Are You Confused Between Church And State?
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Posted:Feb 11, 2012 7:48 am
Last Updated:Feb 11, 2012 8:22 pm 3468 Views
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Now it is contraception, the latest rave between Church and State. Not long ago it was proposition 8 in California over the right or not of gays and homosexuals to be allowed to marry. The issue bounces back and forth.
It is wonderful to live in a country where we can at least voice our opinion, have our say. The Church is not taxed like other corporations. The Church enjoys tax free status. This saves us a lot of money.
Does the Church have the right to impose its opinion on the State? Does the State have the right to impose its opinion on the Church? Jesus was asked this general question when asked about paying taxes. Everyone knows His famous answer. Yet at times the Apostles chose to disobey the government authority.
In our democratic republic, the majority opinion generally rules. The United States is not a Church. The Church is not the United States. They are separate, but live together in a friendly, or not so friendly relationship depending on the times and issues.
We are really fortunate to have as much religious freedom as we do. The Senate opens with prayer. Our coins have "In God We Trust", and we are allowed to post publicly the ten commandments, Christmas scenes, have chaplains in our armed services, and have national religious holidays like Christmas and Easter that are allowed by the Government.
The relationship between the Church and The USA is a modus vivendi or live and let live in a mutually beneficial way. I suppose without conflict we could not arrive at the best truth for the majority. Many of the issues are moral judgments that need both the wisdom of the Government and the Wisdom of the Church to find what is best for the majority of US citizens. There will be many more issues ahead and harder than ever to decide. Thinking of what is best for everyone is better than what is best for me and mine. With this view of everyone, we all benefit. Thinking of me only is a black hole from which not even light can exit. Thinking of what I can do for others appropriately gives us the power to escape the black holes of life and create a place for us in community.
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What Is Sanctification?
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Posted:Feb 8, 2012 1:15 pm
Last Updated:Feb 9, 2012 6:38 am 4767 Views
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Maybe you have heard these words: sanctification, reconciliation, propitiation, atonement? These are big words with important meanings. They all refer to our relationship with Love Himself, but the only one we can do much about is sanctification.
The word sanctification actually means divorce in a good way. Divorce means separation, but more than that. It is a recognition that the former relationship is no longer valid. It does not exist like it did before. A new alignment has taken place. Whereas divorce means the legal contract is no longer in force as it was. It says nothing about the future contracts, except that we are legally able to enter into new ones. Sanctification however does say a lot about the past and the future as well regarding our contractual relationships.
Sanctification means we are separated from our past love and now in love with a new person. This is almost impossible in physical and spiritual terms in this life. Why? WE were born, created, made with super strong desire that demands fulfillment of this overpowering desire. WE want wealth, friends, security, health, pleasures, and we desire these things to be fulfilled in our life endlessly, to never stop being fulfilled.
There is nothing at all wrong with these fierce desires. WE were created this way by our Maker. He made us to desire like this. So, it would be impossible to separate from this unless we have something much better to replace it. The truth is that our Creator will give us fulfillment of this desire and endlessly when we find that in a personal relationship with Him that He Himself is more desirable than even these desires which can be fulfilled only by Himself.
The whole world is spinning out of control, crazy, mad, at war, killing and being killed, because according to James the apostle, we desire and have not, ask not, and so go crazy. And when we do ask, it is only to fulfill these overpowering desires that we were given by Him in the first place. Along creeps the devil pounding away on these desires to get us if possible to have a quick temporary fix. When we accept this, we get a quick fix, but soon follows darkness, chaos, and soon enough we are drowning in these quick fixes with no one to help us.
Sanctification is restricting quick fix solutions, and then receiving the Energy which our Creator in response freely gives to abundantly fulfill our desire now and always. Plus we learn that our Creator is much more desirable than these desires He has given us. As it is written, our hearts are restless until they rest in Him.
Sanctification is separation from self desires by restricting them, to relationship desire with Jesus who is more than any self desire. Then we end up having it all rather than losing it all. Before we give up our bone of self desire that we gnaw on daily, we need to see the fillet mignon we are being offered, which is that the Lord is the most lovable, we can love Him more than we love our fierce desires by restriction of them whereby we receive His Energy for fulfillment of it all.
