Trouble Seeing Clearly

This is a continuation of “Another Four Letter Word,” Judgment.

What I find fascinating about what I’m quoting here from Wayne Jacobsen’s book The Naked Church, this was published in 1987, and in particular what I have already shared in my previous post about the dark clouds of judgment hanging ominously over America as Wayne related the story, could easily relate to the current financial collapse happening this hour in America. *

Further with what Wayne had to say; “Why didn’t I want God to judge the earth? Doesn’t judgment force people to see the emptiness of life without God? Doesn’t it end the deceptions that men hold over one another, rewarding the truly righteous and exposing those who have only pretended to be so? Doesn’t it restore justice and freedom to the oppressed and invite people to return to God?
Of course I wanted all those things, but I feared what it might take to bring them to pass. If God’s judgment took the form of an economic depression, my money would become worthless like everyone else’s, and I would risk having to cope with scarcity. If he judged us by the invasion of a wicked foreign power, I too would loose my freedom. And if a plague swept us, I would be involved with people tormented by it.
I was face-to-face with the truth. My priorities were vested in the material world as much as people around me who did not love God. Theologically I valued my walk with Jesus more than any other possession I had, but the others rated such a close second that I doubt whether anyone could have told the difference. I perceived God’s blessings primarily in material terms, and I didn’t want him to do anything that would put those at risk.
I had become a Christian materialist, if such people exist-and I don’t think they do except in someone’s mind. In reality, the materialist part always devours the Christian part. You can’t serve two masters.”

I so appreciate the sobriety and transparency of Wayne’s heart here in what he has openly shared.

The Father is the only one capable of knowing the truth about our motives, the attitudes and intents of our hearts; no matter how right the outer actions appear to be. Anything that is not of faith IS sin!
I personally can attest to the goodness of the Father sifting my own heart, lovingly exposing what might appear to be kosher outwardly but twisted on the inside where others can not see.
The true and growing knowledge of my Father’s love is freeing me to embrace his continued loving but firm correction. I so desire to be established in Truth not just in an outer appearance but inwardly, so whatever it takes, Lord your will be done, bring on the judgment!

Rich

As a foot note to * my wife posed a question to a good friend of ours living in the states regarding the current financial red alert and its impending continued dark and stormy weather getting even darker.
My wife asked; “Just wondering what you were thinking re: this Wall Street crisis. I overheard a newscaster last night saying something to the effect that if people thought this was strictly a U.S. problem, they were being naive. He said all nations, including China, were facing a similar problem - they were just concealing it better. So what are your thoughts? Do you think this bail-out is just a band-aid solution?”

Our friends reply was’ “It will have some effects on the rest of the world since these SIVs (structured investments vehicles), which are bundles that hold these bad mortgages, were sold off to investment companies, banks and insurers around the world. The US economy still is the consuming customer for the world's goods. So when we get a cold the rest of the world still can get pneumonia.
So in effect, the USA will be bailing out the world. I do think this is just a bandage and more is to come. There are many more mortgages that will reset at the higher interest rates over the next two years so that will bring on Act II and Act lll.
The empire is falling much more quickly than I had expected and His coming is near as the USA is more and more impotent. This sets the stage for that "man of Sin" to be revealed soon after you and I are raptured to "meet Him in the air."

Prince Charming

“When God’s presence loses reality among his people we always retreat to codes of conduct.” (This is from the Naked Church, by Wayne Jacobsen).

I remember when our children had just learned to crawl which opened up a whole new world of continued learning for them as well as for their parents.
Often in venturing out further into the larger world of our house, they would inevitably become fixated on some object that caught their fancy, usually something that was costly and precious to us, and or, harmful for them.
What became a smooth, clever and painless exchange for the potential harmful situation in taking away from them the object of their delight was done through distraction. I would take some bobble that was usually bright in colour and had a noise that it made, waved it, and rattled it in front of them only to see them instantly loose their firm grip on that which we wanted to save.

There is no possible way for our senses becoming honed or sharpened without vigorous and rigorous testing. “For everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.”

The heart cry I believe Father God has put into our spiritual DNA is to know Him, and anything less is simply missing His best.

"For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin. But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. For if one comes and preaches another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully."
The warning is as real today as it was then, becoming distracted, and in these distractions is hidden a diabolical charmer desiring to lead us astray from the simplicity of real heart to heart intercourse.
You might ask yourself, why doesn’t God simply eradicate once and for all this deceitful snake charmer, persistently trying to keep us bewitched? Folks, without these needed and necessary distractions there would be no opportunity to continue growing in grace.

I find it most astute in the flow of the language used here by Paul; “But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray.”
Our soul is under construction/transformation, it is being renewed in true righteousness, therefore the needed emphasis of hearing the voice of our Father, it being that which effortlessly cuts through that which is intended to cloud our thinking!
As I shared with my wife this morning in light of a most serious decision she is in the process of making, our security is not in what we possess materially much or little, it is only available in hearing His voice will true permanent, now and ever lasting security be hers/ours.
There are so many things, distractions the father of lies is permitted to bring to our attention whereby we are tempted to look at the instant gratification at the expense of loosing our birth-right. He comes to each of us just like I did in distracting my children to let go of their prized trophy, in my case it was to save them needles harm, in Satan’s case it is his ploy once again to get us to surrender, give up our God given authority to rule in this life and in the life to come.

Finally brethren, having done all, stand!

Rich

I Didn’t Say It Would Be Easy

“I just said it would be the truth.”



This was the truth being revealed (presented) to Neo by Morpheus in the movie The Matrix, it was so violent, so extreme that it caused him to throw up.

As much as we are convinced we are ready to receive the truth, I really wonder how much of a dream world we unknowingly participate in.
I wonder if it would be all shouting and happy, happy celebrating that we are no longer deluded and kept prisoner to an in the box religious system, only to have revealed to us that within our very physiology in our flesh, lies not only the father of lies, but the father of all religion!
You know the whole deal of escaping Egypt only to sadly discover how much of the very spirit of Egypt was in us.

As long as we are duped into dumbing down to those other voices that unequivocally denounce the believer from having two natures, then get ready for a long and continued hellish ride.
Let me say although this may sound at first like a contradiction, it is not. The believer only has one nature and that is the nature of God the Father, he that is joined to the Lord is one spirit. But in our flesh resides a hidden but very real nature, and that is the nature of the father of lies.
Without this dynamic tension, freedom is but an illusion, there is NO freedom without having a choice to make, moment by moment.

The greatest trick the devil has ever done is to convince the Christian that after being re-born, he is but a moot point, ergo he successfully keeps us believing our fettered institutionalized daze is over!

Father in Jesus name I ask that you would give unto your church the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the true knowledge of your Son Jesus Christ, and that the eyes of our heart would be opened and flooded with light to see and know you, the Truth.

Rich

This is Not a Teaching

Why can’t it simply be an everyday interacting, from a simple smile to an extended dialogue?
If it is Christ in us as us, then maybe as we’re simply Being these new creations He has made and is making us to BE, then perhaps He, the spirit of truth and grace is actually doing the teaching, ya think?

I love it where our brother John says; “As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.”

