I just yesterday, starting reading on the Emergent Church, and for the very first time, read and listened to Brian McLaren. I must say, I am impressed and praise God for men like him who are speaking out, in love and truth on a need to be less hardline when reaching out to other religions. I do disagree with the many within the movement, that want to put everyone and anyone, or any religion under the umbrella as having it right. The majority of the Christian Church still hasn't got it right, but thank God some are trying.
Brian McLaren is a leading voice of the Emerging or (Emergent) Church.
He makes a great statement (I am not quoting here but providing to you what I heard him say in a video, imperfectly I might add)
..... "Christianity is the message of reconciliation, Conservative Christians make the message about reconciliation to God, Liberal Christians make the message about reconciliation with others. For Christianity to be the message of reconciliation it must consist of both of these."
Absolutely true.
============================My comment
I love the concept of a Mission centric life in Christ in this age and this time.
We are in one of the great transitions of Society and the World.
The world is getting smaller, and to show a world Jesus Christ will take more than a few out of country missionaries, or church buildings, it will take the entire body of Christ to reach out and touch someone. I am not talking about the Social Gospel, by itself, and I am not talking about Fundalmentalism, but a Christ centered life, that is willing to die to self, even to go to the cross to love all men.
It will take the expressed life of Christ in each of us. Not doctrine, not the Four Spiritual Laws, but the living Christ in us, as us and living through us.
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Brian also provides an illustration for thought on a mission centric life.
Our personal Christian mission is like this, "think of it like a Bicycle, you have to get on the bike and start peddling, God will do the steering in the direction the Bicycle should go." (once again imperfect quoting, just how I heard it)
====Some Thoughts On Hearing Brian McLaren Teach ======================
This is not works based religion, if you know, that all you can do is peddle, it only becomes work based religion when we think we can do the steering as well.
Doesn’t this make sense, when we read, Proverbs, (paraphrased of course)
"Man makes plans, but it is God that gives direction."
We cannot be stagnant individualistic Christians any longer, we must think first of Christianity in reaching others in the terms of the world, then community.
Most of our focus has been on ourselves first and foremost, and that stems from us being raised in an individualistic society.
Yes, our relationship to God is important, but if it excludes others, where is the overall effect in salvation or obedience "to go ye into ALL THE WORLD." However contrary to the idea of just coming along accepting any religion for that matter, we are to preach the Good News, and that Good News is Christ has restored us, and given us life, and we can now live in love, and in peace, joy and righteousness. Religion, all religion, even Christian religion, doesn't have that. Only a life centered in and fellowship with Christ alone has that.
Our Christian life becomes selfish, even narcissistic, and results in an imbalanced Christian, if we say we can only have community with those who “believe’ as we do.
It makes for a church, that is exclusive and judgmental, and powerless. We aren't to exclude the pagan, but we aren't to include them either. We must look at Paul, He first converted the Gentiles, before they could be considered part of the Ekklesia, but He didn't condemn them or win them with an exclusive attitude, He first found common ground with them, then he persuaded them through discussion to Christ as the Way, the Truth and Life. Our problem hasn't been the message and Christ alone, but our problem has been two things, one in it's presentation , and two the most important one, is the contrary lifestyles we live and love others, in direct contradiction to Jesus own teachings, and one of the most important, is non- violence. Conservative Christianity and it's love of Nationalism, Zionism, and it's Western Materialism, is as or even more become more violent then the Protestants can condemn the Catholics in being against, all that opposed them. We have bit off the most important teaching expressed in the life of Christ, and that is to take up your cross and follow me, and take no vengeance, but to love your enemy and do good to those who DESPITEFULLY use you.
I think that falls into the category of radical Muslims as well. Why it is we can love Zionist, who commit autrocities as well, against Palestinian Christians, but not all men, is simply a matter of false doctrines and teachings the traditional church has shoved down the throats of "LAZY" people in the church, mostly religious people, who have spread these like they were the Gospel. They are all lies. God is love. All encompassing love, that sent his Son to die for ALL MEN. Not just Jews, and the Christian Religion, but ALL MEN!
We must be open, to the Father at all times, to teach us, not only in our personal study, but in our encounter with others. Regardless of their present belief system.
We cannot win the world for Christ by saying "ha ha, I am better than you are."
So, I say yes, community is important, whether it be two or three, or more, there should be a reaching out, not in the sense to win someone over to my argument, my theology, my truths, but a living out the truth to others, that my life reflects the generosity, love, compassion, justice and mercy of who I am, Christ in me.... and in you, and in others. A revealing of the "Christ in you," which is " the hope of glory"
We cannot do this alone, we cannot hope to do it alone, thus Christ gave gifts unto all men, so community, the Ekklesia cannot be ignored, it is within the context of that, that true spiritual life can be reflected to the world about us, as each one, reaches out to another, and that one reaches out to another and we all reach out together but we don't lock it behind the closed doors of a building, we openly engage the world about us. This is how the early Christians turned the world upside down. They didn't have to invite someone to church, for they knew they were a candle, but then they could include others from the church, as candles as well to the outside world, knowing that they didn't have all the light to give. Paul and Timothy, are great examples. It wasn't that Paul had anything to teach Timothy, I think there was times, when surely Timothy taught Paul. Paul was always learning and engaging others who were outside of the realm of the church, He engaged the pagans but found common ground, through conversation then won them to truth, by example, a life lived out in the love of Christ within.
In reaching out, to others, we cannot think we hold the corner on truth, the truth be told, if we have Christ, we all have “The Truth.
So if we do not allow others, to speak, is to say we know more then them. This is pride, stubborn, and quite honestly evil in the final outcome.
It is in the context of shared community, that we find, the gifts of each of us, building the body into one, a wholesome union in Christ.
Let me illustrate....if you light one candle and put it in a dark room, only a portion of that room will be lit up, now add another candle, and another, and soon there is enough light to dispel the darkness.
This is why there must be a coming together in common unity under the banner of Christ, not to just sit or be bystanders or be entertained, coaxed, or be an audience, but to be actively engaged, in being one of the candles.
I believe, that we must be open, and forthright, and exercise the love of Christ to obtain that. We have to be open, to the reality, that Christ is in us, as well is he is anyone else in our Christian Community.
If we show any hint, of not listening, and only talking, we shut down, the gift another may have to give us. In the same aspect. We cannot be shut down, to do so, is the same as us, shutting someone else down, we allowed our candle to be snuffed out, and that one little area of the room remains dark and undiscovered to us and to others, either way we go.
The Father designed it that way.
This is why scripture tells us what our coming together is to be like,
“One to Another'”.
Modern church and Pre-Modern Church and going way back to Medieval Church, and back further than that, after the Apostles passed away, men, thought that they knew better and tossed Christ and the Apostolic tradition out the door, for their own traditions.
I blame Martin Luther for the fact that the one man leader idea didn’t get reformed in the Reformation, it just got modified, Pope/Priest to Pastor or Bishop.
I blame Martin Luther for the Sermon. Read up if you would like to know why.
Martin is the one, that said there must be a Sermon at every church meeting. Function is one thing, title and power is another.
Our discovery of walking and abiding in Christ, must be one in which all the candles are allowed to burn, it doesn’t matter the candles beauty, it’s shape, or even it ‘s color, what matters, is that without that one little candle, one area will always remain dark in the room. Thus there is great need, for the body of Christ, when coming together to always be, in Dialegomai-discussion, not argument, on who is right or who is wrong, for each candle has it’s worth, even if it isn’t the prettiest candle or the one we would have chosen to help light the room.
We must be constantly engaged in the "one to another.”
This is why I love the Quaker’s or the old "Orthopraxy" of the Ana Baptist, is the shared responsibility, and the shared importance of each member.
This is what Paul was saying all along, in the book of Corinthians.
How could we as the church so have missed it?
Why, because men, thought they could protect the sacred teachings, instead of the Holy Spirit doing the job, and they stepped in, and the Holy Spirit, was forced out the door. It never was about the written word, it's always been about the Living Word.
The Holy Spirit has been trying to step back in ever since, there as been over the centuries of church history (the main reason most churches don't teach it) one after another, who said, "Wait, I have something to say," and the hierarchy, said, "sit down, be quiet, and learn from me."
Those that refused, were always branded as "heretics," just like Jesus. "Where does this man, get His teaching, isn’t He the carpenter’s Son?"
This is what rattled the Pharisees, the most, is Jesus teaching attracted the crowds, out of love to hear more of what he had to say, and what they could learn, they hungered to learn more of the Father's love, they hungered to engage Jesus, but the Pharisees, had to use fear manipulation and religious power to keep the crowds attention.
They could excommunicate.. been there, I know that one from personal experience!
I think we missed it because of our carnality and being human and always either wanting someone to lead us, instead of being actively engaged, as it is easier, it is lazy, and more often or not it is out of fear. We often fear that others may discover "the real us."
Isn’t that what fellowship with one another is suppose to be all about, is that discovery, so that we can both encourage and rebuke, but in mercy, in compassion, in love. So that each one can grow up in the maturity and fullness of Christ.
It is in the mouth of TWO or more witnesses, that truth is to always be established, this is the lesson from our Father, that He expressed Himself through the Son, and now expresses Himself through each one of us by the Holy Spirit.
Yet there is that relationship with the two always.
Christ neither said or did anything without the Father, and neither should we without the Holy Spirit, but the Holy Spirit is not limited to one man, or one woman.
He is working and speaking through all of us, that are His children now.
No one person has the corner on the Holy Spirit for it is impossible to put the Father in a single container, one man, one woman, and say, there He is.
