Friday, January 08, 2010
Free will?
When I asked God for further insights a few days ago, here's what came up:
Does it actually say anywhere in the Bible that we're supposed to have free will? TOTAL free will? ANY free will? I found this
http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/contra/free.html
Did they miss something major? Or, is the idea of free will and the evil it creates actually the invention of some pope, as the 7 Deadly Sins were, rather than being biblical?
God hardened Pharaoh's heart in Exodus, right? (Making it harder for His own team is a little grim, not to mention contrary, since He was also smiting Egypt with wonders to make Pharaoh let Moses and his bunch go.) That sure sounds like the OPPOSITE of free will to ME, in fact the smiting was too, if a little indirectly.
As described in my post of 1-1, my friend and I were reasonably certain that her 4 hour nap, without which she didn't think she would've been much good for the talk we had, was in response to my request earlier that day for God to give her the understanding, insight, etc she'd need to help me, asked of Him with the comment that if she'd known what was coming she would've asked for that for herself. If someone had asked her if she wanted to take a 4 hour nap, or suggested that she SHOULD take a 4 hour nap, or ANY nap, with guests in her home, she wouldn't have agreed to do it, so... if God did whatever to her that led to the nap, a nap that was contrary to what her will was at the time... wasn't that affecting her free will?
And if God is willing to affect the free will of others AT ALL in response to a request, that's BIG... and we then have to be VERY careful what we ask for and in what words when other people are involved. Doubly so if karma, which, if I'm right, works pretty much independently of God's "conscious thought," is at all involved with this sort of wish fulfillment, because karma is a blind force, and if its current "program" is to help person X that might give X the ability to cause some unintended trouble by asking for the wrong thing.
If something bad had happened because my friend was asleep rather than keeping track of the guests... that would've been partly MY fault, which is something I REALLY need to consider before asking for God to "help" anyone for my benefit again!!
After pondering a while, this is what I think: There are 2 possible meanings to "free will" in a religious sense; free will as opposed to predestination, and free will meaning God doesn't try to make you act any particular way. Assuming that the Bible is a reliable source as to basic God stuff (which it may well NOT be, but it's all I have to go on right now besides my own experiences), it's clear that there's so little that can even be stretched to be about free will vs predestination that it's not reasonable to make a call, and since it shows God using His influence without ever saying that He WON'T, it's undeniable that He DOES influence people contrary to what their will would be... at least some of the time to some degree.
I think that if you're on His good side, and are still willing to make a best effort to handle your own stuff, He might influence others on your behalf if you ask... but be VERY careful what you ask for, because if what you ask for would cause harm I'm betting that'd turn out badly for YOU.
Does it actually say anywhere in the Bible that we're supposed to have free will? TOTAL free will? ANY free will? I found this
http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/contra/free.html
Did they miss something major? Or, is the idea of free will and the evil it creates actually the invention of some pope, as the 7 Deadly Sins were, rather than being biblical?
God hardened Pharaoh's heart in Exodus, right? (Making it harder for His own team is a little grim, not to mention contrary, since He was also smiting Egypt with wonders to make Pharaoh let Moses and his bunch go.) That sure sounds like the OPPOSITE of free will to ME, in fact the smiting was too, if a little indirectly.
As described in my post of 1-1, my friend and I were reasonably certain that her 4 hour nap, without which she didn't think she would've been much good for the talk we had, was in response to my request earlier that day for God to give her the understanding, insight, etc she'd need to help me, asked of Him with the comment that if she'd known what was coming she would've asked for that for herself. If someone had asked her if she wanted to take a 4 hour nap, or suggested that she SHOULD take a 4 hour nap, or ANY nap, with guests in her home, she wouldn't have agreed to do it, so... if God did whatever to her that led to the nap, a nap that was contrary to what her will was at the time... wasn't that affecting her free will?
And if God is willing to affect the free will of others AT ALL in response to a request, that's BIG... and we then have to be VERY careful what we ask for and in what words when other people are involved. Doubly so if karma, which, if I'm right, works pretty much independently of God's "conscious thought," is at all involved with this sort of wish fulfillment, because karma is a blind force, and if its current "program" is to help person X that might give X the ability to cause some unintended trouble by asking for the wrong thing.
If something bad had happened because my friend was asleep rather than keeping track of the guests... that would've been partly MY fault, which is something I REALLY need to consider before asking for God to "help" anyone for my benefit again!!
After pondering a while, this is what I think: There are 2 possible meanings to "free will" in a religious sense; free will as opposed to predestination, and free will meaning God doesn't try to make you act any particular way. Assuming that the Bible is a reliable source as to basic God stuff (which it may well NOT be, but it's all I have to go on right now besides my own experiences), it's clear that there's so little that can even be stretched to be about free will vs predestination that it's not reasonable to make a call, and since it shows God using His influence without ever saying that He WON'T, it's undeniable that He DOES influence people contrary to what their will would be... at least some of the time to some degree.
