500 ft.- Noah’s Ark replica-Ky. “The meek will He guide in judgment; the humble will hear and be glad. The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the Lord that seek him: your heart shall live forever.” 22:26 Psalms. “But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.” Psalm 37:11. We as mere men wish to change the things, events, or circumstances having be-chanced our life journey. We want to scramble them, soften the blow. We cannot. We cannot candy-coat, muddle, spin or water-down. These things have befallen us, period. Their collateral damage will not suddenly un-frag, huddle, or conglomerate, nor will its wound close up right now. Perhaps a miracle of heaven awaits, but not yet. Instead of gall, jealousy, or spite, the meek lights upon something other; acceptance. Acquiescence, reception, acknowledgment, agreement, belief; do you see where this is taking us? Yes, to…
Healing at the Cross Posts
“How you feelin?” Bill Kraski loomed a giant among the weak. My first words to him were always, “how you feelin?” For as long as I knew him, Bill was a member of “the walking wounded;” sometimes seemed to be “dead men walking,” Just his appearance welled up tears in me — Till he started to converse. Authentic laughter Then came the smile, a little tease, then authentic laughter, now a return to a controlled face. “Okay!?” – was a half question/half reply — he “noted” my comments. “Okay?” Next came something that required deep thought, (some details were missing), nevertheless after a few queries, profundity occurred. Bill gave us, in a short sentence, hours of meditation; the baritone spoke as a news reporter. Bill spoke of his D.J. days, when prompted. I think he played “MacArthur Park” first of anybody. He liked Bela Fleck and anything “light jazz.” I…
I find that folks want to know what is “normal,” so to speak. Does a Christian fail a lot? Does he or she sin just a little? Maybe, less and less, or do we grow weaker with age and sin more? Where does our Achilles’ heel manifest itself? What is the operating mode for living above the fragility? Do we have a besetting sin? — Gray areas? Does the free volition function freely always, or is it hindered? Do most rebound from sin and failure regularly; agreeing with God about our sin, isolating sin from our true identity, forgetting what is past? Is it common to frequently commit the sin of unbelief in still living in guilt or regret? How’s the soul? Is there harmony? What branch of the soul dominates you? Are you an avid thinker, or a determiner; a feeling kind of person, or full of fear, or self-conscious? Are…
“For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ” are the words of Philippians. What are these bowels? “All real spiritual love is but a portion of Christ’s love which yearns in all who are united to Him.” Henry Alford. Okay, Christ is the source, but what of bowels? “The word ‘bowels,’ in the Scriptures denotes the upper viscera – the region of the heart and lungs. That region was regarded as the seat of affection, sympathy, and compassion…” Barnes notes. Dr. Stevens associated bowels with emotions also. Are these the same bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering that we are to put on in Colossians 3:12? Yes, not just the words but the emotions. Caroline Leaf says that “when the thoughts move into the conscious mind, we feel the emotions of the thoughts.” So, when Bible words are invested…
Hope maketh not ashamed. How does it work? Penti Ikonen and Eero Rechardt say “the reaction to the absence of approving reciprocity,” is shame. Gunnar Karlson, “…the main constituents concerning shame are its anchorage in the situation to which it refers; …perpetually objectified; …the revelation of an undesired self; …a history of frozen nowness.” Lynn Jacobs PH.D says “shame fear and guilt, these are the ‘feelings about feelings;’ the boundary keepers.” “ Experiencing a forbidden feeling,” evokes shame. These afore mentioned answers exist in the realm of analysis; empirical, rational, sometimes very insightful — Psycho/Physiological stuff. Wow! “a person with internalized shame believes he is inherently flawed, inferior, and defective.” John Bradshaw. For what it is worth, we have definitions. Adam and Eve were naked and not ashamed. They disobeyed. Shame began here. They became pale, disappointed, delayed, and dry. They got steep protective boundaries, they received limits, things quit…
“Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, we ought to obey God rather than men.” Act 5:29. What comprises the obedience of faith? How does it work? By the obedience of Christ shall many be made righteous, is Romans 5:19. “In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.” Hebrews 10:6-7. Jesus was the obvious obedient one and by His willingness we are sanctified by the offering of His body, once and for all. But what of our obedience? A key may be in the Psalmists words “For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. Instead, The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt…
That which the palmerworm hath left — hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left — hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left — hath the caterpiller eaten. Joel 1:4 “The whole face of the mountain was black with them. On they came like a living deluge. We dug trenches and kindled fires, and beat and burnt to death heaps upon heaps, but the effort was utterly useless. They rolled up the mountain-side, and poured over rocks, walls, ditches, and hedges, those behind covering up and passing over the masses already killed.” Expositor’s “After eating up the corn, they fell upon the vines, the pulse, the willows, and even the hemp, notwithstanding its great bitterness.” “The bark of figs, pomegranates, and oranges, bitter, hard, and corrosive, escaped not their voracity.” “They are particularly injurious to the palm-trees; these they strip of every leaf…
In the Olympic games we watch competition. We see determination, thrill of triumph, misery of trounce. We weep for joy with the insignificant participant who rises from obscurity to win a bronze, silver or even gold. We identify with winner and loser, and also those just happy to be invited to play — Or do we? This time around the games meant less to me and I figured out why. I don’t compete, I don’t race, I don’t swim or run or jump for prizes. The projected “life parallel” that is associated with sports is not present with me in its many aspects as before. I have, like Paul, learned, to some degree, that I must be content, to handle living on this earth through a non-competitive attitude. Released from the inner “strive;” life begins at another’s conquest. For the Olympics, contending is expedient – nothing wrong here. For jobs,…
The blazing fire was across the canyon, too big to be controlled. Suddenly, with a turn of wind, inferno raced over canyon and river – straight toward the smoke jumpers. Thirteen lost their life that true day, three survived. Two found cover in a rock crevice. They lived, but one created his own cover by stopping, igniting the grass around him, and then lying down in the center of his own smoldering insulator. Blaze went around his pre-burned area; he made it safe. The true story is not a new one. I’m sure you have heard of it. I read it again in a book by Jonah Lehrer titled, “How we decide.” Lehrer is unfortunately an evolutionist, but uses the story to illustrate the power of the rational mind to create, when emotion is “beat back.” Interestingly, the creative fire survivor had never used the survival principle till that day.…
What is lawlessness but a conscience-seared? — a moral staple of psychological human-hood denied and burnt to a crisp. The part of us which approves or disapproves us, accuses or excuses us, or simply gives an account of oneself; conscience; has been rendered caput by artificial casting off restraints? It’s fatal to sanity. Chaos floods the banks. To do a simple self-inquiry requires this above-mentioned conscience. Seems like, this faculty’s loss would make void reflection, introspection, self-contemplation and similar activities. Guilt originates with God; no God-no guilt. Lawlessness removes the closest thing in our soul’s repertoire to a Supreme Ruler. In doing that, Lawlessness subtly attempts to counterfeit a God-given, bloody cross purchased, guilt removing redemption; creating false liberty and leaving out the vital element, Christ. How does it? Its utensil is a hot iron. With this devise one burns off a fingerprint, brands a steer, or cauterizes a wound. It…