Pastor worship is fatal to the body and fatal to the Pastor. I can promise you, more assemblies die because of this one thing, and more Pastors quit or are fired because of this one thing, then any other reason.
It all narrows down to who we worship, Christ the Head of the body, or just some foot or toe, of the body.. being a Pastor doesn't make you the head.
This is the grandest error of all. This is what destroys, Pastors, Evangelist, or anyone engaged in ministry, when we begin to think the adoration is deserved, and expected.
Church, as it is in most churches, is the opposite of community, except in the things that don’t matter, this is the grand error, of church hierarchy, and tradition. It's alright to share the babysitting, the Sunday School room, the meal, the cooking, the outward mission to get members, but don't you dare ask to share the teaching, preaching or the curriculum. This is why Sunday School lessons must be organized, or directed, or decided upon by "the leadership."
Any thing other is a threat to the Pastor and to the Hierarchy.
It is the antithesis of every thing, that is Christ like, or even Apostolic.
There will always be those that will want to lead, but what about the church giving this a try - "We have no leader but Jesus Christ," and we humble ourselves to admit, that we are but one candle, in a dark room, we don’t have all the answers and we sure don’t have all the light needed to light up the room. Bring on the candles! A single candle will burn out a lot quicker then several lit at intervals.
It is when as a Pastor, or leader, we step down, and humble ourselves, to accept not a role as leader, but as servant, and allow others to be the same, that the whole room will get light.
In other words the entire community of believers, and the world around them can be lit by the fire of God, and the Holy Spirit can do His grandest work.
So what am I saying here, I am saying what Paul, said. Who is Paul, Who is Apollos, - who is the Pastor?
We can say we depend on the Father to be what we must be to the congregation, but can we say, I will depend on the Father to be what the congregation is to be.
We don’t most often because we fear, we anguish and worst than that, sometimes we are too proud to relinquish our phylactery, or robes, and tassels, to step down, and say, "look, I don’t have anything more than you, I don’t have the corner on truth, we together are here in the presence of The Truth and as a whole, He is the truth, and we will rely on Him."
Let us no longer, shut the grand doors of the gate, of the communion of believers coming together in fellowship, and let us quit telling the Holy Spirit, He will have to wait outside, until the service is over, or He can come in, as long, as you follow my directions, my program, my doctrine, my creeds, my belief system, my, my, my.... the "my" is what is killing the body and the long run will kill you.
Can’t we see, how in doing this, we have now stood in the place of God, declaring ourselves to be God, when all along, He is sitting there in the congregation before you, and in you, waiting, waiting, for us as Pastors to sit down and shut up, and listen...
We might just light another candle in the darkroom and then a whole bunch of candles get lit on fire by a sharing of the flame of the work of the Holy Spirit in each persons life.
I say, yes there is a time for teaching, or preaching but it must be a group decision, once the candles know how to burn on their own, but this doesn’t mean all we do is talk , we teach in the same manner Jesus did.
Jesus gave a story, He then would ask questions, then he would engage in conversation, and seeds were planted. - Thanks Brian for that one.
How can a Pastor or anyone learn, if we don’t hear. If all we do, is listen to our own taped sermon, or our own voice, to see how grand we sound, or persuasive, we miss out, on what was received, from what we said.
We wonder, why when we have worked so hard to deliver a SERMON, that seems to us, should effect everyone and we believe that it expresses the heart of God, that the body, sits there half asleep, half engaged in what is said, and half listening.
Ask most people when they leave, what the sermon, was about, they will tell you, "I don't know, but it was good."
We would never sit still for a college class where question aren’t asked, and answers given, and there is an exchange between students in Professors, why do we think that the Father would design fellowship to be ‘sit there be quiet, don’t ask questions."
This is not the way Jesus engaged the world or His own disciples. He engaged them into conversation, thought, questions, and conversation.
Jesus would start with a story an illustration.
The best teachers are one’s that give an illustration- a story, then ask questions of the pupils, then allows for conversation, to allow the seeds of truth to sink in.
Revelational truth that only the Holy Spirit can provide each of us is what truly teaches us.
Authoritarian teaching, teaches nothing but authority, engaged conversation teaches love.
You would be amazed at how much, so many of the saints you thought less of, in the assembly, that perhaps had more insight, more spiritual awareness, more growth, even then yourself at times. I speak that from former house church and organic fellowship experience.
The call for the Post Modern church is this, for it’s leaders for once to be real servants, and learn to listen, to shut up when necessary, and open the doors to others to speak, to teach, to preach, to sing, whatever the Holy Spirit would desire to do, within the context of reason and order.
I don’t believe in a bunch of chaos, but when organic church is practiced, it rarely happens, this is where, anyone of a group of people, not just the Pastor, can put the brakes on if led by the Spirit of God to do so.
I think scripture makes it clear, that more than one can prophesy, I am not talking about what is defined as Charismatic prophesying, but what is defined by scripture, "The Spirit of Prophecy, IS THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS CHRIST"....that’s why I love God’s Word, is that you will find order in it, that is clearly spelled out, if we will only look for God’s definitions in it, and not our own.
Let each one speak, the other sit down, and let the others judge. This is not a verbal bout, over whether it was right or wrong. It is the asking what was said encouraging, correcting, or teaching on our testimony of Jesus Christ, then it should be judged quietly by each heart, and then if someone has something to say, let them speak, let them engage on what was said, how it effected them.
Did it harm, then say so, did it encourage, then say so, did it correct us, then say so, did it give us a teaching, then say it and share it.
Was it in line with the Father of all Love and Creation. If the body has the Holy Spirit, and they are truly the body, there will be no bickering, no condemning, no putting down of others, but all will be done in love.
This is where the Holy Spirit will use someone I promise to speak out and say so, and it will be in union with what the Holy Spirit is saying in the others hearts as well. Do we trust Him?
Oh, what if I have a song to sing? Can I sing it, from my heart?
This is the big question for the Pastor and the Body to ask themselves,
Do we trust the Holy Spirit to be what Jesus said He would be, that He would guide us into all truth. He would speak of Jesus. Isn't that what we come together for, is to see the reality of a Resurrected Jesus, in each of us?
I can promise you, I have more than once tolerated sermons, and speakers, who were both off Scripture by a mile, and harmed more than they won over anyone with love.
Why? No one dared challenge, them, they are the “PASTOR”.
The man of God, the man with the Oracle of God.
Thinking like this is purely pagan in origin and is what creates the Jim Jones, and other false prophets, and teachers we here of today.
I pray, that this one thing, will be what the Post Modern Church will get, that they will finally catch onto, is the elimination of leaders and instead the making of servants and disciples, who are filled with Spirit,and the Wisdom of Christ.
I pray that Jesus Christ must be the central truth and means to salvation, and no not all religion, matter of fact, no religion, leads to God the Father, and that it's not a matter of being an organization that is willing to except anyone for anything they believe, but about being a person, that Christ lives through us, as us and in us, then He can do the soul winning, the drawing all men unto Himself, and we won't have to alienate others, but fact be known, there is no "church" - no ekklesia, without Christ as the central truth, Buddha, Confucious, none of those religions will make the "called out one's of God. They can be drawn in, loved in, and even taught in, but without love, what good is winning someone to a doctrine, rather than a person, and this absolute has to stand, to be called "Christian", Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
When God works, we rest, when we work, He can't and won't rest until we learn to allow Him to take the reigns of all of our life, individually and in community.
Let us in the coming days, not experiment, not create cell churches, not start groups, or even new movements, let us come together as the Early body of Christ did, in harmony, in love and in equality, open to allow the candles to be lit. I believe in my heart, that we could once again, turn the world upside down for Jesus!
Let's quit experimentation, let's abandon dead works, elitist leaders, love of money and power, and let's make Christ and His people- all equal, and love the foundation of all we think and do, and there won't be any need for a new movement, or the emergent church or the old church, there will be Christ! Standing out as a light to the world, and the salt of this earth that every religion can see, and they will be drawn to that light, and desire it above all things, as well.
Doctor J.
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Thursday, November 4, 2010
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
The Emergent Church
I think the Father is using this to draw the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy away from set in stone doctrine or traditional doctrines not based on the Word of God, and even practices which aren't based on the Apostolic tradition, it will make them think I pray and move more toward the centrality of Christ and Him alone along with community, and action toward the world.’ Ah! in other words, let’s let the Spirit of God to do the teaching, and let’s live it out in community, and toward all the world.
This is a very good thing, because as Post Modern , it is calling on the Orthodox to a more Generous Orthodoxy. It is a break away from the scientific, rationality of the period of Enlightenment, which is why so many people are stuck in trying to figure the Father and Jesus out, rationally rather than living in Him experientially and leaving it at that. One's Orthodoxy is narrowed down to just words, but to the life within, the life of Christ within them. Now there is an orthodoxy, don't get me wrong, I don't buy the entire emergent churches message, in some of what I am hearing. I think yes, we must be absolute that having been born of the Spirit and Christ being that resurrected life, we must believe He is the only way to eternal life, which isn't defined by the afterlife effect, to often we have traditionally sold this to mean- heaven, but Christ defined it as this - to know the one true God and His Son whom He sent, Jesus Christ, of course then entails more than a head or doctrinal knowledge or asset to who he is, but a real life, where the rubber meets the road, intimate relationship with His presence in our life, which is lived out in God's defined love toward others.
