ZAP : An open source ARM processor (feedback)

Hi,

I am the author of the Gihub project ZAP ( https://github.com/krevanth/ZAP ). It is a 10-stage pipelined ARMv4T compatible soft processor core with cache and memory management support. I developed it during my final semester in university.

Would like your feedback/criticism of the project.

Thanks,
K Revanth

 

[Rick C. Hodgin]

Awesome. I look forward to looking at your work.

Thank you,
Rick C. Hodgin

 

[Rick C. Hodgin]

On Sunday, May 28, 2017 at 8:45:44 AM UTC-4, Revanth Kamaraj wrote:

Hi,

I am the author of the Gihub project ZAP ( https://github.com/krevanth/ZAP ). It is a 10-stage pipelined ARMv4T compatible soft processor core with cache and memory management support. I developed it during my final semester in university.

Would like your feedback/criticism of the project.

What can you advise me to do / look at for testing your core?

Thank you,
Rick C. Hodgin

 

[Revanth Kamaraj]

On Sunday, May 28, 2017 at 10:45:20 PM UTC+5:30, Rick C. Hodgin wrote:

On Sunday, May 28, 2017 at 8:45:44 AM UTC-4, Revanth Kamaraj wrote:
Hi,

I am the author of the Gihub project ZAP ( https://github.com/krevanth/ZAP ). It is a 10-stage pipelined ARMv4T compatible soft processor core with cache and memory management support. I developed it during my final semester in university.

Would like your feedback/criticism of the project.

What can you advise me to do / look at for testing your core?

Thank you,
Rick C. Hodgin

Hi,

More test cases could be added to the core to thoroughly test it. See the sw/tests directory. Test cases may be easily added (the documentation describes how to add test cases).

One of the main things left to do is to build a basic Wishbone SoC around the core consisting of some simple peripherals (UARTs, GPIO, Interrupt Controller) etc.

Thanks,
Revanth

 

[rickman]

revanth91kamaraj@gmail.com wrote on 5/28/2017 8:45 AM:

Hi,

I am the author of the Gihub project ZAP ( https://github.com/krevanth/ZAP ). It is a 10-stage pipelined ARMv4T compatible soft processor core with cache and memory management support. I developed it during my final semester in university.

Would like your feedback/criticism of the project.

I am curious. Has this been up long? I remember some years ago, maybe as
far back as 2002 ballpark, someone wrote code for an ARM7 I think. He
posted the code on opencores if I recall correctly. It was only up a month
or so and he received an invitation from ARM to discuss his code. That
means he got a call from an ARM lawyer. Seems there are parts of the ARM
architecture that are patented. At that time it would have been very hard
to design around the patent. I think it was related to interrupt
acknowledgement.

Again, if I recall correctly, ARM asked him to remove his code, but included
a sweetener, they offered him a job! So the code is gone. I'm sorry I
never downloaded a copy, but it is unlikely I would have bothered to build
it, so no great loss.

That particular patent may have expired. But you can be sure there are
others that are still in force. Otherwise, what would stop companies from
writing their own ARM processors and not paying ARM a royalty?

I just looked up ARMv4T and that is the same instruction set as the ARM7T.
With a 10 stage pipeline I guess your design is more like the ARM9T. If
this is the same instruction set, it must have the same interrupt
acknowledge design, no? If the patent has expired you may be home free.

Hmmm, while researching my facts for this I found a reddit page where you
talk about patents and other things last December. So I guess none of this
is news to you. But that conversation was for the ARMv4 instruction
set, not the ARMv4T. Any patent surprises there? I guess the ARMv4T is
also beyond patent expiration dates, no?

--

Rick C

 

[Revanth Kamaraj]

On Monday, May 29, 2017 at 11:14:25 AM UTC+5:30, rickman wrote:

revanth91kamaraj@gmail.com wrote on 5/28/2017 8:45 AM:
Hi,

I am the author of the Gihub project ZAP ( https://github.com/krevanth/ZAP ). It is a 10-stage pipelined ARMv4T compatible soft processor core with cache and memory management support. I developed it during my final semester in university.

Would like your feedback/criticism of the project.

I am curious. Has this been up long? I remember some years ago, maybe as
far back as 2002 ballpark, someone wrote code for an ARM7 I think. He
posted the code on opencores if I recall correctly. It was only up a month
or so and he received an invitation from ARM to discuss his code. That
means he got a call from an ARM lawyer. Seems there are parts of the ARM
architecture that are patented. At that time it would have been very hard
to design around the patent. I think it was related to interrupt
acknowledgement.

