Empathy, the final frontier
Tuesday, January 31, 2023
I Can See
Sunday, January 29, 2023
Siding With The Children
Friday, January 27, 2023
God Opens Gates
Herod is Christian hunting, and after having James beheaded, has Peter arrested and put in prison for the weekend, just before Passover. He intends to try him, but in the mean time, he sets sixteen guards in place to keep an eye on Peter. Herod likes the praise of men, and he wanted the Jews to appreciate his efforts in eliminating God's Gospel messengers. Upon Peter's arrest, believers gathered and were earnestly praying! With four crews of four soldiers per, we find Peter chained twice over, sleeping between two guards, in a prison cell:
Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. And he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.) And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him, intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people. Peter was therefore kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison (Acts 12:1-6)
This is Peter, the one that denied Jesus thrice prior to a rooster crowing and letting him know, that his fear interfered with his faith. This same Peter, was forgiven by Jesus for his betrayal, and these are the words spoken over him by the Saviour:
And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it! (Matthew 16:18)
Dear reader, this next stretch of scripture is so outstanding, that I will go right to it, sharing it with you now:
And behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands. And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me (Acts 12:7-8)
Peter was awakened by an angel of the Lord, accompanied by bright light, in his prison cell. Chains fell from his wrists, but notice, Peter was asleep without clothes. He was denied the comfort of warmth, and movement, and yet he slept. Clearly, while the guards were also asleep, on duty, the light and angel were not seen, nor were they heard by these soldiers. With the odds seemingly working against Peter, we have a heavenly visitation, a setting free of encumbrance, and a dressing up for escape, for Peter the prisoner. Let's see what happens next, and where the angel of the Lord takes Peter:
And he went out, and followed him: and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel, but thought he saw a vision. When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leads unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord; and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him (Acts 12: 9-10)
Before I lose the golden thread, I trap it between my fingers...
... they came unto the iron gate that leads unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord...
God, dear one, opens gates. God sets captives free. God works out the weaving, the how to's the wherefores. Jesus spoke these words to Peter:
... I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it!
The gates, or the Gates, of hell do not stop the living God or His messengers, from going forth to share the Good News, that Jesus Christ died for the sins of the world, and conquered death, so that we might live eternally with Him! Outstanding.
Sunday, January 22, 2023
Un-see, Un-hear
Before you mock me, and suggest I get out there and do something instead of being a cry baby, I ask you, if you have seen and heard what I suggest is evident all around us, with corruption seeped into all sectors, what are you doing to protect the little ones, and make this stop?
The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with the everlasting burnings? (Isaiah 33:14)
Hurting, maiming, killing innocent children does not bode well for perpetrators. Revelation 21:8 is my comfort for the day, because while I feel helpless to change what is happening world wide, I know that God's Sovereign plan was in place long before I saw, long before I heard, what ought not to be:
But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
Thursday, January 19, 2023
Behind Enemy Lines
Besides, behind those enemy lines stood the "good guys", uniformed and ready to defend the "bad guys", and perhaps, this was the most disheartening, discouraging, disastrous scenario to witness. But I tell you this, dear reader, taking a stand is precisely what God has set up for His people:
O our God, wilt Thou not judge them? For we have no might against this great company that cometh against us, neither know we what to do; but our eyes are upon Thee (2 Chronicles 20:12)
Wednesday, January 18, 2023
Less Spark, More Flame
I want to be holy, as God is holy. This sounds outlandish, doesn't it, dear reader? Even as I type, I hear snarls, I see lip curls, and the mocking tones that may come from anyone that knows me, and knows things that I have said, and done, that are far removed from holiness. And yet, I still, want to be holy.
I have noticed how difficult this desire is to realize. With my inclinations to self-satisfaction, ego gratification, and fleshly indulgences, being holy hasn't really been on the radar of possibilities. Add too this, some immaturities that cling like white lint to black sweater, I have some work to do, to reign in my propensities to assuage something needy and greedy inside that rears its ugly head, in favour of being more like Jesus, the perfect model of God in human form.
