To Wear or Not to Wear?

In my family my husband wears the perpetual silver lined pink glasses while I wear the darker tinted ones. We both continually joke about how each other sees the world through our glasses.

My husband and I have both grown up in a harsh reality of bitterness, disappointments, abuse and dysfunction. He chooses not to dwelling all the ‘yuck’ of life by trying to change his world by changing his outlook. He chooses to see Jesus as the ever loving God of peace, kindness and all things wonderful. This is somewhat commendable if it didn’t HAVE to find the rosy in EVERY situation.

I will use this illustration to summarize the difference between the pink and the dark glasses. When your child dies, your job is dissolved, the water main breaks and a tornado is forecasted for the next hour the fact is that these things are happening and they are going to hurt and they are real. Yes one could remain calmer and not freak and this could be viewed as a positive outlook and you may be able to smile big and quote positive things to cheer you through but there is not a pink pair of glasses around that will change the reality of what is happening. When you wake up tomorrow the problems are still there. It is not to say that the dark glasses person will freak when all this happens. It is to say that they will take it all for what it is worth, try to level out the processes as they are happening, look at all the possibilities available and work with the best common sense possible.

I view the pink glasses as looking at life not just in a positive light, begging to see the good in everything and finding the silver lining in every coffin but that they are fuzzy and somewhat blurry in their perception of reality. I think that the true concept behind pink glasses is that they are mainly worn by folks that are disillusioned with life and reality the way it is and they choose to bypass this reality and view it the way ‘they want’ – pink, rosy and brightly lit.

I on one hand have worn and cherished my dark tinted glasses because it has seemed to keep me from stepping into, what my husband chooses to see as a garden of flowers, but is really a pile of prickly weeds. It has kept me in a more balanced reality. It causes me to not see Jesus as a flowery, peaceful dude but as a righteous, holy God to be revered. It causes me to see my sin and fall on my face with a broken heart of humility and repent not just because I sinned but that I sinned against a God that has offered me life. My dark tinted glasses keep me from superimposing my desires on God and it blocks the glare of the world’s enticements. It shelters me from the dazzling shine of pretty sins.

The driver in a car that has its windows tinted dark does not have impaired vision but a cleared vision without the brilliant dazzling and blinding lights coming at him from all sides.

Behind my shades I see the clear light of a holy God. Whether I wear pink, green or dark glasses I desire to see life through the eyes of Jesus. I desire to see life in a way that glorifies him in me.

Yes, I can hear folks wondering where the happy median is. But Damale, where is the moderation? Why so black and white? So left and right? First, moderation is a common extrapolation of Aristotle's Doctrine of the Mean not a biblical term. Second, Christ was quite adamant about the left and the right, the sheep and the goats, to be written in the Book of Life or to be blotted out, etc. Most of what Jesus taught was that you either are or are not. To play the religious game half way and expect full credit didn’t go over well with him.

It is a harsh cold world and I don’t mind wearing pink glasses on a rare occasion when I need to overlook something in order to show the love of God but I cannot and will not don them to overlook sin in my life or yours. I prefer to remember Jesus all tore up and bloodied on the cross for MY sins (not hanging all pretty-boy-like). I want to remember Jesus as one that was not comely in appearance. I want to recognize that he didn’t wear the ‘just bleached’ white robes and his feet were not soft. I am sure he didn’t walk around with a glowing halo around his just washed hair. I want to see that when I deny him it tears at the core of our relationship.

For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. ~ 1Corinthians 13:12

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The Give and Take… Continued

The give and take scenario is exemplified in the parent/child relationship. From the moment of conception we as humans begin to take. We extract from the umbilical cord all the nutrients we might need to continue to live. We are born and continue our great need upon our parents for everything. As infants we can not seem to sleep, eat, or release bodily functions without our parents help.

Our parents teach us to use the toilet, eat with a fork, tie our shoe laces and use proper hygiene. They help with schoolwork, riding a bike, and driving a car. They exemplify the use of a budget, how to get and keep a job and how to maintain relationships.