Is this saying we are now a one man show, I don’t think so, but I am convinced that there is no one better equipped to hear from the Father than we are, unless of course He is not in us.
We have been duped, hood winked into voluntarily giving over that part of our birth right, hearing Him for our self. It’s the Spirit himself that is revealing this one in us as our only Life, and out this continued unveiling, all wisdom and knowledge is available to us in Christ who IS our only life! We ARE complete in Him!

Pardon my French here, but what the hell does it matter how well others appear to being hearing from the Father, as long as we are dependent upon anyone other than the Father of our spirit, we are kept enslaved. Second hand revelation is always going to keep us dependent upon the arm of flesh.
I get so damn ticked off at hearing, Bro, you have to listen to this great teaching, oh my God, you’ll be blown away, and other pathetic crap, when all the time the spirit is wanting to make real to and in us our loving Father and his closeness to us.

As long as we continue to give a mind to the Great Oz whoever that might be in your life, you're screwed.

By the way, this is NOT, a teaching!!!!

Rich

Self-Mutilation

Last week on the God Journey pod cast Wayne and Brad were discussing, “Troublesome Scriptures”, and its part of that I want to address, share the following thoughts.
The following scriptures in particular were some of those seen as troublesome. Was Jesus really describing ‘self-mutilation’ or as Wayne suggested, figurative language pointing to a far more serious form of dis-figuration?

Any fool can cut their right hand off, as well as gouge out their right eye, but in doing so I think sooner or later the sad conclusion they will arrive at is, the problem was far deeper and rooted within their flesh. Even in their maimed dis figurations, those inner inclinations were still very much in tact.

There is only one self that the Father of our spirit intends to display the wonder of His son in and through, but that transformation can be badly marred by listening and agreeing to the lies that we believe are in fact the truth.
The internal gouging, disfiguring, self-mutilation that is purposed by the father of lies within our flesh is keep the world from seeing the reality of the many forth coming sons being birthed as result of Jesus being the ‘first born’ of many sons.

We need to be as real as we know how to be with our Father.
Here is an example that hopefully will shed further light on my previous thoughts. We are told to “put on the new self” what does that look like?
If the best we have ever experienced is an unabated deep hunger every time we go to a restaurant, and while there we look at not only the description of the contents of a cheese burger deluxe, but the mouth water picture as well, is it any wonder when we leave without ordering what all of that pointed to, we go away hungrier than when we came in.

Our Father is not trying to torment us with just a pretty book; heck some even have wonderful pictures in it, the Bible.
He is inviting us to cry out to Him to make as real as only He can do, what it means to have His life fully formed in us as us.

There is a surgery that we are under going; it is with this One who has fully died only to become fully alive in order to fully form Christ in us! This ongoing and deeply necessary surgery is only going to cut away that which is trying to keep us from a deepened knowledge of the Truth. It will be this true knowledge of the Truth that will bring this self-mutilation to a halt.

Though He slays me, yet I will trust in HIM!

Rich

Truth Has a Caustic Bite

Is it really all that much different today than it was 2,000 years ago regarding how fear and lies have kept man imprisoned within an identity that serves as a coffin?
As the Father of a vast immeasurable family is awakening us, we are discovering as a result of His total, unconditional loving acceptance of us, that we in fact have a voice. Where before as in so many cases so many if not in fact all of us were gagged, our thoughts opinions were seen as being less than useless, well folks, family, that is as the song says, “The times, they are a changing”.

Gosh darn I love this; “But how can people call for help if they don't know who to trust? And how can they know who to trust if they haven't heard of the One who can be trusted? And how can they hear if nobody tells them? And how is anyone going to tell them, unless someone is sent to do it? That's why Scripture exclaims, A sight to take your breath away! Grand processions of people telling all the good things of God!
But not everybody is ready for this, ready to see and hear and act. Isaiah asked what we all ask at one time or another: "Does anyone care, God? Is anyone listening and believing a word of it?" The point is: Before you trust, you have to listen. But unless Christ's Word is preached, there's nothing to listen to.”

Just as the life of the Father in His son Jesus, became a huge threat to the gate keepers of religion in his day, so it is today.
Jesus talked plainly, clearly about this; “All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”
Please read the whole tenth chapter of John 10 if you have time, fitting in the quote used here takes on a much fuller dimension in its proper sandwiching.

The hidden motives and agendas are being exposed in every life, but especially within His church, and folks, this is GOOD news. “And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, "Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed-- and a sword will pierce even your own soul--to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed."

“For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart.”

One of the greatest areas of opposition is in the authority of the Father’s love freeing us to speak forth the TRUTH, not my truth verses your truth, but the one who IS the Truth.
The liar within all flesh is being exposed for who he is, and in particular, hidden within the flesh of those not seeing themselves in opposition to the will of God for us, His church.
Deception runs rampant and one expression of this is depicted in those who have become surrogate, foster parents/father’s to those still stuck within the lie of believing if they do not ‘submit’ to ‘God’s anointed’ then their very soul is in grave danger, please excuse my French, what a load of crap!

I was watching a World War 2 documentary recently (I am deeply fascinated with this time in history) talking about two great minds/personalities that had/were shaping the minds of the world. One was Adolph Hitler and the other Sigmund Freud. I love it when Freud said, “there was a time in history where it would have been me they would burn alive, and not just my books, what I have written.”
To be forewarned is to be forearmed, as more light, revelation continues to transform us the true Church, the death grip that Satan has on the church through those blindly being used of him, will rise up and in God’s holy, righteous name surgically remove what they deem a cancer (us) from it.

Rich

Life Has a Mind of its Own

Yesterday my wife and I went out of town for special day of just being with each other. Lately there haven’t been any real good movies, but we saw one we both liked so very much, “Ghost Town”.




If life is a language spoken from the heart, then the message spoken through this movie definitely spoke deeply to ours. When grace becomes more than just a five letter word, one seems to see the magic happening all around, it’s truly amazing!

As I witnessed the main character in the movie, a man completely self-absorbed slowing coming to experience the power of love bringing him into a sober realization of all that he had missed, I too not only celebrated his awakening, but mine as well. This is one for the heart!

Also before the movie they showed the up coming movies, and this one is one my wife and I will see for sure. The Soloist. One word that is a constant in this up coming movie is the word Friend, and how that is fleshed out when two extremely different lives crash into one another.

Rich


“Love works in miracles every day: such as weakening the strong, and strengthening the weak; making fools of the wise, and wise men of fools; favouring the passions, destroying reason, and in a word, turning everything topsy-turvy.”

Osmosis

Here is a peculiar thing: many Christians claim that any change they experience in their lives comes as a result of ‘osmosis’. Who is this Osmosis, anyhow? Moses’ shape-shifting twin?
Is the outworking of what our Father has perfectly worked in us (salvation) happening because of this mythical personality of Osmosis, magically setting us on a course of never having to choose, make any more choices or decisions? It’s all going to happen if I like it or not.

