Letting Go Of The Old Ways

Not sure about you, but for me if possible I'd like to travel the path of NO resistance, Nada.
When our mind set (a mind set upon the flesh) is steeped in lameness, is it any wonder we come up with lame excuses?

I love the story in the Gospel of John when Jesus steps into this scene; it says there is a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving (stirring) of the water.
Tradition has it that at a certain season an angel went down and troubled the water; the first one into the waters after this angelic aquatic feat was made whole, and stepping right into the center of it all, is Jesus. As usual, He stirs things up real good.

Here is an example of the old passing away because the new is being ushered in.

Going through a long line of prophets, God has been addressing our ancestors in different ways for centuries. Recently he spoke to us directly through his Son. By his Son, God created the world in the beginning, and it will all belong to the Son at the end. This Son perfectly mirrors God, and is stamped with God's nature. He holds everything together by what he says—powerful words!

This isn't an angel speaking to this infirm (impotent) man and asking him if he wants to BE made whole.
What does this man say;The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steps down before me.
Jesus said, "Get up, take your bedroll, start walking." The man was healed on the spot. He picked up his bedroll and walked off.

I think it is a whole lot easier to remain as it were spiritually retarded, then to step out in faith knowing I am loved.The enemy of our soul will certainly assist in fueling the mindset that sees nothing but our lameness. The thing is, His grace is ever present to Be made whole.I love what Oswald Chambers has said; 'He doesn't give us overcoming life, but life as we overcome.'

Rich

The Essential Spirit

Part 10 of 14 – The Essential Spirit - The Christian’s Basis of Victory Over Sin

God has provided a great 3-fold salvation for us from Sin and its effects.

1. As Christians, we’re free from the "penalty" of our sins, since Christ paid the penalty for us. (Gal 1:4)

2. Then also as Christians who are "in Christ," we already are freed from the "power" of Sin’s domination over us; by our co-death with and in Christ at the cross. (Gal 2:20, Rom 6:2, 6-7, 7:4)

3. Upon death we’ll be freed from the "presence’ of Sin, when we exchange these Sin-laden bodies for new spirit-bodies, just as the resurrected Jesus demonstrated when He appeared on earth after His resurrection.

First we need to note again, as we saw in Part 9, exactly where the Sin nature is located in mankind, including in the saved Christian, – it is within his flesh body members (Rom 7:17-23). In Romans 6:12 we see that sin is located in the flesh, "your mortal body"; where "sin reigns" by manifesting "its lusts." We also may note that in fact "sin is condemned in the flesh" Romans 8:3b.

Scripture tells us, we as believers are now "dead to sin" (Rom 6:2, 11) and free from its dominion. Romans 6:7 For he that is dead is freed from sin. Yet, we know that Christians still sin. So, how then does the Serpent’s Sin-spirit, in man’s flesh body, still have influence over the saved and regenerated Christian?

In the Old Testament we have an account of the very real experience of the children of Israel , which also is figurative of God’s remedy for Sin. It confirms the Christian’s dilemma of being dead to Sin, but still infected with the Sin nature. In Numbers 21 the children of Israel were in the Sinai wilderness, on their way to the Promised Land. Serpents bit them, injecting deadly venom and causing death. The children of Israel asked Moses to ask God to "take away the serpents" (v7). We should note that God did not answer their prayer in that way. The serpents bite and poison remained as a problem. But God did make the serpent’s bite "of no effect" if the poisoned victim looked to a brazen serpent lifted up on Moses staff, fashioned as God had instructed. To look to "behold" the brazen Serpent on the pole was a demonstration of ones faith in what God said. We must believe God, that the Sin in our flesh is "deprived of its power" when we look to Christ’s cross.