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Tetragrammaton - YHWH
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Posted:Feb 8, 2012 12:07 am
Last Updated:Feb 8, 2012 9:21 am 3027 Views
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Tetragrammaton is greek for four letters that make a word. The word is a description of the Supreme One who is today in process and will be the same tomorrow in process. He is unfolding yet the same. We are with Him in this ongoing creation and part of it. Even though we each have a name, it would be more correct to consider ourselves an action word like a verb as we are also the same but yet developing. Who we were, are, and will be is the same, but we mature and grow and develop our gifts. Since we are made in the image of the One who made us, we may also never cease developing.
Yod, He, Waw, He, are the hebrew letters read from right to left as is the Hebrew language, and Hebrew books. I believe as Christians we have a right to say it respectfully and repeat it often as in a mantra. Jesus gave us complete access to the Father. The purpose of prayer is to change our consciousness to one that is higher. Some people use two way communion, sometimes only listening. Mantras or repetition of a word can help to elevate our consciousness. I believe that any form of communion with the Creator of the ongoing creation is good for us.
The city of Jerusalem is built on small mountainous grounds. The Lord said He would write His Name on Jerusalem. Looking at the city from above you may make out the tetragrammaton or the four Hebrew letters that compose His Descriptive Identity.
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Ban Myself?
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Posted:Feb 5, 2012 6:39 am
Last Updated:Feb 6, 2012 11:07 am 3859 Views
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This was a comment recently by several bloggers. They thought to keep themselves from returning insults with insults. It was funny when I first read it. But in fact we should take this seriously also. If, in my opinion, we can not stop insulting people back, then for sure we will be doing our self a favor by taking our self out of here for a while until we can get enough self control to respond without insults our self.
How can we claim Jesus on one hand and insult on the other? Darkness does not get rid of darkness, but only inflames it. Light quickly removes darkness. The stronger and more pure the Light the faster darkness flees. The two simply can not coexist.
Darkness has every right and will take every opportunity to condemn us with hypocrisy when we claim Jesus and return evil with insults. Jesus said to overcome evil with good, not evil.
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Will You Have Conversion Disorder?
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Posted:Feb 4, 2012 7:56 pm
Last Updated:May 4, 2024 6:7 am 3956 Views
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It has been called mass hysteria. For every one man there are two to six women who have it. There is a lot of research but as usual when dealing with the spiritual there are no or few scientific answers.
Much of it is stress that is unresolved, and only coming out years later. It is not just burn out. It is stress that we have filed or compartmentalized in our mind for later resolution. Remember the scripture says not to let the sun go down on unresolved stress; the emotion was anger specifically. When we do not talk to each other because we do not want too, or none will listen, we likely contribute to our own low self esteem, physical manifestations, relationship problems, and dysfunction.
Jesus said to cast our care upon Him. The Lord called us into this messy life and He takes responsibility to help us through it. We would be wise to let Him. Tell Jesus all about it until it is gone or resolved. He does not hold any sin against us if we confess it. He will lift any burden that other people have placed upon us. We should not try to carry our burdens or our sins alone. That is His job. He is super strong, forever forgiving, and completely cleansing.
A supporting bridge over grasslands in south texas.
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Can You Tell If A Person Is Positive Or Negative?
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Posted:Feb 3, 2012 2:40 pm
Last Updated:Feb 4, 2012 7:23 am 3177 Views
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People try to make pets out of snakes, dogs, bears, lions, sharks, and others and in the end get killed. Why is this? The nature of the beast does not change. An ancient story about a scorpion and a turtle, who both needed to cross a river, has been told many times. The turtle could not see where he was going and the scorpion could not swim. They both agreed upon a plan where the scorpion would give directions riding on the back of the turtle. Half way out, the scorpion stung the turtle and sinking the turtle asked why? The scorpion explained it was just his nature.
Far too many marriages, alliances, agreements have been made based on a modus vivendi (way + living), an agreement between differing parties to have some measure of cooperation, to allow life to go on. These relationships too often crash upon the rocks of reality, the nature of the beast.
There are two kinds of people in the world. Those who are positive and those who are negative. It is not as easy to tell as we might think who is who. Negative people might even have better manners than positive people, dress better, live better and have more money. We are all receivers, as our bottom line is we desire. Positive people go one step further than our basic desire to receive, they also want to share freely. Negative people just want it eventually all for themselves. Even codependent relationships are unhealthy and basically negative. Scripture warns about positive negative alliances.
Even born again people can be so immature yet that their positive nature may be overshadowed by their still rampant negative nature. As christians we need to not only be with positive people but strongly positive people. Test yourself. See through the day if you can actually tell a persons basic nature. Are they positive or negative people, sharing or self centered, scorpions or turtles?
