The Lord has really been dealing with me about my hopeless romanticism. "Hopeless" being the operative word. (Then hubby and I talked about it...And to top it off, this morning I got up and turned on the TV and I'm clicking through the TV...and there is someone scheduled to be on intervention, the addiction show, and what words does he use? Hopeless Romantic. Our Lord, the God of perfect timing!)
Growing up a wussy little black kid I read a lot of sad poetry that promoted the futility of life. Okay, some of this poetry might have been affected. . . but many of these poets truly had crappy lives. And some of the Christian poets, such as Christina Rossetti, Emily Dickinson, and Gerard Manley Hopkins seemed never to have won in their battle against despair, melancholy, bi-polarism, illness, idolatrous worship of the creature more than the Creator, etc. In short, they died unhealed, leaving me with a kind of idea of Jesus as the "pale Galilean" who was romantic simply because he lost.
This kind of thing is dangerous because it not only teaches one not to hope, it primes the soul to believe that in the long run the prayer will not be answered, all is impossible, and God will not win. The Lord has been telling me to work on this spiritual stronghold. The stronghold of romantic despair that I indoctrinated myself with when I was a kid.
Another indoctrination I have to work against is the "romantic" part of the "hopeless romantic" phrase. That's one of the reasons I dislike Christian fiction. There is that kind of sentimental attachment to romance. Oftentimes one reads a story and one feels as if the story is really a woman's masturbatory dream of what a perfect hero in her life would've been. It's a kind of noble Christian fantasy of the land, the perfect man, the sense of destiny.
I feel God is very understanding of all this but he doesn't want us to indulge in vain imaginations. One must remember the truest book, the truest mirror, the truest romance, the truest imagination is of spiritual things.
I'll be posting some of my favorite poets in the upcoming days. You'll see what I have to battle against.
I dreamed I arrived in Japan and was walking around and got lost in a forest. I decided it was best to turn back on the route i came which I did. I then saw a large crucifix on the path when I finally arrived. Later, in another dream I dreamed I had a Chinese old lady neighbor. She said, "Show me where the borders of my property is." I said, "Sometimes there's a border you can see. Like this cement border. Sometimes it's a little subtler to figure out."I think this has to do with an obsession that I've been encouraging lately. For some strange reason I've been noticing a few Asian men and I think God is saying to watch it. I think, anyway. Might be something
else. But God might be saying...watch the fascination so you don't trip up.
So I'm trying to remember the ancient landmarks, as Jeremiah said.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Praying for our new President
Certain things make me smile, other stuff make me sad. Some things manage to do both. I watch a lotta Christian television. When George Bush was president, he couldn't so much as sneeze without them stopping all regularly-scheduled programming to air "God's man." Amazingly, on inauguration day, none of the white-owned Christian station -- and these guys always talk about how God wants us to pray for those in authority-- even honored Barack. Interesting, uh? Ah, my Christian people! When will race stop separating us? Yeah, yeah, I know...race isn't in the equation. Well if it isn't, why not simply state, "God isn't finished with Barack Obama yet. Don't we Christians believe in the power of prayer?" If there is one thing the books of Daniel, Esther, and Nehemiah shows us it's this: God changes the hearts of leaders.
This is from the latest Smoke Signals, the newsletter of Wiconi International, the Native American Christian group
Smoke`Signals - Praying for our new President
Richard Twiss
Jan 20, 2009
Richard Twiss
Wiconi International
This is from the latest Smoke Signals, the newsletter of Wiconi International, the Native American Christian group
Smoke`Signals - Praying for our new President
Richard Twiss
Jan 20, 2009
Hau kola,
By the time you read this we will have a new president of the United States. It is the global news story of our generation. I attended an “Obama party” with a group of Jesus loving, bible embracing and spirit-filled followers of Jesus the other night to enjoy some good fellowship and good food. My friends, many of them African-American, enjoyed a celebratory feeling throughout the evening.
If God is truly God, the outcome of this election came as no surprise to Jesus. Regardless of ones political ideology in relationship to biblical revelation, the swearing in of Barak Obama remains unquestionably “God’s choice” if we believe that God can work even in a democratic political system.
I have received reproof from readers for inviting us to consider the notion that God is bigger than our understanding of him. Often, these folks believe God was behind George Bush’s election – after correcting the populace’s misinformed election of Bill Clinton – twice, but believe that Barak Obama’s election is the result of a group of liberal democrats who demonstrated their power to “overturn” God’s choice.
For those who call themselves Christians, I’d much rather hear them say, “I think you’re an idiot for your political beliefs,” rather than invoking God’s name in support of their particular political opinion. That kind of language assumes they are right (from God’s point of view) and those who disagree are at the least misinformed, at best mistaken and at worst spiritually deceived. My concern is not to say one political party is more flawed than the other. They are both equally flawed for different reasons!
Regardless of who you voted for, our president, Barak Obama, is the man God has put his hand on to serve us as President of the United States. His presidency represents an opportunity for ALL Americans and people globally to seek a future filled with hope for a better tomorrow. It is truly a remarkable moment in the history of America, a country known as much for its “American Revolution” as for the genocide of our Native American people and the enslavement of African people.
An African-American serving as president of the most powerful country in the world, in light of our history, is an inspiration to people all over the world that “with God, ALL things are possible!!!”
In the parable of the two lost sons or “the prodigal son” the older son refuses to come in and celebrate the return of his brother because he disagrees with his fathers handling of the situation. If he was his dad, he would have judged and rejected his son for squandering his inheritance.
Let’s pray, walk in faith and trust in Jesus with all we got as we seek to walk in the light even as He is in the light!
Walking in the light ….
Richard Twiss
Wiconi International
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Psalm 8
How kind our great God is! And how generous! He has given his children dominion over so much. When I look at my little pit bull Hemotep and my little kitty Sheba, I'm amazed at how they look up to me. Intuitively, they give me authority over them. The Lord has given human even the power to tame and train wild animals.
Even human children have authority in the world! Although I wouldn't send a young kid out there to command a stranger's pit bull.
But what God has given us! In the beginning God tells us (through Moses) that he gave us authority over the earth. And somewhere it says, "The earth has God given to the children of men" !!! Then we lose the dominion to Satan. Sickness, Death, Sin rules over us. And even when God gives humans laws, sin uses the law to make us sin even more. In Psalm 8, we're told again of the dominion God has given to us. But then when Satan is tempting Jesus he says, "All the powers of this world I will give you ..and the authority of them... because they are mine." Jesus doesn't challenge him. Then Jesus says to his disciples, I have given you authority over devils and sickness." Then Jesus dies and finishes the job on the cross, taking captivity captive and giving gifts to men! Now man has power over sin, can raise folks from the dead, can cast out demons on the earth. (The heavens, even the heavens of heavens is God's but the earth has he given to the kingdom of men! So we can't go battling demons in the heavenlies. God and angels do that! But even now we are seated in high places in Christ! And what else! We are told by St Paul that in eternity, we shall be like Jesus because we shall see him as he is! Then in Revelations, the seal to the earth is finally taken by the bloodied lamb who was slain from the foundation of the earth! At last, the dominion is Christ and Hallelujah! The kingdoms of this earth is become the kingdom of our God! At last, God has taken full claim of the kingdom. Satan makes a final stand to take all the earth but he's fated to lose. All the Bible, from beginning to end, is about man's loss of his authority and power over the earth through sin and the long journey for a saviour who will redeem it for man again!
Perhaps we humans are so selfish and greedy because we know how giving our sweet, loving, generous, and good God is! How wonderful that God has given us this authority! Yet, we only have it through faith! Childlike faith can destroy the enemies in the gates!!!!! The kingdom of God is within us and through Christ we are made more than conquerors!
Even human children have authority in the world! Although I wouldn't send a young kid out there to command a stranger's pit bull.
But what God has given us! In the beginning God tells us (through Moses) that he gave us authority over the earth. And somewhere it says, "The earth has God given to the children of men" !!! Then we lose the dominion to Satan. Sickness, Death, Sin rules over us. And even when God gives humans laws, sin uses the law to make us sin even more. In Psalm 8, we're told again of the dominion God has given to us. But then when Satan is tempting Jesus he says, "All the powers of this world I will give you ..and the authority of them... because they are mine." Jesus doesn't challenge him. Then Jesus says to his disciples, I have given you authority over devils and sickness." Then Jesus dies and finishes the job on the cross, taking captivity captive and giving gifts to men! Now man has power over sin, can raise folks from the dead, can cast out demons on the earth. (The heavens, even the heavens of heavens is God's but the earth has he given to the kingdom of men! So we can't go battling demons in the heavenlies. God and angels do that! But even now we are seated in high places in Christ! And what else! We are told by St Paul that in eternity, we shall be like Jesus because we shall see him as he is! Then in Revelations, the seal to the earth is finally taken by the bloodied lamb who was slain from the foundation of the earth! At last, the dominion is Christ and Hallelujah! The kingdoms of this earth is become the kingdom of our God! At last, God has taken full claim of the kingdom. Satan makes a final stand to take all the earth but he's fated to lose. All the Bible, from beginning to end, is about man's loss of his authority and power over the earth through sin and the long journey for a saviour who will redeem it for man again!
Perhaps we humans are so selfish and greedy because we know how giving our sweet, loving, generous, and good God is! How wonderful that God has given us this authority! Yet, we only have it through faith! Childlike faith can destroy the enemies in the gates!!!!! The kingdom of God is within us and through Christ we are made more than conquerors!
1O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.
2Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.
3When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
4What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
5For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
6Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:
7All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;
8The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.
9O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!
Monday, January 19, 2009
When God Sends A Troubling Dream
When God sends a troubling dream, it prompts it prompts us to realize we don't know everything with human knowledge. It makes us go to God and ask for mercy for him to show us what we don't know.
Many dreams are from our own psyche. They deal with what our bodies and our minds are telling us. These are troubling in their own way because often they tell us what we don't know or ask us to explore what we don't want to explore.
But some dreams come from God. Remember, this is the dreaming generation -- and probably this is why so many in this generation are troubled by insomnia and sleeplessness because the devil doesn't want us to dream dreams and see visions. But when we get a dream from God we feel it. A dream from God tells what is in God's mind. What's in God's mind we don't know. But the God of all the earth doesn't do anything unless he shares it with his people the prophets.
Sometimes these dreams are clear and easy to interpret. Sometimes they aren't that clear. Daniel saw the dream King Nebuchadnezzar had dreamed. But it was difficult to interpret without God's help. He had to get his other friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These four kids, about fifteen or sixteen, had a prayer meeting and God explained the troubling dream to them.
Remember the vision of the handwriting on the wall. The words were: Numbered, Weighed, Divided. A math puzzle. Now, what if we had dreamed and seen = - and a scale. What would we think of these symbols. We'd be troubled of course. We cannot understand what is going on without God helping us.
Daniel and his friends cried to God for MERCY to help them understand the dream. He told them its meaning. And with that, they saved their lives. The king's astrologers had admitted that no God would tell such a thing, that if the gods existed mere humans couldn't ask them for help in such a strange thing. But Daniel proved God's existence and closeness to man by showing the king that God has a purpose for the king's life. There is human wisdom and there is God's wisdom and there are certain things we simply don't know unless we ask God to tell us . . . in his mercy.
In the future, God will show us many dreams, let us learn to seek him and his interpretation...by praying to him for mercy for the dream. In the present, we really need to be aware that God knows many things about our present that we aren't aware of. The world teaches us that we need the wisdom of its wise men. We -- even Christians-- say, "What will happen to me if I don't listen to the advice of the experts?" But what do we do when the experts can't help us? or disagree? or when those who follow the advice of experts fail or die or lose money? Then we turn to God. But shouldn't we train ourselves from our youth, as Daniel did, to trust God as the Expert? Listening to the experts is a modern day idolatry and I'll admit I have to fight their advice.
Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1 "God will destroy the wisdom of the wise."
I've had three friends die from immune system illnesses -- because they listened to doctors. The experts - nutritional, neurological, biological, alternative medicine-- have not helped either my son or me. But luckily, they have not killed us. We can trust God. He has told us that we walk in the light if we trust in Him.
Dear Lord Jesus, save me from what I don't know. Deliver me from what I cannot see. Deliver me from the earthly and physical things my mind and heart and body have gotten used to. Open my eyes Lord that I might see. Be merciful to me Lord because I cannot know anything in this world unless you open my eyes. Amen.
Many dreams are from our own psyche. They deal with what our bodies and our minds are telling us. These are troubling in their own way because often they tell us what we don't know or ask us to explore what we don't want to explore.
But some dreams come from God. Remember, this is the dreaming generation -- and probably this is why so many in this generation are troubled by insomnia and sleeplessness because the devil doesn't want us to dream dreams and see visions. But when we get a dream from God we feel it. A dream from God tells what is in God's mind. What's in God's mind we don't know. But the God of all the earth doesn't do anything unless he shares it with his people the prophets.
Sometimes these dreams are clear and easy to interpret. Sometimes they aren't that clear. Daniel saw the dream King Nebuchadnezzar had dreamed. But it was difficult to interpret without God's help. He had to get his other friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These four kids, about fifteen or sixteen, had a prayer meeting and God explained the troubling dream to them.
Remember the vision of the handwriting on the wall. The words were: Numbered, Weighed, Divided. A math puzzle. Now, what if we had dreamed and seen = - and a scale. What would we think of these symbols. We'd be troubled of course. We cannot understand what is going on without God helping us.
Daniel and his friends cried to God for MERCY to help them understand the dream. He told them its meaning. And with that, they saved their lives. The king's astrologers had admitted that no God would tell such a thing, that if the gods existed mere humans couldn't ask them for help in such a strange thing. But Daniel proved God's existence and closeness to man by showing the king that God has a purpose for the king's life. There is human wisdom and there is God's wisdom and there are certain things we simply don't know unless we ask God to tell us . . . in his mercy.
In the future, God will show us many dreams, let us learn to seek him and his interpretation...by praying to him for mercy for the dream. In the present, we really need to be aware that God knows many things about our present that we aren't aware of. The world teaches us that we need the wisdom of its wise men. We -- even Christians-- say, "What will happen to me if I don't listen to the advice of the experts?" But what do we do when the experts can't help us? or disagree? or when those who follow the advice of experts fail or die or lose money? Then we turn to God. But shouldn't we train ourselves from our youth, as Daniel did, to trust God as the Expert? Listening to the experts is a modern day idolatry and I'll admit I have to fight their advice.
Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1 "God will destroy the wisdom of the wise."
I've had three friends die from immune system illnesses -- because they listened to doctors. The experts - nutritional, neurological, biological, alternative medicine-- have not helped either my son or me. But luckily, they have not killed us. We can trust God. He has told us that we walk in the light if we trust in Him.
Dear Lord Jesus, save me from what I don't know. Deliver me from what I cannot see. Deliver me from the earthly and physical things my mind and heart and body have gotten used to. Open my eyes Lord that I might see. Be merciful to me Lord because I cannot know anything in this world unless you open my eyes. Amen.
Genesis 41:8 And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh. Genesis 41:7-9
Daniel 2:1 And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.
Daniel 2:3 And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream.
Daniel 4:5 I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts upon my bed and the visions of my head troubled me. Daniel 4:4-6
Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was astonied for one hour, and his thoughts troubled him. The king spake, and said, Belteshazzar, let not the dream, or the interpretation thereof, trouble thee. Belteshazzar answered and said, My lord, the dream be to them that hate thee, and the interpretation thereof to thine enemies.
Daniel 4:18-20
Zechariah 10:2 For the idols have spoken vanity, and the diviners have seen a lie, and have told false dreams; they comfort in vain: therefore they went their way as a flock, they were troubled, because there was no shepherd. Zechariah 10:1-3
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Alienated
Okay, I totally worry about myself. I have a total inability to go along with the herd. Why, oh why?
Two cases in point: When all the Christians were emailing each other about the evil Barack Obama, did I care? Nope. When they were all for the war -- I mean ALL the Christians I know were for this war-- I kept saying "No, God has shown me this war will only lead to people hating Christians, the Muslims being used as sufferers, and besides Christians are not supposed to be so connected to the world. Our real home is in heaven. The only reason God told us to pray for authorities was not because we have a city on a hill but because they were persecuting us."
When all the Black folks are emailing each other and weeping with joy that Barack Obama is president, what is yours truly doing? Standing back and watching. I just can't get into the entire hoopla. I pray for him, of course. One day I hope to like him, but I honestly doubt I will. God let me give this guy a chance.
So why can't I be swept along by the herd-mind? I think this has a lot to do with having been sick for so long. It takes one's mind away from earthly things. One realizes there is only one savior: not Bush, not America, not Obama. One realizes the lies in the world, that the American dream is merely greed. So that's the good part. The bad part, of course -- and why oh why am I going to admit this on my blog when I know I'm only going to get a judgmental person agreeing with me as if to enlighten me? They gloss over the fact that I've been sick and go on to blaming me for not being as they would be if they were in my position--
oh where was I? Yes, the bad part of this is that A) it's a lonely feeling. I'd like to be like the herd and B) while much of this alienation is good because a christian should be separated from certain matters....it's probably not all good. I'm sure I've been cold to things that have made folks jump for joy. (When it's a lotta folks all sharing the joy, it's perhaps not so bad. But if/when I've been cold to the joys of a particular person...well, it just shows how cruel sickness and hurt can be. It just kills your sense of joy in everything. It's hard to endure 20 years of sickness and seeing one's kid sick every day and be peppy.)
7Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die:
8Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:
9Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.
Last night hubby and I were awake. As usual. I fall asleep around 10 ish and wake up around 12 ish then am up all night. Either I pray or listen to sermons or wake hubby and ask for sex so I can sleep. So last night I woke hubby. We talked about thanksgiving. We really found so much to be thankful for. For instance, I am genuinely happy that I sleep for two hours. IT could be worse. It has been worse. 14 days straight with no sleep. (And yes, I am very kind when someone tells me she slept only 7 hours in a single night. I don't get into comparative mode. I'm not really like that. I don't say "I suffer much more than that." I'm actually quite nice. We thanked God that we endured so much and are still madly in love (okay, I'm also in love with some pixellated guys but I'm working on it.) But honestly, when we hear of folks who have divorced because of money issues, or sick child issues, or evil mother-in-law issues, we are amazed cause we went through all that and survived. God's grace was not missing in those folks' lives but somehow, they didn't survive. We thank God that we endured some hard financial times and learned to eat beans and rice. Hey, if the US economy goes under, we won't be complaining because we got used to that. And learned to eat healthily. We praised God that we have grown closer to him. Hey, I was always religious but heck. . . would I have gone to heaven if I died? I think many good religious people are probably surprised on their deathbed to know they didn't love God or his word enough, or that they trusted in their own righteousness to get to heaven. Hubby and I have gone through a lot...and we really have been stripped bare. So, heck, who knows if I would be this close to God if life hadn't been particularly shitty?
So yeah, I'm alienated from the world...am just hoping I'm not tainted by it (by being bitter) and am not so full of physical pain that I can't rejoice with those who rejoice. As always, God is still working on me.
Two cases in point: When all the Christians were emailing each other about the evil Barack Obama, did I care? Nope. When they were all for the war -- I mean ALL the Christians I know were for this war-- I kept saying "No, God has shown me this war will only lead to people hating Christians, the Muslims being used as sufferers, and besides Christians are not supposed to be so connected to the world. Our real home is in heaven. The only reason God told us to pray for authorities was not because we have a city on a hill but because they were persecuting us."
When all the Black folks are emailing each other and weeping with joy that Barack Obama is president, what is yours truly doing? Standing back and watching. I just can't get into the entire hoopla. I pray for him, of course. One day I hope to like him, but I honestly doubt I will. God let me give this guy a chance.
So why can't I be swept along by the herd-mind? I think this has a lot to do with having been sick for so long. It takes one's mind away from earthly things. One realizes there is only one savior: not Bush, not America, not Obama. One realizes the lies in the world, that the American dream is merely greed. So that's the good part. The bad part, of course -- and why oh why am I going to admit this on my blog when I know I'm only going to get a judgmental person agreeing with me as if to enlighten me? They gloss over the fact that I've been sick and go on to blaming me for not being as they would be if they were in my position--
oh where was I? Yes, the bad part of this is that A) it's a lonely feeling. I'd like to be like the herd and B) while much of this alienation is good because a christian should be separated from certain matters....it's probably not all good. I'm sure I've been cold to things that have made folks jump for joy. (When it's a lotta folks all sharing the joy, it's perhaps not so bad. But if/when I've been cold to the joys of a particular person...well, it just shows how cruel sickness and hurt can be. It just kills your sense of joy in everything. It's hard to endure 20 years of sickness and seeing one's kid sick every day and be peppy.)
7Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die:
8Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:
9Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.
Last night hubby and I were awake. As usual. I fall asleep around 10 ish and wake up around 12 ish then am up all night. Either I pray or listen to sermons or wake hubby and ask for sex so I can sleep. So last night I woke hubby. We talked about thanksgiving. We really found so much to be thankful for. For instance, I am genuinely happy that I sleep for two hours. IT could be worse. It has been worse. 14 days straight with no sleep. (And yes, I am very kind when someone tells me she slept only 7 hours in a single night. I don't get into comparative mode. I'm not really like that. I don't say "I suffer much more than that." I'm actually quite nice. We thanked God that we endured so much and are still madly in love (okay, I'm also in love with some pixellated guys but I'm working on it.) But honestly, when we hear of folks who have divorced because of money issues, or sick child issues, or evil mother-in-law issues, we are amazed cause we went through all that and survived. God's grace was not missing in those folks' lives but somehow, they didn't survive. We thank God that we endured some hard financial times and learned to eat beans and rice. Hey, if the US economy goes under, we won't be complaining because we got used to that. And learned to eat healthily. We praised God that we have grown closer to him. Hey, I was always religious but heck. . . would I have gone to heaven if I died? I think many good religious people are probably surprised on their deathbed to know they didn't love God or his word enough, or that they trusted in their own righteousness to get to heaven. Hubby and I have gone through a lot...and we really have been stripped bare. So, heck, who knows if I would be this close to God if life hadn't been particularly shitty?
So yeah, I'm alienated from the world...am just hoping I'm not tainted by it (by being bitter) and am not so full of physical pain that I can't rejoice with those who rejoice. As always, God is still working on me.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Psalm 7
Okay, I knew this would happen one day...but did it have to happen this soon? I'm really hard put to see differences between some psalms and others. Yeah, I'm honest. Why hide that? There's a lot of the same stuff that happens in psalm after psalm. Enemy after enemy.
So what do we do with this? Well, honestly...some folks will have one favorite psalm over another. Yet those two psalms will be pretty similar. The thing to do is to look at the psalm and see what the holy spirit brought out in your soul at this particular reading.
So I won't examine the use of lion in this psalm. (Lion btw is a symbol that is used both for the Messiah and for the devil. Same thing with Morning Star. So don't start thinking that certain symbols are exclusively one thing. After a while one knows these symbols. Psalm 91 really does a great job of discussing the different types of enemies -- spiritual and otherwise-- that come at folks. The lion here -- and in much of the Scripture-- seems to represent a kind of enemy that hunts the spiritual person and preys upon the good person, tearing them to pieces.
This reading the verse that jumps out at me is verse 14. The birthing of sin. Sin is often seen first as a planted seed, then a conception, then a travailing or being in labor, then a giving birth. Compare this verse with
The thing is a seed is very tiny. One almost never connects it with its fruit. How many seemingly small things have we ignored which will grow into wonderful fruit and life or into death? No wonder the Bible tells us to take the little foxes that spoil our vines because our vines have tender grapes. No wonder it tells us to despise not (don't belittle) the day of small things.
Often the fruit we are eating now in our lives -- good or bad-- are stuff whose seeds we weren't aware we were planting...back in the day. Let us ask God to enlighten us as to what seed we're planting
So what do we do with this? Well, honestly...some folks will have one favorite psalm over another. Yet those two psalms will be pretty similar. The thing to do is to look at the psalm and see what the holy spirit brought out in your soul at this particular reading.
So I won't examine the use of lion in this psalm. (Lion btw is a symbol that is used both for the Messiah and for the devil. Same thing with Morning Star. So don't start thinking that certain symbols are exclusively one thing. After a while one knows these symbols. Psalm 91 really does a great job of discussing the different types of enemies -- spiritual and otherwise-- that come at folks. The lion here -- and in much of the Scripture-- seems to represent a kind of enemy that hunts the spiritual person and preys upon the good person, tearing them to pieces.
This reading the verse that jumps out at me is verse 14. The birthing of sin. Sin is often seen first as a planted seed, then a conception, then a travailing or being in labor, then a giving birth. Compare this verse with
Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. James 1:14-16
The thing is a seed is very tiny. One almost never connects it with its fruit. How many seemingly small things have we ignored which will grow into wonderful fruit and life or into death? No wonder the Bible tells us to take the little foxes that spoil our vines because our vines have tender grapes. No wonder it tells us to despise not (don't belittle) the day of small things.
Often the fruit we are eating now in our lives -- good or bad-- are stuff whose seeds we weren't aware we were planting...back in the day. Let us ask God to enlighten us as to what seed we're planting
1O LORD my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me:
2Lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces, while there is none to deliver.
3O LORD my God, If I have done this; if there be iniquity in my hands;
4If I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me; (yea, if I have delivered him that without cause is mine enemy:)
5Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take it; yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth, and lay mine honour in the dust. Selah.
6Arise, O LORD, in thine anger, lift up thyself because of the rage of mine enemies: and awake for me to the judgment that thou hast commanded.
7So shall the congregation of the people compass thee about: for their sakes therefore return thou on high.
8The LORD shall judge the people: judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me.
9Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins.
10My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart.
11God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.
12If he turn not, he will whet his sword; he hath bent his bow, and made it ready.
13He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death; he ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors.
14Behold, he travaileth with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood.
15He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made.
16His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate.
17I will praise the LORD according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the LORD most high.
Friday, January 16, 2009
the daughters of men
The last days will be as the days of Noah. So then, will nephilim be here again? Who will be the "image" of the beast? Some folks say it's a hologram, some folks say cloning. Some How will the world be so convinced that this strange beings are God?
I've had some very odd dreams about the daughters of men (Biblically: the daughters of Adam)
Genesis 6:4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. Genesis 6:3-5
Luke 17:26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. Luke 17:25-27
Daniel 2:43 And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. Daniel 2:42-44
Revelation 13:14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. Revelation 13:13-15
I've had some very odd dreams about the daughters of men (Biblically: the daughters of Adam)
Genesis 6:4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. Genesis 6:3-5
Luke 17:26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. Luke 17:25-27
Daniel 2:43 And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. Daniel 2:42-44
Revelation 13:14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. Revelation 13:13-15
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Psalm 6
When I think of Psalm 6, I think of someone overwhelmed with his sin and cowering in front of a pure God. This is one of the first psalms in which the psalmist shows us a God who is to be feared because He is so holy.
Those of us who have been corrected by out parents know the difference between being corrected when they are really really mad and when we are corrected when they are somewhat calmer. Of course God sees all our future possible actions. He may be displeased with our actions but he's not particularly surprised. As say, our parents would be.
So, after telling God not to chasten him while he's angry, the psalmist reminds God that being human, he is weak. He talks about his body and he might mean his body but there's also the possibility that he is talking about being spiritually weak. Because he is human.
But there is a physical weakness...and he needs to be healed of it. He needs deliverance and God is taking a very long time. He appeals again to God's mercy.
Mercy is an interesting thing. When we ask for mercy we are in fact admitting our wrongs. In some cultures a judge has the option of showing mercy. It's a little different from the American system which basically has two pleas: guilty, not guilty. So the psalmist is basically saying, I am guilty but show me mercy anyway and let the punishment of the crime go.
What does he want God to deliver him from? Well, from his sickness, from death, from his enemies, from the effect of his sin, and from injustice.
Interestingly, he totally pleads to God's compassion. He gives God a list of all the emotional and bodily ailments he's gone through. No theological affirmations, no praising of God's goodness, no application of God's words. In fact, he goes so far as to make a difference between his sins and the sins of those others who are in iniquity. And he declares that God has heard his supplication. Why?
Because before his present sin -- and he doesn't precisely state what that is-- he was friends with God. God's anger against him is temporary, like a lover who is momentarily angry. He knows that after this very painful rejection from God God will receive him again. God does not hold his anger forever against his friends.
The verse that jumps out at me at this particular encounter with this psalm is "How long?" How long, Lord, will you seem distant from me? How long, Lord, will it take you to answer my prayers? Endurance is what tries, perfects, or kills our faith in God. The Psalmist never once says that God does not exists. Only fools say that. (Psalms 14) He is confused, shaken, distraught at times. But HE knows God is and that God is a rewarder to those who diligently seek him.
