Ξ December 27th, 2007 | → 1 Comments | ∇ Life |
I recently read a story about parents who had lost all three of their children, aged 2 months, 16 years, and 7 years to various accidents over a period of years. The couple decided to try to have children again, this time by surrogacy, perhaps because they are in their late thirties. To their surprise, on Christmas Eve, the surrogate gave birth to triplets, two boys and a girl. The newborns share their deceased brother’s names as their middle name. COINCIDENCE? I think not…………………. What do you think about this amazing story??
*the sooner that we start share with the world and with our friends the amazing spritual Source-centered things that happen to us and others, the sooner we will see it is not coincidence or accident when things like the above transpire.
Ξ December 21st, 2007 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Life |
May the all encompassing, unconditional love of God rush up like a fountain from within you this special season!
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!
Ξ December 18th, 2007 | → 8 Comments | ∇ Life |
I found this little gem in the local newspaper (Southwestern Theological Seminary is located here in Fort Worth):
Calvinism more popular among Baptist seminarians
The Associated Press
Almost 30 percent of recent graduates of Southern Baptist seminaries who became church pastors say they are Calvinists, according to a recent survey by the denomination. Among all Southern Baptist pastors, only about 10 percent follow Calvinism, according to studies by the Southern Baptist Convention’s Lifeway Research and North American Mission Board Center for Missional Research.
"It would be difficult to say that Calvinism is not a growing influence in SBC life," said Ed Stetzer, director of Lifeway Research.
The findings were released at a Southern Baptist meeting on theology in November. The 16.3-million-member SBC is the largest Protestant group in the U.S.
Some Southern Baptist leaders worry that embracing Calvinism will erode enthusiasm for evangelizing non-Christians because, among other beliefs, Calvinism teaches that God chooses whom to save. Critics say that takes away from the urgency of getting people to accept Christ into their lives.
Urgency? What’s the rush? Oh, I forgot. They believe in eternal damnation. My friend, Chaplain Roy, says when he was at Southwestern seminary, a LONG time ago, Calvinism was on the rise. Interesting development.
Ξ December 17th, 2007 | → 3 Comments | ∇ Life |
I strongly dislike labels, but for over a year now, I have been trying to find a definition (a label?) for who I am as a Christian, or even if I can be called "Christian" by the traditional definition. Chaplain Roy gave me a website which has started me thinking about that very subject. The term which was discussed was the Esoteric Christian. First, when you label something, you almost always will find many or at least several definitions pertaining to that subject. If you know the standard definition of "esoteric", you may be ready to close this page and go somewhere else thinking this guy’s sold on himself as having received "special knowledge" or "gnostic" knowledge. However, I would ask you to wait until you view the several definitions of an Esoteric Christian. To me it does NOT mean someone special, with special knowledge. If that were true, I would be unqualified. Like any other religious branch, Esoteric Christianity covers a multitude of beliefs (there are over 30,000 Christian denominations). This is the definition which resonates with me:
"An esoteric Christian is someone who values the Christian tradition, yet does not interpret this tradition in a literal sense. An esoteric Christian reads between the lines – is someone who attempts to find the underlying layers of meaning in a passage. The purpose is to see how a particular story can give insight into the processes and experiences encountered in daily life. The emphasis is not about rules (thou shalt not…), but on understanding.
