What would you ask Jesus, if you could sit down and have coffee with Him?
I love questions like that, questions that make us think critically. Somebody recently asked me that question, except I changed the future tense to make it bit less futuristic. The question was originally, “When you see Jesus, what will you ask Him?”
I’m kind of impatient, like I’m not going to wait until I’m dead to start asking Jesus questions. Also, if I don’t actually get to know Jesus NOW, while I’m still living, how am I supposed to recognize Him later? You don’t want to go into the after life and sit down to coffee with just anybody. Just saying.
But that said, I liked the question very much. Also, I had no answer. For the life of me, I could not think of a single question, because I’ve already asked Him, and He’s already answered me. No, I don’t have all the answers, I simply have the answers to the things that have troubled me personally, in just the perfect amount that my brain and heart can handle.
I’ve been sitting down and having coffee with Jesus for a long time now and asking some rather impertinent questions. If I were Him, I would roll my eyes when He saw me coming. I would think, Oh great, here comes that crazy woman again, demanding to know why I prefer sheep to goats. That is so NOT our Lord and Savior, however. You know what He always says? I’m so glad you’ve come to me. Now what troubles you? Why are you restless?
Ask Him your questions.
I have come to Him in hysterics, in the midst of some real emotional trauma, and asked some hard questions like, “How come the good always seem to die young and the really rotten people live forever?” Or, “Why did you intervene in this suffering and not in the other?” Or, “Why is this injustice prevailing and how am I supposed to reconcile that with a loving God?”
Truthfully however, the last question I asked Him was a much lighter one. I’ve never been comfortable with His metaphors about sheep and goats in the bible. I don’t like earthly sheep at all. I don’t like wool, mutton, or their little pointy noses. I adore goats however. My husband once asked me what I would do without him and I promptly answered, “become a goat lady.” He wasn’t real thrilled by the speediness of my answer.
So every time I think of sheep, I groan, which is obviously problematic since our Lord is a Shepherd and we are His sheep. Also, He will come and separate the sheep from the goats, and the goats will not be going with Him, which I find terribly unfair. I would much prefer to self-identify as a goat and I think all of us goats should follow Him and just leave the sheep behind.
Anybody remember “goat’s head soup,” the Grateful Dead, or the many satanic cultural references to goats? That’s not God, that’s the world. Stop the goat-hate, people.
Okay, so it’s a silly question and a bit frivolous, but there was some disquiet in my spirit over this goat matter and so I simply asked. I asked with all the reverence and admiration one might ask a Great Artist about His work, to give Him honor and glory, to come into closer understanding with Him. To get to know Him better.
I asked for some revelation and sure enough, I’ve been getting the answers I was looking for ever since, with some rather comical references to goats thrown in for good measure. And also, right on schedule, our Pastor at church today decided to address that very thing, the sheep and goats. He did a beautiful job, too.
First off, separating the goats from the sheep is a farming analogy, a metaphor in scripture, and I could give you a literal and historical answer for why it is such an apt analogy, sure to be well understood at the time. My question however, was far more emotional and spiritual, more like, “Lord, what do you have against goats?”
Nothing, He’s got nothing against goats. He’s quite delighted I like them.
Our pastor in church said, “sheep eat grass and goats eat everything,” and then the Lord cut him right off and whispered to me, “Do you understand now?” And I did. I grasped a far deeper meaning in there. Goats eat everything.
The reason why some of us like goats so much is because they eat everything. They can clear a field of blackberries. They are wonderful landscapers, eating all the weeds, and pooping out almost sterile fertilizer. What makes them so remarkable however, is that they actually digest the seed. They tend to kill it, literally. It’s a talent rather unique to goats, because most animals will eat the grass, and poop out the seeds in these new, heavily fortified, now perfectly fertilized “weed packets.” Goats like to feed up high, bushes and shrubs, right where the seeds often live.
You can send goats into an overgrown field of weeds a few times and they will not only clear it, they’ll kill the seed and prevent new growth. A shepherd protects the sheep from the environment around them, but a goat herder actually protects the environment from the goats.