Again, if I recall correctly, ARM asked him to remove his code, but included
a sweetener, they offered him a job! So the code is gone. I'm sorry I
never downloaded a copy, but it is unlikely I would have bothered to build
it, so no great loss.

That particular patent may have expired. But you can be sure there are
others that are still in force. Otherwise, what would stop companies from
writing their own ARM processors and not paying ARM a royalty?

I just looked up ARMv4T and that is the same instruction set as the ARM7T.
With a 10 stage pipeline I guess your design is more like the ARM9T. If
this is the same instruction set, it must have the same interrupt
acknowledge design, no? If the patent has expired you may be home free.

Hmmm, while researching my facts for this I found a reddit page where you
talk about patents and other things last December. So I guess none of this
is news to you. But that conversation was for the ARMv4 instruction
set, not the ARMv4T. Any patent surprises there? I guess the ARMv4T is
also beyond patent expiration dates, no?

--

Rick C

Hi Rick,

The interrupt handling mechanism of ZAP is generic and the interrupt acknowledgement is implementation defined. Since Thumb has been around since at least 1994, I guess patents on it might have expired?

Thanks,
Revanth

 

[Rick C. Hodgin]

On Monday, May 29, 2017 at 1:44:25 AM UTC-4, rickman wrote:

...I found a reddit page where you talk about patents and other things
last December. So I guess none of this is news to you. ...

I would just like to state how damaging patents and intellectual property
rights are to the advancement of mankind. They are nice for the private
advancement of a few, but they do not serve mankind well in any way,
shape, or form. Even the incentive for profit they might bring for the
hard workers is not sufficient to override the loss to humanity when the
ability to learn and alter freely the cumulative knowledge of man is
suppressed by artificial means, such as by legal erections around otherwise
unencumbered concepts.

Patents, copyrights, and "intellectual property" rights are all evil,
of the devil, and serve to enslave us rather than free us.

Thank you,
Rick C. Hodgin

PS - Revanth, I only post this to address these systems. I think your
offering is not only fantastic, but exactly what we, as people,
should be doing. It is the best of us given over to others to
then use as raw materials for their creation atop your prior work.
Please allow me to say, "Thank you, Revanth," for your contribution
to mankind.

 

[rickman]

Revanth Kamaraj wrote on 5/29/2017 10:20 AM:

On Monday, May 29, 2017 at 11:14:25 AM UTC+5:30, rickman wrote:
revanth91kamaraj@gmail.com wrote on 5/28/2017 8:45 AM:
Hi,

I am the author of the Gihub project ZAP ( https://github.com/krevanth/ZAP ). It is a 10-stage pipelined ARMv4T compatible soft processor core with cache and memory management support. I developed it during my final semester in university.

Would like your feedback/criticism of the project.

I am curious. Has this been up long? I remember some years ago, maybe as
far back as 2002 ballpark, someone wrote code for an ARM7 I think. He
posted the code on opencores if I recall correctly. It was only up a month
or so and he received an invitation from ARM to discuss his code. That
means he got a call from an ARM lawyer. Seems there are parts of the ARM
architecture that are patented. At that time it would have been very hard
to design around the patent. I think it was related to interrupt
acknowledgement.

Again, if I recall correctly, ARM asked him to remove his code, but included
a sweetener, they offered him a job! So the code is gone. I'm sorry I
never downloaded a copy, but it is unlikely I would have bothered to build
it, so no great loss.

That particular patent may have expired. But you can be sure there are
others that are still in force. Otherwise, what would stop companies from
writing their own ARM processors and not paying ARM a royalty?

I just looked up ARMv4T and that is the same instruction set as the ARM7T.
With a 10 stage pipeline I guess your design is more like the ARM9T. If
this is the same instruction set, it must have the same interrupt
acknowledge design, no? If the patent has expired you may be home free.

Hmmm, while researching my facts for this I found a reddit page where you
talk about patents and other things last December. So I guess none of this
is news to you. But that conversation was for the ARMv4 instruction
set, not the ARMv4T. Any patent surprises there? I guess the ARMv4T is
also beyond patent expiration dates, no?

--

Rick C

Hi Rick,

The interrupt handling mechanism of ZAP is generic and the interrupt acknowledgement is implementation defined. Since Thumb has been around since at least 1994, I guess patents on it might have expired?

I suppose. That's why they have new designs that work better, faster,
cheaper and have new patents.

So is your processor like the ARM9T?

