plumbob Loc: New Windsor Maryland

You read my mind Wulffy.

Graywulff Loc: Cortez,Co.

👍👍

Fredfish Loc: Prospect CT.

Maybe 👍🏻🙏

Scudrnr Loc: Hancock, Wisconsin

Great news Wulffy. Will continue praying for a quick recovery.

Tpk1536tpk Loc: Okatie, SC

PTL.

ghaynes1 Loc: Strawberry Plains, TN

I guess I forgot the level of your brilliance.

Randyhartford Loc: Lawrence, Kansas

Greg: I have spent most of the afternoon, preparing my additional response, so here it is. It is not all meant to be directed AT you, but more as a devotion or educational post for everyone.
I will apologize in advance for the length of this post, but please be assured, for all those who will take the time to read it, and watch the short videos, it will answer many common questions about prayer, like why prayers are answered, or not, and in particular why bad things happen to good people, which is the essence of Greg’s question.
Greg: I have taken the time to look up a few thing’s, some from the past, relevant to your question. Some of these are things I have sent to you before, either as a post on FS, or in PM’s before you asked me to “stop sending that stuff to me.” Please read/watch them, as I think it will help answer your question again.

https://youtu.be/63BsTpTMZkI?si=IR6q4f7Bvl9jkEBN

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QtgjQIdGXuI

https://youtu.be/H4NBhrooJ7M?si=cuhO5rn56cHn3Y3g

This is from another PM I sent you, as part of one of our conversations on “Prayer”. It is quite long, but we’ll worth reading, again.

to: ghaynes1 (all from/all to)
sent on: Dec 7, 2022 15:53:11
ghaynes1 wrote:
Just wanted you to know I've started praying again.

That is AWESOME, Greg! I’m so glad to hear you haven’t given up on God. He doesn’t always answer when or how we expect, but if we believe in Him and are trying to “follow” Him, He ALWAYS hears us.
His thoughts and ways/plans are so far above ours, sometimes it SEEMS He’s not listening or does not hear us, but just know He does, and will work ALL things for our good.

““My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭55‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/116/isa.55.8-9.NLT

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭28‬ ‭NLT‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/116/rom.8.28.NLT
Here is an interesting story in Mark that Jesus taught about faith, healing, and prayer.

“When they returned to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd surrounding them, and some teachers of religious law were arguing with them. When the crowd saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with awe, and they ran to greet him. “What is all this arguing about?” Jesus asked. One of the men in the crowd spoke up and said, “Teacher, I brought my son so you could heal him. He is possessed by an evil spirit that won’t let him talk. And whenever this spirit seizes him, it throws him violently to the ground. Then he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast out the evil spirit, but they couldn’t do it.” Jesus said to them, “You faithless people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.” So they brought the boy. But when the evil spirit saw Jesus, it threw the child into a violent convulsion, and he fell to the ground, writhing and foaming at the mouth. “How long has this been happening?” Jesus asked the boy’s father. He replied, “Since he was a little boy. The spirit often throws him into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.” “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.” The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” When Jesus saw that the crowd of onlookers was growing, he rebuked the evil spirit. “Listen, you spirit that makes this boy unable to hear and speak,” he said. “I command you to come out of this child and never enter him again!” Then the spirit screamed and threw the boy into another violent convulsion and left him. The boy appeared to be dead. A murmur ran through the crowd as people said, “He’s dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and helped him to his feet, and he stood up. Afterward, when Jesus was alone in the house with his disciples, they asked him, “Why couldn’t we cast out that evil spirit?” Jesus replied, “This kind can be cast out only by prayer.””
‭‭Mark‬ ‭9‬:‭14‬-‭29‬ ‭NLT‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/116/mrk.9.14-29.NLT

I will continue to pray for and with you, and am sooo happy to know you are rekindling a relationship with Jesus. He will be your BFF if you let Him…

“A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭18‬:‭24‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/114/pro.18.24.NKJV

Please remember, I’m here for you anytime if you need to talk or anything.
I don’t know ALL the answers, but I know some of them
and I KNOW what God has done for ME. 🙏🏻
Randyhartford
 
Here is another PM that kinda partially explains how I know that praying for healing really works and why I have responded to you (Greg) as I have concerning your “question “ you have asked repeatedly.

to: ghaynes1 (all from/all to)
sent on: Nov 6, 2022 14:05:07
ghaynes1 wrote:
Can you give me the names of five theologians and scientists(10 total) that have attempted to disprove the Bible and failed? I assume you have this info available. I would love to read it.