It’s a rather disconcerting revelation in a spiritual context, but you will all be happy to know that now, “all is well with my soul” on this goat matter. Everytime the Lord reveals something to me, I gain another layer of trust too, and trust in kind of important in building relationships.
So, “What would you ask Jesus, if you could sit down and have coffee with Him?” I encourage everyone to do just that, to seek a relationship and the answers you need, but I am also curious about what kind questions other people might have or once had?
So, spill the beans, lay it on me, tell me what questions you may have had.
john zande said:
“What would you ask Jesus, if you could sit down and have coffee with Him?”
Why didn’t you say anything new or original?
LikeLike
lettersfromthepotter said:
Only one question “ What did he see in us that made him love us so much, even to the point he had to sacrifice his son to bridge the gap between us.” His love is really amazing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
john zande said:
Oh, you mean this:
LikeLiked by 3 people
The Isaiah 53:5 Project said:
Do you really think that’s how it works, John?
That notion comes from Sabellianism, Patripassianism, and/or Modalism and it has been refuted by orthodox Christians dating back to the 2nd century and was officially condemned as heresy at the council of Nicaea.
Thus, what your “clever” meme suggests is actually a misrepresentation of the Christian view.
Christians are trinitarian monotheists. That is, we believe that there is one God that exists in three distinct persons. Thus, if the Son is sacrificed to the Father, it is incorrect to say that one person is sacrificing himself to himself.
Utterly mind boggling that you are considered among the smartest atheists on WordPress.
Smart people, you’d think, would strive to demonstrate they have a basic understanding of what they are arguing against so they don’t look like fools.
LikeLike
lettersfromthepotter said:
Yes 💜💜💜
LikeLiked by 1 person
ColorStorm said:
You may have the drop on Judas Iscariot zande as far as sneakiness goes. But take note, he was still called ‘friend.’
LikeLiked by 1 person
John Branyan said:
We don’t have to be Jesus to answer Zande’s question.
As a matter of fact, I’ve answered it a couple of times for him in the past.
It makes me laugh to think about the pompous windbag sitting down with his Creator and asking why He never did anything “original”.
LikeLiked by 1 person
insanitybytes22 said:
I know, right? While borrowing breath from God Himself and adopting the tactics of some rabid pharisee, atheists go forth to point fingers at God for not being original? It looks an awful lot like watching someone who has trapped themselves in a carnival fun house full of mirrors.
LikeLike
john zande said:
Pointing fingers? That would imply assigning blame for something. I’m not accusing anyone of wrongdoing, simply stating the fact that Jesus said nothing new or original, or even marginally useful… and I’d be curious to hear why? I mean, the Greeks had arrived at Atomism 500 years before Jesus, so at the very least updating the fantastically flawed cosmogony of Judaism (now owned by all Christians and Muslims) wouldn’t have been terribly difficult.
LikeLike
John Branyan said:
We’ve answered your question many times, JZ.
Please keep asking it though!
You are a constant reminder of the futility of atheism.
LikeLiked by 1 person
john zande said:
No, you haven’t… But you’re free to make a suggestion.
LikeLike
John Branyan said:
Yes, I have.
Jesus created the universe.
So everything that has EVER been said originates with Him.
LikeLike
john zande said:
Oh, and no other religion has a creation story?
I see.
LikeLike
John Branyan said:
Different creation accounts are irrelevant. Your question has been answered.
LikeLike
john zande said:
Ah, irrelevant.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The Isaiah 53:5 Project said:
I have answered this question before too JB.
Sure, Jesus never spoke of X-Boxes and never told anyone what was on His iPod as JZ would have liked Him to.
But what He did do, what He did say, and who He is make Him the single most remarkable person who has ever lived.
Here are just a few reasons why.
1. He is the only, unique Son of God (Psalm 2:7, 11-12; John 1:14; Luke 1:35).
2. He is eternal. He existed from eternity past, He exists in the present, and He will exist for all eternity in the future (John 1:1-3, 14; John 8:58).
