Conference lgp30::christian-perspective

    In my children... sometimes they lead the way.

    In some family friends...  When I was little, Gene lived in the
    apartment upstairs and used to babysit for me.  She became a teacher,
    and married Bob.  She was teaching school when she became pregnant and
    before she knew she was pregnant, she was exposed to German measles. 
    Tony was born with Cerebral Palsy (sp?), a speech defect, and mentally
    retarded.  But Gene and Bob kept their wonderful "we are blessed"
    attitude.  When Tony reached a point where he could walk with braces,
    and was learning sign language, Gene and Bob had a second child, Adam. 
    About that time I was a teenager and I would babysit Adam and Tony.  
    Adam and Tony were wonderful together.  They would go to soda counter
    at the pharmacy and Adam would sign to Tony and Tony would be able to
    order what he wanted.  At about 7 Adam developed leukemia.  He died at
    about 10.  But Gene and Bob still kept their "we are blessed" attitude. 
    A few years ago Gene's mother died.  Last year Bob died unexpectedly of a
    heart attack.  And Gene still considers herself blessed.  

    Ever read the account of the conversion of King Nebuchadzezzer in
    Daniel?  Brought tears to my eyes.  A man so wicked turned to the Lord.
    
    -Jack

    .3
    
    Reminded me of Ruth... now that story was one of GREAT faith.

Jack & Nancy,  .3 & .4

I appreciate your responses, but the Bible is NOT an unusual place to see 
expressions of Faith.  I'm looking more for places one wouldn't expect to 
find such expressions, such as a computer programming book.

Peace,

Jim

    .0  You know, Bolles studied for the priesthood and may have been
    an Episcopal priest at one time.  Don't remember the details.
    
    I do remember when his brother, Don Bolles, an investigative reporter
    with a Phoenix, Arizona newspaper, was getting close to uncovering
    something about local Mob connections and an ignition-triggered car
    bomb ended his life.
    
    Sad.  Bolles mentions his brother in another of his books, "The Three
    Boxes of Life."
    
    Shalom,
    Richard
    

Article 5929 of clari.news.religion:
From: clarinews@clarinet.com (AP)
Newsgroups: clari.news.gov.usa,clari.news.politics.people,clari.news.religion
Subject: Clinton Says Prayer Has Helped

	WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Clinton says prayer has helped him
grow in office and to ``withstand some of the darker parts of the
experience.''
	But he said his Christian faith frees him from the mistakes he
makes ``because the God I believe in is the God of second
chances.''
	Clinton, in a rare spelling out of the dimensions of his
personal beliefs, said in interview excerpts aired Wednesday night
on ABC-TV's ``World News Tonight'' that he has felt ``the tension
and the pressure'' of the presidency far more than he thought he
would when he took office last year.
	He said he found himself ``working almost frantically trying to
do all the things that I told the American people I wanted to do.''
	``And at some point last year after I hadn't been here very long
I realized that it wasn't going to work that way,'' Clinton said.
	He said he prayed then, not for personal advantage but for inner
strength.
	``I pray for the strength to keep growing and I pray for the
strength to withstand the darker parts of the experience, and to
purge my mind and my spirit of it,'' he said.
	``This is an experience doing this job, that will either bring
out all your weaknesses or will require you to reach beyond
yourself ...,'' the president said.
	He said that when he was a boy, people who seemed publicly pious
``gave me the creeps a little bit.'' So he said that when he has
spoken about his faith, he has done so ``as a sinner, not as a
saint.''
	``Some limitations in the White House are self-imposed. In a
country founded on the principle of separation of church and state,
many presidents have been reluctant to share their personal
faith,'' he said.
	For himself, Clinton said that while he has no trouble
expressing his belief in Christianity and in Jesus Christ as the
son of God, he does not believe he should try to use his own faith
to tell others what to do.
	``What I do not feel comfortable doing is trying to say, as
president, you must do this, you must believe this, you must be
governed by these laws because that's what the Bible told me to do
to you.''
	And he had a final thought on the presidency.
	``It's a very humbling job, this job,'' he said.
	``You really are always, every day, confronted with your
limitations.''

    I am inspired by your comments regarding our President.

    re .7
    
    I was amazed and very happy when I read .7.  I think it is very
    beautiful and healthy thing when a person finally admits, "I don't have
    all the answers.  All I know is that I believe in God and trust Him to
    work in not only my life and doings, but in the lives of others as
    well."
    
    Thanks for posting that about Mr. Clinton.
    
    It is a difficult obstacle to overcome to trust and believe fully that
    God has the power to work directly in other people's lives without them
    having to believe exactly as we believe to have approval from God.
    
    Rob
    

    
    
    		For me, I think is in Revelation last chapter and second to
    the last verse.  After John had seen *ALL* these horrible things his
    love for Christ was so great that he said "even so Lord, come".  I
    preached a sermon on that verse once.  I believe it to be the greatest
    statement of faith in the Bible.
    
    
    Dave

re: Note 897.10 by Dave "I've seen better times" 

Please see .5.  Thanks.

.-)

Jim

    RE: .11 Jim,
    
    		Oops! :-}
    
    Dave