I know medical records are private. Is it documented in writing by your doctor that you were cured from spinal meningitis by God or a miracle? Or did he simply tell you that because he couldn't explain your recovery. Just curious. Not asking you to share private medical records.

I guess there's little interest in a large M&G in Lawrence. FS users seem to make arrangements and get together for mini M&Gs. I hope to do that next spring in PA with some of the guys.

Have a great Sunday. Thanks for your response.

Hi Greg,
Thanks for the PM and your “interest” in the Bible/divine healing.
The answer to your first question is “yes I can”.
However, your assumption (you know what they say…) is mostly wrong. I don’t have a list of names readily available for you to check out to satisfy your curiosity. As a lifelong believer in the Bible, I’ve never felt it necessary to keep such a list, but I do understand how you, as a “non-believer/doubter”, or whatever you consider yourself, might want more proof than just my word. For that reason, I think it may make more sense if YOU were to do the “research” to come up with your requested list, rather than have me look it up and tell you. It’s apparent you don’t accept my word at face value and probably wouldn’t believe my list either. Those on my list would be people who I have learned of, over a period of many years, and from many ministers, theologians, and researchers. If you are unable to satisfy your curiosity on your own, and are really serious about this, THEN I will be happy to do some checking and make a list for you. To help you get started, here’s one scientist and one theologian:
Charles Darwin - scientist, biologist, and geologist (evolutionist)

Lee Strobel - Author and former atheist and Investigative Journalist
for Chicago Tribune

In regard to my divine healing from meningitis,
(as I’ve posted before).
My six-day hospital stay at Bethany Hospital, as well as Dr. Carduff’s diagnosis and release instructions are what is documented. His actual words when he released me, are not documented, so all you have is MY word. You can either believe it or not. As I said, I’ve posted this before. This is what Dr. Carduff told my parents when he released me from the hospital. He said he hadn’t told them I had spinal meningitis, for fear of scaring them. He said they were not able to get my fever down for 5 days, despite the injections of maximum dosages of medicine they were giving me each hour. He said if they gave me any more medicine than they were, it would have killed me and they had already “given up on saving” me. At that point, my mom told him our Pastor had come in “yesterday” and prayed for me. He told Mom and Dad that my fever broke during the night and that “it sure wasn’t anything WE did, but somehow, (I) was well and could go home.”

The same summer this happened, one of my friends and basketball teammates died of the same thing. There was also an epidemic of it across the country and at Ft. Leonardwood, where most of those that got it, did not survive!
Believe it or not, God IS real and still performing miracles. 🙏🏻

Please let me know, once you’ve finished your research.
Randy
Randyhartford
 
Re: Just curious
(how to use?)
 to: ghaynes1 (all from/all to)
sent on: Nov 6, 2022 15:14:55
ghaynes1 wrote:
I'll look it up. I didn't recall that you had meningitis as a child. Obviously, medical info in that case would have been shared, hopefully, with your parents. I do find it odd that he didn't share the diagnosis of meningitis with your parents. You and I are the same age. I don't recall this epidemic but I'm sure it happened. Probably in the 50s or 60s. I had a similar experience at 3 years old. The doctor tried everything. Eventually they packed me in ice and the fever broke. It had spiked to 105. My parents thought I was going to die. My mom had lost what would have been my older sister due to a miscarriage shortly before that. At 3, I don't know what my diagnosis was and my parents never gave me details.

