TogetherOne Love

What I Would Change If I Could Change

2011-11-29T19:26:00.001-08:00

Me.YOU.Us.THEM.Choices made.And the lack thereof.Leaving.Staying.Not spending enough time with you.How I spent my time with you.Priorities.Inferiorities.Holding on too tightly.Letting go too easily.Stubborn resistance.Unrelenting persistence.My thinking.Your feelings.Goodbyes.Poor buys.Blind love.Seen hate.The lazy poor.The crazy rich.Quiting joys,out of fear and hurt.These in me,and me alone,are changes I'd make,and chances I would take,if only eye could change.

ThanksLiving

2011-11-22T20:58:00.000-08:00

Thanks. To THE Giver. OF All. Let's all Live our Lives back to our Maker. That would be the most Thanks we can give. Its the least we can do.

Decided on Mom's epithaph yesterday: "to laugh, to love, to live for Jesus"

I have a thousand hugs left to give her. Since I can't hug her again for a while, let me give one or two to you.

Enlightened sadness:Hopefilled Grief. I'm always shocked by the temporary finality of death. JESUS WEPT. Thats my kind of God.

Mom left me a Fortune

2011-11-10T21:14:00.000-08:00

A Day with Mom. Heart Treasures.

My Mother walked into heaven yesterday. Between the sobs and the choke-hold of grief I felt, I spent time today with the stuff she didn't take with her. Oh, she’s gone. But I still spent the day with her. Someday all of you will get to go through someone’s “stuff they’ve left behind,” be ready for some shockers. In my own process of sorting, I found out that my Mom had left me a fortune. An unfathomable inheritance in Memories: in letters between her and dad; in everything I had ever written to them...since childhood. I found them at the bottom of the blanket chest; in the drawer of her bedside stand. Treasures.

In the Bible the Gospel writer Luke said (2:9) “Mary kept these things, and pondered them in her heart.” Mary remembered and reflected on the unimaginable events of her remarkable son’s life. Those memories became the most complete recording of the events of the young Jesus’ early life; many scholars believe that Mary was Luke's most influential source for the facts and records inspired to become the Gospel of Luke. Like Mary, all Moms are equipped with a special formula of heart glue. Nothing escapes a doting Mom.

But I do think that we are at risk of experiencing the The Last of a Generation of the Treasure Keepers.Treasures like Letters on Paper. No matter how hard we try to warm it up Digital is impersonal.There is no way to recognize someones unique penmanship...I assume that there are thousands of fonts in world...but there’s only one Laura Hurst’s unique handwriting style. I received a wonderful comment thread of comfort on Facebook...something that FB can actually provide of great value...but Mom got get well cards. Her and her sister exchanged weekly cards. I will be doing some major scanning over the next few months because paper will disintegrate over time. Mom left me stacks of love letters that Dad had written to her..and I want them digitized. But those scans will never match the tactile delight of paper. Because Mom saved me my own legacy of love expressions in letters I had written for her and Dad ...I will now get to relive those emotions and thoughts for the rest of my life.

So do yourself a favor. The next time you really want to communicate that you love someone, take some paper out of the printer and put a pen in your hand and write. Create some bury-able treasure.

Thank you for your love mom...filtered through intelligence and wisdom...and the hidden treasures you left us at the bottom of the blanket chest

Loving her before you even meet her...

2011-10-08T21:04:00.000-07:00

A friend asked me about what to share with their grandson about how to treat young ladies as they begin to enter their dating years. Here's what I shared. Treat every girl like you would want boys to treat the daughter you might have someday. Remember that every outcome of premarital intercourse has real life complications...risk of pregnancy and disease...but worst of all it confuses our hearts...lessens our ability to trust...and reduces our ability to bond with our life partner down the road. Its a matter of committing to the best possible life for ourselves and our future mate. Thats loving her before you even meet her.

A Workin' Man's Hands

2011-08-13T16:39:00.000-07:00

Start of a Country Song:
A Workin' Man's Hands...
(1st verse and chorus rough draft)
My lover's caloused hands might be cracked and rough,
but as he gently holds mine they're loving enough
to bring a shiver to my heart
and a quiver in my soul
I love a man that's been workin' with a shovel and a hoe.

Workin man's hands, workin man's hands, lovin' my man who plans with his hands,
Gonna Marry Me, Gonna Carry Me
Cross the threshold, to our household,
made puttin' blisters on a Workin' man's hands.

Mr. Pockets

2010-05-23T20:50:00.000-07:00

He sat on the curb.
Raggedy and worn.
A rugged man's face,
ruddy,
unshorn.

Smoking a stub he found on the street
with barely whats left of shoes on his feet.
He grinned me a grin, a rotted grin
with smilin' eyes, yellowed now by gin.

He said, "Got a minute?
Got a moment to share?
I'm not askin' for nothin'
just want you to see me
and not treat me like air."

He reached in his pockets;
pulled 'em inside out.
"Empty pockets ain't nothin'," he said,
"to brag much about,
but I got a story, a story to tell
'bout a life lived up and shot all to hell."

"That's not how it started,
I'm not at all what I seem.
I just had lots of bad luck,
finally ran out of steam."

"I once had it all, looked a lot like you,
lost my last job of twenty
then my wife said we're through.
So I picked up a bottle
to drown all my pain
stopped caring about anyone
so it's all down the drain."

"How 'bout you,
you rich lookin dude,
what you got to show
for your life lived true?
Nice house and cars
and money in the bank?
While you still have it all
don't forget who to thank."

I said, "Well, thank you, Mr. Pockets
for reminding me of you.
I once was right where you are
not knowing what to do.
But I remembered life was ticking
like a time-bomb in arrears.
And I chose to make a difference
with with all my days and years."

"So I found a man with hammer
and I said I'd be his nail
and he took me up the mountain
and he took me out to sail
he said if you'll just work for me
I may start you with a pail,
but I'll let you grow with honor
and I'll let you pick your trail."

"So are you going to sit and pull
empty pockets out to show
or are you going to come with me
and watch those pockets grow?
More and more you'll have each day,
more than enough to share,
for that's the way that I was told
to find my way back there."

(dedicated to the jobless workers who really just want to work)
By Randy Hurst

Past Clingman's Dome.

2010-04-04T07:47:00.000-07:00

Once for all. Sacrificed for sin.
Now conquered death, He lives again.
In us, Himself; in Him we live.
Because he rose, know life, no end.

Hope with purpose, to be, to do.
Love and give and find what's true.
He showed the way, what 'er the cost,
to do God's will, when done, not lost.

With grateful hearts we lift our praise,
to the risen king of all our days.
We, too, will live, just past the grave.
and be with Him, prepared both ways.

So be at peace my fretting child;
these days are short, but for a while.
He'll come to take you, take you home,
to the place He's made, past Clingman's Dome.

propheT
easter 2010

Whiners vs Winners

2010-03-18T20:51:00.000-07:00

There are basically two types of people: Whiners and Winners, Dampers and Doers, Deniers and Believers; those that look for opportunities to complain and those that make opportunities happen. If you are in the second group, obstacles turn into opportunities by the sheer force of your will. Winners are too busy doing "winnerly" chores to be concerned with the minor irritants of life. If Whiners would spend the same amount of time coming up with solutions as they do making up excuses, they would, well, be Winners.

TFTD

2010-03-10T21:11:00.000-08:00

There is a dirtier word than the F word. It's the IF word. The "If I can" statement pretty much assures you that you won't get it done.

Quotes to Tote

2010-02-16T20:10:00.000-08:00

One might think that when it's all been said and done, it will all have been said and done, or one might think that the sheer littleness of our existence would render it inconsequential on a cosmic scale...but the one who said "Let it be" and it was, says that even the littlest of matter matters.

Life is a delicate balance of making and taking. Would we burn a Rembrandt if that was all that was left to burn for warmth? Scandalous image, no? That is exactly the dangerous predicament we find ourselves in, as we take more than we make...personally and globally.

propheT

Life word play...

2010-02-03T20:23:00.000-08:00

...several years ago I was treated with a cancer therapy commonly referred to with the initials ADT (Androgen DeprivationTherapy). Ironically (or something) I now work for a company that is an authorized dealer for a company called ADT (American District Telegraph). No biggy. Just thought it interesting.

A Simple Glory Story

2010-02-02T20:44:00.000-08:00

As I waited for one of my consultants to finish his contracts in a home today, my assistant and I were discussing the ups and downs of a life committed to God's service and glory; the everyday life of a person of faith. I commented that God choses the weak and humble of this world to reveal and glorify Himself through. Doug and I found that we shared commonalities to our life journeys thus far; both of us have been brought low by trying times in our pasts. We also determined that there is a certain spiritual confidence that comes in those toughest of times, knowing that you are a vessel made available for God's purposes.

Three people that came to mind with Biblical precedence were Joseph, Moses and Daniel. All three had roller coaster lives. They had dramatic highs and lows and highs again as they proved their loyalties to the one true God. In their lives and ours, so often the greatest glory comes in the simplest of events, and choices.

Just a few hours later, back on the very same road, we were sitting idle doing paperwork, when Doug said, "Hey, that man just fell down!" We drove down to the house where the elderly gentleman had fallen, just a few steps, but it was backwards and he landed hard with his head up against his car. We went to his side and did a quick assessment of his condition, went into his house to get his wife, and decided we ought to call the EMT's for at least a check over. We found out that the gentleman was a little older and suffers from Parkinson's disease. As we comforted him while the emergency personnel were on their way, we discussed how fortunate it was that we had been nearby and saw it happen, how the car being where it was kept him from hitting his head on the concrete, and just how much the LORD loved and cared for us all. All turned out very well. Our new friend was OK, mostly just scared and embarrassed. Everyone felt the presence and provision of the LORD. Later on we went back by to check on him and our new friend was doing just fine, just a bit bruised and sore.

There is a bit of irony to the situation as we represent an ADT Security Authorized Dealer and the people are ADT clients. Though we cannot promise that every response will be that immediate, we can surely lay claim to one of the most timely and personal monitoring events that anyone representing ADT has ever initiated!

A New Facebook Group: I'm Committed to Random Acts of Love and Prayer

2010-01-31T20:27:00.000-08:00

If you are Facebook networked, I invite you to join the new group, I'm Committed to Random Acts of Love and Prayer. http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=279623027794&ref=nf

LORD. Bless those who are courageous enough to commit to Random Acts of Love and Prayer. Lead us to unexpected opportunities to show your love for the world. Make us bold enough to ask those we meet on our daily paths if we might pray for them. May the serendipitous moments you provide us with be reminders of your going before us to lead us in paths of righteousness. May our life's purpose be to always make you first and foremost in everything. Amen.

Random [sic] Prayer

2010-01-29T17:16:00.000-08:00

I had a terrible day @ work as far as material results...but one of the best spiritually. I stood on the stoop of Ruby's house. This sweet 82 year old lady told me that there was a Chaplin inside with her husband. He is dying with terminal liver cancer. We discussed her future. I took her hand...we prayed. I know how an angel feels. I thought about how cool it would be to walk and pray across America; randomly [sic] knocking on doors and asking people if I could pray for them. I know that I am getting to do that now, but the journey part would be cool too. Even cooler, assemble a team that would travel around doing such a ministry.

Cleaning House

2010-01-12T18:49:00.001-08:00

Under/behind appliances is kind of like the hidden places of our hearts, lots of yucky buildup...sometimes the LORD has to move things around in our lives to get us to let Him clean those places up.

Lost Little Boy

2010-01-08T10:03:00.001-08:00

Interesting event this AM. I was tearing the washer apart (found a big ol chunk broken out of the outer tub... looks like we need a new washer..parts are too expensive on front loaders). Well, a little boy (maybe 3rd grade) knocked on our door. He had been sledding with this brother and some friends across the street @ Maryville College. He got lost from the rest and showed up here looking for someone he knew. I found out that his Mom was a professor @ the college and took him to her office. We called and waited for her there. All is good now. Felt sorry for the little guy, he was crying when he showed up. He was worried that his Mom would be mad @ him.

There is a wonderful analogy here as to how so often folks won't let themselves be found spiritually for fear of God being mad @ them. God dealt with the things he's angry with us about (sin) on the cross. That's why the Gospel is such GOOD NEWS! He's like the prodigal son's father...he knows we're tired of wallowing with the pigs and that we are ready to get cleaned up and love him back. I saw the look of God's love on that Mom's face. She was sooo happy that her little guy was OK. Cool, huh?

A New Year's Day Prayer for Your Everyday. (Using the LORD's Prayer as a guide)

2010-01-01T10:02:00.000-08:00

Our Father.

Our; as Jesus taught us, His, ours, together in the same family. Father; Creator, caretaker, life-giver, sustainer, guide, example, rescuer, our rock and salvation, hugger of our souls, the one we can always come home to, even when we have lived a prodigal life or a wayward day. You are in heaven, in the Holy of Holies, made Holy because you are Holy. May we always use your name as a holy name, revered and honored in all dimensions of our lives. We too, have become your holy place...your Holy Spirit lives within us...making or hearts suitable for worship and praise everywhere.

You're our King: ultimate and intimate authority. May we be bold ambassadors of that glorious country of faith and hope and love. So that your way would be our way here on earth; just like the angels obey you without question in heaven, may we obey you with the excitement of a child knowing that a great reward awaits a simple chore.

Give. We ask that so much. But we have to. It is only right to acknowledge that all our needs are met in you. Food, breath, heartbeats...from you.

Forgive. How can we not forgive others considering how much we have been forgiven? Jesus, through him we are forgiven. He told us to forgive even our enemies, reminding us that anyone can forgive a friend; while we were still your enemies you forgave us. Scary thought: that we would be forgiven by the same measure that we forgive others. But Jesus gave us that standard. It is tempting to not forgive; to hold grudges against others, to not forgive ourselves when we fail you, but may every temptation to fall short of your best desires for us, shortcuts to nowhere, be a NO WAY for us! Give us the wisdom and strength to follow you away from those paths to destruction; your WORD. YES! What you have said; not the Evil One's whispers of deceit and self serving glory.... NO! Your Way! For that way is the way to your house, your heart, your power, your glory, forever. Amen.

Also, LORD, be LORD of the NEW YEAR (as we count time)! May this dot in your eternal timeline be worthy of your presence! Be glorified in our NOW! You who made all that we measure time by be the LORD of our days. We know you are not slow concerning your promises, for how can the one who made a universe older than we can comprehend, be limited by time? YOU, who Daniel called the Ancient of Days, are the one we trust to bring all things together in Christ with an everlasting kingdom!

In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. Daniel 7:13,14 (NIV)

How to accept the presence.

2009-12-25T08:10:00.000-08:00

This holiday season, like all those since the "advent" of hyper-commercialized Christmas', was pummeled by TV and Online commercials galore. Occasionally one will be entertaining or even nod to the true reason we celebrate.

For me, one stood out from the rest and was almost on target (yes, that one) as to the true meaning of the birth of Christ. There were actually several variations of the commercial, but the unifying theme of each was that the person receiving the gift felt like the gift was too expensive, extravagant, nice, compared to how they had been behaving...they felt so undeserving! The recipient starts confessing their errant ways; reading their sister's diary, getting a bad grade, forging a signature...then they are cut off by the one(s) who gave the gift with, "We really didn't spend that much." Oops!

But there is a nugget of eternal truth here. When we truly realize the supreme cost of the first Christmas gift, it should likewise bring us to our knees...overawed by the incredible gift...we should confess our sins...our unworthiness. But unlike the clever commercial's twist that the gift wasn't really that expensive, this Gift, the Christ Child, was the most costly present ever offered. Our Creator entered our existence in His Son Jesus Christ and experienced our lives...lived it without sin...then gave that life as a substitute for our deserved death. Humbling? YES. Enough to make us confess our errant ways? YES. But many never even take the gift out of the hands of their creator. They are unwilling to appreciate the gift, even while is it still wrapped, they put it back under the tree. What an ignoble insult. Rather...

Take your gift.
Open it. Sure you are unworthy, that is the point.
Admit it. Grace and forgiveness is always greater than all our sin.
Open it. Bow low.
Open it. Take it in with every ounce of gratitude you can muster.
Open your heart to the Christ who loves you so.
Follow him out of the manger stall. For the rest of your life.
Accept His presence.

And a bonus...the catchy little tune that is in the background to many of the same company's commercials.

Why the Baby.

2009-12-23T19:06:00.000-08:00

Without the Baby, the world as we know it would not exist.

The peace, however fragile and spotty it might be, would not exist.

Love would not be sacrificial, only selfish.

Joy would be fun, then none.

Forgiveness. The real kind. Based on what?

Blessed are the privileged. Forget the poor, the hurting, the hungry, the jailed.

Good News? Our bent toward gossip and recounting the vile and the horrific side of humanity...Bad News. All.

No provocative, challenging, bone cutting teaching. No Miracles. No Hope. No Heaven. No Cross. No finishing the work. No proof of death's demise. No Spirit's power to tell and be. No gathering of the overcomers. No music as we know it.

No contrast...only dark and grey. No salt, only rot. No way. No truth. No life. Only thirst, no quenching bubbling up water from within.

