i killed a bird .. . .

this could probably be the most mushy post i've written ..
pardon me for the excursus from the usual to the journal-type ..
felt there was something somewhere in here that might be of benefit to someone somewhere

recently i've been working with a lawn maintenance company
this time around we're cleaning out a 6-acre lot filled with trees and plants and whatever else manifests itself in such an environment .. like weeds, like polkweed 'round these parts, and horrible stuff like poison ivy, the dread of the gardener

my part was to cut out any dry limbs and imposter-plants, pull vines from the trees/plants, and to dig up the durned polkweed ..
in my usual way, i became quite tunnel-visioned, concentrating on what i was charged with doing ..
but i did take breaks and look around me at the marvelous colours and designs God uses to thrill us and to house and feed God's creatures ..
lovely stuff

`|`

at one point, 2 days ago, i was fixated on pulling this endless vine out of a bush - must've been 20 feet long
yank and pull with whatever strength i had ..
and then i heard a sound, kinda like a soft "eep-y .. eep eep"
i finally realized it was coming from the bush, and looking closely i saw a nest
with 2 very-baby birds ..
wow
they were stressed by all my vigorous pulling and cutting
one had its mouth open wide .. a voiceless call for help, probably to dad or mum ..

immediately i felt .. bad
..
it was like i was real sorry for hurting the babies

i stopped the pulling, used a lopper to cut out whatever of the remaining vine was there, made sure the nest was secure, and moved on, away from the immediate area

`|`

and i found myself praying ..
i told God how sorry i was for hurting the birdlings, and asked that the parents come back soon to help them
..
it really bothered me
all through the remainder of the workafternoon they were on my mind

strange .. .

`|`

yesterday i was back at it
went to check on the birds, but there was this brilliant red flash of wings
up to a bush, down to the ground, on to a dead branch
back and forth and back, up and down and up
and sounding off with birdsound i'd never heard from a cardinal before ..
the dad-dude was on guard!
and he was real serious
like "back off!", "stay away from this area"

we know the natural response of parents to threats to their young
they will fight for sure (as per mama bear, for example)

then the mother cardinal appeared, flitting around just like the violentred dad, only not as close to me
the two of them kept it up the entire time i was in that area
i was further away from the nest, maybe 20 or 30 feet, but they were taking no chances ..
they wanted me to move away

and strangely, they never went to the nest, never got closer than 10 or so feet from it ..
later i figured they didn't want to locate the nest to me, in case i would harm their offspring ..
smart, that

i kept my distance

i didn't see the birdlings that day

but i prayed

`|`

today is day 3
i resumed work, but before i did i put an orange flag by the bush to warn the others who came in to help today, and told them why

i backed off and worked

when work was finished, i went to see what was up
no parents
no 'eeps' ..

i looked in the nest and saw one baby
not moving
after a minute i reached in and touched it
cold ..

and i was unaccountably downhearted
i know what i felt the last couple days
and this was a prolongation of that ..
but it was more than that ..
the bird was dead
at least one of them
i don't know if the other is alive or was scarfed by a predator ..
but this bothered me
this cold dead tiny body really bothered me
and that especially since i had prayed about it

`|`

we packed tools and carted them off
after i took off my wetmuddy clothes, and built a cup of the brown nectar, i dressed and went to the nest
i took it and the birdling
held the body in my hand as i walked back .. hoping somehow there was still life in there and the warmth of my hand would encourage life ..
i prayed, hesitantly at first
"restore life"
i found my self snickering at the thought .. am i thinking what i'm thinking ? ..
"you are life; you have the power of life; please give this bird back its life .. it's my fault" ..

and my heart was all in that thought, as i sat on the ice chest and folded the other hand around the body ..
and breathed on that body ..
..

`|`

well, by now you're wherever you are in your mind ..
as for me, i am besieged by this happening ..
i'm not sure exactly what went on in me
i like animals and birds and such, and never was one to wantonly kill creatures
in fact it bothered me when i saw people doing it
and increasingly i've been more and more bothered by it

a few weeks ago, as we were driving, i saw a young deer impaled on someone's metal fence - the fence had spear-like projections every few feet
apparently the deer had somehow gotten in but could not get out, and tried to jump

the body was still warm when i went to check on the deer

that bothered me too
i felt sorry for the deer
for a while

`|`

so ... .. what's going on here?
am i looking for blog material?
or trying to prove to someone i have a soft heart?
or trying to impress people that i'm on the environmental bandwagon and care about animals and hug trees?
..
what's happening in me? ..