It is like I have said many times. Each Christian man’s truth is his truth, but that truth isn’t related to which doctrine, eschatology, which one is absolutely correct, or truth, Truth is only embodied in Jesus Christ alone, and that relationship to Him and His life within you, though it may draw you in inwardly to see yourself for who you really are, and why you need Christ, but it will not remain your individual little box to put God in, but if it is truth it will take you outwardly to confront and engage the world around you in love and compassion, mercy and God’s justice not men’s concept of it. It will lead others to Christ, without having to use words to condemn, but love to win.
It is for this reason I no longer accept the Penal Substitution atonement as absolute, but rely and believe more in the Christus Victor, atonement. Explanations for what the Father did through the Son is still mere words, and concepts of men. I think Christus Victor atonement brings and relates more to who the REAL HEAVENLY FATHER IS by recognition from the story, and my experience, and not the doctrines of men.
The Penal Substitution Atonement Theorem to me is based on the fear of God, like in the Old Testament, rather than the love of God as expressed in the New Testament. "Perfect love casts out fear."
Anyway read this -
Brian D. McLaren has written several books, the first one I have peeked at on Amazon, is “The Secret Message of Jesus, and this one http://www.amazon.com/Generous-Orthodoxy-conservative-contemplative-fundamentalist/dp/0310258030/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1288804759&sr=1-2#reader_0310258030
Actually he has written several books not just these few. I still see the greatest failure of the Orthodox is to judge those that aren’t or who to try to reshape Orthodoxy to perhaps fit society (Materialism), but in the end only reduce Christ to a feel good sermon, or less than who he is, and they create a God once more in their image, rather then the image provided to us in the Flesh- Jesus Christ.
At least with the Emerging Church, they are not approaching God, centered on Orthodoxy ( defining what is acceptable and true doctrine of which no matter what or how you live, if you believe these things, then you are OK with me) but on Orthopraxy ( the living out in practice of the truth- the life of Christ within)
See Orthodoxy may hold a few tenants of definable truth but the only real truth is Jesus Christ being the central one, but those tenants of faith and doctrine have changed over history, and time, and are still argued today. Calvinist, versus Armenians, Catholics versus Protestants, Universalism, Limited Grace, etc.
Whereas, the life, the action, the move, the missional, the doing, has never changed, for we cannot argue or disagree on the story of Jesus, or the life he lived. The division comes down to when we try to explain in inept words, rather than just allowing the Spirit to do it, in us, as us, and through us.
Don't get me wrong, to say you can have that intimate knowledge of God, through religion any religion other than a relationship with Christ, I don't believe that.
I don't believe in the Emergent Churches, lack to define this, and don't accept their idea, that all religion, can get you to the Father. Matter of fact I believe even Christian " religion" will not get you to the Father or the Son, there must be genuine change of heart, and a new birth from the incoming presence of Christ, coming to live within you. Now no matter what the Emergent Church may say, if we let that go, then you can't even be a "Christian." You might be religious, and even globally religious, is what I saw at the Glenn Beck rally- which I didn't agree with. He is buying the one world religion baloney, that I fear the Emergent Church may sadly be moving toward. We don't need a one world religion, we need people throughout the world to be born of Him!
We must not be tossed about by every wind of doctrine, and the way to avoid that is to make Christ center of it all. One must eliminate the questions, of whose, right on all the issues of eschatology, theology, etc. and get to the basic, the center of what faith is, it is a relationship with Christ, an experiential one as well as the story as revealed in Scripture, but that doesn’t remain in a inward focus, I’m right and everybody else is wrong, it must result in a reaching out to a world that is hurt, lost, and in need, but not to bring them in for our specific doctrine, or orthodoxy or even our so called “truths” but, in bringing God’s justice to a world that doesn’t know it. This becomes the revealing of the real Jesus, who reveals the real Father. His justice is compassion and mercy, not judgment and condemnation, or dividing up in little groups of creed or doctrine, or even eschatology for that matter, there must be a hands across the table compassion to everyone, for this was the life that Jesus lived, right down to what took him to the cross.
We avoid this in our lives, because to be radically different, not necessarily in our statements of faith, or creed or doctrine, but in the way that we differ is our absolute surrender of love toward the Father, by the Son, to the absolute surrender to love others, at no matter what the cost, even the Cross.
This is why we generally avoid, love, mercy, or even justice, is because it will cost us to much, it is to take up our Cross daily and follow Him, because in the end, it all leads us to Calvary, but what better, then to die to ourselves, and the way this world does things, and do it the Jesus way. What better than to die at that cross with Him, and see the morning dawn in our resurrection. Our true resurrection as we become Him, in life, word and deed,
We cannot discount the thousands of Christians, missionaries, Pastors, and others who have lived that life, and even given up their lives for the sake of others, for though they may have had titles, and even been called great by men, if we look at them, many of them carefully and reserve judgment for God, we will see, their hands scarred like Jesus. We will see a life, that touched the lives of others in ways and means that you and I have never approached yet. Thus do we discount the many that maybe they weren't Orthodox in the sense of what we or the group we belong to defines it thus. Protestants in general will never see the good, of the Mother Teresa's or the St. Francis of Assisi's because they hold to much prejudice against Catholicism. Yet, their lives, regardless of trying to define or judge what their reasons were for doing it, by their Orthodoxy, we must and have to say, the results were real because of their Orthopraxy, the lives they touched and lifted from out of despair to hope. This is the life of Jesus, not some sitting in our living rooms and placating ourselves, with an hour of CBN or TBN. It's not an hour of Sunday sermon, 10 minutes of Bible reading, and ten percent of our money, it's not a prayer before our meals or bedtime, it is the life of Christ, lived out in us, as us, and through us, and all that we do and say. That message is love for God and love for others above all things, and to love like Jesus loved will cost you everything, even your Orthodoxy at times.
I am not disparaging those who may do so, for they may just be right where God wants them for the moment, but if that moment, turns into a lifetime, can we say, that they had true faith. For Faith without works is DEAD! This is where the rubber meets the road.
We can go to church on Sunday, but when our lives are lived out just like the rest of the world who live in despair and hopelessness, because we are individualistic, materialistic, and self worshiping, and self serving, what good is our faith. What if Jesus would have remained a Carpenter, and not have changed his occupation to Fisher of men and become the Itinerent Preacher who empowered the powerless, the unloved, the dredges of society, and just preached, and that was it, and then died. Would we still see God as love? No, as the people said, he spoke with authority, not like the Pharisees, and the Scribes, you can talk all day long about love, but unless I see it, in the love that is expressed as Jesus expressed it, your words, deafen me. Jesus words didn't deafen the Pharisees, they challenged them, they chose to put their own fingers in their ears, for to listen would have required change, loss of title, loss of recognition, loss of being self righteous to become humbled and give up the things so cherished, that they valued their lives on, their sense of pride.
They are as most of us, we dare not walk away from all that we own and have, and give our lives, to reaching out to those less fortunate then we are - why others would say were foolish, irresponsible, and all the things, that put man in bondage and offer us no freedom at all of our Spirit to break away from the commonplace, the common sense. Thus the rich young ruler could live the Orthodox, the keeping of the Law, but he could not go and sell all that he had, and give it to the poor, for that would have cost him everything, thus it is often our comforts in life, that quench the Spirit of God in our lives, to really know and experience the Kingdom of God.
Yes, there may be many who did things for the wrong motive, but who are we to judge what their motives were. If the fruit is good, so isn’t the tree, if they be not against us, as Jesus told the disciples, they are for us.... This is what we must look at, there are Catholics, Protestants, and others, of all groups in some way , at sometime, that had individuals within them, even as today there are, that knew, Christ was the center of it all, and that, living that out, was to die to self, and live for God, right down to the cross, so even great saints of the church, like St. Francis of Assisi, understood that, whether he was Catholic or not, he gave his life in love, to the centrality of Christ, in love toward his fellow man, especially those, like Christ did, the very one’s the world rejects, hates, judges, disdains, the dredge of society, the poor, the downtrodden, the unsuccessful, the prisoner, the hungry, the thirsty, the sick, this is the life of Christ lived out, not in an individual cocoon of self righteousness, or self assertiveness, that I am correct and everyone else is wrong, it is the fruit of giving in missional life, that proves the tree. The tree is worthless, if our life, is just another, business as usual even if we go about saying the name of Jesus or arguing a new or old doctrine, what worth is it? What good does it do? If we do not offer the hope, and the reality of love to those we meet, in a sacrificial way, for to do good to those who deserve no good, is to definitely, find ourselves, in precarious situations in the eyes of the world, matter of fact, it will stir up the anger, of those who have bit into and lived the lie of the ages, of good versus evil, rather than holiness, which is only achieved by a life lost to Christ and to the Cross. This is the only resurrection that can be achieved, is when we die to us, no matter how painful or dreadful, we lay down our lives for others in the larger community of the world, then just to think, that we really are doing something, by going to work everyday, and bringing home a dime or two. Though for some that is fine, but it is what do we do with that dime or two, are we willing to let it go, to reach out, and lift up those without hope or sustenance. Do we only take enough as Paul taught to be content with food and clothing, or have we drowned out the cry of the hurting, the loss, those without any hope, in exchange for our own comforts, of society and family.. any real faith, or faith that is real, will be expressed in your personal loss, and someone else's gain.
This cannot be done alone, it does take Community, and a heart for others, but it must be a heart, not superficial or an attempt to appease God or men, but in the reality of the life of Christ in us, that moves us, for this is the work of the Spirit in our lives.