YES. Knowing the Father of all that is by seeing the resemblance in the face of His Baby. His Son. See him? See him grow in wisdom. See grace. Hear his understanding. See the glory. See the Father. Peer into eternity through a cradle.

propheT

Immanuel

2009-12-16T19:56:00.000-08:00

God WITH us. YES, Father. You are WITH us.
Not AGAINST us.
WITH and FOR us...IN Jesus.
He could have stayed WITH you, but He came to be WITH us.
You were WITH Him. GIVING us yourself THROUGH Jesus.
WE are your children and heirs WITH Christ.
You are IN us by your Spirit. How much more WITH us could anyone get?
For we are the temple of the living God. As you have said: "I will live WITH them and walk AMONG them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people."
WITH us in Hard Times and Good.
WITH us every moment...not just based on our whimsies of need...but ALWAYS WITH us.
WITH us. HERE, NOW, in every now....in the next now...YES, this one.
Though you can be and are everywhere, You are especially HERE, WITH us. Fighting FOR us.
Our Advocate, AGAINST evil, sin, the Adversary. WITH us even when we were AGAINST you. Who else would do that?
WITH us in Mary, in molecules, in chemical life, in a soul, mind, body.
The Infinite ONE emptied into the finite son.
WITH us...Christ IN us....us IN Christ. Immersion. Baptism.
WITH us all the way, through and through.
WITH us. You give us your righteousness; take away our sins.
WITH you, our sin, on the cross.
WITH you, in the home Jesus promised.
WITH us. WITH you.
Forever.

propheT

Proof of a Jesus Made Heart.

2009-12-09T19:06:00.000-08:00

"In second grade he drove me and my brother to school, and often made us late ha ha. well, when my teacher said I had detention for tardies, he said it was his fault and sat in detention for me! A grown man sat in the tiny desk for an hour and a half, that probably doesn't occur often. Things like that he did and many many more memories I will never forget..." Daughter of Paul O'Kain, Katie O'Kain on her father's passing, December 2009.

Look.

2009-12-04T17:56:00.000-08:00

Put your soul up to the mirror;
what is it that you see?
Is it there that you see Jesus?
or only you, exalted me?

If dimly now, soon clearly,
as you grow then go on high.
More and more like Jesus,
Humble servant,
yes, to die.

Put your face up to the window;
as others pass you by.
Is it there that they see Jesus?
Love and peace to satisfy?

If dimly now, soon clearly,
as you grow then go on high.
More and more like Jesus,
Humble servant yes, to die.

Do you want to see the Father?
Jesus said just look at me.
And if He is truly in us,
then others too will see.

If dimly now, soon clearly,
as you grow then go on high.
More and more like Jesus,
Humble servant yes, to die.

RGH 12/2009

Merry Antithemas

2009-12-02T02:34:00.000-08:00

Don't be offended by the title. I'm not taking Christ out of Christmas. At least not the Real Christ. I love Christmas in it's purest, simplest, most meaningful form: remembering a God who loved us enough to give the ultimate gift so that we might have deliverance from our sin. That is it folks. Anything more is superfluous, unnecessary, a waste.

The whole Bible is about how God deals with our sin. Period. Think about that for quiet moment. From Garden to Glory the Story is about Our Sin: where it comes from, what is does to us, how God reminds us about it and deals with it, and where it can send us. That's it! The baby Jesus was given his very name because it means "savior", "deliverer". Deliverer from what? Our Sin. The first thing that John the Baptizer called Jesus was the "Lamb of God, who takes away the Sin of the world" Get the drift? He came to deal with Our Sin.

No word has been more trivialized in our generation than the word sin. We have become a world of "Whatever for Whoever wants to." Proclivities towards destructive, addictive habits (sins)are now sicknesses. Stealing, random violence and murder are blamed on our society's negligence of a developing child. We no longer need a savior; we just need more social workers. The ten commandments were given as a reminder of our sinfulness. So is it any surprise that they are being removed from our public consciousness. We don't need a savior if we don't know we need saving. The number one sin of a capitalistic culture is greed. Our current economic crisis was fueled by greed. We are paying for that sin now. We are living in denial. We are still sinners. We still need saving.

Hypothesis: Christmas (as most people know it) is the antithesis (opposite) of what Jesus Christ stood for. Jesus lived a simple (mostly "stuffless" life). Now, he didn't come just to teach an ascetic lifestyle. Rather, he came to tell the Best News Ever Heard. But he still lived and taught a life of less (materially). He taught that things can actually get in the way of hearing the Good News. The more we have materially the more we tend to worry about material things.Things can get in way of right living: Jesus said: "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

The original sin was about wanting more (when they already had everything). The Ten Commandments are mostly about wanting less, i.e; reminding us to want just: One God. One Spouse. One Truth. One of Anything (not needing to steal, desire your neighbor's stuff, etc). I would even contend that most murder is committed in the pursuit of getting something that someone else has or is the way of getting.

Ever wonder whatever happened to the Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh that the Magi brought Jesus? He left this earth with nothing to his name but a robe...which itself was taken and gambled away. Those original birthday gifts were prophetic / indicative of Christ as King, Priest and Sin Sacrifice. His sacrificial death and burial were represented by the Myrrh. It was noted in Mark as an intoxicant that was offered to Jesus during the crucifixion. In John it was one of the spices used to prepare Jesus' body for burial:
And they brought him to the place called Gol'gotha (which means the place of a skull). And they offered him wine mingled with myrrh; but he did not take it. Mark 15:22-2
Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds weight. So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen wrappings with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. John 19:39-40

Want to give the rightful person, the one actually having the birthday, a gift?

Let Jesus deal with your sin. Admit it. Turn from it. Ask for forgiveness (and, in faith, accept it). That's why he came. Nothing would make him merrier.

propheT

One More Toy

2009-11-29T16:52:00.000-08:00

Growing up I had a favorite toy. I still have it; a very solid, hard rubber tired, earth moving machine. With it, I graded many a sandy backyard dirt pile in Arizona. I treasured it mostly because my father was a professional earth mover. It is now over 50 years old, and as the photo shows, it is worn and rusty. Though my folks were thoughtful enough to save it for me over the years, it was stored in a damp storm shelter in Texas. I intend to sand it and restore it someday soon...before it is too late. It is the one toy that I will pass along to help others remember me and my father.

I didn't have a lot of toys growing up. I didn't need a lot. My imagination was my best toy. It helped me make the best of the few other toys I did have. There weren't near as many toys available in those days. Nor do I remember parents being as generous in the number of toys they gave their children. Many of them grew up during the Great Depression, and the only toys they had were handmade, so the idea of buying lots of store toys for one child seemed extravagant and unnecessary to them.

Today there are so many toys available that it is mind boggling. Electronic toys. Learning toys. Dolls of every size and color. Cars and trucks and machines in miniature that are hard to discern from the real ones in a photo. The media has overtaken the toy industry. Want to know what will be popular this Christmas? Just look at the movies, cartoons, and computer games circulating.

Cooper (4), our only boy grandson, has hundreds of little matchbox style renditions of cool rides at home. He is a very fortunate young man. Lately, he has reminded me of some important life lessons by his joyful play and interplay with his toys. Even with all the choices he has at home he loves to come to our house and longingly gaze into our curio cabinet that contains the automotive collectibles that I have accumulated over the years. I still have a couple of the the promotional models that Ford would send to people in the 60's when they purchased one of their cars. The cars have the feature highlights of the cars stamped into their undercarriage. Someday they may be worth a lot of money. Cooper sees them as something to play with, and because he is a careful player, I have let him play with them. I have other replicas that are far more delicate and only for show, and though Cooper does not fully understand why, they are off limits to even careful play.

What Copper reminded me of most recently is that even when we have hundreds of choices of things we can have, we still tend to focus on and want the one thing that we don't or can't have. That is not a slam on Cooper's character. He is a delightful child. But his childish actions are reflective of all of us in our most exposed state. Childhood is the time when we are all supposed to learn the valuable interactive lessons of having, sharing, giving and leaving alone.

Some learn those lessons as children, those who do not, do not grow up very well. For instance, if you do not grow up knowing how to devote your imagination and loyalty to a monogamous marital relationship, you will find yourself longing for other people's toys. In fact, people themselves can become nothing more than toys for you to manipulate and use for your own play. This is the essence of the sin nature. What drove Eve and Adam to desire the only fruit from the only tree that was forbidden in a garden brimming with legitimate choices? It was not passing the curio of the forbidden that got them. It started when they stopped to gaze into the possibilities of possessing the forbidden. Sin's rotten fruition was taking the forbidden. First in the imagination, then in hand. Jesus reminded us that sin starts in the heart. To lust is sin. It is adultery in the heart. That qualifies us all for the hell heap. The self righteous forget that. We all need grace at the point of the thought. God forbid that we destroy others lives by actually reaching into the curio of the forbidden...when we already have the greatest treasure... and find ourselves willing to sacrifice it for just one more toy.

Ant Farm

2009-11-16T21:24:00.000-08:00

The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. Genesis 2:15 NIV

This is the longest I have gone between entries since starting TogetherOne over 3 years ago. Where have I been? I have been observing. Myself. Others. Lots of others. From Facebook to Face to Face. For some reason the work I have been led to for the past year has involved extensive and intensive door knocking sales. I've walked through business portals. I've knocked on doors to people's homes. All kinds of peoples homes. From mansions to trailers with cardboard windows. Hundred of doors...easily over 2,000 doors. I've knocked on heart doors. Those doors opened and knocked back. Twice in the last week my sales calls ended in prayer with my clients. None of this has been my intention for the day. It just happens. Those who really know me know that I've always been uncomfortable with the traditional uniform of Christian expectation. For the first inning of my adult life I tried the role in uniform...but it chaffed....not just me, but those that I tried to serve. Finding a fitting place has been hard. I care about people deeply, but I tend to be self absorbed. The ultimate personal paradox. What is a typical blog if not a journal of self absorption. What I've seen and heard these months I've mentioned before, here. It's also paradoxical. People want to see their lives as going forward, safe, purposeful. But many are lost in doing the pursuit of entertainment. If life in general is tracking in universal unison toward one goal...it is toward that odd idea that we were made to be busy wasting time...being anesthetized by entertainment. Life is more than the maintenance of our bodies until they wear out or are accidentally exited. It's refreshing to remember my father as a gardener. He was doing the Adam thing. Caring for and battling with the Garden. Now that makes sense as never before. He enjoyed TV and books, hunting, and fishing. But he thrived on his patch of dirt...that with water and seeds bore fruit. Caring for. That is what we are missing in the Ant Farm. Not completely. But mostly. We were made to care. For the earth. For each other. Rise up oh humanity. Care. Our choices have made it difficult work...but the command remains. Someday it will be pure joy again. But Caring For is a Now & Forever Thing.

What is God's Will for Your Life?

2009-10-10T20:17:00.001-07:00

^{At some point every person should ask themselves, "What does God want me to do with my life; what is His will for me?" Though it may seem like a very hard thing to know, God has already given you an answer. It's not your career choice that is most important to Him, it's your personality choices; not so much WHAT you are going to be or do, but WHO you are going to be, and HOW you are going to live out your days on this earth.

Look at the verses below from 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. This is a portion of the final shotgun blast of admonitions from the Apostle Paul to the followers of Christ in that city. I would like to take this chapter verse by verse one day and explore all it's treasures. But, for now, look at the 3 natural bullet points of vs 16,17, & 18:

Be joyful always
Pray continually
Give thanks in all circumstances

..and note the stinger: For this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

The constant theme? Consistency: Always, Continually, In ALL.

Even an unbeliever does these things occasionally. The distinctive of the person IN Christ is that it is can be an ongoing stream of living...moment by moment...Joyful, Prayerful, Thankful. That's what God wants for you.

12}Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you.¹³Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. ¹⁴And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. ¹⁵Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.

¹⁶Be joyful always; ¹⁷pray continually; ¹⁸give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. (NIV)

The Unbelieveable Promise

2009-10-09T07:26:00.000-07:00

²⁵Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; ²⁶and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" John 11 (NIV)

Stop and think about the words "Eternal Life" for a moment. Like most of the words that adherents to Christianity say they believe, Eternal Life, are usually just words we've heard and repeat like a Myna Bird. Digesting the ideas behind the words and then living a life based on the implications of those words, is another thing all together. We are promised that we will go on existing and living (a better life) without end.

This is an UNBELIEVABLE PROMISE to those who believe. The LORD has promised those who believe, eternal life; life never ending; you, existing forever. The You that is You now (but rebuilt for sinlessness and "deathlessness")....FOREVER. Jesus, the one from eternity and who built eternity, asks, "DO you Believe this?" Believe it! He proved it. He raised his friend Lazarus from the dead. Jesus himself rose from the dead. This is the key distinction and power underlying our faith. Just scan these scriptures [click here].

This post is being written right at 1/2 way through the year from Easter, the one day of the year Christians memorialize the resurrection of Jesus. Folks, the resurrection is an every day celebration for those that think it through. We should wake up every day and say, "Thank you God for the Death and Resurrection of Jesus." This is the pivot point of your very existence.

The ramifications of that Promise are mind blowing. This brief experiment of existence here on earth should be permeated with that truth. Just like little and "spur of the moment" decisions that we make here can make life long differences here on earth... this "nanosecond" of a life on the clock of eternity actually determines our eternity. That is heavy stuff.

Making this journey count... getting ready for our life beyond should be our entire focus here. If something we do here doesn't make a difference there, it shouldn't even be considered as important. We know that this life is not about doing good deeds to "get there", but doing good deeds to "send there" (our treasures in heaven). Living believing that there IS a never ending life; living a loving life, that is the blueprint.

Choice Insanity.

2009-10-08T19:50:00.000-07:00

"Fringe" is a freaky TV Show. Shape Shifters / Parallel Universes.

Even more freaky the iphone commercial during the show tonight..."75,000 applications" (and counting) for the iphone...is this info/life overload or what?

On a website it's reported that there have been over 1 billion apps downloaded... who's working...anywhere?

With just 75,000 apps it would take you almost 13 years to download one app per waking hour... but then, they are always adding more apps... welcome to the world of choice insanity.

Real Life Help from Dr. John Sharp

2009-10-04T16:01:00.000-07:00

Good News Readers! The best messages I've ever heard to help real people in real life are from the pulpit of my home church, First Baptist Maryville. Of course, the speaker would be Dr. John Sharp. Intelligent, practical, profoundly spiritual (yes, you can be practical and deep), relevant and humbly sensitive...just a few of the accolades that I can instantly conjure up to describe his ministry of the WORD. Now they are available as podcasts (about time!). Do yourself a huge favor and listen sometime. The last five podcast links will now be available weekly over in the column to the right of this article. Be well fed my friends.

Some of My Facebook Status-isms

2009-09-30T18:58:00.000-07:00

In case you missed one the first time around...

....you know you're on the path to unselfish love when you commit so thoroughly to the wellbeing of another that you have little use for the word "I".

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[Some times our prayers work in reverse...it's like the Holy Spirit is telling us to shut up and just listen]

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When we come to the LORD it's no longer a "me" thing...it's all a "we" thing.

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"Overcomers unite. United, they overcome."

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This morning I asked for bread for the day... OK maybe an extra calf or two out of all the cows HE owns... Later today, HE showed me two entire hillsides of cows and said HE can give me either hill full. After my heart restarts, HE quietly asks, "But what do you really need?"

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One way or another we all go...one place or the other.

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LORD, thank YOU for being the answer to all our prayers. Not just outcomes...but that YOU come out and are seen as the ONE who does all these wonderful things!

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...human humor can make you weak with laughter (not a bad thing); but God's JOY makes us stronger.

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...has seen this expressed several times in several ways today: First things first, then the other comes.

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What is on my mind...so the FB box asks...let's see..."What happens when space is no longer the final frontier?" or What's God going to do with the rest of the universe when he closes our chapter? Does "new heavens and earth" mean the entire universe or just our solar system?

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RAIN (def) One of our Creator's mixed blessings... unique to earth in the known universe... which falls equally on the just and the unjust... frequently too much or not enough. Spiritual Riddle: A blessing can actually feel like a curse to an unbeliever....and the greatest blessing of all became a curse for us.

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...asks why is the tool you need always the one that's missing (ie 10mm wrench/socket).

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"earth...seed planet for all of life...physical and spiritual...temporal and eternal"

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...asks, who/what do you love more than anyone/anything else? Really? You sure? Show it today.

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...the best thing about me is you.

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The upside of the downside of an economy...$85 shirt cost me $4.19 @ Dillards.

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Today is a blessing wrapped in a miracle wrapped in redemption.

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...life is rich. We just need to look back into some of the forgotten corners of our childhood.

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The infinitesimally small can be infinitely important.

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If your life never ended, how would you like to live it?

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Our prayer does not tell God anything He doesn't already know...It reminds us WHO is in charge.

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Do something different today...ruts take us to the same places...some of us need to get off the road well traveled!

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VO GOLS! * VOLS GOALS! [that's better]

we all know it starts w/ GO VOLS!

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The best way to leave 9/11 is to commit to living lives that others would have liked to have lived.

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The ancient Mayans predicted 12/12/12 as the end of the world. Let’s see, Mayans=Mass Human Sacrifice. Yeah, they were bright. We [Christians] only had ONE sacrifice….for All Time. BUT, we didn't offer Him to God, God offered Him to us. We've never had anything truly worthy to offer GOD. It was always a compromise (mercy) on His part to take our offerings...until HE gave us His Lamb...

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Have a love filled day...spill it on everyone.

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Pour me full of your love, that I might be a fresh drink to those who are thirsty for you.

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Officially starting my "Free the Clunkers" Campaign. Stop the senseless crushing of cars that could be given to the poor. Hey Mr. President, how 'bout a little pardon action?

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Now we walk covered in the skin of Christ. In His image again. Looking again like the Maker. Good. Purposeful. Image restored. In Christ. Have you believed? Quit pretending your leafy cover is good. It does not purchase eternal life. Doubt that God intended eternity for his creatures? Look at how he built timelessness (by any of our comprehensions) into His universe. Are you readied for that promised eternal Good?

