Inner Security

Inner Security

1/18/14

Irony defines this article when it concerns the security measures of our world.  The entire world has projected the need for a security system that protects all of our assets, accounts and other sensitive information, and yet almost daily we here of another breach in this system that strikes more fear into our lives.  The ironic portion of this topic is that while we are so focused upon the physical security needs of the planet we are totally bypassing the real inner security breach that we blindly allow each second of the day.  What good is all of the outer security if we voluntarily allow anyone inside to have immediate access to our own personal lives?

When I was a young boy my parents had many talks with me concerning life, personal circumstances, and other types of decisions that they knew I would have to face at some point in my life.  Of course being a young person I believed that I knew everything already but sat there and listened to them while they gave me some of their personal examples of similar situations.  At that point I should have stopped with my attitude and listened because they were telling me personal stories and experiences, which means what they were saying came from a person who understands what goes on in the world and that the person telling me these things had a relationship with me and knew my actions better than a friend or another acquaintance of mine would. 

One of these concepts that they told me about was about true friendship and how I should value a close friend because I would not have very many of these types of friends while I was alive on earth.  As most of us did, we laughed when our parents told us this bit of information, for at that time I believed that with all of the “friends” that I had at that moment far outnumbered these so called “close friends” that my parents were talking about.  At that time I had no idea of how my heart was going to hurt and ache when some of these friends that I thought were so close and would never hurt me, did just that.  It does not matter if they did it on purpose or if circumstances forced the situation, it still occurred and it still devastated me; yet I still did not believe the words of my parents completely even though their words were ringing those memory bells within my head.

I eventually learned that it was not a good idea to spill my guts to just anyone and that not everyone had the authority to know everything that went along inside my heart.  While I was painfully experiencing these types of settings, I began to understand why my parents told me about close friends that I would encounter many people who I considered to be my friends but there was a separate category that isolated only a few people who would be classified as close friends.  Many people who claim to be your friends and then wish or demand to hear personal information about you that you hold dear are not true friends for they will be the ones who run and tell others of your inner life; the same personal information that you entrusted them with.  Through this process and much heartache I finally understood this concept and have heeded their advice, I just wish I had listened and learned a lot sooner in life.  However, it was my choice to ignore them.

Most of you know that my day job is working in the medical field.  I have been in this profession approaching thirty years now.  I have learned many things about life, health and general acceptance of people but there was one incident that occurred in one of the hallways of a place of employment that stood out to me at that time but I did not really understand its entire meaning until today.  This little chat with a physician occurred a very long time ago, meaning decades ago but only now I am getting the rest of the picture.  While the topic of the conversation had to do directly with the organization that both of us were associated with, it has and will have huge implications and directions on those who do not heed his words of reality and truth. 

Both the physician and I knew the details of what was transpiring throughout the hospital and how these issues were tearing the personnel of the hospital apart on an emotional plane.  There were so many accusations and rumors flying around that one could not see any bright future for the organization.  It reached the point to where people were having arguments about specific issues within the organization that they had no idea about, such as nuclear medicine techs contemplating the accounting practices of the Pharmacy; it was that out of control. The morale of the organization was in the toilet and many people began to seek other places of employment due to these unfavorable working conditions.

As the physician stood close by he asked me what seemed a very simple question but as I stood there and thought about it for a bit the answer was not so readily spoken.  He asked me this question: “what do you think will eventually destroy this organization?”  That was it and as I contemplated the answer he did not wait and said that it would be the infrastructure of this place that would be its downfall and nothing else.  The outer strength of the organizations would have no problems in dealing with the issues of the day but it was the inner being or life of the organization that would be the one object that would permanently shut the doors.

At the time of his statement many of the world’s problems and concerns were not even present for many of the new communication ideas were still in the minds of those who were trying to place them onto paper.  However, he words today mean an entirely different array of light because of what is ongoing both from the outside point of our lives and the inside views as well.  It is the infrastructure or the inner being of our own personal lives that we need to hold dear and to protect at all costs.  It is a given that our outside and physical beings are going to be attacked and that we need security in order for our defense.  In fact, this concept is also true for our inner beings as well and is considerably more important than our outward defenses.