I think that if you're on His good side, and are still willing to make a best effort to handle your own stuff, He might influence others on your behalf if you ask... but be VERY careful what you ask for, because if what you ask for would cause harm I'm betting that'd turn out badly for YOU.
Thursday, January 07, 2010
One A Day VitaCraves Complete Adult Multivitamin Gummies
I joined a cool site called Smile.ly, and they, together with One A Day, sent me a free bottle of One A Day VitaCraves Complete Adult Multivitamin Gummies to try.
Eating a gummy is much nicer than popping a pill, and these are pretty tasty. It's also easier to get pill-hating family members to eat a gummy rather than taking a regular vitamin; my husband is very resistant to taking supplements, but he chewed these up willingly. I'll be using the coupon they also sent me when the bottle runs out; if you want to get your own coupon, or to join Smile.ly and get your own products to try, go here.
Eating a gummy is much nicer than popping a pill, and these are pretty tasty. It's also easier to get pill-hating family members to eat a gummy rather than taking a regular vitamin; my husband is very resistant to taking supplements, but he chewed these up willingly. I'll be using the coupon they also sent me when the bottle runs out; if you want to get your own coupon, or to join Smile.ly and get your own products to try, go here.
New goodies from Progresso
The fine folks at MyBlogSpark and Progresso are at it again!! First off, there's a contest:
"Celebrate the New Year and a new you with Progresso Light and 100 Calorie Soups because from January 4 through March 15th, you and your readers can visit
www.Progresso.com/SouperYou
to enter the Progresso "Souper You Debut" contest for the chance to win a full makeover in New York City.
Three grand prize winners will be awarded a trip for two to New York City from May 21st-23rd. The prize includes roundtrip airfare, a two-night stay in a NYC hotel, a full makeover, a $1,000 wardrobe shopping spree and personal consultation at a New York department store.
To enter, you´ll need to do the following:
Go to www.Progresso.com/SouperYou to learn more and enter the contest
Submit your essay (200 characters or less) telling Progresso why you love Progresso Light or 100 Calorie Soups and why you would like a makeover
In addition, please submit a photo of yourself that visually reinforces the theme of your essay
Once you enter, you´ll have the chance for your photo and/or an excerpt from your essay to appear on www.Progresso.com/SouperYou, so be sure to check back frequently! Once the 10 finalists are announced, you can visit www.Progresso.com/SouperYou from March 29 through April 12 to vote for your favorite.
In addition, throughout the duration of the contest you can visit
www.Progresso.com/SouperYou
to download a coupon for $1 off any three varieties of Progresso Soup!
With surprisingly hearty ingredients like pasta, beans, corn and rice, and flavor-packed vegetables like tomatoes, carrots, and peppers, Progresso Light and 100 Calorie Soups offer varieties with a good source of fiber and a full serving of vegetables. Satisfying your taste buds, Progresso Light and 100 Calories Soups can help curb your hunger, making it easier for you to stick to your weight management plan."
They sent me a "Souper You Debut" gift pack that had 15 (!!!!!!!!!!!!!) cans of several different varieties of the Progresso Light and 100 Calorie Soups, as well as a Progresso digital jump rope that keeps track of jumps and calories burned and a Progresso soup mug.
They've also provided a gift pack that contains the mug, jump rope and two cans of Progresso Soup to give away to one of you; whoever sends me the most creative idea for a new soup will get it. I'll post the winner by the end of the weekend.
My husband and I have already been slurping soup; I can tell you that the chicken and dumpling one doesn't taste like it's lower in calories, and he has declared the french onion to be a great mixer with rice. A battle may ensue over the pot roast one... wonder who'll win THAT, lol? However chilly the weather gets, the Omni household will be blissfully adrift on a warm sea of Progresso... :-)
"Celebrate the New Year and a new you with Progresso Light and 100 Calorie Soups because from January 4 through March 15th, you and your readers can visit
www.Progresso.com/SouperYou
to enter the Progresso "Souper You Debut" contest for the chance to win a full makeover in New York City.
Three grand prize winners will be awarded a trip for two to New York City from May 21st-23rd. The prize includes roundtrip airfare, a two-night stay in a NYC hotel, a full makeover, a $1,000 wardrobe shopping spree and personal consultation at a New York department store.
To enter, you´ll need to do the following:
Go to www.Progresso.com/SouperYou to learn more and enter the contest
Submit your essay (200 characters or less) telling Progresso why you love Progresso Light or 100 Calorie Soups and why you would like a makeover
In addition, please submit a photo of yourself that visually reinforces the theme of your essay
Once you enter, you´ll have the chance for your photo and/or an excerpt from your essay to appear on www.Progresso.com/SouperYou, so be sure to check back frequently! Once the 10 finalists are announced, you can visit www.Progresso.com/SouperYou from March 29 through April 12 to vote for your favorite.