In every case, we see, where the Spirit of God, is, He is gentle but forceful, silent but active, always creating life anew. Christ is the center of all of it, this is what I believe and though not in perfection have reached for constantly, to be continually broken and of a contrite heart, so that He can renew, create, and move within me, to live out His life first and foremost through me, to a world, that needs light and salt. Light can hurt our eyes, and salt can sting, it is only when we know the benefit of these, that light becomes good to us, it dispels the darkness, not just for us, but to all of those around us, and salt, is healing, and flavorable, and it feeds the spirit, and flavors the spirit, and brings, flavor to the stale food of life that many around us, may be experiencing. I wished I could only put in words, what I feel in my heart, and what I know to be true, but then, if I could, someone would turn it into a doctrine, or orthodoxy, or creed or doctrine, and it would become the yeast of the Pharisees, this is where Theology has erred, it has attempted with scientific reason, most limited, by the human mind and linguistics, to put into words what can only be known in the heart, and this is why, we have such division, because each man tries to find the right one, that points to his present experience, with God, and there is no, right one way to express the truths of God, because the Father encompasses all of human experience, travail, pain, wonder, love, art and more. He is in all through all things of the human experience, relating Himself to us, and we must never sit down, and draw up, a decree.. of who he is, or what he is, or how he is, but only look to the one, that was He- Jesus Christ, what does the story say, it’s not about the Words as much as what the story tells us, about the Father as lived out, and by the Son, why He was here. This is where we miss it, we don’t see the story, we see, words, and we try to encapsulate and extrapolate, on these, instead, of allowing them to be the very soul and heart of the Father, our Creator, the one who is love without bounds, mercy without judgement, compassion without condemnation, He is always reaching out, touching and healing the sick, making the blind see, opening the eyes of the deaf, casting out the evil that binds men, raising the dead, feeding the hungry, this is God, expressed through the flesh and blood of His Son, and how He expresses himself, in those who are born of His Spirit, washed in that precious blood, crucified to self, raised in newness of life. This is what effects the world around us, and we often don't understand, why some people seemed to be blessed, when they in our Orthodox opinion are so evil.
See we have put the Father in a box, of good versus evil, rather than that which the story tell us, For Christ died for YOU and ME and ALL while we were yet sinners. For Jesus said, He gives rain to the just and the unjust. Be ye therefore perfect as your Heavenly Father. How?
Treat Orthopraxy as more important then Orthodoxy, and life changes will come, you will begin to love as He did, the undeserving, and perhaps even learn to love yourself. In truth, when Christ is lived in us, as us, and through us, we can say, we are Orthodox, and isn't always going to be down the line, of any particular denomination, creed, sect or other. It will be in line with the life of Christ in us.
It is not an easy road, it is the road to Calvary, but it is easy, because He is inside, we can draw upon Him, wait in Him, live in Him, but it ALL comes down, to Him! See Jesus is Lord, not you, not I, not Catholicism, or Protestantism or any of our "ism's" - He is Lord!
Joe
Your brother in Christ and in Him alone always,
This is a very good thing, because as Post Modern , it is calling on the Orthodox to a more Generous Orthodoxy. It is a break away from the scientific, rationality of the period of Enlightenment, which is why so many people are stuck in trying to figure the Father and Jesus out, rationally rather than living in Him experientially and leaving it at that. One's Orthodoxy is narrowed down to just words, but to the life within, the life of Christ within them. Now there is an orthodoxy, don't get me wrong, I don't buy the entire emergent churches message, in some of what I am hearing. I think yes, we must be absolute that having been born of the Spirit and Christ being that resurrected life, we must believe He is the only way to eternal life, which isn't defined by the afterlife effect, to often we have traditionally sold this to mean- heaven, but Christ defined it as this - to know the one true God and His Son whom He sent, Jesus Christ, of course then entails more than a head or doctrinal knowledge or asset to who he is, but a real life, where the rubber meets the road, intimate relationship with His presence in our life, which is lived out in God's defined love toward others.
It is like I have said many times. Each Christian man’s truth is his truth, but that truth isn’t related to which doctrine, eschatology, which one is absolutely correct, or truth, Truth is only embodied in Jesus Christ alone, and that relationship to Him and His life within you, though it may draw you in inwardly to see yourself for who you really are, and why you need Christ, but it will not remain your individual little box to put God in, but if it is truth it will take you outwardly to confront and engage the world around you in love and compassion, mercy and God’s justice not men’s concept of it. It will lead others to Christ, without having to use words to condemn, but love to win.
It is for this reason I no longer accept the Penal Substitution atonement as absolute, but rely and believe more in the Christus Victor, atonement. Explanations for what the Father did through the Son is still mere words, and concepts of men. I think Christus Victor atonement brings and relates more to who the REAL HEAVENLY FATHER IS by recognition from the story, and my experience, and not the doctrines of men.
The Penal Substitution Atonement Theorem to me is based on the fear of God, like in the Old Testament, rather than the love of God as expressed in the New Testament. "Perfect love casts out fear."
Anyway read this -
Brian D. McLaren has written several books, the first one I have peeked at on Amazon, is “The Secret Message of Jesus, and this one http://www.amazon.com/Generous-Orthodoxy-conservative-contemplative-fundamentalist/dp/0310258030/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1288804759&sr=1-2#reader_0310258030
Actually he has written several books not just these few. I still see the greatest failure of the Orthodox is to judge those that aren’t or who to try to reshape Orthodoxy to perhaps fit society (Materialism), but in the end only reduce Christ to a feel good sermon, or less than who he is, and they create a God once more in their image, rather then the image provided to us in the Flesh- Jesus Christ.
At least with the Emerging Church, they are not approaching God, centered on Orthodoxy ( defining what is acceptable and true doctrine of which no matter what or how you live, if you believe these things, then you are OK with me) but on Orthopraxy ( the living out in practice of the truth- the life of Christ within)
See Orthodoxy may hold a few tenants of definable truth but the only real truth is Jesus Christ being the central one, but those tenants of faith and doctrine have changed over history, and time, and are still argued today. Calvinist, versus Armenians, Catholics versus Protestants, Universalism, Limited Grace, etc.
Whereas, the life, the action, the move, the missional, the doing, has never changed, for we cannot argue or disagree on the story of Jesus, or the life he lived. The division comes down to when we try to explain in inept words, rather than just allowing the Spirit to do it, in us, as us, and through us.
Don't get me wrong, to say you can have that intimate knowledge of God, through religion any religion other than a relationship with Christ, I don't believe that.
I don't believe in the Emergent Churches, lack to define this, and don't accept their idea, that all religion, can get you to the Father. Matter of fact I believe even Christian " religion" will not get you to the Father or the Son, there must be genuine change of heart, and a new birth from the incoming presence of Christ, coming to live within you. Now no matter what the Emergent Church may say, if we let that go, then you can't even be a "Christian." You might be religious, and even globally religious, is what I saw at the Glenn Beck rally- which I didn't agree with. He is buying the one world religion baloney, that I fear the Emergent Church may sadly be moving toward. We don't need a one world religion, we need people throughout the world to be born of Him!
We must not be tossed about by every wind of doctrine, and the way to avoid that is to make Christ center of it all. One must eliminate the questions, of whose, right on all the issues of eschatology, theology, etc. and get to the basic, the center of what faith is, it is a relationship with Christ, an experiential one as well as the story as revealed in Scripture, but that doesn’t remain in a inward focus, I’m right and everybody else is wrong, it must result in a reaching out to a world that is hurt, lost, and in need, but not to bring them in for our specific doctrine, or orthodoxy or even our so called “truths” but, in bringing God’s justice to a world that doesn’t know it. This becomes the revealing of the real Jesus, who reveals the real Father. His justice is compassion and mercy, not judgment and condemnation, or dividing up in little groups of creed or doctrine, or even eschatology for that matter, there must be a hands across the table compassion to everyone, for this was the life that Jesus lived, right down to what took him to the cross.
We avoid this in our lives, because to be radically different, not necessarily in our statements of faith, or creed or doctrine, but in the way that we differ is our absolute surrender of love toward the Father, by the Son, to the absolute surrender to love others, at no matter what the cost, even the Cross.
This is why we generally avoid, love, mercy, or even justice, is because it will cost us to much, it is to take up our Cross daily and follow Him, because in the end, it all leads us to Calvary, but what better, then to die to ourselves, and the way this world does things, and do it the Jesus way. What better than to die at that cross with Him, and see the morning dawn in our resurrection. Our true resurrection as we become Him, in life, word and deed,
We cannot discount the thousands of Christians, missionaries, Pastors, and others who have lived that life, and even given up their lives for the sake of others, for though they may have had titles, and even been called great by men, if we look at them, many of them carefully and reserve judgment for God, we will see, their hands scarred like Jesus. We will see a life, that touched the lives of others in ways and means that you and I have never approached yet. Thus do we discount the many that maybe they weren't Orthodox in the sense of what we or the group we belong to defines it thus. Protestants in general will never see the good, of the Mother Teresa's or the St. Francis of Assisi's because they hold to much prejudice against Catholicism. Yet, their lives, regardless of trying to define or judge what their reasons were for doing it, by their Orthodoxy, we must and have to say, the results were real because of their Orthopraxy, the lives they touched and lifted from out of despair to hope. This is the life of Jesus, not some sitting in our living rooms and placating ourselves, with an hour of CBN or TBN. It's not an hour of Sunday sermon, 10 minutes of Bible reading, and ten percent of our money, it's not a prayer before our meals or bedtime, it is the life of Christ, lived out in us, as us, and through us, and all that we do and say. That message is love for God and love for others above all things, and to love like Jesus loved will cost you everything, even your Orthodoxy at times.