I bring to your memory of a series of dreams that I wrote about back in March of 2013.  There was a set of three dreams that I entered into this blog and if you are not familiar with them or want to refresh your thinking about them I ask you to go read them for God is expanding my dream concerning this specific topic and He has an important message for all of us to understand.

Global security and all of its quirks and qualms bombard us each hour with new information concerning how things may be breached, or there is nothing to worry about and everything other detail in-between.  Have we ever thought about what the logic is behind all of these issues and who is actually responsible for these breaches?  It does not take too many gray cells to figure this one out yet we are continually hearing that someone or some group has penetrated our outer defenses once again.  I admire these types of people and their practices fascinate me a great deal, but the extent that they pursue scares me in that once they are inside the outer shell, they have complete access to every personal detail that we have entrusted to someone else, even maybe total secrets that no one else knows about.  Whatever the situation, all personal information is now available for anyone to access and to take if they so choose.

In my Dream #3 I shared with you about me leaving the front room and walking down a dimly lit hallway.  This hallway had doors on both sides of the hall to which people were opening and closing and going in and out without any restrictions.  While the house was a private institution it seems like there were no locks on the doors.  In fact the doorknobs did not even have any places for a key so the intention was not for these doors to be locked at all.  Free access was given to anyone who was in the house and anyone could enter and leave as much as they wished.  As I stood in the hallway I saw many individuals going in and out through every door.  I saw individual people each with their own dress, height, weight gender, etc, all of them had a specific identity and the only common thing that each of them shared was that they had complete access to whatever was behind those doors.

What is actually going on here is that for whatever reason we have allowed people who we do not know or ideas and concepts that we believe will be for our better into our lives without actually understanding what their true motives are.  This is a dangerous game that for whatever reason we have deemed necessary that we must accept.  I also give you the memorial that my dream was a party setting and that from what it looked like everyone in that house was having an entire blast, until they got into the room; there is a reason for that as well. For those of us who have been witness to the party scene we all know that parties can be dull or exciting.  I refer back to my college years and one party in particular called the “Baby Bull” party.  I will not go into details about this event now but I am safe to say that this party was one of the biggest and more popular parties on the entire collegiate calendar.  I also remember attending to some other parties that were total bombs and no one stayed for more than 10 minutes. 

There is a reason for this type of activity and it all has to do with the popularity of the current times.  How many security guards do you see at a party at a house?  I would venture to say not many if any at all.  My point is that when we personally invite people into our lives without understanding the consequences of their presence, we voluntarily open ourselves up to whatever they are selling.  This is the inner breach that we commonly allow to occur without even knowing what has been set into motion.  With the knowledge of my past I watched many people leave the main gathering room and find other places to be alone.  There were not many times that those people had to come back and ask for a key to for the room of their choice.  This is not an observation that many people would recognize in this type of setting and to be honest neither did I until God brought some memories back of settings that I had been involved with; settings in the main room and not in a private room setting.

The point to this portion of the article is that the people that went off to the other portions of the house did not require any special procedures to enter the rooms.  After God was revealing the old party settings of my life, God also returned my attention back to the Dream #3 of mine in which I was standing in the hallway watching the people going in and out of those rooms.  At the time I did not pay much attention to the doors just that they were opening and closing, but showed me something else in that those doors had no locks on them and had no mechanisms for any type of key to be used on them.  In other words, once a person was inside the main room of the house that person had complete access to the entire house no matter what intentions the owner had to keep private.

The fact that there was no key hole in those doors sets the tone for what we are allowing our enemy to do in our lives.  As more and more technologies come forward for our personal usage the idea of security has been heightened.  Of course the logical question of why a person would want to steal information from others is easily explained but what about the security conditions of our inner lives that we are totally ignoring?  Yes, the physical world needs protection and security from our physical accounts in life but what about our inner accounts?  These are the ones that are far more important than our physical ones.  Our physical accounts can be changed and replaced but our inner account is an eternal account and if we turn to the world for happiness, satisfaction and acceptance we are in truth allowing our inner lives to be robbed of the life that we so desperately seek.