My solution, you ask, to this troubling mix of me, wanting to be something entirely different from what I am used to? God, of course, only God can do what is impossible for a self-absorbed human! When I am weak, He is strong, and while this has always been true, on many levels I have resisted Him, wanting to be my own strength, like a two year old that says, "Me do, me do." The two year old must learn how to do for themselves, but the fifty-six year old must learn how to rely on a parent that teaches a better way! I'm there, dear reader, right here, right now, where I want to be.
I have a waining desire to blame others, environment, circumstances, past experiences, for my lag in the holiness endeavour; perhaps, they did play a role on a small or even grand scale, but I have no excuses now. The path is clear, and I am recognizing that I am the one that has to see the boulders, rocks, gravel, muck and yuck, and either clear them, go around, or simply stay far far away from what causes stumbling and sticking, if I am to be successful in my holiness actualization. I admit, there is one secret to success that I have discovered, an element that can be yours if you choose it... but I will leave that to the end of this piece of writing, to ensure you stay with me as I suss out the how to's of holiness, you know, a check list. Isn't that humorous dear reader, a check-list to holiness?
I have worked as a personal trainer since 1996, and a life coach since 2014. I am in the health and fitness industry, with people as my clay. This may sound arrogant, but as a trainer, I am reshaping, reforming, meaning clients return to factory setting, with their muscles taking prominent place, back to where they belong, as they shrink the fat that does not suit them, or their needs. As a coach, I see all the potential in clients that want to be functionally, relationally, emotionally, spiritually whole, and they transform before my eyes, during sessions, and in-between too! The wow factor is mind boggling, and I so appreciate the work that goes into every drop of sweat and invisible blood too, that drips from a body, and from a soul wanting to be free from any chains of bondage.
And it is the chains of bondage that keep us from holiness, dear one. It is the clinging to what we know, what makes us feel safe, defended, self-empowered, that has us stay stuck in the muck, rather than moving from glory to glory:
But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord (2 Corinthians 3:18)
I love scripture for so many reasons, one of them being the hope that I feel when I read it. God doesn't leave us where we are if we want to move to higher ground. He leads the way as The Good Shepherd: as one of His little lambs, I want to follow. When I looked up glory in the Bible, many verses were available. I think this one is apropos at this point in our time together:
Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of thy name: and deliver us, and purge away our sins, for thy name's sake (Psalm 79:9)
In my pursuit of holiness, it is sin that I want to be delivered from... my own, and the influences of the sins of others. We impact one another, dear reader, and the yuck and muck of others can get stuck to our fleece; which brings me to my secret, the one that you just couldn't wait for me to share. I have been spending less time with people, and more time with God. Yup, that is my big reveal...
God is rewiring me, and my circuitry is functioning differently. I have less spark, more flame. You can figure that metaphor out for yourself, and see if it is fitting for your life too, with these questions and your answers of course:
Tuesday, January 17, 2023
Uttering Threats & Killing Hitler
Sunday, January 15, 2023
Keep Speaking
Thursday, January 12, 2023
Cleaving Unto The LORD
I contend that if men had been encouraged to be their natural, wild, inclined to fight selves whilst growing up, that perhaps when they got told what to do, how to do it, and for how long, they simply would have said HEAVENS NO these past couple of years. With Biblical teaching central to the education of said men, direction of raw energy would be focused on fighting evil, rather than colluding with it, as we have witnessed.
Humans need clean lines, we need demarcation. Crossing lines of etiquette, of natural law, of human dignity, always puts us in jeopardy: the lines are boundary markers, and what was saw so hideously on display these past couple of years, was a complete disregard for autonomy and freedom of will, MINUS chivalry.
In the Bible, men were men. Over and over again, the men that spoke God's Word, sharing:
Sunday, January 8, 2023
Terminally Poisoned
This is what I read as a recommendation from Nobel Prize winning virologist Dr. Luc Montagnier:
"For those of you who have taken the third dose, go and take a test for AIDS. The result may surprise you. Then sue your government."
If this suggestion is actually from Dr. Luc, and I am not confident that it is, since I hold suspect all public statements these days, especially if I don't hear them directly from the horses mouth, or the virologists, in this case, then I find it to lacking all sensibility.
Thursday, January 5, 2023
Mooring of Reality
Blinded