Greetings to you, Matthew.
I have not been comfortable in the Christian church for quite a few years now. I keep asking myself, "Chica, why do you continue to subject yourself to this worship service when you are always complaining about the wrongs that are so blatantly evident in this church?"
Matthew, I cannot even tell you the last time I went to church and there was no mention of money! Every single solitary time I go to church, every week of every month of every year, this subject comes up. What the hell are they doing with all this money?
Of course, I know what they're doing. The hierarchy of the church is: Bishop, District Elder, Local Elder, Local Pastor. Local pastor takes $$ to Local Elder. Local Elder takes his cut and passes the rest to Distict Elder. District Elder takes his cut and passes the rest to Bishop. Bishop gets the biggest cut and so on and so forth.
But what about the old woman whose house just went into foreclosure? She came to church in tears asking for help. She has been faithfully serving the church and contributing her $$ all her life. Guess what the church told her?
God will provide. We have no money to give you. Don't you have sons who are working? Your sons should be helping you to save your house. That is not the church's business.
The Christian church here in the USA is no longer about the business of bringing others to Christ and creating fellowship. The church is about business and money -- your money, my money, everyone's money.
Not to mention the other appallingly sinful things that men of the cloth perpetuate on a congregation. And they act as if it is their Jah-given right to misuse Jah's chilcren! That attitude makes me sick to my stomach.
I feel the church of the future will be small gatherings that don't cost a cent to join, where the Bible is discussed and taught -- gatherings like this forum. People are getting sick and tired of being sick and tired of how the church dysfunctions and these people are searching for alternatives.
For about two years now, I began having a really strange experience, can't explain why this started happening, but it did. I had forgotten all about this, but when I was reasoning on another thread with Brother Soe, it came to mind.
Whenever I would get really tired, I would sit on my sofa and close my eyes. Then when I open my eyes, I would feel this burst of energy all around me and my eyes would flutter nonstop then the energy would start taking shape. Then I would see these beautiful rasta people. I call them rasta people because they had dreadlocks and the women had long flowing dresses of brilliant color. They would be moving around, Matthew, just living life. It felt like I was actually looking into another dimension in time. It was sort of an eerie feeling, but I wasn't afraid. Actually, I was a bit fascinated. Then I would close my eyes again, and the same thing would happen once I reopened my eyes.
This would only happen to me when I was really, eally exhausted. A friend of mine suggested it only happens when I'm tired because that's the only time I allow my brain to calm down and get quiet, so during that quiet time, these visions come. I had no idea what the visions meant, but I did feel somebody was trying to show/tell me something.
Then one day while internet surfing for nothing in particular, I come upon the Jah Forum. It was like stepping into a new world. I began to think, "Chica you have always strived to live a very simple life that is pleasing to Jah. Perhaps you will find a community of like minds here. Stay a while and see what grows."
So here I am, Matthew, with so much to learn. I believe I have been led here by Jah, not by accident. Jah is so mystical in that regard. We never really know what He's up to, do we? But I know this: Jah's timing is perfect, Jah's purpose is perfect and when the spirit of Jah is beckoning, my own spirit responds. It's good to be here. Blessing...
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