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...the rarest event in the universe: Your LIFE. Appreciate it as such.

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...wonders what his 16 year old self would think if he could see how things turned out so far? Anyone got a Doc Brown tweaked Delorean for rent?

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One estimate is that there are 1,000 stars to every grain of sand on Earth! Is your God big enough yet?

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Why did Jesus cry when he knew he was going to raise his friend Lazarus from the dead?

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Kwa maana Mungu aliupenda ulimwengu kiasi cha kumtoa Mwanae pekee, ili kila mtu amwaminiye asipotee, bali awe na uzima wa milele. John 3:16 (in Swahili) Have you Believed it in Your Language?

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Funny how the Sins of Rome are hardly mentioned (maybe Mars Hill) in the NT; but the sins of the saints are reason enough for entire tomes.

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Who wouldn't want to share the Best News to Ever Grace Human Ears?

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Wishes FB had put us all together sooner. Time, distance and preoccupation with lesser things are a curse to friendship. But given the opportunity, we relish lifelong community.

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The key to pleasing God w/ any "spiritual" discipline is humility and anonymity. NO Show...all GO (just the opposite of this celebrity focused world).

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...shares a simple Day Planner System: Dear Lord, We put our trust and confidence in you this day for you alone know our moments before they happen. May your way be our plan.

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...reminds: The best way to help yourself is to help someone else...always.

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Unity is not an end to pursue - it is the supernatural result of the Acts of all Christians Loving each other.

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...has been blown way this week contemplating that LIFE exists at all. That in the expanses of space as far as we know...this is it. As far as we can see and reach...earth's it. Yet we never really seem to grasp the magnitude of that fact.

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I have over 100 Suggestions / Causes / Requests / Updates that I've not attended to...sorry I'm such a lousy Sweet Shop/ Green Patch / Mafia Wars / ETC...FB friend. BUT prayer requests DO get attention.

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Jesus goes to the Church...in the Church (People who Gather for Him).

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We are a Christian nation only in that real Christians live out their salvation in power, service and love in her borders. Calling anything inanimate Christian is dangerous.

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...reminds everyone be extra careful to wash your hands and cover your heads for the next few weeks. I heard there was a new version of the flu that has hybridized the Swine and Avian flus. It's called "When Pigs Fly Flu".

Prayer

2009-09-16T06:48:00.001-07:00

It is difficult for me to share prayers. I do so with trepidation. Jesus said to enter into your closet and pray in private. Public prayers tend to be expressions of ego. Even those that sound humble may be seeking attention to self. Lately, I have been led to a deeper personal ministry of prayer. Something that came to mind...our churches say we believe in prayer, we hire every kind of ministry specialty imaginable...why no minister with the responsibility to lead a prayer ministry? We commit tiny portions of our services to prayer. Not that we need to add more prayer "flaunting time"...but we can pray together..."Book of Prayer" kinds of prayers...the LORDS PRAYER...quiet prayer time...with a leader guiding our prayers topically. More than ever people are seeking prayer. If there is a benefit to tough times, this is it; people are calling out to God. LORD, you taught us to pray. You made it the core of your own life and ministry. You prayed for us. Let us make prayer the highlight of our lives. Thoughout our days let it become as natural as breathing; moment by moment, in touch with you.

LORD, as you reminded me yesterday, we are not telling you anything that you don't already know when we pray. Nor are we telling you what you should do...who are we to advise you? WE come to you to get our lives in tune with your will. That's why I'm here today. "Tune my heart to sing your praise." Tune my daily activities and attitude to reflect your will. Let me be just as obedient as your angels are in heaven. As Jesus also taught us to pray...we trust you for our daily needs; the forgiveness of our sin and the willingness to forgive others as you have forgiven us; and we remember that YOU hold the future...YOURS is the Kingdom, the Power and the Glory FOREVER> FOREVER!!! How can we fret about todays trivialities when you care so for us and have forever plans for us. YOU are LORD. WE trust you to guide us through this day...your way. We trust you to care for our friends and loved ones that have such seemingly great needs today. You are helping. How can we help you do what you want to do in their lives...not that you need our help...but we need to help. ahhhh... thank you for guiding our prayer today. For and through Jesus...Amen.

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Later this same AM: Missy, one of my dearest friends from the GBC Youth Group Days wrote this:

"My Utmost for His Highest...isn't it amazing...Scott and I were praying for guidance on how to pray and there it was this morning in our devotional...how do people NOT believe?"

To which I responded: "Missy. I just pulled MUFHH off the shelf. I did not know that the devotion for today was on prayer..and this topic specifically. God has a way of using these timing synchronicities to prove His presence and affirm our directions. Thanks for sharing that with me. Nice faith affirming event. Thank YOU LORD."

The Heavens Tell Us More.

2009-09-13T16:50:00.000-07:00

Newest Hubble photos of the "Heavens [that] declare the glory of God..." Psalm 19:1 Click for larger format photos

9/11, A Prayer for Understanding

2009-09-11T07:34:00.000-07:00

LORD, you have allowed things to happen on this earth that are such a mystery. Horrible almost inconceivable things; days like 9/11/2001, Pearl Harbor, the bombing of Hiroshima... wars... starvation... mass murders like those of the Jews by the Nazis... abusive parents and spouses... abortion... sickness like the cancer that has ravaged the body of our friend RON. How can you in all the love that you are and the unlimited power you used to create the universe... not intervene when people come up with such evil intentions...you could easily stop them... questions that bother all of us until... until we consider your restraint... your mercy... that keeps you from bringing judgement upon us all for our sin and rebellious hearts. Days like today remind us just how depraved mankind can be. But we all have gone astray, each to OUR own way... to see the extremes of evil... reminds us our our own hopelessness apart from the righteousness of Christ. The question becomes how can you tolerate us at all? Why you have not just wiped us all off the face of the earth and just started over... fresh w/o sin. Again, hard to believe that a nice little lady that has never asked for your forgiveness and grace will spend eternity with the hijackers of the planes on 9/11... mysteries... but thank you for tolerating our questions...and giving us the faith that overcomes these quandaries... we love you...because you took the initiative and loved us first... Praise you! We trust you today to bring us closer to you...closer to others... We pray for the HEALTH of the souls of our land. For your glory and HONOR. Let it BE.

Stop and Think Link...

2009-09-09T13:39:00.000-07:00

Clear, simple, enthusiastic...another way to hear the Best News that Ever Graced Human Ears:

Stop and Think Movie, Francis Chan:

http://www.juststopandthink.com/movieextras_movielg.php

If the movie loads too slow, pick a smaller format on the site itself.

Peace Beyond Reason

2009-09-01T10:44:00.001-07:00

http://www.calmingsense.blogspot.com/

Jesus Wept

2009-08-14T21:18:00.000-07:00

The following is a posting of a Facebook conversation.

Randy: Why did Jesus cry when he knew he was going to raise his friend Lazarus from the dead?

Melanie: Share your thoughts...

Randy: Death hurts those left behind...even though we know there will be a resurrection (and even if it's only moments away - none of us really know when it will be)...or...

He knew that leaving him in the grave left him in a better place...w/ Father Abraham and Jesus' own Father. Coming back to life to walk the earth as it is, is not a better thing.

Why did he raise him? To show Martha, Lazarus' sister, the Glory of God...and prove the promise of the resurrection was real!...either way...

Jesus was a real human. The death of a loved one is life's greatest pain...but... it does not leave Christ's followers hopeless. I'm so glad that Jesus wept. He validated our own emotions. Don't ever deny their timely release.

Jeff Davis: I don't know if anyone can say for certain.It may have been that Lazarus' spirit had left this world in death and that Jesus wept because he was about to bring him back into it. Or it could have been because of the unbelief he was surrounded by. I believe the only other recorded event of Jesus' weeping was when he lamented of the city of Jerusalem. In both cases it reflected His desire for people to recognize the "Kingdom of God" was among them. There are many far more knowledgable than I who can give you a more clear insight though. This is just my thought.

Randy: Good thots Jeff. I like the point you made about his frustration with the doubters/deniers. That had to be the ultimate sense of rejection..one we cannot begin to fathom!

...and this poignant insight from a note from a friend just today:

"My Bible study leader told a story about what happened at a funeral of some missionary friends that she had. She said that the pastor was talking about the accident of her frinds (5 of them) and that only one of them survived. The girl that survived had only been married one year when this happened. The pastor said that when she awoke from anesthesia her first question was "did anyone survive?" She was told no. The pastor said the four that did not survive were at the throne of Christ asking "did Karen make it?" The gist of it was that we [believers] never die. I never thought about the people who die asking "Hey did so and so make it [with us to heaven]?"

When it's Worth it.

2009-07-29T18:06:00.000-07:00

One recently emailed comment helps reaffirm the purpose of this blog.

"Somehow your blogs always make me feel better. I am sure that God has many reasons for giving you such wise and imprinting words, but I strongly believe many of them are meant for me." - Anna (Daughter)

Help!

2009-07-26T16:30:00.000-07:00

The theme of this blog is "God Loves You...There's Proof." That proof comes in two forms:

Christ died on the Cross for YOU;
Those who accept His Love and do His will, Love Others like He Loves.

You can argue, debate, doubt all you want, but these two realities are indisputable. The first event exists in history...the second RIGHT NOW. There are people expressing the love of God every minute of every day throughout the earth. One way they express that love is by helping those in need. No entity on earth has expressed as much charity as the Followers of Christ over the centuries. If I were an atheist and it was only me and one other person of any authentically practicing religious organization on earth deserted on an island...on a practical level...I would want that person to be a Christian. Nothing, I mean nothing, beats "Do unto others..." as a way to get Help!

Our pastor John knocked another one out of the park today. It was a most excellent message on friendship. As oft happens when I listen to his thought provoking messages, my thoughts are prodded into another parallel idea stream.

Today I found myself focused on Job's friends, those fellas who came to console, advise, and comfort their suffering friend when his personal world was obliterated. As you remember, Job is the person in the Bible that suffers more loss than any other person...except our Lord Christ, who gave up the Glory of Heaven to be our suffering servant.

Our society has lots of Job-like people in it during these difficult days. You may have one living right next door...if they are still there...or you yourself may be tracking some Jobish consequences from an economy in turmoil. These folks need help. Many find themselves in circumstances that they would have never dreamed...good hard working people that have lost their opportunity to work...now losing homes, cars, families...due to the lack of money...and the resulting emotional depression that can follow.

What can we say to these people? Does the Bible give us guidance for these excruciatingly vulnerable moments? Yes! The Golden Rule becomes Platinum here: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" does not require an elaborate explanation. Just do your best to think: "What if these were my circumstances..how would I feel...what would most help me?" Go even a step further: "What would I need someone to do for me that I would be resistant to, even though I needed it the most at that moment?"

What does the Odyssey/Theodicy of Job have to teach us? (I would recommend you read the Book to fully appreciate the total devastation that comes upon Job, and his resulting journey of consolation). Here are my gleanings:

1. God typically blesses a God honoring life. But His blessings can be removed, even from the "best" of persons.

2. We never really know the reasons for all the seemingly bad things that happen to us...they are beyond our sphere of observation/knowledge. In some way it all flows into the stream of God's purpose. If you think about it...the master designer of a universe with billions of stars can handle the outcomes of a few million of His Children. For all the "greatness" of man, we cannot manipulate the weather, the tectonic plates, or the oceans for the good of our one measly little planet. God can.

3. The wise person realizes (as did Job): "Naked I came from my mother's womb, naked I'll return to the womb of the earth. God gives, God takes. God's name be ever blessed." Job 1:21 (The Message) No matter what the outcome...God is ALWAYS worthy of Praise!

4. Unless we are sharing the wisdom of God Himself, we would do better to keep our mouths shut. For all the chapters of mixed-bag counsel that Job's friends take up, God sums up their advice in one sentence thusly: [They were] "talking nonsense about me, and not being honest with me, as [Job] has." Job 42:8 The Message

God shows Job over and over that His ways are beyond man's control and understanding.

For example: Just this week, in a under reported event in our solar system, God Reminded us of our vulnerability. Something hit the planet Jupiter that caused a hole in it's atmosphere that was the size of our Pacific Ocean!

Stay Humble before your God! Every Day is a day full of Mystery, Yes, but of even MORE Grace and Mercy!

To God [who] is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1)....Praises Forever!

propheT

Sound Bite: Meskimen's Mom (Abundance)

2009-07-14T11:22:00.000-07:00

I invite you to read a terrific essay by my internet friend, Jim Meskimen. It contains great insight into a proper view of how to deal with the things in our lives. Unlike much of the excess in success preaching we hear from many of our most popular megachurch pastors, this essay tells of an abundant life sung in harmony with Solomonic Wisdom...a life of sharing. You may remember Jim's Mom as "Mrs. C" (Marion Ross) from The TV series Happy Days. Jim is a creative genius....impressionist, artist, actor, comedian, cartoonist, writer... and a wise man. Enjoy the essay: Abundance <-click here.

A Teaser Quote: "So, a world of abundance may not seem like the world you currently live it. But I have seen my mother pull things out of the hat that no hat could possibly contain, and not once but many, many times. And as her many close friends know, she happily shares all that she has yanked out of the void and into this physical plane."

Jim Ross Meskimen

The Best News to Ever Grace Human Ears

2009-07-13T05:17:00.000-07:00

Pardon my link to another page. But Dan Edelen is one of the better writers I've read in any medium. Here he gives one of the better presentations of the Best News to Ever Grace Human Ears. If you are already a believer, it is a great reminder of our "birthright". If you are not a follower of Christ, Dan can help you start your journey in faith. Why would anyone refuse such an incredible gift? Gift? Yes. What's in the box? Freedom. Meaning. Hope. Forgiveness. Realtionship(s). Home. Community. Fulfillment. Perspective. Explanations. Coping and Overcoming Skills. Truth. A Place to Plug in and Serve Others. Purpose. Love. Joy. Two Way Conversations with your Creator. Eternal, yes, ETERNAL Life. Life NOW.

How to Become a Christian, by Dan Edelen <- click here

I, too, would be happy to have a conversation with you about what you are looking for.
As Jesus said, "First, eagerly look for God to have His Place and His Goodness in your life, then all these other things shall be added on." Matthew 6:33 (my paraphrase)

You can email me @ Retrevni@Gmail.com

Africa - Perpetuum Jazzile

2009-07-11T18:26:00.000-07:00

Terrific Choral Work!

God's Name and Michael Jackson

2009-07-10T18:39:00.000-07:00

Perplexed? Stumped? Out foxed by a tiny yellow canary, or maybe beat up by a baby kangaroo? What are you going to say? How about, "Sufferin' Succotash!" So sputtered Sylvester, one of the many memorable cartoon characters of my childhood. Unlike the profanity driven cable cartoons of our day, the makers of the classics used euphemisms for curse words.

Little did I know when I was a child that Sylvester the Cat's "Sufferin' Succotash!" was actually a innocuous way to say "Suffering Saviour!", as someone might use our Cross-riden Lord as a epithet. Spanish speakers insert the word "maldición" when the stronger curse word would be too bold in context. Much like when we say "Gee" or "Golly" we are actually using a "maldición" for God.

Watered down curse words may have a place in this world...but I think they are a bit hypocritical. Just because they are socially acceptable, does not change the intent of the fountain source - one's heart.

Not taking God's name in vain is part of the first triad of commandments, all having to do with how we relate to God directly. We are not to worship or even tip our hat to other gods, we are not to worship their symbols (idols), we are not to take God's Name (person) lightly. If we had never invented euphemisms, maybe we would be more thoughtful about what's in our hearts. If we had to say the real word maybe we would seek the heart help we really need rather than excusing and tolerating the source of the volcanic eruptions. Most people would concur with the need for compliance with the rest of the commandments for a civilized world to even continue to exist. But the first three commands seem to have been similarly euphemised, if even remembered. Beware. They are first on purpose!

Taking God's name in vain is not just saying his name casually (without worshipful respect) or in the heat of anger. It is using it in substitution for that of another god. Idolatry, Cursing and usurping God's primacy in all things are all symptomatic of the same disease. By now you are asking, "What in the world does this have to do with Michael Jackson?" Simply put, for all the god-talk that went on at his memorial, Michael, and many of those in his entourage, at best, had a muddled view of and relationship with...God. This is first seen in who we think God is...His Name.

Tim Challies has a strong counterpoint to the Michael Jackson media frenzy ->here. The photo above, "Together As One", is a snapshot on Tim's site taken from the MJ Memorial Service. Because the words chosen by Michael and his producers for the backdrop are so close to the theme of this blog, I thought it was a good idea that it be forthrightly addressed.

Snippets/Songs from the service were obviously taken from the "THIS IS IT" concerts that MJ was getting ready for London. What was Michael trying to convey with the various symbols of the World's Religions sprinkled throughout His songs? Could the "king" of Pop have been presenting himself and his musical philosophies as the ultimate unifying force in the world. Music is a marvelous unifier and communicator. But it is only a medium for ideas and emotion, not a message within itself...at least that is the idea underpinning the Contemporary Christian Music movement.