--

Rick C

 

[Revanth Kamaraj]

The closest thing the design might resemble is an xscale machine by Intel.

 

[Revanth Kamaraj]

On Tuesday, May 30, 2017 at 2:16:23 PM UTC+5:30, Revanth Kamaraj wrote:
> The closest thing the design might resemble is an xscale machine by Intel.

*partially, not as complex as XScale.

 

[Revanth Kamaraj]

On Tuesday, May 30, 2017 at 2:23:24 PM UTC+5:30, Revanth Kamaraj wrote:

On Tuesday, May 30, 2017 at 2:16:23 PM UTC+5:30, Revanth Kamaraj wrote:
The closest thing the design might resemble is an xscale machine by Intel.

*partially, not as complex as XScale.

The project was done at my final semester in University (2016 MS(EE) grad). My intentions for ZAP are purely non commercial and academic. However, if this project might give me problems legally, is it wise to put it on Github as open source?

Regards,
Revanth.

 

Den tirsdag den 30. maj 2017 kl. 17.53.36 UTC+2 skrev Revanth Kamaraj:

On Tuesday, May 30, 2017 at 2:23:24 PM UTC+5:30, Revanth Kamaraj wrote:
On Tuesday, May 30, 2017 at 2:16:23 PM UTC+5:30, Revanth Kamaraj wrote:
The closest thing the design might resemble is an xscale machine by Intel.

*partially, not as complex as XScale.

The project was done at my final semester in University (2016 MS(EE) grad). My intentions for ZAP are purely non commercial and academic. However, if this project might give me problems legally, is it wise to put it on Github as open source?

unless you got some secrets from ARM that you at not allowed to show others I
don't see how it could get you in trouble

patents are not secrets

 

[Rick C. Hodgin]

On Tuesday, May 30, 2017 at 12:23:25 PM UTC-4, lasselangwad...@gmail.com wrote:

Den tirsdag den 30. maj 2017 kl. 17.53.36 UTC+2 skrev Revanth Kamaraj:
On Tuesday, May 30, 2017 at 2:23:24 PM UTC+5:30, Revanth Kamaraj wrote:
On Tuesday, May 30, 2017 at 2:16:23 PM UTC+5:30, Revanth Kamaraj wrote:
The closest thing the design might resemble is an xscale machine by Intel.

*partially, not as complex as XScale.

The project was done at my final semester in University (2016 MS(EE) grad). My intentions for ZAP are purely non commercial and academic. However, if this project might give me problems legally, is it wise to put it on Github as open source?


unless you got some secrets from ARM that you at not allowed to show others I
don't see how it could get you in trouble

patents are not secrets

Agree. Worst case they'll ask you to take it down and prohibit you
from using those algorithms in future projects.

I'm very impressed by your work.

Thank you,
Rick C. Hodgin

 

[rickman]

Revanth Kamaraj wrote on 5/30/2017 11:53 AM:

On Tuesday, May 30, 2017 at 2:23:24 PM UTC+5:30, Revanth Kamaraj wrote:
On Tuesday, May 30, 2017 at 2:16:23 PM UTC+5:30, Revanth Kamaraj wrote:
The closest thing the design might resemble is an xscale machine by Intel.

*partially, not as complex as XScale.

The project was done at my final semester in University (2016 MS(EE) grad). My intentions for ZAP are purely non commercial and academic. However, if this project might give me problems legally, is it wise to put it on Github as open source?

That's why I brought up the issue. I don't think ARM is malevolent. They
are only interested in protecting their intellectual property. As you point
out their work is over 22 years old it is unlikely they have any current
patents. Since these are CPU designs that have been superseded by a number
of newer designs, they likely have no more financial interest in them.

Wanna code up an ARM CM7?

--

Rick C

 

[Revanth Kamaraj]

On Tuesday, May 30, 2017 at 10:12:48 PM UTC+5:30, Rick C. Hodgin wrote:

On Tuesday, May 30, 2017 at 12:23:25 PM UTC-4, lasselangwad...@gmail.com wrote:
Den tirsdag den 30. maj 2017 kl. 17.53.36 UTC+2 skrev Revanth Kamaraj:
On Tuesday, May 30, 2017 at 2:23:24 PM UTC+5:30, Revanth Kamaraj wrote:
On Tuesday, May 30, 2017 at 2:16:23 PM UTC+5:30, Revanth Kamaraj wrote:
The closest thing the design might resemble is an xscale machine by Intel.

*partially, not as complex as XScale.