`|`

i'm not exactly sure how to answer that question
but it's been happening, whatever it is
slowly i've been being changed
it probably has a lot of lead-up contributing inputs and influences and events over time

`|`

i wonder ..
if Jesus is the same Word that created everything (John 1)
and if WordGod is caring, and does things right ..
then creation in its pristinity was 'good', as Word said

so that all of creation is God's handiwork and is a manifestation of something in God
and anything that God does is good
and god-ly ..

leads me to .. i should be respecting God's godly good stuff
including birds and birdlings

`|`

i didn't think of it that way
it wasn't a process of thought
it just happened that way

something in me has become more sensitive to the Godness that lies in back of stuff
like the 'imago dei' in us humans ..
(even that's a hard sell when the 'imago dei' person just cussed you out or flipped you off or abused you somehow
in fact, some people are more inclined to respect and care about the animal world than they do humans ..)

how did it happen ?

well, i wish i could answer that
for you
and for me

i'm not sure
really

all i know is that my heart went out to 2 baby birds
one died
and i was praying
and even blowing on that dead bird in conjunction with my prayer
waiting for God to restore life
and was planning on how to care for that birdling, hopefully to see it fly off one day
healthy and happy as a lark ..
or a cardinal

peace to you

2-pronged - Jesus amazing thots + surrogating God ..

recently i've been posting readings from apostle John's gospel containing Jesus' amazing thoughts for his followers
John 13-17 is, for me, one of the most amazing passages of scripture ..
sadly, the preaching/teaching out of these is mostly restricted to a get-out-of-jail-and-go-to-heaven kinda thingy
leaving the pertinence of relationship in the dust of the escape module ..

the posts are here: http://denyingme.blogspot.com/2015/04/jesus-amazing-thoughts-for-his-followers.html
http://denyingme.blogspot.com/2015/04/more-jesus-amazing-thoughts-for-his.html
http://denyingme.blogspot.com/2015/04/yet-more-jesus-amazing-thoughts-for-his.html

and here: http://denyingme.blogspot.com/2015/04/surrogate-relationship-with-god.html

now to John 17, the apex of the whole deal ..

"After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you, for you have given him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him.
And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth. I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. Now, Father, bring me into the glory we shared before the world began.

I have revealed you to the ones you gave me from this world. They were always yours. You gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything I have is a gift from you, for I have passed on to them the message you gave me. They accepted it and know that I came from you, and they believe you sent me.

My prayer is not for the world, but for those you have given me, because they belong to you. All who are mine belong to you, and you have given them to me, so they bring me glory. Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you.
Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are.
During my time here, I protected them by the power of the name you gave me. I guarded them so that not one was lost, except the one headed for destruction, as the Scriptures foretold.

Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy. I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to this world any more than I do. Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth.

I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message.
I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.

I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one.
I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.

Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began!

O righteous Father, the world doesn’t know you, but I do; and these disciples know you sent me. I have revealed you to them, and I will continue to do so. Then your love for me will be in them, and I will be in them.”

end quote ..

my friend, if that does not flatout rock your soul, then ...
it rocks mine
big time
as in huge ..

i am amazed and utterly moved by it
regularly

peace

an important read ..

the following is a book review of David Fairbairn's Life in the Trinity by a theology student
it is a good synopsis of the book


the reason for posting it here is a recent blog concerning our relationship with God, here http://denyingme.blogspot.com/2015/04/surrogate-relationship-with-god.html

i intend to read the book for other reasons, but the intimacy described in it is precisely where i was headed in that blog post; this is much better said

read it, ya?

yet more Jesus' amazing thoughts for his followers ..

"But now I am going away to the one who sent me, and not one of you is asking where I am going. Instead, you grieve because of what I’ve told you. But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come.
If I do go away, then I will send him to you, and when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me. Righteousness is available because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more. Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged.

There is so much more I want to tell you, but you can’t bear it now.
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth.
He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.’

In a little while you won’t see me anymore. But a little while after that, you will see me again.”

Some of the disciples asked each other, “What does he mean when he says, ‘In a little while you won’t see me, but then you will see me,’ and ‘I am going to the Father’? And what does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand.”

Jesus realized they wanted to ask him about it, so he said, “Are you asking yourselves what I meant? I said in a little while you won’t see me, but a little while after that you will see me again. I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn over what is going to happen to me, but the world will rejoice. You will grieve, but your grief will suddenly turn to wonderful joy. It will be like a woman suffering the pains of labor. When her child is born, her anguish gives way to joy because she has brought a new baby into the world. So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again; then you will rejoice, and no one can rob you of that joy.

At that time you won’t need to ask me for anything. I tell you the truth, you will ask the Father directly, and he will grant your request because you use my name. You haven’t done this before. Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy.

I have spoken of these matters in figures of speech, but soon I will stop speaking figuratively and will tell you plainly all about the Father. Then you will ask in my name.
I’m not saying I will ask the Father on your behalf, for the Father himself loves you dearly because you love me and believe that I came from God.
Yes, I came from the Father into the world, and now I will leave the world and return to the Father.”

Then his disciples said, “At last you are speaking plainly and not figuratively. Now we understand that you know everything, and there’s no need to question you. From this we believe that you came from God.”

