Category: Book Reviews

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“As We Have Opportunity” Converts Mundane Days Into Exquisite Memories…

Day 138

His eyes are on ALL the ways of the sons of men in order to give to each person according to His ways. Jeremiah 32:19

Our ways are scrutinized by God, and our smallest deeds are rewarded in due time. I have a small book of ministerial anecdotes from the 1700s. One story involves Reverend John Brown of Haddington, Scotland, who was orphaned early in life. Being a bright child, he taught himself Greek. One day he visited an Edinburgh bookstore for a Greek New Testament.

The proprietor was surprised to find impoverished child looking for such a book. Pulling one from the shelf, he said, “If you can read it, you shall have it for nothing.” The boy read a page, translating it with reasonable ease, and received the book.

Twenty years later, he entered the shop again. “Sir,” he said, “I believe I am your debtor. Do you recollect that about twenty years ago a poor boy came and got a Greek New Testament from you and did not pay for it?”

“Yes,” said the owner, “I have often thought of it.”

“I was that boy. My name is Brown and I live in Haddington.”

“Mr. Brown,” said the bookseller, “I am glad to see you and have often heard of you. We have here in our shop your books, your Self-Interpreting Bible, your Church History, etc., which have brought the shop much money.”

BOTTOM LINE:

It may take years, even decades, but in due time, all our deeds of kindness will come back to bless us.

All to Jesus: A Year of Devotions. Robert J Morgan 2008

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. THEREFORE, AS WE HAVE OPPORTUNITY, let us do good to all people… Galatians 6:9-10.

I’m just thinking utilizing the “As We Have Opportunity,” in life, can convert our potentially mundane days into His Kingdom’s Exquisite Memories, and perhaps such deeds of kindness will come back to bless us.

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Simple Complicated Science For Our Perspective

Day 148

“Their message has gone out to all the earth.” Psalm 19:4

God is the author of two books described in this Psalm. The first half of Psalm 19 describes His Book of Creation (vv1-6); the last half describes His Book of Scripture (vv. 7-11). Psalm 19 then concludes with a fitting prayer of confession and commitment in verses 12-14.

The psalmist opens with a sweeping appreciation for God’s handiwork in the skies. The sun, he said, is a runner who starts a sky race every morning and completes it each evening. It’s a star 93 million miles away, composed of hydrogen and helium, a literal fireball of remarkable energy generated by nuclear fusion reactions, producing 10 million megatons of energy per second. Its temperature is about 10,000 degrees on the surface and approximately 25 million degrees at its center. If it were a little larger, its gravity would pull us into it and we’d burn up; a little smaller and we’d and we’d drift off into deadly coldness. If it were a little hotter, we’d be consumed; a little colder and we’d freeze. If it were a little brighter, we’d be blinded; a little dimmer and our world would be perpetually dimmed.

BOTTOM LINE:

In every way, the sun perfectly matches earth, making our planet the only known spot in the universe for human life. There’s no locale or person on Earth where the sun doesn’t shine. God’s creation is accessible to all, telling everyone of God’s majesty and declaring His glory.

All to Jesus: A Year of Devotions. Robert J Morgan 2008

MY FURTHER REFLECTION: The potential hypocrisy of my (man’s) heart’s past, present & future belligerence to acknowledge God as the sole Creator of our universe, considering the preponderance of evidence now known, or, yet being discovered, even within the human body (brain, genetics, nutritional & chemical influencers, etc), or beyond our bodies, in such as by the transforming power of His Holy Spirit in matters of our relationships past, present, & future, not to mention the healing impact of His Divine Love throughout our lives at this very moment…

We are truly blessed beyond our mere comprehension. How can I even begin to worship His creation and works in me appropriately?

Next, consider the marvel His salvation provides us, and the “access” to life He provides us?

Today, and in the future, the key word in this techie world may be “ACCESS.” How does one insure continual access to whatever? Avoid the ACCESS DENIED caption!

Next, consider the invitational Jesus of the Scriptures, and our timely response to insure our future access…   

Next, consider the perspective of “Our puny rituals” vs. “His endless realities of Love!”

Go forth today celebrating His abundance that is NOW accessible to you! Indeed! The message has gone throughout the earth! Psalm 19:4

As I conclude this post, I am reminded that my very first computer purchased in 1984 was indeed named “Access” housed in a black box cube with a hinged lid. Weighing 43 lbs., Monochrome of course, 2 floppy drives, with both phone modem receptacles top side as well as an Epson printer, and we were in business and on the move! I’m now just reflecting now how well named it was. I’m wondering now what power it’s developers had access too?

About all I remember now is that I wrote a check for $2000 and picked it up at 8 am at a unmarked side door in a nondesript warehouse in N. Canton just up from the Toyota dealer. I presume my dairy nutrition guru friend Donovan Beyeler, formerly of Orrville, then of Elkhart, was instrumental in arranging the sale as he was continually researching the then dribbling pipeline of portable home business computers prior the introduction of laptops… as I certainly was not knowledgeable of the latest and greatest. And it was because of Don, I’m sure that they even took my check!

