by J. Randal Matheny

Want to discover things about yourself you never knew? Type your name in at www.googlism.com and -- surprise! See what things you've been up to lately. Discover who you really are.

This site is not connected directly to Google but uses the search feature to scoop up text about people. It probably uses the phrase, "John Doe is..." to come up with information.

In this search, of course, anybody with that name shows up. Here was mine:

"Randal Matheny is the missionary." That was all. Nothing else. Seems to be missing something, but okay, close enough.

I put a friend's name in (sorry, Richard), and here are a few of the many discoveries I turned up.

• richard hill is the manager of the city of capitola
• richard hill is the silent assassin of the england team
• richard hill is no stranger to tough music
• richard hill is in heaven where we can all meet him and his partings will never come again
• richard hill is buried in serre road no 3 cemetery
• richard hill is taking a well deserved test along with scott murray
• richard hill is their sole survivor but a major one at that
• richard hill is fit
• richard hill is a member of the tuscarora tribe and is employed as a research assistant at the buffalo and erie county historical society
• richard hill is suffering from concussion and will miss the final test
• richard hill is bearhugged from behind by a monster
• richard hill is preparing to roll back the frontiers eastwards
• richard hill is a sell out and i would encourage home fans to support him
• richard hill is cleaning out his basement and has 4 cases of empty beer bottles
• richard hill is going to get away with murder
• richard hill is no longer with inner circle
• richard hill is the vicar of st barnabas
• richard hill is the new spa director
• richard hill is listed as missing in action

I hope you weren't disappointed. I promised you a site where you could "discover yourself," didn't I? Well, there's another one.

This site will not do a web search, but a soul search. It will look into your inner being and plumb the depths of your true self. In doing so, it has a purpose: to gauge the degree of your depravity, scoop it out, and do a complete remake.

This takes some doing, as you can imagine. You have seen hints of perversity bubble up from down deep, only to hide them quickly. We can only imagine the extent of our evil hearts. It's a scary and sometimes painful process. But worth it in the end.

It is one of the most visited sites of all, this soul search, but most people don't stay there long. There are browsers who hop in for an occasional superficial dose (some even daily), skimmers who take what's useful for the moment, flamers who dip in to grab a handful of ammunition for their next invective.

To really discover yourself, though, you've got to do some serious engagement at this site with the Webmaster and his writers. Only then will you manage the changeover you've always wanted.

"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account (Hebrews 4:12 NIV).

... you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth ... you have been born again ... through the living and enduring word of God (1 Peter 1:22-23).