Have you ever had a thought you wish you could share but question whether anyone would be interested in hearing it? Or perhaps wish you could share your whole thought, not just the parts that seem acceptable and interesting to those you hope will listen?
I know I often feel this way, so I've decided to create this blog to simply share my thoughts.
I guess a brief introduction of who I am and what I believe would be a great place to start.
My name is Daniel and I have a wonderful wife, two awesome sons, a bratty cat and an adorable puppy. I own a couple of businesses in the small town where I live. I lead a non-denominational Christian youth group that promotes openness, questions and a deeper belief in God. I volunteer with many different groups within my community and am also an author of two books, The Gift & The Purpose, based on spiritual warfare.
I've suffered with many health issues throughout my life, including a heart attack a few years back, but have never let them hold me back from living life or accomplishing my dreams and the purposes God has planned for me. My life has been impacted by cancer both through the loss of loved ones and the childhood cancer my youngest son had of which he almost died from. However, we were blessed with an incredible miracle of God and he was completely healed, which is a story I will definitely share in another blog later on.
I'm a strong believer in God and the saving grace of Jesus, but have often found myself on the outside when it comes to church and the rules of religion. My entire life has been one of trials and triumphs bringing me to a deeper understanding of who God is and the type of relationship He desires to have with us, not one bound by laws, but formed through Love.
I've developed my own beliefs and opinions by spending much time studying both the bible and the history behind it, studying other religions, learning from many different people, questioning everything, as well as, communicating with God and His creation, including angels and demons.
I have worked as a youth pastor in several churches; led many adult, youth and children bible studies; helped with many weddings, baptisms and funerals; preached many times before congregations; and, spoken before large groups and camps. However, throughout all these years I have been reluctant to share many of my deeper experiences and thoughts about God and the spiritual world because I am well aware of the judgments that follow whenever I or others have tried.
I believe in a spiritual world that exists alongside our own because throughout my life I have dealt with many spiritual beings and experienced a lot of supernatural events personally. Angels, demons and much more exist and regularly interact with us whether we realize it or not. I also believe there is a heaven and a hell, however, my understanding of what they are actually like often differs from many, again as a result of my own experiences with seeing them.
I don't believe in judging others based on their having a differing belief, religion, race, sexuality, financial position, or upbringing, than what I have. However, I do believe God created us all equal with the primary purpose of developing true and loving relationships that encourage and bring hope to each other, as well as, an honest understanding of who God is and the relationship He wants to have with us.
As I begin this journey of sharing my thoughts, beliefs and opinions, I simply ask that those who read them will keep an open mind to what is said and will consider that these are just my own thoughts, whether right or wrong, and I believe I have much more to learn and understand. If you wish to comments, please be respectful rather than judgmental, and I will in turn respect what you have to say as well.
Finally, I believe all people are entitled to their own thoughts opinions and understand that like myself, they have formed them through their own journey of life. And it is through this journey that we continue to questions and learn, developing new opinions and a greater understanding of why we exist in the first place.
I hope this shares a brief insight as to who I am and what I believe, which will offer a foundation for why I write what I do in the future.
I look forward to sharing this journey of my thoughts with those who are interested in hearing them. Thank you for taking the time to read them as well.
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