A rose by any other name? South Texas roses where I am presently.
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Will You Pledge To Keep Your Blog Clean Of Insults?
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Posted:Feb 2, 2012 1:38 pm
Last Updated:Feb 3, 2012 8:51 pm 4167 Views
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We do not have to endure insults on here unless it is our choice to do so by not doing anything about it. Christian people here have been shocked, hurt so bad, and just had to leave. Some of us are slowly realizing that each of us is not independent here and are some responsible to help other Christians, as we are family.
The least we can do is to ban anyone who is insulting, demeaning others on our own personal blog. WE can keep it clean of this damaging behavior, as words do hurt and destroy. I believe Jesus wants us to protect the faith of others from insults.
If you will pledge to keep your blog clean of insults by banning anyone who uses personal insulting posts on your blog, please post your pledge here. You will be serving the best interest of Jesus and His community of believers and others will know which blog sites they can expect to be free of personal insulting comments. Let your conscience be your guide on this pledge.
THE PLEDGE:
I pledge to keep my blog free of personal insults by other bloggers. This includes banning.
Richard Pyle pledges.
Roses In South Texas
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One Way Conversations?
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Posted:Jan 30, 2012 7:15 pm
Last Updated:Feb 28, 2012 9:53 am 6232 Views
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The title, "One Way Conversations", is really a contradiction. A conversation implies two ways. One person talks and the other listens. Then the listening person responds to what was said, while the first listens before responding. When a conversation is not occurring in this manner, but the listener is only waiting to talk his/her agenda, and not at all responding to what was said, it is a dead end communication. One way conversations is a misnomer. Scripture advises us to not listen to this.
This is not communication. It is talking past each other. It is a waste of time and in fact harmful. Light can not talk with darkness. There is no fellowship between evil and the righteousness. I feel sick when I think about people in chat or on the blogs trying to communicate with people who are not communicating. It is no surprise that well intended persons are upset. But, after a while they have only themselves to blame for continuing to listen to them.
When the religious leaders talked to Jesus there was little communication that happened. They would not listen to Jesus. They responded not, but continued to talk their agenda. Then Jesus, using His communication skills, talked past the road blocks in their minds and made them see how ridiculous and self serving was their agenda. This only infuriated them the more. The window of opportunity to reach them was very short. From then on there was no conversation, just talking past each other. It was a waste of Jesus' time and it is a waste of ours.
Do yourself and BC a favor and stop listening to these people. Ban them. Ignore them. Ban them. Ignore them. WE are only drinking poison when we continue to listen and talk to them. Ban them, ignore them. Would Jesus talk to them? Would He? Until they are ready to listen, they will not hear. They will only turn and try to hurt. Hurting people hurt. They need to hurt more. Darkness is never so dark as blind souls listening only to themselves. We are actually doing them a favor, a big favor, when we ban them. Only this will get their attention, if there is any possibility of that left.
Do we think life is not serious? Can we listen to the news everyday and not see the meanness in the world? I hope the day comes when we believe Jesus in His telling us to be wise, yet harmless. Where is the wisdom in listening to blasphemy? Some people just desperately need to be banned. Do them the favor of helping them by banning them. At least they will respect this. They just laugh at us as long as we listen to their spill. Jesus banned them. Once they stopped listening to Him, then He said they would never see Him again until they learned to cry, "blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord". Jesus told us that if they persecuted Him, they will persecute us the more. They want to hear only the chimes at midnight, not the beautiful Voice of Light at noon day.
There is only one reason I can think of that people will not ban and ignore these hurtful people, and that is because perhaps we are not sold out to Jesus? Are we really lukewarm? Are we playing both ends against the middle? Are we fence straddlers? Do we really think we can have it both ways, the world of light and the world of darkness? We have to choose who we will serve. If we refuse to choose, then by default we have chosen darkness. Choose light and ban darkness. Ignore them. Ban them. Quit straddling, quit listening. Make Jesus proud, not ashamed of us. Allow Him to call us his brothers and sisters. Do we want Him to say He never knew us? Be wise. Be committed.
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Conflict Is Healthy?
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Posted:Jan 30, 2012 7:06 am
Last Updated:Jan 30, 2012 11:44 am 2634 Views
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This is one of those questions that has two answers. Much of life is in conflict. Perhaps in Heaven there is much less conflict. Every desire is a conflict between what we do not have and what we need or want. Therefore, I believe that peace is managing conflict for our benefit. Stress is lack of balance between the two extremes of conflict.