The mental picture of my dream where there were no places for locks on the inner doors is the key here.  My parents always told me to keep an eye out for those who will try and use you for personal gain; most of these types of people would be the ones that fall into the category or your general friends.  We need to keep in mind that we have the choice to remove or to keep the locks on our inner doors.  When we allow those door locks to be removed we will automatically raise a flag to our enemy that we are now vulnerable.  The ways and ideas of the world are now set before us and as we allow them to enter into our main room they will soon venture into our hallways and ten find an unlocked door.  And as soon as that door is opened everything that is precious inside that room is now subject to thievery by our invited guests.

As I stated in my dream, when I went through those doors I noticed that the atmosphere in that room was not the same as it was in the hallway.  The atmosphere in the hall was one of expectations, joy and even anticipation but after the door was closed behind me I turned and witnessed a somber mood with people just standing around and not doing or saying much.  Yes, there was a bit of activity but it seemed like the life within the room had been totally drained and now God has shown me the reason why.

There is a term used in the Bible called familiar spirits.  It is a term that many have used on many occasions and those occasions usually deal with some type of acquaintances that a person or group of people have.  Returning to the party setting for a moment, when a party is public and announcements and fliers are posted this means that everyone that wishes can attend the party.  Now while there are very few exceptions to this advertisement campaign everyone who shows up to the party is considered a friend of the host and can basically have the run of the house if they wish.  The same concept is true for our inner lives which when this type of setting is allowed, can voluntarily place our inner security in jeopardy.  When we allow these familiar spirits to walk freely within our house they will take up place in our inner lives and take what they wish, for it is their duty to do so.

The purpose of our enemy is to destroy our lives and if we allow him access to our inner security system guess what he is going to do.  He will bring issues, thoughts, situations and people into your life that will support your decision of openness.  Eventually you will come to accept these new standards into your life as common or friendly.  The next step is to show these things and people around your house, a guided tour if you wish.  Now, our enemy has access to your house and knows the layout of your inner sanctum; congratulations, you are now in his sights and the work will now commence.

The setting for my Dream #3 is past this point that I have described; a look into the future.  The people (issues) had already been invited and welcomed into the house; they had made themselves familiar with the interior of the house and had free access to every room within the house, with no obstruction or hesitation in part of the owner of the house.  This is a place where there is no security present within the confines of a single house.  Ti is also a place that anyone who has been let into the house has complete access to every bit of information that you have stored.  Your entire life is now exposed to everyone who chooses to walk through your hallways.  It is clear to me now why there were no paintings on the walls, only dim lights present.  This is a picture of a depleted house from the inside and a house that has no culture or life what-so-ever.

Please understand that this article is about the individual and the Church alike.  On the individual level it includes everyone in the world.  It is the job of our enemy to enter into our personal and inner life so much that we cannot have any hope of true life or redemption.  Take a look at your inner being and survey the confines of your inner doors.  Have you engrained yourself in worldly ambitions that you have voluntarily exchanged your doors with locks to doors that have no use for a key?  Let me be very clear about a certain point here.  There can be no exchanges between God’s Kingdom and the kingdom of the world.  There can never be any mingling between these kingdoms either.  And if any mingling occurs, that person or group automatically exchanges a locked door for a door that is readily accessible to our enemy and he will not leave that doorway alone until he has accomplished his work.  He will even offer to help exchange your door for you and even show you how easily the new door opens and closes. 

Think about this topic for a while and then ask yourself this question: how many doors of your life have you voluntarily allowed access to others?  It is an important question that all of us need to answer.  Many will not even think about this twice and consider it rubbish, that is a sad choice but it too is a choice.  God love you and wishes to restore those doors with the perfect security system.  All one must do is to trust Him and ask Him for forgiveness and He will restore your land.

Ok, Church you are playing with fire here and it should not be any surprise either.  You have allowed your doors to be opened in this same manner because your infatuation with worldly acceptance.  There is no place for the world inside your hallways.  Yet you have embraced the ways of the world in exchange for popularity and growth in numbers.  Stop and think about something for a moment, your actions are representing a camouflaged Church which will produce camouflaged people and in turn will infect each other with camouflaged and watered down religion.  And if you remember correctly, God despises religion since all He ever wanted was your heart.  And take a guess where all of these worldly people are headed to within our hallways, you got it, towards the heart of the Church.