Jesus, in John 3:14, spoke referring to this allegory "as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up." Jesus speaks of Himself being the real "brazen serpent," the one "lifted up" on the cross, bodily. Jesus, in the humanity of His human body, had to be lifted up on the cross both for "the sins of the world," and also as our Sin-laden old man. Christ’s Sin-laden body was offered as our serpentine old man’s death, freeing us from Sin’s dominion. By us being now dead with Christ, the tyrannical Sin nature is deprived of us as its subject, "condemned in the flesh." Romans 8:3 …God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh. Jesus’ death is our death "to sin." Now Sin in our flesh sits "condemned," sentenced, but not yet executed. Our serpentine-self died to Sin at the cross; and even more the cross is the source of the resurrection life of Christ now in us, as us.

We are to look away (Num 21:9) to behold the cross, trusting Christ’s death as our death; thus putting the Sin nature in our flesh out of a job. Sin’s poison remains in our flesh; but since we are crucified with Christ, Sin has no power over us. This has been so for us since the day we believed to receive Christ; now we must believe we died with Christ. From Numbers 21 we can see that it is by looking to Christ on the cross, that we see Him "as us" crucified on the cross. We identify with Christ death as our death. By Christ’s death as us, He destroyed not the Devil, but rather He "destroyed the works of the devil." 1 John 3:8b … For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy (Greek, luo, loose us from) the works of the devil.

2 Corinthians 5:7 "we walk by faith, not by sight." Our "death to Sin" is only effectual "by faith" in the finished work of the cross. We depend upon Christ as our indwelling new man. Jesus said we’re set apart from sin and the world, sanctified, "by faith in Him" (Acts 26:18). We’re all tempted by the spontaneous impulses of our Sinful flesh. Our faith response should be turn our heart to trust Him within us as our new and overcoming life-source; then our death to Sin is found to be effective. That one turning to abide in His life within us is the reckoning of our old self dead. We’re now alive by Christ’s "Spirit of life" in us; over whom Sin has no power.

This by my good friend Art.

Rich

He Lives

I am sure that what we are suffering now cannot compare with the glory that will be shown to us. In fact, all creation is eagerly waiting for God to show who his children are. Meanwhile, creation is confused, but not because it wants to be confused. God made it this way in the hope that creation would be set free from decay and would share in the glorious freedom of his children. We know that all creation is still groaning and is in pain, like a woman about to give birth.

What can we say about all this? If God is on our side, can anyone be against us? God did not keep back his own Son, but he gave him for us. If God did this, won't he freely give us everything else? If God says his chosen ones are acceptable to him, can anyone bring charges against them? Or can anyone condemn them? No indeed! Christ died and was raised to life, and now he is at God's right side, speaking to him for us. Can anything separate us from the love of Christ? Can trouble, suffering, and hard times, or hunger and nakedness, or danger and death? It is exactly as the Scriptures say, "For you we face death
all day long.
We are like sheep
on their way
to be butchered."
In everything we have won more than a victory because of Christ who loves us. I am sure that nothing can separate us from God's love--not life or death, not angels or spirits, not the present or the future, and not powers above or powers below. Nothing in all creation can separate us from God's love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord!

Rich

You can, we can

Mr curiosity here.
Is this simply the Home Depot jingle set into motion (You can do it, and we can help) in such literature as, A New Earth: Awakening To Your Life's Purpose, and, The Secret?

Rich

Dance To The Music

Thirty four years ago, suddenly the black and white world I was use to, abruptly became alive with colour. All because of meeting the girl that would (rock) turn my world upside down.
I found it so intoxicating as I was browsing through some of the pictures of my wife, when I came across the one I am using here, like a shot to the heart all I wanted to do was not just celebrate, but, Dance to the Music!

Happy Anniversary to the Treasure of my life, my wife Margi!

Rich

For those (Kent and Jon) who posted comments on this entry, sorry for them not being here now.
I was not satisfied with how the video was being presented, so I tinkered with it until it was better.
Thanks to both of you for your kind best wishes, they are much appreciated.


Dance to the Music, Charlie Brown

Check Up

It's not that I haven't had stuff to share here on my blog of late, but it has been submerged beneath a relentless barrage of soul agony.
I've been here before and experienced His goodness in the land of death, I know that Life will always be available to the dead, not for the weak!

Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don't drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay, that Jesus Christ is in you. Test it out. If you fail the test, do something about it. I hope the test won't show that we have failed. But if it comes to that, we'd rather the test showed our failure than yours. We're rooting for the truth to win out in you. We couldn't possibly do otherwise.

Rich

We have heard Him ourselves

Staying afloat on second hand information!


John:4:42
'And they told the woman, Now we no longer believe (trust, have faith) just because of what you said; for we have heard Him ourselves [personally], and we know that He truly is the Savior of the world, the Christ.'

For those interested in additional thoughts touching on this same theme, there are some great musings over at, http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=108664028&blogID=354372627
by, Darin Hufford re: 'The Jesus Circus'.

Some thoughts I was pondering on and later shared with a friend this morning.

This may not be the best time to be thinking or asking this question re: my state of mind, but what the heck...the thought occurred to me this morning after looking at some emails.. in my opinion, it seems as good as things are via the high tech age we live in, aka the www/net, is the faith of Joe ordinary Christian, simply the by product of what others are saying, seeing, for i.e. 'I hope to see you at the IN CHRIST/Exchanged Life (or whatever) Conference this year', or many many other similar settings???

Don't get me wrong, its wonderful to be able to freely share, build one another up, but the thought occurred to me as I was struck with what I'm asking you is this...the story where Jesus meets up with the Samaritan woman, you know what follows, she comes to 'believe'' right, but then after blabbing it all about/around how this man Jesus told her such wonderful news, it says the whole town went out to see what was what.

I guess what I'm getting at/to, is this, if our faith lies in or on what others have seen, said etc, is it really real at all if all we have is a banking on others' experiences?
But I have been pondering on this issue for a while within the body, there seems to be such an emptiness, that seems to be met by what others are seeing/saying vs getting to KNOW Him alone, personally, with no shortcuts.

Regarding the Jn 4 passage, I was thinking of this as well... 'That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us. That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

In my opinion I do not see this declaration to have been a substitute for those believers then, or now of being able to know Him, NOT simple because of what, or who others say He is!

Rich

Cool Shadows!!

Cool Shadows!!
Originally uploaded by adrians_art

I loved this picture and thought it might illustrate a little further (especially of all days, this being Ground Hog day) what my friend Art shared in the following.

This is but a slice of what it was sandwiched in.

Rich

The angels were created as spirits, separate from God Himself. Adam was created in God’s image (Gen 1:26) by God’s own breath (spirit) as man’s human spirit. Man is created in the image of God; man looks like Jesus of Nazareth, but man lacks the content of the Christ; just as a shadow of a man is similar to the man, but lacks the life-substance of the man. Every man is born of Adam; but then, by receiving “spirit of life in Christ Jesus,” God’s “only begotten Son” (John 1:14) into his human spirit, a man is reborn. Each of us as, as the individual members of “the body of Christ,” has become a partaker of the life and substance of God’s” only begotten Son.” A man becomes completed only when He has received God’s substance and reality by receiving the essential “spirit of life in Christ Jesus.” Colossians 2:10 And ye are complete in (by) him (Christ)… Coming to know the presence of the indwelling “spirit of life in Christ Jesus,” subjectively, is our realization and personal experience of Christ alive within our regenerated human spirit as our new essential spirit. Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me… Rom 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

Crippled Inside

I was looking for a quote from the book the Shack by Paul Young, I couldn't fine it but discovered something I need to hear afresh, He is so good.