The project was done at my final semester in University (2016 MS(EE) grad). My intentions for ZAP are purely non commercial and academic. However, if this project might give me problems legally, is it wise to put it on Github as open source?


unless you got some secrets from ARM that you at not allowed to show others I
don't see how it could get you in trouble

patents are not secrets

Agree. Worst case they'll ask you to take it down and prohibit you
from using those algorithms in future projects.

I'm very impressed by your work.

Thank you,
Rick C. Hodgin

Thanks.

 

[Richard Damon]

On 5/29/17 10:40 AM, Rick C. Hodgin wrote:

On Monday, May 29, 2017 at 1:44:25 AM UTC-4, rickman wrote:
...I found a reddit page where you talk about patents and other things
last December. So I guess none of this is news to you. ...

I would just like to state how damaging patents and intellectual property
rights are to the advancement of mankind. They are nice for the private
advancement of a few, but they do not serve mankind well in any way,
shape, or form. Even the incentive for profit they might bring for the
hard workers is not sufficient to override the loss to humanity when the
ability to learn and alter freely the cumulative knowledge of man is
suppressed by artificial means, such as by legal erections around otherwise
unencumbered concepts.

Patents, copyrights, and "intellectual property" rights are all evil,
of the devil, and serve to enslave us rather than free us.

Thank you,
Rick C. Hodgin

Rick, as I have said before, if you truly believe this then your only
real option is to cease IMMEDIATELY using anything covered by current IP
restrictions (and that would include any open source products with
restrictive licenses like the GNU licenses). Anything short is
hypocrisy, which is sinful.

I realize this is basically impossible.

One key factor you refuse to acknowledge is that most of the resources
you want to use only came about BECAUSE of the existing IP laws allow
companies to be willing to spend money on research and development
knowing that they will be able to earn money on the results.

 

[Rick C. Hodgin]

On Wednesday, May 31, 2017 at 4:40:26 PM UTC-4, Richard Damon wrote:

On 5/29/17 10:40 AM, Rick C. Hodgin wrote:
On Monday, May 29, 2017 at 1:44:25 AM UTC-4, rickman wrote:
...I found a reddit page where you talk about patents and other things
last December. So I guess none of this is news to you. ...

I would just like to state how damaging patents and intellectual property
rights are to the advancement of mankind. They are nice for the private
advancement of a few, but they do not serve mankind well in any way,
shape, or form. Even the incentive for profit they might bring for the
hard workers is not sufficient to override the loss to humanity when the
ability to learn and alter freely the cumulative knowledge of man is
suppressed by artificial means, such as by legal erections around otherwise
unencumbered concepts.

Patents, copyrights, and "intellectual property" rights are all evil,
of the devil, and serve to enslave us rather than free us.

Thank you,
Rick C. Hodgin


Rick, as I have said before, if you truly believe this then your only
real option is to cease IMMEDIATELY using anything covered by current IP
restrictions (and that would include any open source products with
restrictive licenses like the GNU licenses). Anything short is
hypocrisy, which is sinful.

I realize this is basically impossible.

I am creating a complete hardware and software stack that is not
only fully open, but is in the public domain.

It's the best I have to offer given the skills I have.

There's a verse in the Bible that says where a man is when he's
received by the Lord, let him remain in his station. If he was
married before, let him not seek to become married, if unmarried
then let him not seek to become married, etc. It's 1 Cor 7:20:

http://biblehub.com/kjv/1_corinthians/7.htm

17 But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath
called every one, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all
churches.
18 Is any man called being circumcised? let him not become
uncircumcised. Is any called in uncircumcision? let him not
be circumcised.
19 Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but
the keeping of the commandments of God.
20 Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called.

21 Art thou called being a servant? care not for it: but if thou
mayest be made free, use it rather.
22 For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the
Lord's freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free,
is Christ's servant.
23 Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.
24 Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide
with God.

I became a Christian in 2004. At that point, I was very much a MSVC
developer, with a passion for writing my own operating system. And
I wrestled for many years with considerations along the lines of
those you outline. If you're interested in reading my thoughts about
it you can find them on either Universal Thread or Foxite (and/or
both) as well as on the comp.lang.c group and comp.lang.c++ from
around 2013 or 2014.

I finally concluded that the Lord called me as I was, and whereas I
was at that time seeking to create an alternative to Microsoft
products, I would continue doing that work, only instead of simply
doing it for the sake of doing it, now I would be doing it for the
Lord.