I am not disparaging those who may do so, for they may just be right where God wants them for the moment, but if that moment, turns into a lifetime, can we say, that they had true faith. For Faith without works is DEAD! This is where the rubber meets the road.
We can go to church on Sunday, but when our lives are lived out just like the rest of the world who live in despair and hopelessness, because we are individualistic, materialistic, and self worshiping, and self serving, what good is our faith. What if Jesus would have remained a Carpenter, and not have changed his occupation to Fisher of men and become the Itinerent Preacher who empowered the powerless, the unloved, the dredges of society, and just preached, and that was it, and then died. Would we still see God as love? No, as the people said, he spoke with authority, not like the Pharisees, and the Scribes, you can talk all day long about love, but unless I see it, in the love that is expressed as Jesus expressed it, your words, deafen me. Jesus words didn't deafen the Pharisees, they challenged them, they chose to put their own fingers in their ears, for to listen would have required change, loss of title, loss of recognition, loss of being self righteous to become humbled and give up the things so cherished, that they valued their lives on, their sense of pride.
They are as most of us, we dare not walk away from all that we own and have, and give our lives, to reaching out to those less fortunate then we are - why others would say were foolish, irresponsible, and all the things, that put man in bondage and offer us no freedom at all of our Spirit to break away from the commonplace, the common sense. Thus the rich young ruler could live the Orthodox, the keeping of the Law, but he could not go and sell all that he had, and give it to the poor, for that would have cost him everything, thus it is often our comforts in life, that quench the Spirit of God in our lives, to really know and experience the Kingdom of God.
Yes, there may be many who did things for the wrong motive, but who are we to judge what their motives were. If the fruit is good, so isn’t the tree, if they be not against us, as Jesus told the disciples, they are for us.... This is what we must look at, there are Catholics, Protestants, and others, of all groups in some way , at sometime, that had individuals within them, even as today there are, that knew, Christ was the center of it all, and that, living that out, was to die to self, and live for God, right down to the cross, so even great saints of the church, like St. Francis of Assisi, understood that, whether he was Catholic or not, he gave his life in love, to the centrality of Christ, in love toward his fellow man, especially those, like Christ did, the very one’s the world rejects, hates, judges, disdains, the dredge of society, the poor, the downtrodden, the unsuccessful, the prisoner, the hungry, the thirsty, the sick, this is the life of Christ lived out, not in an individual cocoon of self righteousness, or self assertiveness, that I am correct and everyone else is wrong, it is the fruit of giving in missional life, that proves the tree. The tree is worthless, if our life, is just another, business as usual even if we go about saying the name of Jesus or arguing a new or old doctrine, what worth is it? What good does it do? If we do not offer the hope, and the reality of love to those we meet, in a sacrificial way, for to do good to those who deserve no good, is to definitely, find ourselves, in precarious situations in the eyes of the world, matter of fact, it will stir up the anger, of those who have bit into and lived the lie of the ages, of good versus evil, rather than holiness, which is only achieved by a life lost to Christ and to the Cross. This is the only resurrection that can be achieved, is when we die to us, no matter how painful or dreadful, we lay down our lives for others in the larger community of the world, then just to think, that we really are doing something, by going to work everyday, and bringing home a dime or two. Though for some that is fine, but it is what do we do with that dime or two, are we willing to let it go, to reach out, and lift up those without hope or sustenance. Do we only take enough as Paul taught to be content with food and clothing, or have we drowned out the cry of the hurting, the loss, those without any hope, in exchange for our own comforts, of society and family.. any real faith, or faith that is real, will be expressed in your personal loss, and someone else's gain.
This cannot be done alone, it does take Community, and a heart for others, but it must be a heart, not superficial or an attempt to appease God or men, but in the reality of the life of Christ in us, that moves us, for this is the work of the Spirit in our lives.
In every case, we see, where the Spirit of God, is, He is gentle but forceful, silent but active, always creating life anew. Christ is the center of all of it, this is what I believe and though not in perfection have reached for constantly, to be continually broken and of a contrite heart, so that He can renew, create, and move within me, to live out His life first and foremost through me, to a world, that needs light and salt. Light can hurt our eyes, and salt can sting, it is only when we know the benefit of these, that light becomes good to us, it dispels the darkness, not just for us, but to all of those around us, and salt, is healing, and flavorable, and it feeds the spirit, and flavors the spirit, and brings, flavor to the stale food of life that many around us, may be experiencing. I wished I could only put in words, what I feel in my heart, and what I know to be true, but then, if I could, someone would turn it into a doctrine, or orthodoxy, or creed or doctrine, and it would become the yeast of the Pharisees, this is where Theology has erred, it has attempted with scientific reason, most limited, by the human mind and linguistics, to put into words what can only be known in the heart, and this is why, we have such division, because each man tries to find the right one, that points to his present experience, with God, and there is no, right one way to express the truths of God, because the Father encompasses all of human experience, travail, pain, wonder, love, art and more. He is in all through all things of the human experience, relating Himself to us, and we must never sit down, and draw up, a decree.. of who he is, or what he is, or how he is, but only look to the one, that was He- Jesus Christ, what does the story say, it’s not about the Words as much as what the story tells us, about the Father as lived out, and by the Son, why He was here. This is where we miss it, we don’t see the story, we see, words, and we try to encapsulate and extrapolate, on these, instead, of allowing them to be the very soul and heart of the Father, our Creator, the one who is love without bounds, mercy without judgement, compassion without condemnation, He is always reaching out, touching and healing the sick, making the blind see, opening the eyes of the deaf, casting out the evil that binds men, raising the dead, feeding the hungry, this is God, expressed through the flesh and blood of His Son, and how He expresses himself, in those who are born of His Spirit, washed in that precious blood, crucified to self, raised in newness of life. This is what effects the world around us, and we often don't understand, why some people seemed to be blessed, when they in our Orthodox opinion are so evil.
See we have put the Father in a box, of good versus evil, rather than that which the story tell us, For Christ died for YOU and ME and ALL while we were yet sinners. For Jesus said, He gives rain to the just and the unjust. Be ye therefore perfect as your Heavenly Father. How?
Treat Orthopraxy as more important then Orthodoxy, and life changes will come, you will begin to love as He did, the undeserving, and perhaps even learn to love yourself. In truth, when Christ is lived in us, as us, and through us, we can say, we are Orthodox, and isn't always going to be down the line, of any particular denomination, creed, sect or other. It will be in line with the life of Christ in us.
It is not an easy road, it is the road to Calvary, but it is easy, because He is inside, we can draw upon Him, wait in Him, live in Him, but it ALL comes down, to Him! See Jesus is Lord, not you, not I, not Catholicism, or Protestantism or any of our "ism's" - He is Lord!
Joe
Your brother in Christ and in Him alone always,
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Since I Last Posted
Well, what can I say. I'm getting old. So, I decided it was time, to get my Disability, too many days, out sick from jobs, never feeling good, and alas, I made the decision to move to New Mexico. The wife and I needed time apart anyway, to many quarrels. My parents needed help, they are in their upper 70's now, and Dad has cataracts he can't drive, Mom has a pacemaker, so I decided to move out here with them, and help care for them, while trying to get help myself.
The weather is great here, the skies are beautiful, and it is all more conducive to better health and living. I hate Texas. It's hot, humid, too many bugs, and there surely is not much scenery. I will say the green rolling hills and pastures in East Texas are pretty at times, but nothing compares to the beauty of the desert and mountains in the Southwest.
I just got through cooking my parents and I breakfast, at 2:30pm in the afternoon. Old people have weird habits, and if you live with them, you take on theirs. We stay up until perhaps 2-4 am every day, sleep until 12:00 or 2:00pm, then get up.
Well to make a long story short, I'm here for the long haul until I get word on the SS Decision. I pray and hope it goes through, as I would really like to move to Eureka Springs, Arkansas, the only place that I consider in the Central USA to be close in environment, people, the arts, etc, like Aspen, Colorado.
Aspen was probably my most favorite place to live along with Glenwood Springs, Colorado. I would stay in the Southwest but the distance is too great for me to see my wife and kids back in Texas. The trip from Arkansas would only be about 6-8 hours compared to an 16 - 18 hour trip home to see them from Albuquerque. I have made up my mind, going back to Texas is the last place I want to have to live. I hate Texas!
Yes, I lived there from 1991, until presently, and I can still say, I hate Texas, it took my first wife from me, we would have been married 27 years. It took my life from me, the job prospects there sucked, so I ended up no longer working private investigations or security management, after near 20 years of it. Of course, it was on and off once I did move to Texas. Texas is one of the States, that everything you do, depends on who you know. You can't find work without networking, no matter your experience, education or whatever. You have to play the game called suck up, butt kiss or whatever you want to call it, to survive there. I just never have been one for that game. Though, I have friends there, I know it may not sound like it, but I do. My best friend still lives there in Texas, and we talk by phone now and then. My other best friend moved to Arkansas, and wouldn't be too far away if I relocated there. He is off to College, getting his degree as a lawyer.
Life here is slow, I eat, sleep, write, and eat and sleep again. The rest has been good for me, no stress, and my creative juices, have been stirred again. The Southwest always inspired me, whether I was doing painting or photography. Since writing is one of my favorite things to do, I have managed to write a Christian fictional short story, that I now sell online. I am presently working on a novel, which is more tedious and painful. I have carpal tunnel syndrome and at night wake up with my entire arm from my wrist to my neck in pain. I have to write, so I take Mobic the doctor gave me to relieve the inflammation some, but it's one of the those drugs, that tears your digestive system up. I have Crohn's disease and diverticulitis, so the pills don't contribute to my well being, but at least the bathroom is only a few steps away. Writing is my therapy. I also suffer with PTSD and I have found if I write it somehow alleviates the problem some. I feel less stressed, less panicky, less depression, etc. So it helps, and I am going to do anything I can to help myself with that problem, because it is hard to live with at times. New medication has helped tremendously as well, though it can make you drowsy and tired, and one other side effect, it messes your stomach up as well.