"Tell me what you are afraid of, Mack. Well, I am afraid of looking like an idiot. I am afraid that you are making fun of me and that I will sink like a rock. I imagine that-------Exactly, Jesus interrupted. You imagine. Such a powerful ability, the imagination! That power alone makes you so like us. But without wisdom, imagination is a cruel taskmaster. If I may prove my case, do you think humans were designed to live in the present or the past or the future? Well, said Mack, hesitating, I think the most obvious answer is that we were designed to live in the present. Is that wrong? Jesus chuckled.
Relax, Mack; this is NOT a test, it's a conversation. You are exactly correct, by the way. But now tell me, where do you spend most of your time in your mind, in your imagination, in the present, in the past, or in the future? Mack thought for a moment before answering. I suppose I would have to say that I spend very little time in the present. For me, I spend a big piece in the past, but most of the rest of the time, I am trying to figure out the future. Not unlike most people. When I dwell with you, I do so in the present-I live in the present. Not the past, although much can be remembered and learned by looking back, but only for a visit, not an extended stay. And for sure, I do not dwell in the future you visualize or imagine.
Mack, do you realize that your imagination of the future, which is almost always dictated by fear of some kind, rarely, if ever, pictures me there with you? Again Mack stopped and thought. It was true. He spent a lot of time fretting and worrying about the future, and in his imaginations it was usually pretty gloomy and depressing, if not outright horrible. And Jesus was also correct in saying that in Mack's imaginations of the future, God was always absent.
Why do I do that? asked Mack.
It is your desperate attempt to get some control over something you can't. It is impossible for you to take power over the future because it isn't even real, nor will it ever be real. You try and play God, imagining the evil that you fear becoming reality, and then you try and make plans and contingencies to avoid what you fear.Yeah, that's basically what Sarayu was saying, responded Mack. So why do I have so much fear in my life? Because you don't believe. You don't know that we love you. The person who lives by their fears will not find freedom in my love.
I am not talking about rational fears regarding legitimate dangers, but imagined fears, and especially the projection of those into the future. To the degree that those fears have a place in your life, you neither believe I am good nor know how deep in your heart that I love you. You sing about it; you talk about it, but you don't know it."


you can shine you're shoes
and wear a suit
you can comb your hair
and look quite cute
you can hide your face behind a smile
one thing you can't hide
is when you're crippled inside
you wear a mask
and paint your face
you can call yourself
the human race
you can wear a collar
and a tie
but the one thing you
can't hide is when you're
crippled inside
well now you know that your
cat has nine lives babe
nine loves to itself
but you only got one
and a dog life ain't no fun
mamma take a look outside.
you can go to church
and sing a hymn
judge me by the color
of my skin
you can live a lie until you die
one thing you can't hide
is when you're crippled inside.

The words from above are by John Lennon from the song, 'Crippled Inside'. This so illustrates this quote from the Shack.

I am finding as I am discovering how dangerous His grace is, that true lasting freedom is not just a hope for one day, but I'm experiencing it's reality today!

Rich

Follow Up

I tried to post this in response to what Dave had said in his comments, but for some unknown reason it wouldn't do it, so here it is.
In light of what Art is sharing here, I thought I would ask him about something that has troubled me re: the whole issue of man bearing His image, as if we are ALL His children etc, here are his thoughts.

Rich

Hi Richard:

I consider the matter of man being in the "image of God" as follows:
The word image speaks of an "empty representation" of the "real thing" - such as a shadow may be of our body. Man is an empty vessel.

Man is like a well suited Ferrari, but lacking fuel and a proper driver to drive (guide) him. Christ as the proper driver in man fits the drivers seat perfectly - Spirit to spirit.

The Bible figures for this are the words such as Temple, and branch, etc. I like the vine because it relates to bearing a life, it has the capacity to receive the life of the vine-tree. Even the branch fits the tree, but it can do nothing of itself - it must have the flow of life from the vine-tree, which is Christ. Man was created as a "yet to be completed" being. By creation man had the proper organ (his spirit) to take in the content that he was missing - Christ's life; and man has and faculties of soul (mind emotion and will) to give expression to that innermost life. By receiving Christ the "image" is then filled with the "real thing."

The word "likeness" on Romans goes even further in this analogy. Where image speaks of the empty container suited to receive Christ. The word likeness means much more. Some time ago I discovered that the word "likeness" is from the Greek word root "homoioo." It means the ability to "assimilate," (<<<
Strongs) "take in," like a sponge may "absorb" or take in water. Man's empty spirit is the precise container in man having the ability to "assimilate" Christ's Spirit of like.
Here are a couple of "likeness' verse to consider:
In Rom 6:5 we as believers have "assimilated Christ's death and life as our death and new life".
In Rom 8:3 Jesus "assimilated man's sinful flesh", so as to be able to condemn it.
That's my view on image and likeness.
Art

The Created Man & The Reborn Man

The following is from a 14 part article my friend Art has written, I wanted to share this here with my friends.