But here again, we return to ACCESS, don’t we? It is the WHO we know! Be it via “puny rituals” or His “endless realities.” Don’t you love that we serve an “invitational Jesus” capable of both empowering us and opening the necessary doors? Pure Kingdom Joy! None of this fabricated synthetic Chicago misnamed vocab! First, the New Agers hijacked His rainbow, now even the word joy! May we concertedly live every moment “invitationally alive” with Jesus. Do not become consumed by the encroaching dark deception about us. It is so temporary!

I’m reminded today(Aug 28) of Job’s words in the One Year Bible from Job 24:22-24 “though they become established, they have no assurance of life. He may let them rest in a feeling of security, but his eyes are on their ways. For a little while they are exalted, and then they are gone; they are brought low and gathered up like all others; they are cut off like heads of grain.”  And if you were ever “privileged” to monotonously gaze into a combine header watching the heads of grain being gathered in, you better understand being brought low and gathered up like all others, be it spiritually, or mechanically!

Seriously now, today (Aug 28) One Year Bible has these verses from I Cor.2: 14-17 “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in joyful triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? Unlike so many, we do not peddle the Word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God.

Now read it from the Message. Both are powerfully inspired! 2 Corinthians 2:14-17 (MSG) In the Messiah, in Christ, God leads us from place to place in one perpetual victory parade. Through us, he brings knowledge of Christ. Everywhere we go, people breathe in the exquisite fragrance.
Because of Christ, we give off a sweet scent rising to God, which is recognized by those on the way of salvation—an aroma redolent with life.
But those on the way to destruction treat us more like the stench from a rotting corpse. This is a terrific responsibility. Is anyone competent to take it on?
No—but at least we don’t take God’s Word, water it down, and then take it to the streets to sell it cheap. We stand in Christ’s presence when we speak; God looks us in the face. We get what we say straight from God and say it as honestly as we can.

Got the picture? Then I must act accordingly!

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So, Am I Really Seeking to Serve My Redeemer with all my Heart, Mind, and Soul? Just to Become ANOTHER SLAVE of His Righteousness?

Having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. Romans 6:18

As familiar as many of us are with the Passover and Exodus, one aspect of that great event is often overlooked: God redeemed His chosen people from bondage to Pharaoh for the purpose that they might become servants (slaves) to Him. Freedom for the sake of absolute freedom from all responsibility was never God’s purpose. The children of Israel, once they came out of Egypt, did not suddenly scatter to the four points of the compass to do whatever they wished. God’s desire was that they might walk in His Will and invest their freedom from bondage in obedience to His Will. Why? So that He might bless them! When they failed to obey Him, He did not revoke their redemption and send them again into bondage! Indeed not! But they did miss out on the temporal blessings of continued obedience.

BOTTOM LINE:

The parallel between the nation of Israel in the Old Testament and the individual believer today is inescapable. We should invest our freedom from slavery to sin, not indulging the whims of the flesh, but in seeking to serve the God who redeemed us, WITH ALL THAT LIES WITHIN US! 

Sanctuary: Finding Moments of Refuge in the Presence of God  David Jeremiah Aug 20

FOR FURTHER REFLECTION:

Today while traveling highways (such as 77 S, 70 E, 79 S to Morgantown WV) to take Loretta to return with Paul to DC to babysit our grandson Robin for the month of Sept, I encountered the stark reality of being grimly reminded of how grossly I did miss out on my earlier years of temporal blessings because of my “discontinued or interrupted” obedience.

Perhaps I didn’t encounter during my travels today, or even recent dreams, the enchanting ladder as Jacob, or the shady vine as Jonah, or the cock’s crowing thrice as Peter, but I did encounter the loving arms of my Father’s embracing restoration and glimpses into the gross depths of my missing the mark and how far down into the canyons of my sin He indeed reached to pull me up & out and present me faultless before a Holy God. What a Savior! And that a road trip today would so uniquely remind me of my derelict “life & times during 1977- 1993?”

In a way, I both pity, and yet envy you, if you have no such vivid recollections of how great a salvation you personally have been given at various times throughout your life to date, whether it be stimulated by a short road trip as I, OR for you, after browsing thru an earlier journal of yours from decades ago while relaxing in your recliner! We’re always to be ready to give an account for the hope that drives us on>>>>>

 Again, Having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. Romans 6:18 Now, my only desire is to more fully revel as a slave in the joyful trappings of His righteousness… Free at last, Thank God, I’m free at last!

WHAT’S NEXT?