Church I have a homework lesson for you.  Read church history and take notes of the actions of the church that did not line up with what Christ ordained His church to do.  I do not care if is early church history, modern church history or any period in between.  When you do you will realize that it is painfully obvious that these examples of keyless doors will stick out like a sore thumb.  It does not matter who you are or when you walk this earth our enemy will try and take over your life by your own hand.  A few years back the current President of this country stated that it was his desire to make us like every other country in the world.  The Church has adopted this phrase as well and it is a grave sin!!  The Church is separate from the world and should have NO part of the world within its heartbeat.

A quick warning before I end this article.  This warning is for both the individual, our society, and for the Church.  If we choose not to heed the warnings that God is placing before our eyes our protection will eventually fall.  If we continue our wicked ways and slapping God in the face with our special rights and worldly requests, our inner security will be completely wiped away.  If the Church does not stand up and take her rightful place she shall fall just as hard as our society will.  God will have a perfect Church for His Son and if need be He shall change our settings in order for this to occur.  Do not brush off this choice as propaganda or any type of religious scare tactic, it is the truth and it shall come to pass if we do not change our ways.  I have no idea of when or what but it shall happen. God loves each and every one of you and He loves His Church the same.  His ways are the only way to return the locks to our inner doors and He is the only one that can restore our land to the meaningful ways that it was intended.

In reality, it is our inner security that we need to be tightening and worried about.  Yes, our personal and physical security is important and we should guard this aspect with our lives but it is our inner security that will destroy us since it represents our infrastructure of our lives.  The infrastructure and doors to our inner beings is where God lives and since He created those passages He has the authority to enter and to weave in and out of those spaces, not the world.  Guard your inner sanctuary and do not allow the world to change out your doors, for if we do our lives will become empty shells.

DLB

The Congruency of Destruction

The Congruency of Division

1/17/14

It takes hard work to build a village or a community.  The completed work does not occur over night either but long and lasting strength and faith all tied into unity in order for this project to be accomplished.  The human individual is just as complicated and delicate yet their spirits are everlasting and will be looked upon as the defining points in history.  Humans are the center of the world for without them nothing would exist, but while we continue to learn to accompany each other, indulgences arise which threaten the entire existence of the community, and what remains after the destructive capacity of the human will to prove that they are correct, leaves an empty hole in the heart of God.

The historical example that I am going to use in this article dates way back before the modern era.  This time frame is one that has witnessed the rise and fall of the Greek Empire and is now about to see the expanse of the Roman Empire emerge as the newest and largest empire that mankind has ever witnessed.  In between this empiric growth and the modern age of mankind comes a leader named Alexander whose ideas and wishes eventually encompass a vast amount of wealth, land and peoples, all at his command and desires for his pleasure.  His approach to this newly gained status allows him to be accepted by the peoples that he has conquered and for these people to view him as one of “us”, like a deity instead of being referenced as an invading king or military adjutant weighing the population’s every move.

The popularity of Alexander is enormous and his assuredness of himself fits like a hand in glove and it is soon hereafter that he decides to build a city in his own likeness and then call it Alexandria.  The planning of Alexandria took a very short time to lie out but as anyone knows it took some time to complete.  The plans for the city were stored in Alexander’s head and then meticulously executed over time.  His ideas were brilliant and by the time the city was complete, Alexandria was set to become the world’s largest metropolis after Rome itself.  One can even call this seaside metropolis a city upon a hill for every person who sought any type of wisdom gathered here to learn from the other leaders, slaves, Muslims, Christians, Pagans, etc who had a desire to learn about the unknown.

Alexandria did not immediately become the large and famous intellectual center from its beginnings, it took time and through the advancements of the age and people willing to understand each other instead of fighting amongst themselves to become the true gathering place for all cultures.  The city struggled for any type of help while it was in its fledgling state.  Many people did not enjoy the luxuries that would be for the taking years down the road for this young city of almost 2300 years now was still considered to be a very young city on an ancient and divine land.  Many could never imagine how great and dominate this city would become; all driven from a very young ruler who found himself in favor with the public of the area.

