The Scents of a New Religion?

As I stepped into the shower and let the rivulets of water splash over me my body relaxed and soaked in the moisture and calming effects. I began the ‘purification ritual’ and soon had a variety of aromas assaulting my nose in the nicest of ways. They were out of this world smells. So soft, fresh and exhilarating to my senses! I quietly thanked the Lord for me being able to enjoy these simple things.

Out of the blue, as fast as an avalanche, I was hit with an over-powering sense of guilt! Well, ok not over-powering avalanche but at least the size of a small dust devil in Texas. It catapulted me out of my heavenly float and dropped me back even wetter than I was! It caused a horrid case of horripilation!

My next thought was, ‘do these smells please God? Is that ok to be thanking him, of all folks, for me being able to put smell-pretty, exhilarating scents upon my own body? Could God ever use me on the mission field knowing my aversion to ‘other’ odors’?

After all, Jesus was from the east where they are not so prone to the American-fluff-need of having great smelling cars, hair and armpits. He wore sandals, probably had dirty feet, the bible spoke of his oily hair and I have seen pictures of the ‘toilets’ they used in those days!

The bible speaks of bathing but it seemed to be mostly concentrated on the rich, powerful or special folks in the king’s court. The writings seem to stem from the Old Testament. None of which Jesus was or frequented for the sake of being refreshed the ostentatious way.

If I am a follower of Christ and I want to emulate him, should I turn in my modern garb for a robe and sandals? I thought about the honey and locust thing like John the Baptist but alas, that was John and not my Jesus. So should I toss the deodorant, the shampoos, creams, perfumes and sprays? Should I go au natural like Jesus!

This could be a completely new religion starting. Imagine the followers! Everyone flocking to the burn fest of all his or her trappings! The smells of burning plastic, chemicals and anything else that might cause us to be removed from Jesus’ likeness.

Indubitably, it would be Gods will for me to conform to his son in the manner of dress, speech and smells. Yea, yea? (Oh, that was King James, eh? Oops!)

Such is the conundrum of us true followers of Christ. To be or not to be. To smell or not to smell? That is the question at hand.

If any of my readers have some suggestions to this impasse please feel free to share your copious thoughts.

I Am in Love!

Wow. What a sensation! This passion envelopes my insides. It has engulfed every inch of me. It feels soft and warm ~ the ultimate embracement. I feel protected and happy. Extremely contented! I feel understood. I don’t have to speak to explain myself because I am recognized. My heart shouts, cries and screams with such spectacular visions.

I have felt warm and fuzzy before. I have felt passionately in love. I have felt desirous to be in love. I have felt wounded by love. I have felt its blows. Love has so many feelings attached to it.

This love I am speaking of makes me smile real big! Even in the dark silence of the night. I find myself engulfed in the hushed sense of belonging and I cannot help but smile. I am secure.

I have had the love of friends, children, husbands, family, grand children and even animals. I have felt that placid love of a child in my arms sleeping so innocently. I have felt the love of the brethren in many churches I have attended and with many of the brothers and sisters in the Lord that I have been blessed to meet along my travels. None compare to this. None.

Who is this awe-inspiring person? This lover so new? This one that has imprisoned my heart and all my sensations so tenderly? Could one man do all this… for one woman? Would he dare? Would he ever rescind if I failed? Would he too walk away at some point down the road? Dare I trust my ardor to him?

Who is this man that has apprehended my heart? His name is Jesus. Plain and simple.

My heart bows tenderly in honor to the one who birthed the essence of true love and bestowed it upon me a lowly maiden with only my life to give in return.

The Heaven-Sleep Chronicles

I just read that Tammy Faye Messner died at the age of 65. For those who do not recognize the name she is the ex-wife of Jim Bakker. They were televangelists that did all sorts of dirty stuff… so the stories read. I am not here to bring judgment on her or Jim.

The purpose of this blog is to continue the Heaven vs. Sleep Chronicles.

Tammy’s ex-husband Jim said of her after her death, "She is now in Heaven with her mother and grandmother and Jesus Christ, the one who she loves and has served from childbirth," he said. "That is the comfort I can give to all who loved her."

