DOES God exist???

 It's another hi-jacked post from Mandy!
Have you ever wondered why atheists spend so much time arguing about the existence of something they don't even believe exists? I've heard an atheist say that they are trying to help us poor idiotic people who believe in something that isn't real. But I believe there is an even bigger reason. I think atheists are just waiting for us to convince them otherwise. I mean, if atheists can argue and explain their point away, won't it make them feel better about not believing? In fact, I don't think they can escape the possibility of God and that's why most atheists are so argumentative and confrontational.
Have you ever met someone like that? You can encounter them anywhere. A person doesn't automatically believe in God just because they go to a private school, or attend church functions. And as Father Eddie said, you will encounter them more often throughout your teen and early adult years.
So how do you respond to someone who questions you about God? Our first reaction might be to get angry with them and call them names and put them down. Honestly though, people like this need God's love in the worst way. If we don't show it to them, who will? So you can start by telling them what you believe as a Catholic. Don't quite know? It's the creed that we say every Sunday at church. (You know, the one you could say in your sleep because it's just a habit?? Maybe we should all REALLY pay attention to what we are saying when we profess our faith on Sundays!) Then you could point out some other reasons to believe in God: (and you should expect an argument, but you will still get them thinking!)
1. Jesus is the most specific evidence of God. You can look at any religion and see that Muhammad and Buddha and others referred to themselves as prophets and teachers; but, none of them claimed to be equal with God. Jesus did. Several times in the Bible, he tells us that anyone who believes in Him believes in God. And Jesus backed this claim up with proof. He did things no ordinary human could do. He performed miracles and healed people. People followed Him, because He was constantly meeting their spiritual needs.
2. Look at the make up of the human body. DNA, cells, the brain. How could every cell be so intricately detailed and complex?  The brain is able to take in a plethora of information at one time and sort it into valuable and invaluable information.
3. How was our universe designed and how is it sustained without a Divine Creator? Big Bang theory? Really? How is it that the Big Bang theory made the earth exactly the right size, with the right amount of air and water (fresh and salt), the perfect distance from the sun- with seasons....... Still believe in the Big Bang? Who started it? Who made it happen?
4. Laws of Nature. The sun rises and sets every day. The earth rotates in 24 hours. Every day. Gravity remains the same. And my favorite? The speed of light is the same- even in a different galaxy it remains the same.

God desires a relationship with us. He pursues us through emotion, music, words, a gentle breeze, a close call, a crisis, and happy times. God took on the form of man through Jesus and accepted the punishment for each and every one of our sins.

God is not going to force you to have a relationship with Him. He could if He wanted to. But instead He has given us proof of His existence so that we can seek Him and respond to Him. If you will truly open your heart, you will feel it. The curiosity, the gnawing, the wondering of your heart- and your mind- to know who God really is. He's right there waiting. You can be forgiven and fully accepted by God- all you have to do is ask Him. He loves us all so genuinely. He's always there, waiting for you.

It's like Father Eddie said- If believing in God was equated to making a bet, what would you have to lose? You'd gain eternal life if you took the bet. If you don't take the bet, you will be condemned to hell. That's not a gamble I'm willing to take.
 I began to tell you about my dad this past Sunday. It's a story about how my best friend saved my dad's life.  I'm being honest when I tell you that my dad should not be alive. We are lucky that he had a regular appointment with his doctor, Dr. Jennings. She noticed something during a routine test and put him on medicine to slow his heart rate. My dad was scheduled for a heart cath a week later. We got to the hospital, he got all ready and we were sent home. Intensive care was completely full and the doctor was afraid that he might be put in the situation where my dad needed to be in ICU and wouldn't have a bed. I thought of my dad as a ticking time bomb. We still didn't know exactly what was wrong, we just knew it was something. We went back to the hospital for the heart cath the next week. Again my dad gets all prepped and ready....and we get told he may not be able to have the procedure. Something to do with some sort of levels that were too low. Luckily they decided to run the test one more time, and his levels were high enough for the procedure. My mom and I walked to Wendy's for lunch and enjoyed visiting.The doctor called just as we walked back into the hospital and said he was ready to see us. We really thought that the doctor would tell us that they did a balloon procedure to remove some minor blockage. Boy, were we wrong. What the doctor told us was that we were very lucky to have this man (my dad) with us. I have to tell you that we laughed when he said it. You see, my dad is a jokester- he is rarely serious, and we thought he had put the doctor up to saying something funny. We noticed that neither the doctor nor my dad were laughing. The doctor was serious. Over the next 30 minutes, the doctor would tell us that my dad needed a quadruple bypass. He used my Sweet Bay cup to illustrate what was wrong. I was stunned. My dad wasn't old enough to have heart problems. He has always been healthy. And the risks began to hit me. Thoughts of losing my daddy. Thoughts of my children losing their Poppy. I was so overwhelmed. So I prayed. As I prayed I began to feel a peace spread through me. When I went back in to recovery, my dad, mom, and sister were visiting. My sister needed something out of her car, and my dad convinced my mom to go with her. It was at this moment that my dad spoke to me with words that could have only been directed by God. He told me how he was not scared at all. He told me how he was at peace with what was going to happen- whether it meant the surgery would go well, or whether it meant he would go "home". It was a very sweet and tender moment that my dad and I shared. And one we haven't spoken of since. It's something that the two of shared; and something we both remember very well. What that did for me, was give me even more strength to help my mom as we faced reality. They didn't let my dad leave the hospital for fear that he might have a massive heart attack before surgery. (Yes, it was that serious. Literally, he should have all ready had one.) Three days later, on a Monday, my dad had open heart surgery. He had quadruple bypass. That basically means that all four arteries that supply blood to the heart were blocked. And not just blocked, but REALLY blocked. If I remember correctly, the numbers were 88%, 87%, 91%, and 90%. During a quadruple bypass, the doctor goes in and grafts arteries from another source in the body. In most cases, they use arteries from the legs. After the graft the arteries, they stop the heart and replace the blocked arteries. That was the moment that I felt any sort of panic during the surgery. Imagine someone telling you that your father's heart is not beating. I spent that time praying for my dad and the doctor's and nurses. My dad's recovery was amazing. He was released from the hospital on his birthday. It was a wonderful birthday present too. The best friend that saved my dad's life wasn't the doctors, the nurses, my mom, or any other human. It was God. All through this ordeal, He had shown me how His hand was protecting my dad. Starting with our amazing doctor and friend Dr. Jennings; having a nurse we knew take care of him before and after his heart cath; having the dad of a longtime friend of Katie's be the heart surgeon; feeling peace and comfort during the entire time. He had provided just the right people in my life. (This was during the time just after Karena and I had become so close, and she had gone through something similar with her father). God had been there with us. His hands were holding us the entire time. He never left our side. And He's still with us today.
So, does God exist? Yes. Open your heart and allow Him to move through you.

I want to end with a song by Tenth Avenue North. They will be at Silver Dollar City for a concert during the weekend we are going. (Click on the name of the song to watch and listen.)  "By Your Side"

God is good. All the time.

Mandy