The wealth of the town centered on the manmade port that Alexander so brilliantly built.  The port served as the toasting place to the world as every ship from nation after nation filled its bay with commerce, trade and foreign cultures.  Multitudes of people flocked to the city and began to seek out the many treasures of knowledge that the city had to offer.  As Alexandria grew in numbers so did its popularity as a cultural and philosophical environment, which in turn enticed many more societies to invade its shores.  Yet somehow, the congruency of its inhabitants thrived in such a manner of unity that almost second to none during that time.  Mutual respect and dignity was served on a continual basis each day and was offered to each individual that wished to feast from its plate.

There were daily lectures, meetings, talks and debates that filled the streets and gathering places throughout the growing city.  Soon it was decided that all of these ideas and thoughts from different cultures needed to be written down and kept so that after the people had returned to their abodes that one may remember what was said by reading the transcribed texts that remained.  A center storage place was contemplated, then designed and finally built to house all of these documents that would become one of the largest document storage places in the world.  The Library of Alexandria, as we know it, was born and became even larger of an attraction than the city itself, for if a person wanted to read anything that any scholar who had visited the city or even see and talk with a famous lecturer, they could do so while attending the halls of the library.

The common talk amongst the people of the city proved that anyone who wished to be a part of this cultural epicenter could participate and be accepted and in turn adds to the vast array of cultures and serves as another potential source of influential knowledge.  This concept of unity and relationship was moderated by an atmosphere of respect with intimidation not being allowed to form by any means, yet there were those that feared the worst and warned against further dealings with outsiders who might bring in ideas that might be harmful to the metropolitan linchpin between the East and West.  Alexandria was now affixed as a major city within the growing Roman Empire and its influence within the empire was growing proportionally as well.

The library became the centerpiece of Alexandria’s democracy that demonstrated and lured millions of visitors from around the world.  The growth of the city and the amount of constant foreign seekers was the backbone of how a democracy can birth, grow and maintain a relationship between a multitude of represented cultures while keep at bay the differences that each culture brings; this concept is still viable today if only personal ambitions and selfishness are kept out of the equation.  How marvelous it would be to sit down and to have a decent conversation with a person who comes from another part of the world and just learn about their lives and how they had lived up until that point in time.  How hard would it be for a person or group to tell a story about their race and not have anyone feel ashamed enough of themselves to object to or be offended by what they have done in their homeland?  Any scholarly culture that really wants to understand each other will not hide their faults from inquisitors nor will they storm out yelling at the biased opinions that others have towards their beliefs.  We may not like everything that another culture presents their sword at our dinner table but as humans we need to understand why they have brought this item instead of immediately reacting to the conditions.

Anyone who has studied or read about history will acknowledge the fact that at some point in time, no matter what the situation or condition some human will get a wild hair and do their best to disturb a great setting.  The problem is that we humans forget the mission that we all have with each other and instead take matters into our own hands and through our own self proclaimed popularity try to change views according to how we feel that they should be accounted for.  The world of Alexandria came crashing down in this type of manner when a young priest was ordained within the city limits as the Christian representative of God’s Church got such a notion in his thinking.  The footing for this malicious cleansing came at the expense of hundreds if not thousands of innocent people all because some ideas did not correspond with a recovering persecuted organization’s belief.

The example that I am using here pits the Christians against a metropolis and everything that both entities stood for.  However, I have also demonstrated that when a humble beginning turns into a power struggle, humanity itself will be harmed as history records in countless frameworks.  It is this stage that I am bringing into light, not the fact that the Church takes center stage in the downfall of this story but what power and the ability to create a firestorm through this power that is so damaging to everyone involved.  There is no example what-so-ever that Jesus demonstrated this kind of power-grab while He was on this earth.  Jesus came to this earth by choice, not by command and there is a huge difference that we need to understand here about these two principles.  So, why do Christian leaders believe that they should be different from the person who established the restoration process?