Maybe I am seeing too deep with the pink glasses in using the stereotypical family concept. My glasses are far from pink and I am all too aware that too many families are severely dysfunctional in these basic concepts. Ozzie and Harriet made us all think that was they way it was. I am not emotionally deaf. I know not all families run in the Nelson perfection.

But when we turn this scenario towards God the Father and us who claim him as Lord it is not nearly as dysfunctional. He desires to teach us all the important things we need to grow spiritually. He is not affected by the passing tides of religious fads and facades. He functions with or without us. He would stand to be even if we did not exist. He is the stalwart parent loving us when we are most unlovable. When we throw a temper tantrum and insist on having our way or are adamant that our way is right or better he sits and waits and then lovingly and gently reminds us he is God. I am so glad he is God.

I grew up in the ultra-dysfunctional family setting. I hear a lot of folks say that they are unable to view God as a loving parent because their father beat them or molested them. Been there done that and got three shirts and a key chain. Move on. One of the main reasons one would view God as harsh parent that they could never love is because they have already tested him beyond what they should and are still trying to convince him that their immature ways are far better than what he is presenting them with. And thus in their need to prove their way is better they end up not having a loving God figure to give them approval so he ends up becoming the angry, unreasonable, ogre.

My daughter asked me what happens if her son tries to touch the glass on the fireplace. I said he would burn his little fingers and hopefully he wouldn’t want to touch it again. But if he insisted then it would be a matter of time and growth that he would succumb to the reality that touching the hot glass is fairly stupid… and it hurts!

Father God will do the same. If you want your life the way it is; if you are happy the way you are then he will let you have it. But don’t wah-wah that he isn’t there to help you when you on a whim decide you ‘need’ something from him then push him away when you are finished. He is so patient and he will wait, wait, and wait. When you are ready to give up to his ways and relinquish your tries at ‘undoing the dysfunction’ he will be right there for you.

God is who God is. He is the ever-loving, truly loyal, compassionate and caring God amongst gods that sent his only son to die for your redemption and adoption into deeper and higher ways. Until our hearts truly desire repentance and to be like him and see like he does then we will continue to be the takers while he is the definitive giver.

W.W.O.D? (What Would Oprah Do?)

I recently read someone else’s blog that was extolling the virtues of Oprah’s giving heart. The first two things that came to mind as I read were the verses in Mark 12 and Matthew 6.

And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he called unto him his disciples, and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living. ~ Mark 12:41-44

Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. ~ Matthew 6:1

Oprah is worth 1.1 billion dollars. She is giving out of her excess not from her from her want. If a man from the Bronx sold his house and car to do something like this then he would be doing an extra-ordinary terrific thing before God. I am sure that any giving she has done did not put a niche in her wallet and more than likely she got the tax credit for it also. From a secular human standpoint she did a great thing even if it was for P.R. sake. From a Christian/religious perspective what she did earns her no kudos. (Yes, I understand she is not calling herself a follower of Christ.)

I wonder if Oprah does any ‘secret’ giving done completely anonymously. That would be a greater virtue to extol. It is sad though when folks desire the attention and kudos from other humans rather than from their Creator.

And in regard to them the prophecy of Isaiah is receiving signal fulfilment: `You will hear and hear and by no means understand, and you will look and look and by no means see. For this people's mind is stupefied, their hearing has become dull, and their eyes they have closed; to prevent their ever seeing with their eyes, or hearing with their ears, or understanding with their minds, and turning back, so that I might heal them. "But as for you, blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For I solemnly tell you that many Prophets and holy men have longed to see the sights. ~ Matthew 13:14-17

I suppose if all the money in the world will not buy her spiritual understanding then she should at least spend it on doing something that will earn her secular human respect and admiration… oh, and some good P.R. also.

I would that God were laughing at me, yet I fear He is crying. God does not care about all our religious efforts especially when it is us humans getting the praise and glory instead of him.

And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commands all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. ~ Acts 17:30-31

The Healing Tool

In my art I do portraitures of people. I take a photo that folks give me and I create art out of it. I can erase blemishes and lines, add color or a tan, add a special background, give the whole picture a dreamy glow and then make it look as if it was painted in watercolor, oils pastels or more. The end result can be quite different than the beginning. The women are usually happy with the upgrades. There are so many things I can do to make them 'model-like'.