We have an ego created by the devil that is in conflict with who we are. We are not the illusion satan creates or wants us to believe. It is out of this conflict that we transform and receive more light. Jesus said we are the light of the world. Yet ego, when we focus on it, can kill us. Driving at 80mph down a highway in fog is egotistical. A mistaken word in front of an authority can get us killed.
Men and women are often in conflict because one dominates the other. Both are equally important. Communication between the two views can bring peace. Conflict resolution is based on both sides continuing to talk. This causes the phenomenon of seeing more and more of the other side's point to happen.
Our very thinking is a complex process of exploring the conflict between many polarities in our mind. WE intuit and then understand and draw conclusions between wisdom and understanding which creates our knowledge. WE can be very just on one hand, but this is tempered by much mercy, and this conflict creates beauty, which is a basis of truth. We can get very hot emotionally, but as we get sight of victory in the distance we can endure and push through on to the end thus bringing forth the completion of the goal.
It is balance that we need in our lives. To achieve this is a process between the extremes of which we are fearfully and wonderfully made. The most beautiful souls in the world are not radicals, extremists, but those whose serenity has been achieved by learning how to manage their conflicts in a healthy normal way. Once again it is not the eradication of our feelings, desires, sense of justice, mercy, wisdom, understanding that is right for us. It is balance in all these areas between the polarities. WE can be so heavenly minded that we become no earthly good. WE can become so earthly that the spiritual world is diminished to our detriment. WE can become so male oriented that understanding, justice, and splendor is lost to us. WE can become so feminine that no wisdom, mercy, love, or endurance is available to us anymore.
I believe that our make up just needs to be brought back into balance. The Holy Spirit helps us and is part of our balancing process. Our job is to find the truth and keep focusing on that. Yes conflict is healthy if we maintain a healthy resolution of it on a daily basis. Human history is the record of much conflict that was not resolved peacefully. Daily news is a living record of conflicts around the world being or not being resolved.
The Lord Jesus is an expert at balancing conflicts and bringing peace to the lives of people. He is making us experts also as we cooperate with Him in bringing a peace between us and God and between people. In my opinion conflict is a vital part of our life. It can be made healthy. An imbalance occurs when one part of our life becomes extreme over its opposite. If one area of our life is allowed to become extreme at the expense of other areas, then the conflict is unhealthy and can have severe consequences.
Focusing on the truth, praying about it, and lengthy talks with people with whom we are in conflict are some ways to bring harmony back into our life. Conflict and balanced thinking is a normal part of our thinking process. Conflict is a normal part of a relationship, and in general part of life. Conflict is abnormal when the extremes are not in harmony, not serving each other, but dominating each other.
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Is Your Family And LIfe Functional Or Dysfunctional?
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Posted:Jan 27, 2012 4:49 am
Last Updated:Feb 19, 2012 5:19 am 3259 Views
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Our childhood is brief but its effects can be life long. Study shows that a functioning family creates balance and control in the lives of people. As we are so vulnerable and sensitive to family interactions. A functioning family is flexible, warm, supportive, respectful, and this will communicate the following to :
1. You are a good and worthy person.
2. you can be loved as you are.
3. Your needs can be met in your relationships with others.
4. Your most important need is a balance of needs.
A dysfunctional family is rigid, cold, abandoning, physical or emotional abusive and this will communicate the following to :
l. You are bad and unworthy as a person.
2. You can not be loved as you are.
3. You can not depend on others to meet your needs.
4. Your most important need is excess of needs.
Functional families help to make balanced people. Dysfunctional families lead to imbalances in people.
Perhaps few, if any of us, grew up in a very functional family. So we grow up with various imbalances in our life. I like the picture of our life as a person sitting in a row boat and centered in the middle, not too far to the front or back, and not too far right or left. This middle position balances our life boat. Far forward is too much spirituality, far back is too much physicality, far right is too charitable, far left is too critical, judgmental.
Our imbalances can result in addictive behaviors in food, gambling, alcohol, pleasure, and pride. We can help our self by moving back from any far position toward a balancing middle. We need to do this in prayer. The devil tries to imbalance us. Resisting his temptations and in prayer move toward a middle balance, we can make progress to become more functional.
Quiet family neighborhood in San Diego.
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