Another verse that jumps out at me is "let my enemies be ashamed suddenly." Sudden good coming to God's righteous believer is a joyous and amazing thing. May that happen to us also. May all our spiritual and physical sorrows suddenly leave us and may those enemies who fight against us -- diseases, grief, hurt, poverty-- be reminded again that God rules and blesses his people!
Psalm 6
Those of us who have been corrected by out parents know the difference between being corrected when they are really really mad and when we are corrected when they are somewhat calmer. Of course God sees all our future possible actions. He may be displeased with our actions but he's not particularly surprised. As say, our parents would be.
So, after telling God not to chasten him while he's angry, the psalmist reminds God that being human, he is weak. He talks about his body and he might mean his body but there's also the possibility that he is talking about being spiritually weak. Because he is human.
But there is a physical weakness...and he needs to be healed of it. He needs deliverance and God is taking a very long time. He appeals again to God's mercy.
Mercy is an interesting thing. When we ask for mercy we are in fact admitting our wrongs. In some cultures a judge has the option of showing mercy. It's a little different from the American system which basically has two pleas: guilty, not guilty. So the psalmist is basically saying, I am guilty but show me mercy anyway and let the punishment of the crime go.
What does he want God to deliver him from? Well, from his sickness, from death, from his enemies, from the effect of his sin, and from injustice.
Interestingly, he totally pleads to God's compassion. He gives God a list of all the emotional and bodily ailments he's gone through. No theological affirmations, no praising of God's goodness, no application of God's words. In fact, he goes so far as to make a difference between his sins and the sins of those others who are in iniquity. And he declares that God has heard his supplication. Why?
Because before his present sin -- and he doesn't precisely state what that is-- he was friends with God. God's anger against him is temporary, like a lover who is momentarily angry. He knows that after this very painful rejection from God God will receive him again. God does not hold his anger forever against his friends.
The verse that jumps out at me at this particular encounter with this psalm is "How long?" How long, Lord, will you seem distant from me? How long, Lord, will it take you to answer my prayers? Endurance is what tries, perfects, or kills our faith in God. The Psalmist never once says that God does not exists. Only fools say that. (Psalms 14) He is confused, shaken, distraught at times. But HE knows God is and that God is a rewarder to those who diligently seek him.
Another verse that jumps out at me is "let my enemies be ashamed suddenly." Sudden good coming to God's righteous believer is a joyous and amazing thing. May that happen to us also. May all our spiritual and physical sorrows suddenly leave us and may those enemies who fight against us -- diseases, grief, hurt, poverty-- be reminded again that God rules and blesses his people!
Psalm 6
1O LORD, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.
2Have mercy upon me, O LORD; for I am weak: O LORD, heal me; for my bones are vexed.
3My soul is also sore vexed: but thou, O LORD, how long?
4Return, O LORD, deliver my soul: oh save me for thy mercies' sake.
5For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?
6I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears.
7Mine eye is consumed because of grief; it waxeth old because of all mine enemies.
8Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity; for the LORD hath heard the voice of my weeping.
9The LORD hath heard my supplication; the LORD will receive my prayer.
10Let all mine enemies be ashamed and sore vexed: let them return and be ashamed suddenly.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Another pixellated guy I've fallen for
i swear! I love heroes! I love princes! I love prince-heroes! (Although Cloud Strife in Final Fantasy Advent Children was not really a prince in the classic sense of the term.)
I love Noct!
I love Noct!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
If God Disappears by David Sanford
If God Disappears : 9 Faith Wreckers and What to Do about Them by David Sanford
Here's his blog
Here's the Blurb:
There is a difference between God disappearing and God leaving us. God has said, "I will never leave you."
God often seems absent when we need him most. How can we walk through troubling, even devastating times without shipwrecking our trust in God?
Here's a vid over at tyndale
and another
and another
Here it is on Christian Book
And Amazon
Monday, January 12, 2009
Psalm 5
I first got acquainted with Psalm 5 when I heard Keith Green's arrangement. This is the nearest we have right now.
It's a great psalm.. and I really haven't studied the rest of it. But, hey, since I'm doing this blogging of the psalms I'll have to go through all of it.
In this Psalm, David asks God to hear him. Just as the Israelites gathered manna in the morning, David speaks to God early in the morning. He declares that God should listen to him because his own lips are pure and he himself is free from sinfulness and iniquity.
He tells God what he knows about God. God loves the righteous, God knows the way a man should walk, God is merciful, and God will destroy the wicked and the rebellious who either don't know the way or who don't care to ask God what the true path is.
He reminds God that God gives great favour to the righteous people and that God protects good people. This calls to my mind, Abraham's question to God, "Shall not the God of all the earth do right?" David tells God that God is righteous. God would not harm the righteous. Okay, in this psalm David claims righteousness. This sounds odd to us Christians who feel that no one was righteous. But remember this was a person speaking under the law. He was living under the law and he had a relationship with God. So he was righteous. Now, we Christians might feel we should talk about God's righteousness when we seek help from Him. The way I see it, "if you're desperate, just tell your heart!" That's what God wants. Honesty. And if you're unrighteous --despite the cleansing blood of Jesus that makes us righteous, some Christians do sin-- God will tell you about it. But no matter what, speak to Him.
It's a great psalm.. and I really haven't studied the rest of it. But, hey, since I'm doing this blogging of the psalms I'll have to go through all of it.
In this Psalm, David asks God to hear him. Just as the Israelites gathered manna in the morning, David speaks to God early in the morning. He declares that God should listen to him because his own lips are pure and he himself is free from sinfulness and iniquity.
He tells God what he knows about God. God loves the righteous, God knows the way a man should walk, God is merciful, and God will destroy the wicked and the rebellious who either don't know the way or who don't care to ask God what the true path is.
He reminds God that God gives great favour to the righteous people and that God protects good people. This calls to my mind, Abraham's question to God, "Shall not the God of all the earth do right?" David tells God that God is righteous. God would not harm the righteous. Okay, in this psalm David claims righteousness. This sounds odd to us Christians who feel that no one was righteous. But remember this was a person speaking under the law. He was living under the law and he had a relationship with God. So he was righteous. Now, we Christians might feel we should talk about God's righteousness when we seek help from Him. The way I see it, "if you're desperate, just tell your heart!" That's what God wants. Honesty. And if you're unrighteous --despite the cleansing blood of Jesus that makes us righteous, some Christians do sin-- God will tell you about it. But no matter what, speak to Him.
Psalm 5 (New International Version)
For the director of music. For flutes. A psalm of David.
1Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation.
2Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray.
3My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.
4For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.
5The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity.
6Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the LORD will abhor the bloody and deceitful man.
7But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple.
8Lead me, O LORD, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face.
9For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter with their tongue.
10Destroy thou them, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions; for they have rebelled against thee.
11But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.
12For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.
Fear Faith Love
Trying to let God move into the places in my spirit where fear has taken a place. Fear and Faith work against each other. We find ourselves having faith for something at the same time we are having fear about it. That just leads to doublemindedness and our prayers not moving ahead.
We are told that perfect love casts out fear. And perfect love is not that we love God but that he first loved us.
So am trying to focus on God's love for me. I remember so much of the sweet little godwinks he's sent my way and I know he loves me. Over the weekend I was telling a friend about something sweet God did to me a year or so ago. When I was younger I wrote an essay called oreoblues which was a sex history. It got published in lifenotes: personal writings by black women published by w w norton. That was about 18 years ago. The collection of essays was in my bookcase untouched. Then after 18 years I hear the holy spirit say "get up and rip out your essay from the book. So older son doesn't see it." I find the book. Rip out the section with my essay. Then return it to the bookcase. And hid it deep in the bookshelf. The VERY NEXT DAY I see the book on my table. Older son says, "my english class professor wanted us to find a book on essays by black folks. Then I remembered you had this book." (Okay, wow, he hadn't looked at the book all that time????) So the kid goes in and looks around and finds my favorite essay. (By Jamaica Kincaid, not by me. Thank God.) Now isn't God lovely? He spared me son's judgmentalism. That kid is so tough on me sometimes and so cruel ...well, I would have been reduced to tears. But our lovely God spared me! How kind He is! Hallelujah, what a savior! Oh, Lord Jesus! Take my life in your hands! I will live for you!!!!!
I can't tell you how many times he's gone before me to protect me from harm and in this case embarrassment. How ever present, how sweet our Lord is! I must trust his love and move fear from me.
Back in the day when I was younger I used to accidentally find myself astral-projecting. I saw a lot of stuff. Met a demon. Went under the earth. I became afraid of the supernatural. Even before that I was wary of the supernatural because my sister and I had to deal with ghosts and evil spirits because my mother would go to witch doctors, mediums, and obeah men. So I find that there is a fear of the supernatural in my life. I think this often gets in the way of God's gifts working in me.
But I have other fears too. Fears of old age -- after seeing my mother with all those tubes on her death bed in the hospital. Fears of paperwork and government officials. Fears of nosy governmental officials.
We Christians often don't want to admit we're afraid. Sometimes we behave as if we're never afraid. But God cannot heal any area in our life unless we ask him to enter into it. Yeah, i know...sounds heretical. But I believe it. God CANNOT touch any area of our lives unless we invite him to. If we don't know it, we can ask God to touch that area. But often we know it. Think of all the racist Christians we know who don't allow God to touch their racist souls.
I don't want Satan building a garden of fear in my spirit -- using the television health pundits, negative neighbors, drastic prognosticators. I invite Jesus into my soul to build a garden of love. Then the fruits of the spirit, the gifts of the spirit will grow inside me. Jesus loves me, this I know. For the Bible tells me so. And God has also shown me countless times. I love my savior so much. My Lord Jesus, Sweet, sweet, Lord! They words I have hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee!
We are told that perfect love casts out fear. And perfect love is not that we love God but that he first loved us.
So am trying to focus on God's love for me. I remember so much of the sweet little godwinks he's sent my way and I know he loves me. Over the weekend I was telling a friend about something sweet God did to me a year or so ago. When I was younger I wrote an essay called oreoblues which was a sex history. It got published in lifenotes: personal writings by black women published by w w norton. That was about 18 years ago. The collection of essays was in my bookcase untouched. Then after 18 years I hear the holy spirit say "get up and rip out your essay from the book. So older son doesn't see it." I find the book. Rip out the section with my essay. Then return it to the bookcase. And hid it deep in the bookshelf. The VERY NEXT DAY I see the book on my table. Older son says, "my english class professor wanted us to find a book on essays by black folks. Then I remembered you had this book." (Okay, wow, he hadn't looked at the book all that time????) So the kid goes in and looks around and finds my favorite essay. (By Jamaica Kincaid, not by me. Thank God.) Now isn't God lovely? He spared me son's judgmentalism. That kid is so tough on me sometimes and so cruel ...well, I would have been reduced to tears. But our lovely God spared me! How kind He is! Hallelujah, what a savior! Oh, Lord Jesus! Take my life in your hands! I will live for you!!!!!
I can't tell you how many times he's gone before me to protect me from harm and in this case embarrassment. How ever present, how sweet our Lord is! I must trust his love and move fear from me.
Back in the day when I was younger I used to accidentally find myself astral-projecting. I saw a lot of stuff. Met a demon. Went under the earth. I became afraid of the supernatural. Even before that I was wary of the supernatural because my sister and I had to deal with ghosts and evil spirits because my mother would go to witch doctors, mediums, and obeah men. So I find that there is a fear of the supernatural in my life. I think this often gets in the way of God's gifts working in me.
But I have other fears too. Fears of old age -- after seeing my mother with all those tubes on her death bed in the hospital. Fears of paperwork and government officials. Fears of nosy governmental officials.
We Christians often don't want to admit we're afraid. Sometimes we behave as if we're never afraid. But God cannot heal any area in our life unless we ask him to enter into it. Yeah, i know...sounds heretical. But I believe it. God CANNOT touch any area of our lives unless we invite him to. If we don't know it, we can ask God to touch that area. But often we know it. Think of all the racist Christians we know who don't allow God to touch their racist souls.
I don't want Satan building a garden of fear in my spirit -- using the television health pundits, negative neighbors, drastic prognosticators. I invite Jesus into my soul to build a garden of love. Then the fruits of the spirit, the gifts of the spirit will grow inside me. Jesus loves me, this I know. For the Bible tells me so. And God has also shown me countless times. I love my savior so much. My Lord Jesus, Sweet, sweet, Lord! They words I have hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee!
Weekend Movie Viewing
A couple of weeks ago, hubby came to me and said there is this car thingey called "drifting" kinda like drag-racing but different. Okay, who knew? Hubby's graphic art studio was working on something or other that had to do with said "drifting" and the Movie Tokyo Drift. Well, who knew? I'm not up on trendy hipster car racing stuff. Am I getting old?
But then what do I see on TV? The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. Okay, I am not one to watch sequels and I've never seen the F&theF. But the setting of the film was Tokyo and seeing I have heavy crush issues on Asian guys (God isn't finished with me yet) I figured I'd watch it. (And by the way I was not disappointed. The Chinese (good) bad guy was way hot!) I honestly think this movie was a good enough B flick and probably would've done better with me if it didn't have that F&F sequel thing attached to it.
Bad boy southern boy keeps drag-racing and is sent to live with the dad he hasn't seen since he was 3 who is in the army in Japan. As is to be expected, he's so hot and prone to trouble that soon he's involved with a gang of Japanese thugs and the (bad) bad guy is out to get him. Isn't that strange how that always happens? In these drag races, a girl is always cause of trouble. And of course... It was fairly predictable. The girl was multiculti which was pretty nice. You couldn't quite figure what race she was except you knew she probably had black in her. Somewhere. Very healing to see guys wanting a black woman. Perhaps movies are getting more enlightened.
(Interruption from the real world: hubby just found a big bottle of olive oil in a corner near my desk. Don't know how it got there but in this house stuff gets thrown all over the place by younger son. He's now looking around for other stuff...ooh, he just found a bottle of taco sauce, a couple of Bibles, and is still looking. Don't ask...we spend our mornings picking up books younger son tosses all over house and cleaning up the plaster from the walls he's kicked.)
