********Experiences?

Something I've just been thinking about. 
Has anyone but me ever notice how people, during any conversation can, if they want to, toss out a phrase or two that completely deflects one from the subject you were trying to convey.

 Of the endless ways this is done one of my favorites is , when someone wants to hold up ones experiences as a measuring stick to Guage any success or failure of whatever it is they are discussing at the time.

 Such an individual  thinks they have the upper hand in communication like this, but do they?


Some folks would call this blog,  my "experience" but they'd be wrong. Saying things like that is a popular deflection tactic that keeps people at odds.
Also , talking about ones experiences is a Christians way of not committing to anything. Chances are, my experience wont be your experience and since, these days, we guage things off the results rather than what brought us there, or the sum (of an equation) rather than the problem, we have odd sounding language m

(besides, our experiences shouldn't be the same  or that's kinda creepy)

All that matters is what God said plainly in His Word.

I once had someone tell me " you can argue an argument but you can't argue an experience" to which I would say "who says!?" 

The church is filled with this thinking, along with "connecting"  with someone  or something.

 Ever hear, 'we gotta connect with God' or.  'come to our church, a great place to connect with God '

Btw, what does that mean "connect with God?"  

I know what their trying to say but doesn't it imply at times I'm not connected with God? 

Ah, now enter "feelings."  See how this works? 

I'm sure all this connecting with God will yield to many experiences and I'm guessing that is the point. I'm all for listening to and sharing ones experiences but so often I'm told I must have one.. an experience that is, with God. 

Funny, I thought I was having one,daily that begins when my feet hit the floor in the morning and ends when I close my eyes at night then begins all over the next day. 

Oh, but that's not good enough for many. 

So many times, since reading God's Word as me not being the main subject, I've asked things like

 "how would we know"  to things of this nature.

If we need to attend church to connect with God, how will we know if we did? Are there any rules for this connecting, do some people connect and some people don't? Is having an experience evidence of connecting and what of the intensity of the experience? Maybe there's levels of experience /connecting. 

I'm basically having fun here but the point is, the language used creates something weird that can't be truly defined which leaves the one not having experiences the way others might deem them to have, scratching their heads. 

I know I could get myself in trouble here because one just doesn't mess with someone's experiences and truthfully, one's experiences are of the utmost highest, vital  importance and should not be messed with.

 Our experiences often times define us but as with everything else, the language used by many churches concerning experiences quite often creates something weird. Something where christian  young people are told to go out and have them before their ever shown what it means to be daily repenting  of there sins they commit  each day. 

 This new odd abstract, subjective understanding of experience has them accessing life via  these experiences rather than the completed work of the cross. I'm not just making that up and it's not my experience. 

Way to often, the real things that are taking place in our lives get shoved into the "experience bag" just by saying "well, that's just YOUR experience" placing the whole discussion in a subjective realm

 and before to long we can't discern between real & experience, (sadly) to the delight of many, I might add.

 At the end of my life, I do not want to be taking inventory of the experiences of my life and trying to determine if the good ones outweighed the bad ones. 

If my daily walk with God is not enough to sing praises to Him daily with whatever good, or not so good, comes along, maybe I'm not doing something right. 

 And if I'm so blessed to have an extraordinarily amazing over the top, out of the ordinary experience, praise God for that too. If People can be blessed from it, all the better. In every situation God be praised. 

I've heard it taught that James 1 indicates being joyful in all experiences but if my house burns down (bad experience for sure) should I do a happy dance. 

No.. It's the testing of our faith (faith in what?) faith in Christ that eventually brings a joy (note : God's joy, not ours) 
So much of Bible gets turned around in many ways.

I ended this post this way because if I made light of experiences, forgive me. Not the intent. 

My only point is, applying human wisdom to anything, even experiences, messes things up. 

Think about that the next time someone asks if you ever had an experience with God... And you can't think of one. Kinda sad needing too. Unless our daily service for God done out of a growing love for Jesus loving us when we were not so lovely isn't enough. 
 The Bible does have much to say concerning experiences that's for sure. My suggestion :

TryreadNit!