3. Jesus alone is the One who bore our sins so that we could have forgiveness and be saved from them (Isaiah 53; Matthew 1:21; John 1:29; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Corinthians 15:1-3).
4. Jesus is the only Way to the Father (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1 Timothy 2:5); there is no other way to salvation. He is the only righteous One who exchanged that perfect righteousness for our sin (2 Corinthians 5:21).
5. Jesus alone had power over His own death and the ability take back His life again (John 2:19; 10:17-18). Note: His resurrection was not a “spiritual” one, but was physical (Luke 24:39). His resurrection from the dead, never to die again, distinguished Him as the unique Son of God (Romans 1:4).
6. Jesus alone accepted worship as an equal with the Father (John 20:28-29; Philippians 2:6), and indeed God the Father states that the Son is to be honored as He is honored (John 5:23). All others, whether Jesus’ disciples or angelic beings, rightly reject that worship (Acts 10:25-26; Acts 14:14-15; Matthew 4:10; Revelation 19:10; 22:9).
7. Jesus has the power to give life to whom He wants (John 5:21).
8. The Father has committed all judgment to Jesus (John 5:22).
9. Jesus was with the Father and directly involved in the creation, and it is by His hand that all things are held together (John 1:1-3; Ephesians 3:9; Hebrews 1:8-10; Colossians 1:17).
10. It is Jesus who will rule the world at the end of this present age (Hebrews 1:8; Isaiah 9:6-7; Daniel 2:35, 44; Revelation 19:11-16).
11. Jesus alone was born of a virgin, conceived by the Holy Spirit. The sin nature is genetically inherited from the male. He had no human father and therefore was born without a sin nature (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:20-23; Luke 1:30-35).
12. It is Jesus who demonstrated that He had the attributes of God [e.g., the power to forgive sins and heal the sick (Matthew 9:1-7); to calm the wind and waves (Mark 4:37-41; Psalm 89:8-9); to know us, being perfectly acquainted with us (Psalm 139; John 1:46-50; 2:23-25), to raise the dead (John 11; Luke 7:12-15; 8:41-55), etc.]
13. There are a great number of prophecies concerning the Messiah’s birth, life, resurrection, person, and purpose. All were fulfilled by Him and no other (Isaiah 7:14; Micah 5:2; Psalm 22; Zechariah 11:12-13; 13:7; Isaiah 9:6-7; Isaiah 53; Psalm 16:10)
Pretty remarkable even sans sermons about ball bearings and Tupperware, I’d say.
LikeLiked by 3 people
john zande said:
You are aware, aren’t you, that not one of those things actually addresses the question?
LikeLike
The Isaiah 53:5 Project said:
As a whole, I think I answered the question fairly well.
Jesus was and is supremely unique among religious leaders, that He didn’t mention podiatry doesn’t change that.
LikeLike
john zande said:
I think you might be confusing creative theology wishfully developed around the character with what the character actually said and did.
But hey, if that makes you happy, carry on.
LikeLike
The Isaiah 53:5 Project said:
I really don’t think I am confusing anything John but I am happy so I will carry on.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Po' Girl Shines said:
I guess I would ask Him the same thing I ask God alot when I get up and seldom pray much anymore but talk to him about stuff. I do always ask “Why is man so selfish, I get the survival stuff, but that we have such a diabolical nature as we do and then have to spend the rest of our lives fighting against the very nature, the way we were all created by you?” I know some have kinder hearts but as a whole we do suck. I have never liked religion or various traditions of religion or cared for theology much either. Who really cares? The gist is love one another, and you have to love yourself to do this. Treat others with respect and dignity and do what what you can to help those in need in your tiny space in the world. That’s all you can do.
LikeLiked by 2 people
KIA said:
“couldn’t you have just forgiven without the ritual human blood sacrifice?”
LikeLiked by 1 person
insanitybytes22 said:
Somewhat amusing to me,you share that question with a great evangelist. Billy Graham once said he’d studied it extensively, even wrote a thesis, and it still wasn’t settled in his mind, beyond complete acceptance that God knew what He was doing.