Spent much of the day writing so couldn't really look at a lot of movies. The underside of being fairly healthy...so I wasn't in bed. Plus scifi channel was fairly gruesome...splatter horror. Hey, I know you like that (smile) but not moi. Couldn't deal. Borderlands looked kinda good but I missed most of it and only looked at it when the bleeding dying young kid was being stripped of his skin (I think) by the baddie and repeating Psalm 23. Weirdly, I must be in sync with the Bible because I can turn on the TV to any channel at any time and it's uncanny that the moment I choose to look at the TV or a specific channel is the time someone is saying something about God. It's odd but it makes me feel in sync -- a kind of God wink where God shows me he's with me even if my mind is on TV.
Then I watched one of my favorite movies again "Harold and Kumar go to White Castle." I love that movie. I like slacker movies, I like ethnic movies. So yeah... And I like how minority films tend to include other minorities. For instance, Ping Pong Playa --a Chinese slacker film-- had black folks in it.
Actually come to think of it, it was a pretty multicultural weekend. And I definitely like it that films contain tons of different minorities.
History Channel is having its Armageddon Week so they had some neat stuff on. And I watched of course, cause I get all doomsdayish sometimes. They had a documentary called Seven signs of the Apocalypse in which they talked about correlations between the Book of Revelations and what's happening in the world or what could happen. So they had all sorts of experts talking about climate change, famine, global pandemics, earthquakes, meteors, etc. They're great at postulating. Kinda fear-inducing but interesting. Weirdly, they didn't talk about the meaning of Armageddon which means "War in Megiddo" and how the Bible says one of the signs of the last days is when Jerusalem will be surrounded by her enemies with warfare all around.
So that's that.
But then what do I see on TV? The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. Okay, I am not one to watch sequels and I've never seen the F&theF. But the setting of the film was Tokyo and seeing I have heavy crush issues on Asian guys (God isn't finished with me yet) I figured I'd watch it. (And by the way I was not disappointed. The Chinese (good) bad guy was way hot!) I honestly think this movie was a good enough B flick and probably would've done better with me if it didn't have that F&F sequel thing attached to it.
Bad boy southern boy keeps drag-racing and is sent to live with the dad he hasn't seen since he was 3 who is in the army in Japan. As is to be expected, he's so hot and prone to trouble that soon he's involved with a gang of Japanese thugs and the (bad) bad guy is out to get him. Isn't that strange how that always happens? In these drag races, a girl is always cause of trouble. And of course... It was fairly predictable. The girl was multiculti which was pretty nice. You couldn't quite figure what race she was except you knew she probably had black in her. Somewhere. Very healing to see guys wanting a black woman. Perhaps movies are getting more enlightened.
(Interruption from the real world: hubby just found a big bottle of olive oil in a corner near my desk. Don't know how it got there but in this house stuff gets thrown all over the place by younger son. He's now looking around for other stuff...ooh, he just found a bottle of taco sauce, a couple of Bibles, and is still looking. Don't ask...we spend our mornings picking up books younger son tosses all over house and cleaning up the plaster from the walls he's kicked.)
Spent much of the day writing so couldn't really look at a lot of movies. The underside of being fairly healthy...so I wasn't in bed. Plus scifi channel was fairly gruesome...splatter horror. Hey, I know you like that (smile) but not moi. Couldn't deal. Borderlands looked kinda good but I missed most of it and only looked at it when the bleeding dying young kid was being stripped of his skin (I think) by the baddie and repeating Psalm 23. Weirdly, I must be in sync with the Bible because I can turn on the TV to any channel at any time and it's uncanny that the moment I choose to look at the TV or a specific channel is the time someone is saying something about God. It's odd but it makes me feel in sync -- a kind of God wink where God shows me he's with me even if my mind is on TV.
Then I watched one of my favorite movies again "Harold and Kumar go to White Castle." I love that movie. I like slacker movies, I like ethnic movies. So yeah... And I like how minority films tend to include other minorities. For instance, Ping Pong Playa --a Chinese slacker film-- had black folks in it.
Actually come to think of it, it was a pretty multicultural weekend. And I definitely like it that films contain tons of different minorities.
History Channel is having its Armageddon Week so they had some neat stuff on. And I watched of course, cause I get all doomsdayish sometimes. They had a documentary called Seven signs of the Apocalypse in which they talked about correlations between the Book of Revelations and what's happening in the world or what could happen. So they had all sorts of experts talking about climate change, famine, global pandemics, earthquakes, meteors, etc. They're great at postulating. Kinda fear-inducing but interesting. Weirdly, they didn't talk about the meaning of Armageddon which means "War in Megiddo" and how the Bible says one of the signs of the last days is when Jerusalem will be surrounded by her enemies with warfare all around.
So that's that.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Friday, January 09, 2009
Studying Scripture versus Encountering Scripture
When I used to teach I remember a fellow teacher saying to the students, "This is how you understand a poem: you read one line and look at all the words to see if you understand it. Then when you understand that line, you read the next line." As a poet and writer, I thought that was not exactly the right way to teach students how to read poetry. Not at first, anyway.
In the Book of Acts, Luke writes, "When the chief scribes and the Pharisees saw that the apostles were unlearned men, they perceived that they had been with Jesus!"
Let's ponder that. There is a great deal of difference between studying Scripture and meeting the holy spirit with Scripture.
In Jesus time, the Chief Scribes, the Pharisees, the Saducees, the lawyers, all had studied Scripture...and yet they missed God.
Nicodemus was part of the Sanhedrin, a learned man, and yet he "was a teacher of the law" and he didn't understand what the heck Jesus was talking about. There are folks who can tell you all about the poetry, the history, of the Psalms. Yet they seem to not know how to hear God talking to them every day.
Most of you know me. I love knowledge. I've written quite a bit on how not to read the Bible and how to use common sense. I'm a poet, I love poetry. The Publishers Weekly review stated that my novel had the "poetic ambience of an old world folktale." I've studied ancient history, and many reviewers have stated that Wind Follower, my novel, is a wonderfully anthropological novel.
Compliments like those are great, don't get me wrong. But I would rather be able to get up each morning and hear God say, "Get up and telephone such and such a person and tell them such and such a psalm because he needs it" rather than hear someone tell me how well I know the Bible. As St Paul says in the Love chapter in Corinthians, "If I have all wisdom, it profits me nothing."
Honestly now -- how different are we American Christians from other religious groups in America? Even those of us who "know" the Bible don't live it. How is our behavior different? How powerful are our prayers? How closely do we hear God? How loving and sacrificial and giving are we? What is the difference between a kind-hearted devout Jew and a kind-hearted devout Christian and a kind-hearted devout Muslim? Honestly, nothing! And really, as Christians, that shouldn't be, should it? Because we Christians are called to raise the dead (literally), heal the incurably sick (such as those with AIDS), and cast out devils (such as devils of addiction, deviancy, etc.) But we are as enslaved to the weak and beggarly elements as non-Christians. And if we judge by behavior alone, we are as worldly, selfish, sinful, as the worldly folks out there.
We can hear God speaking to us in the Scriptures without totally understanding all wisdom. That doesn't mean we should avoid learning the historic and poetic reasons for a psalm or a book. One of my favorite Christian expositors is Bullinger, especially his Figures of Speech Used in the Bible. But I don't know what it is with me: someone once accused me of hiding my light. I think I just don't like sounding super-smart or super-cultured. God has called me to be an everyman and to speak to every man. Especially to those not in the Church. So I do my best to be human and transparent and to show what God's word has done for me. Not to prove how smart I am or how well-read. Because it's normal folks who read the Bible.
Everywhere i turn i see folks converting to judaism or becoming wiccans or buddhists or muslims. Many of these are Christian folks who were very very very christian and in the church...and yet, to them Christianity was "proved" by docrtine or, tradition because their folks were christians or scripture reading....but not by power. So in the long run, they could leave Christianity because it was to the human eye just another religion that said it had the truth. St Paul said he minister not in mere words or doctrine or with great word of wisdom but with power. The gospel is not mere doctrine but the power of God. But for most christians in the western world it is nothing but words and missionaries teach nothing but theology and even those who say they believe in the holy spirit are pretty near powerless. Certainly, we're not as powerful as Christ wanted us to be. So in the long run what we see is no distinction between Christ's people and other people. In the world, the people who live under the blood and have eaten of the passover should not be oppressed by the plagues, should not be unholy, should not be distant from God. The Spirit of God should emanate from us.
It just bothers me so much. What to do? The particular converted Jews i've talked to a) changed their faith because the y began studying the religion of judaism and got caught up in it...and slowly moved from christianity to judaizers to rejecting christ to orthodox judaism. or b) they said other religions had done evil but Judaism had never done any evil to the world. Just gave me a bad feeling. Because they did not see any degree of holiness (not that seeing holiness is that dependable but Jesus did say people would see our holiness and our good works.) It just annoys me when I see folks who were once christians doing this sort of thing.
Lily Allen with her stupid song, "I kissed a girl." She came from a Christian family. Now she's dissing Christianity. Jessica Simpson is supposedly a Christian but does she really seem to understand it in the very depths of her heart? Reba, supposedly a Christian, believes she has been reincarnated. This kind of thing shows that folks who grow up in churches are not being truly convinced deep in their spirit. Even though, they praised Jesus and were "professing" Christians they have a kind of sentimental unthought-out Christianity that shows they don't understand Christian philosopy, for all their learning...and they have never really seen the power of Christ in their life, to see the reality of Christ. They have never heard Christ in their hearts in a real way. They have never really seen or felt Christ in their spirit.
I had a friend who was a deep christian then she became a black jew -- that weird cult that thinks African-Americans are the real Jews and who are very anti-semitic. What amazed me was how deeply into christ she was. If you had asked me who would stop being a Christian, she would be one of the last people I would mention. More and more i think that church-going bible-believing christians need to really understand their faith...or else they will leave the faith. I am fully persuaded that in the coming years most "christiany" folks in Christian colleges and Christian churches will leave the faith. Paul prophesied of the great apostasy in the last days. Because I've seen so much of this kind of thing. And no amount of those silly revivals churches have which really do nothing...are gonna help because as a people we really need to grow more in the spirit and to show the depth and beauty and deep thought of christianity. And our "teachers" are teaching that godliness is great gain and the prosperity gospel without somehow really touching the gospel.
Anyway, I feel God telling me to write this...it's something pressing on His heart. Just as the abortion issue presses on his heart. Just as the drug issue and the plight of the widows and orphans press on his heart. As the days go on, I feel we will see this falling away...and we will see that all our learning (for the educated) and all our jumping up and down in church (when we are supposedly touched by the spirit but really allowing a religious spirit to use our pride) will be useless.
We are playing church...we are talking the talk...but we aren't walking the walk as Jesus intended his church to walk. And there's a reason for it. We compromise and we don't spend time in the word. (Yeah, I'm guilty of this too. When was the last time I raised someone from the dead? But I am determined to have raised several before I meet my maker. And I mean a literal raising of the dead. Isn't that what God promised his people?) Well, it's not God's fault that we don't see miracles. It's ours. True, God uses dirty vessels because those are the only vessels he has but at the same time he had purified us with Christ's blood. But he isn't going to entrust us with miracles if we aren't serious about allowing his word to change us.
In Wind Follower, I did my best to try to show how truly folkloric Christianity was and how many religions, and ancient folklore pointed to a blood sacrifice. Am gonna try to see if I can somehow make my new WIP The Constant Tower a story which shows the inevitability of works as a means of getting to heaven. I don't know what God wants me to do with it but all I can do is write and trust him to put the great christian message--which is the great christian offense to those who like "works" or the externals of holiness. It's all I can do. Had to get that off my chest. -C
In the Book of Acts, Luke writes, "When the chief scribes and the Pharisees saw that the apostles were unlearned men, they perceived that they had been with Jesus!"
Let's ponder that. There is a great deal of difference between studying Scripture and meeting the holy spirit with Scripture.
In Jesus time, the Chief Scribes, the Pharisees, the Saducees, the lawyers, all had studied Scripture...and yet they missed God.
Nicodemus was part of the Sanhedrin, a learned man, and yet he "was a teacher of the law" and he didn't understand what the heck Jesus was talking about. There are folks who can tell you all about the poetry, the history, of the Psalms. Yet they seem to not know how to hear God talking to them every day.
Most of you know me. I love knowledge. I've written quite a bit on how not to read the Bible and how to use common sense. I'm a poet, I love poetry. The Publishers Weekly review stated that my novel had the "poetic ambience of an old world folktale." I've studied ancient history, and many reviewers have stated that Wind Follower, my novel, is a wonderfully anthropological novel.
Compliments like those are great, don't get me wrong. But I would rather be able to get up each morning and hear God say, "Get up and telephone such and such a person and tell them such and such a psalm because he needs it" rather than hear someone tell me how well I know the Bible. As St Paul says in the Love chapter in Corinthians, "If I have all wisdom, it profits me nothing."
Honestly now -- how different are we American Christians from other religious groups in America? Even those of us who "know" the Bible don't live it. How is our behavior different? How powerful are our prayers? How closely do we hear God? How loving and sacrificial and giving are we? What is the difference between a kind-hearted devout Jew and a kind-hearted devout Christian and a kind-hearted devout Muslim? Honestly, nothing! And really, as Christians, that shouldn't be, should it? Because we Christians are called to raise the dead (literally), heal the incurably sick (such as those with AIDS), and cast out devils (such as devils of addiction, deviancy, etc.) But we are as enslaved to the weak and beggarly elements as non-Christians. And if we judge by behavior alone, we are as worldly, selfish, sinful, as the worldly folks out there.
We can hear God speaking to us in the Scriptures without totally understanding all wisdom. That doesn't mean we should avoid learning the historic and poetic reasons for a psalm or a book. One of my favorite Christian expositors is Bullinger, especially his Figures of Speech Used in the Bible. But I don't know what it is with me: someone once accused me of hiding my light. I think I just don't like sounding super-smart or super-cultured. God has called me to be an everyman and to speak to every man. Especially to those not in the Church. So I do my best to be human and transparent and to show what God's word has done for me. Not to prove how smart I am or how well-read. Because it's normal folks who read the Bible.
Everywhere i turn i see folks converting to judaism or becoming wiccans or buddhists or muslims. Many of these are Christian folks who were very very very christian and in the church...and yet, to them Christianity was "proved" by docrtine or, tradition because their folks were christians or scripture reading....but not by power. So in the long run, they could leave Christianity because it was to the human eye just another religion that said it had the truth. St Paul said he minister not in mere words or doctrine or with great word of wisdom but with power. The gospel is not mere doctrine but the power of God. But for most christians in the western world it is nothing but words and missionaries teach nothing but theology and even those who say they believe in the holy spirit are pretty near powerless. Certainly, we're not as powerful as Christ wanted us to be. So in the long run what we see is no distinction between Christ's people and other people. In the world, the people who live under the blood and have eaten of the passover should not be oppressed by the plagues, should not be unholy, should not be distant from God. The Spirit of God should emanate from us.
