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If you wish to visit the Audio Manuals and related portions of our site, use the menu across the top of the page. At the bottom of each page on our site is a link to this "slightly hidden" section. Otherwise, there are no other links to it because it isn't intended for everyone to find it, only those whom the Holy Spirit brings. |
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 NIV | | Stuff Rick Wrote - My Story | Hi. My name is Rick Stout. I did not publish this web site to be a spiritual or church promoting site. I published it as a site to promote my business. However, none of us can deny who and what we are. I offer no excuses for it or about it. I am a spiritual person born of God--as were you. I acknowledge that The Spirit of God resides in me and He is at work in my life to bring truth to me and bring me to truth.
I am not *religious*, but am instead open to the voice of The Father to speak to the Sspirit that I am. This is entirely different than when years ago, I was religious and thought I was really something (in God of course... ha!). I didn't know it at the time, but in those days I was afraid to really live, afraid to be who I am, and afraid of what other (religious) people might think of me. I was afraid that I would not measure up in their eyes and in the eyes of God.
I wanted to be the kind of Christian that... *don't smoke, don't drink, don't look at other women and don't associate with them that do.* I thought this was the right way to be righteous in the eyes of God. Really that should read *self-righteous* because that is what it was. I didn't realize that I was caught up in my own religion of works, that I was not living by faith in God and was not believing the words of Jesus when He said, "It is finished."
Now after many years of struggles, trials and just simply growing up, I have become someone who is totally confident in the Lord and in the Power of His Might, not in my ability to be good.
So who taught me to be the way I used to be? The religious church system that raised me of course. Not that I believe there was an agenda to keep me in darkness... oh no!
continue top next column | Instead I believe that those with whom I associated and trusted to show me the truth were in darkness themselves. All of us together were basically unaware that we were trapped in a religious world that was not teaching truth, but instead was promoting its own importance and self-perpetuation.
There was a time when I thought I had the answers to all the questions. I could go on for hours about all the things I *knew* to be the truth. God eventually had to knock me around a bit as is his duty as my daddy. Now I understand that I have more questions than answers.
If in the core of your being you know something is unfulfilled, lacking, or kind of empty, perhaps you will find something here. If you are a real truth-seeker (a rarity), or are at least open-minded, you may find nourishment for your spirit here.
A very good friend of mine used to say that instead of trying to prove what you believe is the truth, why not sometimes try to prove that an alternative view is the correct one. This challenging of our personal belief system is a very good exercise for us because it forces us to *really think* for a change. That friend's name is David Johnson. There are two of his articles in Stuff Others Wrote and his website link in Websites to See.
If you have never seriously exposed yourself to alternative views, then perhaps it's time you did. If you agree that we should be challenged once in awhile, then read on. I am not trying to push any particular theories or belief system on you, but do encourage those of you who are truth seekers to visit some of the pages you come upon by following these links. Spirituality is the basis of our lives and we should openly acknowledge it. |
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