Jesus asked, “Do you finally believe? But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when you will be scattered, each one going his own way, leaving me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me.

I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

surrogate relationship with God ..

from time to time i've quoted apostle john's admonition ..
" .. you have received the holy spirit, and he lives within you, so you don't need anyone to teach you what is true, for the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches you is true, and  is not a lie. " (1John 2:27)

richard rohr, who challenges me to step out and move on beyond the popularistic christianity, which is often mundane and shallow and panders to this world's spirit, made comments recently that reminded me of my responsibility for my own spiritual maturity
thanks to him

even though apostle john is speaking, in context, to false teachings/teachers, and points out that the spirit of God will confirm to each christian what is truth and what is lie, there is another aspect to his comments - the teaching of truth to each believer
so there's a 2-pointed intention:
1. the spirit of Jesus confirms truth
2. the spirit of Jesus teaches truth

because the spirit of Jesus resides in us, we have access, direct access, to truth
and as a result, we do not need anyone to teach us truth

we run from that
at our own detriment, at the relinquishment of our very maturity in Christ, at the cost of our intimacy with God through Jesus ..
what a sad sad thought ..

this, sadly, is an often neglected teaching in the Body of Christ
one of the reasons for this is "if i admit to the people in my church that they have responsibility for their own maturity and knowledge of the truth, i hand-over my authority over them; they don't need me so much anymore .. i need them to fund me!"
think about it

another reason is we're afraid of people speaking their minds on what God has taught them, for fear they're misled or misinterpreting scripture and thereby misleading others in the church ..
apostle Paul spoke in 1Corintians 12 about people prohesying in church and the only comment he made was the need to keep it to 1 or 2 people and that it be done one at a time, in an orderly manner ..
there was no sense of someone submitting what they had to say to the preacher or the board to be tested beforehand .. let them speak
thing is, you have the very spirit of God alive and resident in you, so that you know truth; if someone speaks against God, you will know it ..
or should .. .

i guess i've come to realize how dependent we christians are on others to tell us what is truth
and it's so wrong ..
very
because it costs me my intimacy with the living God ..

reading scripture and people's comments on scripture, and listening to preachers and teachers is important, as is communing with others in the community of the Body, sharing and encouraging and strengthening the Body of Christ ..
but to make that the seat of my truth is to fail, for the primary authority is Spirit on my spirit

rohr's statement, ".. Jesus left us his indwelling spirit as .. a source for true inner knowledge [= mine], which becomes a calm inner authority whereby we know things for ourselves .." is valid, and is neglected, is our loss, because we rely on others to teach us truth, when truth is only mine when i mine it, dig it out under the direction of the indwelling Spirit ..
borrowed truth is no truth to me
it is derivative truth
i must dig it out, discover it for myself
borrowed truth = i relinquish my responsibility as a temple-of-God person to dwell in the Spirit, nourished by Jesus' spirit, and resort to passively pew-ing, being spoonfed .. surrogate milk

relationship, fellowship with God, may not be second-hand
you ( i ) are stagnant, un-maturing, when we are bibbed and spoonfed ..
maturity requires constant and consistent Spirit-on-spirit communion and communication with Godself - personal, private, from the heart
that=relationship, not profession, pewing in church, reading professional comments, etc. ..

God wants my personal effort and involvement in my relationship with Godself ..
nothing else will do
how can anything else do ??
relationship is me relating directly to the other, as in marriage ..
you can't have a vital, lively, growing marriage surrogately
it has to be you ..

why cant we understand that's what a relationship with our God means .. ?
unless we don't really have one ..
or don't think that God is a real person .. ??

my friend, if God dwells in you (me) then God is relating to us
God is in us, with us, for us
why would we approach God's love in any other way than a one-on-one intimacy ..?

if i don't make the effort to spend time alone with God regularly, to have God constantly in my mind, to be talking with God regularly
then i question my relationship with God
if there's one there at all ..
anything else is pretense and fooling my self ..

beloved, let us love our God intimately
and let us love our fellowchristians even as we love our own selves

peace

must reads ..

for some 'strange' reason I saw the following two posts on my FB page this morning, and read them both

they are both exquisitely written by two highly intelligent people who are the unfortunate but horribly ordinary representatives of their people in north American society of today, and what they have to say Is what we need to hear .. for real..