I think the best summary runs something like this: An esoteric Christian is someone who takes the teachings of Christ seriously. Not the word of the teaching, but the implication. The teaching translates into attitude towards life. An esoteric Christian is someone who seeks Christ in all creation, in all people. Someone who applies what has been learnt in this process and accordingly changes the way he or she lives. Someone who not only takes responsibilty for their actions but also dares to step out of the box, to try new things, to become co-creators, with God. Being an esoteric Christian is not a state of being but an on-going process of ever deepening insights, an ever-clearer sense of how to fulfil this life in this time and in this place. To sum up, it is not about the destination, it is about the journey! "
Here are several links to sites discussing Esoteric Christians. See for yourself what the term involves:
http://www.lcc.cc/ecem/vanalphenmf/esoteric.htm
http://www.spiritunited.com/articles/exotericesoteric.htm
http://www.wnrf.org/cms/esotericn.shtml
http://northernway.org/esoteric.html
"Esoteric spirituality differs from exoteric (or outer) religion, which is the form of the faith that is known to the public at large. Esoteric Christianity has long been secret and to some degree inaccessible, but this is not out of a hard-hearted elitism. It is partly because for centuries the mainstream churches looked askance at anyone who did not see divine truth as they did and shunned or hunted down such people. But even in our more open-minded era, esoteric work still requires the effort and sincerity to look within. This is not always pleasant or easy, and the forces of exterior life generally pull one away from it. "Many are called, but few are chosen," said Christ (Matt.22:14). Ultimately this "choosing" is a process of self-selection."
This is by no means a complete list of links, but a start for you if you’re interested in pursuing.. Happy surfing!
Ξ December 13th, 2007 | → 7 Comments | ∇ Life |
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Television has really improved in the area of documentaries since I was a kid. That’s about all I watch today. Since I purchased an HD TV, I’ll watch about any nature documentary. The photography, still and otherwise, is phenomenal. The theory of evolution has always fascinated me. Except for my "very" fundy days, I really never had a problem believing that evolution takes place. Our Source (God) creates it all and I have no problem with the creation evolving. I was watching one the other night. The jist of the theory being presented was that our species would not have evolved to our present state of "intelligence" without a little help from climate change. It seems that we used to inhabit the canopy of very dense forests, eating leaves, fruit, and other vegetarian fare. Due to climate change the forests began to disappear. Eventually, we were forced to come down from few trees that were left and look for other food sources. During this time, we came in contact with predators and the carrion they left behind. Guess what? We tried it and liked it. WHEW! Seems all the tree dwelling primates brain development stopped at a certain point. Only because we left the trees and began eating "meat" did our brains continue to develop (something about eating large amounts of protein). Wouldn’t dieticians have a field day with that idea. The more meat we ate, the larger our brains became and along with that, our intelligence. I don’t think vegetarians would go along with that, but an interesting theory. So let me get this straight, if we still lived in trees eating bananas, other fruit, and leaves, we would have the intelligence of a "lesser" primate. Wonder what happened to the Great Apes who live on the ground and eat only leaves, plants, and fruit? I am fascinated by these ideas. Just the history teacher in me I suppose. Anyone care to comment on this theory?
Ξ December 11th, 2007 | → 1 Comments | ∇ Life |
Join the crowd…I came across this link from Steve Jones website to another of his sites. I recommended it to our Okie buddy Chris. It is an excellent read for us who suffer from anxiety from time to time (that would be most of us). Click here to read these articles.
Ξ December 6th, 2007 | → 2 Comments | ∇ Life |
Today’s article in the newspaper shows the WOF money collectors are beginning to bristle. Could it be they have something to hide.?
Televangelist refuses to answer senator questions
Associated Press
One of six Christian ministries under investigation by a Senate committee is rebuffing inquiries into its spending, challenging the panel’s watchdog role over religious groups, The Associated Press has learned.
A lawyer for preacher Creflo Dollar of World Changers Church International in suburban Atlanta has asked Sen. Charles Grassley to either refer the matter to the IRS or get a subpoena, according to a letter from Dollar’s attorney obtained Wednesday by the AP.
Grassley, the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, sent pointed questionnaires in early November to a half-dozen ministries, asking about salaries, perks, travel and oversight. The Iowa Republican set Thursday as the deadline for a response.
All six organizations preach a form of the "prosperity gospel," the belief that God wants his faithful followers to reap material rewards.
Besides Dollar, several other televangelists have signaled concerns about invasions of privacy and violations of religious freedom. Only Joyce Meyer Ministries of Fenton, Mo., has provided the detailed financial and board oversight information sought by Grassley.
Dollar’s refusal could lead to a court fight, giving a judge the authority to decide whether the committee is entitled to all the information it requested.