Well enough of details on my health problems. Since I last posted, which has been sometime, I am here in the Southwest, and looking forward to completing my novel, and praying that this one, will sell, sell, sell. New York Bestsellers here I come!
The weather is great here, the skies are beautiful, and it is all more conducive to better health and living. I hate Texas. It's hot, humid, too many bugs, and there surely is not much scenery. I will say the green rolling hills and pastures in East Texas are pretty at times, but nothing compares to the beauty of the desert and mountains in the Southwest.
I just got through cooking my parents and I breakfast, at 2:30pm in the afternoon. Old people have weird habits, and if you live with them, you take on theirs. We stay up until perhaps 2-4 am every day, sleep until 12:00 or 2:00pm, then get up.
Well to make a long story short, I'm here for the long haul until I get word on the SS Decision. I pray and hope it goes through, as I would really like to move to Eureka Springs, Arkansas, the only place that I consider in the Central USA to be close in environment, people, the arts, etc, like Aspen, Colorado.
Aspen was probably my most favorite place to live along with Glenwood Springs, Colorado. I would stay in the Southwest but the distance is too great for me to see my wife and kids back in Texas. The trip from Arkansas would only be about 6-8 hours compared to an 16 - 18 hour trip home to see them from Albuquerque. I have made up my mind, going back to Texas is the last place I want to have to live. I hate Texas!
Yes, I lived there from 1991, until presently, and I can still say, I hate Texas, it took my first wife from me, we would have been married 27 years. It took my life from me, the job prospects there sucked, so I ended up no longer working private investigations or security management, after near 20 years of it. Of course, it was on and off once I did move to Texas. Texas is one of the States, that everything you do, depends on who you know. You can't find work without networking, no matter your experience, education or whatever. You have to play the game called suck up, butt kiss or whatever you want to call it, to survive there. I just never have been one for that game. Though, I have friends there, I know it may not sound like it, but I do. My best friend still lives there in Texas, and we talk by phone now and then. My other best friend moved to Arkansas, and wouldn't be too far away if I relocated there. He is off to College, getting his degree as a lawyer.
Life here is slow, I eat, sleep, write, and eat and sleep again. The rest has been good for me, no stress, and my creative juices, have been stirred again. The Southwest always inspired me, whether I was doing painting or photography. Since writing is one of my favorite things to do, I have managed to write a Christian fictional short story, that I now sell online. I am presently working on a novel, which is more tedious and painful. I have carpal tunnel syndrome and at night wake up with my entire arm from my wrist to my neck in pain. I have to write, so I take Mobic the doctor gave me to relieve the inflammation some, but it's one of the those drugs, that tears your digestive system up. I have Crohn's disease and diverticulitis, so the pills don't contribute to my well being, but at least the bathroom is only a few steps away. Writing is my therapy. I also suffer with PTSD and I have found if I write it somehow alleviates the problem some. I feel less stressed, less panicky, less depression, etc. So it helps, and I am going to do anything I can to help myself with that problem, because it is hard to live with at times. New medication has helped tremendously as well, though it can make you drowsy and tired, and one other side effect, it messes your stomach up as well.
Well enough of details on my health problems. Since I last posted, which has been sometime, I am here in the Southwest, and looking forward to completing my novel, and praying that this one, will sell, sell, sell. New York Bestsellers here I come!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
The Unforgiving Debtor
I often wonder why Christians are so unforgiving, often they are more unforgiving then others, of others sins against them. It seems that it must be that somehow they still have the idea, that they somehow stand before God on their own righteousness.
In the book of Matthew, we read of a story that Jesus uses to illustrate, not just how He is, but how our heavenly Father is, and how much more if we have the Spirit of Christ in us, we should be.
It is a story that you don't often here in today's "feel good about yourself" sermons or the hell fire and damnation sermons of judgmental preachers of doom.
I would like to repeat that story exactly here as Jesus tells it as written by Matthew, who understood this most of all. See Matthew was a tax collector, one of the most hated by the people of his time, as often they are in our time.
The point is not about money though, the point Jesus is making here is about our Father's relationship to us, and how much more our relationship should be with others. My quote is from the NIV Bible.
Matthew 18:20-35
21Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?"
22Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
23"Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. 25Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
26"The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.' 27The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
28"But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded.
29"His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.'
30"But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.
32"Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' 34In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
35"This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We see here Peter trying to be gracious, when he ask Jesus should I forgive SEVEN times? See for the Rabbi's taught that you only had to forgive someone only three times, and then that was it- your out.
Not so much different then the Noahdic laws we have adopted for society, most States have adopted this as the - "three times and your out law". This is defined as that once a person has committed a criminal act and been found guilty of one should they commit an act, any act a third time, they get life imprisonment.
This recently happened to a man who stole a candy bar, it was his 3rd time for a crime, and now he is serving a life sentence for that. Just? Justice?
Christians have adopted this thinking, just like the rest of the world. We seek to punish, to extract vengeance, to see that someone pays for their life of crime or harm they have done us.
Yet, here Jesus has just got through teaching on "whatsoever we bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever we loose shall be loosed in heaven". Here we think this gives us the power to bind and loose others, which in essence is what our Savoir is saying, but in a much more meaningful way then we consider.
So now he extrapolates even further his teaching with Peter's question.
Peter thought he was being gracious, using the complete number of "seven" times, but watch what Jesus does with his graciousness, which is limited, like our own at most times in this life in our dealings with others and even our laws of our land.
The body of Christ, His bride, His "church" is to be separate from the world's thinking, separate from the world's ways of doing things. This is why even Paul in his teaching in the book of Corinthians, corrects the Christians who would sue one another for not bringing it before the body of Christ instead of the world. How often are Christians doing that these days, in direct contradiction to a clear directive from Paul. Where did Paul get such a teaching from? Did Paul just make it up as he went along. Did Paul develop some new church doctrine? I tell you, no, he did not.
We will see that he got it from Jesus teaching. For Paul who once sought to kill and murder and destroy, what he considered "the chosen nation of God's" enemy, Christians, his heart had been changed by an encounter with the "real Jesus Christ", not the fictional one of tradition and mens teachings as we have so much of today.
Does Jesus apply this to the whole of governments of the world? Most often not. This teaching will never be understood by the world or it's governments. It's very simple to know the reason why, because we know, no matter what government, it is not God's government, it is not His Kingdom. This is not to say he doesn't allow men to govern, he does, but He has not chosen them as representatives of Himself, history proves otherwise.
All governments which are merely made of people, fall under the same condemnation we all do- "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Yes, even the United States, no less and no more then others.
Once again Jesus shows that those in His government, His kingdom are Kingdom people, that we are to be separate from the world, in all our dealings with others, and how we perceive individuals should be treated. Christ doesn't limit the forgiveness that God give us, nor that which was given to us, when He looked down from the cross and said, "Father forgive them".
Christ tells Peter, "I tell you, not seven times; but seventy times seven."
Why does Jesus give this number? Seven is a complete number under Jewish belief, but even Seven has an ending to it, though what was considered a perfect number. Seventy times Seven is an infinite number, meaning there is no end to it. Thus Jesus says, "Be ye perfect as your heavenly Father is" in His Sermon on the Mount.
Oh! how the body of Christ kicks this one out the door because of our religiosity at times. most often as individuals, we have forgotten who we were and who we are, a forgiven people.
We are a people that deserve no less than the death sentence for our sins.
Eternal spiritual separation from our Father in heaven, if He thought and acted as we do that would be all of our fates. But the Good News is: He doesn't!
Jesus emphasizes this again, the forgiveness for which we have been given, and in Matthew 6:14, where He has once already spoken this explaining once again to us what we like to repeat together as the Lord's prayer with little attention paid to it's words.
14"For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you." Jesus speaks to us, again from the heart of our heavenly Father.
Previous to this, Jesus has again painted not only a very clear picture for the body of Christ as to the will of our Father in heaven, but He give us more insight to the way our Father deals with us and all mankind, whether just or unjust.
Let us read this together- Matthew 5:43-47
43"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?
There it is in a nutshell. "Do not even pagans do that?" He tells them in regards to their treatment of others, do you only treat those that are good to you that treat you good, do you only treat those that you consider just with goodness? If so, then I will say it no clearer then He did, how can you call yourself sons of the living God?
You say, " I am a Christian", yet are your thoughts the same as that of the world when it comes to justice, or the treatment of others who have offended you? Think again. What makes you any different then they?
When 911 happened, I was sure that President Bush who claimed to be a Christian would call for prayer and only prayer. Instead I heard him cry for vengeance!
I heard then tens of thousands of Christians following right behind him and saying the same.
It wasn't until the teachings of a Catholic monk, Augustine that the body of Christ even considered nullifying the Word of God for the traditions of men, with his concept and teaching of "justified war". No disciple of Christ had even considered such until Augustine, they didn't take up sword, except the one time, Peter did, and Our Lord, told him to put it away. Those who live by the sword, die by the sword, so here we are again, with thousands of young men coming home in caskets from abroad.