So, I’m increasingly being drawn to Transformational Power as His key! Here is what I think as I attempt to write! What’s the big deal or the point of talking about becoming His “inhabited” slaves of righteousness, if we continually choose to remain as the culturally inhibited while sitting, soaking, & souring on Christ’s sidelines contemplating our “profession of faith” while walking the tightrope avoiding going obnoxiously overboard while engaging or activating our “practices of faith.”

Wake up folks! Our western civilizations cultural demise is a spiritual problem that first begins in our marriages, homes, churches, communities, and then our local, state and national governments. Expecting any meaningful changes to begin anywhere else except those first four is quite preposterous! Although, I must admit the recent change of events in El Salvador does fuel ones spiritual optimism!

If our local churches today are as Menno Simon’s repeatedly identified in his writings, even remotely dependent on our rituals, and not on the realities of “being born again” and the all-sufficiency of Christ as outlined in scripture, no wonder our congregations are sliding toward hospice care. Should not churches be serving as an inspirational spiritual beacon and an effective rallying center for the leadership folks in our communities?

We’re not to be necessarily the quiet hiding out avoiding confrontation or messy politics in the land of the free, but rather, empowering the spiritual entrepreneurs engaging in all aspects of community life, whether in our expressions of worship, education, business, medicine, mental health, governmental entities, etc., with real answers in the marketplace of His creative ideas, beginning first with our invitational “unknown God,” such as Paul did on Mar’s Hill. Only when His love is visibly present, fruitful and forth-coming in our homes and churches, will we move His Kingdom beyond the scourge of hospice care into an ever expanding transformed source of His newly formed disciples fulfilling their Kingdom identities & destinies, much as Jamie Winship instructs.

The rampant “silent” doom and gloom today we’re permitting in our churches and communities is ironically deafening. Actually, it is the elephant in our midst. Are we going to ignore it and cower as the Saul’s army did before Goliath, or, will we as David take stock, prepare, and engage? We are not powerless, we’re simply not empowered. And primarily, because we’re playing games about professing our faith, (still counting the cost) and then, consequently, are not (actually, can not be) serious about practicing our faith, so in no way, will we become Holy Spirit empowered!

If we continue to skirt and dance about the issues in our churches and communities wringing our hands while seeking frantically “man’s new methods, materials & means to patch up our MESSES”, when we simply lack His explicit understandings:

Come unto me and rest, for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, into His courts with Praise.

“if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves, if they will pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and forgive their sin and will heal their land.” II Chronicles 7:14.

“He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and the mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Psalm 40: 2-3.

Time to stop all this chronicling! It is time to Simplify-Come-Rest-Enter-Praise-Humble Ourselves-Pray-Seek-Pray-Praise-Then Communicate-Pray-Praise-Take stock-Pray-Praise-Prepare-Pray-Praise-Engage-Pray-Praise-Evaluate/Reassess-Pray-Praise >>>>>> repeat continually. Trust His Spirit! Yes!

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Guess What? Designed For Children, This is Both Simple & Profound Processing!

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I do hope. Psalm 130:5

There is a sense in which we have to wait before God for Him to reveal Himself to us, so we can learn more about Him. The reason has to do with how we learn anything. We learn things in the human realm by acquiring a new piece of knowledge and comparing it to something we already know. But with God, since He is beyond our finding out, we have nothing to compare Him too.

Perhaps we cannot know God completely because we don’t have enough common ground to associate who He is with what we know. And so, we are consigned to waiting before Him as He reveals more of Himself to us. If that seems strange to us, it is because we are not used to thinking of God in the truly transcendent terms in which He exists. As we grow in our experience and knowledge of God, we develop more and more common ground with Him, by which we can learn even more.

BOTTOM LINE:

Therefore, knowing God is a process, and waiting before Him in worship is the means to knowing Him better. And in Worship & Word I Do Hope!! Thereby exchanging the institutional “trinket rituals” for the “gospel’s realities of salvation.”

Inspired by Sanctuary: Finding Moments of Refuge in the Presence of God. David Jeremiah Aug 18.

Next UP:

So, Am I Really Seeking to Serve My Redeemer with all my Heart, Mind, and Soul? Just to Become ANOTHER SLAVE for His Righteousness? Having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. Romans 6:18

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My Last Post Possibly Surprised You. It Did Me. The Saga Continues…

Of course, my generation has considerable identity with the Kennedy’s. I was not among the Hesston College students traveling to Lawrence to a Bobby Kennedy rally in April ’68 as I worked 3 nights a week and my schedule did not allow such capers. Neither had my faith tradition encouraged voting in elections and consequently, I think the first time I voted was in 1984 after we moved back to Baughman Township in Wayne Co OH in ’82. Voting was simply not a priority with me back then as I had not been in circles where I was encouraged to vote. Some of you can’t fathom that.

