Welcome

What I hope to accomplish here at Hope’s Harbor, besides offering hope and encouragement in a Christian context, is to explore those perplexing life experiences – think pain –  from which even Christians are not exempt, though many teach otherwise.  The Health – Wealth gospel camp notwithstanding, the Bible teaches Christians will suffer; something I find too mysterious to unravel with a casual glance.

I am a follower of Jesus, who I believe to be the Son of GOD, (for reasons I will go into on the blog page).  I am one who some will label a Christian.  It fits – but hardly begins or ends there.  For much of my life, I was a skeptic when it came to religion, and still do not like the bias associated with being thought of as ‘religious.’  I never wanted to be religious – I only wanted the truth.  And, as only a skeptic can, I went looking.

I eventually came to believe in the Christian faith as written of and as described in the Bible; not necessarily as explained by some “christian” institutions today.  I subscribe to the teachings of Charles Spurgeon where it concerns theology, the study of GOD.

I never went to seminary.  I am not a professional at any of this – this writing about GOD.  I am just one of many who have experienced some bad things along the way, things too difficult to easily explain.  And, I only desire by offering my experiences to try and give a basis for hope to some who may be caught in the vortices of hell on earth.  Anywhere you look, you will see them.  They have the pain haunted eyes.  You may be one – caught in a vortex of mental or emotional torment.  And it feels like there is no way out.

About the mind and emotions – the two are related, you know; the complexities of which cause many to fear to venture very far where pain is concerned.  It is much easier to just numb it.  And, if you’re in it – you know what I mean.  

At some point, I want to go into the great issue of Grace – how does it really apply?  What do our experiences tell us of the GOD of grace vs. what is written by the ancients, and is any of it relevant today.  Where does psychology fit into this?  I love psychology and have benefited from it; even though its application is abused at times by misguided practitioners, as are some teachings of Scripture at times, by certain religionists.

It  is written in the Bible how we can become adopted by GOD.  Acutally become His child – with privileges one would think likely concerning the adopted.

But, what of the suffering in all this… the opposing existence we call life?  

Does a GOD who is supposed to be good allow this suffering, this pain, the anguish?  Even for those He claims as His own kin?  Really?

And, what about Jesus?  The Christian faith proclaims He rose from the dead.  Where does that fit in – and what can it matter for us today?

There are many, many more subjects to explore, but the final thing I look for is, always, to somehow find the solace encouragement brings and the rest hope offers from the truths revealed by a sincere look into Biblical teachings.

Help me discover answers to these questions, and others, (as possible), by looking at the blog and commenting there.  Bring your experiences with you, and with the ones you can share, help others, like me, who still seek.

Thank you, Sam