Recently I had a woman that isn’t too happy with her overall appearance admit the difference I could make in her facial exterior. But forlornly she went on to also say, 'I wish someone could do that for my insides'. That was so sad.

In one graphics program I use there is a ‘healing brush tool’. I use it to take care of blemishes or any imperfection. This woman knows of Christ but hasn’t given her wretchedness over to him to ‘heal’. God has the ultimate healing tool.

In Matthew 13 Jesus was speaking in parables and his disciples were asking him why. He started an explanation then said in verses 15 & 16,

For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.’ But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. (Italics mine)

God can do a far better job at healing emotional and spiritual blemishes if we just let him in to do the work. He is like an artist that won’t start the work until they are officially commissioned. Come humbly before your Maker and commission him to start a new work in you lest at any time you should see with your eyes, and hear with your ears, and should understand with your heart, and should be converted, and he should heal you.

The Give and Take

In most relationships there is a giver and a taker. It isn’t cut and dry as in one only gives and the other only takes. But typically there is one partner that gives more than takes and the other tends to take more than give.

The giver usually likes to give for various reasons whether it is from an emotional need to be recognized, to gain credit or because they genuinely enjoy giving. Most true givers love to do it anonymously and watch from afar. A number of givers are prone to not being able to receive. That is a hard reality that eventually gets worked out with time and maturity.

Some takers are just that. They are self-absorbed and just suck from every situation in their life. They usually drain the folks closest to them and do not have the ability to acquire true relationships. There are other folks that just ‘are not’ givers thus they fall into the taker position. Maybe no one taught them how to give or the joy in giving. Or perhaps the two people are givers but one usually exceeds the other in their desire to give.

‘Takers’ do not necessarily enjoy receiving. True receiving requires a fragment of humility and most takers do not clothe themselves in meekness. They almost feel as if the world is obligated to them for something, everything or anything. And golly gee, that they truly deserve it so even if they can ‘receive’ something it is cloaked in a pride that thinks you owed it to them anyhow.

Unfortunately our relationship with Christ is the same. He, for obvious reasons is the giver and thus we become the takers. We can receive or take his salvation, blessings, healings, and anything else we perceive that he has that we don’t have and we want. We pray with our hands outstretched asking for a host of things for him to do for us. We go to church and look for the blessings. We read our bibles and think we will get extra kudos for the good deed. We spend so much time looking for what more he can do for us or give to us to make our lives fruitful.

For the most part our relationships with our Maker are one of take, take, take and then ask for more to take. And God in his graciousness continues to give sometimes to our own detriment. We become fat and content and begin to worship the golden calf.

When our relationship with the Lord is like this it lacks definition and the character to be a true relationship. There has to be a give and take together. There is so much we can bring to God and give him. Our heart. Our obedience. Our lives. Our daily situations. Our jobs. Our families. Our lives stripped open to be used for his glory. Our willingness to let him bring us into his perfection and maturity.

What if we tried to out give God? I know the churches like to teach the unscriptural New Testament practice of tithing and would talk about trying to out give God. But what if we tried to out give him in heart, emotional and physical principles? What if we tried to take our prayer life and instead of asking for all he can do for us, we ask what we can do for him? Instead of going to the scriptures to find the ‘blessing of the day’ you go trying to find the heart of God and see what new thing he wants to do in you today? What if we go to church not expecting a blessing but are there to be a blessing to our Creator? What if we made an honest effort to see how many things we could do to turn the tides just a tad in him being the giver and us the takers?

I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring you ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. ~ Acts 20:35

Who healed her?

I am on a prayer chain and I see many various prayers. This one is made up for the purpose of this post but it could be as real as the one’s I read all the time.

“Prayer Warriors, As you know my sister Janie had an inoperable tumor in her left side. She has had a lot of chemo and a range of things being done over the last 8 months. They finally went in yesterday and did surgery and they were able to get all of it out and the doctors said that it didn’t spread anywhere else. She is healed! God healed her!! Thanks for praying that God would heal her!”

My question at that point is, did God heal her or did the doctor and his specialty?