Ohio, over time, changed all that so since then, I’ve had a political filter attached to my abnormal life’s kaleidoscope. Having always lived briefly in communities with at least one Mennonite church, such as Hesston, Orrville, EMC Harrisonburg, UVA Charlottesville VA, Wakarusa-Goshen IN, Sterling IL, Sterling OH, & Stuarts Draft VA, before settling for 41 years in Dalton, I remained largely under the weekly influence of an anabaptist church. Only two locations did not have a Mennonite church in proximity, Moorhead MN and Seven Hills, a Cleveland suburb. Remember, we moved 7 times in 8 years before Dalton. I do believe my first ballot was cast in the antique Burton City Baughman township “shed” prior to the newer offices they now enjoy.

In addition to that trivia, as a child I grew up teething on church politics, but don’t underestimate their intensity. Not that I was all that interested in political elections while growing up among the west central MN Scandinavian extracts (Finland, Norway, Sweden) and Germans, being predominately Catholic, and the other half Lutheran, Baptists, and a few Methodists. Mennonites were off the scale scarce.

I realize now I’ve been politically naïve most of my life. Only in recent years since I began this blog am I attempting to seriously examine the issues that are dividing our nation. And I find yet I largely depend on a few of my politically savvy comrade anabaptist brothers from my college days for their insights whether it be in church or state current events supplemented by other worthy Christian news sources whom Loretta has followed for the past decade or longer.

Consequently, I refrain from offering any of my whimsical personal political insights. If I quote someone, I prefer printing their words verbatim so you get it straight from them. No editorializing. For example, I printed Allan Cohen earlier, and now, Robert F Kennedy, Jr. I trust you possess the needed maturity to evaluate their philosophies of life, accomplishments, and qualifications. I have admired RFK Jr for his work in the Children’s Defense Fund, following him there for over six years. He is a man of unusual vision, unmatched integrity, principles beyond compare, and I wish him well on his journey of what I believe are overwhelming commitments.

In closing, here is a hymn we sang last evening at a hymn sing that quite accurately reflects my current perspective on LIFE; while Living In Faithful Evangelism; though perhaps the word “Servanthood” today is more Biblically accurate than evangelism. A profound song credited to an amazing man.

William Merrell Vories, (1880-1964) was an educator, architect, entrepreneur, Christian lay missionary, and founder of Omni mission. Born in KS, he later became a naturalized Japanese citizen. He was dismissed in 1908 from his first teaching position because his Bible classes had attracted too many recruits from the local Buddhist temples. Later as an architect, his business was credited with over 1600 buildings in Japan and Korea bearing his designs. No where did I see a connection to this hymn but since it is listed as a “missionary chant,” who knows? Perhaps he merely facilitated and sought no credit. You realize, anabaptists are not really into chants, unless perhaps, they are set to music, and especially so, if it’s four part harmony!

Let There Be Light, Lord God of Hosts.

Song #304

Verse One:

Let there be light, Lord God of hosts,

Let there be wisdom on the earth!

Let broad humanity have birth!

Let there be deeds instead of boasts.

Verse Two:

Within our passioned hearts instill

The calm that endeth strain and strife;

Make us thy ministers of LIFE;

Purge us from lusts that curse and kill!

Verse Three:

Give us the peace of vision clear

To see our brothers’ good our own,

To joy and suffer not a-lone:

The love that casteth out all fear!

Verse Four:

Let woe and waste of warfare cease,

That useful labor yet may build

Its homes with love and virtue filled!

God, give thy wayward children peace!  

Mennonite Church Hymnal Copyright 1927, renewal 1955 Mennonite Publishing House Scottdale PA (personal trivia: two of my uncles worked at MPH during the 50’s, 60’s & 70’s until their retirement)

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A New Friend I Met During My Recent Month in Panama…

I met Dr. Timothy Zellmer three weeks ago at the Boquete farmers market, that reminded me of the Mt Hope sale; though no livestock, only organic foods and crafts. I even met some Mennonites that come every week from Volcan, 90 minutes away toward Costa Rico. Tim was giving away free Kindle downloads of his new book, that I finally read during the Houston Cleveland leg Sat afternoon. What a treat!  

Tim, born in Minnesota as I, though 11 years later, grew up exposed to his grandpa’s Hereford bull breeding ranch in the Dakotas, immersed in the vibrant cowboy-Indian culture next to two Indian Reservations, the Lower Brule and Crow Creek, as I, within 30 minutes of the White earth Reservation. His father was a pastor in the MN, ND, and MT Lutheran Churches. My dad was in the lot and I sat with him during the ordeal, but mom’s prayers over-ruled and I escaped being a PK. And fortunately too, as I garnered more than enough of my own challenges/baggage!

Tim and a friend after high school in ’77 hiked the Appalachian Trail (AT) dreaming of someday having a Hostel on the AT. Back then on the trail, they called it the Miracle of the Day. Now it’s called the Trail Magic, where everyone sees you doing your hard thing, and they are so attracted to that. People join up when they see you are living your life aligned with a vision. (What does that remind us of?)  Writing is now his hard-thing now. Not mine, yet!