Rich


Part 6 of 14 - The Essential Spirit - The Created Man & The Reborn Man

As stated earlier, God’s spirit is in every created man. This occurred by God breathing His “breath of life” (Genesis 2:7) into Adam’s body of clay, resulting in the total animation of Adam and all his human lineage. God’s breath (spirit) was to give the created man spirit-life on-loan. When God breathed His “breath of life” into Adam, Adam also immediately “became a living soul.” Adam’s body and soul thereby became lively and animated by God’s one “breath of life.”

Here, in Gen 2:7 “breath of life,” the word “breath” is the Hebrew word “neshamah,” meaning “spirit”; and the word “life” here is the Hebrew word “chay,” meaning “lives.” The KJV translates “chay” as “life,” but it more correctly is “lives.” God’s one “breath of life” gave man three kinds of life; in spirit, in soul and in body. The English transliteration of the Greek for “physical life” is “bios,” as being the biological life; and for the “soul life” it is “psuche,” as being man’s metaphysical organ, having the faculties of mind, emotion, and will. The Greek word for “spirit-life” is “Zoë.” These three are the sum of the parts of man.

God’s breath breathed into man is called “the spirit of man” and the “the spirit in man” in the Old Testament Scripture. Apart from God’s breath (spirit-life) in man there is no life at all in the created man. Adam’s physical body creation was as his outer clothing. Man’s body and soul derive their life from man’s spirit that was given by God’s spirit-breath. The core of men then, is their human spirit. This spirit is man’s human life source – the core of man’s whole created living being. 2 Corinthians 3:6b …the spirit giveth life. James 2:26a …the body without the spirit is dead…

The humanist and religious liberals, those who may admit to there being a God at all, often erroneously refer to God as the Father of all mankind, but this is not accurate. Actually, God is only “a father of sorts” to the original created man. Adam and Eve were only created by God; they were not born of God’s Seed (sperma). Only a birth father is a genuine father. As creator of man, God is not man’s birth father. A father is one whose seed (sperma) births His own child to life. Thus, God only “sort of fathered” humanity, when He created humanity and imparted His breath (spirit) to be the “spirit of man.” God did NOT impart His Seed.

Nevertheless, the human spirit that God gave man is the source of man’s human life, and that spirit is “on-loan.” This is not what it is to be born-again of God, by His “Seed.” 1 John 3:9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his (God’s) seed (sperma) remaineth in him... Each believer, now in “the body of Christ,” has been conceived of God the Father's Seed (Greek, sperma), which is Christ (1Pet 1:23, Gal 3:16). By that Christ-Seed we bear His very life and nature.

The human spirit “on loan” in the created man has need to become regenerated (Titus 3:5) by Christ’s resurrected “spirit of life” in order to become a genuine, eternal, birthed child of God the Father – born of God’s Seed (Greek, sperma). The believer is regenerated because he has additionally received the resurrected “spirit of life in Christ Jesus.” Jesus Christ is God’s One Seed that became available via Jesus’ incarnation in Abraham’s lineage (see Jesus’ genealogy in Luke), then dying, to rise as “the life-giving spirit” (1Cor 15:45). Now a man may simply receive Christ's resurrected Spirit into his human spirit, to be born of God. John 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. John 1:13 ...born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Jesus prayed that each believer would be one with God the Father and Him. John 17:21a That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us… And so it is. Receiving Christ’s resurrected “spirit of life,” makes a man eternally justified, righteous, and one with the Godhead. Colossians 2:9 For in him (Christ) dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. The Father and the Son are of One Spirit (Eph 4:4). Romans 8:9 But ye are … in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. We participate in this oneness by a once and for all spirit-union between our “human spirit” and Christ’s “Spirit of life.” The believer thus is one with both the Father and the Son by the addition of the all-inclusive “Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” into his human spirit.