The body of Christ has given precedent to this Monk, more then the Word of God, or even considering who they are, and just how, they were saved. Too often the false doctrine of men having a "free will" has pervaded the "church", rather then the Word of God, that reveals it is the Father that draws us and that we couldn't save ourselves if we tried!
Jesus makes this clear when Peter tells Him that He is the Son of God, Jesus in turn tells Peter, that is the Father who has revealed that to him! His body, are the people that the Father has revealed himself to.
The world will never fathom who Jesus Christ is, until His people, those claiming that the very resurrected life of Christ through the Holy Spirit is alive in them, begin to think and act, as Jesus did and does. As long as we sound like the world, look like the world and act like the world, they will never see Jesus Christ for whom He is the "Prince of Peace."
There can be no peace in this world even among believers as long as each one has been harmed by another, and they find no forgiveness for one another. There can be no love, in a world that hates and is at constant war with others. We pray, " thy kingdom come, thy will be done", but then in the next breath, we express words of hatred, and discord against anyone, any nation, any group of people that we perceive that have harmed us.
Once again, just like the Pharisees, we have nullified the Word of God, for the traditions of men!
When will the body of Christ ever get it right?
When I ask, when?
I will tell you when, when the body of Christ opens their hearts and their ears to truth, inexplicable truth and the Word of God, the living Word- Jesus Himself. No greater love can one have...
We even have erroneously converted the act of God, as one of punishment, on Christ for us. God is not angry folks, he is not the God of the shadowy Old Testament, but the revealed truth in that one person, that loved the unloved, and brought salvation to all of us, who did not deserve it. If God was a God of the justice that men portray Him to be, He would never have allowed His Son, to go to the Cross, rather each one of us would get what we deserved individually and directed at us as such, not at His only begotten Son.
We each of us right now, would still be " dead in sin and trespasses", and God wouldn't lift a finger to deliver us from the death which we were in.
See, "Christ died for us, while we were yet His enemies!"
How willing are you to love others, forgive others, act differently from this world. Justice, Our Father in heaven's "justice" is compassion and mercy to those who have offended Him how much more if we claim to have God as our Father should we show compassion and mercy to all men.
BTW- there is a payment for not doing so- Jesus warned- we shall be treated as we treat others for sure by our Father, He will allow this, to drive out the hatred in our lives, to bring us to his compassion and mercy, so that in seeing it, we too will become "perfect like our Heavenly Father is."
Read again the end of the story of the "Unforgiving Debtor". It's time for those who desire to call themselves by His name, to quit using His name in vain, and I am not talking about the proverbial curse word either. If we are who we claim to be, then forgiveness is the heart of God, mercy and compassion are the acts of God.
Will you forgive today, someone who has harmed you, done you wrong, or will you have to be tormented until you pay the last dime? I pray that you will forgive, not seven times, but infinitely as our Lord has taught us. God is love, we love because He first loved us. This is what will set us apart from the world, and the world will see we are the light of the world and the salt of this earth. Do we want to appear as a "Christian Nation" to the world, then perhaps we should exemplify rather then nullify, the life of Christ in our dealings with our neighbors, our family, our friends, and most of all with those that we perceive as our enemies! Believe it or not, there are those who do call themselves Christian who have done just that, just look to our Quaker and Anabaptist brethren, who have heeded the Word of God, and not twisted it like most American Protestants have. May the Lord give you the heart of Christ, and may He most of all teach you forgiveness and what true justice is.
Doctor J.
In the book of Matthew, we read of a story that Jesus uses to illustrate, not just how He is, but how our heavenly Father is, and how much more if we have the Spirit of Christ in us, we should be.
It is a story that you don't often here in today's "feel good about yourself" sermons or the hell fire and damnation sermons of judgmental preachers of doom.
I would like to repeat that story exactly here as Jesus tells it as written by Matthew, who understood this most of all. See Matthew was a tax collector, one of the most hated by the people of his time, as often they are in our time.
The point is not about money though, the point Jesus is making here is about our Father's relationship to us, and how much more our relationship should be with others. My quote is from the NIV Bible.
Matthew 18:20-35
21Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?"
22Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
23"Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. 25Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
26"The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.' 27The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
28"But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded.
29"His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.'
30"But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.
32"Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' 34In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
35"This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We see here Peter trying to be gracious, when he ask Jesus should I forgive SEVEN times? See for the Rabbi's taught that you only had to forgive someone only three times, and then that was it- your out.
Not so much different then the Noahdic laws we have adopted for society, most States have adopted this as the - "three times and your out law". This is defined as that once a person has committed a criminal act and been found guilty of one should they commit an act, any act a third time, they get life imprisonment.
This recently happened to a man who stole a candy bar, it was his 3rd time for a crime, and now he is serving a life sentence for that. Just? Justice?
Christians have adopted this thinking, just like the rest of the world. We seek to punish, to extract vengeance, to see that someone pays for their life of crime or harm they have done us.
Yet, here Jesus has just got through teaching on "whatsoever we bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever we loose shall be loosed in heaven". Here we think this gives us the power to bind and loose others, which in essence is what our Savoir is saying, but in a much more meaningful way then we consider.
So now he extrapolates even further his teaching with Peter's question.
Peter thought he was being gracious, using the complete number of "seven" times, but watch what Jesus does with his graciousness, which is limited, like our own at most times in this life in our dealings with others and even our laws of our land.
The body of Christ, His bride, His "church" is to be separate from the world's thinking, separate from the world's ways of doing things. This is why even Paul in his teaching in the book of Corinthians, corrects the Christians who would sue one another for not bringing it before the body of Christ instead of the world. How often are Christians doing that these days, in direct contradiction to a clear directive from Paul. Where did Paul get such a teaching from? Did Paul just make it up as he went along. Did Paul develop some new church doctrine? I tell you, no, he did not.
We will see that he got it from Jesus teaching. For Paul who once sought to kill and murder and destroy, what he considered "the chosen nation of God's" enemy, Christians, his heart had been changed by an encounter with the "real Jesus Christ", not the fictional one of tradition and mens teachings as we have so much of today.
Does Jesus apply this to the whole of governments of the world? Most often not. This teaching will never be understood by the world or it's governments. It's very simple to know the reason why, because we know, no matter what government, it is not God's government, it is not His Kingdom. This is not to say he doesn't allow men to govern, he does, but He has not chosen them as representatives of Himself, history proves otherwise.
All governments which are merely made of people, fall under the same condemnation we all do- "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Yes, even the United States, no less and no more then others.
Once again Jesus shows that those in His government, His kingdom are Kingdom people, that we are to be separate from the world, in all our dealings with others, and how we perceive individuals should be treated. Christ doesn't limit the forgiveness that God give us, nor that which was given to us, when He looked down from the cross and said, "Father forgive them".
Christ tells Peter, "I tell you, not seven times; but seventy times seven."
Why does Jesus give this number? Seven is a complete number under Jewish belief, but even Seven has an ending to it, though what was considered a perfect number. Seventy times Seven is an infinite number, meaning there is no end to it. Thus Jesus says, "Be ye perfect as your heavenly Father is" in His Sermon on the Mount.
Oh! how the body of Christ kicks this one out the door because of our religiosity at times. most often as individuals, we have forgotten who we were and who we are, a forgiven people.
We are a people that deserve no less than the death sentence for our sins.
Eternal spiritual separation from our Father in heaven, if He thought and acted as we do that would be all of our fates. But the Good News is: He doesn't!
Jesus emphasizes this again, the forgiveness for which we have been given, and in Matthew 6:14, where He has once already spoken this explaining once again to us what we like to repeat together as the Lord's prayer with little attention paid to it's words.
14"For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you." Jesus speaks to us, again from the heart of our heavenly Father.
Previous to this, Jesus has again painted not only a very clear picture for the body of Christ as to the will of our Father in heaven, but He give us more insight to the way our Father deals with us and all mankind, whether just or unjust.
Let us read this together- Matthew 5:43-47
43"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?
There it is in a nutshell. "Do not even pagans do that?" He tells them in regards to their treatment of others, do you only treat those that are good to you that treat you good, do you only treat those that you consider just with goodness? If so, then I will say it no clearer then He did, how can you call yourself sons of the living God?
You say, " I am a Christian", yet are your thoughts the same as that of the world when it comes to justice, or the treatment of others who have offended you? Think again. What makes you any different then they?
When 911 happened, I was sure that President Bush who claimed to be a Christian would call for prayer and only prayer. Instead I heard him cry for vengeance!
I heard then tens of thousands of Christians following right behind him and saying the same.
It wasn't until the teachings of a Catholic monk, Augustine that the body of Christ even considered nullifying the Word of God for the traditions of men, with his concept and teaching of "justified war". No disciple of Christ had even considered such until Augustine, they didn't take up sword, except the one time, Peter did, and Our Lord, told him to put it away. Those who live by the sword, die by the sword, so here we are again, with thousands of young men coming home in caskets from abroad.
The body of Christ has given precedent to this Monk, more then the Word of God, or even considering who they are, and just how, they were saved. Too often the false doctrine of men having a "free will" has pervaded the "church", rather then the Word of God, that reveals it is the Father that draws us and that we couldn't save ourselves if we tried!
Jesus makes this clear when Peter tells Him that He is the Son of God, Jesus in turn tells Peter, that is the Father who has revealed that to him! His body, are the people that the Father has revealed himself to.
The world will never fathom who Jesus Christ is, until His people, those claiming that the very resurrected life of Christ through the Holy Spirit is alive in them, begin to think and act, as Jesus did and does. As long as we sound like the world, look like the world and act like the world, they will never see Jesus Christ for whom He is the "Prince of Peace."