Yes.. I can hear you now! ‘God used the doctor to heal her. God blessed that doctor with the ability to know how to get the job done. Maybe the doctor was a Christian.” I agree.

In the New Testament Luke was a physician. It doesn’t exactly say of what specialty whether it was ob/gyn, oncology or general practice. (Just teasing!) Ironically in the book of Luke it mentions Jesus sending out the twelve disciples and he gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. Luke was not in this group of the original twelve. Neither is it mentioned that they were to take a physician with them to accomplish these cures or healings.

If you have a toe problem you go to a podiatrist. If you’re going to have a baby you go to an ob/gyn. If you have heart problems you would see a cardiologist. I would think that if you go to a physician ‘of need’ then that doctor is for the most part quite capable of diagnosing and giving you all the alternatives to how to get well again. Be it medications; see other specialty doctors, surgery or any other variety of alternative medicines.

If you get well, whether in a short time or over a period of time, did the doctor ‘heal’ you? I am meaning in the biblical sense of the word. When Jesus ‘healed’ he didn’t refer them to Luke for a prognosis. He used the mighty power that was at his disposal. There is not a mention in the NT where someone was healed over time. They all use the word and meaning of ‘immediately’.

I have no problem with giving God all the glory for whatever I want to at the time. But if we ascribe a doctor’s touch as a ‘healing’ then does that dilute the reality of GOD being able to reach down outside of a human’s hands and miraculously heal someone?

To me a ‘Praise God he healed her!’ would be followed with the climax of ‘before they even entered the surgery she was able to jump off the bed and dance like she was a little child! The doctors did some quick x-rays and tests and she appeared quite healthy! Everyone in the room was in awe and they stared at each other in sheer amazement. Some obviously knew it was God’s mighty hand that reached down and they each praised him in their own way!’

If a doctor does a good work and everyone ascribes it to God healing that person and if the doc isn’t a God fearing man then he might not want to know this God who keeps getting all the credit for what he went to school to learn. When H&R Block finishes your taxes do you say, ‘Hallelujah, God did my taxes?’ No. The H&R Block guy did them for you. The car mechanic changed your oil unless you saw with your eyes how that oil went from black to a pretty amber color instantaneously.

Let’s give the humans the credit where credit is due and let God do the immense, mighty, wondrous, awe-inspiring acts that only he can do.

Itching Ears!

One of the things that I am being bent over lately is not that some people see demons under every rock but that some see angels in every picture frame!!!!

It seems that Christians are not just utterly bent out of shape but backwards about the spiritual realm. At one point every one wants love and blessings and prophecies that say God will bear you up under every attack, and blah, blah! Then they don't want to talk about demons and witchcraft, forbid, in the church!!! They assume everyone in the church is a Christian especially if they speak Christianese! They want all the good promises of the Bible and the exhortation done with the quiet, loving voice that wears a perpetual smile! They want to see angels everywhere because that is their 'sign' that God is there and protecting them.

They don't want to see the scriptures that say to put on the full armor of God or to be wise as serpents and gentle as doves. Notice it doesn't say be gentle first, but be wise. They don't want to hear a prophecy that might show the finger of Gods' wrath because of their infidelity and sins. They won't judge and forbid, they won't be judged! They call down curses and use the scripture, ‘touch not mine anointed!'

I am weary from the Christians using scripture out of context to benefit whatever ails them! In my relearning I am having various scriptures come past me and I am seeing as if for the first time that they are 1) being taken not as a whole and 2) they are sorely out of context. These are the famous scriptures all the spirit-filled/faith teachers have passed across for the last 25 years (since I have known of them!). I believed theses teachings. I looked them up and studied them but it is almost like brainwashing or witchcraft. They put you in a submission mode that they know better, and hear from God (gosh, almost sounds like Catholicism!), and because they are who they are (and obviously you aren't) because they have a big ministry (and you don't), then what they are saying and teaching must be from God or at least right. Hogwash!!! There are so many Christians that are barely standing or standing their ground because of the weak, watered down Christ they have been fed. The scriptures have been so perverted and the so-called saints are eating it up… because they will hear what their itching ears want to hear.

Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. ~2Timothy 4:2-4

Go God!

If we do not put gas, oil or transmission fluid in our cars they will break down. But we claim liberty in Christ, do as we please, ask God to bless our unhealthy food that we stuff in our faces then when our bodies start to break down and we are ailing we blame it on the devil.

If Jesus is ever interceding for us according to the will of God, Satan has to ask permission to sift us and if God grants permission then who are we to rebuke, plead the blood of Jesus, and try to cast out a demon, or do spiritual warfare? Obviously, God allowed Satan to sift us or we wouldn’t have the afflictions and tribulations. If you must blame, then blame God for allowing the troubles. Why would we want to stop the perfecting process by rebuking, pleading the blood, casting out, binding up or doing spiritual warfare? And just whom are we doing the spiritual warfare against?

It does not say that Paul rebuked the persecutions and afflictions, cast them out, pleads the blood of Jesus or does spiritual warfare. He endured. We are told to endure. Paul entreated the Lord three times that the thorn in his flesh might depart from him. God decided to not grant that to him. Nor did he tell Paul to do spiritual warfare to get liberated from it. Paul didn’t rebuke the thought or voice but rather chose to glory and take pleasure in his infirmities, reproaches, necessities and persecutions. Go Paul!

The Lord was more interested in building Christ-like character in Paul as a true display of His power (2 Corinthians 12:9) than in putting on the kind of fireworks display which many today are calling ‘power encounters’. We must realize that believers are NEVER instructed to rebuke the devil or his demons. The only acceptable condition for a believer to rebuke is when he lovingly corrects a brother fallen into sin.

As Christians, if we spent half the time we gave to ‘devil fighting’ or doing spiritual warfare, to look deep within the word of God and see for ourselves what it really says, we would be effectively warring for our salvation. The helmet of salvation guards our head or our thoughts.

If we are diligently seeking Gods truth in all things instead of trying to figure out how to get out of the affliction quickly, our mind and thoughts would be covered and we wouldn’t need to be doing a war against every thing that we thought was not of God. If we were attentively seeking Gods truth, and not playing religious games in seeking power, our mind would be so filled with the real power of the word that enduring would not be such a chore.

Who is God to You?

We all have different views of God. To some folks he is ‘Gawd’, big omnipotent, impersonal, remote, unfriendly, judgmental, hypercritical, disapproving, etc. These are the folks that aren’t exactly sure of their salvation, or what the requirements are from this Gawd towards their life. They have never had a personal commune with their creator and final judge. They hope for the best. They will continue to try and try to do their religious appointments.

To others he is friend, companion, ally, brother, helper, partner, redeemer, and rescuer. This outlook can tend to cause one to view this God as a very personal being even to the extent of him being so nice and good that he wants the absolute best blessings possible for your life without the trials, sifting and judging.

To me he is holy, awesome, judge, lover of my soul, rewarder, rock, safety net and to be greatly feared. This to me is the middle road because it provides me with the fullness of who God is in his entirety without false hopes or fluffy expectations. I am not looking only to the blessing of his hand but I await the judgment of his heart and delight in the voice that will redeem me even in his righteous judgment.

Questioning the Answers!

Most of us are taught to find the answers to the questions. We begin the game at a very early age with questions like ‘where is the kitty?’ to ‘what color is that?’ We attend grammar school and learn the answers to math problems, science issues etc. As we get older and our brain progresses we are taught the process on how to find the answers. As adults our lives evolve around the answer. Our boss wants answers, our lives require answers; there is an answer to every fathomable question even if it isn’t the one we think is correct.

There are two varieties of people when it comes to the question and answer chronicles. One type of person loves to dig for the answers to everything and anything. They want to know what makes certain things tick, what makes them do what they do or not do. These people enjoy the chase of the discovery.

Then there are the folks that want to question those answers. For the most part they can accept the majority of answers to the basic questions in life. If a scientist or specialty person says thus and thus it can be accepted especially if it doesn’t directly affect their day to day life. But there are a ton of answers that have been given by persons that we thought were qualified and as we grew up we began to discover that they weren’t really all that eligible. If these answers have an affect on our daily life then we want to know who that person was that said it was ‘thus and thus’ because in the practicality of life ~~ it’s not like that.