I really want you to read them
reading these posts is for your own profit, and for the benefit too of those you influence
they serve as poignant reminders of the quite unjust and unfair society in which we live, and move .. and perhaps too of a mindset that follows us around ..

our children and our friends need to be affected by this injustice and discrimination in such a way that we all move in the direction of absolute equality on the basis of our shared humanity, our shared genus 'in the image and likeness of our common creator God'

further, if we are who we claim to be as disciples of Jesus, we have an absolute injunction by our master himself to love everyone as THE defining characteristic of those who claim his name ..

peace to you

http://www.torontolife.com/informer/features/2015/04/21/skin-im-ive-interrogated-police-50-times-im-black/?page=all&utm_content=buffer0b571&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/formerlyfundie/creating-a-common-memory-doctrine-of-discovery/

if you have any problems recovering these articles please comment me

"God is in control" ..

we like to say (and hear) "God is in control" ..

for one thing, that's what we've been taught, at least in conservative christian circles, for sure within fundamentalist-leaning churches and institutions of learning

perhaps another attraction for it is it allows us to make some sense of our dread ..
so that, if, for example, a person suffers from a rare disease or discovers their child's life is threatened by cancer, taking the position that it is 'God's will' seems to deify their otherwise inexplicable circumstance
"God allowed it and my responsibility is to accept that and to somehow glorify God through it all" kinda thingy ..
at least, we convince ourselves that is the case, even with the throbbing quetions that thinking fosters ..
"why me?"
"why my child?" .. ?
why indeed ..

in a recent discussion with a dear friend concerning a close family member who had undergone unsuccessful surgery, they said "we must not get in God's way" ..
when i pressed them to explain, the response was (in effect) that God does things to people to get their attention, including 'bad' things, like that rare disease and cancer threatening that child's life ..

i used to believe that
my religious upbringing was calvinist-styled, so that nothing occurs apart from God's will; God determines everything, and so knows in advance what will happen to each of us, and in fact determines what will happen to each of us
better known as 'God's plan for your life' ..

God engineers everything
God is in control
God planned it that way
so do not get in God's way .. dude

`|`

another friend made the comment that God gave them their heart attacks ..
i mean .. just think about how that sounds !
doesn't that just taste bad in your mind's mouth when you think it ??

`|`

i've been chewing on this for some days now
quite frankly, it rubs me wrong, and that not only emotionally, but biblically too

with all due respect to my friends, whom i respect a lot, and to their religious convictions and indoctrination, and also to the well-trained theological minds that led them (us) to this conclusion ...
it simply doesn't fit Jesus
he doesn't wear that religious conviction very well ..

`|`

i've come to the place where i believe that everything needs to be seen through the telescope and microscope of Jesus, and that where there is a discrepancy, Jesus' take on it is the take on it .. period

i've taken this as my entry-point because Jesus is the perfect (and perfected) representation of God in human form ..
besides the fact that he, as the Word, designed and created the universe, and that nothing that was created was created apart from him, he 'radiates God's own glory, and expresses the very character of God' (Hebrews 1:2,3)
the writer of the letter we entitle 'the epistle to the hebrews' then proceeds to justify that position, repeatedly demonstrating Jesus to be 'better' or superior to anyone, anywhere, anytime ..

so that my position is Jesus' position everytime - whatever his take on it is, that's mine, at least to the extent that i can determine his take; failing that, i look for the position that most closely reflects who Jesus is ie. how he thought, what he said, his attitudes and actions

so that, when Jesus redefined the long-standing Law with "you have heard it said ..., but I say ...", to me, Law just got redefined ..
"the Law says 'thou shalt not commit adultery, but I tell you .."
"Law says 'eye for eye, tooth for tooth' but I say .." ..
Jesus trumps Law .. even God's Law!

the scriptures are subordinate to and subject to Jesus, not the other way around
it is Jesus we worship, not the scriptures
(this is not to detract from or debase scripture btw)

with that in mind, i humbly approach "God is in control" ..

next time

peace

vulnerable God.. a good read ..

what a thoughtful piece ..
intriguing, powerful..
identifying a passionate God ..

http://www.readperiodicals.com/201503/3616710401.html

sunday goodday ..

it's sunday
i used to like sunday
then i got to dislike sunday ..

raised under Fundamentalism i enjoyed the biblical analysis and became an avid bible reader
but the system ruined me .. almost
then i got free
i was loosed to be me
to walk in the freedom of the spirit of God, with no accounting for the peripheral stuff that we pharisees like to attach in by-laws and covenants and creeds and such ..

free!

that means the world to me ..

there were all sorts of walls to be broken down, lines to smudge-out, distinctions to blur, convictions to unconvict ..
it has been a long, and sometimes, rough road, and i'm still trekking it
but i would never go back
ever ..
freedom is way too valuable to compromise or threaten

brings me to this ..
in the vein of that attitude, i got to the point where i simply refused to accept just any church ..
refused
walked out of some
sat through some and shook my mental head in unbelief that i was back there
got angry in some, and left crying out loudly to God for help
i sooooo needed something new
something real
something that left the money-concerns in the atrium, that refused to jump on one of the many wagons that encircle today's christianity - seeker-friendly/performance/purpose-driven/concert stylie/starbucks .. or same ol same oly - pomp and splendour/robed and formalized/hellfire and brimstone/sin-enumerating/finger-pointiing ..

i refused to settle

then, by way of a church i was attending, which was kinda cool, i rerouted to another church
and hit home
smelled it from the minute i sat in the pew
felt it, even before the service began
my spirit was elevating
even the word 'mercy' is part of their name .. ha!