Michael Jackson's vision of a succotash stew of the World's religions mingled God's name with all the idolatrous religions of the world (including the one we euphemistically call entertainment "idols"). This man who was so "supremely" talented, was also a serious addict...to drugs, to spending money, to being liked and adored. But even as we feel sorry for him, his children and families loss, we must let the God, whose word rightly divides the truth, address the issues that brought MJ down. He dabbled in various religions throughout his adult life, and in a misguided attempt to tear down the barriers that separate mankind, he decided to blurr the very distinctions of God. God's name...euphemised, compromised, plagiarized. That was the greatest folly of Michael's folly filled life. Had he relied on the Only One Almighty God for his strength he could have been rescued from his own addictions. He had the power to draw the attention of the masses...if only he had raised the cross alone...

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9-11 NIV

If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. James 1:26 NIV

Un-Euphemistically a "fan" of the Suffering Savior, prophet

The Treasure Chest

2009-07-07T16:19:00.000-07:00

Heaven.

There.

You kneel before the Pure Light of God, who created and attends to the boundless universe; in this moment the Almighty One from Eternity is focusing His attention solely on you. You see light as you have never seen light before...it no longer blinds...it only reveals...as if reality has taken on a dozen new dimensions. As you gaze on the glorious visage of His Son, the one who created the opportunity for the rebirth of human souls, you are further humbled, awed, transfixed with wonder. "My beloved child, enter into the home I have prepared for you from day one," He says. "But first, you have something to open."

Mighty Angels strain as they carry an ornately adorned chest and set it before you. It has a your name etched over a golden heart on it's cover. You are puzzled by this elegant box, because you can't think of anything that you ever did that might be befitting of such a gift. You have already been blessed beyond comprehension by awakening in this glorious place..a place that you had so poorly imagined with your feeble sin-bent earthly mind. You have bathed in the warm, comforting radiance of the Maker of a billion suns and His only Son. What more would one want? Nothing, you know for the first time...nothing hurts, nothing hungers, nothing hates. No wants. Complete. This is the end of all you ever thought life needed. And the starting place.

You barely remember being a sickly little girl...who never knew her earthly father; never got noticed in school....by teachers or peers; never was popular or had popular friends; had bad scarring acne; got pregnant by a boy who never gave you another look; had to live at your mother's with your child until you were a grown woman. Yes, you remember working very hard in your short earthly life, but not caring about things so much. That was good, because it opted you from what you saw in others like you, that sense of personal inadequacy and need.

That way of looking at things came shortly before you had your precious son, Barnabas. You went to talk to a counselor at school who was a sweet loving lady who told you that you were forgiven and loved and had a future in spite of your sense that life was over before it had even begun. You asked her how she could be so positive about your situation...that was a dangerous question.

She led you to the Love and the Light.

Life after that was harder, at least that's what others may have thought. But life is not about money when you have none, you think. Nor is it about fancy clothes, cars, glittery gadgets, prestige or how many parties you've crashed. Every day walking in God's presence was better that all the perishable things that everyone else seemed to chase in circles. So every day after Mrs. Holt helped you was spent sharing the Love you had been given. Life passed so fast, you are still reeling from it's fleeting brevity. But you tried to make it count. You heard that Jesus gave love freely. You gave that love, too. You heard that God forgives. You forgave. You heard that living true to God's Words gave Him joy, you obeyed...and sought His forgiveness and help when you failed.

Jesus says, "Thank you for bringing these gifts to glory"

Ah, yes, as your still awe reeling mind comes to focus, you realize that this chest is not God's gift to you, it contains your gifts back to Him. You reflect. "My heart treasure was transferred here from the day I took your gift as my own...there. I praised you there with my squeaky voice and wobbly arms. I praised you there with a life of sacrifice; I praise you here with what I sent to the chest."

You rise and open the lid to the chest. Within it are images of a life lived in worship, service, love...shimmering visages of those with whom you shared your hope. You raise your arms, and, as if conducting an orchestra, you lift the holy iridescent images like smoke up to the Father and the Son. A broken, struggling and frail life lived, now the incense of worship. "For You, My Lord and My God. My Thanks. My Adoration, Forever. " As you continue to waft your treasure of worship up to your God, it's as if a curtain has been drawn back, and you now see a sea of people, like you, also lifting their heavenly treasures up in Worship to their Holy God. You think, "If a rainbow had a voice, it would be the praises of heaven."

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Jesus our Christ.

That we all would have many treasures for worship, there. - prophet

** When I found the art for this entry I was taken back at how it creatively communicated what I had written. "Forgotten Treasure Chest", permission granted to use artwork by artist, Eleonora Manapova. Eleonora wrote: "I've read the story and I think that [the] artwork fits very well!" Artwork available here: http://fineartamerica.com/featured/forgotten-treasure-chest-eleonora-manapova.html

Happy Interdependence Day! (A Rerun)

2009-07-04T06:57:00.000-07:00

As we celebrate Independence Day, remember that our independence is only possible because of how well our country has expressed the interdependence of it's citizenship! I could burst into a sermonic diatribe about how Christ's Church is (should be?) the ultimate expression of this design, but I'd rather you simply linger long enough to ponder the following old told story.

Charles Plumb was a US Navy jet pilot in Vietnam After 75 combat missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb ejected and parachuted into enemy hands. He was captured and spent 6 years in a communist Vietnamese prison. He survived the ordeal and now lectures on lessons learned from that experience!One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man at another table came up and said, "You're Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk . You were shot down!""How in the world did you know that?" asked Plumb."I packed your parachute," the man replied. Plumb gasped in surprise and gratitude. The man pumped his hand and said, "I guess it worked!" Plumb assured him, "It sure did. If your chute hadn't worked, I wouldn't be here today."Plumb couldn't sleep that night, thinking about that man. Plumb says, "I kept wondering what he had looked like in a Navy uniform: a white hat; a bib in the back; and bell-bottom trousers.

I wonder how many times I might have seen him and not even said 'Good morning, how are you?' or anything because, you see, I was a fighter pilot and he was just a sailor." Plumb thought of the many hours the sailor had spent at a long wooden table in the bowels of the ship, carefully weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands each time the fate of someone he didn't know.Now, Plumb asks his audience, "Who's packing your parachute?" Everyone has someone who provides what they need to make it through the day. He also points out that he needed many kinds of parachutes when his plane was shot down over enemy territory -- he needed his physical parachute, his mental parachute, his emotional parachute, and his spiritual parachute. He called on all these supports before reaching safety.Sometimes in the daily challenges that life gives us, we miss what is really important. We may fail to say hello, please, or thank you, congratulate someone on something wonderful that has happened to them, give a compliment, or just do something nice for no reason. As you go through this week, this month, this year, be sure and notice and express your appreciation to the people who pack your parachutes.

Happy Birthday America!

Taking on the Weight

2009-06-29T07:37:00.000-07:00

I sporadically (true to my ADD tendencies) follow blogs of writers that I find Honest, Wise and Succinct. Julie is a prime example. Here are links to two extra good entries from June 09:

Bearing Burdens

Love

...and two quotes from her Lone Prairie blog:

The first a quote of a quote:

"How I live a moment is how I live a day is how I live a life, the writer Philip Yancey said."

The second very Solomonic:

"Loving as if you’ve never been hurt is a shallow love, indeed. It’s a love that never learned the truth. Love, instead, as if you’ve been crushed. Love anyway."

The Rewards of Loyalty (Ms. Rachael's "Hot" Car)

2009-06-26T06:54:00.000-07:00

Original Post (with fun comments) here: http://growingbolder.com/media/technology/vehicles/romancing-the-road-259598.html

The Old Fisherman

2009-06-14T09:05:00.000-07:00

Our house was directly across the street from the clinic entrance of Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore We lived downstairs and rented the upstairs rooms to out-patients at the Clinic. One summer evening as I was preparing supper, there was a knock at the door I opened it to see a truly awful looking man. 'Why, he's hardly taller than my eight-year-old, ' I thought as I stared at the stooped, shriveled body. But the appalling thing was his face, lopsided from swelling, red and raw Yet his voice was pleasant as he said, 'Good evening. I've come to see if you've a room for just one night. I came for a treatment this morning from the eastern shore, and there's no bus 'till morning.' He told me he'd been hunting for a room since noon but with no success; no one seemed to have a room. 'I guess it's my face. I know it looks terrible, but my doctor says with a few more treatments.. ..' For a moment I hesitated, but his next words convinced me: 'I could sleep in this rocking chair on the porch. My bus leaves early in the morning.' I told him we would find him a bed, but to rest on the porch. I went inside and finished getting supper.

When we were ready, I asked the old man if he would join us. ' No thank you . I have plenty' And he held up a brown paper bag. When I had finished the dishes, I went out on the porch to talk with him a few minutes. It didn't take a long time to see that this old man had an oversized heart crowded into that tiny body. He told me he fished for a living to support his daughter, her five children and her husband, who was hopelessly crippled from a back injury. He didn't tell it by way of complaint; in fact, every other sentence was prefaced with thanks to God for a blessing He was grateful that no pain accompanied his disease, which was apparently a form of skin cancer. He thanked God for giving him the strength to keep going. At bedtime, we put a camp cot in the children's room for him..

When I got up in the morning, the bed linens were neatly folded, and the little man was out on the porch. He refused breakfast, but just before he left for his bus, haltingly, as if asking a great favor, he said, 'Could I please come back and stay the next time I have a treatment? I won't put you out a bit. I can sleep fine in a chair.' He paused a moment and then added, 'Your children made me feel at home. Grownups are bothered by my face, but children don't seem to mind.' I told him he was welcome to come again.

And on his next trip he arrived a little after seven in the morning. As a gift, he brought a big fish and a quart of the largest oysters I had ever seen. He said he had shucked them that morning before he left so that they'd be nice and fresh. I knew his bus left at 4 a.m. , and I wondered what time he had to get up in order to do this for us. In the years he came to stay overnight with us there was never a time that he did not bring us fish or oysters or vegetables from his garden. Other times we received packages in the mail, always by special delivery; fish and oysters packed in a box of fresh young spinach or kale, every leaf carefully washed. Knowing that he must walk three miles to mail these and knowing how little money he had made the gifts doubly precious. When I received these little remembrances, I often thought of a comment our next-door neighbor made after he left that first morning . 'Did you keep that awful looking man last night? I turned him away! You can lose roomers by putting up such people!' Maybe we did lose roomers once or twice But, oh! If only they could have known him, perhaps their illness would have been easier to bear.

I know our family always will be grateful to have known him; from him we learned what it was to accept the bad without complaint and the good with gratitude to God. Recently I was visiting a friend who has a greenhouse. As she showed me her flowers, we came to the most beautiful one of all, a golden chrysanthemum, bursting with blooms. But to my great surprise, it was growing in an old dented, rusty bucket. I thought to myself, 'If this were my plant, I'd put it in the loveliest container I had!' My friend changed my mind. 'I ran short of pots,' she explained, 'and knowing how beautiful this one would be, I thought it wouldn't mind starting out in this old pail. It's just for a little while, till I can put it out in the garden.' She must have wondered why I laughed so delightedly, but I was imagining just such a scene in heaven. There's an especially beautiful one,' God might have said when he came to the soul of the sweet old fisherman. 'He won't mind starting in this small body.' All this happened long ago -- and now, in God's garden, how tall this lovely soul must stand. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.'

Passed on to me from my friend Chris A.

Story by Mary Bartels Bray reprinted from Guideposts, June 1965

The Very First Cannon Ball Baptist?

2009-05-06T20:51:00.000-07:00

Memorialized here just in case this is the beginning of a new wave in "Bombastic Immersive Theology"? I can just read it now, "You've not truly been baptized until you've Jumped In all the Way!" or "The bigger the splash the holier thou art." This could even lead to a new category at the next Summer Olympics: "Competition Baptizing." Or, this may be a new form of ecumenicalism; in which the whole choir gets a good old fashioned Mass Methodist Sprinkling.

A Marriage Blessing

2009-04-26T19:40:00.000-07:00

Tonight the focus of my prayers has been asking our Lord for His watch care and blessing over my daughter and new son (in law) as they've entered by God's door into the commitment and joy of marital union. It may be a linguistic fluke, but the only thing distinguishing the words marital and martial from each other is which side "I" is in relationship to the cross (the letter "t"). For the one flesh relationship to work out as a "holy union" each of the "I's" in the relationship need to continually kneel before the cross.

If they do not, they will experience more of a martial (warlike) union than one marked by a lifetime of overcoming and and love building. Unfortunately our culture makes it easy to undo vows. My family has been scarred by that reality more than once. I pray, never again. It is one of the incongruities of my own life's hopes and dreams. All I've ever wanted to do is to love my bride as Christ loved the Church. My own past relational failures are my own greatest grief. Redemptively, God has given me a last chance to love rightly. I frequently reaffirm my devotion to my own wonderful wife and the goal of marital bliss, so that I might be a worthy example to my children in their own marriages. God has given my daughter a good man to love and to love her back. Thank you, Lord.

As I mentioned in the ceremony (yes, I had the privilege of getting to perform the ceremony), God and community gave their blessings to the union as Anna and Mike stood before us yesterday. It is up to them to make sure the blessing follows them throughout their lives together. Their honesty, loyalty, devotion, hard work, imagination, sacrifice, and again, personal positioning humbly before the Cross of Christ, will make it God's Union for Life. Bless you and your family, cherished ones. Just as importantly, be a blessing back to God.

Dad

"I've never worked a day in my life" - John Madden

2009-04-18T07:21:00.000-07:00

I have just finished a very intense and rewarding week of training for my new career. Having been exposed to hundreds of sales training classes and courses in motivational psychology over the last 30 years, I was expecting more of the same this week as I joined a group of trainees in St. Louis for our initial indoctrination in the methodologies and philosophies of *******. What I found was a Midwestern sense of practicality and authentic personal care that is rare in the world of sales and finance.

To quote Annie, "I think I'm gonna like it here". The expectations for performance and production are high...and even more unnerving is the way that they must be met...by meeting people face to face...where they live and work; going to the public, making friends, helping them establish sensible financial goals and then matching their goals with viable investment tools.

My lifelong desire to help people can now be expressed as a kind of "Minister of Finance". I really do see it that way. If our marketplaces have ever needed people of integrity and care, it is now.

In the airport, on the way home, I had time to read an article in USA Today, in which John Madden, the "Boom!"-ing voice of the NFL much of my life, was announcing his retirement. One line grabbed me and wouldn't let me go. I shared it with all my classmates that were still within ears reach. John's father was an auto mechanic that worked very hard all his life. Early on he advised John to enjoy his youth, for once his son started his working career, the fun was over. John must have taken his father seriously, because he now believes, "I've never worked a day in my life." I can say that has mostly been true in my life. Where I've fallen into the drudgery of "work" is where I've lost the joy and passion of my efforts. I believe this last leg of my career path will be the most challenging ever...but I, too, John, don't believe I'll ever have to "work" again.

Randy

It's Friday, But Sunday's Comin'!

2009-04-10T19:20:00.000-07:00

OR the Original, Classic, Tony Campolo Sermon [Click for audio sermon]

I heard this sermon in person many years ago at a National Youth Workers Convention...still funny, still poignant, still powerful!!! One of the few sermons I've heard (among thousands) that I still remember almost verbatim.

Or, prayerfully meditate on these words in a quite place.
[my edit of several versions I've heard since]

It's Friday...
Jesus is praying, Peter is asleep. Judas is betraying...
... but Sunday's a Comin'.

It's Friday...
Pilate is struggling, the Sanhedrin is conspiring, the crowd is vilified...
they don't even know that...Sunday's a Comin'.

It's Friday...
The disciples are running in every direction like sheep
without a shepherd, Mary's crying, Peter's denying
...but they don't know...that Sunday's a Comin'.

It's Friday...
the Romans beat my Jesus, they robe him in scarlet,
they crown him with thorns,
...but they don't know, Sunday's a Comin'!

See Jesus walking to Calvary, his blood dripping,
his body's stumbling, and his spirit's burdened,
but see it's only Friday, Sunday's a Comin!

It's Friday...
The world's winning, people are sinning
and evil's grinning...it's Friday

The soldiers nail my Savior's hands to the cross...
They nail my Savior's feet to the cross...
Then they raise him up next to criminals...
it's Friday, but let me tell you something...

Sunday's a Comin'!

It's Friday...
The disciples are questioning, "What has happened to our King?"
and the Pharisees are celebrating that their scheming has been achieved...
but they don't know...it's only Friday.
Sunday's a Comin'!

It's Friday...
He's hanging on the cross, feeling forsaken by his Father,
left alone and doubting, can nobody save him?
Oh...it's Friday...but...
Sunday's a Comin'!

It's Friday...
The temple veil ripped from top to bottom - the earth
shook - the rocks split and tombs opened.
The centurion screamed in fear 'Truly He was the Son of
God!'
... Sunday's a Coming

It's Friday...
the Earth Trembles, the sky grows dark,
my King yields his spirit...
it's Friday...hope is lost...death has won,
sin has conquered...and Satan's just a laughin'

It's Friday...
Jesus is buried, a soldier stands guard,
and a rock is rolled into place...
but it's Friday...it is only Friday...
Sunday is a Comin!

People are saying 'As things have been, so they shall
always be. You can't change anything in this world'
... but Sunday's a Coming!

It's Friday...
Satan's doing a little jig saying 'I control the whole
world'
... but Sunday's a Coming!

It's Sunday!!!
The angel like dazzling lightning, rolled the stone
away, exclaiming, 'He is not here! He is risen!'
It's Sunday!!!! It's Sunday!!!! It's Sunday!!!!

Maximum Maxim: Love

2009-04-05T20:53:00.000-07:00

....another spiritually invigorating synchromeshing of thought today.