His path led him from working as a cowboy dentist on those two Indian reservations and many others to now living with the native Ngabe tribe in Panama. Having been in Boquete 15 years now, he has evolved into a flexible entrepreneur and a committed humanitarian. He was former president of the Rotary Club of Boquete, before entering the field of hospitality, building the Hotel Central Boquete, juggling roles from builder to barista, closely fulfilling his hostel dream spawned during his AT hike in ’77.

Below is Chapter 21 from his recent book, “The Best Place in the World to Retire? Boquete, Panama, titled Service, Volunteering, and Gratitude.

I really love you guys. I call you my superfans. I love the way you make me feel. I love to trade stories. You get me tell you of long-forgotten things I’ve learned, seen, or done. You’re the ones who make me dust off long-gone memories of places I’ve been. This story will guide you toward happiness in Boquete.

Once, when I was helping my mom run Meals on Wheels back in Ponca City OK, we delivered free meals to the homebound, both handicapped and elderly. My mom gave me a big black trash bag and food for an old lady.

I asked, “Mom, what’s this for?” She said, “This lady never throws anything away. We must steal back the old food and throw it out because she won’t do it! She eats like a bird. And I’ve noticed since we started delivering here that she keeps pecking at the old stuff, and I think it will kill her.”

My eyes bugged open, and I asked, “We’re stealing her old food?” She answered, “Yep, And I need you to help me do it. I’m going to distract her in her back room. Before then, I’ll stack up all the old stuff, so you grab it when she’s not looking!” I was worried.

She said, “Head straight to the car and don’t return. Hide it in the trunk where she can’t see it. She’ll have fit if she catches us, so we both have to be real careful about this, OK?” I nodded, shocked but in agreement, and we headed in.

Sure enough, her refrigerator was full of a library of crushed-down, half-food-filled clamshells from past deliveries. She whispered, “The other drivers don’t do this, but they should. I’m sure it’s because she has a hissy fit over it. She was a pack rat! My momma was right. She could die from this!

 Good grief! I could see from the stuff out of the ones on the bottom that she could be developing a deadly botulism strain. My mom beat on the door but then walked right in. It wasn’t even locked. The old lady came, and my mom hugged and kissed her. Mom asked her how she was doing and told her she loved her. She did it while diving into the refrigerator and pointing at the problem.

I thought, holy crap! She wasn’t kidding. In a high happy voice, she says to the lady, “Let’s move some stuff around and make room for the new, OK?” Then she proceeds to stack the old stuff on a stool she’s drugged out from the corner.Holy smokes, I thought! It was such a tall stack that it could not fit on the stool. She was stacking it on the floor, too.

Then my mom distracted her by pointing to pictures of the lady’s family and asking her about them, and they wandered into the back. I stood there dumbfounded, horrified. Behind her back, mama pointed at me, wiggled her finger, and suddenly turned around and gave me a look a cat burglar would provide his partner when they see the owners stirring in their bed at night. She whispered, “Now!” I whipped out the bag hidden in my pocket, filled it as quietly as possible, dashed for the door, and loaded it in the trunk. Then, I hid, waiting in the car.

About three minutes later, my mom came out of that house with an enormous, satisfied grin and a happy gait. She gets back in and drives us to the next customer. And you know what she says to me with a big dumb grin? She says, “Those who Help are Happy! If we can, we should. Not for them. We do it for us. Your dad and I get such joy from doing this. You can’t imagine.”

Boquete has a long list of volunteer opportunities. Volunteering is a good lifestyle choice here. It gets you out of the house, you will meet nice people, and you will serve the mission of your group you volunteer for. It’s good for your heart; you’ll feel great helping others.  

Ride The Joy Bus of Gratitude. People who lead lives of service tend to be the happiest people ever. So, I hope, that you found this book to be of good service on your life journey…

No comments, except I just thought you all could benefit from some “lighter” material.

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This “Know Ye Not” Verse Has Always Been A “Resonating Foundational Head Truth” For Me, But Is It Really My “Paramount Practically Applied Heart Truth?”

Probably not as much as I’d like to think it is. Sorta like what I heard in the sermon this morning when I was reminded that God will not deal with me solely according to my professions of faith (head), but also, by His subsequent Spirit promptings kick-starting my life’s practices of faith (heart). That really makes sense to me, or am I missing or adding something? Please let me know! Here is the verse and even a few more that I treasure.

Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. I Cor. 3:16, 17

Understand this post was inspired by the August 16 MORNING dailylightdevotional.org

And furthermore, consider: Your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own. For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s. I Cor. 6:19, 20

And furthermore, consider: What agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. II Cor. 6:16

And furthermore, consider: Ye … are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto a holy temple in the Lord: in whom ye also are builded together for a habitation of God through the Spirit. Eph. 2:19-22

And in conclusion, consider: A good carpenter envisions, plans, and designs. Then he skillfully works, fashioning his creation. And Jesus isn’t just any carpenter – He’s a truth-filled, all-knowing, and all-powerful God. The New Earth will be His greatest creative project – handmade for us!

Ranking right up there for my simple mind with the Know Ye Not verse, is the passage from Galatians 6:7-10. 7.) “Do not be deceived: God can not be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8.) The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9.) Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

BOTTOM LINE:

10.) “Therefore, AS WE HAVE OPPORTUNITY, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”

James 3:16 “For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace loving, submissive, considerate, full of mercy, and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.”

“To come to thee is to come home from exile … to come to the goal of my desires and the summit of my wishes.” Charles Spurgeon

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OK Folks, Here’s Your Million Dollar Question For Today.(actually it’s worth is far beyond our puny dollars!) “DOES JESUS KNOW ME?

No, seriously now! Does Jesus KNOW Me? John 10:2 says “He calls his own…by name…”

When I have sadly misunderstood Him?

(see John 20:11–18). It is possible for us to know all about doctrine and still not know Jesus. A person’s soul is in grave danger when the knowledge of doctrine surpasses Jesus, avoiding intimate touch with Him. Why was Mary weeping? Doctrine meant no more to her than the grass under her feet. In fact, any Pharisee could have made a fool of Mary doctrinally, but one thing they could never ridicule was the fact that Jesus had cast seven demons out of her (see Luke 8:2); yet His blessings were nothing to her in comparison with knowing Jesus Himself. “…she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus…. Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!’ ” ( John 20:14, 16). Once He called Mary by her name, she immediately knew that she had a personal history with the One who spoke. “She turned and said to Him, ‘Rabboni!’ ” (Master & Teacher) (John 20:16).

When I have stubbornly doubted?

(see John 20:24–29). Have I been doubting something about Jesus— maybe an experience to which others testify, but which I have not yet experienced? The other disciples said to Thomas, “We have seen the Lord” (John 20:25). But Thomas doubted, saying, “Unless I see…I will not believe” (John 20:25 ). Thomas needed the personal touch of Jesus. When His touches will come we never know, but when they do come they are indescribably precious. “Thomas…said to Him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ ” (John 20:28).

When I have selfishly denied Him?

(see John 21:15–17). Peter denied Jesus Christ with oaths and curses (see Matthew 26:69–75), and yet after His resurrection Jesus appeared to Peter alone. Jesus restored Peter in private, and then He restored him publicly before the others. And Peter said to Him, “Lord…You know that I love You” (John 21:17).

BOTTOM LINE:

Do I have a personal history with Jesus Christ? The one true sign of discipleship is intimate oneness with Him— a knowledge of Jesus and His Holy Spirit’s continual empowerment producing the internal joy that absolutely nothing can shake.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

We are apt to think that everything that happens to us is to be turned into useful teaching; it is to be turned into something better than teaching, viz. into character. We shall find that the spheres God brings us into are not meant to teach us something but to make us something.
from The Love of God—The Ministry of the Unnoticed, 664 L

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So, Christians Have A Gigantic Secret Termed Joy? Wow!  If True, Doesn’t Joy Seem Rather Scarce In Their Clustered Circles?

The Bible shows that joy is present in all of the major events o f the Christian life. There is joy in salvation, in baptism, when we read the Word of God, and in prayer. In fact, Christian joy is so unique that the Bible teaches us that it comes even at times of discouragement. And even when we are dying!

G. K. Chesterton has written that “joy is the gigantic secret of the Christian.” I believe he’s right. This kind of joy is not known anyplace else in the world except in the life of a person who knows Jesus Christ in a personal way.

Jesus said, “These things have I spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.” John 15:11 The center of joy for the Christian is Christ. The joy is Christ’s joy. It is simply the life of the Lord Jesus Christ being lived out in an individual. Christian joy is letting Christ live His life out through you so what He is, you become. There are indeed other kinds of joy found in other places around the world, but there is no place where you can find Christian joy except in Christ.

Christian joy isn’t always laughing, always having a good, hilarious time. Rather, Christian joy is the deep settled peace that comes to live within your heart when you know that the really important spiritual issues in your life have been dealt with, and that being in-synch, then enhances both the joy and the rightness in these yet lingering earthly relationships, designed to prepare us for our joyful heavenly rewards.

BOTTOM LINE:

Life is fragile and can be taken from us by merely missing a heart-beat, or a series of them, after which we’ll live, not merely reside, somewhere eternally, experiencing either eternal joy or, damnation.

But you’re right; judging by their faces, even their attitudes, perhaps even the “redeemed” are in the dark, and don’t yet know that their “Biggest Secret is Joy.” Ever think perhaps our most pressing mission field is within the walls of the institutional church….

