Why I Write
I was in Viet Nam in the early 70’s & became so pathologically depressed I was VERY suicidal. (More V.N. vets have passed to suicide than were killed in the conflict.) At the “darkest” point I resolved to give the “Jesus saves” thing a try before pulling the trigger. If it was real, I would live it – and it was more than I expected. From the beginning of my “drawing nigh to God” (James 4:8) experiment, there has been lots of mysterious & penetrating spiritual “stuff” in my life. The Holy Spirit manifested Himself at the start & miracles happened. I had a kind of “high” for weeks, & it would be rejuvenated in Wed. nite fellowship meetings. I was still in the active U.S. Army at the time but got out w/honorable discharge. A few years passed & I re-entered the Army as a Chaplain Assistant.
Being offered a Key West assignment was hard not to like. Only the chaplains there were liberal as they get. A Methodist, a Lutheran, & a young Catholic priest, & they all gave me the cold shoulder because I was a Bible believer. My Methodist boss chaplain was NOT fond of the scriptures or committed to Biblical thought. Well, there is a “balance in nature” & my Gospel-notes started there. Some of the soldiers & sailors said my “notes” were “anointed”. My liberal chaplains may not have felt that way & I was more or less “fired”. And God gave me a better assignment. (See “The Chaplains” link 70.)
Over the years my writing “Gospel-notes” mostly happens when I feel moved by the Spirit & not all are “happy morsels of truth” – some may be “inflammatory” – (a Calvinist w/a doctorate told me that, but he also called me “Freddy the flea” & “stupid thing”, so I can’t take his “word” seriously). But I do try to write positive essays more than negative ones. I write BECAUSE:
1) My Born Again experience & renewal in Christ may be of rare quality judging by the spiritual “stuff” God has revealed to ME, (& I don’t claim to have charming social vibrations - I do not write to get inroads in the church.) I just want to share this Gospel material & help others to “connect”. And when some accuse me of lying, it’s O.K. – Jesus Christ himself was horribly rejected & murdered by a conspiracy. At least I know how He felt – John 1:11.
2) On the night of my “Come to Jesus” experience, there was a blood vision revealed to me ("What’s in the Blood”) link 96. Then five years later (“I Saw the King”,) link 7. Those two events are something like a commission to me.
3) I like putting a wholesome element into the internet since so much of cyberspace appears to be demon possessed. But closer to home, this series will be bound in book form for my kids & grandkids to know me better.
4) And then generally, I enjoy writing gospel tracts & it may be my gift.
-- 2 Corinthians 5:17 “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: the old has passed away, behold, the new has come.”
-- Romans 1:16 “I am not ashamed of the gospel: it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”
-- John 14:6 “Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.”
Well, that’s “Why I Write” Gospel Notes. Considering the change Jesus made in my life (I would now be dead otherwise), I KNOW that ALL need to take the Bible & its salvation message seriously. Choose Jesus, He is Alive. See also “Faith” link 75 & 43 "The Demon".
Many other Titles: www.gospelnotes.org * * F. J. Stone * *
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