In approximately July of this year during an interview with Larry King, Tammy Faye was quoted saying, "I believe when I leave this earth, because I love the Lord, I'm going straight to heaven."

Anyone who reads my blogs knows I have to ask! Tammy and Jim have both ‘known’ the Lord since childhood. Let’s round it off and say about 50 years give or take whatever. So… you’re going to tell me that in that 50 year span of ‘loving the Lord’, serving the Lord, in church, in ministry, as televangelists, as authors and a whole bunch of other stuff I probably don’t know about, that they never read 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17?

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

If we all believe that Tammy is in Heaven … right now… the moment after death… presuming that she was the follower of Christ that she claimed to be… then Heaven must be on Earth?? Her body is here on earth. (Cremated but somewhere.)

I hear you say indignantly, but she has a spirit. It is her spirit that went to Heaven. Ok cool, but can someone show me where the scriptures say that our body stays in the ground and our spirit goes to Heaven? And if our spirit in fact does go to Heaven then when Jesus comes down… what exactly will be rising up to meet him in the air… if we are already there?

As you can tell, I am confused. This Heaven vs. Sleep blog chronicle is not just for the purposes of stirring up the body of Christ to it’s entirety in the truth. At least not the redundancy of the questions. They are for me! I want to know. I don’t want to be like Tammy and Jim and assume that just because the church taught it was thus and thus, that it is the truth.

I need to rightly divide the word myself. I am the only one that will be facing God in a judgment against myself. I don’t want to be babbling silly excuses about how I thought it was this way or that way. Maybe God will… not say anything. He will just stand there looking at me with love but in my heart I will know that I did a disservice and injustice by not searching the scriptures to discover his basic and final truths for myself.

Not wanting to know the absolute truths about God’s desires is like not wanting to know if you owe taxes, if you spouse is truly happy, if your boss is pleased with your performance, etc. That’s just sheer ignorance and laziness at its best. I want to be all I can be for my Lord. Heck, we have slogans about being the best that we can be for the Army. Why not for our Maker and lover of our soul?

{A dear brother and friend read my last blog and expounded upon it. Very interesting reading. It can be found at http://gospelapostle.blogspot.com.}

(Also, does anyone know where in the bible it actually says that Jesus or God is the ‘lover of our souls’? I would love to find it! I hear it and it sounds so nice but I am not sure where it is found. Is it one of those great sayings like, ‘God helps those who help themselves’? It’s been passed around from generation to generation alas to be discovered an not having any biblical truth?)

The Heavenly Time Warp

Many years ago, the church I was attending was leading an evangelism course. They believed that folks didn’t like to evangelize the lost mainly because they didn’t know how to. They figured if people were taught what to say and how to say it then it would be easier.

They believed that evangelizing the lost was summed up in one pertinent question. “If you were to die tonight do you know for sure where you would go and why?” The question was supposed to solicit a Heaven or Hell answer. It seemed to be a direct question and one worthy of pondering.

I tried it with conviction and thought it was a solid way to approach the situation of Heaven or Hell.

Now through my re-learnings I think I am seeing that when I die I will not go to Heaven… or Hell… or at least straightaway. It seems that in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 it mentions the dead in Christ rising first to meet him in the air. If… when I die and I go to Heaven, presuming I am a Christ follower, and I am IN Heaven when the trumpet sounds and Christ comes back to gather his own, then… if Christ is coming DOWN on the clouds and I am UP in Heaven already, shouldn’t I be coming down with him?

Would this assume that I will not go directly to Heaven when I die? That possibly I will go into a very long deep sleep.

Funny thing is that as I am asking this question of anyone I can I am getting only 2 answers. They will either say, ‘definitely Heaven!’ or… gee I am not sure. Not because they ponder their salvation but because they are not sure of when the resurrection of the dead will be.

Nowhere in the bible does it say that we go right to Heaven when we die. That’s the way I was taught. That’s what they sing about in most of the contemporary Christian songs. That is what they say at a funeral or about sister so-and-so who just passed away. ‘She is in a better place now. She’s in Heaven with Jesus.’ Is she? Please share with me what scripture says that?