Grassley emphasized the other five still have time. The senator also reiterated that his probe "has nothing to do with church doctrine" and is strictly concerned with making sure the tax-exempt groups are following the law.
Dollar has been the most vocal in his criticism of the probe. In the Nov. 27 letter obtained by the AP, Dollar attorney Marcus Owens wrote to Grassley and Sen. Max Baucus, the Finance Committee chairman, that the church is willing to comply with a "proper" request for information – but it should be handled by the IRS.
Owens, the former director of the IRS’s exempt organizations division, pointed to precedent: In the 1980s, a House subcommittee asked the IRS to review concerns about televangelists.
"A referral would permit Senator Grassley and the Senate Finance Committee to discharge their obligation to oversee federal tax administration without running the risk of government entanglement in the Church’s religious beliefs and practices," the letter said.
An IRS review also would ensure privacy, Owens wrote. All IRS reviews are confidential, and Dollar has said he worries that a Senate probe might air sensitive information about salaries, among other things.
Failing a referral to the IRS, Owens requested that the committee seek subpoenas to "provide an appropriate legal context for the review." With a subpoena, the church and its members could gain confidentiality protections.
Joyce Meyer Ministries expressed confidence last week that it would be found in "complete compliance" with financial regulations.
The organization also addressed one of the more salacious details in the letter from Grassley – its reported purchase of a $23,000 "commode with marble top." The ministry said it was not a common toilet but a "a tall elegant chest of drawers," and that the selling agent got the price wrong.
Aside from Dollar and Meyer, the other televangelists have been noncommittal in their public responses. But some have voiced strong objections that echo Dollar’s about privacy and religious freedom.
Bishop Eddie Long, who leads a megachurch and ministry in Lithonia, Ga., initially promised to "fully comply" with Grassley’s request. But a few days later, Long told his congregation the request was "unjust," "intrusive," and "an attack on our religious freedom and privacy rights."
The others who received letters from Grassley are Randy and Paula White of Without Walls International Church and Paula White Ministries of Tampa, Fla.; Benny Hinn of World Healing Center Church Inc. and Benny Hinn Ministries of Grapevine, Texas; and Kenneth and Gloria Copeland of Kenneth Copeland Ministries of Newark, Texas. Both Texas ministries are in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Owens said in an e-mail to the AP that while each ministry is "separately responding as it sees fit," lawyers for the ministries have been in touch and share common concerns about Grassley’s request.
The letter from Dollar’s attorney describes the prosperity gospel as a "deeply held religious belief" grounded in Scripture, and that the six churches are part of the "rich tapestry of religion in America" deserving of protection.
Some legal scholars believe the Senate is a proper forum to review religious nonprofit groups’ finances – although with caveats.
Congress has a legitimate interest in making sure nonprofit rules are followed because confidentiality rules make it hard to track IRS enforcement, said Marc Stern, general counsel of the American Jewish Congress, who advises religious groups on church-state issues.
"On the other hand, Congress is a very blunt instrument," he said. "Congressional hearings are hardly models of due process and they can pick on anything they want for any reason they want and that raises real concern. So there’s this pull in both directions."
05:42 PM CST on Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Ξ December 4th, 2007 | → 11 Comments | ∇ Life |
*This applies to me as much or more than anyone who may read it. Please read it.
WARNING: Shocking statement follows, rated R
All sickness is self-created
People make themselves sick. Most do so unconsciously. They don’t even know they are doing it. So when they get sick, they don’t know what hit them. It feels as if something "happened" to them, rather than something they did to themselves.
This occurs because most people move through life unconsciously.
People smoke and wonder why they get cancer. People ingest animal fat and wonder why they get heart attacks and blocked arteries. People compete with other people – mercilessly and under incredible stress- and wonder why they have strokes.