Just look at the goodness of our Father, right from the beginning in the garden, when He gave man the choice to become fully ALIVE, or to choose death, resulting in a form of godliness. The Father knew that the state these two, Adam and Eve were living in was one of innocence; this was not meant to become a substitute for becoming FULLY alive.
In being re-born, this is just the beginning of a life time of further choices we will continue to make because of His grace being fully available as it was in our spiritual re-birthing.

This idea of ‘osmosis’ is something that sounds so delightful, somehow actually believing that all further growth will be an effortless work of God in us without our willing consent, and from what I can see this choosing to move forward is totally available as we respond to His ability.

Is this what would have happened in the garden had they chosen life over (death) knowledge, having arrived, made perfect? Or is it out of that perfect work of the Father in our spirit, we are experiencing the continued perfect work of grace, now saving and transforming our soul?
I heard it said regarding our kids, what perfect little angles we have, only until their will is crossed, and then we wonder where these little devils came from.

Without understanding how the Father has designed us, spirit, soul and body, is it any wonder we have all been seduced into accepting, believing in another gospel, a gospel where we do not actively engage in.
I intend to elaborate on this further in another collection of thoughts on my other blog.

Rich

Shadow Boxing

What I have shared many different times and places on my blogs is but a growing increased knowing that is in my opinion the complete and objective understanding of the grace, Mystery Gospel given to us the church. And this is dealing with ‘the father of lies’ the unseen, undetected enemy of us all in the faith.
I know that apart from the Father’s timing, without Him bringing the continued revelation and discernment, at best much of what we see is in an abstract conceptual blurred perspective.
This reminds me of one of the many, the Father brought sight to through Jesus, and in this particular case it would appear something was off in that this blind man seemed to need a double hit of healing, or did he? See here.

Without an ongoing, ever expanding, deepening relationship with the Father, knowing and growing in His total unconditional loving acceptance of us, we will desire revelation only to make us look good, and folks that is not what it is about.
The story I have pointed out here is a story that speaks to me of, ‘In Him we live, move and become more and more His expressed will on earth as it is in heaven.’
Without the growing true knowledge of the Father’s love for us, we WILL get caught up in some wonderful side eddies, but miss out on the ocean of who He is.

I believe what the Father is allowing me to see is NOT something new or special, (It’s new to me) it is all part of knowing Him as our only Life, and yet without this being ever more deeply etched into the core of our being, the other father, the ‘father of lies’ will continue to reek havoc within the lives of the believers.
As long as I have been a Christian I have heard and seen the best doing what I call a Mexican hat dance, dancing all around the bush as it were in speaking out, pontificating on what is but in my opinion, beating the air-shadow boxing!

Wow, what an arrogant ass you might be thinking, well, hang in there before it’s over you might have a few more choice words for me~ha.
Through out the body of Christ in our being fully identified with our elder brother Jesus Christ, we are beginning to see and know, experience what mere words have pointed to but left us feeling left out from the substance these words spoke of.
Jesus himself repeatedly made it clear that it was only because of the oneness of Him and his Father and out of that abiding reality; he only said and did what the Father communicated to him. The son of man can of himself do ‘nothing.’

Because of our soul has not been fully transformed, we are most susceptible to being invaded by a foreign intruder and that source is the father of lies.
The Father of our spirit has purposed to leave this liar within our flesh whether we know it or not, and believe me, most of us do NOT even know of this liars unseen, hidden within us, activity.

Nothing that Father does is without purpose, now in this present time, and through out eternity. Here is an example; “For everyone who continues to feed on milk is obviously inexperienced and unskilled in the doctrine of righteousness (of conformity to the divine will in purpose, thought, and action), for he is a mere infant [not able to talk yet]! But solid food is for full-grown men, for those whose senses and mental faculties are trained by practice to discriminate and distinguish between what is morally good and noble and what is evil and contrary either to divine or human law.”

There is a plethora of wonderful and descriptive places within the Scriptures that bring us to an understanding that the voice of God our Father is a matter of life and death. His voice brings into the life of the believer an inner illumination, exposing what show to be real from the shadows that have kept us perpetually locked into shadow boxing with what we think is us.
The father of lies will never be detected without this inner work of the Spirit, and until He does, the tail will continue to shake the dog, aka, being ruled by our flesh and the impetus is our unseen adversary, Satan.

Am I being devil-demon conscious, seeing a devil-demon under every bush, I don’t think so, but what I am being is, I’m becoming intensely more aware of what has plagued me all my Christian life and those around me, the exposure of the one I contend with daily.

In closing, I love what our dear brother Paul says; “Therefore I do not run uncertainly (without definite aim). I do not box like one beating the air and striking without an adversary. But [like a boxer] I buffet my body [handle it roughly, discipline it by hardships] and subdue it, for fear that after proclaiming to others the Gospel and things pertaining to it, I myself should become unfit [not stand the test, be unapproved and rejected as a counterfeit].”

I have more thoughts to share, but later.

Rich

But Speaking the Truth...

In the process of everything that can be shaken being shaken, there is an inner release within the believer a realized maybe not fully yet, voice, and that voice being the voice of the Father of our spirit.
Can you say emancipation-freedom with me?!

The picture I choose for this entry spoke to me in a violent and powerful way. As you will notice the tape on the mouth of the young girl, gagging her from exercising her ability to speak freely, is a visible metaphor depicting where the church has been for a very long time! That is changing rapidly, not by might, nor by power, but by a revelation of the total unconditional loving acceptance of God the Father.

In a few blogs I peruse frequently, I am being blown away in seeing the head of the church (which is His body) the same head over us all Christ Jesus, doing exactly what he said he would do, “And I will build my church”.

We have all been seduced to one degree or another coming out from under the opiate drugged influence of the Matrix of religion and then set out to discover the “Holy Grail, a perfect expression of how to do ‘church’ or, whatever else is vital to our perceived understanding of what it truly means to be a Christian. Pursuing what we feel is a holy cause, isn’t it always, we are being lied to and even distracted further from trusting the Father of our spirit to open the closed, blinded eyes of our heart.

In coming to know the Word, you know, “n the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God,” yes that Word, the Scriptures have never been or looked the same to me.
Here in Ephesians 4:14-16 is laid out what I am seeing first hand. As the Truth Himself is making His heart known to his children, out of that inner explosion of love, realty they in turn are speaking forth the Truth in Love, ergo, is causing the growth of the body to come together being built up in and through love.

I will only sight two examples of His heart that I am seeing with regards to the Truth being spoken in love that is making, setting the captives free.
Over at “The Best Parts” Tracy is expressing a tangible view of the Father’s heart for His church.
Over at Amy’s blog “Walking in the Spirit” she as well is being given a voice to speak the truth in love to His body.

In being privy to what the Father is making known, often the picture from the Old Testament where God says to a prophet, “Son of man, can this valley of dead bones return to life,” the prophet replies, “Lord only you know.”
The Lord then said to prophesy to this lifeless heap and stage after stage what was once a lifeless pile of rubble became fully alive.

To my way of thinking this was a shadowy metaphor for what I am witnessing in this hour of the church, His body no longer being tossed too and fro by every wind of doctrine, cunningly devised by demonic persuasion to keep it mute.

Rich

My People Love it This way

When and where did what God pointed out start becoming more important than that which it pointed to?
Didn’t Jesus come to a decrepit, defunct, bankrupt system called Judaism that had replaced the one this religion was supposed to be all about?