It’s sad to me that you subscribe to what is sometimes referred to as the theology of throwing virgins in the volcano. Jesus was not a sacrifice to appease an angry God. He was God’s own sacrificial love for His children on display for the whole world to see. We are the ones who crucified Him. Ironically, what you evangelizing atheists do, is try to metaphorically crucify Him everyday, all while trying to pretend there is no blood on your own hands.
LikeLiked by 2 people
John Branyan said:
Prediction: Mike will now remind us that he is not an atheist.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Po' Girl Shines said:
The crucifixion, the part that is supposed to be for our salvation, was always a sore spot with me. I used to be angry about that when I was young and through most of my adult life. I could not wrap my human mind around the fact that Jesus was not murdered, but chose to give His own life for His people. He did not die or even pray for those of the world, it is written, but for those who knew who He was and those were the Children of God. When people used to say to me “Jesus died for our sins I would say, no, He died because of our sins.” And actually I am not wrong. So those that mock or don’t believe are not supposed to be saved. If you know Him you cannot resist Him in your heart and He knows this. He knows His people and talked about this before his crucifixion. There is nothing more disheartening as caring about people and knowing they think you are a fool to believe in Christ and God but that never means they cannot come around. I’ve seen this.
LikeLiked by 1 person
KIA said:
Oh.. and by the way. Isn’t suicide a mortal sin? “No man takes my life, I give it freely”
LikeLike
insanitybytes22 said:
I can just picture a murderer rationalizing, “So you give your life freely? Than this is actually a suicide rather than a homicide,so now I’m not guilty of killing you.” I don’t think that one is going to hold up in court, Kia.
LikeLiked by 1 person
KIA said:
I’m not sure you nderstood what I was saying, in application to jesus giving his life rather than “no man takes it”
LikeLike
insanitybytes22 said:
If I surrender to your murderous rage, does that make my death a suicide, Kia?
LikeLiked by 1 person
KIA said:
No. But what of what Jesus said of his own death?
LikeLike
KIA said:
http://biblehub.com/john/10-18.htm
LikeLike
insanitybytes22 said:
LOL! “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness…..”
Sorry Kia, it just cracks me up when atheists try to hurl scripture at me. Like, you actually have to borrow from His word to try to make your point and that fact doesn’t even give you pause??
So Jesus says, “No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.”
And from there you somehow extrapolate suicide and proceed to accuse Jesus of killing His own self???! Wut?
LikeLiked by 2 people
Elihu said:
Love this! It is a good question and oddly enough my kids this morning were talking about all the questions they want to ask God when they get to heaven. My husband told them that it’s likely when we get there, we’ll be so thrilled we probably won’t be asking a lot of questions. My middle daughter wants to know who actually wrote Hebrews. My son wants to know if dogs will be in heaven. My oldest wants to know how Noah and his family took care of all those animals on the ark. They have lots of questions…
I have lots of questions too, but like you, I ask many of my questions now. 😉
LikeLiked by 3 people
insanitybytes22 said:
What fun, Elihu! I love all those questions your kids have. I know who wrote Hebrews. God did, so that men would know it was their job to make the coffee. It’s he-brews, cut and dry. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Elihu said:
Hahaha! That’s exactly what my husband said. 😂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pingback: WWJA: What Would Jesus Answer? | The Recovering Know It All
John Branyan said:
How does consciousness work?
LikeLiked by 2 people
insanitybytes22 said:
Cool question, Branyan. My dad was a physicist and he used to love to have discussions with people like, can you prove to me you aren’t dead? If the dead don’t know they are dead, why should I take your word for it that you aren’t a ghost? M. Night Shyamalan played around with this same idea in the Sixth Sense and some of his other movies. The nature of consciousness is one of the hardest questions to ask.
LikeLike
The Isaiah 53:5 Project said:
The only thing I would ask Him is the same thing I ask Him every day.
“What can I do for you today?”
