14 Aug 1996
Your web site
I spent most of the afternoon reading your web pages. I want you to know,
I despaired of ever finding anybody who believed in Christ and communication
with spirits and reincarnation, all at the same time, who did not sound
like some kind of New-Age junkie or a bona-fide nut! Sir, I do not know
who you are, but I have now read enough of your writing to know that your
theology is sound and your scientific approach to spirituality is refreshing!
To tell you a little about myself: I recently left the Navy after 13 years,
and live with my husband and 15 year old son. I have had more psychic experiences
than I can count, most of which, in fear, I ignored and pushed away for
years. (Navy Officers absolutely do NOT talk about psychic occurrences!
:-) ) I have tried, from time to time, to talk with a minister (and once
I tried talking with a nun) about this. At worst, I was admonished for "responding
to the Devil's temptations." At best I was ignored, the individual
continuing on with the conversation as if I didn't mention ghosts or psychic
phenomena, but just burped or something. I've also run into a fair number
of psychic charlatans, read a great deal of "junk" on the internet
from people who are into channeling, who mix Hindu and Christian theology
and pass it off as something "received from their spirit guides."
I could go on, but I think you know what I mean.
Then I hit upon your web pages, and here I was reading stuff I've learned
the hard way (over the years)..."passiveness, eagerness to receive,
and indiscriminate acceptance are especially dangerous, because they are
open invitations to every spirit that has an agenda." "Love is
a matter of choice... an action, not a reaction."
Also interesting, what you wrote about parousia -- presence. I learned this
after years of study and reading, but have never seen it written quite as
succinctly and as well as you put it.
And most of all, I appreciate what you said about "give" vs "get."
A few months ago I got into a discussion with my son about our communication.
In the middle of the conversation I said to him, "I will talk with
you about any subject we can think of. But do you realize, other than video
games and comic books, you refuse to participate in other topics of conversation.
Everything else you say to me is 'Mom, can I have...? Mom, will you give
me...? Mom, why can't I do this? Mom, why won't you do that?'"
Suddenly I stopped dead in my tracks. That 'still, small voice' in the middle
of my existence was raising an eyebrow.
Now, I know that's a mixed metaphor. But how else do I explain a definite
raised eyebrow from a "feeling" that comes from inside of me that
I really, really try to listen to (at least most of the time.) I was suddenly
hearing my prayers of "God, please... please... please..." And
I realized that, after all the books and lectures I've studied about prayer,
after all the meditation and quiet "listening" (where, much to
my chagrin, I frequently fall asleep), the majority of time I was still
saying "give me" prayers.
So today I had to think about whether my recent attempts (over the last
couple of years) to finally open myself to these psychic experiences were
in the form of "give me." And I hate to confess, for the most
part I think they were. I do, sincerely, want to use these experiences as
God wills. But I do not know what God's will is in this respect, nor do
I know how to proceed from here.
Thus, my excitement over finding your web pages, and my eagerness to know
who you are and what you do.
I do hope you respond.
Most sincerely,
Trudy
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