A lot of people have tried to pin that yoke of oppression around my
shoulders, including me. But in the Lord we are free, and turning
whatever criminal things there are in this world around and so they
are made into an offering unto God ... that is NEVER a wrong thing,
provided the initial thing is not sinful in the first place (such
as a newly saved prostitute doesn't become a prostitute for Jesus,
for example).

My goals are to literally create a full machine that will rival
Intel and AMD, as well as eventually Motorola and Apple in mobile
devices, but one that is a complete public domain offering, so
that everyone has access to all IP, is able to examine the hardware,
software, firmware, and every other layer of protocol transmission,
so they can know they have a reliable device that is a tool, with
powerful software that's extensible, and that none of it is being
done for money, but all of it is being done to help people have
better lives with this amazing technology gift the Lord has given
us.

You should do the same in the areas you have interest, Richard. It
would behoove you (in regards to eternal considerations, for all our
works given over to Him will persist into eternity, but all we do
here for stuff here's sake will be burned up, see 1 Corinthians 3:14).

One key factor you refuse to acknowledge is that most of the resources
you want to use only came about BECAUSE of the existing IP laws allow
companies to be willing to spend money on research and development
knowing that they will be able to earn money on the results.

I do not refuse to acknowledge it. I also acknowledge that we have
"freedom" in the U.S because people went to war and killed other
human beings. That does not make it right, nor is it what God
wanted.

I am simply restoring the things I have personal control over to
a place where I am able to do something about it, unto God. It is
my best offering in this world, and I do it gladly and with great
passion.

You can listen to me discuss all of this if you like. It was
recorded in another video I made back in 2012. If you fast-forward
to about 30 minutes in or so, you'll hear me begin to discuss it:

http://www.visual-freepro.org/videos/2012_12_08__01_vvmmc__and_vfrps_relationship_to_christianity.ogv

Maybe it will inspire you, Richard.

Thank you,
Rick C. Hodgin

 

[Richard Damon]

On 5/31/17 5:29 PM, Rick C. Hodgin wrote:

On Wednesday, May 31, 2017 at 4:40:26 PM UTC-4, Richard Damon wrote:
On 5/29/17 10:40 AM, Rick C. Hodgin wrote:

Patents, copyrights, and "intellectual property" rights are all evil,
of the devil, and serve to enslave us rather than free us.

Thank you,
Rick C. Hodgin


Rick, as I have said before, if you truly believe this then your only
real option is to cease IMMEDIATELY using anything covered by current IP
restrictions (and that would include any open source products with
restrictive licenses like the GNU licenses). Anything short is
hypocrisy, which is sinful.

I realize this is basically impossible.

I am creating a complete hardware and software stack that is not
only fully open, but is in the public domain.

It's the best I have to offer given the skills I have.

There's a verse in the Bible that says where a man is when he's
received by the Lord, let him remain in his station. If he was
married before, let him not seek to become married, if unmarried
then let him not seek to become married, etc. It's 1 Cor 7:20:

http://biblehub.com/kjv/1_corinthians/7.htm

17 But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath
called every one, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all
churches.
18 Is any man called being circumcised? let him not become
uncircumcised. Is any called in uncircumcision? let him not
be circumcised.
19 Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but
the keeping of the commandments of God.
20 Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called.

21 Art thou called being a servant? care not for it: but if thou
mayest be made free, use it rather.
22 For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the
Lord's freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free,
is Christ's servant.
23 Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.
24 Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide
with God.

I became a Christian in 2004. At that point, I was very much a MSVC
developer, with a passion for writing my own operating system. And
I wrestled for many years with considerations along the lines of
those you outline. If you're interested in reading my thoughts about
it you can find them on either Universal Thread or Foxite (and/or
both) as well as on the comp.lang.c group and comp.lang.c++ from
around 2013 or 2014.

I finally concluded that the Lord called me as I was, and whereas I
was at that time seeking to create an alternative to Microsoft
products, I would continue doing that work, only instead of simply
doing it for the sake of doing it, now I would be doing it for the
Lord.

I have nothing against you deciding that you feel you want to do
something like this as a service to the Lord. Each of us is called to
use are talents to our best to service him.

I do have some concerns about you declaring that it is truly Gods
calling for you to achieve this, as it is my belief that God provides
the power to ultimately achieve what he truly call us to, and I have
serious doubts that you have been given the needed skill/talents to
achieve your mission. I will accept God having directed you on this path
as a demonstration of faith and persistence.