If I am missing something please feel more than free to share with me. I do not want to be reading something that is not there. I have no problem being told I am wrong as long as you can back it up with scripture and preferably not one-liners taken out of context.

Note: For all of you out there in blog-reading land, I am sorry if my past post about me not going to Heaven caught a few of you unaware. Actually, I was wondering if any would read what I wrote or hear what they thought I said. I didn’t say I wasn’t going to Heaven. I said, I wasn’t going to Heaven when I died. I think we all read and hear what we want to believe even if that is not what was truly said.

Thanks and be blessed!!

Who Says My Feet Stinketh?

If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. ~~ John 13:14-15

In 27 years of church services I have never had anyone wash my feet. Why I wonder? The church is hip to the tithe, the guilt, the commands, the rituals, the religion but not to the service of those that attend?

I think if more churches applied the foot washing techniques there would be far less hypocrisy within it. It would weed out the religious seekers and leave only those sincerely desiring all that God would have for them including a heavy dose of humility. Therefore causing the true church of Christ to populate and cultivate in the way Christ had intended.

He never meant for us to get all caught up in the buildings, the funding, the mortgages, the fancy lighting and seats, the best speakers, and child care workers that needed to be paid to teach your children about himself.

How will a little wee one learn the true humility, sacrifice, and love for one another when all he will get is a picture to color and sing a few songs about going to heaven?

Instead of promoting church services we should be promoting ‘service’ unto each other.

When was the last time you saw your pastor serve someone? Oh he works hard each week making you think he is serving you. He is serving his need for power, money and status among the lost little sheepies. But when was the last time he picked up the sheep turds in the back yard? Oh, that is for the ‘workers’ to do you say? Because of course, you will quote that the bible says a man is worth his wages.

Yes he is. So let the man/pastor go out and work. Paul and any of the New Testament folks that shared the good news all worked independently to meet their needs so that they would not be a burden to any church.

Why does modern America have church all backwards? Where is the humility? The service? The servants heart?

Father, burden me with a need to serve your body in any way possible to your glory. Washing feet is not a fun or status filled position but you did it and told us to do it also. If we have not done it to the least of these then it is as if I have not done it to you. Lord I want to ask for you to bring on the feet. Then my human side gets squeamish at the thought of ugly, filthy, dirty feet. Feet that have stepped in nasty stuff. Feet that may not get cleaned too often and have a putrid smell. Oh God you know how sensitive my nose is. But I have to come back to your purpose. You purposed to save me so that I might be a servant in your name for your glory. Lead me on Lord. Wherever you lead I will follow. And if I stumble just know my heart wants to know you deeper than I know myself and that to know the ultimate servant is to emulate his behavior.

Sex Pure and Simple!

I think we have been taught to believe that there are very few reasons to not keep a marriage intact. Most would use the scripture Matthew 5:31-32: It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.

In Exodus 21:10 it says, If he take him another wife; her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish.

Here it not only says that a husband should give his wife ‘duty of marriage’ or in other words, meet her sexual needs, but that was applied if he were to take on a second or third wife! God expected the man to fulfill all the sexual needs of however many wives he took. That’s a lot of ‘need-meeting’!

I wonder what happens if a husband does not or will not meet her needs physically. Does it cause a burden within her? Or does she just learn to put away the God-given desires that were granted to her and allowed to be explored in her marriage?

I think of the stigma of divorce. Or at least the church created stigma. If divorce is a sin then does God really regard one type of sin any worse than another? Why is it that folks want to tell me I am trying to justify my divorce yet they sin by sinning every day and it is ok? Why is it ok for a pastors wife to call a Christian an unsaved pig yet that is not sin?

I think the Christians have taken to interpreting the bible in any way they deem fit for their purpose and God’s detriment. I think we are a self-righteous bunch of religious hypocrites that delight in wagging our fingers at others so no one will notice the sin within our lives. But sadly it is evident.

Brothers and sisters, I am preaching to myself also, let’s learn to appropriate just a bit of that grace that was so freely given to us by our Lord and Savior! Without grace we would all be doomed to live in our shallow pits of desperation.

Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.~~ Matthew 25:45-46

I am Not Going to Heaven?! Why Not?!

