Literally

Although my dad died a few days after giving himself completely to God, and he was demented when he passed, he continues to bear fruit, and I am here to testify.

My friend Amanda has several sons. One is named Sean. After my dad died, her sons were sad, and they wanted to understand. Amanda explained things to them, and Sean decided he wanted to be baptized.

Yesterday, the family came over, and I baptized Sean in the name of Jesus (not the trinity). Before the baptism, I discussed the matter with everyone, and I explained how the world worked. I explained that God had created us, that all human beings were sinners, that Jesus had died and received the punishment for our sins, and that we had to give ourselves to Jesus in order to be forgiven and escape hell. I also told them other things.

I probably shouldn’t list all of the names of Amanda’s sons. There are creepy, misguided people who come here and try to get information on me, and I don’t want them stalking Amanda’s family. I’ll say her oldest son (not Sean) is named Quincy.

Quincy was disturbed, to the point of tears, by what I said. He has some cognitive difficulties I don’t know much about, and he sees the world in an unusual way. He said he couldn’t believe in things he couldn’t see.

I don’t recall exactly what was said after Quincy revealed his issue, but I’m sure I told Amanda we could pray for God to show Quincy he was real, and I know I told her it was acceptable to ask God for faith. We are expected to do that; the Bible says faith comes from God, not us. It’s a gift. It’s listed as a gift of the Holy Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12.

I think Amanda is too reluctant to ask God for things. He lives to give us good things. He knows we don’t deserve it. There would have been no purpose in the crucifixion if we deserved his help. He died for the undeserving, and he knows we can’t fill our own needs. Our natural inclination is to feel we have to prove ourselves and work for things, but these tasks are impossible.

The boys used the pool for a while, and then Amanda took them home. On the way, Quincy looked out the window and saw a very striking cloud formation with the sun’s rays pouring through it. I don’t know how it looked, but Amanda said he was “gobsmacked.” Sean said, “That’s God.” Quincy began smiling, and tears came to his eyes.

If I recall correctly, Amanda says Quincy is more visual than verbal. If so, it makes sense that God would use a visual message to reach him.

She just called and confirmed that. She reminded me that Quincy has a strong interest in the weather, so using a weather phenomenon was a wonderful choice.

If God continues blessing us in such obvious ways, Quincy will probably be baptized soon. I don’t think he’ll rebel, and that’s the big obstacle. It would be great to see him join the family.

I gave Amanda some advice yesterday, and I will pass it on. I don’t know anything about raising kids, but I know a few things that apply, universally, to the upbringing of Christians.

1. Every Christian should have a Bible, and he should read at least a chapter a day. Derek Prince said he started out by treating the Bible like a medicine: he took it three times a day, after meals. If you don’t know the Bible, you will be wide open to attack, and you will believe all sorts of lies. In the Bible, God complains about his people perishing for lack of knowledge. Kids should be required to read the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. The KJV may be too hard for some kids. Derek Prince likes the NIV, which is easier to read. As long as you don’t get a terrible translation (“God is a woman,” “Karl Marx is Jesus,” “Jesus is just like Buddha,” etc.), you should be okay.

Last night a friend was complaining that he had a short attention span, making reading the Bible from end to end a difficult job. If you can’t make yourself read it through, divide it up. There are 5 books of Moses. Read those first. Then there are the prophets. Then there are what the Jews call “the writings.” Then there is the New Testament. You now have four short works you can read instead of one long one.

You can read the Pentateuch and then the gospels and Acts, if that’s all you can make yourself do. Sooner or later, though, you will have to man up and read everything. You’re not a potted plant. Asking you to read a book is not unreasonable.

2. Families should pray together, especially in the morning. Prayer in tongues is extremely important, and singing in tongues is even more powerful. Every Christian is supposed to have this gift, regardless of what people who haven’t gotten it say in order to justify what has happened to them. Don’t just ask God for things you want. Ask to be changed.

3. Parents should speak blessings over their kids, daily. We have the power to bless and curse, and believe me, people and spirits curse your kids every day. You should be fighting them. The occult has great power, regardless of what most Christians think.

I don’t know how many things I mentioned yesterday, apart from the above, but I can add things here.

4. You need good teaching. It will save you time. Derek Prince is very good, and he’s on Youtube. He may not be 100% right, but he certainly beats most local preachers. Once you get to the point where you are praying in tongues every day, the Holy Spirit will start correcting any errors teachers put in your head.

5. You need good Christian friends, and you should pray for God to send them. Should you belong to a church? Maybe not. Churches are very corrupt these days. They must stink in God’s nostrils. You do need to get together with other Christians, however. If you attend church, be extremely wary of becoming a member, don’t let the pastor become your boss, don’t overdo your donations and volunteer work, and remember that the Holy Spirit, not the pastor, is your best teacher. Churches and pastors are dangerous.

The Bible says we should assemble, but it doesn’t say we should sit in church. You can assemble with other Christians in your backyard or even over the phone.

6. You need to ask God to cut your close ties to unbelievers. This applies to relatives, spouses, business associates, and friends. You should be loving and reasonably friendly to unbelievers and backsliders, but if you allow yourself to partner with people who are in rebellion, it may ruin your life. It’s extremely costly, and if you get into it in spite of God’s warning, he may refuse to help you escape until you’ve spent years in misery.

If you insist on choosing your own associates, you may have awful kids you should never have had. You may be tethered to a mate who is unbearable. You may find yourself involved in business dealings you know are repugnant to God. You will definitely live in a state of siege, with your faith and knowledge under constant attack.

The fact that a person is a Christian doesn’t mean it’s okay to associate with him. Many Christians are cruel, selfish, greedy, and so on. The Bible says you shouldn’t even sit down to eat with them.

You have been warned.

7. You should purge your world of anything that doesn’t fit into a Christian life. Getting rid of cable TV is a great start. Much of secular music is toxic. Astrology has to go; it’s a demonic religion. You also have to stay away from fortune tellers. Absorption in professional sports is evil. There is no way to work weed and other drugs into a godly life. Drunkenness is out. So is gluttony. There are many things that seem innocent to the ignorant, yet which open the doors to problems like illness, mental problems, poverty, divorce, and so on. If you want God’s help, you should be trying to close doors you should never have opened.

8. Do NOT fornicate. We are not under the law, but even the New Testament says we are not to commit sexual sin. The fact that you and your live-in boyfriend go to church together doesn’t begin to make your lifestyle okay. Marry or get your own place, ASAP, and do NOT have children out of wedlock. You will regret it. It’s amazing how many single Christians live together. Where does the Bible say God changed his mind about that?

9. Pray for a long time before ANY major decision. If you take the wrong job or marry the wrong person without prayer, it’s on you, and you will suffer. God isn’t here to make your dumb plans work. He’s here to help you take part in his plans.

10. Do communion often. The point of communion is to search yourself, confess, repent, and renew your covenant with God. Failure to do these things can lead to disease and death. That comes straight from Paul. Read the Bible and understand communion properly. Don’t think you have to find a priest or leave your house. You can do it all by yourself.

I can’t fix all your problems with one blog post, but these things will be very helpful to you.

I don’t know what God is going to do next, but I can’t wait to see it. I’m tired of working, trying to make good things happen. I want the power that created the universe to do things for me and for others. You can have pride; I don’t want it any more. In the long term, it has never brought me anything but failure and sorrow.