My mental gears had already been put in their gate this AM as I started thinking about the role of the Law as it pertains to faith while...uh, well, while...I was showering. Regular readers know that for some absurd reason, my shower is like some folk's prayer closet. It's often a place that, for me, inspiration meets premonition. I don't get visions of a giant Jesus' telling me to tell you to send me money so you can be blessed, nothing that sickeningly bizarre. My little premonitions simply help my especially dim witted spirit recognize the importance of what is about to happen or what I'm about to hear. I have been, not coincidentally, studying the hundreds of laws, rules, regulations, and standards of the Securities Industry as I have been training and testing for my new career as a Financial Advisor. The regulations are there for the benefit and protection of the customer. Just as the financial collapse and depression of '29-'39, brought the industry many new protective acts, we are hearing of many more on the way [and rightly so] after our current spate of billion and trillion dollar ponzi schemes and banker's boondoggles.

I knew the Lord had something special planned for the day. What I didn't know was that my dear friend and pastor John's "Bucket List" themed sermons series would conclude this morning with a double barrelled emotional heart tug on, of all things, the Law.

Roughly, his outline covered (if I remember rightly):

The Law of the Jungle
[An expression of the most basal law of humanity. I thought it could be summed up with a freshly coined phrase "annihilation for an eye"]

...bettered by The Law of Justice found in the Law of Moses represented by the phrase "an eye for and eye"; limiting vengeance to "justly" only taking out someone's eye after they had criminally poked out someone else's eye was an improvement over killing them or their whole family or tribe in retribution.

...which was trumped forever by the Law of Perfection, as given by Christ in the Sermon on the Mount:

"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

Matthew 5:38-48 NIV

I hope you read those words carefully, thoughtfully, and try them on personally. Jesus' Father had given Moses those laws and made much to do about them. How could Jesus make the Law even harder to keep? Why would he? It was already impossible to keep the 10 commandments, much less the 613 that were standardized later in the Mizvot. As he dug down deep into the motivations, manipulations and loophole-izations of the Law's interpretations he made it obvious that his standard was not just about doing the right thing, but his measure was in doing the right thing all the way into the hidden rooms of the heart. You can appear to keep God's Laws in front of your friends,but NO ONE can hide their inner thoughts and intentions from God's knowing. Jesus raised the bar to the extreme. Jesus took the Law to it's Maximum Maxim: LOVE YOUR ENEMIES. If you've failed to love this radically, you've failed to live up to all of God's expectations.

For some reason, I have never fully imagined myself in the each of the circumstances that Jesus gives us here in the Sermon on the Mount. It's frightening and totally counter to instinct and common sense to do what he says. Jesus gave us an ample example and precedence for his challenge: God impartially blesses both his friends and his enemies with daily beams of sunshine and, as needed, thirst quenching rain.

We too, are to love our enemies. Yes, especially our enemies. It's easy and clearly beneficial to reciprocate love when it's offered us first. Even those oriented to blatant evil return a smile or an occasional good deed. The Rubicon of Christ's call is loving the unlovable: the bullies, the hateful, the abusers, the persecutors. Jesus often used hyperbole to get his point across. Is that what he's using here; exaggerated images to get us to at least start moving in the direction of greater love? It would be nice if we could deflect some of the breath-taking blow of this teaching. But wait, decide if he was exaggerating only after reflecting on how Jesus lived out this teaching in his own life.

I have a hard time even thinking about acting lovingly toward Osama bin Laden and his kind. I have a hard time finding love in my heart for those that I read about all to frequently these days...murderers of children and family and random strangers. Admittedly these would be extreme circumstances for anyone to find love, but Jesus words are just as extreme; "Love your enemies." Some of us have heard and read these words so often that they have been softened by their familiarity. These are hard teachings. If they are easy for you to accept, think again.

God's law is perfect. He demands perfect obedience. Why do you think there were all the extra Sacrificial and Levitical Laws in the Old Testament? Because God knew that no one would or could keep all His laws all of the time. There had to be a way to execute justice when those laws were broken. When people break God's laws against God and their fellow human here on earth, they simultaneously break things in the spiritual realm. Just as justice needs to be administered here, it needs to be administered in the heavenly realm. Through symbolic enactments here on earth, we enter into that other world and find...

God's love is perfect. Just as His law perfectly judges us as unable to live up to His standard. His love perfectly meets the standard for us...in Christ. Just as impossible as God's Law is for us to consistently keep... God's Love is possible to Keep and Complete us.

To be perfect like our Father, means to Love with His Love. Our standard of love is not enough, just as our "rightness" is not enough. To love right is to love like Jesus loves. Christ can enable you, too, to LOVE this powerfully.

This holy week especially think about these words: "Father, forgive them... [his enemies, who had spat on him, whipped him, mocked him, crucified him, and continued sneering at him even after they'd heard him ask for God's forgiveness on their behalf]... Forgive them, for they do not understand what they are doing."

Now, that....that is Perfect Love. And he expects NO LESS from us. He did say to take up our own crosses to follow him, no?

propheT

ABC Nightline Debate: "Does Satan Exist?"

2009-03-27T07:41:00.000-07:00

On the ABC News website today, they introduced another controversial installment of their "Face-Off" series, thusly:

"In this third installment [in the Face-Off Series], philosopher Deepak Chopra and Bishop Carlton Pearson will face-off against Pastor Mark Driscoll of the Mars Hill Church and Annie Lobert, founder of the Christian ministry "Hookers for Jesus" about the existence of the Devil."

Previous debates have covered "America, Addicted to Porn?" and "Does God Exist?"

Though these mini debates are a bit sensationalized, "celebritized" and simplistic for the purpose of packaging and ratings, they are decent jumping off points for discussion, reflection, and personal study.

Here is the Link to the entire series on the ABC website: ABC Nightline Debate: "Does Satan Exist?"

or in individual segments in what I think is a better format:

Part I: http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=7185499

Part II: http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=7185569

Part III: http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=7185633

After listening to the entire debate, my reflections:

"The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work [in context, our bent toward sin]" 1 John 3:8b NIV

Think about this, if the devil doesn't exist, Jesus appeared for nothing. And was Jesus just hallucinating his temptations by Satan at the end of his wilderness fast? Think not. Jesus crushed the serpents head when he died on the cross...but the sin venom still flows in the veins of those not being transfused by the blood of Christ.

propheT

***Art above "Shame of Satan" by Joel Chua (freelance illustrator in the Philippines)used by permission.

Dr. Adrian Rogers Quote on Danger of Rampant Government Entitlements

2009-03-23T08:17:00.000-07:00

“Friend, you cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. And what one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government can’t give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody. And when half of the people get the idea they don’t have to work because the other half’s going to take care of them, and when the other half get the idea it does no good to work because somebody’s going to get what I work for. That, dear friend, is about the end of any nation.”

Dr. Adrian Rogers, 1931-2005
From His Web Site: Love Worth Finding Ministries

Witness to Forgiveness - "Picking Cotton"

2009-03-19T12:44:00.000-07:00

"Forgive as the Lord forgave you." Colossians 3:13 NIV

So watch yourselves. "If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. ⁴If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent,' forgive him." Luke 17:3,4 NIV

What if you were able to positively identify someone as your brutal attacker? After a lengthy, excruciating reliving of the experience during the trial, you saw justice served, and the attacker was put away. Your hatred and disgust still roiled your deepest thoughts, but at least you had the satisfaction in knowing that this time due process got it right.

Then...11 years later DNA testing proved that your attacker wasn't the man that you had positively ID'd, it was another man that looked very much like him. It hits you like a ton of bricks, you were responsible for a man spending 11 years in jail for something he did not do. You had two deep hurts to contend with; your role as the victim, and now, your role as the inflictor of imaginable grief and suffering on a innocent man.

That is the story of Jennifer Thompson and Ronald Cotton. You would expect her shame and embarrassment and his anger over being falsely accused and incarcerated to keep them from ever crossing paths. But after Ronald was released, having served more than a decade in prison for a crime he never committed, he sought out an opportunity to do what most of us would consider unthinkable. After two years, Jennifer and Ronald did meet face to face and an unlikely friendship developed that changed both of their lives forever.

I was first exposed to this story a couple of weeks back as I watched CBS's 60 Minutes. It gave me shivers and tears. If you've not seen or heard it, take the time to be bowled over by the heroics of human compassion and forgiveness.

CBS 60 Minutes Interview:

Part I

Part II

Direct link to CBS 60 Minutes story page.

NPR Radio Broadcast. Audio essay on "This I Believe" program. "Finding Freedom in Forgiveness" by Ronald Cotton and Jennifer Thompson-Cannino

Buy the book here:

Quote to Tote:

2009-03-16T18:27:00.000-07:00

This is our birthmark, a servant shaped heart. propheT

Church Done Right

2009-02-28T09:23:00.000-08:00

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Cancer

2009-02-22T20:04:00.000-08:00

There are few words in the English lexicon that chill the air and soul like the word cancer. I had supper tonight with two other family members that have heard their Dr. speak that verdict to their biopsies. We are all in remission. Thank God....for medicines, the will to live and his gift of healing. Why some are able to overcome and others are not is a mystery that is best answered by asking another question, why do any of us live from heartbeat to heartbeat. There are more and more people in my spheres of knowing and loving that have been touched by the errant biology that chooses to kill by living in places it does not belong. Fortunately modern medical advances are extending the lives of those who have been so diagnosed; some benefiting from radiation, others from surgery, still others from chemotherapy. Again I see an irony in this disease. It is by targeted killing that we are given hope of living.

To those who are still fighting for their lives against this cruel invasion. I pray for you this eve. God loves you through these painful and often fearful days. Remember this. His love is there in the touch and care of your loved ones. But closer still. In those quietest of moments when you think it is just you alone. Listen to that still small voice that lingers after the storm of emotion and physical turmoil. Listen to his Word. Through the valley of the shadow of death, the Shepherd of Life is with us.

To all of us. This life is not all that there is. And, through faith, hope is here with Christ who takes the sting out of that universal destiny, offering the promise of life beyond.

The cancer of Sin was targeted by the radiance of Christ's love. Sin has been conquered. Death is the final consequence of Sin. But Christ rose victorious over that consequence. Be assured.

propheT

[Those who read this blog with any regularity know that one of my dearest Christian brothers and favorite commenter is Ρωμανός ~ Romanós. He has the gift of taking the seed of a thought and growing it into a full grown plant. He made two contributions to this post that are hiding in the comments. Just in case you do not click on the comments I would like to make sure you see his entries so I have copied them here].

Romanós: Thank you for your good thoughts and testimony. When I read "We are all in remission," my mind held up two meanings simultaneously…

First, you and your family members have been diagnosed with cancer but have benefitted from medical treatments that have put it in a state of remission.

Second, that you were speaking of us, mankind in general though expressed in individuals, that we are all in remission, that is, that we have all been diagnosed with THE cancer, Sin, but that many of us have benefited from the medication administered by THE physician, Jesus Christ.

Which did you mean? or was it both?

[and again]

One other thought came to mind when reading this post.

Mother Theresa used to tell people who were suffering horribly and even terminally that their suffering was a sign that Christ was very near to them.

I've never forgotten that truth, and I continue to apply it to my own life, my own struggles and suffering. Her saying seems to flesh out the meaning of scripture when James writes, "Brothers, you will always have your trials, but when they come, consider them to be a happy privilege."

What greater privilege than to know for sure that Christ is "very near to you"?

ME:
You have such a good way of helping others clarify and focus their thoughts; much like a interpreter of one speaking another language...as if they were speaking a language that even they did not know but that you understood. You have such a gift. Perhaps this is more in line with the gifts of the spirit that Paul spoke of to the Corinthian church.
I do believe that you speak "Godlish". I wondered why I stopped to write this late last night. Now I know.

[Yes, there is a medicine from Gilead, and by his wounds and blood we are truly healed].

Sound Bites: I, Pencil and the Apples in the Seed

2009-02-18T20:13:00.000-08:00

One of My Forever Brothers, Mark sent me a click-worthy link a day or two ago.

Here is a teaser quote:

It has been said that "only God can make a tree." Why do we agree with this? Isn't it because we realize that we ourselves could not make one? Indeed, can we even describe a tree? We cannot, except in superficial terms. We can say, for instance, that a certain molecular configuration manifests itself as a tree. But what mind is there among men that could even record, let alone direct, the constant changes in molecules that transpire in the life span of a tree? Such a feat is utterly unthinkable!

RP.24

I, Pencil, am a complex combination of miracles: a tree, zinc, copper, graphite, and so on. But to these miracles which manifest themselves in Nature an even more extraordinary miracle has been added: the configuration of creative human energies—millions of tiny know-hows configurating naturally and spontaneously in response to human necessity and desire and in the absence of any human master-minding! Since only God can make a tree, I insist that only God could make me. Man can no more direct these millions of know-hows to bring me into being than he can put molecules together to create a tree.

quoted from "I, Pencil: My Family Tree as told to Leonard E. Read", copyrighted material @ the Library of Economics and Liberty (http://www.econlib.org)

If you have never read this essay, you need to take a few minutes out of your day and read the whole thing. I have to agree with Mark, it is one of the best essays ever written.

...and then think about this portion of a follow up note Mark sent... it applies Mr. Read's summation splendidly:

"Anyway, about the essay, Read wrote it in 1958 as a defense of free-market capitalism, but I myself find a deeper message, more on a spiritual level actually, in the essay. I do (have done) a lot of volunteering with kids through my son's various activities. God doesn't always let me see immediate results, nor does he let me see all of the other inputs that go into shaping and forming young people's opinions; family, school and teachers, Church, etc. But this little essay gives me great confidence that if I just do what is asked of me, that the "Invisible Hand" will guide that young person to a completion, and a knowledge of Him. As a matter of fact, I am 100% confident that God will answer my number one prayer that every young child that comes to worship at Christ Chapel with us will come to know Jesus and be saved. THAT's why I do the things that I do. "It's not the seeds in the apple, but rather, it's the apples in the seed."" Mark H.

I, Pencil. <-Click over there to read the entire essay. I guess I am a "Pencil" pusher now... propheT

The Battle Cry for a Caring Economy

2009-02-08T00:58:00.000-08:00

First off, let me clarify what this post is about. It's not promoting an economy based on handouts and entitlements. It is about developing a new sense of purpose in all that we do. The old adage that, in the long view, it is more compassionate to teach a man to fish than it is is to just feed him a fish, is a great analogy for what I'm about to propose. This is where the rubber of theology hits the rutted road of social need. For example, if there is anything at all that we could have people who are receiving unemployment benefits contribute back to society, it ought to be implemented. If nothing else, give everyone a Habitat for Humanity hammer and a hardhat.

The news and unfortunately the realities it represents lately are depressing, no? People losing jobs, homes; their entire lives seemingly going down the drain. No one is impervious to this economic tsunami's devastation. Millions are in the economic battle of their lives. You might retort, as one of my coworkers used to in our casual economic debates, "the grand majority of Americans are working, so what's the big deal about 7% unemployment."

Let's put it in perspective: 7% and still rising (7.6% January 2009). 7% 0f a potential workforce of over 155 million? Say "what's the big deal" to someone in that growing minority and they might not readily share your cavalier off putting. What's worse, is that there are few, if any, other jobs available. I saw a news report last week where over a thousand people were in line for two new firemen jobs in Miami, FL.

We are in a war with economic backlash. We have been hit hard and left bleeding. We need to fight back with the zeal of a rallying army. It's going to take much more than stimulus packages and political pork. We need places to plug back into opportunity. Where has the imaginative and entrepreneurial spirit of America gone? Will the billions earmarked for infrastructure just be wasted on safer, smoother roads to nowhere? What is our purpose when we are not at literal war or drilling oil wells? We need a new sense of purpose tied to meaningful endeavor.

One thing every beaten and bruised army needs is a condensed statement that motivates their march into battle. Recently we heard the political battle cry in the chants for change. I'm afraid the changes we really need are not being addressed. Where are the sustainable industries of our day going to come from? People need purpose. There will always be the needs for food, shelter and clothing, and medicine. There will always be wants for entertainment and recreation. These are not purposes for being unto themselves. They sustain us, but they do not give us purpose. We have tried to make them our reasons for being and therefore our culture is imploding in on itself. The work of our lives needs to take us somewhere besides to the next town. I suggest a new battle cry that would take us back to the beginning.

The Bible tells us that man was put on this earth to care for it. Even when the garden was perfect, man cared for it. It wasn't until sin was invited in that work became so much drudgery and futility. Man had a calling and purpose. The core of what man was made for was Caring. Caring can make every endeavor purposeful. This is not just a religious platitude. Try it on. Think of every job a person can undertake. If it is a job that can be transformed into a caring profession it will inspire that innate sense of purpose in all of us. Is it not telling that the essential professions that so far have suffered the least in this recession have been labeled "caring professions" i.e., Medical, Education and what should be a caring profession, Government?

Let's apply "Caring" to all that we do. Every profession can be a caring profession. If it can't be, we don't need it.

Remember the Alamo! Remember Pearl Harbor! Remember 9/11!

Battle Cries [examples here]. Battle cries are are psychological warfare in as few word as possible. They motivate your soldiers and intimidate your enemies. They are usually coined and inspired from the greatest loss to one's country or cause during an especially devastating and heartbreaking battle or struggle.

I was reminded of how the power of defeat and loss can become the unifying and propelling motivation into battle and victory by a great book I am reading "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" by Richard Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter. I am squeezing this reading in to a schedule already preoccupied by almost 60 hours a week of study for my new career. In fact, my brain hurts from all this new mental exercise, but when I put down my text book (actually a tablet computer), I reach for Richard's book for inspiration. Richard reminded me that loss can become a rallying point for progress.