A lot of people have tried to pin that yoke of oppression around my
shoulders, including me. But in the Lord we are free, and turning
whatever criminal things there are in this world around and so they
are made into an offering unto God ... that is NEVER a wrong thing,
provided the initial thing is not sinful in the first place (such
as a newly saved prostitute doesn't become a prostitute for Jesus,
for example).

My goals are to literally create a full machine that will rival
Intel and AMD, as well as eventually Motorola and Apple in mobile
devices, but one that is a complete public domain offering, so
that everyone has access to all IP, is able to examine the hardware,
software, firmware, and every other layer of protocol transmission,
so they can know they have a reliable device that is a tool, with
powerful software that's extensible, and that none of it is being
done for money, but all of it is being done to help people have
better lives with this amazing technology gift the Lord has given
us.

You should do the same in the areas you have interest, Richard. It
would behoove you (in regards to eternal considerations, for all our
works given over to Him will persist into eternity, but all we do
here for stuff here's sake will be burned up, see 1 Corinthians 3:14).

One key factor you refuse to acknowledge is that most of the resources
you want to use only came about BECAUSE of the existing IP laws allow
companies to be willing to spend money on research and development
knowing that they will be able to earn money on the results.

I do not refuse to acknowledge it. I also acknowledge that we have
"freedom" in the U.S because people went to war and killed other
human beings. That does not make it right, nor is it what God
wanted.

If you think the IP laws are 'EVIL', then you need to treat it as evil
and flee from it. All the examples you point to were people not in
'Evil', but in less then perfect situations. Circumcision, being a
servant, or married to a non-believer isn't an 'Evil' State, or 'From
the Devil', maybe not the best, but not something that had to change.
Those who were in sinful situations (like the prostitutes that Jesus
forgave) were told to leave that evil lifestyle. They couldn't continue
using evil to try and do good.

Consider also, the food sacrificed to idols, those who thought it was
impure due to is source were told too refrain from it, so if you thing
IP law is evil, you should similarly refrain from using its fruits.

Perhaps part of your problem is that you don't really understand what is
'Evil', or what is the Devils plans.

I am simply restoring the things I have personal control over to
a place where I am able to do something about it, unto God. It is
my best offering in this world, and I do it gladly and with great
passion.

You can listen to me discuss all of this if you like. It was
recorded in another video I made back in 2012. If you fast-forward
to about 30 minutes in or so, you'll hear me begin to discuss it:

http://www.visual-freepro.org/videos/2012_12_08__01_vvmmc__and_vfrps_relationship_to_christianity.ogv

Maybe it will inspire you, Richard.

Thank you,
Rick C. Hodgin

Lastly, and please try not to take this wrong, though you claim to know
the Lord, and want to try to do you best for him, I am not so sure you
really do know him. You misuse the bible as a sledgehammer to attempt to
drive evil out of people instead of showing them the true gospel to draw
them to righteousness. Let me ask you to study the scriptures to see how
Jesus, and his followers spread the message, The did NOT go out into the
public square and blast random people with a message that people were
bad and needed to change. Yes, they did tell people to repent, but that
message was given to people who came to them. wanting to know the message.

One of my other concerns is that I do not see much of the fruits of the
spirit in your words. For example in Gal 5:22-23 we are told that the
fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. These are things
that should be evident in the life of someone who is being lead by the
Spirit. Also the Spirit lead man should be focused on the things above,
but your driving force seems much more to bring a 'heaven-on-earth' of
'Free Computing' then on truly trying to save souls.

I do believe you are strongly devoted to God, and that you are trying
too do your best that you can for him. I see much of myself in you from
30 years ago before I truly found the Lord after careful study of the
word with someone who knew the word and the Lord well. I will not say
that I have any certainty of knowledge of your current eternal path,
just that I think it would be beneficial for you to examine yourself,
just like I had to too come to know the Lord, and the many times
thereafter to know him better.

If you want to talk about this more, I suggest you can contact me off
group, as this really isn't relevant to the newsgroup.

 

[rickman]

Richard Damon wrote on 6/2/2017 9:26 PM:

<<< Snipped a great deal of off topic crap >>>

If you want to talk about this more, I suggest you can contact me off group,
as this really isn't relevant to the newsgroup.

Why didn't you contact him directly off group rather than muddy up the place
further?

--

Rick C

 

[Rick C. Hodgin]

Rick C, Jesus loves you and will give you eternal life for free. He'll
heal your wounds and guide you from this day forward to all and
only righteous and true things.

It's a good offer. Please consider it.

Thank you,
Rick C. Hodgin