"Simply Jesus" ~ by Joseph M. Stowell.

Tom's Journal.
http://tomschuckmanjournal.blogspot.com/
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I still can't say enough praise and appreciation for that small bible based book that Wayne Bielgaard gave me last week when I was down in the dumps, slightly bitter and upset about my wife's open heart surgery to replace the aortic valve. I will NOT speak about her state or progress anymore on this Blog until she is out of the hospital, safe and under my care only, protective wing, for personal reasons. She is far from out of the woods yet, however.

The book, SIMPLY JESUS, ~by Joseph M. Stowell, appears to be simply written, short and easy to understand, IF an honest person is searching for the Lord, or looking to get more from a personal, closer relationship with Jesus. Much info and teaching comes from Paul's letter to the Philippians, which is one of my fav. books of the bible and only 4 power packed chapters. For me, with the avalanche of super stressful events recently, this small book has been a 'God-send' for me, along with some expert Christian counsel from a new friend who has been very gracious and understanding. Other than the whole chapter 3 which cut me to the core and exposed my wrong headed mindset, self aborbedness, thorn in my side that has been a wedge between Jesus and me most of my life, I would like to quote Psalm 139: 23-24: "Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way." On page 18, it says that, 'if there is any bitterness, pride, etc, other bad things holding us down-- Jesus won't meet us on those playing fields. He'll just meet us there to pull us out of the ditch of our own ways, but He won't stay there with us.' This 'fine- tuning,' understanding of the way God works in us-- with us is key, and the missing part of the puzzle for me, at least.

OK, that was simple enough to say, but it maybe a tall order to fill... lol. In most of us, the problem of PRIDE has to be eliminated ASAP, if we want to progress with Jesus and be enriched spiritually. Well, guess what, that goes directly against everything being taught in our schools now days from 1st grade thru college! It is most certainly "politically incorrect!" All the so-called smart people with higher degrees and stations in life will come down on you like a angry bee hive and worse. They will try hard to blow up your APC with their RPG! You won't have many friends, and people will call you crazy, stupid and weird, among other things. But as the apostle Paul said in Phil. 1:21, "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." ~KJV. For folks like Billy Graham, the personal, close relationship with Jesus Christ, is/ was the highest point, achievement in his life! Paul counted every thing else in the world but a 'dung heap!' ~Phil. 3: 6. Hey! is that 'politically incorrect' enough for you?? Ha!

Reading and studying the bible is so important to me that I could equate it with ice cold lemonade in the middle of a furnace- like desert. It is my daily food and life blood. I will certainly need every scrap of scripture as these terrible 'end times' continue. Many of us are sick and tired of living in this cess pool of a Satanic wicked, 'politically correct' world, but we must stay the course until the Master returns to take us away-- or we die. And death is nothing more than A GATEWAY to Everlasting Life with Jesus for all honest, true unashamed Christians! Do YOU feel that way? Well, this is a litmus test, do you confess Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, and believe that the whole 66 books of the Bible are truely inspired of God, according to 2 Tinmothy 3:16, infallible in everyway?? Do you believe in Adam and Eve, Noah and the Flood? If not-- you are calling Jesus a liar [See: Luke chapter 3].
Hello friends! These words and ideas are NOT 'negative' but Joyful! I just heard a new term for so-called 'Christians' [CHINO's] who only go to church on Christmas and Easter.... lol. I will tell you latter, after some of the intense heat, and struggle for prominence and notoriety tame down in this part of the country. People like my agnostic Mom would much prefer that I just shut up, don't make waves and go with the flow --[like a dead fish... lol]. I guess I will take a 'breather' of sorts for now. And so happy my knees are feeling better.

If there is any silver lining in our black cloud of pain and suffering-- it was the peace and quiet of just settling back in my easy chair and climbing into these great, soothing books of peace and inspiration. Hey-- TV can wait, and that boob tube will NOT get me to heaven. Just like any other positive action or work-- if the farmer keeps on procrastinating , the farm chores, plowing and planting won't get done, and then the 'tax man cometh...' So is putting off reading the Good Book to get the real facts. Actually, the tax man already came and went in our household, and now there is a smile on my face today as I got the daily snail mail from outside. Woo Woo! Pay the bills.

I really hope that you all get the book I am now enjoying, and it's made a noticeable change in my life-- better late than never.

Another hint: If you want the wrong people to stop reading your Blog-- just talk about the Bible, and that will scare them off... lol. This is too heavy and boring for them to "waste their time" with. And then, real biblical Christian have their own "language" so it's mostly gibberish for outsiders. Their eyes are blinded by the god of this system of things. So that will be my 'ticket' until our business is all over, and it may take my mind off my challenges.

The Beach Boys - God Only Knows (Brian sings lead)


Tom Schuckman