Isn’t it always the same way, those seeing themselves as the anointed door keepers of the truth being willing to go to the death defending a lifeless thing.
How many times has the Father initiated in the heart of a person, something so full of life, so fluid, so beautiful and freeing, only later to be turn into a canned container of Florida sunshine.
It usually wasn’t the one who simply received the revelation of His heart that wanted to start something, like as in steering it into a ‘movement’, or making it more presentable to more folks, as in a building, heck, let’s not stop there, let’s turn it into a denomination for crying out loud!

This isn’t a new phenomenon, when Jesus wanting one more time to make known the Father to his disciples took three of them up to a mountain top where he was transfigured before them. Long story short after all of the spectacular stuff subsided, Peter not being short on words says, “Lord this is the coolest thing ever, we should package this, box it up, heck right now I bet ya if I looked around us we could find enough materials to make three churches here, one for Moses, one for Elijah, but of course Lord, the nicest one would BE for you!!

Like clock work, down through the centuries, time after time the one, who delights in revealing His heart of love for us is soon aborted, exchanged for the shadow instead of Him alone. Every time someone has a personal encounter with the Lord (this is supposed to BE the norm by the way) and they begin to see the truth, they start living out of that truth, expressing the reality of Him as the truth.
Soon some one comes along and says, ‘you know that revelation that dear brother had, we need to preserve that for ever. Let’s build a box and put that revelation in it, heck, we’ll even call and name ourselves after that revelation just in case some would sadly mistake us for someone else, God forbid.’

Our uniqueness only fully comes alive in knowing our heavenly Father on a one to one basis. We are re-born for LIFE, not to become canning jars that hold lifeless past revelations pickled for posterity sake.

Here’s where it gets dicey folks, has grace once again, the revelation of it become what is worshiped rather than the Father of all grace?
Folks it doesn’t have to be some wild vile wicked thing that turns (steals) our hearts from Him, remember all the good and bad come from the same source, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

This breaks my heart every time I read it; "will you put up with a little foolish aside from me? Please, just for a moment. The thing that has me so upset is that I care about you so much—this is the passion of God burning inside me! I promised your hand in marriage to Christ, presented you as a pure virgin to her husband. And now I'm afraid that exactly as the Snake seduced Eve with his smooth patter, you are being lured away from the simple purity of your love for Christ. It seems that if someone shows up preaching quite another Jesus than we preached—different spirit, different message—you put up with him quite nicely. But if you put up with these big-shot "apostles," why can't you put up with simple me? I'm as good as they are. It's true that I don't have their voice, haven't mastered that smooth eloquence that impresses you so much. But when I do open my mouth, I at least know what I'm talking about. We haven't kept anything back. We let you in on everything."

The light that is shinning ever so bright in this hour is not grace, but Him our Father of ALL grace, let’s love the one who loves us!
In Him we live, move and find true freedom to BE.

Rich

Can God be This Real

In hearing what Father was saying through Brad and Wayne on the last God Journey pod cast, (no need to validate) addressing an email sent to them from a brother/pastor Dave, from Alabama, I want to share what I am learning about that very reality.

Can God be that REAL, YES!
Wayne went on to say to Dave, ‘you may not hear from Brad or me, but you need to hear in your heart from the Holy Spirit that’s saying, yes!
Asking, Jesus would you just show me the way forward.

I love this thought from a brother, “Many catchwords are used by God's people, both Scriptural and homemade, to express the highest aims of their goal in God: some speak of the fullness of the Spirit, or entire sanctification, or power for service, or the baptism of the Holy Ghost and fire, or full salvation, or victorious living. All these are useful but we would like to speak the basic, simple all-inclusive word of Scripture, that was such a favorite with the Saviour: Eternal Life; or rather, just ''Life,'' for, as we shall see, nothing but this is Life. ''I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly,'' said the Saviour; and Moses put it in the plainest terms to Israel: ''I call heaven and earth to witness this day. . . that I have set before you life and death.'' Not a religion, not a philosophy, not a way of life called Christianity, but LIFE. And we are to discover that there is only one Life, all else is death. It is absolute in definition and experience, ''straight and narrow'' as the Saviour said; there are no deviations, no alternatives; and it is foolproof in every conceivable situation or problem. Also, being life, it is entirely natural, not something strained, or rather hopelessly aimed at; but just lived, and lived exuberantly.”

Without partaking of our birth right, feasting on Him, our loving Papa, the true bread from heaven, we will simply continue going through the motions, maybe even establishing a even better form, but lacking and knowing the substance of Him, our only Life.

I want to say this as well, unless the Father of my/your spirit definitively addresses you as His child, because there are NO vacuums, we will be defined by something or someone else, that’s a given.
Because of the ingrained imprinting of who we once were, born dead in our sins and trespasses, there is no way of escape from this no matter how much right scriptural, biblical good stuff we say we believe.
There must be revelation from one source, our loving Father, and in receiving a revelation of the One we are joined to, the Truth Himself, and as that true knowledge increases, that which use to bind us begins to loose its hold on us from the inside out.

So many believe in so much wonderful, great, true things, but without revelation, its but window dressing, simply a form of godliness.
Our Father wants to establish us in the truth of whom He is and who we are in Him.
How many of us as His children believe that what happened to our brother Paul was for him alone? The revelation that he received of Jesus was as he put it, not taught of/by men, and he did not receive it from men, but by His Spirit alone.
It was a revelation of Christ in him (Paul) as him, that he might share Him where ever he was directed by the Father.

There are two father’s operating within our lives, one, the Father of our spirit, the other, a usurping deceiver, the ‘father of lies within our flesh’.
Nothing can hinder or impeded the continued spontaneous intuitive flow of revelation into our lives apart from choosing to give a mind to the flesh, ‘the mind set upon the flesh is death!’

In my life He is becoming more and more a living sobriety.
As I was sharing with my friend Dave the other day, where it says in Proverbs 1:7, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of understanding, wisdom, or in Galatians where it says to, work out your salvation with fear and trembling. What if this fear thing was seen in the light of sobriety instead?
I took the bother of checking out the word ‘sober’ in the epistles of Paul alone, finding at least 12 different places being sober is mentioned, I think this is pointing to the One who IS our only sobriety!

This is getting way too long, so I will ramble on more, later.

Rich

Revelation

It's a quote that actually raises several questions.
What place head knowledge or heart awareness?
A few people respond to a revelation 'out of the blue' - and I've known a few who then started attending 'church'. One attended for 15 years and has since spent some 15 years coming out again!
I've spent so many years in dead traditions but then came freedom and liberation from the slavery of legalism - but that was ten years ago. Why has it taken so long?

For those wanting a lead in to this conversation that has been going on here for a while, please read here.

Hi Pete,

Please here me, these are by no way definitive hammered into stone answers, merely one brother reaching out to another, wanting with all that is in me to continue to grow in the grace and the (TRUE) knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I like what my brother Warren Litzman shared once, it was his understanding that ‘we ALL have to go wrong before we learn to go right’. Saying that to say this, because of the innate indelible residual imprinting within our soul, (mind-will-emotions) working wonderfully through the ‘knowledge of good and evil’ we have come to the solid conclusion it choosing to do things the ‘right way vs the wrong way.’ Into that soupy mix, I would ask, what about His Way, is that even a consideration, I don’t think so.