It is easier to just accept answers that sound good rather than take the time and energy to reach out beyond and discover if there is more to what we have been told. For me personally, I am on a journey to discover the truth in all things. It isn’t easy and I go against the grain and peeve people off by asking so many ‘questions’ about why the answer is the one it is but it is a journey I must make…on my journey home.

‘Unanswered questions aren't nearly as dangerous as unquestioned answers.’

John 3:16

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

On Pins & Needles!

I was watching a news video online last night. It was showing how in Japan they were having interment services for ‘pins and needles’. One would bring theirs to this place and stick it in a bed of tofu. There were priests, musicians and all the original paraphernalia that are used for when a human dies. One priest said that they believe that inanimate objects have souls.

Based on that statement would your watch, car, or toilet paper also have a soul? How about an empty bottle of Windex, old car oil, or used light bulbs? If this were the case then they would be having non-stop memorial services for everything in life. If one can have a funeral service for ‘pins and needles’ then why not have one for an old tp roll?

I wonder if you never took the pins out of their packaging if they might still be ‘alive’ and not need a service for the dead. Or do only good, used pins get real honor in the end? I mean in India the cow has right of way everywhere. Maybe in Japan they should set a law that pins are not to be violated or misused.

To the Western world this may seem outlandish or even laughable but it is being done. The Catholics venerate dead saints, India has their sacred cow and Japan has their pins and needles. What do you worship? Is it dead or alive? Is it animate or inanimate? Can it move or breathe? Whatever you worship is your god. Is your god big enough to save you in your utmost time of need?

If you become so busy worshipping the dead or in this case, the unused, then you wouldn’t have a lot of time to admire or enjoy the living things. It would be like worshipping the created not the Creator. Who do you worship? Why? Is what you adulate because that it what you were told is the right thing to worship or that is what your parents worshipped? And were you told how and why to do it this way to whatever it is?

Have you ever questioned the answers to see if they really were true?

"The unanswered questions aren't nearly as dangerous as the unquestioned answers."

What are ‘Jesus-my-boyfriend’ Songs’?

I am particular about my music that I listen to. I am presently enjoying Todd Agnew, Big Daddy Weave, Selah and a few others. I am looking for good music but more so I am looking for words that have meaning. Contemporary Christian music should be directed towards Jesus or sharing Jesus.

Recently I heard a saying about ‘Jesus my boyfriend’ music that was being played by popular Christian music artists. My first thought was like bubble gum music or the teeny bopper stuff but supposedly in a Christian sense towards Jesus.

I am not exactly sure that is what the original author meant but I have noticed myself listening with even more rapt attention to the music that I thought I had already ‘screened’.

I will try to explain my idea of the JmB concept better. Here is a song that I listened to and really like the artist. If you look at the words you will notice there is no mention to Jesus, God, or any of the Deity. There are a few you’s with a capital ‘Y’ implying Deity.

No record deal, no dream fulfilled, no three minute video
No catchy jingle, no big hit single playing on the radio

Can make me happy enough
Can make me feel the way you do
You make me happy
I wanna make You happy too
You make me happyYou make me happy

No flashy cars, no movie stars, no man, woman, boy or girl
No fancy things, no diamond rings, nothing in the whole wide world

Chorus:
Can make me happy
Can make me feel the way You do
You make me happy
I want to make You happy too
You make me happy
You make me feel the way I do
You make me happy
I wish the whole world knew You too

No I cannot count the ways You have made my life so blessed
All I know is that You came and made beauty of my mess
Said I cannot count the ways You have made my life so blessed
All I know is that You came and made beauty of my mess


There are two ways to look at a song like this one. You can ‘assume’ that because it is playing on a Christian station that it therefore is Christian and the artist is singing about Christ. Or… you can imagine Mariah Carey on a stage singing it to a pretend lover. If you have ever listened to secular songs about love they speak of their lovers making them feel as if they are in heaven, how happy they feel, wanting to make them happy too, etc. In life we tend to attribute all sorts of greatness to our lovers for all the incredible things they do for us, do to us, and make us feel. With the exception of when it says, ‘no man, woman, boy or girl’ most of the words in this song have probably been said in a secular love song or said to a human at some point in a fantastic ‘love’ relationship.