Taken from and prompted by David Jeremiah’s Sanctuary: Finding Moments of Refuge in the Presence of God. Aug 14

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Isn’t it fitting after yesterday’s comments on “Attitudes & Circumstances,” that we progress forward to not “Quenching the Spirit?”

Do not quench the Spirit. 1 Thessalonians 5:19

The voice of the Spirit of God is as gentle as a summer breeze— so gentle that unless you are living in complete fellowship and oneness with God, you will never hear it. The sense of warning and restraint that the Spirit gives comes to us in the most amazingly gentle ways. And if you are not sensitive enough to detect His voice, you will quench it, and your spiritual life will be impaired. This sense of restraint will always come as a “still small voice” (1 Kings 19:12), so faint that no one except a saint of God will notice it.

Beware if in sharing your personal testimony you continually have to look back, saying, “Once, a number of years ago, I was saved.” If you have put your “hand to the plow” and are walking in the light, there is no “looking back”— the past is instilled into the present wonder of fellowship and oneness with God (Luke 9:62 ; also see 1 John 1:6–7). If you get out of the light, you become a sentimental Christian, and live only on your memories, and your testimony will have a hard metallic ring to it. Beware of trying to cover up your present refusal to “walk in the light” by recalling your past experiences when you did “walk in the light” (1 John 1:7 ). When–ever the Spirit gives you that sense of restraint, call a halt and make things right, or else you will go on quenching and grieving Him without even knowing it.

BOTTOM LINE:

Suppose God brings you to a crisis and you almost endure it, but not completely. He will engineer the crisis again, but this time some of the intensity will be lost. You will have less discernment and more humiliation at having disobeyed. If you continue to grieve His Spirit, there will come a time when that crisis cannot be repeated, because you have totally quenched Him. But if you will go on through the crisis, your life will become a hymn of praise to God. Never become attached to anything that continues to hurt God. For you to be free of it, God must be allowed to hurt whatever it may be.

Utmost For His Highest Aug 13

Beware of bartering the Word of God for a more suitable conception of your own. From Oswald Chamber’s Disciples Indeed, 386 R

During the prior post, I stated the following from the urbandictionary.com definition of “wokey.”

“Relax if you’ve been offended by the definition. Tomorrow (sorry I got busy) I’ll print a recent newsletter from the other camp that may well be offended by the prior’s camp definition. And understand that will be the last I’ll allow any more political rhetoric. Period.” So, what follows is one of the best examples I’ve read from the other camp. This is very, very lengthy (1903 words), and deserving of your Utmost contemplation as you seek God’s heart for you in this, once again, “pivotal election.” It seems like I’ve been hearing that “pivotal word” ever since the 1960 election! Perhaps consider reading this document when you’re not at all pressed for time.

This is important stuff, especially in light of the above quote. I want to say after all this info on Allen Cohen, what hasn’t he done or been involved in? For me, that is the one underlying foundational question you and I must answer after we read and reflect on his life’s journey to date. What one piece is missing?

Alan Cohen, M.A., from his roots as an Orthodox Jew, he took a mind-expanding tour of the teachings of Jesus, Ram Dass, Zen, Jung, the Esalen Institute, (becoming the center of practices and beliefs that make up the New Age movement, from Eastern religions/philosophy, to alternative medicine and mind-body interventions, from transpersonal to Gestalt practice) Einstein, authoring 31 popular inspirational books, including the bestselling A Course in Miracles Made Easy, the award-winning A Deep Breath of Life, and the classic Are You as Happy as Your Dog? He’s a contributing writer for the New York Times #1 bestselling series Chicken Soup for the Soul, (just research the history of that business venture until its July 10 ’24 restructuring, after its April 23, 2024 announcing its $636.6 million loss in 2023) and his books have been translated into 32 foreign languages.

Alan’s work has been featured on CNN, Oprah.com, USA Today, The Washington Post, and Huffpost. He is included in the book, 101 Top Experts Who Make Our Live Better. He is a featured presenter in the award-winning documentary Finding Joe, celebrating the teaching of mythologist Joseph Campbell. Alan is the founder and director of the Foundation for Holistic Life Coaching.

Alan Phillip Cohen (born October 5, 1954) is an American businessman, best known for his ownership of the Florida Panthers hockey team and his founding of several generic pharmaceutical companies, most notably the Davie, Florida-based Andrx Corp. Cohen in 1984, founded the drug distribution firm Best Generics Inc. and sold it to Florida’s Ivax Corporation in 1988 for $10 million although he stayed on as President until 1990. In 1992, he founded Andrx Pharmaceuticals Inc., which he led as CEO to its inclusion in the Nasdaq100 in 1999. In 1996, the company went public at $12 and its stock eventually soared as high as $400 a share split adjusted. In October 2000, he left the company to purchase the Florida Panthers. In 2002, he created Abrika Pharmaceuticals Inc.[2] in Sunrise, Florida. Four years later, he sold it for $235 million to Actavis Group, an international generic drug company in Iceland. He was also the majority owner of the NHL’s Florida Panthers from 2001 to 2009.