In my opinion the right way and the wrong way are one in the same, disguised and morphed into a blended mix of evil, through and through.

I do not know of too many that when they received revelation of His heart wooing them and then choosing to respond to his invitation to become part of His 4 ever family, aka being re-born, shortly there after finding them self learning from a surrogate, foster parent within some religious club.

It is my opinion that after Joseph died, after having his entire family brought to stay, live in Egypt, that any real substance to the reality of God actively being a part of their daily lives, God raised up another Pharaoh and brought the children of Israel into captivity, why, because they no longer knew Who’s they were or who they were.

Our birth-right and all that it encompasses has never been revoked, it is held in good hands, our Father, waiting for the fullness of time, e.g. Galatians 4:1-3 “NOW WHAT I mean is that as long as the inheritor (heir) is a child and under age, he does not differ from a slave, although he is the master of all the estate; But he is under guardians and administrators or trustees until the date fixed by his father. So we [Jewish Christians] also, when we were minors, were kept like slaves under [the rules of the Hebrew ritual and subject to] the elementary teachings of a system of external observations and regulations.”

I see these scriptures being most relevant to what has happened since the birthing of the church, Christ in us, the hope of glory, although fully received of the Father, heirs and joint heirs with and through Christ Jesus, as long as we think as a slave, Papa keeps us under the tutelage of the institutional settings until the appointed time of the Father for each and everyone of us!
Once again, these are very fluid in flux thoughts, not intended to become a new and missing but just discovered epistle to the church.
I trust this will provoke us both unto love and good works as we look to Him to breathe upon what might be mere abstractions to us.

Rich

New Wine, Old Garments

It's a Revelation, not a Seminar!

I was reflecting on a memory from the past today; when I was still in the institution, I remember one Sunday morning going to my pastor after he had finished teaching and saying, “Jerry, I think it would be wise to consider that not everyone who is able to hear your voice and what you are sharing/teaching even understands grace.” He replied, "thanks Rich, you’re right, good point, I will do a series of teaching on that very subject of grace."

I am not sharing this to slight, or defame my brother, he (although the pastor) like all of us simply didn’t see any better than those like myself who had been taught by the ‘blind leading the blind’.

I know confession is good for the soul, even better than chicken soup. While in this vain of thought here, I love how Father has spelled out and made His grace available in the horizontal, relational setting, perhaps an availability to a dimension of grace that will establish us in an increased vitality of mutual love for Him and one another. See here.

I mean no disrespect or wish to be vulgar, but I am so thankful I am NOT a ‘bastard’. The proof of the father’s love is His loving but firm correction, and that is something that cut into me deeply today as I read further into Wayne Jacobsen’s book, ‘The Naked Church’. The following quote is one of many that has my heart in a vice right now.

From page 56 and 57, “Reality demands effectiveness. If we are going to say that salvation in Christ offers people a personal relationship with God, then we had better see them through to it, since this doesn’t just automatically happen. I know many people who have gone forward to receive Christ and who yet continued under a deep weight of guilt, or else they admit that their spiritual life is empty. Abstraction tells them to just press ahead, ignore their feelings and accept their new relationship “by faith.”

Reality cannot accept such a misapplication of theology. How can the King of Glory ride into someone’s heart unnoticed? When I meet someone like that I usually assume that Jesus hasn’t entered his heart-yet!”

It dawned upon me how true this is, when a new born child moves from its warm comfortable house within its mommy’s tummy, being born into the visible world, usually through what must feel like a great violence, there is usually some tell tale sign that it is alive, and that spelled out in crying.
If this is a natural human expression in the physical birthing of a new born child, why should it be any less real in being‘re-born’?

On the heels of Wayne’s wording here, “How can the King of Glory ride into someone’s heart unnoticed,” How can the spirit of God the Father invade our lifeless spirit, infusing it with His life, and there being NO evidence of that reality apart from some person saying, ‘you simply have to take it by faith, you are his.’

The scriptures clearly and succinctly say, see here and here.

I am slowly seeing, discerning, that what has happened from since the beginning of the church’s birthing, that mere mental assent, form, has always been a viable substitute for the reality of knowing Him, the substance of all that is meant to BE real, Him in us as us!
If ever there was a time to evangelize those thinking, believing they are ‘saved-born again’ is today.
I want to dive into so much more that is in plain sight regarding appearances verses substance in later thoughts.
I look forward to hearing from others as well that are seeing what IS real because of the veil having been rent/torn from top to bottom.

Rich

Clouded Minds

The following are some comments I made on Tracy’s blog from this entry.

“One of the things that hit me powerfully was the look into Skedgell's life as a child and teen. If you want to know how to set your kids up so that they'll want to join a cult, her home life can point you in the right direction. Her childhood set her up to be manipulated, used, and abused by leaders and members of TWI. It's an important point to consider when talking about spiritual abuse. What is the set up in a person's life that allows them to be drawn into a cult? A look into her childhood spells it out pretty clearly.”


Also comments that tie in with this entry as well.
“VanVonderen talks about when anyone has been spiritually abused one of the things that has to be addressed is brainwashing. He says: There has to be an aspect of brainwashing in order for them to keep receiving this. You almost have to deprogram people, and the way you do that is with graceful messages and graceful relationships that give people permission to be in the struggle.”


Tracy, I’m quoting from different entries on your blog, I hope you can make sense of my comments relating to them?

This will tie in with this quote and the one below, I think. Because of the father of lies being permitted to enter into the human race through the pare in the garden freely giving him their consent, all of us in my opinion were born into the matrix of religion, and Satan being as it were, ‘the father of all religion.’
This religious world of sin we have been born into is nothing but abusive, its economy is solely established, rooted in Law, performance based approval-acceptance. None of us have ever, apart from God the Father experienced total unconditional loving acceptance.

Because of being born in sin and shaped in iniquity we have all from the womb, been brain washed, it has indelibly polluted and stained our in-look as well as our out-look, our ‘world view’.
I love it where Jesus is trying to carry on a conversation with Nicodemus , a highly respected professional, who at best, scratched his head, saying, duh, what do you mean, I have to be born again? It’s interesting to note here that this man wasn’t some Palestinian ditch digger. I am not be crude or bigoted by saying his, but if this learned man couldn’t grasp what Jesus referred to as the elementary things, then how could he ever see or comprehend the more, Jesus had for him?
Why is it, and I’m asking this more as a rhetorical question, that so many that had 3-D dramatic conversions all without too many exceptions, got sucked almost immediately right back into the local institutional expression of the matrix?
We are ALL being deprogrammed, (transformed)) by the renewing of our mind (soul) and without the same grace working within our soul ,missing heaven is not e worst thing that can befall the believer.

Having gone through the portal of grace and into His family, we are ALL adjusting to what is REAL, and discovering for the very first time, what really is normal.
These were some quick thoughts that came to mind, I welcome any feed back, at best I am thinking out loud, definitely not chipping this into stone, yet.