I can certainly start with Darwin and Strobel and go from there. As a former reporter, I still have a researcher mindset. I don't believe everything I hear on TV or read somewhere or am told. I'm sure you understand we all make our own judgements based on life experience and our own research.

I'll get back to you. I would think Darwin is a fairly credible source for information. Thanks.

The meningitis epidemic at Ft. Leonardwood was mainly from Oct. 1969 to April 1970, but actually started in 1964.
I had it the summer of 1967, between 7th and 8th grade.

I don’t believe everything I hear or read, either. Nor do I think you should, but there ARE those who I believe are trustworthy and when they speak, you can “take it to the bank”. Billy Graham comes to mind. He is the kind of person I have chosen to trust without reservation for things like you are challenging concerning the validity of the Bible.
But, I do understand that you and I were not
raised or lived our lives in the same environments. Thus, our level of trust in others may not be the same. I get that…. That’s one reason I felt it may be more meaningful for you to do the research, than to take my word for it, which you probably wouldn’t anyway. (just guessing)
🥴
Let me know…
Randyhartford

Re: ...it occurred to me...
(how to use?)
 to: ghaynes1 (all from/all to)
sent on: Oct 29, 2021 13:28:16
ghaynes1 wrote:
They say the definition of insanity is to repeat the same behavior and expect different results. In that case, if I were to start praying for something I truly needed - not wanted - again, based on previous history, I would be wasting my time.

The best predictor of future behavior is relevant past behavior. If that's true, my prayers to God, who gives us all we need, would continue to go unanswered.

Have a great weekend.

As Christians, we KNOW God is not limited by our earthly ideas,
cliches, or beliefs. His ways are so far above our ways, and His abilities far surpass anything we can do in the natural, by ourselves. There is NOTHING God can’t do.
If we have accepted Christ as our Saviour, and are living according to HIS instructions, He will hear our requests and meet our needs; if we have/are not, God will not hear or answer our prayers. That’s what I mean when I say “we have to do our part”. If there is anything that might be keeping your prayers from being heard/answered, get rid of it. Believe me, you are not “insane”. If you really believe the Bible, then you KNOW God is able to do ANYTHING. He saved me from sure death, both physically and spiritually. It’s not that I deserved it any more than you or anyone else. God loves us all the same. It just comes down to simply having faith that God can and will do what He’s said. He is not limited by what we think in our little finite minds.
God owns EVERYTHING; He created it all!!

“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭24:1‬ ‭NLT‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/116/psa.24.1.NLT

If we give God control of our lives, He is more than able to give us what we need.
“the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭3:15-20‬ ‭NLT‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/116/eph.3.20.NLT
Don’t give up, Greg. Keep the faith. God really wants to bless you. His word is true.... 🙏🏻
Randyhartford

Blaster Loc: Rhode Island

Great news, may his recovery be rapid. All prayers for the young man.

Randyhartford Loc: Lawrence, Kansas

You don’t have to be hateful, Greg.
You asked a question and we are trying to help you, but you really need to at least be honest with us and yourself, if you are really sincere about getting an answer.
You know this has nothing to do with my brilliance or lack there of.

ghaynes1 Loc: Strawberry Plains, TN

I'm glad you have everything figured out. I don't. I don't pray. I won't pray. That being said, I will wish the best for someone. I haven't read all of your post and I won't. I have more questions than answers contrary to others.

Uncle_T Loc: Georgia

I am happy to hear this great news

Randyhartford Loc: Lawrence, Kansas

I am truly sad for you, but I will no longer give additional pity to one who clearly demonstrates no desire to change. I am still available if you decide to try to help yourself. 🙏🏻

ghaynes1 Loc: Strawberry Plains, TN

I'm truly sad for you for reasons I won't go into here.

PLS Loc: Kingsport, TN

Fantastic!

DozerDave Loc: Port Orchard Wa.

What ever floats your boat, navigating the river of life. If a PFD is needed, by all means use it, if you think it will help…🐟on