LikeLiked by 1 person
insanitybytes22 said:
Ahh, sweet question.
I’m a real do-er, too. One thing the Lord has told me to do is to admire His work. It sounds very passive, doesn’t it? At least to me, my spirit kind of recoils. Smell His roses, take in a sunset, lift His name in praise. Yesterday, hubby painted the greenhouse and I wanted to help, but he was like, just sit in the sun and watch me work. A bit funny, because sitting on the sidelines is so not my thing. Sometimes however, I think that’s exactly what God wants from me, just some adoration. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
The Isaiah 53:5 Project said:
I get your point but, in all seriousness, I can’t think of a single question I would ask.
I’m actually reminded of I Can Only Imagine and wonder if I would be able to speak at all.
If I ever do think of a question someday, I can guarantee you it would be a dumb one like, “Why didn’t you ever talk about Tupperware?” Or a theological question that literally any church leader anywhere can easily answer.
LikeLiked by 2 people
insanitybytes22 said:
I think you may be right. I suspect we will all be so amazed, our questions will just fade away. Of course, I have no idea how it really works, but I love 1 Corinthians 13:12, “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.” Kind like how when you finally wash the windows you can actually see what’s outside and there’s no need to ask any more. 🙂
LikeLike
John Branyan said:
“Why didn’t you talk about Tupperware” is a better question than Zande’s.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The Isaiah 53:5 Project said:
It is his question, from his blog, about two years ago. I answered it to him and linked to his post.
Same ol’ same ol’ with them every time.
LikeLiked by 1 person
John Branyan said:
The first question that popped into my mind when I read IB’s article was, “Why did you allow the atheists to be so stupid?” I’m not kidding.
It bothers me that the godless seem so utterly incapable of grasping even the simplest theological concepts. Wisdom comes from God, so why are the heathen completely bereft of it? It is certainly one of the questions that I’d ask Jesus after we settled the Tupperware issue.
LikeLike
The Isaiah 53:5 Project said:
“The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.”
-1 Corrinthians 2:14
Simple John, they cannot understand even if they tried, it is “foolishness to them”.
-1 Corrinthians 1:18
LikeLike
John Branyan said:
Right. But we were all without the spirit at one point. How come some of us opted to wise up?
LikeLike
The Isaiah 53:5 Project said:
John,
I am somewhat of a Calvinist on this issue in that I think people cannot come to salvation unless they are moved by the Spirit.
Another possible explanation is pride or selfishness as in, people simply do not want to pay the price.
Some will not come to Jesus because they are unwilling to pay the price He requires.
If you would follow Christ, you must be willing to forsake all that is in conflict with Heaven’s requirements. A person must be willing to deny himself, take up the cross daily, and follow his Lord (Lk. 9:23).
The Savior urged men to count the cost before assuming the role of discipleship, and he who is not willing to renounce any obstacle to the faith cannot be a follower of Christ (cf. Lk. 14:25-35).
A tragic example is that of the rich, young ruler. He was consumed with materialism. When, therefore, the Lord demanded that he sell his possessions and then follow him, the young man sorrowfully departed from Christ (Matt. 19:16-22). He was unwilling to pay the price!
For some. forsaking worldliness is too great of a demand (cf. 2 Tim. 4:10) for discipleship. Others cannot afford the time. And so they trade the few moments of time for eternity.
The excuses are many; the result is the same. Other priorities crowd out the Christ.
LikeLiked by 1 person
John Branyan said:
I’m curious about how you manage to be “somewhat” Calvinist.
If I understand you correctly, the Spirit moves us toward salvation and some of us resist more strongly than others. The excuses are many but it is not because God hasn’t made His will known.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The Isaiah 53:5 Project said:
The Calvinist–Arminian debate has been going on since the early 17th century so it should come as no surprise that I am on the fence, I know a few pastors who are. I started out rejecting Calvin but, the older I get and the more I sudy scripture, the more convinced I am that Calvin may have been right.
Anyway, that’s probably best left for another time.
As for the second part of your comment. Yes, that’s the gist of it.