Rich


This was Tracy’s reply to what I commented on, her blob.

“Rich, you are making totally sense, and yes I follow the quotes and your comments easily. You are so completely so right on with this sentence:

"Having gone through the portal of grace and into His family, we are ALL adjusting to what is REAL, and discovering for the very first time, what really is normal."

That is one powerful sentence, brother--you should definitely put that one on your own blog! That's been my journey for the past 11 years...adjusting to what is REAL!

Thanks for taking the time to think, share, and write. You're helping me immensely on this journey.”

Learn of Me

Here is something that vividly stands out to me, borrowed from Tracy over at.

“It's sort of sad, really, that we even need to be taught this. But the reality is that most of us were raised is some pretty dysfunctional families. We were either taught: To never acknowledge there was a problem: Or we were taught how dangerous it is to dare to bring up some issue that might raise conflict: Or we lived in constant conflict that was never resolved.”

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

We are learning from/off Him, poor grammar maybe, being learned by Him, will dismantle the identity the matrix of religion, that each of us has been plugged into and still operates within our soul in many cases long after being re-born.

This quote here; “But the reality is that most of us were raised is some pretty dysfunctional families.” The multiplicity of sins dysfunctional manifestation in all of humanity is never seen for what it truly is. The father of lies is the substance to this illusion, he resists exposure at all cost.
There is NO one who is ‘good’ the so called ‘good’ we think we see in flesh is but an elaborate cloaking device trying to keep us locked into the Land of Oz indefinitely, meaning all blatant bad-evil and good is but from the same source apart from the Life of the Father in us as us, coming from the knowledge of good and evil.

Again from Tracy; “This week I read this line and it brings me to fresh tears just reading it again now: "Wounded souls often have no history of other people fighting for the relationship...." (page 96, Come Follow Me workbook, Thrive Ministries). I think that is the power I feel when we gather. Finally, finally, finally to be meeting with people where we will fight for the relationship. Not fight with each other or take flight from each other, but fight for the relationship. To say, by our words and actions, You are worth it. Every human being is a wounded soul and we all need people who are willing to fight for the relationship.

I wonder if I'm alone in having had so little of this in my life? I've had it with my husband and with a few friends along the way, but on the whole, I find it a very rare and precious thing that I am experiencing right now. Have you had many people in your life that were willing to fight for the relationship? Have you been part of groups or churches where this was common practice? Or has your life been much like mine? I'd really love to hear your stories or experience in this, if you'd care to share them with me.”

Regarding my propensity on quoting others, here is a comment I made to Tracy.

“This quote so moved me, thank you.
I love quotes and quoting others and what stands out to me, like seeing a beautiful arrangement of wild flowers and wanting to take few back to share the beauty and warmth I experienced with others.

But I know that if it’s just quotes without detecting the living spirit of the Father in and through them, then is it any different than trying to fill up on looking at the wonderful pictures on the restaurant menu?
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst, for they shall be filled.

I feel so much like what our brother Nehemiah must have felt like in being brought into a horrific sight of devastation, debris, and rubble. What was ahead of him was a mammoth task, and he knew this.
Out of the complete holocaust of sins devastating destruction within my soul, I am seeing Him the one who says, “The glory of the latter house will far exceed the glory of the former one, and we are His house.”

Daily being drawn into seeing this Glorious One, Christ IN us the hope of glory, causes my heart like ripened wheat to bow in the deepest gratitude….Abba-Father.”

Rich

Is it Christ-Life, or Church-life

I was on my way home finishing up my mail route when this thought burped up into view.
Am I being loved of the Father because “It’s His ministry”, or am I being loved for who’s I am?
I can just imagine the looks on the face of my wife, son and daughter when I tell them, you’re so loved by me, why, because it’s “my ministry”.
They look at me and ask, ‘what ministry is that dad,’ to which I reply, surely you jest, why of course it’s the ministry of I’m so full of myself I can hardly stand it!

Right from the get-go I know I am not stupid enough to think for even a nano second that I am going to write some definitive treatise on differentiating between one word and another. In this case the difference between the Life of (Christ) the Father and church life.
Words are, and always will be synonymous with meanings that might be true to a person, and yet when one believes white is actually black and vice versa, does that make it so-true?

It takes what it takes to slice, cut through the deception and blindness in us all, none of us has escaped or gone unscathed being born in sin and shaped in iniquity, none!
The disentanglement taking place within a believers life is an inside job, the One who has called us is the same one saying the same thing, “If you continue to follow me, you will KNOW the truth and the TRUTH will set/make you free.”
Truth is only relative as long as it is not evidenced in a person, the Christ as Jesus.

More and more I am seeing ‘ministry’ being a cheap substitute for something that will impress others with who I am. Only the love of the Father is able to bring definition and completeness in and to us, and make us living expressions of His heart for this world. Why would I want a ministry when His grace has opened a door no man can shut, a door he has opened wide to know this One who has called me to BE His.

I remember my former pastor saying to me in light of sharing some of things Father had been making real in and to me, “Rich, we are saying the same things.” I went away shaking my head in bewilderment; we were NOT saying the same thing. White really is Not black.

A table is not a chair, and a chair is not a table, oh the desperate need for the eyes of our heart to be opened, that He would flood us through and through with His wisdom along with the spirit of revelation and continue to pull back the (curtain) veil, that we might SEE Him and no longer confuse His life in us as us, for the best that flesh can do calling it the church!

Even so Lord, come!

Rich

Friend's and Friend's of Friend's

Please read Pete’s response to me first (here) before reading what I have shared here with him.

Pete,

I so love your heart, it so exalts the one who is our Life! A friend of mine once said, “I know God is no respecter of persons, but maybe He is a respecter of hearts”

As far as my ‘former ministry,’ looking back, what I now see was my trying to be someone something other than whom He had purposed for me to Be, and without a revelation of His unconditional total love for me this could have easily turned into a greater nightmare than it already was.
Prior to Him burying us, my wife and family and I alive, I was rich in some of the most incredible experiences a person could encounter, and that all followed my very powerful and dramatic re-birthing.

The day before I was (euphemistically) ‘let go’ from the ministry, I along with my fellow colleagues were together in one of our weekly staff meetings, I won’t bore you will all of the details, suffice it to say, when we opened up in prayer, I was immediately aware of the Lord wanting to show me something, so I mentioned this to the others as we were praying, they encouraged me to go further into seeing where this might lead to.

What followed was almost like something from a science fiction movie.
You have to understand what was unfolding before me although wild; I was use to encounters like this, only this was far different.
In my spirit I saw Jesus in a shadowy silhouette approaching me and as He got closer I could see/make out he was holding a communion chalice, and it being filled to the brim. He was not saying anything with his lips, yet I could hear His words in my heart.
He motioned that this cup he held was for me, and somehow I knew that I could receive it and drink it or I could say no thanks, and somehow I knew His love for me would be the same.
I could see in His eyes/heart a love for me that was so foreign to anything I had thus far experienced, I choose to symbolically reach out and take this chalice/cup from him under No compulsion, putting it up to my lips, and drinking it all.
Then for the first time He spoke to me, and this is where it gets wild, He says, “I now give you permission to enter into the fellowship of my sufferings.”
The next day I was called into the senior pastors office to be informed, I was being let go~yikes.