I truly believe the artist that sings this loves the Lord and the song was intended towards the Lord. But when you can take a non-descript song such as this and hand it to a secular artist to sing on any stage in front of any crowd, how is God getting any glory? Is this song going to bring anyone into a closer relationship with the God that created them? Or has the commercialism of even Christian music put such a pressure on the artists to fill their CD’s that the ‘filler’ music becomes just that ~ with no spiritual meaning attached?

Songs like this lower Jesus to a boyfriend status instead of Savior and God.

Pleading the Blood of Jesus?

Why do some Christian denominations plead the blood of Jesus? Where in the Bible is it mentioned Jesus doing this or Paul making it a practice? Wasn’t the precious blood of Jesus shed once and for all causing it to not have to be applied over and over again like a talisman? To plead is to beg. Why are we begging for Jesus’ blood to be applied to non-holy, non-saved or inanimate objects? Why are we taking holy blood and symbolically applying it to unholy things? The blood is for the salvation of people and only that.

The blood washes away sins. Why would we speak it over a stalled car on the freeway? If we see danger looming, something that evokes fear within us then we plead the blood of Jesus over the situation. Or ask God to cover it with the blood of Jesus. The only things that can be covered with the blood of Jesus are the sins of the sinner coming to him with a repentant heart and desiring a new life in him.

Forgive us Lord for our calloused hearts and ignorance.

An Open Letter to Doctor Ophelia Payne:

Dear Dr. Payne,

I have since childhood been physically molested by my father, then brother, step-father and lastly Christian counselors. I had been physically abused by parents and spouses and emotionally traumatized by too many. To date I think I am standing fairly strong, holding my own, and healed so to speak.

I was on a trip and the plane went down on a deserted island and only a handful of folks survived. We are here for what seems like forever and we have dubbed the island ‘Gilligan’. For the most part we are getting along with the exception of some behind the scene tricks that most don’t know about. Food is available though not plentiful. Hope and despair begin to meld.

I am beginning to ‘act out’ due to the furious stress that is being caused by my new lifestyle. Emotions are starting to surface that I hadn’t seen in many long years, and I am beginning to alternatively lash out and withdraw into myself. What do I do?

Back at home I had heard of ‘TheoPhostic’ healing from some friends that had encountered it but I had not actually ever seen it in action. The way they explained it was that in a session I would encounter Jesus in all truth and be set free. No one on the island has ever heard of or been trained as a TheoPhostic facilitator. Do I lose all hope and give up? Do I try to swim to land knowing that I could never make it thus creating a suicide? Or do I try other things to make the days pass faster until the time that I can get to a TheoPhostic session?

I have been a Christian for a couple of decades. Can I not just go to Jesus directly for this healing? Can Jesus not meet me where I am at whether stranded on an island or in my car and lead me into all truth?

John 16:13 says when the Spirit of truth (the Holy Spirit or the Comforter which Jesus said would come after he is taken to heaven) is come, he will guide me into all truth and he will show me things to come. And in 1 Timothy 2:3-5 it says this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.

I am not recalling any commentaries that said I needed to not go directly to the Holy Ghost and instead to use the mediator and facilitator of TheoPhostics to accomplish discovering of the truth. So if I am on this island and there is no TheoPhostics facilitator available then would it be an ok second option to go straight to God via the Holy Ghost? Or is the Holy Ghost not powerful enough to heal someone stranded on an island going bonkers from past traumas?

I am in a state of bewilderment. What should I do? Wait and hope to get to land where I can try to locate my facilitator in TheoPhostics or trust the Lord or my life and the all-powerful Holy Ghost to direct my paths?

A last question that I am pondering while stuck on this island is: If truth is a fruit and a piece of the armor, then it would be fair to say that without proper ‘healing’ in a TheoPhostic session a Christian cannot grow, bear fruit or wear the armor?

Signed,

(Literally) lost and confused.


The thing that has been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.~~ Ecclesiastes 1:9