There can be no peace in this world even among believers as long as each one has been harmed by another, and they find no forgiveness for one another. There can be no love, in a world that hates and is at constant war with others. We pray, " thy kingdom come, thy will be done", but then in the next breath, we express words of hatred, and discord against anyone, any nation, any group of people that we perceive that have harmed us.
Once again, just like the Pharisees, we have nullified the Word of God, for the traditions of men!
When will the body of Christ ever get it right?
When I ask, when?
I will tell you when, when the body of Christ opens their hearts and their ears to truth, inexplicable truth and the Word of God, the living Word- Jesus Himself. No greater love can one have...
We even have erroneously converted the act of God, as one of punishment, on Christ for us. God is not angry folks, he is not the God of the shadowy Old Testament, but the revealed truth in that one person, that loved the unloved, and brought salvation to all of us, who did not deserve it. If God was a God of the justice that men portray Him to be, He would never have allowed His Son, to go to the Cross, rather each one of us would get what we deserved individually and directed at us as such, not at His only begotten Son.
We each of us right now, would still be " dead in sin and trespasses", and God wouldn't lift a finger to deliver us from the death which we were in.
See, "Christ died for us, while we were yet His enemies!"
How willing are you to love others, forgive others, act differently from this world. Justice, Our Father in heaven's "justice" is compassion and mercy to those who have offended Him how much more if we claim to have God as our Father should we show compassion and mercy to all men.
BTW- there is a payment for not doing so- Jesus warned- we shall be treated as we treat others for sure by our Father, He will allow this, to drive out the hatred in our lives, to bring us to his compassion and mercy, so that in seeing it, we too will become "perfect like our Heavenly Father is."
Read again the end of the story of the "Unforgiving Debtor". It's time for those who desire to call themselves by His name, to quit using His name in vain, and I am not talking about the proverbial curse word either. If we are who we claim to be, then forgiveness is the heart of God, mercy and compassion are the acts of God.
Will you forgive today, someone who has harmed you, done you wrong, or will you have to be tormented until you pay the last dime? I pray that you will forgive, not seven times, but infinitely as our Lord has taught us. God is love, we love because He first loved us. This is what will set us apart from the world, and the world will see we are the light of the world and the salt of this earth. Do we want to appear as a "Christian Nation" to the world, then perhaps we should exemplify rather then nullify, the life of Christ in our dealings with our neighbors, our family, our friends, and most of all with those that we perceive as our enemies! Believe it or not, there are those who do call themselves Christian who have done just that, just look to our Quaker and Anabaptist brethren, who have heeded the Word of God, and not twisted it like most American Protestants have. May the Lord give you the heart of Christ, and may He most of all teach you forgiveness and what true justice is.
Doctor J.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Published My First e-Book - "The Bondage"
I wanted to share with my readers my newest effort and accomplishment. I worked hard at this, as it is my dream to write for a living someday and to do photography along with it.
I have written a Christian fictional story entitled "The Bondage". It took several days just to get it corrected, rewritten, proofread, and then the correct conversion so it would be an eBook, that could be downloaded and read by eBook readers and the devices out there. I specifically made this one compatible for "The Nook", a Barnes and Noble eBook software, since I am making my first attempt at getting it sold retail online through them. I have also tested it on Adobe's Digital Edition, and it seems to read there as well, without any issues. The software to download is freely available from both companies. You can Google them.
The Bondage is a story that is timeless of love, romance, tragedy, healing and restoration.
The two main characters are a young man named James, and his wife Belle.
My story entails the search of two individuals in their search for meaning and purpose for their lives. The direction they turn to at first will lead to tragedy. .
It is the story of the tragedy that takes place often within many marriages when two people go opposite directions making their lives, the center of self.
The tragedy they encounter in their life, will both awaken them to their error and then to whom they must seek for the answer.
Joshua is the brother to James, and as young Christian counselor, he shows them the way to restoration and provides the means of their healing.
This story offers hope and light for all those who have struggled in this life for answers, and often found their lives end up in a shipwreck. It will give you answers to life's most difficult question, Who am I?
My story will give you hope and healing from the very Word of God.
It is a Christian fiction book, but the scenario could be any of our stories, and how we may have or haven't yet, come to know the one true hope that is offered us.
My prayer is that the community of Christians out there will support my writing of this book, as I plan to write more.
Christian authors, artist, painters, poets, actors and more must receive moral and financial support from their community of brothers and sisters in Christ less we too give up these areas as well, to the world, and put out our light to the world, and our being the salt of this earth.
There are few of us as there is, who want to present the Good News to the world through our art work, and they become fewer as too many Christians turn to reading worldly material, watching worldly television shows, and movies.
My hope is that Christians will realize that we too can be creative, and we can be a moving force for the presentation of the Gospel in more than one way, locked behind our church doors.
We must reach out to a world that is lost in sin, and present the Good News, in ways, not necessarily that attracts the world, but in a way, that we can take the beauty of His creation, and allow His Spirit to move us to utilize our gifts to say, hello world, there is another alternative to all that the world offers, that comes to nothing.
There is the one and only one hope for all of mankind's struggle and despair, and His name is Jesus, the most wonderful name in the world.
Please, I invite you to provide me your prayers, your support and yes to even purchase the book.
Right now, for the small price of $5.00, less then what you will spend to go out to eat today, or play golf, or whatever your outside activity involves, you can purchase my book from my book website today. It will be sent to you in the eBook format, and then you will only need to download "Nook" from Barnes and Noble, to read it. If this book does get accepted on B&N, then the price will go up, and will have to be removed for sale from my Book website. My Book website is located at
http://thebondage.webs.com
I am putting it back on sale there today until I hear from B&N.
Please inform your friends, your fellow church members and family. It is written on a level that it can be read from the ages of teens in 7th grade up to adults.
I ask that once you have completed reading it, that you will, go back to my Book website and write a testimonial about your reading of the book. The more I receive there the better. Your comments placed on my site will help me gain a review by a Christian Book Reviewer, which will assist in the sales of the book.
The book isn't very long, it has a total of 14 Chapters, a Preface and a Conclusion.
I want to thank you from my heart for any patronage you provide me.
I am just another struggling Christian writer trying to make an impact on the world for Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
Doctor J
I have written a Christian fictional story entitled "The Bondage". It took several days just to get it corrected, rewritten, proofread, and then the correct conversion so it would be an eBook, that could be downloaded and read by eBook readers and the devices out there. I specifically made this one compatible for "The Nook", a Barnes and Noble eBook software, since I am making my first attempt at getting it sold retail online through them. I have also tested it on Adobe's Digital Edition, and it seems to read there as well, without any issues. The software to download is freely available from both companies. You can Google them.
The Bondage is a story that is timeless of love, romance, tragedy, healing and restoration.
The two main characters are a young man named James, and his wife Belle.
My story entails the search of two individuals in their search for meaning and purpose for their lives. The direction they turn to at first will lead to tragedy. .
It is the story of the tragedy that takes place often within many marriages when two people go opposite directions making their lives, the center of self.
The tragedy they encounter in their life, will both awaken them to their error and then to whom they must seek for the answer.
Joshua is the brother to James, and as young Christian counselor, he shows them the way to restoration and provides the means of their healing.
This story offers hope and light for all those who have struggled in this life for answers, and often found their lives end up in a shipwreck. It will give you answers to life's most difficult question, Who am I?
My story will give you hope and healing from the very Word of God.
It is a Christian fiction book, but the scenario could be any of our stories, and how we may have or haven't yet, come to know the one true hope that is offered us.
My prayer is that the community of Christians out there will support my writing of this book, as I plan to write more.
Christian authors, artist, painters, poets, actors and more must receive moral and financial support from their community of brothers and sisters in Christ less we too give up these areas as well, to the world, and put out our light to the world, and our being the salt of this earth.
There are few of us as there is, who want to present the Good News to the world through our art work, and they become fewer as too many Christians turn to reading worldly material, watching worldly television shows, and movies.
My hope is that Christians will realize that we too can be creative, and we can be a moving force for the presentation of the Gospel in more than one way, locked behind our church doors.
We must reach out to a world that is lost in sin, and present the Good News, in ways, not necessarily that attracts the world, but in a way, that we can take the beauty of His creation, and allow His Spirit to move us to utilize our gifts to say, hello world, there is another alternative to all that the world offers, that comes to nothing.
There is the one and only one hope for all of mankind's struggle and despair, and His name is Jesus, the most wonderful name in the world.
Please, I invite you to provide me your prayers, your support and yes to even purchase the book.
Right now, for the small price of $5.00, less then what you will spend to go out to eat today, or play golf, or whatever your outside activity involves, you can purchase my book from my book website today. It will be sent to you in the eBook format, and then you will only need to download "Nook" from Barnes and Noble, to read it. If this book does get accepted on B&N, then the price will go up, and will have to be removed for sale from my Book website. My Book website is located at
http://thebondage.webs.com
I am putting it back on sale there today until I hear from B&N.
Please inform your friends, your fellow church members and family. It is written on a level that it can be read from the ages of teens in 7th grade up to adults.
I ask that once you have completed reading it, that you will, go back to my Book website and write a testimonial about your reading of the book. The more I receive there the better. Your comments placed on my site will help me gain a review by a Christian Book Reviewer, which will assist in the sales of the book.
The book isn't very long, it has a total of 14 Chapters, a Preface and a Conclusion.
I want to thank you from my heart for any patronage you provide me.
I am just another struggling Christian writer trying to make an impact on the world for Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
Doctor J
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