Since 2003, he has been racing and breeding horses on his Arindel Farm in Ocala, Florida. One of his horses, Wait A While, competed in a Breeder’s Cup race at Churchill Downs in 2006. She went on to become United States Champion 3 year old filly in 2006.

Other books written by Alan P Cohen include:

A Course in Miracles Made Easy: Mastering the Journey from Fear to Love 2015 12 Editions

Why Your Life Sucks: And What You Can Do About It. 2002 14 Editions

A Deep Breath of Life: Daily Inspiration For Heart-Centered Living  1996 7 Editions

The Tao Made Easy: Timeless Wisdom To Navigate A Changing World  5 Editions

The Dragon Doesn’t Live Here Anymore: Living Fully, Loving Freely 1981 16 Editions.

Alan also writes a monthly newsletter titled “Easeletter” which I’ve included next verbatim for your greater understanding of who Alan P Cohen represents after his introduction from my Brave search engine you’ve been given above. The following document was featured in its May 2024 “Easeletter” edition titled:

Who Will Win the Election

It’s been a wild election year, and will likely continue to be so. Lots of people are fearful, distraught, and angry. The country appears to be divided into tribes, the rift between them growing deeper daily. Some marriages are tottering over political differences, and violence has broken out in certain sectors.

I would like to take a very different approach to predicting who will win. The real election is not between two people, but between two irreconcilable states of consciousness. We are each choosing between fear and love, doubt and trust, illusions and truth.  The ego tricks us into believing that our choices are material, while they are more fundamentally spiritual.

The idea that we elect leaders by casting votes in a booth is true only at the surface level our lives. We more accurately vote with our consciousness. The leaders who get into office reflect the predominant state of mind of the masses. The laws of metaphysics supersede the laws of the nation. In the past few decades, we have seen two elections in which the winner lost the popular vote, but won the electoral college vote. On a spiritual level, the leaders perfectly represent the consciousness of the nation. Thomas Jefferson rightly noted, “The government you elect is the government you deserve.”

If you are fearful, angry, or upset, you will elect a President who operates from fear, anger and upset. You can tinker with human-made laws, but you cannot override the rock-solid Law of Attraction. If you are connected to Spirit and recognize that God is running the universe, you will elect a President with integrity.  If enough people remain connected to Source energy, the balance will be tipped in favor of Source.

Every president is a mirror of the spiritual evolution or devolution of the nation. The election of Barack Obama as the first African-American president demonstrated that our nation emerged from a long, dark mentality of racism.  We evolved to that landmark moment, and we got the government we deserved by Right of Consciousness. Other presidents have represented more immature states of the country’s mind. When we elect a woman president in this election or any subsequent one, we will know that we are growing beyond sexism. You can always tell what you believe by what you are getting.

Your strongest vote to obtain leaders of good consciousness is to work on your own consciousness. Then you become a force for healing, and your vote goes far beyond that of one person. Mahatma Gandhi said, “The pure love of one person can offset the hatred of thousands.”  Margaret Mead echoed, “Never underestimate the power of a small group of committed people to change the world. In fact, it is the only thing that ever has.” If you are reading this, you are likely in that group that is a subset of the whole population, but whose influence extends far beyond that subset.

The only way to win the election is to achieve a state of mind that transcends the upset in which the masses are embroiled. George Bernard Shaw said, “Never wrestle with a pig. You both get dirty, and the pig likes it” The real pig is a swine state of mind. If you stoop to the state of mind that motivates people to elect bad candidates, you are contributing to elect that candidate. Pig-minded candidates are elected by pig-minded thoughts. Refuse to participate in those thoughts, and you are voting for a candidate with character.

Regardless of who gets into office, you and I must occupy the office of right thinking. Only those who think in alignment with Spirit change the world for the better. A Course in Miracles tells us, “Seek not to change the world, but choose instead to change your mind about the world.”

I would therefore like to suggest some lessons from the Course as affirmations to guide us through this election season:

I could see peace instead of this.

I am not a victim of the world I see.

I am affected only by my thoughts.

Heaven is the decision I must make.

I place the future in the hands of God.

Whenever you affirm a true idea, you are voting in ways far more powerful than the button you press on election day. Those who remain at peace will win the election, and those who get upset will lose. No matter who gets into office, you and I are each in charge of our experience. We need to pay more attention to our mindset than our TV set. Let us vote on a daily basis by remaining in the light no matter where others choose to go.

As stated above following this post’s Utmost introduction, Beware of bartering the Word of God for a more suitable conception of your own. From Disciples Indeed, 386 R.

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