Sunday 28 September 2014

Follow Me.


When you follow in the footsteps of Jesus.

When you love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself.

When you open your heart to God and to to others.

When you cease to accumulate money and possessions.

When you give freely to others as God has given to you.

When you realize that God is your Father and all people are your brothers and sisters.

Then you may be poorer but the quality of your life will improve dramatically.

Your relationships will flourish and grow.

Your fear of others will leave you.

And Love will be your guiding spirit.


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Monday 22 September 2014

Sport.


There is nothing wrong with sport in itself.

What is wrong with sport is the win-at-all-costs attitude and philosophy which has grown up around it.

No one likes a loser.

Losing is pain.

Winning is being successful.

No one likes a failure.

Failure is humiliation.

But Jesus said, "'many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.'"  Mark 10:31 (NRSV)

This refers to the values of the Kingdom of God as set out in the Beatitudes.

And these values are the opposite of the values of the world.

"'For the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance; but the Lord looks on the heart.'"  1 Samuel 16:7b (NRSV)


{Scripture quotations (marked NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.]

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Friday 19 September 2014

Turn to God.


"Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth!
  For I am God, and there is no other."  Isaiah 45:22 (NRSV)

Jesus (John 12:40) quotes Isaiah "turn and be healed."  Isaiah 6:10b (NRSV)

What could this mean?

It would appear that God does not act in the world unless we turn to Him.

What does it mean to turn to God?

It means to call on Him in prayer.

Many people who complain that God does not act in the world, or worse blame Him for all the evils of our world, have failed to call on God in prayer - they have not turned to Him for help.

Many are unaware of the fact that you can call on God for help.

When we call on Him we become aware of His benevolent nature and the social justice agenda of the Old Testament prophets: the widow, the orphan, the stranger.....

And He heals us.
He mends our broken hearts, our broken bodies, and our broken spirits.

We are healed in body, mind, and spirit.

He delivers us from our oppressors.
And He delivers us from evil.

So turn to God and be healed.


[Scripture quotations (marked NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.]

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Wednesday 17 September 2014

Aquarius.


Everyone is looking for Aquarius.

Even Fundamentalist Christians, so opposed to everything Aquarian, are looking for Aquarius.  (Cite their addiction to Ronald Reagan - an Aquarian - and the stylized fish - the symbol of modern Pentecostalism.)

The stylized waves (the glyph for Aquarius) can be seen everywhere from clothing and furnishings to architecture and art.

What people are looking for is a savior, something to rescue them from the rampant materialism and darkness we find ourselves immersed in.

There are certain things which are associated with Aquarius.
One is homosexuality which has become the major issue of our time.
Another is equality which is represented by feminism and social justice.

The prophecy implies that God or the Divine will reach out to humanity and bring about a sea-change in our thinking.

This is taking place in Western Protestant Christianity in particular.
The New Paradigm, however, will appear everywhere at once.
It will affect all religions and social systems.
The Millennium Development Goals are a good example.

But people are blind.
They can look straight at it and not recognize it consciously.

We are so attuned to the media with its hate campaigns and propaganda.
We cannot see our way clear to move forward.
And the popular culture betrays us.

So, rather than just using Aquarius as decoration, we should be looking to what it represents and moving forward with that.


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Saturday 13 September 2014

Love and Fear.


What is it that stops us from manifesting love?

Incorrect ideation - false images of God; such as a moral arbiter, or an enforcer of rewards and punishments; give rise to false doctrines and dogmas; such as penal substitution, or original sin.

These things get in the way of love.
They can even cause hatred and murder.

A belief in the existence of hell can cause the most heinous crimes, like torture and execution.

But ultimately what stops us from loving is fear.

All false doctrines, including the existence of hell, are based on fear.

Look a little deeper below the surface and you will find fear.

This begins and ends with the fear of God.

And when we overcome our fear we are able to manifest love.


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Tuesday 9 September 2014

Brihaspati.


After the council of the gods decided that Soma* fought on the side of the demons his place was taken by Brihaspati.

Brihaspati is the god of prayer and devotion and wisdom.

He is called the guru of the gods.

And he leads to enlightenment.


(*Soma is the god of drugs)

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Monday 8 September 2014

Soma.


Soma is the Hindu god who governs drugs.

In ancient India the gods held a council to decide whether Soma was on the side of the gods or the demons whose contests caused the churning of the Cosmic Sea of Milk.

The outcome of this council was the decision that Soma fought on the side of the demons.

And so it is.

Drugs do not lead to enlightenment but to addiction and ruin.

As many a hippy has discovered.


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Sunday 7 September 2014

Lay Down the Sword.


When the light rises it illuminates both good and evil.

When we first encounter evil the instinctive reaction is to battle against it and defeat it.

This is the sword.

But Jesus said, "'Do not resist an evildoer.  But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also.'"  Matthew 5:39 (NRSV)
And, "'Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven'"  Matthew 5:44,45a (NRSV)

So, if we seek to be like God, we must lay down the sword and pray for those who attack us.


[Scripture quotations (marked NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.]

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Friday 5 September 2014

Torture.


The only thing which is worse than death is torture.

Dictators, tyrants, criminals, governments, and Satanists believe that if they torture their enemies they will submit to their will.  The fear of torture and death will keep them in line.

But Jesus said, "'Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you on my account.
"'Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.'"  Matthew 5:11,12 (NRSV)

The martyrs went to heaven.
Their bodies were tortured and killed on earth.
But their souls went to heaven.

Once you realize this the fear of torture is gone and you will rejoice and be glad for your reward is great in heaven.


[Scripture quotations (marked NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in  the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.]

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Wednesday 3 September 2014

No Rock Music.


The New Paradigm is emerging in the consciousness of humanity now.

The lead is being taken by Progressive Christians who are rejecting negative, traditional doctrines and adopting new, positive positions.

There is much agreement between Progressive Christians and young people who call themselves Spiritual but not Religious.

Unfortunately at present both these demographics accept rock music.
Some hark back to the 1960s and others endorse contemporary rock music.

But rock music has a dark and insidious secret.
Since the 1960s rock musicians have practiced black magic and Satanism in their music and videos.  Pacts with the devil and the religion of death have poisoned their creativity.

Sin, wickedness, filth, backtracking, darkness, and hell-fire all appear in their songs.  And they are always ready with an alternative explanation.

People take things at face value.
Poison and sabotage are hidden beneath.

So there is only one answer.

No rock music.


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Monday 1 September 2014

The Servant of All.


In what way was Jesus a servant?

Did he do the dishes?  No.
Did he cook the meals?  No.
Did he clean the house or do the washing?  No.
Did he visit the sick or the elderly?  No.

He did feed the hungry.  Yes.
He gave sight to the blind.  Yes.
He did make sick people whole.  Yes.

But this is not what is traditionally thought of as service - being a servant.

So in what way was Jesus the servant of all?

My understanding of this is that Jesus gave to those who sought him out exactly what they needed.
He was in the unique position of knowing what God was like.
And he was able to communicate this to his followers.
(Although they constantly misinterpreted him.)

He was able to see how God thought we should act.
And he communicated this through parables.

But he was not a servant in the sense that he did people's chores for them.
He did not work in the worldly sense.

He was able to see.
And the Father answered his prayers.


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