Marshall Democrat-News: A Complicated Way of Saying 'Apples' by GEOFF RANDS

A relationship with Christ
Posted Thursday, October 1, at 11:08 AM

I was raised in a Christian household, but I've come to realize that there are a lot of things Christians hold to be important that I just don't understand.

It was at around the age of 12 that I first felt my exuberant acceptance of religion beginning to fade away. At 17, I finally mustered the courage to inform my parents that I did not believe -- or disbelieve -- the teachings of the church to which they belonged. It was at about that time that I ceased any attendance of religious services, and relative disinterest in religion soon followed.

But by 21, I had declared my minor at Western Illinois University to be in the field of religious studies, and found those classes to be far more enjoyable than my time in church. Maybe it's just because no one expected anything out of me besides the occasional research paper.

Now, at 25, I find the study of religion, and specifically the study of believers, endlessly fascinating.

So, while I have a good base of knowledge regarding Christianity, a question I have been unable to answer has been raised in my mind by a comment from a caller to a talk radio station:

What does it mean to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?

And that question has brought more. As with the first question, I hoped those who post on this Web site might be able to help me better understand the following:

How do believers go about forming that relationship?

How do they feel that Christ is there, having a relationship back with them?

Beyond what comes with just being an observant Christian, how does having a personal relationship with Christ impact their daily lives?

Why is this relationship so important to so many, rather than focusing on simply living by Christ's code as set in the New Testament? What is the added benefit of this relationship?

And I guess the big question is: How many Christians believe in the importance of this relationship?

Furthermore, how many adherents to other religious beliefs -- Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism or any other -- consider a similar relationship with a prominent religious figure to be extremely important?

Even though I don't consider myself a Christian, I'd like to better understand the mindset of those who do, and would appreciate any light readers could shed on this topic.

I'm saying "apples" in a complicated way. What do you think (with apologies to John Q.)?

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Let him go
Posted Tuesday, July 7, at 5:12 PM

The death of Michael Jackson has unlikely escaped anyone in our persistently connected society. The importance he had to millions as an idol and performer should be obvious to both young and old, regardless of how much one enjoys his music. I was never a fan of his music -- it's just not my style, for one thing...

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I Heart Sunshine
Posted Friday, January 9, at 4:52 PM

Ever since I learned about Seasonal Affective Disorder a few years ago, I have known that it affects everyone to varying degrees, including myself, but I don't believe I ever realized just how much of an effect the sun has on my mood until quite recently...

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A Complicated Way of Saying 'Apples'

GEOFF RANDS

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It was a beautiful summer day, and I was relaxing with my friends. One of them, Brian, was talking, and, as happens to me sometimes, my mind began to drift -- a bad habit, I know. When I snapped back to the moment at hand, I asked Brian what he had said. As he commonly does, he downplayed the importance of his statements, and when pressed, he merely said, "It was just a complicated way of saying 'apples.'" And so, the smart-aleck that I often seem to be, I said, simply, "Apples." The following silence was comfortable, but nowhere near as pleasant as being present for and party to a discussion, no matter how trivial, with two of my best friends. So, while sometimes, all of my speech is merely a complicated way of saying "apples," I have come to enjoy those roundabout things that are perhaps unnecessary, because sometimes, merely saying "apples" isn't enough.

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A relationship with Christ
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