Renaissance

A quick note to those who have been visiting my blog, I will continue to keep this blog going, but at the same time with the wonderful assistance of my good friend Dave Aldrich from Rhode Island, I/we have put together a new blog I got up and running this morning.

http://unfoldingmystery.blogspot.com/

I look forward to seeing and hearing from any who wish to make themselves known as well as to how Father is making Himself known to them.

Peace,
Rich

Waking Up

Matthew 6:30 (The Message)

"If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

Rich

Misunderstood

I love how God is so wanting to engage us, to draw us unto Himself. The following is but one example of that reality, the Word that became flesh, the man Christ Jesus sharing his heart with a very smart man, but still not able to grasp the meaning of such simple words.

"So don't be so surprised when I tell you that you have to be 'born from above'—out of this world, so to speak. You know well enough how the wind blows this way and that. You hear it rustling through the trees, but you have no idea where it comes from or where it's headed next. That's the way it is with everyone 'born from above' by the wind of God, the Spirit of God."

Nicodemus asked, "What do you mean by this? How does this happen?"

Like the blowing of the wind, His ways are a wonder to behold. For instance, I have sensed his direction in picking up a book I've read many years ago from my library and seeing some wonderful insights as I am in the process of reading it again.

Here is but one example from the book Baffled To Fight Better, by Oswald Chambers;
"Eliphaz claimed to know exactly where Job was, and Bildad claims the same thing. Job was hurt, and these men tried to heal him with platitudes. The place for the comforter is not that of one who preaches, but of the comrade who says nothing, but prays to God about the matter. The biggest thing you can do for those who are suffering is not to talk platitudes, not to ask questions, but to get into contact with God, and the "greater works" will be done by prayer." (John 14:12-13)

Rich

Hurt

Hurt and pain is something none of us are able to escape being born into this world.
Some of it is expressed in the poem my daughter shared with me.

Rich


Packs of geese are landing
in the pre-winter river -
flurried graded grey to black
and fluid silver flashes
of the reflected moon.
Crass calls and the ecstatic
anarchic wind of all wings
at once
garners no applause
even though
the magnificent uproar
drowns the sound
of all the town’s
despicable bipeds
tooting their own horns.
I stand watching - awkward,
lonely, lachrymose and obsessing
over recent sins
over truths such as the first plastic
ever made has not yet disintegrated
and all the world’s waste is
piling up somewhere out of sight
and how so many will never know
the fierce staggering degree
to which I love them. Oh well.
The geese will fly in the morning
I will see the v from my window
and hear the phantom voices.
I will begin the day longing
illogically for that height
and horizon.

The Messiness Of Life

The following is a brief excerpt from a daily email I receive, I thought it so overflowed with how amazing Papa's love and grace is!

Rich

Messy Spirituality Anne Lammott

In her book, Traveling Mercies, Anne recounts her conversion to Jesus. Things were not going well in her life: addicted to cocaine and alcohol, involved in an affair that produced a child whom she aborted, helplessly watching her best friend die of cancer. During this time, Anne visited a small church periodically. She would sit in the back to listen to the singing and then leave before the sermon. During the week of her abortion, she spiraled downward. Disgusted with herself, she drowned herself in alcohol and drugs. She had been bleeding for many hours from the abortion and finally fell into bed, shaky and sad, smoked a cigarette, and turned off the light.

''After a while, as I lay there, I became aware of someone with me, hunkered down in the corner, and I just assumed it was my father, whose presence I had felt over the years when I was frightened and alone. The feeling was so strong that I actually turned on the light for a moment to make sure no one was there--of course, there wasn't. But after a while, in the dark again, I knew beyond any doubt that it was Jesus. I felt him as surely as I feel my dog lying nearby as I write this.''

''And I was appalled. . . . I thought about what everyone would think of me if I became a Christian, and it seemed an utterly impossible thing that simply could not be allowed to happen. I turned to the wall and said out loud, ''I would rather die.''

''I felt him just sitting there on his haunches in the corner of my sleeping loft, watching me with patience and love, and I squinched my eyes shut, but that didn't help because that's not what I was seeing him with.''