LikeLike
insanitybytes22 said:
LOL! I’m really a “somewhat Calvanist,” too. When James figures that one out, maybe he can explain it for the both of us. 🙂
Myself, I think it’s mostly a simple matter of pride. Pride makes us dumb and it makes us think without clarity. It renders us incoherent. Jesus requires us to let go of ourselves so our hands have room for Him. We have to chose to reach out to Him. It’s the dreaded word “submit,” again. We must have a desire to submit to His authority. Either we’re “god” or God is. If we’re going to insist we’re “god,” He’ll have no part in us. There is no in between place for us to go.
I have seen God take the worst people and eventually flip them around, so hope springs eternal in my book, on my end of things.
In a philosophical context, the worst thing I can imagine is to be my own “god,” turned over to my own passions. I know atheists think they’re really smart and full of compassion for people, but I think I know the human heart a bit better than they do.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The Isaiah 53:5 Project said:
At did C.S. Lewis opt to wise up after years of running from God while Bertrand Russell said he would go to his grave yelling, “not enough evidence, God?”
I can’t say for sure what makes it click for some people and not for others, only they can.
I actually talked to a women the other day who said she would commit her life to Christ but she wasn’t quite ready yet. Didn’t elaborate beyond that but she must have had a reason.
LikeLiked by 1 person
john zande said:
Or, perhaps, that slavery is a really bad idea?
LikeLiked by 1 person
John Branyan said:
You never say anything unique or original.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Arkenaten said:
Actually, I would rather have a chat to the first author who invented the character .
LikeLike
insanitybytes22 said:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”
LikeLiked by 1 person
ColorStorm said:
Hey msb, hope you don’t mind the observation.
You pose a fair question, and it attracts some decent posters. Then the usual suspects appear, and put forth the ‘accusation’ that both God and scripture have defects. (as seen in the feigned responses)
Reminds me of this. You have a houseful of guests and welcome all with open arms, providing comfort in all ways, food, rest, drink, etc. Then a bunch or ruffians show up, and btich that your house is filthy, (they brought the muddy boots) complain that there is not enough food (they ate it all) and gripe that the music is lousy (it’s their own drunken rage)
Some people just can’t drive by and be happy that others are enjoying their own festivities. Yeah, I’m talkin to you………….
But a good question too: how do them goats so adroitly careen those rocky slopes with such ease…….Love that.
LikeLiked by 1 person
insanitybytes22 said:
Well said, Colorstorm. Except after eating all your food and tracking mud about the place, they proceed to complain about how unhospitable and uncharitable Christians are. Reminds me of this guy at the restaurant the other day who said, “I need to buy my buddy a few drinks so he has an excuse for his drunken behavior yesterday.” Gave me a chuckle.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The Isaiah 53:5 Project said:
CS,
A friend of mine told me that he was recently doing some evangelism at a college campus when he encountered an atheist professor who belligerently gave him a hard time.
From my friend’s account, people watching all looked at the professor as if they were wondering what the hell was wrong with him. Same thing, I suspect, the lurkers wonder about the atheists who comment on Christian blogs.
LikeLiked by 2 people
insanitybytes22 said:
To my atheist bloggers who are pinging the heck out of this thread, I really wasn’t trying to rile up the Godless with this post.
The fact that I have rather unwittingly caused some consternation, really speaks to the fact that we are all without excuse and fully accountable for our own belief, or for our own non-belief. You can’t blame Jesus for that, His arms are wide open and He encourages our questions. He not only provides us with answers, He calms our fears and invites us to His table. You do have put down your sword however, and approach Him with a humble heart.
LikeLiked by 3 people
John Branyan said:
Pinging the heck out of this thread from the safety of their echo chambers.
Hope they take a break from mocking the question at some point and spend a little time thinking about it.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Po' Girl Shines said:
What is cool about rocking the heathen’s world is there must be a belief somewhere in there that you stir up or they would just choose to ignore those that “don’t know any better.” If you get upset, you are not secure in your disbelief.
