she is right now.  I hope that if she changes in the future, we can have a better relationship, but for now I can be respectful even when she's petty.  I can keep myself from sinking to her level in a disagreement.\n\nI know I still love her, even though she's hurt me deeply.  \n\nI highly recommend "Boundaries Face to Face" by Dr. John Townsend and Dr. Henry Cloud if you're struggling with forgiveness.  There's a difference between forgiveness and trust or reconciliation, and they go into that in depth.  Unfortunately, some people let the guilt of their offenses cause them to turn outward instead of inward and they judge those they hurt rather than taking responsibility.  Their focus is on you behaving differently toward them, rather than on them needing to change hurtful patterns of behavior and showing "fruit worthy of repentance."  Don't let someone bully you into believing that you must meet their standards of forgiveness in order to have really forgiven.\n\nForgiveness can be so difficult, but it's possible.  And it's necessary for you to be free from the hurt.  Forgiveness is a gift you give yourself.  It unties you from the trauma.
1142568
Dear Heavenly Father,\n\nI pray that this child of yours be helped through this difficult time.  This looks like a cry for help, and I ask you, God, to help this person get through the trials that have driven this remark.\n\nPlease watch over this soul and keep your child out of harms way.\n\nIn Jesus Name,\nAmen
1098280
Father God help this person look to you in times of trouble, forgive those who cause her upset, Father give her the peace that surpasses all understanding, allow her calm,help her find the joy you give in our troubles, and sing your praises .\n                              In the name of Jesus I ask these things AMEN.
412664
That is definately a tough one to deal with. Unfortunately the answers are not what we really want to hear. You see God set up the family system to work a certain way. You see all troughout the Bible that families come in many shapes and sizes and all of the children from both or from previous honored and obeyed their current father. \n  Now the good part!  The Word indicates that when two people are wed that they shall leave their father and mother and give themselves to each other.  They have essentially become a new family unit.  In that unit the husband is set up as the spiritual leader and the woman gains profound blessings. By that you are no longer under the authority of either of your parents.  Honoring them is still important as well as honoring each other. However, obeying every whim is not necessary. \nI do not know the situation you have but I can tell you putting God first, then your husband, and then family, will really help in a lot of things.  Father in Laws may be full of good advice and wisdom but we are not bound to use it any longer.  Listen to him. Honor him by living a life worthy to his son. But do not feel like you have to be what he wants you to be. Your family should be different than theirs.
1139904
While I am a bit of a Catholic mystic who might use some of the language you've used above such as "absolute bliss", no, really I can't say I am of a similar mind. \n\nI accept the Christian message because I have become convinced that the Almighty God - the "life force supreme" if you will - is also an intimately personal and not impersonal being. He is aware of - and profoundly in love with - not just the big picture, but the individual grains of sand within it.\n\nWhen Jesus in scripture says, "Every hair on your head is counted," that for me is the perfect representation of God. There can be no universal love without individual love. And individual love, for God, begins with love for the Son. And the love for the Son becomes love for all - the transcendant is the personal.
507940
Dear God\n\nThere was a man who worked for the Post Office whose job it was to process all the mail that had illegible addresses. One day, a letter came addressed in a shaky handwriting to God. He thought he should open it to see what it was about. The letter read: \n\nDear God,\n\nI am an 83 year old widow, living on a very small pension. Yesterday\nsomeone stole my purse. It had $100 in it, which was all the money I had until my next pension check. Next Sunday is Christmas, and I had invited two of my friends over for dinner. Without that money, I have nothing to buy food with. I have no family to turn to, and you are my only hope. Can you please help me?\n\nSincerely,\n\nEdna\n\nThe postal worker was touched. He showed the letter to all the other\nworkers. Each one dug into his or her wallet and came up with a few\ndollars. By the time he made the rounds, he had collected $96, which\nthey put into an envelope and sent to the woman. The rest of the day, all the workers felt a warm glow thinking of Edna and the dinner she would be able to share with her friends.\n\nChristmas came and went. A few days later, another letter came from\nthe old lady to God. All the workers gathered around while the letter\nwas opened. It read:\n\nDear God,\n\nHow can I ever thank you enough for what you did for me? Because of your gift of love, I was able to fix a glorious dinner for my friends.\nWe had a very nice day and I told my friends of your wonderful gift.\nBy the way, there was $4 missing. I think it must have been those thieving bastards at the Post Office.
930500
Letter to a Christian Nation
584633
I understand what you're trying to say to us protestants.I want you to know, as a protestant I do not put her(Mary) on a shelf, and only bring her down at the celebration of His birth,(Xmas), and His death on the cross(Easter).After all my protestant prayers, I thank Her for saying "yes" to God, and bearing a savior for the world.I thank her for rearing him, loving him, molding him for his ministry. Jesus loved her, shes His mother , so How can I help but love Her. I am a mother of Sons too. When I watch the passion of Christ, I cry, for my savior, for Her, for the heartbreak I share with her. Do I love Jesus?.......YES,  do I love His Mother?..........YES.   Does Jesus love me?.........YES.
679218
I was going to say something symbolic, like my children. It's true, they are the best gifts. Also, my husband because he is just amazing to me, and he's given me so much love and respect-- Something I never had before him. And he's taught me to love and respect myself, which is an incredible feeling. Anyhoo...\n\nMaterial things:\n\nA Tiffany cross. He gave it to me last Christmas. I love Tiffany, of course, but it's the fact that I'm sort of on this difficult journey to accept Jesus, and it's been really hard for me in so many ways. The cross kind of told me not to give up, even though I am struggling.
3311
My mother died a few years ago. The best gift I could give her is my being near to God our father in heaven and my belief in Jesus Christ his only son - she will be happy looking down on me from heaven; seeing me being a good servant of God.