A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Bookstore...

On Sunday, before I was getting ready to go driving around with my sister, I came across a book online. The title of the book was, "The Misunderstood God." by - I think his name was - Daniel Huffin? Anyway, I don't even remember the blog I was reading that recommended it because it was a blog I have never been to before. So I wrote down the title and decided that we could stop at the bookstore while we were out running errands.

Now there are lots and lots and LOTS of books about God out there and once or twice I have bought them and sometimes they have been beneficial and sometimes they have been fluff pieces or lies and propaganda. But the man that was recommending it was HIGHLY recommending it and I thought maybe the Lord was really prompting me to get that book.

There is a great used bookstore here in the Portland area called Powell's Books. Ultimate best bookstore ever. I was looking for that book I told you about and a book on guitar scales. I know that I need to learn all the scales in order to be a good guitarist (also improvisation is really all based on scales.) So we stopped at Powell's. It is very interesting sometimes the way the Father will order our steps.

The misunderstood God book was not at the bookstore but I found this book from the picture called, "The Kingdom of God is Within You." by Leo Tolstoy. So I picked it up and kindof flipped through it and set it back down and continued to look through the shelves of books. But I kept coming back to this book. I started to read it in the aisle and it was SO MUCH about what I am going through right now as far as seeing the truth of God that is not being taught in the churches. I realized that Tolstoy's book was the real book that God wanted me to buy.

Now, I'm only on page 57 so far but right now this book is blowing my mind. Just as a confirmation to the things the Father has already been showing me. It's really too bad that Count Tolstoy lived and wrote this book back in the 1880's because it would be so nice to email him and ask him some questions. In one part of the book he is using an example that one doctrine that is unquestionable and that all agree on is the doctrine that at no time is it ok to fornicate. He would be really shocked today if he saw the rampant fornication and adultery going on in the churches today. But the jist of the book is how Jesus taught not to resist evil by force and that He negated the doctrine of an eye for an eye. Jesus taught that if someone hit you on the left cheek, turn to him the right cheek and if someone sued you for your coat - give him your cloak as well.

Tolstoy makes the point that the churches do not teach this and that is still correct even to this day. I attended a southern baptist church on Memorial day weekend and within that 1 hour and 15 minutes we watched a You-tube video of that song about letters from the front - heard a twisted teaching on that the levitical priests gave their lives in service to the people just as our service men give their lives in service to us. They also taught about how the priests picked up the stones out of the river and the ushers had a plastic container filled with polished stones they were calling touchstones. My aunt and cousin both took one but I said, "no thanks, I'm living stone free these days." Later when they asked me about it I just said that I'm living light these days and don't need a bunch of stones to weigh me down.

Now - I know that maybe this little church I attended was not always this way, but only because it was Memorial Day. I get that.

I had a friend that was a staunch believer in the doctrine of non-resistance to evil by force, but he also went around verbally assaulting people and then would say - shouldn't you just take it like a good christian? I guess he is right about that! I, myself, may not be ready for the truth of this doctrine, but I still gotta love my friend for his ideals, if not his bad application of it.

I'll let you know more when I'm finished.

Blessings in Christ
Linda