then all hell broke loose .. GodSpirit showed up and the rest is simply dessert
blueberries on the cheescake
coffee and ..

and i'm thrilled
excited
pleasured

`|`

you don't get that ?
you don't have that where you are?
you haven't experienced that excitement?

go for it!
look for that
tell Jesus you want it, need it, must have it
and then step out
look
and do not stop looking until God gives it to you

trust me
there are still such people out there
(amazingly as that was for me to discover .. )

find them
you will soar

trust me on this one ..

all praises to the God that persists in maintaining a poweful remnant in the earth

thank you, Jesus


peace

the bible as mythical? .. no way.. a good read

the following is a post from RENEW.org
In the face of the claims of modern-day scholars that the gospel recorders made up their accounts, here's one scholar's refitation.. I'd rather take this position any day ..

"Some scholars today argue that the stories recorded in the Gospels are actually intentional fabrication. In essence, they argue that Mark took Paul’s theology and robed the story of Jesus in a fictitious historical narrative. The other Gospels followed suit. The argument is clever and removes the difficulty of explaining how a legend of a God-man could arise so quickly among first-century Jews.

But there are 7 major problems with this contention:

The Gospels don’t read like a fictional genre of literature. To the contrary, they give us many indications that they genuinely intended to report reliable history. In addition, they pass all the standard tests scholars usually apply to ancient documents to ascertain a general historical reliability.We must ask why the authors of the Gospels would want to create a new, fictionalized Jesus story. What was their motivation? By the time that these authors were writing the Gospels, Christians were being tortured and put to death for their faith. So what could these authors have thought they or their readers would gain by fabricating and embracing this fictional story?We have to wonder why any early Christian would have accepted them as true.How did the authors of the Gospels think they could get away with creating a fiction situated in the recent past and in such close geographical proximity to their audiences? We must remember that Jewish religious authorities had a vested interest in putting an end to this movement, which they considered to be a dangerous sect. If the story these authors were telling was false, it seems it would have been relatively easy to expose it as such.To accept the version of the early church history offered by these scholars, we must also accept that the version of the church history given in the book of Acts is largely false. For many reasons that cannot be addressed here, the book of Acts is a remarkably reliable piece of ancient historiography.An understanding of the Gospels as fictitious completely ignores the role that writing plays in orally-dominant cultures. Writing was not the primary means of communication among people in the first century. Rather, information was passed along primarily by word of mouth. Writing plays a very different role in these cultures than in “literary cultures.” In literary cultures, novelty and innovation in literature is valued. In orally-dominant cultures, it is generally frowned upon. The primary purpose of writing, rather, is faithfully to re-express an established oral tradition.Research has demonstrated that in orally-dominant contexts people tend to be quite resistant to change in terms of the essential components. Oral performers—those who regularly recite oral traditions for their communities—are allowed a certain amount of flexibility in how they recite traditional material. But if the oral performer alters anything of substance in the tradition, members of the community customarily interrupt and correct him or her. Hence, the suggestion that a fictional writing from an anonymous author could have overturned established oral traditions about Jesus in the early church must be judged as massively improbable. This is simply not how orally-dominant cultures tend to operate."

—Adapted from Lord or Legend? pages 42-45

more Jesus' amazing thoughts for his followers ..

“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.
You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you, for a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.
Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!
When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.

“I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!

This is my commandment: love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.
I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.
You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. This is my command: Love each other."

loosed.. I'm free

this is rather personal, but it may strike some chord in you ..

occasionally i read a devotional thought written by a modernday mystic ..

today it concerned the relationship between law and grace, as delineated by apostle paul

the writer says law is only there to get us started

it gives information, it cannot give transformation

israel relied on being 'privately' good instead of trusting God for their goodness .. they stumbled over that stumbling-stone..

that was me maxed out

i did have a 'religious' heartexperience, and was changed, moved in the direction of God

but then .. i allowed (or encouraged) the 'law' to become my master, judging me

and me judging me, grading my self according to its standard ..

fundamentalism was a driving force in that

my lawlife, pharisaical tenure, was the stumbling block, rock of offense

it took major life crises, back-to-back, to throw me into a drowning struggle

and 'law' was completely useless ..

by that time, i was virtually 50, much of life already downstream ..

what a stubborned waste ..

but .. but now i'm loosed!, free from law, my spirit engaged, my heart on fire, my life geared in a kingdom direction, driving toward Jesus, following, wanting nothing else but him, to be like him, to know him, to be him ..

as apostle paul says so well ..

" And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault. I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, 

         so that I could gain Christ 

         and become one with him. 

I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. 

I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead! "

(Philip. 3:6 ff)

peace

and love

Jesus' amazing thoughts for his followers ..

these are some of Jesus' words and thoughts to his followers after his resurrection and before he left Earth ...
there are comforting and encouraging things here
there are also some incredible thoughts

`|`

After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet.
I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them."
   ...