In addition, throughout the duration of the contest you can visit
www.Progresso.com/SouperYou
to download a coupon for $1 off any three varieties of Progresso Soup!
With surprisingly hearty ingredients like pasta, beans, corn and rice, and flavor-packed vegetables like tomatoes, carrots, and peppers, Progresso Light and 100 Calorie Soups offer varieties with a good source of fiber and a full serving of vegetables. Satisfying your taste buds, Progresso Light and 100 Calories Soups can help curb your hunger, making it easier for you to stick to your weight management plan."
They sent me a "Souper You Debut" gift pack that had 15 (!!!!!!!!!!!!!) cans of several different varieties of the Progresso Light and 100 Calorie Soups, as well as a Progresso digital jump rope that keeps track of jumps and calories burned and a Progresso soup mug.
They've also provided a gift pack that contains the mug, jump rope and two cans of Progresso Soup to give away to one of you; whoever sends me the most creative idea for a new soup will get it. I'll post the winner by the end of the weekend.
My husband and I have already been slurping soup; I can tell you that the chicken and dumpling one doesn't taste like it's lower in calories, and he has declared the french onion to be a great mixer with rice. A battle may ensue over the pot roast one... wonder who'll win THAT, lol? However chilly the weather gets, the Omni household will be blissfully adrift on a warm sea of Progresso... :-)
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
A miracle?
The Bad Thing has been partially solved!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Today, a MONTH after the last email I got from the company involved (which not only gave me no answers about MY FRIGGING $ that they had confiscated or my future income stream but literally said to not contact them again), a month during which there was no reply to any of my calls or emails, a CHECK came from them... for every penny they owed me PLUS an extra * 50% *!! No letter, no explanation, just the check.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Remember my wondering how I'd know if God helped me with TBT (as I asked Him to at the start of this whole spiritual conversion) or if it got solved as a logical result of my own efforts? Well, technically, I haven't gotten a chance to MAKE any efforts on my behalf, all I've been doing is steadily emailing and calling people at that office telling them that they've acted in error and to please respond telling me what the f*** HAPPENED so I can rebut their claims and get the issue hashed out, I haven't had even ONE discussion with anyone about the problem yet, or been able to make any kind of case in my messages to them because I don't know what their attempts to screw me have been based on... and yet here out of the blue is a check for 50% more than they owed me... and if that isn't indicative of God having a hand in this I don't know what could be, short of the check being delivered by a chariot full of angels.
The overall issue hasn't been dealt with, I verified that on their website, but getting my $ is BIG. I have no idea what events at their office led to this, or why they didn't CONTACT me and TELL me that they were sending $, or if the extra $ is meant to compensate me for my struggles, bribe me into dropping the issue, or is maybe just an accounting error in my favor... but whichever it is, it's nothing short of miraculous.
Today, a MONTH after the last email I got from the company involved (which not only gave me no answers about MY FRIGGING $ that they had confiscated or my future income stream but literally said to not contact them again), a month during which there was no reply to any of my calls or emails, a CHECK came from them... for every penny they owed me PLUS an extra * 50% *!! No letter, no explanation, just the check.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Remember my wondering how I'd know if God helped me with TBT (as I asked Him to at the start of this whole spiritual conversion) or if it got solved as a logical result of my own efforts? Well, technically, I haven't gotten a chance to MAKE any efforts on my behalf, all I've been doing is steadily emailing and calling people at that office telling them that they've acted in error and to please respond telling me what the f*** HAPPENED so I can rebut their claims and get the issue hashed out, I haven't had even ONE discussion with anyone about the problem yet, or been able to make any kind of case in my messages to them because I don't know what their attempts to screw me have been based on... and yet here out of the blue is a check for 50% more than they owed me... and if that isn't indicative of God having a hand in this I don't know what could be, short of the check being delivered by a chariot full of angels.
The overall issue hasn't been dealt with, I verified that on their website, but getting my $ is BIG. I have no idea what events at their office led to this, or why they didn't CONTACT me and TELL me that they were sending $, or if the extra $ is meant to compensate me for my struggles, bribe me into dropping the issue, or is maybe just an accounting error in my favor... but whichever it is, it's nothing short of miraculous.
Sunday, January 03, 2010
And the winner is...
The winner of the MyBlogSpark and Old El Paso "Tackle the Taste" gift pack is... Terri M!!
If you didn't win, don't worry; there'll be lots more prizes in the coming months.
If you didn't win, don't worry; there'll be lots more prizes in the coming months.