''Finally I fell asleep, and in the morning, he was gone.''

''This experience spooked me badly, but I thought it was just an apparition, born of fear and self-loathing and booze and loss of blood. But then everywhere I went, I had the feeling that a little cat was following me, wanting me to reach down and pick it up, wanting me to open the door and let it in. But I knew what would happen: you let a cat in one time, give it a little milk, and then it stays forever. . . .''

''And one week later, when I went back to church, I was so hungover that I couldn't stand up for the songs, and this time I stayed for the sermon, which I just thought was so ridiculous, like someone trying to convince me of the existence of extraterrestrials, but the last song was so deep and raw and pure that I could not escape. It was as if the people were singing in between the notes, weeping and joyful at the same time, and I felt like their voices or something was rocking me in its bosom, holding me like a scared kid, and I opened up to that feeling--and it washed over me.''

''I began to cry and left before the benediction, and I raced home and felt the little cat running at my heels, and I walked down the dock past dozens of potted flowers, under a sky as blue as one of God's own dreams, and I opened the door to my houseboat, and I stood there a minute, and then I hung my head and said. . . 'I quit.' I took a long deep breath and said out loud, 'All right. You can come in.'''

''So this was my beautiful moment of conversion.''

Anne Lammott, Traveling Mercies,
as quoted by Michael Yaconelli in Messy Spirituality.

The Freedom Ache

Freedom's just another word for nothing left to loose Nothing, I mean nothing honey if it ain't free, no no Yeah feeling good was easy Lord when he sang the blues You know feeling good was good enough for me Good enough for me and my Bobby McGee.

So said Janis Joplin in her song, 'Me and Bobby McGee'.

I am so enjoying reading Paul Anderson Walsh's book, The Bonsai Conspiracy. Such wonderful confirmation of the spirit's working within my own life.I want to share a few thoughts from his book, hopefully these will be found to be lovingly provoking as I have found them to be.

The insidious battle that goes mostly undetected on our radar screen is the ever working, scheming and conniving self-effort-reliance within us all. To the degree this is not happening, grace has become so much more than a new word along with so many others within our christianese vocabulary.

One thing that stood out to me was a contrast Paul used, for i.e., the 'lost/unsaved' man, believes he can live without god, but is that illusion any less disturbing than the man who has been re-birthed suffering from a very similar illusion, only in this case he is going to 'live for god'. Both have the same unknown problem, self-reliance.
We were created for freedom, but maybe freedom comes at too high a price, lets ponder some additional thoughts here from Paul.

"Now having undergone our period(s) of disillusionment (i.e.Dark Night(s) of the Soul), we emerge on the other side only to discover that we do not like the look of freedom. This is understandably so because freedom is a scary thing. How does one function in a paradigm where there are no alibis, rules, codes of conduct, ethics, structures or law?
How does one function in a world where morality has been surpassed and outclassed by the absurdity of grace? It is up to you to interpret freedom for yourself. Nobody is going to tell you what to do. All this new paradigm will do is to reinforce who you are. So, you can neither control nor be controlled. Freedom is truly frightening as it is alien and implausible structure to a bound guilt-stained soul".

"So, if we are too frightened to go forward but know too much to go back, what are we to do? Well, we will learn that as freed persons, we have a new responsibility and in this new paradigm, responsibility means that we, as freed men and women, have been freed and empowered with the ability to choose our response to the things which have previously caused us so much pain".

I hope these thoughts have stirred up more questions that answers, if so anyone reading this, I would love to hear yours.

Rich

The words on the picture above read as follows.

The true meaning of life cannot be found by strenuous self-effort. All attempts to establish contact with God via religious acts or good deeds are in vain.
Searching for God in nature or philosophy also leads to a dead-end. People can sense that they are hopelessly cut off from God.
This is why they have no inner peace. Consciously or subconsciously they embark upon a quest for him. Tormented by a yearning for paradise lost, they do everything in their power to overcome the separation between themselves and God.
The hand of God the Creator has left its imprint on mankind. We were created for him. The purpose of our life is not self discovery or self realization - it is to be found in God alone.
You cannot ask about the meaning of life without asking about God. It is a question each of us has to ask ... at some time or other.
God has planted eternity in the human heart.
(Ecclesiastes 3,11)

The Focus Of His Love

How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He's the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. Long before he laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son.