" .. how can we know the way?”

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!”

Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”

Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me. Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do.
“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!
“If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you.
Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live. When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”

Judas (not Judas Iscariot, but the other disciple with that name) said to him, “Lord, why are you going to reveal yourself only to us and not to the world at large?”

Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them. Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me. And remember, my words are not my own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me. I am telling you these things now while I am still with you. But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.
“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. Remember what I told you: I am going away, but I will come back to you again. If you really loved me, you would be happy that I am going to the Father, who is greater than I am. I have told you these things before they happen so that when they do happen, you will believe.
“I don’t have much more time to talk to you, because the ruler of this world approaches. He has no power over me, but I will do what the Father requires of me, so that the world will know that I love the Father.
...

a great read on the cross ..

http://reknew.org/2015/04/are-you-fully-alive-heres-the-key/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=are-you-fully-alive-heres-the-key

it's resurrection day ..

while the cross still stands on the brow of that Skull Place
3 days have passed
   and 3 nights

now it's Easter
   the event that stamped 'victory' all over that roughwood deathplace

thank you for that

it must have been a tremendous experience
   for you to have your body raised anew
      recreated
      reinvigorated with your spirit
   with the marks of crossdeath still in place
      ageless marks
         of love poured out

the freedom of that experience ..

the sheer power
   of life soaring out of the grave
   pointedly demonstrating the ultimate conquest of live over death
      the timeless authority of pure love
         poured out
            in all its glorious fullness

thank you for that

crossmove 3 ..

this is the 3rd installment on the cross
what follows is a series of thoughts and expressions which bear no necessary relation to each other; i simply wrote them down as they came to mind ..

`|`

someone wisely wrote recently
.      .      "the cross wasn't so we could walk in the power of the resurrection
.       .      the resurrection was so we could walk in the power of the cross" ..

resurrection is so i can bear my cross
Jesus spoke to that once; he said that i must be willing to deny my self and pick up my cross each day in order to follow him (Mark 8:34)
so i die to me and my falleness (in baptism it is represented as my death 'in Christ'), and my resurrected self is purposeful in dying for the rest of my life ..

it's sometimes been referred to as a 'cruciform' life, a life of cross ..
it is in dying that the love of God is able to abound in me and flow out of me in abundance, for God's sake ..
Jesus said this: "if you're holding on to life, you'll lose it; but if you're willing to release your life for me and the gospel's sake, you will find life-to-the-fullest"
it's in the dying
that way Christ gets to live in me and through me, to the fullest

"my old self has been           crucified with Christ.
it is no longer i who live, but Christ who lives in me" (Galatians 2:20)

.           .  i am 'in Christ' (Paul)

`|`

the eucharist/Lord's supper is seen by many as the central aspect of a christian gathering ..
this significant ritual has a most distinctive purpose: in Paul's words, "every time you eat this bread and drink this cup you are announcing the Lord's death until he comes again" (1Corinthians 11:26)

.      .       the very perpetuation of eucharist is on the basis of Jesus' death ..

Jesus said this at the Last Supper, where the eucharist was instituted - "this is my blood of the new covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins."
tell me something, how do we get Jesus doing this just days before his death, and it not be of God's design?

a well-known preacher recently posted an article in which he said ..
- "It was not God who required the sacrifice of Jesus, it was human civilization."
- "God did not will the murder of his son. He simply knew it would occur."
(B.Z., Jesus Died For Us .. not for God)

how could this be if Jesus said his blood was the institution of the New Covenant?
seems that Jesus' statement makes his blood an integral and indispensible aspect of the Covenant, and of the 'forgiveness of sins', just like he said ..
d'you mean he simply decided to use his blood for that purpose since he was going to be killed anyway? .. "it's not Father's will, but since they're going to kill me i might as well use my blood for this .." .. like that?
are you kidding me???

`|`

seems to me people are simply fed-up with the idea of an angry God ..
the Old Covenant seems to portray a God who's always angry at somebody, and wants to hurt people to exact punishment .. .
we're simply sick of all the anger stuff ..

i don't want to deal with the specifics of that here, but i will say this ..
if i get angry at injustice and abuse, child prostitution and rape, homelessness and discrimination, and people slanderously lying about me .. how come God can't be angry?

God is angry .. angry at the satan; angry at the powers of darkenss, the wicked spirit-authorities; angry that sin has wounded the cosmos that Godself created, angry that sin abounds ..
why on Earth does that freak people out?

but that Godly anger does not injure or exact punishment .. it loves, a love that calls for sacrifice, the sacrifice of Godself for the creation, for the 'imago dei' people
God's anger is a loving anger that cries out for fixing stuff, setting things right, making the cosmos the Godplace God intended it to be where the goodness of Godself abounds and is shared with others ..
that's the difference ..