It just bothers me so much. What to do? The particular converted Jews i've talked to a) changed their faith because the y began studying the religion of judaism and got caught up in it...and slowly moved from christianity to judaizers to rejecting christ to orthodox judaism. or b) they said other religions had done evil but Judaism had never done any evil to the world. Just gave me a bad feeling. Because they did not see any degree of holiness (not that seeing holiness is that dependable but Jesus did say people would see our holiness and our good works.) It just annoys me when I see folks who were once christians doing this sort of thing.
Lily Allen with her stupid song, "I kissed a girl." She came from a Christian family. Now she's dissing Christianity. Jessica Simpson is supposedly a Christian but does she really seem to understand it in the very depths of her heart? Reba, supposedly a Christian, believes she has been reincarnated. This kind of thing shows that folks who grow up in churches are not being truly convinced deep in their spirit. Even though, they praised Jesus and were "professing" Christians they have a kind of sentimental unthought-out Christianity that shows they don't understand Christian philosopy, for all their learning...and they have never really seen the power of Christ in their life, to see the reality of Christ. They have never heard Christ in their hearts in a real way. They have never really seen or felt Christ in their spirit.
I had a friend who was a deep christian then she became a black jew -- that weird cult that thinks African-Americans are the real Jews and who are very anti-semitic. What amazed me was how deeply into christ she was. If you had asked me who would stop being a Christian, she would be one of the last people I would mention. More and more i think that church-going bible-believing christians need to really understand their faith...or else they will leave the faith. I am fully persuaded that in the coming years most "christiany" folks in Christian colleges and Christian churches will leave the faith. Paul prophesied of the great apostasy in the last days. Because I've seen so much of this kind of thing. And no amount of those silly revivals churches have which really do nothing...are gonna help because as a people we really need to grow more in the spirit and to show the depth and beauty and deep thought of christianity. And our "teachers" are teaching that godliness is great gain and the prosperity gospel without somehow really touching the gospel.
Anyway, I feel God telling me to write this...it's something pressing on His heart. Just as the abortion issue presses on his heart. Just as the drug issue and the plight of the widows and orphans press on his heart. As the days go on, I feel we will see this falling away...and we will see that all our learning (for the educated) and all our jumping up and down in church (when we are supposedly touched by the spirit but really allowing a religious spirit to use our pride) will be useless.
We are playing church...we are talking the talk...but we aren't walking the walk as Jesus intended his church to walk. And there's a reason for it. We compromise and we don't spend time in the word. (Yeah, I'm guilty of this too. When was the last time I raised someone from the dead? But I am determined to have raised several before I meet my maker. And I mean a literal raising of the dead. Isn't that what God promised his people?) Well, it's not God's fault that we don't see miracles. It's ours. True, God uses dirty vessels because those are the only vessels he has but at the same time he had purified us with Christ's blood. But he isn't going to entrust us with miracles if we aren't serious about allowing his word to change us.
In Wind Follower, I did my best to try to show how truly folkloric Christianity was and how many religions, and ancient folklore pointed to a blood sacrifice. Am gonna try to see if I can somehow make my new WIP The Constant Tower a story which shows the inevitability of works as a means of getting to heaven. I don't know what God wants me to do with it but all I can do is write and trust him to put the great christian message--which is the great christian offense to those who like "works" or the externals of holiness. It's all I can do. Had to get that off my chest. -C
Numbness and Rest
Okay, this morning I was listening to Evanescence "Bring Me To Life." I love that song. I love it in the way I love all really painful songs and it got me to thinking. One of the reasons I'm attracted to the dark side of things -- angry heavy metal, sad blues songs, heart-wrenching (good) country music-- is because Christian artists don't really deal with darkness well. God knows I have tried to sit in front of Gospel Music Channel and listen to their kind of dark music. Utter, utter, failure. Why? Inability to go to the core of things? Inability to touch the smelly Lazarus of painful emotion to help it resurrect? (<-- Wow, nice phrase that!)
Paul said the blood of Christ removes bloodguiltiness. Not just guilt but guiltiness is what stands between us and God. How can we receive -- even after we are forgiven if we still feel guilt? Isaiah wrote that the Servant of God would be wounded for our transgressions, the chastisement for our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed. We are healed and redeemed from sin, emotional wounds caused by the sin of the world, and physical disease. Ministers have majored in the redemption from sin. But they have not used the gospel or the Bible stories to touch the other parts of the destroyed human soul. They have not really talked about emotional healing or physical healing with the fervor that they should have.
I'm thinking of the Prodigal because Joe Castillo sent me a DVD.
I hadn't thought of that parable in a while. But it is a perfect parable about numbness and rest, isn't it? Sure the kid sinned but he returned home because the world had made him numb and he needed rest. Jesus invites us to rest. To enter into his rest. Not the peace or rest humans can give, but the peace and rest that can cast all its care on God because we know God is loving.
A lot of Christian artist either give us a sentimental idea of that kind of rest or they don't show the journey to that rest or the terrible pain of that restlessness. Okay, maybe it's me. Maybe I'm so hard and numb a story really has to be incredibly painful and true to connect to me. But i dunno...it just seems to me that sentimentality doesn't heal many people.
Personal opinion.
Paul said the blood of Christ removes bloodguiltiness. Not just guilt but guiltiness is what stands between us and God. How can we receive -- even after we are forgiven if we still feel guilt? Isaiah wrote that the Servant of God would be wounded for our transgressions, the chastisement for our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed. We are healed and redeemed from sin, emotional wounds caused by the sin of the world, and physical disease. Ministers have majored in the redemption from sin. But they have not used the gospel or the Bible stories to touch the other parts of the destroyed human soul. They have not really talked about emotional healing or physical healing with the fervor that they should have.
I'm thinking of the Prodigal because Joe Castillo sent me a DVD.
I hadn't thought of that parable in a while. But it is a perfect parable about numbness and rest, isn't it? Sure the kid sinned but he returned home because the world had made him numb and he needed rest. Jesus invites us to rest. To enter into his rest. Not the peace or rest humans can give, but the peace and rest that can cast all its care on God because we know God is loving.
A lot of Christian artist either give us a sentimental idea of that kind of rest or they don't show the journey to that rest or the terrible pain of that restlessness. Okay, maybe it's me. Maybe I'm so hard and numb a story really has to be incredibly painful and true to connect to me. But i dunno...it just seems to me that sentimentality doesn't heal many people.
Personal opinion.
Psalm 4
In Psalm 1, we're told the importance of God's word. IT declares we are blessed if we meditate on God's words and if we avoid the scorners. This idea of scorners of God's word pops up in many of the psalms and from Psalm 1 through Psalm 3 we begin to get the idea that it's not religious affiliation or our earthly wisdom or or wonderful ethics or great adherence to moral laws --those these all might be good in their own way-- that produce blessings in one's life. The Psalms promise blessings to those who do not scorn God's word, to those who meditate on it.
In Psalm 4, we see the plight of a man who is determined to believe in God in spite of his distresses and the scornful attitude of those around him.
So let's examine it stanza by stanza. The Psalm (or song begins with a plea to God:
Then the speaker speaks to humans...although the humans aren't immediately present. He accuses them of turning his glory into shame. Now this phrase pops up in other places in the Bible. People who glory in their shame or who turn their glory into shame seem to abound everywhere. The folks who turned the Glorious One into shame are the ones who made a golden calf to represent the God who brought them out of Israel. The ones who turn their glory into shame are people who scorn the idea of a good and merciful God and try to make folks who believe in God feel ashamed for their beliefs. ("You believe in that patriarchal God? What an idiot you are!!! You believe God will save you? How unenlightened you are!" You can see that this kind of scornful attitude is not new in the world.) The people who glory in their shame are folks who take delight and honor what is considered a sin in the Bible. A lot of folks like that back in the day. A lot of folks like that now. They love lies, they love delusions. They love the creature more than the Creator. And they are dang proud of that.
Then we see the word which either means "Pause and consider that" or "musical pause."
The believer then makes a challenge on God's behalf. He can do this because He trusts God. He states clearly that God is aware of him and God has set him apart. Now this could mean God has made the believer a special object of his love and holiness and will protect that person and treat them with favor.
Then the psalmist tells his listeners that he understands that sin sometimes comes from anger sometimes. Perhaps anger at God, anger at bad people, anger at the distresses. What one must do is search one's own heart and be silent before God. When one searches one's heart one begins to see why God is faithful, why sinful men do not really prosper although they seem to. He tells his hearers to trust in God and to offer right sacrifices. In later psalms we will understand that the right sacrifice includes a sacrifice of praise, thanksgiving, repentance from one's own understanding of what life should be like, trust in God in spite of the assailing troubles.
The psalmist acknowledges that there are many people who have lost faith in the goodness of the world? They are looking for a leader to show them the way to happiness or they are looking for someone who will give them hope. The psalmist then returns to speaking to God because he knows that if God shows up in a believer's life in a way the believer understands it...enlightening the believer...that good will indeed be seen.
The psalmist declares that the one who believes in God has greater deeper joy than those who seek earthly good or rejoice in earthly harvests.
He ends the psalm by once again asserting that although trials blaze all around him, he will remain in peace and safety because he trusts in God.
In Psalm 4, we see the plight of a man who is determined to believe in God in spite of his distresses and the scornful attitude of those around him.
1 Answer me when I call to you,
O my righteous God.
Give me relief from my distress;
be merciful to me and hear my prayer.
2 How long, O men, will you turn my glory into shame [or my Glorious One into shame]
How long will you love delusions and seek false gods [or lies] ?
Selah
3 Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself;
the LORD will hear when I call to him.
4 In your anger do not sin;
when you are on your beds,
search your hearts and be silent.
Selah
5 Offer right sacrifices
and trust in the LORD.
6 Many are asking, "Who can show us any good?"
Let the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD.
7 You have filled my heart with greater joy
than when their grain and new wine abound.
8 I will lie down and sleep in peace,
for you alone, O LORD,
make me dwell in safety.
So let's examine it stanza by stanza. The Psalm (or song begins with a plea to God:
1 Answer me when I call to you,
O my righteous God.
Give me relief from my distress;
be merciful to me and hear my prayer.
Then the speaker speaks to humans...although the humans aren't immediately present. He accuses them of turning his glory into shame. Now this phrase pops up in other places in the Bible. People who glory in their shame or who turn their glory into shame seem to abound everywhere. The folks who turned the Glorious One into shame are the ones who made a golden calf to represent the God who brought them out of Israel. The ones who turn their glory into shame are people who scorn the idea of a good and merciful God and try to make folks who believe in God feel ashamed for their beliefs. ("You believe in that patriarchal God? What an idiot you are!!! You believe God will save you? How unenlightened you are!" You can see that this kind of scornful attitude is not new in the world.) The people who glory in their shame are folks who take delight and honor what is considered a sin in the Bible. A lot of folks like that back in the day. A lot of folks like that now. They love lies, they love delusions. They love the creature more than the Creator. And they are dang proud of that.
2 How long, O men, will you turn my glory into shame [or my Glorious One into shame]
How long will you love delusions and seek false gods [or lies] ?
Then we see the word which either means "Pause and consider that" or "musical pause."
Selah
The believer then makes a challenge on God's behalf. He can do this because He trusts God. He states clearly that God is aware of him and God has set him apart. Now this could mean God has made the believer a special object of his love and holiness and will protect that person and treat them with favor.
3 Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself;
the LORD will hear when I call to him.
Then the psalmist tells his listeners that he understands that sin sometimes comes from anger sometimes. Perhaps anger at God, anger at bad people, anger at the distresses. What one must do is search one's own heart and be silent before God. When one searches one's heart one begins to see why God is faithful, why sinful men do not really prosper although they seem to. He tells his hearers to trust in God and to offer right sacrifices. In later psalms we will understand that the right sacrifice includes a sacrifice of praise, thanksgiving, repentance from one's own understanding of what life should be like, trust in God in spite of the assailing troubles.
4 In your anger do not sin;
when you are on your beds,
search your hearts and be silent.
Selah
5 Offer right sacrifices
and trust in the LORD.
The psalmist acknowledges that there are many people who have lost faith in the goodness of the world? They are looking for a leader to show them the way to happiness or they are looking for someone who will give them hope. The psalmist then returns to speaking to God because he knows that if God shows up in a believer's life in a way the believer understands it...enlightening the believer...that good will indeed be seen.
6 Many are asking, "Who can show us any good?"
Let the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD.
The psalmist declares that the one who believes in God has greater deeper joy than those who seek earthly good or rejoice in earthly harvests.
7 You have filled my heart with greater joy
than when their grain and new wine abound.
He ends the psalm by once again asserting that although trials blaze all around him, he will remain in peace and safety because he trusts in God.
8 I will lie down and sleep in peace,
for you alone, O LORD,
make me dwell in safety.
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Upcoming gigs at Wiconi
Good changes for Wiconi in 2009. Here are a few upcoming gigs.
Here are some excerpts from Smoke Signals, the wiconi newsletter.
TBN PROGRAM – THURSDAY, JAN. 8
I am going to be a guest on TBN television network for their PTL program tomorrow (Thursday, 1-8-09). It’s a “live” program and will be aired at 7:00 pm PST. I’m very excited that Clifton Davis will be the program host and I get to meet Smoky Robinson, also a guest. I’d appreciate your prayers as I feel I have some thoughts I’d like to challenge viewers with about notions of justice and missions.
MISSION CONNEXION CONFERENCE
For our Northwest friends, please make plans to attend the Mission ConneXion Northwest Conference on January 17, 18 in Portland, Oregon. It is hosted at Sunset Presbyterian Church. Mission ConneXion Northwest is a two day event hosted by area churches that seeks to challenge the Church to fulfill the Great Commission. Its three-fold purpose is to inform, celebrate, and challenge people of all ages to get involved in missions by sending, praying, giving and going. I will be teaching two workshops and Randy Woodley, David Gomez and Gary Eastty will also be teaching in our track “Radical Shifts in Missions.”