This set into motion my being brought into what I call, ‘the school of the spirit,’ I was being brought into a living encounter with the One who had called me to BE His, not a call to be someone apart from Him. When I was let go from the ministry, I was not only being stripped of my many colored coat, much like Joseph was, but SO much more. We were living in a postage stamp sized house, renting it, why, because we lost Everything, another story to be shared another time.

I slowly began to see and learn of a Father that was smitten by me, this was unfathomable to my thinking, but He had my attention big time.
As I learned and am learning of His love, I have been awakened into an understanding of His grace that is so transforming my life, I no longer resemble the person I was for so long, even as ‘a Christian.’
I dare anyone to ask my wife and my kids as they are able to cut to the chase and speak the Truth re: this progressive ongoing transformation in my heart, thoughts, words and actions.

Pete my dear brother, there is so much I could share, but won’t right at this time, only to encourage you as you have done to me. You are such a priceless and vital living expression of His hearts purpose and to us His body, and for that reality I say, thank you Papa!
I love your rambling please never stop, many would be greatly refreshed and encouraged of His spirit living in Pete, as Pete.

Rich

Our Metal-Mettle Being Tested

At the suggestion of my friend Dave after reading my reply to Pete, he thought this would flow nicely with it, I agree.

Rich

I couldn't resist sharing this from Wayne Jacobsen's book, The Naked Church.

"Gold refined by fire." 'Fire-refined gold is a common biblical analogy for an active faith that can stand the test of difficult circumstances. It is a far cry from the pseudofaith touted today that attempts to compel God to give us whatever we desire. Faith is not a gimmick; it is an intimate trust and dependence on God that is not hinged to circumstances but grounded deep in God's nature.'


Boasting in our Weakness
Watchman Née

''He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in your weakness.' Most gladly therefore I will rather boast in my weaknesses that the power of Christ may tabernacle over me.'' II Corinthians 12:9

It is one thing to say that we cannot make it, and it is another thing to give up trying to make it altogether. Can we see that these are two things? The first condition to victory is to realize that we cannot make it, and the second is to give up trying to make it. If we will admit that we cannot make it and give up trying to make it, we will overcome.

What does it mean to try to make it? Let me take temper as an example. Suppose you are a quick-tempered person, and you cannot control your temper. The more you try, the more you fail. You admit that you can do nothing about your temper. What should you do? You know with certainty that there is no way to control your temper, yet you still try to control it. Then what do you do? You try to be more careful when you speak with others. You try to avoid those with whom you cannot get along well, and you try to talk to those with whom you can get along well. You avoid fellowship with those who agitate you and run away from their face. Every time you are about to lose your temper, you try your best to suppress it. You try to suppress it with more prayers. What is this? This is being unable, yet at the same time trying to be able.

Brothers and sisters, please remember that the condition of victory is acknowledging that we are unable, and the greatest barrier to victory is trying to be able. Victory is from Christ; it is Christ who is living on our behalf. The overcoming life requires that we take a stand and declare, ''I cannot make it and I do not intend to make it. Please make it for me. I will not fabricate my own victory.'' I have heard a few sisters remark to me, ''Brother Nee, it would be wonderful if my temper could improve a little.'' I always tell them, ''You have to thank the Lord for your quick temper.''

Weakness is not something that one should lament over or weep about. Weakness is something that one should boast in. You may have said, ''Thank and praise the Lord He has made me overcome,'' but have you ever said, ''Thank and praise the Lord, He has made me fail miserably''? You thank and praise the Lord for giving you patience, but have you thanked and praised the Lord for your impossible temper? Have you thanked and praised Him for your pride? Have you thanked and praised Him for your jealousy? Have you thanked and praised Him for your unclean thoughts within and for your sin? Brothers and sisters, do you have a sin which you cannot even confess? What are you going to do? Are you going to be sorrowful? It is a glorious thing for a man to realize that he is helpless. Once the Lord shows you that you cannot make it, He will immediately show you that God can make it. Your Lord does not show you your inability to discourage you, but for you to believe that He has an excellent opportunity to work in you. In the past you may have grieved over your weakness or wept over your sins. But today you can boast and praise! ''Lord I thank You because I cannot make it. I thank you because I have no way to overcome. I am not able. I rejoice because I am not able. I rejoice because I cannot do anything. Only You can do everything.'' If you do this, you will overcome.

Getting to Know You

Rather than posting this as a reply to Pete on the blog entry, I thought once again I would post it here (my reply).

Pete`s comments.

Hey Pete,

Let me give you some back ground on what I said here; “Pete, in my opinion, NONE of US has ANYTHING to offer anyone apart from Christ in us as us, period!!

I remember a few years ago now, a friend and Pastor, (Pentecostal Pastor) met me for coffee and a chin wag, (fellowship). He wanted to do his best to get me back, plugged into the machine of the institution, as he said, “Rich you have so much to offer the body of Christ,” what he meant in saying that was, the ‘institution,’ not the Church which IS His body!
I said, Charley, if I am not wanted and accepted for me alone then you don’t need me, you only need what you see God doing through me.
I went on to say, I have nothing to offer you or anyone except who’s I am period.

I was already seeing and growing in the true knowledge of not only Who’s I was, but who I am in Him.
There is NO ministry apart from Christ IN US AS US. I knew he was not on the same spiritual wave length, not because I was some kind of smart ass, but only because of revelation, and because of that He was in the process of fully forming the Life of His Son in me as me.
ALL ministry apart from Him in us as us is a front, shame, bogus illusion, did I leave out any words???

I have come to love what my wife lovingly and truthfully says to me often, “Richard, you have nothing to offer in and off your self, you are a blessed man.” I Agree.

We have ALL being so badly male formed, still born, much like an empty shell that once was the home of a living creature.
None of us has escaped being born into a world of conditional love, whereby we get in direct proportion to our performance.

Pete all I know is that even tough re-born, and that event being as dramatic as Saul’s conversion becoming Paul, I was so alienated from knowing my heavenly Papa and his total unconditional love for me.
Ergo, I became a MIA (missing in action) husband, father etc. Religion was my opiate that kept me sedated and I thrived on its sensual rush.
I was speaking of this very thing (chapter) in my life with my daughter before going to work today.

Pete I hope this fleshes things out a bit better. I would love to further connect with you. Do you ever use any live voice chat tools like Skype or Yahoo Messenger, they have become such wonderful tools to facilitate connecting with different ones around the world.

Thank you for giving me the right wording on that quote, I Love it very much, it speaks volumes to me.

Rich

Quick Lobotomies

At my wife’s suggestion, I am going to make available names of some of the books that have been used greatly of the Father in my personal ongoing transformation.

I see it, our being ‘translated’ out of/from the kingdom of darkness into the Family of God as the Scriptures refer to it, as entering into a whole new realm, world of existence and living. Much like what happened to the four children, (Peter, Susan, Edmond and Lucy) in the Narnia adventures, being translated through the portal of the wardrobe into a mystical world of adventure and wonder.

