First -- is my life before high school (0-14)
Second -- is my life in high school (15-18)
Third -- is my life in college, the military, and back in college (19-25)
Fourth -- is my professional career (26-67)
Fifth -- is my ongoing retired life (68-current age)
Throughout my entire life (up to and including right now) my faith has been with me, not as some sort of flashing beacon illuminating the way, but as if it were a coin or good luck charm in my pocket. For many reasons, I do not believe in institutionalized religion nor do I think that the various Christian Denominations ARE A GOOD THING, especially since if you do not believe like they do, then you ARE ABSOLUTELY WRONG.
This is not how faith was supposed to be experience... at least this is my opinion.
A lot of people say that they live their faith but if you were to put a microscope to that statement, one would see that this is not true at all.
I live my faith but not in my witnessing and not in my going to Church and not in my Bible Readings and not in my prayers... BUT, in my realization that,
first - my life is a gift from God
second - whoever or whatever that I am or have become is God's Will
In short, I acknowledge God as MY CREATOR and I accept that GOD'S WILL is being done here on earth regardless of whether or not we like the outcomes.
I don't pray for forgiveness
I don't pray for my good health or others
I don't pray for an end to violence
I don't pray that the US military win wars
I don't pray that I will be successful
I don't pray that I will be happy
WHAT I PRAY FOR AND ACKNOWLEDGE IS THAT GOD'S WILL BE DONE HERE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN... wherever heaven might be....
I do this because in the Bible Jesus told us to use THE LORD'S PRAYER when praying to his father... it is just that simple... and, to me, very few people have followed that advice... and, you would not believe how long some of the prayers I have listened to are...
I have no idea if I am correct in this analysis, but it is my analysis nonetheless.