NATIONAL PRAYER BREAKFAST
Katherine and I will again attend the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington DC, February 3, 4. We will meet with several Native leaders to keep the vision alive of established small groups of Native leaders in Native communities across the land for prayer, encouragement and friendship.
IMMANUEL’S CHURCH – SILVERSPRING MARYLAND
Pastor Twiss will be speaking at Immanuel’s Church on Sunday, Feb 8th.
Peace and blessings,
Richard Twiss
Wiconi International
I really like wiconi and Pastor Twiss. If you can get to see him on TBN, you'll like him. He tells it like it is...but respectfully. A real wonderful example of a Christian who is a minority.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Psalm 3
We approach each psalm not quite knowing what it will give us on each reading. We know the basics, of course, but God alone knows what the Holy Spirit will bring into our hearts with this specific psalm at this specific time.
Like many psalms, Psalm 3 has an annotation. These annotations often tell us who wrote the specific Psalm and why. And sometimes we are told what musical ceremony the Psalm was written for and how the Psalm should be played.
In Psalm 3, we see that the Psalm is given to the overseer of the worship music (the chief musician) and we are told David wrote it when he fled from his son Absalom. You can read about the civil war between David and his son in the Biblical books of Kings, Samuel, and Chronicles.
When we read a psalm, we can decide if it is prophetic, historical, personal, communal or a combination of all four. Check out this post on otiumsanctum on how to read the Psalms.
For instance, this is a psalm about overwhelming trouble. We know David wrote it about his troubles with his son Absalom. But it could also refer to Israel and to the troubles that have overwhelmed Israel from the beginning of its inception. Or it could refer to something that will happen to Israel in the future. Or it could refer to the troubles of good people in the world.
We also are introduced to a new word that the translators left untranslated: Selah. As far as I know, no one is quite sure what it means but the general guess is that it means either "Pause" and/or "consider that." It might be a musical term for a break in the music. Or it might be a theological term.
Psalm 3
1Lord, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me.
Okay, in the Bible we always read of enemies, foes, those-who-rise-up, swords and the like. On the one hand they refer to physical enemies. David -- or whoever was writing the Psalm-- had personal foes. But on the other hand, Biblical talk of enemies and warfare often refers to spiritual enemies. The Bible says the last enemy to be destroyed is Death, but in addition to death man's other enemies are Sickness, Poverty, Sin, Conspiracy. A whole lot. In Psalm 91, we see God's promises about protecting us from many of these enemies but here we get the first glimpse of how the enemy simply overwhelms God's people!
2Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah.
For the most part, we are usually not placed in a position where God is the only one who can help us. If we are, and if death doesn't surprise us -- accident, murder, etc-- then that is the only time we say, "oh God, I'm in a fix that only you can get me out of." Some of us, though, are in this situation. Mothers of disabled kids, folks with a mafia contract on their lives. Whatever the situation, sometimes the bank, the docs, the professionals, can't help. And even then, we come to God as the last resort because we have been trained by the world, the media, other christians, our denominations that God won't help us in certain situations. For instance, if one belongs to a denomination that believes the age of miracles is past, you probably have been trained to believe the doctor will bring about your miracle or that God will help you but only with the help of a doctor. Then when the doctor says he can't help, you have lost all hope. ALL HOPE. Then you may turn to God but honestly, you aren't really expecting him to actually help. And certainly most of the folks around you aren't.
So, here, the believer comes to God. The troubles that are arrayed against him are so many...only God can help him. Everyone knows this. People are saying, "Only God can help this dude now and God isn't going to help him! Our own fears tell us that although God is loving and powerful, we will not get our miracle. We hear the devil whispering fearful thoughts into our brains that tell us that even if God gets us out of one problem, certainly God will not get us out of all of our problems. In my life, it's hard for me to believe that God can remove all my problems. Can God prepare a feast in the wilderness? Let's face it, we have been trained to believer that we have a stingy God. We end up trusting in one miracle a lifetime but what if we need a thousand miracles? The so-called "spiritual" folks tell us: what if God wants you to endure suffering? You aren't being very spiritual, are you, trying to get out of what God has permitted to happen to you? ("If I were in your situation, I'd be stronger and more patience than you are.") The world is very good at equating enduring sickness and suffering with spirituality. But this is not what the Bible says. This is a big bane of contention with Christian folks, being blessed by God and being healed of all one's diseases or delivered from all one's afflictions. But I am convinced that the Bible tells us that God delivers us out of ALL our afflictions.
3But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.
4I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.
The there is this feeling that this person's problems are so many that God in fact won't help or can't. Let's fact it: sometimes we see people become quite overwhelmed by life and we don't see God helping them. However, as Jesus warned his disciples --"IF I will that this happens with one disciple, what is that to you!" -- we aren't supposed to look at how God has supposedly failed others, we are to look at what God's character and what God has said in His word that He would do for us. Today the verse that jumped out at me is LIFTER UP OF MINE HEAD. When we're depressed or ashamed our head is turned down. Because of shame, we can't face other people, we can't face ourselves. Because of the hopelessness of the situation, we can't look up. It just looks bad all around. But then we look up to God who is our ONLY hope.
5I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me.
6I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.
Like the man who can fear no evil while he walks in the valley of the shadow of death and the man who can sleep while surrounded by his enemies, this man is aware that God will protect him. He cast all his care on God because He trusts God to take care of Him. HE is determined not to allow fear -- one of the greatest of man's enemies-- to conquer him. Even though, on a totally human level and from human standards, he is way outnumbered.
7Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God: for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly.
8Salvation belongeth unto the LORD: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.
Nevertheless, he prays to God. Yes, he trusts God but he also remembers to ask God. We have not because we ask not. And when we ask, we must know the word to know what it is we're asking about. Then he proclaims his belief in what God has done. He says he knows that God has already destroyed all his enemies. He declares that God is able to save and bless those whom God considers his people.
Other blogs on this blog tour are
http://pen-of-the-wayfarer.blogspot.com
http://otiumsanctum.com
http://lianastories.blogspot.com
Like many psalms, Psalm 3 has an annotation. These annotations often tell us who wrote the specific Psalm and why. And sometimes we are told what musical ceremony the Psalm was written for and how the Psalm should be played.
In Psalm 3, we see that the Psalm is given to the overseer of the worship music (the chief musician) and we are told David wrote it when he fled from his son Absalom. You can read about the civil war between David and his son in the Biblical books of Kings, Samuel, and Chronicles.
When we read a psalm, we can decide if it is prophetic, historical, personal, communal or a combination of all four. Check out this post on otiumsanctum on how to read the Psalms.
For instance, this is a psalm about overwhelming trouble. We know David wrote it about his troubles with his son Absalom. But it could also refer to Israel and to the troubles that have overwhelmed Israel from the beginning of its inception. Or it could refer to something that will happen to Israel in the future. Or it could refer to the troubles of good people in the world.
We also are introduced to a new word that the translators left untranslated: Selah. As far as I know, no one is quite sure what it means but the general guess is that it means either "Pause" and/or "consider that." It might be a musical term for a break in the music. Or it might be a theological term.
Psalm 3
1Lord, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me.
Okay, in the Bible we always read of enemies, foes, those-who-rise-up, swords and the like. On the one hand they refer to physical enemies. David -- or whoever was writing the Psalm-- had personal foes. But on the other hand, Biblical talk of enemies and warfare often refers to spiritual enemies. The Bible says the last enemy to be destroyed is Death, but in addition to death man's other enemies are Sickness, Poverty, Sin, Conspiracy. A whole lot. In Psalm 91, we see God's promises about protecting us from many of these enemies but here we get the first glimpse of how the enemy simply overwhelms God's people!
2Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah.
For the most part, we are usually not placed in a position where God is the only one who can help us. If we are, and if death doesn't surprise us -- accident, murder, etc-- then that is the only time we say, "oh God, I'm in a fix that only you can get me out of." Some of us, though, are in this situation. Mothers of disabled kids, folks with a mafia contract on their lives. Whatever the situation, sometimes the bank, the docs, the professionals, can't help. And even then, we come to God as the last resort because we have been trained by the world, the media, other christians, our denominations that God won't help us in certain situations. For instance, if one belongs to a denomination that believes the age of miracles is past, you probably have been trained to believe the doctor will bring about your miracle or that God will help you but only with the help of a doctor. Then when the doctor says he can't help, you have lost all hope. ALL HOPE. Then you may turn to God but honestly, you aren't really expecting him to actually help. And certainly most of the folks around you aren't.
So, here, the believer comes to God. The troubles that are arrayed against him are so many...only God can help him. Everyone knows this. People are saying, "Only God can help this dude now and God isn't going to help him! Our own fears tell us that although God is loving and powerful, we will not get our miracle. We hear the devil whispering fearful thoughts into our brains that tell us that even if God gets us out of one problem, certainly God will not get us out of all of our problems. In my life, it's hard for me to believe that God can remove all my problems. Can God prepare a feast in the wilderness? Let's face it, we have been trained to believer that we have a stingy God. We end up trusting in one miracle a lifetime but what if we need a thousand miracles? The so-called "spiritual" folks tell us: what if God wants you to endure suffering? You aren't being very spiritual, are you, trying to get out of what God has permitted to happen to you? ("If I were in your situation, I'd be stronger and more patience than you are.") The world is very good at equating enduring sickness and suffering with spirituality. But this is not what the Bible says. This is a big bane of contention with Christian folks, being blessed by God and being healed of all one's diseases or delivered from all one's afflictions. But I am convinced that the Bible tells us that God delivers us out of ALL our afflictions.
3But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.
4I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.
The there is this feeling that this person's problems are so many that God in fact won't help or can't. Let's fact it: sometimes we see people become quite overwhelmed by life and we don't see God helping them. However, as Jesus warned his disciples --"IF I will that this happens with one disciple, what is that to you!" -- we aren't supposed to look at how God has supposedly failed others, we are to look at what God's character and what God has said in His word that He would do for us. Today the verse that jumped out at me is LIFTER UP OF MINE HEAD. When we're depressed or ashamed our head is turned down. Because of shame, we can't face other people, we can't face ourselves. Because of the hopelessness of the situation, we can't look up. It just looks bad all around. But then we look up to God who is our ONLY hope.
5I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me.
6I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.
Like the man who can fear no evil while he walks in the valley of the shadow of death and the man who can sleep while surrounded by his enemies, this man is aware that God will protect him. He cast all his care on God because He trusts God to take care of Him. HE is determined not to allow fear -- one of the greatest of man's enemies-- to conquer him. Even though, on a totally human level and from human standards, he is way outnumbered.
7Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God: for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly.
8Salvation belongeth unto the LORD: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.
Nevertheless, he prays to God. Yes, he trusts God but he also remembers to ask God. We have not because we ask not. And when we ask, we must know the word to know what it is we're asking about. Then he proclaims his belief in what God has done. He says he knows that God has already destroyed all his enemies. He declares that God is able to save and bless those whom God considers his people.
Other blogs on this blog tour are
http://pen-of-the-wayfarer.blogspot.com
http://otiumsanctum.com
http://lianastories.blogspot.com
Monday, January 05, 2009
If it is you...
When Peter saw Jesus walking on the water he was afraid. Jesus reassured him that it was indeed he Jesus walking on those waves. Peter said, "If it is you...bid me walk on the water."
Many times we think we see God doing something supernatural and just plain odd. Heck, sometimes we don't even know if it's God. But we feel that there's something oddly supernatural going on.
But we can trust in God and say, "Lord, if it is you in this very odd situation, then bid me to walk supernaturally in this storm also."
Peter gave Jesus no real choice. IF it was Jesus, Jesus was to tell him to come. Jesus complied. He said to Peter, "Come!"
As Reinhard Bonnke said, "Peter didn't walk on the water. Peter walked on the word."
Many times we think we see God doing something supernatural and just plain odd. Heck, sometimes we don't even know if it's God. But we feel that there's something oddly supernatural going on.
But we can trust in God and say, "Lord, if it is you in this very odd situation, then bid me to walk supernaturally in this storm also."
Peter gave Jesus no real choice. IF it was Jesus, Jesus was to tell him to come. Jesus complied. He said to Peter, "Come!"
As Reinhard Bonnke said, "Peter didn't walk on the water. Peter walked on the word."
Weekend Movie-Viewing
Okay, I was stuck in bed. Hubby took care of younger son so I could rest. Younger son cries in pain all the time. From birth to 18 years. So one can imagine what it's like for a mom with fibro taking care of a sick 18 year old who can't tell what his problem is. Exhaustion, despair. So there I was hanging out in bed ...which of course can be either a good or a bad thing when it comes to weekend TV.
First the bad films.
Reign of Gargoyles. Oh my gosh! If you ever have a choice of seeing a movie where evil Nazis bring stone gargoyles to life to help them win the war, let it not be this one. I could take the Saving Private Ryan cinematography camerawork. I could take the crappy CGI because it was scifi channel and that is to be expected and certainly it was better than the CGI of the Cyclops (to be mentioned later) but if there is one thing I can't stand it's enduring a movie where the hero gets on my nerves. He was supposed to be a cocky fly-boy but I kept wanting him to grow and to discover what a jerk he was. But noooo, the scriptwriter gave us all a chance to see what a great guy he was. To make matters really bad, everyone in the film kept coming up out of the blue to tell him what a great and noble guy he was. (The kick-butt babushkad gorgeous woman who could double as a gunslinger, the guy from the scottish/english regiment, his own commander. It was all too much.) And the cocky guy kept looking healed when they said that. Who knew this jerk needed healing?
Then there was Elizabethtown. Please, please, please do not ever see this flick. Everyone acting in this flick was so universally bad I kept thinking that it couldn't be the actors fault it had to be the director's. IT simply had to be. I know folks sometimes freeze up and do weirdly pretentious amateurish theatrical acting when they are told they are doing a great novel. But this took the cake. Everyone had a "aren't we all deep?" look on their faces. All the lines were spoken in a kind of "aren't we all saying something precious and real?" tone. There were continuous odd moments when
the characters didn't seem to be talking to each other but at each other. Okay, movies like "Rich in Love" had some trouble. But they managed to seem vaguely real while doing the "we're in an arty real story" thing. Not this. The only folks who liked this movie were probably those folks who brought their own emotions to the flick and so it worked for them. But if one sees this thing objectively...it's totally horrendous. I kept hoping folks who watched Elizabethtown would stay up and watch Little Miss Sunshine. A great film. Very human. Not pretentious in its "reality."
Now the good.