One hideous operation I experienced and realized after the fact within the template of organized religion was my being lobotomized, maybe very similar to how one boils a frog in very slight increments.

One thing I know religion can NOT tolerate is one daring to question the given, established, collective approved of God body of knowledge.
I see it being much like the adage ‘children are to be seen, not heard’.

So many torturous devices have been designed to either lobotomize or emasculate those simply trying to respond to the Father of their spirit, prompting, nudging them from within burping up into their consciousness, ‘questions,’ God forbid!

The plethora of material that was once available to those wanting to pride themselves in looking better at doing better have become a foul stench to many of those same believers.

I know for a fact our Father is NOT restricted or limited in any manner, He is most capable of establishing fully mature sons; He is our source and our only Life. It is also good to know He is able to speak uniquely in our own personal language, and each of us discovering He is fully present and relatable.
He welcomes us, embraces us, in all and any questions we might have, He so desires to be a joint participant of our adventure and journey in discovering what it means to BE Loved.

Here are some of the books especially by my friend Bill Landon that I have read and read over again that continue to be used in transformation.

The Life That Is Real Life

The Devil You Don’t Know

The Rise and Fall of Self (The problem with us is us)

Life In The Leper Colony

My Father And Your Father

You can order them through, iUniverse.com

Rich

Unconditional Love....

....But trusting God conditionally


I have been and I’m still experiencing what it means to be awakened out of the ‘death’ life/sleep I inherited along with all humanity through what Satan offered us in the garden.
As long as I am alive within this jar of clay the father of lies will have access to my soul that is not yet fully saved, transformed.

The offer to man through the father of lies was one of being, having control of one’s life, rather than being dependent upon anyone e.g. God.
This is so ingrained within us to even think, let alone act any differently from what we see as are genetic disposition, that our only hope must be found in the Truth of God the Father’s total unconditional love for us.

I have and I know I will battle as long as I live with fear, this thorn in my flesh was not aborted when I was reborn, it was left there and is working for my good, being all part of the dynamic tension of learning Christ as my only Life! Let me say this, as long as we have flesh with Satan in it, fear is always there but maybe not realized.

Let me try and spell-flesh this out in a way that you as well may identify with.
It came to me this morning that I seem to be operating more often than not contrary to how my Father is relating to me in and with His total unconditional loving acceptance.
Meaning, am I trusting Him in the now moment with conditions attached to what I call trust, if so, isn’t this still ALL about trying exercise control?

There is NO one who has had or ever will have any control over any aspect of their living no matter how much money or connivances they posses. In a moments notice everything I know can change from good to bad, from bad to insane, that’s a given but, I have been given a sacred trust.
That trust is in knowing and celebrating my poverty, weakness, emptiness, why, because His strength is made perfect in such wonderful things.

Here is my question to me and you who are saying you are trusting the Lord of and for your life, future. First, once again it is a fact we have no control over our circumstances or situations, but, we will never have taken away from us the ability to Chose to turn to our Papa to be to me in my now moment exactly what he says He is, I AM!
The likeness of His son will NOT be fully formed within me as long as I am attaching conditions to my trusting Him.
So am I trusting Him only to get my own way, or because I want to learn as Jesus my elder brother did. Although being perfectly God’s only begotten son, was made perfect through that which he suffered, learning obedience through those designed sufferings.

I/we will miss out more than we even know in trying to trust Him with my hidden conditions/agenda attached to my so called ‘trusting’ Him.
Am I trusting Him so that things will turn out better, or am I trusting Him to BE to and in me all that He has promised?
Is He satisfied with my lip service of, ‘I’m trusting’ you Papa, but with unseen (to me) conditions and agendas, but not trusting, worshiping Him with my heart and my future?

Rich

I am slowly learning that fear is actually something Father is using to set me free from, choice by choice, turning to Him with fear howling at me I discover what is mine now, and not will be there tomorrow.

Art Imitating Life

If we are; “For we are God's [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live].” living breathing expressions, displays of His handiwork, why is there the need to fake it, trying to imitate?

Is it not Life, God the Father himself being expressed through us, His masterpieces? Each one shimmering and shining forth a very unique expression of His heart and love for us and His world.
If God has gone to such an elaborate detail of creating multiplied thousands of sub species of one insect alone, what does that say about man, and his intimate fascination with each and everyone of us?

The availability of His unconditional love freely received turn us the petrified, static, into that which lives, moves, fully living beings.

Rich

The True Prophets

Although I am very much a morning person, having been up very late last night and knowing I could sleep in, still being on holidays, I could not lie in bed any longer.

I love how Papa speaks, moves, has His way with His kids and last night was no exception. There was brought back to my remembrance one of my favourite scriptures while sleeping and deep in dream land.

Jesus said emphatically that he would make us witnesses unto Him, but has anyone ever grasped what that might encompass, especially with those who have never seen him in the flesh as those who walked and lived with him 2,000 years ago?
How does one witness this miracle of Jesus as the Christ without him being here today? Is he here today, let’s talk about it and see what we might just stumble into.

The quote I used above regarding the scripture brought to my remembrance while dreaming is brought into a different but as meaningful light here as well; “I fell at his feet to worship him, but he wouldn't let me. "Don't do that," he said. "I'm a servant just like you, and like your brothers and sisters who hold to the witness of Jesus. The witness (testimony) of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

In my in house involvement within the different religious clubs I belonged to, ‘prophecy’ was something that happened a lot in and through me, so I thought. Looking back now several years after all of this, maybe what is happening regarding prophecy is much like Paul said here; “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.”

For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. This in my opinion is the heart beat, spirit of prophecy, being made to know, brought into an eye witness living encounter with this one who was dead but ever lives in heaven and in His church now today, which IS His body.

Man worship is the only viable option amongst Christians apart from seeing and knowing him, the man Christ Jesus. When he is seen, everyone else becomes mere shadows, and yet this man who will ever be God’s son is now being fully formed within the vast family He has birthed through out the earth. Jesus being the ‘first born’ of many sons to yet be.

I want to stop here for now using this eye witness account from one of his sons; “For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man.
For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.
For you have heard of my former manner of life in Judaism, how I used to persecute the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it;
and I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions.
But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother's womb and called me through His grace, was pleased
to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood.”

Hear me family, this is not being shared to wow us and to keep us thinking how special our brother Paul must have been to experience such wonders, this is to inform you and me that He is making Himself known experientially to any and all that hunger for the Truth, and not just a shadowy copy of the truth handed down from men wanting to make merchandise out of us, while exalting themselves.

Church be prepared to experience a shaking disturbance in your life designed by our loving Papa, without it, the best any of us will have is but a eulogy to a man called Jesus who once lived, but is now no longer here with us.

Rich

As a foot note, after reading from the Oz man, I wanted to include this here.

Our Lord makes a disciple His own possession, He becomes responsible for him. "Ye shall be witnesses unto Me." The spirit that comes in is not that of doing anything for Jesus, but of being a perfect delight to Him. The secret of the missionary is - I am His, and He is carrying out His enterprises through me.
Be entirely His.