Who can forget Mel Gibson's portrayal of William Wallace in the movie "Braveheart". He was able to condense his whole sense of purpose into one word; "Freedom!" As noble and necessary as freedom is to the human spirit, it does not take us far enough down the road of purpose. Freedom without caring threatens us with anarchy.

I would like to think that the domino's of the secondary housing market that have played such a central role in undermining our economy were care based; giving people who, until then, could not afford a home, a chance to "own" their own home. But look a little closer and you see adjustable rates on the contracts, rates that adjusted rapidly upward, making the once affordable home an anchor in hopelessness. How uncaring of a plan was that? Really, spend some time thinking this through. If every decision had to be filtered through the Golden Rule, caring, compassionate, best ends philosophy, just imagine how different the world economy would be.

"Remember the Cross!" The epitome of caring purpose. Let it filter your actions. It will work on economies of every scale.

propheT

Triva Treat: The word "slogan" comes from the Scottish words sluagh-gairm or sluagh-ghairm (sluagh = "people", "army" and gairm = "call", "proclamation"), word for "gathering-cry".

The Potter's Clay

2009-02-04T21:00:00.000-08:00

How dare we,

the made ones,
the clay,
declare to be malleable and formed,
but only pretend...play.

Not just telling the potter how we would be shaped,
but that He should conform to our fashion of the shaper's hand;
that He be the clay.

Oh, for the day,
this day,
when clay again is clay,
Maker shaped as a vessel
worthy to hold His wonder.