Okay, I totally totally squealed when I flipped through the channels and realized I had missed the first half of A history of Violence. This has been a movie I have wanted to see for three years! And it did not disappoint. First I've got to say I love guilty heroes trying to find redemption or at least "release from past" stories. Hidden secret pushing at the soul. Second, I love Viggo Mortenson. Forgive me, Lord, and I will try not to lust but there is something about a steely-blue-eyed blondish emotionalless older guy that makes my heart flutter. The weird thing is that generally my types are more like my husband. A dark-haired Euro type that reminds me of the Plantagenet dynasty. Yes, folks may get all hot and bothered about the Tudors but they were not nearly as hot -- in my humble opinion-- as the Plantagenets. But back to the movie. It was totally what I had been waiting for all these years. Now I just have to see the beginning.
So yeah, my favorite movie over the weekend was one I didn't even finish.
Another good movie I didn't finish -- but didn't make it to favorite status-- was The Book of Ruth. It was about a girl who has an abusive bitter mother. Girl meets shiftless lazy but generally kind-hearted lout and they fall in love (because they are both simple folks who desperately need love.) But they live in mother's house. After the baby is born there is peace for a good two years and it looks as if love will heal all involved...but then.... But then what? you ask.
Sorry, I didn't wait to find out. This movie made the very very very bad mistake of starting with Ruth (aforementioned abused insecure daughter) tied to a bed with black eyes, bruised lip, and folks saying, "Folks are saying you did this but you didn't, did you?" Know what? I really hate depressing movies like this. Check that: I don't mind depressing if it turns out well. But well, when things started going downhill for the family because of mom's weirdo behavior...I just had to turn the channel.
Other good movies I saw were 40 year old virgin with Steve Carrell whom I love, My big fat greek wedding, which I love, and Virus with Jamie Lee Curtis which I love. I liked them all but hey I've seen it before. Sat through a great deal of them -- to avoid seeing crappy stuff-- and loved them again.
But something entirely new was Cyclops. Oh gee, that badly-animated Cyclops creature touched my soul. I kept turning to my husband and saying, "I am so touched by this movie." Okay, he had this "I'm going to laugh at you if you continue like this" look on his face. But I couldn't help it. I even got weepy about it. Because the Cyclops was deformed and not part of his world and in pain and had speech issues. Okay, my mind obviously turned him into a disabled person who was being abused. And by then I was lost. (Okay, I'll admit that my own issues helped me like this flick. I gave it a lotta leeway, in much the same way folks who like Elizabethtown might give it leeway. The human heart can make anything likable.) Yep, I don't like seeing any non-verbal creature suffer. Effect of having son. I just hate seeing anything suffer. Even a cyclops.
The hero centurion, Marcus, was way hot. Not really my type which surprised me. I don't go for stocky hero types but he was so honorable and normal and kind to the Cyclops, and his goodness wasn't overly trumpted in the script. He was a decent person who understood the pain of a non-verbal creature. That won me over. Then there was Eric Roberts. I have loved this guy since King of the Gypsies. He seemed to be having total fun in this camp epic. I mean...we're shown this tiny little circle of folks who are supposed to be a crowd in the Amphitheater. Come on! But it was such fun.
I've heard it said that there are two kinds of mothers: those who have children who have died and those who have children who have lived. I suspect that's true. I have my fears sometimes for younger son. I can't imagine what it's like to be in pain every day for all the 18 years of my life. I don't want him to die. But I think there is a category in there for moms who have had kids who have suffered long illnesses. I find life a bit odd all the time because it seems my life is just utterly, utterly weird and my son's illnesses and mine quite cruel-- the length of it, I mean. But I know God is on our side. And I still believe we will both be cured. 20 years or illness or no. God can do the impossible. And when son and I are finally healed, I think we're both gonna become champions of the ASPCA and of sick children everywhere. We identify with them too much not to help them out when we get the power to. Now, back to writing.
First the bad films.
Reign of Gargoyles. Oh my gosh! If you ever have a choice of seeing a movie where evil Nazis bring stone gargoyles to life to help them win the war, let it not be this one. I could take the Saving Private Ryan cinematography camerawork. I could take the crappy CGI because it was scifi channel and that is to be expected and certainly it was better than the CGI of the Cyclops (to be mentioned later) but if there is one thing I can't stand it's enduring a movie where the hero gets on my nerves. He was supposed to be a cocky fly-boy but I kept wanting him to grow and to discover what a jerk he was. But noooo, the scriptwriter gave us all a chance to see what a great guy he was. To make matters really bad, everyone in the film kept coming up out of the blue to tell him what a great and noble guy he was. (The kick-butt babushkad gorgeous woman who could double as a gunslinger, the guy from the scottish/english regiment, his own commander. It was all too much.) And the cocky guy kept looking healed when they said that. Who knew this jerk needed healing?
Then there was Elizabethtown. Please, please, please do not ever see this flick. Everyone acting in this flick was so universally bad I kept thinking that it couldn't be the actors fault it had to be the director's. IT simply had to be. I know folks sometimes freeze up and do weirdly pretentious amateurish theatrical acting when they are told they are doing a great novel. But this took the cake. Everyone had a "aren't we all deep?" look on their faces. All the lines were spoken in a kind of "aren't we all saying something precious and real?" tone. There were continuous odd moments when
the characters didn't seem to be talking to each other but at each other. Okay, movies like "Rich in Love" had some trouble. But they managed to seem vaguely real while doing the "we're in an arty real story" thing. Not this. The only folks who liked this movie were probably those folks who brought their own emotions to the flick and so it worked for them. But if one sees this thing objectively...it's totally horrendous. I kept hoping folks who watched Elizabethtown would stay up and watch Little Miss Sunshine. A great film. Very human. Not pretentious in its "reality."
Now the good.
Okay, I totally totally squealed when I flipped through the channels and realized I had missed the first half of A history of Violence. This has been a movie I have wanted to see for three years! And it did not disappoint. First I've got to say I love guilty heroes trying to find redemption or at least "release from past" stories. Hidden secret pushing at the soul. Second, I love Viggo Mortenson. Forgive me, Lord, and I will try not to lust but there is something about a steely-blue-eyed blondish emotionalless older guy that makes my heart flutter. The weird thing is that generally my types are more like my husband. A dark-haired Euro type that reminds me of the Plantagenet dynasty. Yes, folks may get all hot and bothered about the Tudors but they were not nearly as hot -- in my humble opinion-- as the Plantagenets. But back to the movie. It was totally what I had been waiting for all these years. Now I just have to see the beginning.
So yeah, my favorite movie over the weekend was one I didn't even finish.
Another good movie I didn't finish -- but didn't make it to favorite status-- was The Book of Ruth. It was about a girl who has an abusive bitter mother. Girl meets shiftless lazy but generally kind-hearted lout and they fall in love (because they are both simple folks who desperately need love.) But they live in mother's house. After the baby is born there is peace for a good two years and it looks as if love will heal all involved...but then.... But then what? you ask.
Sorry, I didn't wait to find out. This movie made the very very very bad mistake of starting with Ruth (aforementioned abused insecure daughter) tied to a bed with black eyes, bruised lip, and folks saying, "Folks are saying you did this but you didn't, did you?" Know what? I really hate depressing movies like this. Check that: I don't mind depressing if it turns out well. But well, when things started going downhill for the family because of mom's weirdo behavior...I just had to turn the channel.
Other good movies I saw were 40 year old virgin with Steve Carrell whom I love, My big fat greek wedding, which I love, and Virus with Jamie Lee Curtis which I love. I liked them all but hey I've seen it before. Sat through a great deal of them -- to avoid seeing crappy stuff-- and loved them again.
But something entirely new was Cyclops. Oh gee, that badly-animated Cyclops creature touched my soul. I kept turning to my husband and saying, "I am so touched by this movie." Okay, he had this "I'm going to laugh at you if you continue like this" look on his face. But I couldn't help it. I even got weepy about it. Because the Cyclops was deformed and not part of his world and in pain and had speech issues. Okay, my mind obviously turned him into a disabled person who was being abused. And by then I was lost. (Okay, I'll admit that my own issues helped me like this flick. I gave it a lotta leeway, in much the same way folks who like Elizabethtown might give it leeway. The human heart can make anything likable.) Yep, I don't like seeing any non-verbal creature suffer. Effect of having son. I just hate seeing anything suffer. Even a cyclops.
The hero centurion, Marcus, was way hot. Not really my type which surprised me. I don't go for stocky hero types but he was so honorable and normal and kind to the Cyclops, and his goodness wasn't overly trumpted in the script. He was a decent person who understood the pain of a non-verbal creature. That won me over. Then there was Eric Roberts. I have loved this guy since King of the Gypsies. He seemed to be having total fun in this camp epic. I mean...we're shown this tiny little circle of folks who are supposed to be a crowd in the Amphitheater. Come on! But it was such fun.
I've heard it said that there are two kinds of mothers: those who have children who have died and those who have children who have lived. I suspect that's true. I have my fears sometimes for younger son. I can't imagine what it's like to be in pain every day for all the 18 years of my life. I don't want him to die. But I think there is a category in there for moms who have had kids who have suffered long illnesses. I find life a bit odd all the time because it seems my life is just utterly, utterly weird and my son's illnesses and mine quite cruel-- the length of it, I mean. But I know God is on our side. And I still believe we will both be cured. 20 years or illness or no. God can do the impossible. And when son and I are finally healed, I think we're both gonna become champions of the ASPCA and of sick children everywhere. We identify with them too much not to help them out when we get the power to. Now, back to writing.
Housecleaning
AT the risk of sounding like a nut I will state that sometimes we Christians need to do some heavy house-cleaning and removing occult stuff from our houses. Yeah, I know...sounds silly. But ask God if I'm right. Do you have books on the occult in your basement? an old Buddha statue? A statue of Ganesh? A yoruba God doll? Get rid of it. Ever looked at astrology charts? Have you ever visited a fortuneteller? Played with a ouija board? Played with tarot cards? Used the I-Ching for divination? Then repent and confess the sin to a Christian friend. Was your house blessed when you first began living there?
I'm telling you I know whereof I speak. I've lived in some haunted houses. And I even had God tell me in dreams a couple of time to get rid of certain things that seemed relatively harmless. Second-hand clothes I received, and a music album I once had.
Both Joshua and Moses told the people not to bring an accursed thing into their homes. You will be amazed at how your health sometimes improves when you get rid of this accursed stuff. Yeah, I know...to the worldly person it seems silly but... trust me on this.
I feel I have to remove some of the stuff I brought in from my mother's house after she died. She visited mediums and the like a lot. And I've been super-sock since I brought some of her stuff here into my basement. I haven't been able to look into it though. Yeah, for 4 years I haven't gone down into my basement. Can't deal with the grief. But I'm definitely gonna get rid of that stuff. -C
I'm telling you I know whereof I speak. I've lived in some haunted houses. And I even had God tell me in dreams a couple of time to get rid of certain things that seemed relatively harmless. Second-hand clothes I received, and a music album I once had.
Both Joshua and Moses told the people not to bring an accursed thing into their homes. You will be amazed at how your health sometimes improves when you get rid of this accursed stuff. Yeah, I know...to the worldly person it seems silly but... trust me on this.
I feel I have to remove some of the stuff I brought in from my mother's house after she died. She visited mediums and the like a lot. And I've been super-sock since I brought some of her stuff here into my basement. I haven't been able to look into it though. Yeah, for 4 years I haven't gone down into my basement. Can't deal with the grief. But I'm definitely gonna get rid of that stuff. -C
Sunday, January 04, 2009
Another reason to go back to food basics
Okay, I'm not sure we can even go back to food basics now. Monsanto and Con Agra and all those folks have pretty much genetically-engineered everything.
But now it looks as if they've turned our own taste buds against us. The Slow Poisoning of America website is a site everyone should look at. When I saw their claims that MSG is added to food for the addictive effect it has on the human body, I was surprised. But then I checked out the website for the Glutamate Association.
Yes, they actually say it's addictive -- with a straight face-- and they think that's good. Ah, words! Ah, greed!
The food industry learned from the tobacco industry that addicted customers keep coming back for more. So why do you go to Applebees, MacDonalds, KFC? Why that craving? Well, go to the National Library of Medicine, at www.pubmed.com Type in the words "MSG Obese" or "MSG headache" or just plain old "MSG" and read on.
Now more than ever, we moms need to realize that our family's very lives depend on what we put in their mouths.
Here is an informational vid on youtube about MSG
In the meantime, other words for MSG
Hidden Sources Of MSG In Foods
From the book 'Excitotoxins - The Taste That Kills' By Dr. Russell Blaylock, MD
Hidden Sources Of MSG
-C
But now it looks as if they've turned our own taste buds against us. The Slow Poisoning of America website is a site everyone should look at. When I saw their claims that MSG is added to food for the addictive effect it has on the human body, I was surprised. But then I checked out the website for the Glutamate Association.
Yes, they actually say it's addictive -- with a straight face-- and they think that's good. Ah, words! Ah, greed!
The food industry learned from the tobacco industry that addicted customers keep coming back for more. So why do you go to Applebees, MacDonalds, KFC? Why that craving? Well, go to the National Library of Medicine, at www.pubmed.com Type in the words "MSG Obese" or "MSG headache" or just plain old "MSG" and read on.
Now more than ever, we moms need to realize that our family's very lives depend on what we put in their mouths.
Here is an informational vid on youtube about MSG
In the meantime, other words for MSG
Hidden Sources Of MSG In Foods
From the book 'Excitotoxins - The Taste That Kills' By Dr. Russell Blaylock, MD
Hidden Sources Of MSG
As discussed previously, the glutamate (MSG) manufacturers and the processed food industries are always on a quest to disguise the MSG added to food. Below is a partial list of the most common names for disguised MSG. Remember also that the powerful excitotoxins, aspartate and L-cystine, are frequently added to foods and according to FDA rules require NO LABELING AT ALL.
* Food Additives that ALWAYS contain MSG *
Monosodium Glutamate
Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein
Hydrolyzed Protein
Hydrolyzed Plant Protein
Plant Protein Extract
Sodium Caseinate
Calcium Caseinate
Yeast Extract
Textured Protein (Including TVP)
Autolyzed Yeast
Hydrolyzed Oat Flour
Corn Oil
* Food Additives That FREQUENTLY Contain MSG *
Malt Extract
Malt Flavoring
Bouillon
Broth
Stock
Flavoring
Natural Flavors/Flavoring
Natural Beef Or Chicken Flavoring
Seasoning
Spices
* Food Additives That MAY Contain MSG Or Excitotoxins *
Carrageenan
Enzymes
Soy Protein Concentrate
Soy Protein Isolate
Whey Protein Concentrate
Protease Enzymes of various sources can release excitotoxin amino acids from food proteins.
