Hi Everyone,
  Here I go off again on another of my preachings.  Please read and judge.
Vinny
    I have often thought and heard about the blind men that Jesus healed.
There is one vast difference between them and ourselves.  This is  not a
value judgment or partiality, but just the facts.
We just don't have the same desperation to see as they did.  Their lot in
life  was that they were about as low on the scale of things as the leper.
They had no way to make an income but to beg, and had no hope to ever go up
the income or social scale.
    Thanks to Louis Braille, and the inventors of the braille writer, bns,
and computer, and many, many other blind heroes who have fought predjudice
and achieved great things even without technology, thanks to all these, we
don't have such a desperate need to see, or for the same reasons, as those
in bible times.
Before I became a christian, I used to be angry at all the references to to
blind beggars in the bible, because I thought they strengthened the
predjudice of the world against the blind.
Today, even, now, if you go to china, and many many other third world
countries the situation is not much better, than in Jesus' day.

    Now, all this coupled with all those mis-guided Christians who think
they are going to heal us to put another notch in their belt.  Also, all
those who accuse us of not having enough faith--you all know what I mean,
etc. etc.
    OI am sure that if we all wrote our stories, it would take days to read
them all.
        I know that in my life, after so many such miserable experiences
with Christians who thought they could force "God to heal us, I have had to
come, by prayer and crying out to the Lord, to the following conclusions for
my own life.  Let everyone read and judge.
    For me, after a most degrading experience with a famous healing
minister, and many others along the way, I prayed, and felt like the Lord
said the following to me.
    "Don't even pray for the healing of your eyes until I tell you that it
is time".

 And like the blind man in John 9, use the blindness to allow God to be
glorified in my life.
Since that time I have come to some other conclusions.
That is as follows:
    For me, the most important is seeing in the spirit.  In other words,Can
I see what God is doing in my life, do I know him and his ways in my life
and the lives of others, do I have an intimate relationship with him, so
that He can speak and I can hear him and obey him?
    Can I see Him, past myself and my needs, and can I allow Him to flow in
my life, and use me to positively influence those In my sphere of influence?
This, to me, is real sight that I need.
O yes, I would like to be able to see my wife, who I know is beautiful
anyway.. I would like to be able to read and sighread regular music so I can
play whatevr is et before me.  It would be nice to finally see what is
color, and what a sunset is like--but these thing are not necessary to live.
But can I see God and His ways.  If God gives me that kind of sight, what
else do I need?
Vinny
----- Original Message -----
From: "Rhonda" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, January 31, 2005 6:21 PM
Subject: Re: Safe Place Fellowship


> A friend once asked me once if I had ever prayed and asked God about my
> sight, I said no,  my reason being that I see God as a Father, and what if
> for example as a child you wanted a new bike, if you thought your father
> would say no, would you be likely to ask for the bike you desired.  I
guess
> I had feared a negative answer.  But after talking and praying with this
> friend I did pray, and to my surprise, I was not devistated with no quick
> answer, I suddenly felt I was surrounded by love and protection, I had One
> who cared for me, so I need not fear asking, when the time was right, I
> would receive my sight.  I don't know what that time is, but as Sandy
says,
> there are other things higher on the list!
> I guess I would like to see things like my girls and Ben, but, I've  never
> really had sight, so I can't miss it, but  I do  pray for other things,
> health for Ben, a job, direction for our life, and I am very glad to see
God
> work in our lives!
> Rhonda
>
>
>
> --
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