`|`

Jesus' sacifice was not for retributive justice, it wasn't exacting punishment for an offense ..
Jesus died for cleansing
his death was the firstmove in God's reconciliation
"there is one God and one mediator who can reconcile God and humanity - the man Christ Jesus" (1Timothy 2:5)
"God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people's sins against them" (2Corinthians 5:19)

"God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ's blood on the cross" (Colossians 1: 19,20)
note that verse ..
- the fullness of Godself lived in the Christ - Jesus was completely indwelt by God
- God used Jesus to bring reconciliation of all things
- God did this through Jesus' blood shed on the cross ..
what is it i'm missing?
how is the sacrifice of Jesus not a Godmove in the direction of cosmic reconciliation ..? ..

`|`

there's tons more going on than we are aware of in the Earth and in the cosmos
the scriptures speak regularly to this ..

- eg. the church is teaching the angels stuff ..
"I was chosen to explain to everyone this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning. God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord." (Ephesians 3:8-11)

- eg. although we're quick to posit "God is in control", it's evident that God is in a struggle with other spiritual powers ..

"Just then a hand touched me and lifted me, still trembling, to my hands and knees. And the man said to me, “Daniel, you are very precious to God, so listen carefully to what I have to say to you. Stand up, for I have been sent to you.” When he said this to me, I stood up, still trembling. Then he said, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer. But for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the archangels, came to help me, and I left him there with the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia. Now I am here to explain what will happen to your people in the future, for this vision concerns a time yet to come. (Daniel 10:10-14)

- eg. Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:10-12)

so while we run around in the think that we're the centre of the cosmos, let's acknowledge that there's stuff happening that we are hardly aware of ..

point is, what God is doing through Jesus' ministry, culminating here with his death and resurrection, extends far beyond this world to the reaches of the spiritworld where the forces of good and evil rage ..
Jesus' cross had a profound impact on the entirety of all that exists everywhere
and he's even using us, his church, to demonstrate that ..

`|`

Isaiah 53 ..
Who has believed our message? To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm?
My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground.
   There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him.
   He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
   We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.
Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins!
But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.
   All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
   Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all.
He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word.
He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth.
Unjustly condemned, he was led away.
   No one cared that he died without descendants, that his life was cut short in midstream.
   But he was struck down for the rebellion of my people.
He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone.
But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man’s grave.
   But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief.
Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants.
He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands.
When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied.
And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins.
   I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier, because he exposed himself to death.
He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.

`|`

Phlippians 2 ..
You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
Though he was God,
    he did not think of equality with God
    as something to cling to.
Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
    he took the humble position of a slave
    and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,
    he humbled himself in obedience to God
    and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor
    and gave him the name above all other names,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.

`|`

it's in the piled-up dirt at the foot of the cross that we come face to face with a recognition ..
this love is vast! this love is deep! this love is boundless!

it is not wrath we find here .. it is love
love abounding to all
even me
the chief of the rebels


peace and love
in Jesus' name

crossmove 2 ..

in crossmove 1 i spoke primarily to the system of sacrifice
point there was, Jesus is identified up-front in his ministry as 'the lamb of God', and that reeks of sacrifice-Messiah, no less; hope of Israel, no less; salvation for humanity .. no less

`|`

in addition to pointing out sin, and pointing to the sinner, God, under the Old Covenant (law) is pointing towards someone

the law under which that sacrificial system was introduced was valid for a time
the point of that law was to point people in a direction - towards Christ
so the system that God set up for his elect nation Israel, thousands of years before the Christ advent, was headed somewhere; it was a guardian to lead us to Christ (Paul at Galatians 3:24)
instructive
illustrative
pointed

Hebrews points out that Moses took the blood of an heifer and sprikled it on the tabernacle and it's furnishings to typically sanctify it
and then he sprinkled that blood on the people .. .
imagine being there ..
what would be in our minds as the blood wet our faces?

but when the time was ripe, God sent the son, made of a woman, made under that very law (Gal. 4:4)
to free pepole from law, which actually gives sin life (Paul, Rom 7:9-11)
and the rest is HISstory in its fullness
law becomes obsolete
it was merely a shadow (Hebrews 10:1)
now the real thing is here!
Messiah has come

`|`

i have come to the place where i see the book of Hebrews as the entirety of God's revelation wrapped up in one discourse
that document alone, were it extracted from the rest of the scriptures, sings loudly of the Messiah and his spiritwork, esteeming him to be the very outshining of the glory of God perfectly represented in human form;
but more pointedly for this purpose, it speaks volumes to the sacrificial sytem and of Jesus' own sacrifice, placing it brilliantly in its cosmic context .. and it does this almost as a theme
in summary, it extols his high priestly work on the behalf of humanity as a whole, and his sacrifice as the one-time, all-sufficient act that cleanses the conscience, which no earthly high priest's sacrifice was able to do ..
it completely puts to rest (in my view) any and all arguments against the prior intention of God that the son was to suffer and die for humanity
and does that summarily to boot ..