Living in the moment!

Rich

The Cross Portal

There is no doubt that God was going to be fully identified with man, and apart from embracing the totality of suffering, (the Lamb that was slain [in sacrifice] from the foundation of the world. -God put the wrong on him who never did anything wrong, so we could be put right with God), it would end up as a stalemate.

Because God is intimately acquainted with suffering, maybe it is in fact through our sufferings we are brought as through a portal into a whole new dimension of living.

Luke 9:28-31 talks about many things, but one of the key things that stands out to me regarding the transfiguration of Jesus was that Moses and Elijah appeared in glory with Jesus and were discussing what was about to be opened up because of his suffering and death on the cross.
I love how it clearly says, Jesus himself speaking, ‘I am the one that closes doors no man can open, as well as open doors that no man can close’.
This in fact was about to happen, there was an exodus about to unfold that totally eclipsed what man saw and experienced as Moses was used in the exodus of leading bond slaves out of bondage toward freedom land.

Since the fall in the garden, a ‘door’ was closed that no man could open until the second man, the last Adam came to open a door that no man could shut, and in my opinion this new reality about to unfold, was a big portion of what Moses and Elijah were discussing with Jesus.
Jesus was about to lead captivity captive!!

As I pondered these thoughts this morning, thinking of how the Father used the cross with all of its shame and suffering to become a portal whereby anyone could pass through it and enter into something far greater than simply going to a ‘promised land’, but in fact becoming one with Him who promised to free those who were born prisoners.
Suddenly I saw that experiencing any suffering in being identified with Him was going to be used in opening up whole new dimensions of understanding of what it means to be loved as His son.

These present but momentary light afflictions are nothing in comparison to what is unfolding in our lives right now as we embrace them. (Suffering in our flesh, in filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions).

Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourself with the same way of thinking (mind), for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.

Rich

I Don't Know What To Think

I am somewhat reticent to even talk about this but, at the present time I have no other conclusion than, God did it.
A few friends know about the ongoing chronic pain I have been experiencing in my knees, not a good thing for a guy who walks twelve to thirteen miles a day delivering the mail.
I have been going on a regular basis to my physio-therapist as well as obtaining custom designed orthotics (this week) as well as having had x-rays taken of my knees only to find out it is an arthritic build up in my knees because of the compounded ponding they have encountered with the many many miles and weight I've had to carry.

Here's the deal, I woke up Thursday morning and slowly it dawned on me that my knees were not hurting me as they normally do, I shrugged it off and proceeded to attend to my early morning necessities before leaving for work.
At work I continued to experience a very pain freeness. I am a relief letter carrier so it encompasses many different duties, and this past week and the upcoming week is no exception. I process the incoming mail at 5:00 am and distribute it to my fellow colleagues as they further segregate it to the specific carriers etc.
I knew when I had completed this job I would then be going out to deliver on a route, this is never something I eagerly look forward to anymore because of the advancing chronic pain in my knees. Again, here I am delivering the mail and I am noticing there is something wrong, no pain.
Friday I wake up, the same thing, went through a duplicate day of Thursday, no pain. When I get home other than a few chores, I usually get involved on the computer and having set there for an extended period of time, when I get up I usually do so hobbling. To my surprise I was stiff, but no pain.
This has continued as well into all day Saturday, Sunday and today, what gives?

I have prayed for myself, as well as a couple of friends who like wise have prayed for me, but when I picked my wife up from work Thursday afternoon I told her about this bazaar experience of having NO pain in my knees.
She informed me that she had felt directed toward praying most specifically that morning for me, for my knees that Father would indeed heal them....wow, I said, is this in fact what has happened?I feel somewhat restrained emotionally to break out the balloons and party hats, and I almost want to pinch myself to make sure I am not dreaming, but these knees for that past four days have not felt so good.

Thank you Jesus!!

Rich