-propheT

~~~~~~~~~~

The Lord says:

"These people come near to me with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
Their worship of me
is made up only of rules taught by men.

Therefore once more I will astound these people
with wonder upon wonder;
the wisdom of the wise will perish,
the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish."

Woe to those who go to great depths
to hide their plans from the LORD,
who do their work in darkness and think,
"Who sees us? Who will know?"

You turn things upside down,
as if the potter were thought to be like the clay!
Shall what is formed say to him who formed it,
"He did not make me"?
Can the pot say of the potter,
"He knows nothing"?

In a very short time, will not Lebanon be turned into a fertile field
and the fertile field seem like a forest?

In that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll,
and out of gloom and darkness
the eyes of the blind will see.

Once more the humble will rejoice in the LORD;
the needy will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

The ruthless will vanish,
the mockers will disappear,
and all who have an eye for evil will be cut down-

those who with a word make a man out to be guilty,
who ensnare the defender in court
and with false testimony deprive the innocent of justice.

Isaiah 29:13-21 NIV

Sound Bite: Eternal Perspectives (Randy Alcorn's blog): Are you Willing to be Hated for Speaking the Gospel Truth?

2009-02-03T17:26:00.000-08:00

Sound Bite? Did I say Sound Bite? More like a whole meal's worth of meaningful munches.

Eternal Perspectives (Randy Alcorn's blog): Are you Willing to be Hated for Speaking the Gospel Truth?

Especially liked his D.L. Moody quote:

As D. L. Moody said when someone criticized his approach to evangelism, “I like the way I do it better than the way you don’t do it.”

That's My King! S.M. Lockridge

2009-01-30T08:09:00.000-08:00

The Best 3 Minute Sermon I Ever Heard

25 Things about Jesus (last 5)

2009-01-29T18:21:00.000-08:00

First 10 here [click], Next 10 here [click].

21. I came to turn the world upside down and backwards. Remember, I promised the underdogs here on earth - people like those who are persecuted because they associate with me - a great eternal reward. I promised those who are willing to turn around and follow me greater purpose; i.e., from being just fishers of fish, into becoming fishers of men (see #22).

22. I like to fish, and I'm a pretty good fisherman. I showed my fishermen followers where the fish were hiding, and they caught more fish than they had ever caught. I showed them that even after fish had been caught and prepared, I could make more fish out of those fish. And as I said, I also taught and empowered them to become fishers-of-men. And what a catch! First cast, 3000 reeled in. Don't be so surprised I, designed fish, and water, and molecules, and humans. You ought to see what I can do with thermonuclear proton-proton reactions. Oh, yeah you do every morning, at sunrise. See #1.

23. I didn't heal everyone, feed every one, or make everyone love me. To stop all the worlds evils would mean stopping the world as you know it. That's coming. Until then, you are the preservative; the healers, the feeders, the love givers; my hands and heart on earth.

24. I kept Dad's rules, but that wasn't enough for my worst enemies. In #17 I said rules are overrated. Overrated and Underlived. I hope you got that. Dad's rules are essential. Essential like an after school catchup class. Those classes tend to tell you how bad you are doing and that you need a brain transplant to get Calculus. If you don't keep all the rules, in Dad's eyes it's like you have broken them all. That doesn't mean you should go ahead and break the ones you've missed, just know that it's all or nothing. Like when you get a nasty bug in your soup, you don't eat around it, you throw out the whole bowl. You need some transplants; a new heart, a new mind, a new strength to do things Dad's way. Love Him with all your new "Jesus gear". Reread #15.

25. Talk about a celebrity, I have the #1 all time best seller written about me... and I want you as my friend. You need me as your Life Leader. Want to be my friend? These 25 things about me were interpreted in the imagination of one of my friends; based on what he read in that best seller. You need to read Dad's Book, too. More. A lot More. And talk to me. You don't even need a keyboard or a monitor...I'm very portable. Talk. I'm always here.

25 Things about Jesus (next 10)

2009-01-28T10:50:00.000-08:00

First 10 here [click]

11. I was promised to Dad's creation ever since Adam messed up. Dad put it to Adam kind of like this, "That snake bodied devil may bite my Son's heal, but my Son will jump on his slitty-eyed head and crush it to smithereens." That all took place when I was nailed like a piece of jerky meat up on the cross. The devil took his best shot and wounded me, but I ended up doing a triple gainer (in a spiritual sense) on his filthy conniving little head. Splat! But the devil didn't kill me. I was sinless; I couldn't be made to die. I had to voluntarily give up my spirit to Dad. I died vicariously (I like that word for in the place of someone else), for you, my friend. Promise kept.

12. I like to tell stories to get my point across. It's like show and tell in grade school. I hold up a story about farming like you held up your favorite stuffed animal and told about how it did battle with the closet monster. For the people that really want to hear me, my stories start clearing things up; but the haters, they just get more confused and angry because they don't understand.

13. You might think I breezed through life as a human easy as pie, but it was tough, very tough. I was tempted just like you are, every day, over and over. But I was able to keep pure by keeping my Dad's goals in mind. I kept remembering the teachings from the Old Testament that I had learned in Saturday School (actually we went to school to learn Dad's Books more often than that, much like you do regular school now days). Every time I was tempted to do wrong, I remembered a saying from the Law, the Psalms or Proverbs or one of the Prophets. I asked Dad for his will to be done, every time. That meant I kept thinking about you, too. If you were ever going to get free from the tangles, troubles and torments of being a child of Adam, I had to stay right smack dab in the middle of Dad's plan.

14. I can tell you that you can come back to life after you die. I did it. Talk about an awesome experience! I promise you that same experience. You just have to believe me. Belief, that is the key to every relationship, isn't it? Trust. Commitment. Follow Through. For you to be part of my bride you have to take the vows of faith. I'll make it possible,that is the next thing you need to know about me.

15. I sent you someone like me, but invisible and present everywhere, my One and Only Super Special Spirit. He is like me, but he can get inside you and set up house. When you sense me knocking at your hearts door (showing you that life like it is without me is totally sick), and you make that vow of faith, My Super Special Spirit comes to take all that I did to the next level; he makes all that yours and remakes you. Sure you'll struggle, just like I did, but your new self can love with Dad's love now, just like I did. It fixes everything when you let the Spirit and Dad's Word feed your life liver. Cool huh? Incredibly Cool, if you ask me.

16. I have gone to heaven to get things ready for you. I'm sooo looking forward to the day when I can come get you. Only Dad knows the day when I'll come, but you be ready, OK? It could be at any time. I always think it could be today. Live that way and life will stay interesting, I promise. That doesn't mean quit the stuff you are doing. Just make it count.

17. I think rules are overrated. Dad gave the rules to make people know they needed to rely on him, not so they would rely on the rules. There are people that want to run your life with rules, just like they did mine. That can get overwhelmingly complicated and hard to keep up with. Plus rule keeping can make you think that that's how you get in good with Dad. Wrong! There are only two life guides to live by: Love our Father God (in everything you think or do); and Love ALL the people in your life (remember my Super Special Spirit is there inside you to make sure you can do it, you just got to want to see it happen). The rules are all taken care of when you act in love.

18. I love to hear your prayers and your songs. Don't worry about how profound or pretty they may sound to you or other people. Just pour out your heart with honesty and faith; even just a little bit of faith goes a long ways. I can take microchip sized faith and make incredible things happen. Try me.

19. I show up powerfully when the people who love me get together. Don't go it alone, you'll miss some of the best things that I have in store for you. I hand picked 12 people to share my inner most thoughts and teachings with. I made sure they knew Dad's Ideas and helped them see how those Ideas made life what it was supposed to be. You need other people who think new like you. I've got them ready for you, are you ready for them?

20. I like to laugh. Don't forget, I have tasted life in every way. Not only did I Make it, I Lived it. You don't have to be a religious sourpuss to be one of my family members. Don't forget, I want you to be as full of JOY as you can get. When you laugh with me it comes from the inside out. You don't have to artificially induce laughter when you hang with me. When you've tasted of my life, you know REAL life.

[Last 5 Click Here]

25 things about Jesus (first 10)

2009-01-27T20:55:00.001-08:00

1. I have existed forever. I made everything and it all makes more sense when you get to know me. Universe making is not as hard as you might think. My Father just has to say the Word...and Bang.

2. I love you. My Dad and I loved you enough to make everything right between us, even while you were still acting like you hated us.

3. The miracles that I performed, that so many people seem to doubt really happened, well just remember that Dad & I created Science.

4. I hate some things. I know you think I'm all lovey dovey all the time (though I do have a special fondness of doves, JB you know what I'm talking about). I hate evil, the devil, death, suffering, sin, especially self righteousness (you know who you are - remember I had haters, too).

5. I picked my first followers from some of the most unexpected people. Some were hardheaded redneck fishermen, others were sleazy IRS types, even one that I knew had a predisposition to be a traitor, but they all served their purpose, or should I say my Father's purposes.

6. When I pray, I get pretty intense. I even sweat drops of blood one time, because I was so upset.

7. I can walk on water, turn water into wine, and make your heart flow joy like the water in a fountain. Water is cool and rare stuff. Have you looked around your solar system lately; earth has all the oceans in these parts?

8. I like to think of the people who get together to show their love for me as my bride. I treasure our relationship like none other. You guys really show the world why I came in the first place when you love each other.

9. I could have come to earth as an earthly king, but that would have been a real step down from king of the universe. Someday you will see how big my government really is; but for now I rule a billion hearts on earth, a billion angels, and keep all the elements of the universe from blasting apart. Everything is kept in it's perfect place to give you all the time and opportunity to grow my spiritual government. There's lots of room in heaven. If you think the universe is big, just wait until you see the other side of these dimensions.

10. I gave my favorite disciple John (you'd call him my BFF) a vision that most people get all confused about. It's the last book in your Bible, and very important. It was written in cryptic language because my people were being killed for following me, so we kept it very symbolic. It mainly tells you that my Dad is in control no matter what, and that He will make everything work out OK for the ones that are loyal to me until the end. Don't let difficult times get you down. I've shown you the final score. WE win.

Next 10 here [click]

The Relationship Satisfaction Survey

2009-01-25T18:22:00.000-08:00

Customer Satisfaction. That is the name of the game in retail sales and service industries. It seems like every time I get a receipt there is another phone number or Internet link on it with a request to give the store feedback. Buy a new car, you'll be polled. Eat out, you'll get a survey card.

Having spent over half of my life in sales related careers, I am keenly aware of the crucial role that making people happy (or at least getting them to report that they are) plays in determining how you are revered by your supervisors, revisited and referred to by your customers, and, yes, even how much you are paid.

The one place that personal satisfaction should be of greatest concern, our relationships, has been neglected. In a age where millions worldwide are connecting as "friends" through the phenomenon of social networking, there is still much to be desired in knowing how to make our closest relationships work well.

A confession. I am not a person that has had tremendous success in making people happy. At least I don't feel like I have. I am admittedly more selfish and self absorbed than most people much of the time. I could blame it on being an only child. Since childhood I created my own isolated bubble of contentment. I'm just as happy alone as I am around people. That can be a good thing. There have been some very lonely years in my life where that trait has saved my life. Don't get me wrong here, I DO enjoy others, immensely. I love my wife and the delight in the pleasure of her company. I love my family and the times we get together are treasured above any time I remember being alone. I love my church and the interconnected sense of purpose I find there. I am satisfied with my relationships, mostly. Where I DO lack satisfaction is in the thought and occasional sensation that I am not satisfying those on the receiving end of me.

Ever since 4 AM this morning I have been contemplating this idea; develop a Relationship Satisfaction Survey. Give it to the people that matter most to me. Get them to commit to getting back to me with it, study it, then, make the necessary, well, you know; see where I can improve and do my best to accommodate. The word that Mr. Obama surfed into the White House, change, starts right here in my bubble.

It's only right that I would dare you to do likewise. Single? Next date, give them the survey. Parent? Give your kids that are old enough to understand the survey. Caring for an elderly parent? Give then a chance to critique you. There ought to be some profound wisdom to glean there. Married? The survey may get to the source of what causes any nit picking or bickering that tends to show up every now and then. Just the act of humility of showing that you care enough to take it on the chin in the name of relational improvement may be the most important part of the whole survey. Friend? Give the survey to those that know you best. Friends have the least to lose in telling you the truth, so be ready for their brutal love.

Make several copies of the survey and leave them where your loved ones / friends will see them. Or, copy it into an email for those who are more prone to answer through that medium. Ask for honesty. Tell them it is for the good of your relationship; that you know you have room for improvement. If they think about it, they will reciprocate and ask you for your own feed back in a survey from them.

The Relationship Satisfaction Survey*

This survey is an opportunity for you to give me feedback on how I am doing in my relationship with you. Please give it some thought and return it to me at your convenience. Your relationship means a lot to me. Enough that I would like to see it improve with this first step of deeper communication and understanding. Thank you for your time.

On a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being not at all and 10 being all the time rate me on:

____ You exhibit a desire and actions that show that you are dedicated to the Golden Rule of doing unto others as you would have them do unto you in our relationship.
____ You put my concerns and desires ahead of your own.
____ You listen carefully to what I have to say and engage in caring conversations that address my concerns as needed.
____ You plan your free time in such a way that it includes doing things that I enjoy as much as you plan for things that you enjoy.
____ You buy things with the intent of making me happy more often than you buy things for yourself.
____ You ask me how/what I am feeling/thinking when I seem blue or discouraged, without me having to ask you to.
____ You look for and discuss healthy, positive, meaningful activities for us to share together.
____ You ask my opinion, because you genuinely value it.
____ You make sure I know how important I am to you with gestures of self sacrifice.
____ You exhibit adequate, caring, and affectionate touching.
____ You spend enough time with me.
____ You give me the attention I deserve.
____ You look for ways to make me laugh.
____ You make me feel better about myself by just being there with me.
____ You brag on my accomplishments before you even mention your own.
____ You make good choices about what is most important in our life together.
____ You make good choices about what is most important in life.
____ You show me that you care about me by caringly confronting any dangerous behaviors I may exhibit.
____ You are honest with me.
____ You come to me when you have a problem.
____ I feel like you are loyal to me.
____ You come to me when you have a joy to share.
____ You take care to make sure that I feel secure in our relationship.
____ You treat my friends with respect and authentic care.
____ You treat the rest of my family with respect and authentic care.
____ Even your most private and personal decisions and activities show thought and concern for how they might impact our realtionship.
____ You take the initiative in resolving issues that cause silence or anger between us.
____ You make sure I know I am forgiven completely when I make a mistake, ask for forgiveness, want to make amends, and demonstrate a change of heart and behavior.
____ You provide enough spontaneous meaningful moments to keep the interest in our relationship vital.
____ You are a good (Friend) (Spouse) (Parent) (Child) (Sibling) (Relative) (Neighbor)

______ Total Points

The total number matters less than your willingness to go line by line and pray for and commit to relational improvement. If you have lower than a 5 on any line, it is a critical concern. Better yet, after you do your personal review, get in a quiet place and discuss the results with your friend / loved one, making sure they know you are serious about change in the areas where they would like to see improvement. Where time is an issue, mark your calendars right then together to block out the time necessary to prove your commitment to each other.

*This survey is a gift to those in my circle of life that know me and lovingly tolerate me. Please don't pass this survey along without this acknowledgment: The author of this survey loves his friends and family dearly; knows that even great relationships deserve better; and hopes that all who use the survey will courageously dare to improve their own network of relationships with the knowledge it can convey.

Thank You, Lord,
for letting me Love You,
through Loving Others... propheT

...to be more like Jesus

2009-01-22T20:03:00.000-08:00

I'd like to be more like Jesus. He got along best with confessed sinners and got his hackles up when interacting with the self righteous...but rather than be like Jesus, I am prone to join in with the self righteous as they condemn the "sinners".

Lord. Deliver, then Protect me, from me. propheT

PS:

Ρωμανός ~ Romanós, My favorite mentor/blogger in the faith, wrote such a splendid comment that I had to bring it out of the comments section (that people may or may not open) up to the body of this post. I am tempted to pick a topic every few days and just have him elucidate. He is truly gifted in communicating the distillation and application of the Word to life. I especially like what he said where I "bolded" the comment. Do yourself a big favor and think long and hard about what he says.

I too sometimes catch myself condemning sinners with the words of my lips, or with the words I have written (which are in some ways harder to take back). It usually happens, though, when my soul is mobilized by something outside me, like people who are being oppressed, or whatever.

When I stop and just get quiet, with the Lord being right there with me as He always is, it doesn't even enter my mind to judge or criticize even someone who has purposely wronged me. That's why I always retreat to that private chamber as often as possible, certainly every day, usually several times a day.

The world has a way of soiling our feet as we go about in it. Only Jesus can wash those feet clean again. And He is so faithful to forgive us and turn the other cheek.

Earlier this week I heard mention that the mayor of my city has admitted to having sexual relations with an under 18 man who was working with him, probably as an intern of some kind. This young man is now over 21. Upon hearing of this, I commented that it was too bad, but in my soul I felt no passion to condemn. It is so obvious to me after living a very tempestuous life, that the function of the Law is, as Paul says, to simply tell us what is wrong. It's the prognosis, but not the cure. Only the living One, the only Lover of mankind, the only Physician, Jesus, can cure, but the medicine He applies is Death. For many "Christians" that is too severe a treatment, so they prefer to hobble along with the burden of their unforgiven sin weighing them down. In that condition, being too sick to live but afraid of Death, they yield to the kind of grouchiness that exhibits itself as judgmentalism.

Who has been forgiven much, loves much.

Back to the mayor. The men I work with here in engineering spent a part of one afternoon nit-picking the mayor and his public sin, and debating whether he should step down and why or why not. The consensus was that he step down. None of my co-workers are Christians, all are apostates or have never been Christians (I am not saying this with judgment, but as a demographic fact), yet they judged as harshly a man whom they don't even know by a standard they don't even acknowledge, as they complain that Christians judge.

I didn't know that Sam Adams was an openly practicing homosexual, a "gay" man, and I can't remember if I voted for him or not. If I had known he was gay, I probably would not have voted for him, simply because his personal baggage could cause trouble to the smooth functioning of the city government. But the odd thing is, those of my co-workers who live in my city most probably DID vote for him to be mayor, because all of them approve of "gay" lifestyle.

I didn't join in the debate, but inside my thought was, "Leave him alone. You elected him, and now you are condemning him for what he did, which is what you know he was likely to do." The boy he "molested" was one whom he was openly mentoring into the gay lifestyle, and that was known at the time. So why this hair-splitting? The boy grew up to be a man, and he now lives in the way he chose, based on his feelings and the advice of his "mentor."

How sick our world is! How deceived we all are! Only by turning to Jesus, who is always near, can we be delivered "from this body of death," by conquering death by death, as He did, and finally be freed from bondage so that we, like Him, can bring life to those in the tombs…

Even More, Better Words. @ The Cost of Discipleship

*artwork: Alessandro Turchi detto l'Orbetto, Christ and the Woman Taken into Adultery

God and Inauguration Day (Prayer and Scripture for a New President)

2009-01-20T12:44:00.000-08:00

I had the best seat in the house today. I was warm. I had dozens of high definition cameras and microphones spread throughout the city. I had snacks and a pause button. On second thought, I had the next best seat in the house. God had a better view; the hearts of those who were reciting and swearing in on His Word, those who again and again called on His Name, recognizing the higher authority of His Kingdom, and asked, repeatedly, for His Blessing on our country.

What I write tonight I would write as a prayer / warning for any administration / leader. God is omnipolitical. His Word challenges every leader that has ever lived.

God was ever present on the lips of the new leadership of the (until now?) UnUnited States of America. Today was the day that the new leadership claimed will usher in the winds of change. So far things looked pretty much the same; the routines, rituals, pageantry, and pomp and circumstance all echoed the traditions of the past. There were many more faces, happier faces, younger faces, faces of color. Thank God that all His children are getting better representation. I cherished the thought that God's grace was the path that has brought us to this day. I relished in the prayers of Christian leaders (am I allowed to express a prejudice for the powerful and poetic prayers of the black preachers/chaplains)? Only time will tell if the new leadership really does honor the God they carefully scripted into their speeches today. At the very least, they acknowledged that He cannot but rule, even if it was merely rote acquiescence.

In one sense, all that we do, no matter how incredible, is less than trivial. God's kingdom truly supersedes all earthly rule. His rule is the rule that keeps the universe in order. Who are we, these tiny little earthlys playing rulers and kings, before the Lord of our solar core and the plenitude of the stars of the universe. We are nothing...

...and we are everything. We were created by and for Him. We are loved by Him. We are cared for by Him. He was surely delighted that this new leadership recognized His central role in our destinies. That they acknowledged that when the Rev. King claimed to see a new promised land for the oppressed, he did indeed see God's vision. And in what tends to be a necessary time frame for God to get through to any group of people, 40 years, who could deny that vision was coming into focus and reality.

But what did God see in the hearts of those who gave Him lip service today?

When I was a college student I wrote and produced a radio program called "Second Thoughts". It was directed to and distributed with a secular audience in mind. It actually got repeated playtime on the top rock station in town; though, a bit disconcertingly, the program came on as the alarm on the clock radio the morning of my honeymoon. It's premise was to ask the similar question that is being asked here: what does God see and hear in the hearts of those who worship on a typical Sunday morning? In short, it was not a pretty sight. From ladies nit picking the lack of style of the ladies in the pew ahead of them, to the preacher fantasizing over the pot luck lunch to follow the service (while preaching), to the visiting, honestly, desperately seeking hippie type that everyone arrogantly snubbed, their hearts were laid bare before the Lord.

God sees and weighs the heart of every person. "All a man's ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs the heart." (Proverbs 21:2 NIV)

It was God's knowledge of the "inclination of the thoughts of man's heart was evil all the time" that brought the flood (Genesis 6:5 NIV). And even after that supreme act of judgment, things did not change, for again we read, "...every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood"(Genesis 8:21 NIV). Fortunately, He promised He would not bring another similar destruction.

But He continues to monitor the secrets of our hearts, and the humble person invites Him to do so:

Test me, O LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind... (Psalm 26:2 NIV)

Though you probe my heart and examine me at night, though you test me...(Psalm 17:3 NIV)

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD... (Psalm 19:14 NIV)

...from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth-he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do. No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. (Psalm 33:14-16 NIV)

If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread out our hands to a foreign god, would not God have discovered it, since he knows the secrets of the heart? (Psalm 44:20-21 NIV)

Search me, O God, and know my heart... (Psalm 139:23)

There is one thing to hide in one's heart that God is pleased to find:

I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.(Psalm 119:11 NIV)

But God's sovereignty does not end with the willing. He rule's the heart of the Godless for his purposes. Think not?

Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails. (Proverbs 19:21)

Ask Pharaoh. God chose to harden Pharaoh's heart in order to set the weak and oppressed Israelites free (Exodus 14:4). The leader of the greatest civilization of his day was ultimately bought to his knees before the Almighty. If leaders oppress the people of God they are overpowered.

Ask Sihon king of Heshbon.
"For the LORD your God had made his spirit stubborn and his heart obstinate in order to give him into your hands, as he has now done." (Deuteronomy 2:30 NIV)

Ask King Nebuchadnezzar.

"O king, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar sovereignty and greatness and glory and splendor. Because of the high position he gave him, all the peoples and nations and men of every language dreaded and feared him. Those the king wanted to put to death, he put to death; those he wanted to spare, he spared; those he wanted to promote, he promoted; and those he wanted to humble, he humbled. But when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory. He was driven away from people and given the mind of an animal; he lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like cattle; and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and sets over them anyone he wishes." (Daniel 5:18-21 NIV)

In contrast there are hearts that God rules willingly. I hope President Obama remembers this:

First what David, the King of Israel, wisely advised his son Solomon,

"And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever." (1 Chronicles 28:9 NIV)

Fortunately Solomon heeded his father's advice:

At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you."

Solomon answered, "You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day.

"Now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?"

The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. So God said to him, "Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. (1 Kings 3:5-12 NIV)

The result:

All the kings of the earth sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart. (2 Chronicles 9:23 NIV)

Heavenly Sovereign King, give the heart of this mere man, Barack Obama, who claims Christ as his Savior and Lord, a measure of the wisdom of Solomon. May he continue to acknowledge that the leadership that has been entrusted to him is from your hand, for these times, and only to do your will.

So, help him, God. propheT

If you find a prayer (or have one of your own) to add to this entry please add it (or a link to it) in comments. Here is one I found to be especially helpful : A Prayer for President Obama

The Liberation of Creation (Animals in Heaven?)

2009-01-15T17:51:00.000-08:00

There was a lot of animal awareness in my inbox this week. First, I got Cousin Sandy's email:

- Church Sign Wars -

Catholic Church Sign: All Dogs Go To Heaven

Presbyterian Church Sign: Only Humans Go to Heaven, Read Your Bible
Catholic Church Sign: God Loves All His Creations, Dogs Included
Presbyterian Church Sign: Dogs Don't Have Souls, This is not Open for Debate
Catholic Church Sign: Catholic Dogs Go to Heaven, Presbyterian Dogs can Talk to their Pastor
Presbyterian Church Sign: Converting to Catholicism Does Not Magically Give Your Dog a Soul
Catholic Church Sign: Free Dog Souls with Conversion
Presbyterian Church Sign: Dogs are Animals, There Aren't Any Rocks in Heaven Either
Catholic Church Sign: All Rocks Go to Heaven

Then I got an email with a link from our new friend Charlis; www.animalchaplins.com. Though I'm not sure I agree with every idea there, it does offer valuable consolation for the bereaved pet lover.

Then Tim Challies reviewed the book,'The Little Boy Down the Road". I read the segments of the book that you, too, can read here [link]. I was really enjoying the chapter "The Animal Fair", until I came on the sentence, "More importantly, they knew that Buddy did not have an eternal soul. He was an animal, and that means that when he died, he was gone forever." p.61