-C
Saturday, January 03, 2009
The Most Absurd War: Psalm 2
Okay, we Christians believe that humans of the world are at war with God. Christians believe that not only bad people are warring against God but so-called good people. This is one of the main differences between Christianity and other religions. The gospel states that human religion is a dangerous thing because it leads to self-righteousness....which stinks, as far as God is concerned. Hence, the gospel tries to make us come to the end of our own spiritual strivings and accept God's verdict on all our goodness. Upshot of all this: the verse depicts pretty much what Soren Kierkegaard says in Training in Christianity: "The offense of Christianity is that it says that if people could get their hands on God, they would kill him." The folks depicted in this Psalm are planning on a way to fight against God's anointed.
Now, whether or not this verse pointed to Jesus in the past or to the Prophet Moses speaks of (he commands all to obey the future prophet or else) or to some anointed person coming in the future . . . the plain fact is that someone is coming from God whom the world is gonna plot against.
Other blogs on this blog tour are
http://pen-of-the-wayfarer.blogspot.com
http://otiumsanctum.com
http://lianastories.blogspot.com
This is one of the strangest Psalms in the Bible. If one listens to it carefully, one sees it as a discussion between three different aspects of the Godhead about a war which humans are planning against God's anointed. Sounds as if this is at the end of time and concerns events surrounding the antichrist and the book of Revelations.
The three folks mentioned in the Bible are THE LORD, the Lord, and another person of the Godhead (It seems to be the Holy Spirit).
It begins with one person asking another person about heathens and rulers who are counselling together against the Lord and the Lord's anointed.
I think this first part is spoken by the Holy Spirit. It might be David saying it...but if it is David, it's David saying it through the Holy Spirit because David as a mere human doesn't know what all the rulers and kings of the earth are doing. The speaker says, "The Lord shall laugh at them." So the Speaker can't be the Lord. But the speaker can't be the Lord's Anointed either. Because the Lord's Anointed seems to be a human who is being plotted against. The Messiah chosen to rule the world from Mount Zion.
Then it seems the Father Person of God answers. I say this because Father God is the only one who can set his king? Also who does the holy hill of Zion belong to? The God of all the earth.
Then it seems the Holy Spirit says -- we know this because Jesus challenged the priests by mentioning this in the gospels:
The holy spirit declares the decree. The Lord hath said. And the Lord is speaking about the Son. Then the Father adds:
Often in the Hebrew version of the Tanach, whenever something sounds as if it's pointing to Jesus, a different wording is present. (Or if the wording really can't be changed, then the interpretation is different --as in the Jewish interpretation that Isaiah 53 refers to Israel) So Jewish folks will differ on the phrase "Kiss the Son." But the important thing here is this: whoever this anointed is...the time will come when the world will rise up against him.
Now why is this war so absurd? Because it is the war that has been brewing since time began. Because it's a war that is totally unwinnable. The spirit of antichrist which is in the world and which has been challenging God's rule from time immemorial is behind it. The spirit of antichrist was already in the world when Jesus came to earth in human flesh. But it appears that at the end of time, humans will wage war against the lord's anointed. Weirder: it's be a worldwide war, which makes it a very stupid war. The book of Revelations and the Book of Thessalonians tell us that people will believe a great lie that they can actually war against God and win. Absurd? Yes. But humans are able to be deluded by what they deeply wish to happen.
Now, whether or not this verse pointed to Jesus in the past or to the Prophet Moses speaks of (he commands all to obey the future prophet or else) or to some anointed person coming in the future . . . the plain fact is that someone is coming from God whom the world is gonna plot against.
Other blogs on this blog tour are
http://pen-of-the-wayfarer.blogspot.com
http://otiumsanctum.com
http://lianastories.blogspot.com
This is one of the strangest Psalms in the Bible. If one listens to it carefully, one sees it as a discussion between three different aspects of the Godhead about a war which humans are planning against God's anointed. Sounds as if this is at the end of time and concerns events surrounding the antichrist and the book of Revelations.
The three folks mentioned in the Bible are THE LORD, the Lord, and another person of the Godhead (It seems to be the Holy Spirit).
It begins with one person asking another person about heathens and rulers who are counselling together against the Lord and the Lord's anointed.
1Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
2The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,
3Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
4He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the LORD shall have them in derision.
5Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.
I think this first part is spoken by the Holy Spirit. It might be David saying it...but if it is David, it's David saying it through the Holy Spirit because David as a mere human doesn't know what all the rulers and kings of the earth are doing. The speaker says, "The Lord shall laugh at them." So the Speaker can't be the Lord. But the speaker can't be the Lord's Anointed either. Because the Lord's Anointed seems to be a human who is being plotted against. The Messiah chosen to rule the world from Mount Zion.
Then it seems the Father Person of God answers. I say this because Father God is the only one who can set his king? Also who does the holy hill of Zion belong to? The God of all the earth.
6Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
Then it seems the Holy Spirit says -- we know this because Jesus challenged the priests by mentioning this in the gospels:
7I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
The holy spirit declares the decree. The Lord hath said. And the Lord is speaking about the Son. Then the Father adds:
8Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
9Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
10Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.
11Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
12Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.
Often in the Hebrew version of the Tanach, whenever something sounds as if it's pointing to Jesus, a different wording is present. (Or if the wording really can't be changed, then the interpretation is different --as in the Jewish interpretation that Isaiah 53 refers to Israel) So Jewish folks will differ on the phrase "Kiss the Son." But the important thing here is this: whoever this anointed is...the time will come when the world will rise up against him.
Now why is this war so absurd? Because it is the war that has been brewing since time began. Because it's a war that is totally unwinnable. The spirit of antichrist which is in the world and which has been challenging God's rule from time immemorial is behind it. The spirit of antichrist was already in the world when Jesus came to earth in human flesh. But it appears that at the end of time, humans will wage war against the lord's anointed. Weirder: it's be a worldwide war, which makes it a very stupid war. The book of Revelations and the Book of Thessalonians tell us that people will believe a great lie that they can actually war against God and win. Absurd? Yes. But humans are able to be deluded by what they deeply wish to happen.
Pride
Now, if I'm not mistaken, the worst sin is pride. Satan fell because of it. It's the sin that makes us hard-of-hearing spiritually. It's the sin that makes us fall into comparative mode. We Christians can't stand adultery, won't put up with all sorts of stuff. But this pride thing...in our church every week...and do we get upset? No.
Weirdly, sin is something we cannot ask God to rid us of. Actually, most of the time when we ask God to get rid of a sin, we're asking amiss. For the most part, we are the ones who are called to cooperate in getting rid of our sins. We do this by reading the word and the word purifies us. For the most part we collaborate with God in purifying ourselves. But the sin of pride is pretty much tossed into our court. That's because it's a sin that takes credit for the work God has done. Let's say the Lord helped us get over adultery...if we aren't careful we'll be proud of ourselves. This leaves us in the situation of being proud of our holiness and totally forgetting that God did the work in us. We are told over and over to fight against pride -- pride of life, pride of wealth, pride in our social position..but especially spiritual pride. So all those prayers -- "Oh God, please let me not be proud!" -- just don't cut it. It's a sin we have to set our energies against. Let's do it. It's in our court.
Now why should we do this? Because there is a curse upon those who have spiritual pride. St Paul says wherever the cross is rejected, we are under a curse and we also have carnality. Paul defines carnality as arguments over denomination. If you're in the kingdom you crucify the flesh and its carnality... you say I am above denominations and arguing as to which set of laws and which denomination makes me better than you.
Galatians 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
Galatians 5:4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
Once one ends up in legalism one ends up with a cursed life. It's a tough walk...not sinning and yet not using the grace of God for lasciviousness. We must do good because God is good and because He loves us. But we must not fall into legalism and trust in our good works. Legalism only breaks God's church into tiny little pieces, each with their own scattered sets of laws which they can use to say they are better than other folks. God doesn't care if someone is Catholic or protestant or seventh day adventist. He cares about his son. We preach Christ crucified. We are determined to know nothing except Christ crucified.
11But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
And faith boasts only in the work of God.
The purpose of the cross is to bring us to the end of our works, our wits, our wisdom, our self-righteousness, our selves. We find Christ is the wisdom and power of God only when we come to the end of ourselves. The foolishness of God is the cross, the strength of God is the cross. The cross is totally weak and totally foolish in man's eyes. But when we come to the end of our wisdom, our righteousness, our strength, we realize the cross is stronger than man's strength and wiser than man's wisdom. And how can we be proud of our wisdom or our ability to endure and follow the standards we set up for ourselves? God has given us the mind of Christ and his own righteousness. To try to add our own righteousness and wisdom to that is like being given a wonderful garment and being unwilling to give up our old filthy rags.
We have come into the Promised Land but we have let a lot of the canaanites hang around. What does God do in that situation? As he did in the old testament, he did in the old, he sends a thorn of flesh to buffet us to keep us humble. Poor Paul! No chance for him to fall into pride with God allowing a messenger of Satan to stir up trouble for him wherever he goes.
Let us avoid pride. God's strength is made perfect in our weakness. But pride invites destruction. We can't expect God's grace to help us if we can do things ourselves. But strangely you don't hear Paul or any of the apostles saying anything negative. What they did say is: I am crucified with Christ. It is no longer I, but Christ who lives in me. I can do all through Christ who lives in me. It's a tough balancing act. But God has asked us to to it.
It is not our effort. No tree brings forth fruit by effort. We as Christians cease from our struggling, our sins, our good works and yield to Jesus. It is Jesus in us, the hope of glory. It is immanuel, God in us. So let God lead and live in us. Let God prune us. (Never ever ever let a human prune you. Jesus says God is the pruner.) Only the cross releases the grace and the power of God. We can't follow any rules unless the grace of God helps us. And if we have pride we don't allow God to live his life in us.
-C
Weirdly, sin is something we cannot ask God to rid us of. Actually, most of the time when we ask God to get rid of a sin, we're asking amiss. For the most part, we are the ones who are called to cooperate in getting rid of our sins. We do this by reading the word and the word purifies us. For the most part we collaborate with God in purifying ourselves. But the sin of pride is pretty much tossed into our court. That's because it's a sin that takes credit for the work God has done. Let's say the Lord helped us get over adultery...if we aren't careful we'll be proud of ourselves. This leaves us in the situation of being proud of our holiness and totally forgetting that God did the work in us. We are told over and over to fight against pride -- pride of life, pride of wealth, pride in our social position..but especially spiritual pride. So all those prayers -- "Oh God, please let me not be proud!" -- just don't cut it. It's a sin we have to set our energies against. Let's do it. It's in our court.
Now why should we do this? Because there is a curse upon those who have spiritual pride. St Paul says wherever the cross is rejected, we are under a curse and we also have carnality. Paul defines carnality as arguments over denomination. If you're in the kingdom you crucify the flesh and its carnality... you say I am above denominations and arguing as to which set of laws and which denomination makes me better than you.
Galatians 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
Galatians 5:4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
Once one ends up in legalism one ends up with a cursed life. It's a tough walk...not sinning and yet not using the grace of God for lasciviousness. We must do good because God is good and because He loves us. But we must not fall into legalism and trust in our good works. Legalism only breaks God's church into tiny little pieces, each with their own scattered sets of laws which they can use to say they are better than other folks. God doesn't care if someone is Catholic or protestant or seventh day adventist. He cares about his son. We preach Christ crucified. We are determined to know nothing except Christ crucified.
11But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
And faith boasts only in the work of God.
The purpose of the cross is to bring us to the end of our works, our wits, our wisdom, our self-righteousness, our selves. We find Christ is the wisdom and power of God only when we come to the end of ourselves. The foolishness of God is the cross, the strength of God is the cross. The cross is totally weak and totally foolish in man's eyes. But when we come to the end of our wisdom, our righteousness, our strength, we realize the cross is stronger than man's strength and wiser than man's wisdom. And how can we be proud of our wisdom or our ability to endure and follow the standards we set up for ourselves? God has given us the mind of Christ and his own righteousness. To try to add our own righteousness and wisdom to that is like being given a wonderful garment and being unwilling to give up our old filthy rags.
We have come into the Promised Land but we have let a lot of the canaanites hang around. What does God do in that situation? As he did in the old testament, he did in the old, he sends a thorn of flesh to buffet us to keep us humble. Poor Paul! No chance for him to fall into pride with God allowing a messenger of Satan to stir up trouble for him wherever he goes.
Let us avoid pride. God's strength is made perfect in our weakness. But pride invites destruction. We can't expect God's grace to help us if we can do things ourselves. But strangely you don't hear Paul or any of the apostles saying anything negative. What they did say is: I am crucified with Christ. It is no longer I, but Christ who lives in me. I can do all through Christ who lives in me. It's a tough balancing act. But God has asked us to to it.
It is not our effort. No tree brings forth fruit by effort. We as Christians cease from our struggling, our sins, our good works and yield to Jesus. It is Jesus in us, the hope of glory. It is immanuel, God in us. So let God lead and live in us. Let God prune us. (Never ever ever let a human prune you. Jesus says God is the pruner.) Only the cross releases the grace and the power of God. We can't follow any rules unless the grace of God helps us. And if we have pride we don't allow God to live his life in us.
-C
Friday, January 02, 2009
Plans for 2009
Deo Volente, I'm gonna do blogs on the psalms next year. From Psalm 1 - 150. Beginning January 2009
Deo Volente, I'm gonna go to the Black scifi con in Philadelphia
Deo Volente, I will publish two novels with great companies or get myself a great agent
Deo Volente, I will manage to get my healing and my son's healing to manifest. I will not say the word fibromyalgia or autism ever again.
Deo Volente, I will get three short stories published.
Deo Volente, I will get a freelance article writing career or get a great book reviewing gig that pays.
Deo Volente, I will meet a good Christian couple or two in my neck o' the wood.
Deo Volente, I will learn Spanish.
Deo Volente, I will get rid of all that credit card debt.
Deo Volente, I will lose some weight and learn to eat properly.
Deo Volente, I will rein in my vain imaginations. I have a cute hubby but the sensual mind does go all over the place. Gotta flee youthful lusts.
Will finally change all those ingrained bad habits. Deo Volente.
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