LikeLiked by 2 people
The Isaiah 53:5 Project said:
You live rent free in their heads IB.
Troll Christian blogs, ping them, make fun of the idiot hayseeds with like minded friends. Standard M.O. they have been using for years.
Juvenile, pathetic, and sad if you ask me.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Rebecca LuElla Miller said:
Well, the post exposes one of their fallacious beliefs—that Christians simply don’t ask questions, which is why we believe.
Becky
LikeLiked by 1 person
Doug (FPS/DougLite.com) said:
“What would you ask Jesus, if you could sit down and have coffee with Him?”
1. “Mind passing the sugar?”
2. “You might suggest to your old man that if there’s something he does’t like he could certainly start over. Why keep us all in limbo?”
3. “Fess up, buddy.. WAS there a second gunman on the grassy knoll?”
4. “Um.. sorry about that encounter with the Romans. Did it hurt much? Wait.. nevermind.. I gotta think it hurt like hell. Can I have another question? Ooops.. that was it.”
5. “Jeepers, looking at me is like looking in the mirror, isn’t it?”
6. “Hey, before we get too far into this, you have any influence with the IRS?”
7. “Where did my mother-in-law end up?”
8. “While you’re here maybe you can give me a hand moving this couch?”
9. “When I utter “Goddammit”, is anything actually happening?”
…and the final possible option regarding, “What would you ask Jesus, if you could sit down and have coffee with Him?”
10. I already have coffee with him everyday.. and we have great conversations.
LikeLiked by 2 people
insanitybytes22 said:
Ha! Good questions, Doug. Very funny. I forgot about the grassy knoll! Can we watch the instant replay from another angle, please?
I laughed about your mother in law. My husband actually moved my mother in, kind of against my will. So where did your MIL wind up? “In your very house.” Who did that? “You did. Welcome to hell, sweetheart. I tried to warn you.” I jest, it’s all working out, but some of the road has been full of potholes and unpaved.
LikeLike
Doug (FPS/DougLite.com) said:
Fortunately my MIL died years ago (I won). Containing my immense pleasure at her funeral was one of the greatest challenges of my life… a challenge I successfully met.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Po' Girl Shines said:
Nothing in heaven and on earth can help you with the IRS. Good luck with that.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Doug (FPS/DougLite.com) said:
Agreed!
LikeLiked by 1 person
craftysurf said:
I’d ask, “How could I be a better servant?”
LikeLiked by 1 person
oneta hayes said:
When I read your question, IB, I thought the same as you. I don’t know what I would ask him because I don’t have the question yet. I have asked my questions as I encountered them. Yes, direct line anytime. I have to accept, however, that many times the answer is “If I told you, you wouldn’t understand the answer anymore than you can understand your husband’s physics books.” I feel lucky that he lets me off the hook at that point, rather than telling me! I settle back to a fairly comfortable, “That’s good. I’ll wait.” His ways and thoughts are way beyond me? I’m thankful for faith in him; ever so grateful that my faith does not have to be in man. I do know about man’s thoughts and ways – they are not comforting!
LikeLiked by 1 person
insanitybytes22 said:
Amen,Oneta! You make a really good point about how He will only reveal what we can understand and handle. I call that “downloading watermelon ideas in to a pea brain.” No offense intended, God is simply very kind and loving towards us. If He told us everything, our head would explode. There are no exploding heads allowed in God’s kingdom. 🙂
Scripture speaks of how it reveals itself “precept by precept, a little here, a little there.” Paul speaks of milk and meat. I’m good with all that. God knows what we need and when we need it and we can trust in Him to provide it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
oneta hayes said:
“downloading a watermelon into a pea brain” – Wonderful!!!
LikeLike
Rebecca LuElla Miller said:
My question at the moment (there are others that I’m not remembering right now): was the crucifixion really on a Friday? Because Friday night, Saturday, Saturday night doesn’t really make 3 days and 3 nights.
I really like your question, IB, about the goats, and the way God gave you the answer!