As an avid pet lover, as is Mr. Phillips, I was taken back by that sentence. I have wrestled with the eternalness of animal life ever since I was l old enough to remember anything of weight. I have two dogs now that indisputably react with human - like emotion (fear, happiness, excitement, contentment, anger...).

If I remember my seminary Hebrew correctly in the creation account both the creatures and man become (if literally translated) "living souls" (Nephesh Chie) [if you look at both chapters 1&2 of Genesis]. I guess I had a pet loving professor, as he made a big point of that connection and pointed out that both were called living souls. I will lay my cards on the table. I want to see (some) of my previous pets in heaven. I don't see the Word intimating anything otherwise.

If Isaiah 11:6-8 is more than allegory then there is ample evidence that the next life will be inhabited by a fully redeemed nature.

The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling together;
and a little child will lead them.

The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.

The infant will play near the hole of the cobra,
and the young child put his hand into the viper's nest. (NIV)

Also consider:

"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God." Romans 8:18-21 NIV

Doesn't creation include all life? What will the Liberation of Creation consist of? Being set free from the inescapable rot brought to it by man into the same freedom we now share as God's Children. Wow! Now, skip forward to Forever.

Revelation (4:6-11) gives us all kinds of New Living Creatures in Heaven. They are real, just hard to describe in human terms. But they are living creatures, not angels, not human. And they are an essential part of the heavenly description:

Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come." Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being." (NIV)

These other worldly creatures are worshiping God. What greater role can any creature serve? They are the initiators of worship, then they are joined by humans. They are called "Living Creatures", remember those words in Genesis?

Then again:

Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!"
The four living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshiped. Revelation 5:13-14 NIV

In this cosmic climax, Every Creature...Every Where...sets the example, stirring the Four Living Creatures and the Representative People (24 Elders) before the Throne of God on to worship.

Even the last chapter of the Revelation (22:15) mentions the "dogs" being outside the gates of the New Jerusalem, along with all the People who refused to let go of their sin nature. Why would dogs still be mentioned as being around in this last scene in forever-land? We know that the name is analogous of the kind of human that lived like the nasty scavenging animal that all (non-Egyptian) dogs were in those days. The unblessed, the unwashed, the unredeemed do not want to be in the city. If they had recognized their thirst...the parched desert state of their souls ...they could have answered the call:

"Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life. Revelation 22:13 NIV

Now, you tell me. Are animals made for eternity? I have my answer from a very reliable source. My animals stir me to worship their Creator, even now.

The questionable creatures are those sons and daughters of Adam who chose to live thirsty lives, now and forever. Hear the rolling waters of Life in Christ? Come, Drink, Freely.

Amen. propheT

The Case of the Mysteriously Missing Word

2009-01-11T18:22:00.000-08:00

It's a bit telling that both the most precious and the most vile words in the English language are four letter words. This is just a theory, but I think it is because English is a lazy language, not easy by any standard, just lazy. We are fond of little words, stolen words, overused words.

Use of four letter words are a risky business. They are a dead give a way that you are novice Scrabble player. Even worse, in those emotionally, hormonally, vulnerably weak moments of life we use four letter words that get us into a lifetime of trouble. "I love you".

Is it not obvious to you yet? Even the word for word is four letters, as is the word for four.

As common and as essential as four letter words are in the Christian/English vocabulary, there is one four letter word hauntingly absent from almost every sermon, blog, song, and book in contemporary Christian media. I'm not talking about the blockbuster biggies like Love, Life, Purpose (not 4 letters...but goes so good with Life), Hope, Give, Word, or Emergent (counts as two 4 letter words, but you'd think it a vile four letter word in some circles).

The word faith is usually associated with the beginnings of Abrahamic covenant. But look for the hidden four letter word (disguised as a six letter word) that best expresses what God looked for in his chosen one:

"I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because Abraham obeyed me and kept my requirements, my commands, my decrees and my laws." Genesis 26:4,5 NIV

There you have it: OBEY

The word that scares Christians. Fear of legalism has made us whisper over the word, Obey. Faith enables one to obey. But faith without actions (obedience) is not faith at all. Look how the New Testament rephrases the same idea:

By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. Hebrews 11:8

When you have time, come back and look at the frequency of the word in this word search: BibleGateway search for "obey" [click here]. There are nine pages of obey to click through; 223 references to be exact. This is a word to pay attention to!

Hand in hand with God's deliverance, laws and covenants was the call to Obey:

'You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites."
Exodus 19:4-6 NIV

Note the iffiness of the promise. "If you obey me fully...then you will be my treasured possession."

Psalm 119 could be called the Obeying Song. Line after line after line, the Psalmist commits to knowledge of and obedience to the Word of the Lord.

Jesus did not do away with the need to obey. His sinlessness was the result of his own perfect obedience:

"...but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me." John 14:31

"If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love." John 15:10 NIV

This blogger is just as guilty of evading the "O" word as anyone. Love is such a, well, lovely word, that it is easy to get lost in it's aura. But note how love for God and to obey God are intertwined in the letters of John:

"This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome..." 1 John 5:2,3 NIV

Remember when Jesus was asked to isolate God's greatest commandment by the religious legal beagles of his day he said, "Love God, love your neighbor." Loving is not some when I get around to feeling like it, when the spirit moves me, kind of expectation. Loving is to obey. We love out of the knowledge that we are pleasing God when we love.

Jesus' goal in teaching his disciples the Word of the Father was that they might obey those Words: "I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. John 17:6 NIV

Paul even uses the word in conjunction with the Gospel, as it is something not just to be believed but also to be obeyed:

He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
2 Thessalonians 1:8 NIV

We are enabled to obey as we walk in the Spirit. See Galatians 5 and Romans 8 :1-16 on how our proclivities for obedience have been enabled by the work of the indwelling of God's Spirit.

John 14:15 starts what I call the Holy Spirit sandwich. It has obedience on either side with the middle filled with the Holy Spirit:

"If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." John 14:15-21 NIV

Love God? Obey God. Obeying God? Love. propheT

Addendum: Good short study on types of Laws in OT and their relevance to Christians.

God Does His Thing (with or without us)

2009-01-11T11:44:00.000-08:00

Here follows a comment I made on Tim Challies thought sparking post, "the Greatest Hindrance to the Gospel". Click over and give it a read.

" 7But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9And do not think you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire." Matthew 3:7-10 NIV

God can create Sons from Stones.
Witnesses from the Witless.
Jesus promises that his disciples would be his witnesses only AFTER the Holy Spirit had come upon them.
Nothing is hindering the Gospel. Any lack of repentance on our part only prevents our personal involvement...not God's purposes.
As we are the salt of the earth, just because we are, the Gospel is the Good News of the Kingdom of God, just because it is. We should be awed that we we were ever invited to speak these words under the influence of the Holy Spirit. As we assimilate The Word into our lives the Holy Spirit will make us ready, give us opportunity, and make us instruments of God's purpose.
If we are hindering the Gospel, God help us that we don't end up like the Pharisees and Sadducees, thinking we are something we are not.

Love, to go.

2009-01-08T21:00:00.000-08:00

Wednesday night I was struck with a comment made on Barbara Walter's Special with Patrick Swayze. In the interview they discussed the weighty issues of living with the treatments and threats of pancreatic cancer. It was a raw and moving experience. I imagine other cancer survivors could relate to the emotional and physical pain and doubt that Patrick has experienced. His grit and determination were obviously key ingredients in his prolonged fight against this ravaging disease. His love for his wife and work and ranch were also evident early on in the conversation. That notable love became the impetus for the capstone comment that caught my ear as they closed the evening.

What we call our love of/for our spouses, families, careers, causes and possessions, is what makes leaving this life so difficult. Though we have to leave them behind, we do not have to leave the Love behind.

Quoting from his lines in the climactic scene from the Ghost movie, Patrick said, "It's amazing Molly, the love inside, you take it with you." Then to apply it to his own situation he continued, "That's all that you can take with you and I think that it validated that one thing for all of us, that the only thing that you can really take with you is the Love that you have".

My prayer is that Patrick finds and takes the Love of Christ with him, too. For that is the eternal love.

After saying much about the spiritual enablements of this world; how it takes love to make even good deeds meaningful, the Apostle Paul reminds us of the elements of community that make it all work:

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13:13 NIV

Why is love the greatest? Because it is the forever-est!

Will we need faith in heaven? No, our believing will become seeing there. Or hope? What suffering would produce the need for hope? There is no pain, or sorrow, or unfulfilled promises, so there'll be no need for hope past this temporal journey. Faith and hope are earthly necessities. But love, love is forever and will need to be expressed for our God and savior eternally.

He loves you now. Abide with that thought for a while. God is Love. Can love be anything less than forever?

propheT

Dangerously Good News

2008-12-31T21:14:00.000-08:00

"Shared laughter creates a bond of friendships. When people laugh together, they cease to be young and old, teacher and pupils, worker and boss. They become a single group of human beings". -W. Lee Grant

Boy, isn't that the truth? Laughter is a powerful equalizer...and in these very troubled times we all benefit from a shared sense of humor. But the greatest equalizer known to mankind is not humor, it's the Gospel. Don't click away from this post because I just used an old fashioned religious word. No word is more needed in our day than Gospel...because it literally means "Good News". Would you run from words like "Amazing!", "Incredible!" "Fantastic!"? The Gospel is like water and air. All humans must drink and breath to live; all humans must have the Gospel to truly live.

When I was a 6th grader I rode my bike all through the neighborhood delivering a weekly newspaper called the Grit. The Grit was a very unusual newspaper; it was all Good News. Even as a child I knew that the bad news that regular newspapers (and all modern media) thrives on made our attitudes worse. But even good news is not without danger.

To read further is dangerous. Dangerous because the Gospel is the Best News to ever grace human ears; but it's news that demands you do something with what you've heard. This is not news you can hear and walk away from unchanged. It asks, "Did you really hear what was just said? There is a new world order awaiting, a complete personal transformation preparing you for eternal and spiritual dimensions; a call to live what could be an even harder life - yet with meaning and purpose; a demand to be more honest with yourself than you have even been, an admission to helplessness and complete reliance on your maker; a call to brave humility, a call to live serving and loving others; a call to turn and follow the great lover of our souls - Jesus Christ.

I vividly remember sharing the news with a friend from High School a few years out. I went to his house to remember the good old days and to make sure I shared the Good Old News with him before I totally lost touch with him. He was a cool hippy like guy that everyone seemed to like. He was laid back, played rhythm guitar in a rock band, and was a deep thinker type, too. I poured my heart out to Dennis; told him how Christ loved him and came that he might have forgiveness of sin, fullness of life, and get to spend forever with his believing friends. He took it in openly, without argument. I asked if he was ready to follow Jesus. He gave the most honest answer I've ever heard from someone who chose not to follow Christ. "You know Randy," he said, "I've read the Bible, and I now that if I follow Jesus I will have to give up a lot of things that Jesus just wouldn't approve of, and I don't think I could do that right now." How many people have said, "Yeah, sure, I'd like to get all the goodies that God gives believers," but have never counted the cost and impact that the News makes on people that embrace it.

"After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"
Mark 1:14-15 NIV

You may hear the News, but until you turn to believe and follow, it is just so many words.

Faith gives following feet to knowledge.

In Matthew's Gospel we read of Jesus confronting the religious elite of his day with a similar call:

Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him. Matthew 21:31-32 NIV

All people have to bow to the Lordship of Jesus to be a part of his family. The best expression of this dangerous equality is a church demonstrating loving diversity: age, economic status, societal position, race, gender, nationality and political persuasion, all can reside together in the kingdom of God. Each person has to make sacrifices to get along with the others, but the greatest sacrifice has already been made.

We all have to confess our equality as sinners in need of a savior. None of our physical or societal, or even religious baggage is recognizable or credible before the cross. God purposefully chooses the things that keep man from getting ego credit to make sure that our pride doesn't take over. That is one of the things that I see too often among christian leadership today. Ego Ministries. But that is nothing new. The entire first letter to the Corinthian church is designed to deflate overinflated egos. Look closely at this chapter: 1 Corinthians 3

Not only are we all equally humbled before God, we are all equally gifted. Not with the same gifts, but with equally essential gifts. Though some serve a greater purpose, none should be seen as inferior. If you like to be the star of everything, this is also dangerous news. As Paul says, all things spiritual belong to all believers. No Christian should ever feel left out of God's grace and service.

We are each given new equipment to use in God's service; spiritual gifts, none of which gives greater status than any other. Each functions interdependently on all the others, just like your body does. What's a heart going to do without lungs and vice versa?

Your faith comes when you hear the cross preached - no matter how eloquently - because the power of God is in the message - not the messenger! 1 Corinthians 2:1-5

My resolve is to be a consistent communicator of the Best News, no matter how dangerous. Would you join me?

propheT

God said... (Part Two)

2008-12-28T17:52:00.001-08:00

word cloud image of this post provided by http://www.wordle.net/

[Part One Here]

Two and a half years ago I wrote about The Most Important Thing God Ever Said.

God Said.

That stuck with me. It takes a long time to grapple with the ramifications of that idea. That the Maker of the Universe spoke it into existence is not so easy to accept in this age of reasoned "Delightenment". But this is not something new, it has always taken faith to make it understandable.

By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. Hebrews 11:3 NIV

God Said.

It will take the wind out of any pompous thought. It will challenge you to put your raw scientific preconceptions on hold. It means that the universe didn't create thought; thought created the universe.

No study will take you to the very core of theology like a study of the concept of the Word of God. I started this post several nights ago. I couldn't go to sleep, not because it was Christmas Eve and I was excited about my presents (though it turned out that they were really cool), but I was excited about the adventure of this study. I had just put the previous entry to bed, and was beginning to put myself to bed when scriptures started popping into my head. I got up from the edge of the bed and hurried back downstairs to write them down. Next thing I knew, I'd scanned the Bible for any other relevant passages using the search tool in BibleGateway.com, it's 2 AM, and Lynne was up again, putting the turkey in the oven, telling me I was obsessed, and that I should put down the laptop and come to bed. She was right, but that's OK.

To know someone is to really listen to what they say; that is unless they are a politician -who really ever knows who they are? I know God, we know God, because he has told us everything we need to know about him...and the more we listen...the more we love him. Not that we have begun to plumb the depths of the the great I AM; but, the enough that we have was the package that Jesus left with us...God's words.

"I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me". John 17:6-8 NIV

My father was an amateur prospector. My fondest memories of him are of days we spent in the Arizona hills and mountains digging for unusual rocks and ores. There are hillsides in that state still covered with the skeletal frameworks of deserted mine towns; pocked with deep holes and mounds of dirt where hardy men had plied picks, shovels, and dynamite to dig for the Mother Lode; that vein of ore that was their equivalent of the million dollar lottery. Most of those mines played out and the miners moved on in search of another rich vein. Though my father and I had our sights on smaller fare, we did find enough to keep us interested. I still have a rock collection that serves as a memorial of those times with my father. I'm also fortunate to have another collection - of writings - that reminds me of my heavenly Father.

Those writings, of course, were the focus of our worship / Bible study as gathered believers today. Our young teacher was relating the story of the Exodus, and it's key leader Moses. Having this study at the top of my mind I heard the story / read the scripture from a fresh perspective. Here we see God speaking again, as he had in creation; as he had to Adam, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph...now to Moses. Continuing to confirm his promises, God spoke the framework of an eternal relationship into existence; his covenant and law.

These are the commands, decrees and laws the LORD [God spoken] your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the LORD your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. Deuteronomy 6:1,2 NIV See all of Deuteronomy 6 here.

Hebrews is the schematic that connects the dots of the Old Testament and the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord. For the seeker of the Almighty Speaker, the book of Hebrews is a Mother Lode of discovery.

The first chapter links the prophetic words about God's son to the person of Jesus:

In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. Hebrews 1:1-3 NIV

As you read on, line after line connects Jesus to things God had told Israel centuries before. Look at the footnotes. There are twelve Old Testament phrases that connect Jesus to those words that went before (with a heavy emphasis on the Psalms), before we even get out of the first two chapters. [Hebrews 1 & 2].

Hebrews challenges us to see the word that God had been speaking all along finds its fruition in Christ. The angels, the promise to Abraham, the journey into the promised land, the priests, the covenant, the rituals and sacrifices, the law...all come together in Christ. One of the first things Jesus did was to let it be known that he knew that his job was to fulfill the words of the Old Testament:

Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. Then I said, 'Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—I have come to do your will, O God.' Hebrews 10:5-7

One danger of hearing God's voice has always been that the human heart is predisposed to do just the opposite of what is best for it...that thing called sin has been very real...ever since Eden. That becomes especially obvious every time God had something special to say to the people of Israel. They heard his voice...then hardened their hearts.

As has just been said: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion." Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the desert? Hebrews 13:15-17 NIV

We, too, must be careful to never be cavalier about God's words - the second chapter begins: "We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away." Hebrews 2:1 NIV

The other danger has been the frightening nature of a voice that could tell a trillion stars to ignite blasts even brighter words of truth into the darkened hearts of man, causing people to recoil in terror:

You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, because they could not bear what was commanded: "If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned." The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, "I am trembling with fear." Hebrews 12:18-21 NIV

You may be thinking. Not me. If I heard God's voice I'd listen, I'd believe, I'd obey, I wouldn't shrink back in fear. Maybe yes, maybe no. You see, when we hear the Gospel preached, we are hearing God Speak, and if we add faith, we burst through the fear and hard heartening tendencies that prevailed before Christ came.

"For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith."
Hebrews 4:2 NIV

The Bible is not just some stuffy old book that's had it's better days. It's forever relevant. Eternally what God said. Have you heard him? That's the new deal God has made with us. Through Christ, he can plant his word in our hearts and minds.

This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds." Hebrews 10:16 NIV

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. Hebrews 4:12 NIV

The Word of the Lord: If you want to further pursue this study, here is a partial list of passages that will help you explore what the Word says about Himself.

Hebrews 2:1-3

Hebrews 4:2,12

Genesis 15:1-4 - Abraham

Deuteronomy 8:2-4 & 11:18 & Chapter 30- Moses

Joshua 3 - Joshua

2 Samuel 7 - David

Psalm 119

Isaiah 59

Jeremiah 1

John 17:6-19 - Jesus

Acts 13 - Paul

Ephesians 1:13

God's Word::IIIIIIIIII::God's Love... Bookends for the best possible life... propheT

***Be sure to click on the comments below for a very insightful addendum from Romanos***

Hearers and Overcomers: Nick Vujicic (Life Without Limbs Ministry)

2008-12-27T08:14:00.000-08:00

Here is a little serendipitous break to my study "God Said..."

I was sent a [YouTube link] that introduced me to [Nick Vujicic] (thanks Mike G). Video is embedded below.

While I sat in awe admiring this man's attitude and zeal for God, I did a some additional scriptural reflection and this came out:

The book of the Revelation refers to True Christians as Hearers and Overcomers. I mentioned in the last entry, God spoke the universe into existence ("Let there be..."). As creatures made (remade) in his image we also share that special ability to hear his voice, be recreated and be empowered to overcome our spiritual limitations. *

Here are a few examples of the life changing benefits of listening to the Spirit and Jesus (2:20)
from The Revelation, Chapters 2&3 NIV:

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. 2:7

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death. 2:11

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it. 2:17

To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— 'He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery'— just as I have received authority from my Father. I will also give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. 2:26-29

He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. 3:5,6

Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. 3:12,13

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." 3:20-22

I hope you can see the flow of hearing and overcoming by my pulling these phrases and promises out of their context for emphasis. There are things that need to be heard, heeded, repented of and obeyed in order to be overcomers, so I encourage you to go back and read both entire chapters out loud here [The Revelation, Chapters 2&3 NIV]. Remember, there is a promised blessing in hearing these words. These are things churches need to hear...and if you are part of Christ's Church, that means you.

Nick is a terrific example of hearing and overcoming.

Don't we all need to share Nick's attitude? Please spend a few minutes with Nick today. I'm glad I did.

"Lord, please help me clean out all that unholy ear wax from from my spiritual ears. I will hear your Spirit, I will obey, I will overcome..." propheT

Oh, and Tim Challies' blog today brought another fabulous ministry to light. A way to send your unused Bibles (hopefully you are using at least one of them) to those in need. [Click here for info]

*(lest you think that I'm being insensitive to the needs of the speech and hearing impaired, please understand that I'm certain God communicates though every possible means at his disposal - as we should - to those that have such impairments. Jesus said that there were many who had functional ears, but refused to hear. That is the only handicap that is insurmountable).

God said... (Part One)

2008-12-23T07:55:00.000-08:00

word cloud image of Genesis 1 (NIV) provided by http://www.wordle.net/

Where did we come from?

Why are we here?

Why do these questions even matter?

Is this unique little blue planet but a mere random necessity, given enough gaseous experiments by infinite chance?

Does the infinitude of the universe and the littleness and shortness of life (individually and as a totality) by comparison, have to damn us to a sense of utter loneliness and fatalism?

Every thinker thinks about these questions at some point. Philosophy and religion have always been about finding meaning and purpose to our existence, and now even secular science has jumped into the pool of the inquiry of meaning...evolving it's own brand of answers that it says has made much of philosophy and all of religion moot. We are here because...well...actually there are no becauses, just causes. We just are, they say. As if to shush us with, "Quit your whiny "whying" everything and just focus on the ises." The advocates of this dogma of science say that man has dealt with his corporate anxieties and fears by creating the idea of the ultimate thinker/maker (like himself) and has named it God. If there were no man, goes this line of reasoning, there would be no need for God. God exists, but only as a man made fantasy, they conclude; a crutch, a delusion.

But ever since man has been passing on oral, then written, traditions he has made a part of those ponderings a sense of something beyond himself - greater than himself - something or someone transcendent to the simple mechanics of life. Why is that so ingrained into the human psyche? Is it merely caused by our delusions? Does God exist for us? Or do we, as the traditions contend, exist for God?

Look with me at the first few paragraphs of the Bible. For the past hundred years they have been the theological vortex of the debate between Creationists and Evolutionists; with some saying that they are, at best, mythical prescience speculation, with those at the opposite end of the continuum of precision saying that they are words that exactly portray the unfolding events, word for word, down to the order, manner and time line (six days to git-er-done). I have always been fascinated at the scientific progression of the account, considering the general mindset of the accounts contemporaries. Show me another account as old that doesn't have already created anthropomorphic creatures involved in further creating (i.e., the Hindu accounts tend to have a giant cobra and lotus flowers preexisting creation). No ancient tradition even comes close to resembling a scientifically sympathetic representation of the hows of the universe coming about.

There are plenty of places on the Internet to get yourself a good dose of debate on the topic. What we are about to embark on in this post is the pure theology of these paragraphs. I will state my presuppositions clearly; if it was done, God did it. How He did it is pretty clear too; He said it.

There are two words in this Genesis prologue that precede every formative act; "God said."

You would think that the two words would be "God created", but those words only appear in the first sentence and then in the 21st and 27th verses (where God creates animals, then humans). There are other verbs around: God made, God separated, God saw, God blessed, God rested.

Each unfolding of doing begins with God saying.

What would the world be today without words? Man's greatest tools of civilization have not been plows or even swords; they have been words. Though it is true that words have propelled mankind toward unfathomable acts of selfish cruelty, it is all the more remarkable that they have motivated people into making unimaginable sacrifices toward the creative betterment of this world.

Being the creatures fashioned into God's very image, it is not surprising that humankind has become creatures of the word? Is it so hard to imagine that words began all that is? Not just any words, mind you; but..The Word.

What did God say when he was fashioning reality? He said, "Let there be..." (9 times)

Why did he need to say something? Why didn't he just think it into existence? There is a blessing to be gained in understanding the power of the spoken word, especially when it is the spoken Word of God. This is the secret weapon of the Kingdom of God. (Oops! Did I just let out a secret?)

There is a New Testament commentary to this chapter that needs to be studied hand in hand with Genesis 1, it's the Gospel of John, Chapter 1:1-18.

Both begin with, "In the beginning..." John refers to Jesus as "the Word." Jesus was the media of creation. "Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made." 1:3 NIV

Take any portion of scripture and read it silently, then read it aloud. It will take on a new dimension of power in your life (and the lives of others) when it is spoken. The same is true for prayer and blessings.

Note how John opens another of his writings, the Revelation. "Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near." 1:3 NIV

It is obvious that this not a reading one is encouraged to do silently or there would be no blessing in hearing it.

Dear Lord bless this study as it continues, even as you have blessed us in making us, redeeming us, and giving your Eternal Word. (said aloud)

[After, I repeat, after, I wrote this entry I was reviewing Roman's blog entries and found this (click here for chills) ...can the Holy Spirit plagiarize himself? Amazing, how God say's the same unique things at nearly the same time to his children spread around the world; for that I've coined a new term, "theochronoproximity"! Who needs the internet!?!?]

[Part Two here]
admittedly wordy, propheT

Merry Christmas!

Thanks be to God for His Indescribable Gift! 2 Corinthians 9:15 NIV