Healing at the Cross Posts

 Woods and Snow        “That men were ashamed, was the essential consequence of the fact that their glory; that clothing of honor of their body had been perverted into the shame of nakedness… Franz Delitzsch So far, (in this book), we have reviewed an abstract on hair-raising trauma, a treatise of the ego, and a true to life tale about how the downward drag of religion started the negative ball rolling in my young life. What do these three very different thoughts imply? Where do they overlap? Do you relate at all to the parts, or whole? I actually asked myself a similar question; what is a very real similarity in it all? The striking point of cohesion is written in one word: shame. Shame and awareness of inadequacy, awareness of a need for more, a groping to reach for something not yet there, and the thing that brings a…

Pump house from the side door Some guys on T.V. talk about what we have to do, and they use a lot of Bible verses. Most of the talking sets the record straight on our responsibilities, and how to go about accomplishing them. These guys teach us how to not lose God’s favor and maintain a good standing. They are good at this kind of instruction. They speak this way all the time. I notice also how they appear so intelligent and have gained a lot of applause in other circles. Truly they are leaders and generally they know more than me so I must quietly learn from them. Boy, I wish I could learn all of their techniques and how-to-do-its. Some are Doctors and some Bishops or Elders even. When we hang out listening to these men and women, we sure feel good about finally knowing what some things…

Arizona Scenery Let’s begin with dissociation. “a term in psychology describing a wide array of experiences from mild detachment from one’s immediate surroundings to more severe detachment from one’s physical and emotional reality.” “The major characteristic of all dissociative phenomena involves a detachment from reality.” Daydreaming and non-pathological altered states of consciousness are mild forms. “On the other end of the spectrum are the dissociative disorders: fugue, depersonalization etc. These are typically experienced as startling, autonomous intrusions into the person’s usual ways of responding or functioning. They are quite unsettling. In mild cases dissociation can be regarded as a coping mechanism or defense mechanism in seeking to master, minimize or tolerate stress—including boredom and conflict.” Wikipedia It interests me, and maybe all of us, to see a psychological picture of the wound which effects the dissociation. Before we do that, let us consider what causes the wound: generally associated with…

Josh and Puddle Sometimes folks can’t focus in life, lured away toward a seductive universe, one featuring a soothing state of mental relaxation, centering problems removed. Let’s explain. People with attention deficit disorder are known to have remarkable powers of concentration without distraction, but only in the world of their chosen fantasy. Amazing. The more a person succumbs to the alluring facade, the less able they are to concentrate on other things? Interesting and telling. A person watches porn on the internet or immerses themselves in a video game, or plays excessive bingo, or whatever they give their heart to, and the real world becomes a loathsome chore. Not too hard to understand. How can the natural course of life compete with such intense and provocative views that challenge, stimulate and require some perceived risk? Likewise, some believers are distracted from fervent preaching and teaching of the Word, because they…

Arizona Lake 1989 Folks in general don’t want to talk about anything too negative. Why is that? Darkness and light are both alike to God, but not to us. Psalm139:12.  See, the highway of holiness admits and allows the wayfaring man, and the fool does not err therein. Isaiah 35:8. This gives all of us entry there, but few find it. For this reason men struggle still with the hills and valleys of life and mostly ride the ups and downs. We have a tendency to see God as a mere moral One and prosperity means God’s favor, where adversity means God is mad at us. To most He is a God of circumstances. Let me open a thought. Do we have an expectation for our life, or are we contented to handle anything that life dishes up? Careful. Well no, we are not contented to take anything, we have…

Does forgiveness work if I don’t forget, or can I go on remembering the hurt? Natural forgiveness remembers, but supernatural forgiveness forgets. Thanks Jesus, you don’t remember. Where is this said? Isaiah 43:25 God speaking:” I even I am He, that blotteth out your transgression for my own sake, and I will not remember your sin.” Halleluiah! “Hey what kind of forgiveness do you think will be better for you? Forget or remember? ”   ” I guess the one that forgets.”   “me too”   Let’s review what this means. First, if God doesn’t remember, then I don’t have to remember either. Second, if God forgets, then the blood of Christ is efficacious —it cleanses us from all unrighteousness and cleanses the conscience from dead works. It leaves us with no more consciousness of sin.   What are dead works? These are works performed by those who are dead…

Coal, grease, and broken chain, on this stoker Darkness creates poverty, just as surely as light creates vitality. The big “D” likes to penetrate a life by creating a deep divide away from true life and light, and then providing a “light” of its own origin, a kind of dark-light. With this, darkness pretends true light, to create in a man a deceptive existence. Consequently, with this empty-light filling in, a person may not figure it out; they are not experiencing the true light, but a vacuum instead.  So, what gives? Well, darkness, a false light, keeps a person aloof from the healthy vitamin “d” produced of true light, if we take the natural analogy to start. Secondly, life-killers like mold and fungus grow in this dark, giving us the picture of decay in a soul. See, the darkened soul, slowly dying, has the false impression of being lightened as…

Frustrating things humble a man or woman’s soul. They do things in two categories: (1) take away something that was there prior, narrow resources, block or limit the number, etc. (2) open up, redirect, or painfully bring into view what is left, in its raw and pure form, heightening the need for creativity of a distinctly unique breed of living result. What do I mean? I’m squeezed by events, illness, wrong decisions, people and their decisions, money matters, or even jail. Why? Wrong question! If you can figure out “why,” you have rationally charted your future in the image of your carefully derived and wise findings. In other words you may have allowed the frustrating limits to also inhibit your ability in going forward. I would like to ask you a question: are you sure about “why”?  Why do I ask? Because it is better, maybe, if we don’t know…

Lamentations 3:12-15 12 He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.13 He hath caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins. 14 I was a derision to all my people; and their song all the day.15 He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood. Ezekiel 24:16-18 16 Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke: yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down. 17 Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead, bind the tire of thine head upon thee, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men. 18 So I spake unto the people in the morning: and at even my wife died; and I did in the…

    Joshua fit the battle of Jericho, and the walls came tumbling down. Walls build in a person’s soul and strong emotions make em stand. We have the wall of: self rejection, the wall of indifference, the wall of denial and the wall of emotional instability.  the wall of social pressure, the wall of a poor self image the wall of self-pity and others etc. What do these walls do? Keep things in. Keep things out.. A human must realize that he or she is a god. No way! — O yes, small ‘g‘. And the Bible says so in Psalm 82:6 and John 10:34. A god creates his or her own world, and so do we. Walls  establish the boundaries of the world they have created. Walls  protect the self-designed value system, personal priorities and world-view etc. Foreign intrusions from within and without  expand the system to include…