Becky
LikeLiked by 1 person
Tricia said:
I’d really like to know more about this free will business. If God creates certain events and outcomes to fulfill his purpose do the people involved in those events actually have a choice in how they will act?
Don’t get me wrong I do believe God gives us free will but I would like some clarification.
I love goats too. But I also like sheep! 🐏
LikeLiked by 1 person
Doug (FPS/DougLite.com) said:
Good question…
LikeLiked by 1 person
john zande said:
Crickets in answering…
LikeLike
ColorStorm said:
Hey john
When you go out the door in the morning, you can turn left or right, you can pick up a rock and break a window, you can roll lettuce and smoke it, you can get drunk, you can lie, cheat, steal, or do all the good you want. Up to you. Free will.
If you do not believe the scriptures are God’s word, that is also up to you. But don’t cry there is no evidence. God has revealed Himself easily and perfectly. Some do not come to accept His gracious offer not because they CANNOT, but because they WILL not.
‘Ye will not come unto be that ye may have life,’ was the word; true then, true this morning. And please do not bring the excuse that ‘God hardened Pharaoh’s heart’ so he could NOT believe. The narrative is plain enough that by his rejection of God through Moses, he hardened his own heart. He would not believe, it was never a question that he could not. He made and fitted himself as a vessel of destruction.
You have the choice and the will to not be like him.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Doug (FPS/DougLite.com) said:
But wouldn’t “He” know that already in advance?
LikeLike
ColorStorm said:
If I may. You watched an entire baseball game and know the outcome. Your friend sees it tomorrow on taped delay.
He is clueless as to the outcome, but not you. The players played on. There was no ‘will tampering,’ and the results, even known by you, affected nothing.
Of course God knows the outcome. He knows what will happen a thousand years from a thousand yesterdays, but we play on.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Doug (FPS/DougLite.com) said:
Not sure I got your point. “He” has the power to make changes… or corrections, if you prefer. The “free will” of a shooter might point a gun and pull the trigger.. but once the bullet leaves the barrel its destination is up to God.
LikeLike
ColorStorm said:
So when the baseball leaves the pitchers hands, it’s up to God who decides whether its a ball or a strike?
I’m pretty sure God is not a puppetmaster, much to the chagrin of common atheists. Men would so love to be relieved of their responsibility.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Doug (FPS/DougLite.com) said:
Pregnant pause… 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
scatterwisdom said:
I might ask if there was an easier way to understand Spiritual Wisdom than to either spend hours how to avoid folly in my life. Or, spend hours trying to straighten out problems I occur because I did not spend time in advance if what I was going to do would lead me into folly in my life.
I surmise the answer I might hear is this.
.
“Rudy, it is only the first 100 years in life that are the hardest. Best you spend some time during your short time in life thinking about problems in advance before you make a decision.”
Regards and goodwill blogging.
LikeLiked by 1 person
insanitybytes22 said:
Well said, Rudy. We people can be funny that way, often we only cry out for wisdom when we’re in the bottom of a pit and can’t get out. Our lives would be a lot easier if we’d seek wisdom first when all was relatively well, instead of waiting until things are desperate.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Doug (FPS/DougLite.com) said:
But isn’t that the whole idea in living life? To learn.. to develop the wisdom to carry us through. THAT is in fact, our “seeking wisdom first”. This itself does not insulate us by preparing us in advance for all possible trails that life has to offer. There will be challenges that may require us to cry out for “wisdom” to find our way out. I’m not aware of any specified number of “lifeline call outs” we can make.
LikeLike
Mel Wild said:
“Anybody remember “goat’s head soup,” the Grateful Dead, or the many satanic cultural references to goats? That’s not God, that’s the world. Stop the goat-hate, people.”
LOL! I cracked up when I read this. I remember the days of goat-hate, owl-hate, playing records backwards…lions and tigers and bears, oh my!
I’m with you on the question. If I have one, I ask. But I might just be tempted to ask about transporting from one part of the world to another. That would sure save money and travel time. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pingback: The Weekly Headlines – My Daily Musing