The not-so-obvious truth is that most people worry themselves to death. Worry is just about the worst form of mental activity there is- next to hate, which is deeply self-destructive. Worry is pointless. It is wasted mental energy. It also creates bio-chemical reactions which harm the body, producing indigestion to coronary arrest, and a multitude of things in between. Worry is the activity of a mind which does not understand its connection to God. Hatred is the most severely damaging mental condition. It poisons the body, and its effects are virtually irreversible. Fear is the opposite of everything you are, and so has an effect of opposition to your mental and physical health. Fear is worry magnified.
Worry, hate, fear and their offshoots, all attack the body at the cellular level. It is impossible to have a healthy body under these conditions.
All illness is created in the mind.
Nothing occurs in your life - NOTHING – which is not first a thought. Thoughts are like magnets, drawing effects to you. The thought may not always be obvious, and thus clearly causative, as in, "I’m going to contract a terrible disease." The thought may be (and usually is) far more subtle than that. ("I’m not worthy to live.") ("My life is a mess.") ("I’m a loser.") ("God will punish me.") ("I am sick and tired of my life.")
Thoughts are a very subtle, yet extremely powerful , form of energy. Your thoughts followed by similar actions place tremendous energy into motion.
It is very difficult to reverse the effects of negative thinking once they have taken physical form. Not impossible – but very difficult. It takes an act of extreme faith. It requires an extraordinary belief in the positive force of the universe – the Source, God, whatever you may call it.
You can solve some of the health problems by solving problems in your thinking. Yes, you can heal some of the conditions you have already acquired (actually, given yourself), as well as prevent major new problems from developing. And you can do this all by changing your thinking.
WHEN YOU CHANGE THE WAY YOU LOOK AT THINGS, THE THINGS YOU LOOK AT CHANGE
Please, also, take better care of yourself. Often, you take rotten care of your body, paying little attention to it until you suspect something’s going wrong with it. Preventative Maintainance is the key. Regular checkups, annual physicals, the USE of therapies and medicines you’ve been given. (Why go to the doctor and be prescribed something, and then not properly use it?) Exercise! The body grows weak from non-use. Nourish it properly.
Don’t fill it with toxins and poisons and the most absurd substances posing as food…. Even when you do, it still runs for you, this marvelous engine; still it chugs along, bravely pushing on in the face of the onslaught.
It’s not good; Not good at all the conditions under which you ask your body to survive. But, most of us will do precious little or nothing about it. You will read this , nod your head in regretful agreement, and go right back to the mistreatment. WHY?
BECAUSE YOU DO NOT WANT TO LIVE
That is not meant to be harsh, not is it meant as an indictment. Harsh is a judgement. Indictment connotes guilt, and guilt connotes wrongdoing. There is no wrongdoing involved here, hence, no guilt and no indictment.
All I ask is to think about what’s been said.
*thoughts from "Conversations with God"
Ξ December 4th, 2007 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Life |
"There comes a time in the evolution of every soul when the chief concern is no longer the survival of the physical body, but the growth of the spirit; no longer the attainment of worldly success, but the realization of Self."
I think I’m getting there….and it’s wonderful.
Ξ December 3rd, 2007 | → 1 Comments | ∇ Life |
Do you mock me when you say that I made inherently imperfect beings, and then to demand of them: perfection or face damnation? Then you claim that several thousand years later, I relented. You are saying that My Son- who you call the One Perfect One- has saved you from your own imperfection- the imperfection I gave you. In other words, God’s Son has saved you from what His Father did. This is how- many of you- say I set it up. You cannot believe in an obligation-less relationship because you cannot accept who and what you really are. You call a life of complete freedom "spiritual anarchy". I call it "my promise". It is only within the context of this promise that my plan can be completed. You have no obligation in this relationship, only opportunity. Opportuntiy, not obligation, is the cornerstone, the basis of spirituality. So long as you see it the other way around, you will miss the point. Never do anything in a relationship out of a sense of obligation. Do whatever you do out of a sense of the glorious opportunity your relationship affords you to decide, and be, Who You Really Are…
-God
You cannot know Me until you’ve stopped telling yourself that you already know Me. You cannot hear Me until you stop thinking that you’ve already heard Me. I cannot tell you My truth until you stop telling Me yours.
-God
Stumble it!