i could stop right there
God's testimony exists already, beautifully so, in Hebrews, and far be it from me to try to add to that

however, i'm going through this for a reason
i want to reorient myself, and also any others who may read this and may be under the influence of today's theothink which looks to write-off the cross solely as a murder at the hands of humans ..
i want to refresh my spirit in the scriptural position that the sacrifice of Messiah was in the mind of God long before, that it was the very best God had to offer, and that God willingly offered Godself on behalf of the humanity created in the imago dei in love
i want people to know that God loves them as much as that .. to the farthest extent of Godlove
that God is that invested in humanity that the Word of God would forsake the Godglory, become a human like us, and die a cruel death at the hands of Israel and Rome - religion and imperialism - to redeem God's humanity
the imago dei people..

and further, i want people to know that the scripture points directly to Jesus on the cross

`|`

in addition to the Old Covenant scriptures pointing to Messiah's crossevent, Jesus himself repeatedly forewarns his disciples about what would happen (which they refused to listen-to, by the way) ..
and even though he says he will be killed at the hands of men, he persists in heading directly towards the Jerusalem event ..
if this was not in God's mind beforehand, and Jesus knew what awaited him in Jerusalem, why on Earth would he walk right into it?
in fact, he summarily and sternly upbraids Peter when he tries to stop Jesus, telling him not to go to Jerusalem; and he not only reprimanded him but said the satan was using him to say that ..
"get behind me, Satan!"

the cross was not foisted on Jesus by Rome
he walked directly towards it
even as he struggled passionately with the weight of what was coming
.. don't you get that when you read the scriptures?

`|`

in the writings of the New Covenant we see a man struggling desperately to somehow convince God to find some other way to do this
we see Jesus in the garden stretched to his limits as a man, begging God, if it were possible, not to place this burden on him .. "if there's any other way .. even so, your will be done, Father." ..

and most telling, i hear that crosscry, loud and forlorn, agonizing and woefilled, reverberating through the darkness that enveloped that man , that space ..
seems to me the entire cosmos had a blackout as time itself paused in wonder that the creator dies .. .

`|`

as someone wisely said "No good intentions, no nobility, no sin avoidance, no piety .. Nothing could have stopped this Pascal mystery of God and humanity. No amount of super-good discipleship or wisdom .. would make a lick of difference to God's determination to draw all people to God's self through Jesus lifted high and on a cross.". (Nadia Bolz Weber) ..
true that ..

nothing could have stopped it
all history was pointing to this day, this person in particular, this event specifically, this lamb, this sacrifice, this powerful horrible saving reconciling determined-passive-act which instigated the defeat of the powers of darkness, even while they might have imagined they were now victorious ..
the son of God was dead! that same son of God that refused to acquiesce to the satan in the wilderness some 3 years or so ago .. "he is dead i tell you!"
.. .

as that most lonesome wail echoed off the planets, resounding through the halls of the galaxies Jesus himself had created in a previous life .. .     . .
"My God! .. WHY??!! .. . Why have you forsaken me now? .. ."
the Creator himself, who had forsaken his glorious divinity to embrace humanity, now takes-on sin, all sin, in all its stinking, abusive, ruinous, fowl, selfish, wicked, destructive anti-God darkness
and he takes it on personally, intimately, in himself, as if he was the sinner - the murderer, the liar, the thief, the rapist, the abuser ..
and is himself forsaken
.. .. .
God walks away, haltingly, shoulders stooped, tear-stained cheeks, an awful cry of hurt in God's heaving and heavy heart at the almost unthinkable tragedy of God's own son made sin ..
for us

and Creator dies
death
darkness
Hell ..

.. while demondances and exultant screams pierce the dark abode of the dark powers, the satan glorying in his victory, imagining his own glorious future

.. while all the cosmos cries, creation itself slumped in the dreadful disappointment
in dread of the now-expected explosion of the satan's authority, and sin's sway ..

all is dark, all is foreboding, hopeless ..
all hope is lost .. ! .. .
we are lost

`|`

but the grave cannoth hold him
and Hell cannot hold him
for 3 days later that same Jesus, only different, emerges from the grave into morning sunlight
and all creation dances in its own exultation, makes its own joyful sounds
Creator is back!
he is not dead!
he is risen!

`|`

that's the context

that's our context

that is the story of the indescribable unutterable love of the Lord of Glory coming here to deal with the human cancer, personally
and giving his own life for humanity, to bring reconciliation to this world and to the cosmos-at-large
to release humanity from their bondage to the fear of death by sin ..

when we see this
when this dips down past our head and finds repose in our heart .. doesn't it astound us?
doesn't it make us feel sooooo very small
and at the same instant soooooo very loved by the God that would go this far?
it should, my friend
it should


`|`    shalom