In the 27 years of church life I was told many things. I was told to just have faith and believe. I was told to repeat prayers… but mean them in my heart. I was told to pray more, read more, attend more church services. I did it all! And now I find out I am not even going to go to Heaven when I die!? What!?

Why? What did I do wrong? What did I forget to do?

The songs all talk about walking the streets of gold, dancing with the angels and seeing our loved ones! Well at least those that we believe accepted Jesus into their hearts. Why did all the pastors tell me if I accepted Jesus that when I died I would go to heaven!?

But I am not! Why did they tell me that? Why did I believe them? Why am I not going to heaven when I die? Why?

11:13 P.M.

Last night went by without much flair. I finished painting a small dresser. Did some laundry. Listened to the celebrating neighbors’ off-colored jokes and loud drinking voices as they ‘partied’. I thought my daughter was going to come over with my grand-daughter to swim but then they decided on something else. So other than the loud neighbors it was fairly quiet.

I thought I heard some fireworks off in the distance and went to the balcony to see if I could see anything but they must have been far enough away or on the other side of the building.

I decided to head to bed early. I climb in bed to finish the end of my book. (I am rereading ‘So You Don’t Want to Go to Church Any More’ by Jake Colson. Free online book. Fantastic!) I turn the lights off around 11:06 and am laying there just talking to the Father about life and how badly I want his life in mine. I am talking about all the incredible things that I read in the book and how I want that for my life. I am asking again about the divorce and if I am supposed to be going through it. I slowly drift off to sleep.

Bang! Bang! The noise woke me up. I thought it was the blinds banging against the windows from the wind. I looked around the room but there was no wind or blowing blinds. I sat up for a few seconds then got up to check the rest of the windows in the room. As I get to this one open window the fireworks caught my attention!

I was looking around to see where they were coming from. And why? They were not personal bought fireworks. They had a definite cadence in their sounds, colors and artwork. It was like a mini professional firework show… for me?! I watched in awe. They were seeming to be coming from the open field where the cows grazed. But who at this time at night would be setting off this show? Again, this was not just some people lighting a few cheap, random fireworks in their back yard. And why at this time at night and not when the rest of the town was doing theirs? I watched in awe. I just smiled.

The whole show couldn’t have lasted more than a minute. As I headed back to bed pondering all this and smiling my eyes spotted the clock. They went off at 11:13 p.m. 11:13. November 13th, that’s my birthday. How odd. What did this mean, if anything.

I think of seeing Evan Almighty the other day and in the movie God kept trying to get Evan’s attention through his clock that said 4:16. The clock was a GENeral Electric and all but the GEN of the silver writing was worn off so it said Gen. 4:16 which is what God was trying to show him.

Special fireworks just for me at 11:13. Wow. It just makes me smile to wonder how and if God will reveal this to me.

Bearing or Wearing?

They say that citrus fruits are very important and their vitamins are essential for daily living.

Many years ago I was attending a church and the women put on a ‘Christian’ fashion show. I couldn’t care less about a fashion show. I was out to learn about God and all he was about not such silly, superficial events.

Then I learned that it truly was a ‘Christian’ event in that all the clothes that would be modeled would have to be scriptural at some point. Oh, yes! That was right up my alley!!

At that time in my life, I was really delving into the fruits of the Spirit. This is when I began to notice that there were many so-called Christians that wore their fruit like a badge. The fruit did not exude from within them but only by an outside appearance.

I was able to model two different dresses or outfits for that show. I took my best dress and I bought lots of plastic fruit. I stuck Velcro to the fruit and my dress. The fruit hung all over the outside of my dress. Of course, this brought much laughter from the audience! I was hoping God would speak to those serious about him about the fruitless concept of trying to make others ‘think’ they were bearing fruit when in fact they were only wearing it.

If I were to do it again I might add something to resemble the fruit worthy of repentance.

**The second dress I modeled was a beautiful wedding gown. I strutted out on stage doing my elegant turns to let everyone see the dress. Then when I felt I had their utmost attention I slowly lifted the hem of the gown ever so slightly to show big army boots underneath. It was supposed to be representing the Bride that wore combat boots. Or how we as the Bride of Christ are in a spiritual war for our very lives.