Cyril of Alexandria who became the Bishop of Alexandria proved to be a leader that excited division not only amongst the people of the city but also in the community of Christians.  The persuasion of Christians towards the Jews for killing Jesus was the ignition that Cyril used to begin his purge of this group.  While this notion was considered to be a hot topic during that day it was not even close to what Jesus commanded His church to complete.  Never did Jesus ever say to His followers to avenge His death, so why do we take it upon our hearts to do anything different from His words?  Cyril continued his divisive mannerisms against the Jews and eventually these intrusive actions spilled over into other parts and sectors of the city’s populations.

After a short while the uprising of Cyril came to include the pagans and other cultures that were represented within the city.  Cyril stirred up so much controversy that many feared that at any moment the city would burst into a violent storm and that everyone would be against everyone else.  The boiler room continued its forcing the flames of hate throughout the city and the tensions of the groups only increased as each day passed.  The evidence against the Jews, according to Cyril was overwhelming yet no real evidence was ever discussed publically and in a fair setting nor is there any evidence that remains after the city was destroyed concerning the Jews.  It is not hard for one to imagine the heated passions a certain topic can raise within an individual, group or government so as the natural progression of human activity progresses, the only step available after the name calling processions have been used up, is violence.  This popular city was at its peak when the Christians felt that they had had enough lies and blasphemous talk. 

So when the next step came into life the tensions spilled over into every group that was represented within the city and the worst fears of the general public was surfacing at a breakneck pace.  Violence and death began to reign throughout the streets of Alexandria and everyone who made their presence in the city was at risk of losing their life.  The Christian’s hatred for the pagans and the philosophers grew enough to take a popular philosopher and teacher of students into captivity and then eventually have a mock trial and immediately executed her.  Their torturous actions did not die there, they continued to drag her through the streets until they stopped to dismember her body and burn her remains as a witch would “deserve.”

How can a person or movement gain so much access and control over others and continue to effectively destroy another group that sees things or has different opinions than the attackers?    It is a human phenomenon that is really not hard to understand but many fail to grasp this concept because if they do, then they would realize that everyone has fallen into this monstrous category and should be subject to our own destruction.  It is the personal choice of an individual that separates or brings together from others.  The Church is supposed to be separated from the Church but by no means should it be violent against those who come into conflict with their beliefs, unless the Church is attacked first and then she has every authority to defend herself, but in this case, that was not what transpired.

While I picked an example of the Church to illustrate this topic, we all need to understand that the example for this article could have come from any aspect of human existence.  And if one is to be honest this type of setting is currently being portrayed throughout the western societies of the world today.  There is not a day that goes by that we read or watch groups of people arguing about who is correct and what kind of names that they can place onto others who do not see things as they do.  How many stories do we hear about in which one view or another is totally bombarded and labeled as inferior to another?  How man hostile activities are we now witnessing across the globe in the name of God, liberalism, conservatism and hundreds of other causes?  Can’t we see that these types of activities are purely destructive and will eventually lead to the next step after name calling?  Read history and study how humans reacted to instances like Alexandria and then follow the timeline all the way up to today.  What do you see when it comes to the actions of humans that are placed in similar situations?  The exact same thing as occurred in Alexandria.

After the Christians rose up against the Jews and Pagans within Alexandria, their violent rage against the city resulted in the complete destruction of the city.  As I stated above Alexandria was in her prime and was thriving as the jewel of the new world.  Yet, after all of the name calling and violence that soon ensued, Alexandria never recovered completely and never again rose to the status that it shared with Rome.  Yes, Alexandria survived the destruction of her beloved library and teaching grounds and is still alive today, its status shall never be regained and its loss of congruency amongst the nations is lost forever.

I firmly believe that our society is now at this point and if we do not wake up and recognize that the path we are travelling on is leading us to destruction, this total destruction will occur to us.  All standards are being met for this to occur and it is only a matter of time before the cauldron opens up and engulfs the world.  Alexandria was an enormous city, but it was only a city.  Our society is the culture of the world and has set the tables for every other country to try to achieve and through our stupidity and selfish actions we are allowing the Alexandria march to be unleashed upon the entire world and not just a city this time.

There is an answer to our problems and a common ground that all of us can agree upon and that is we need God back into our lives.  Not as the Church of St Cyril tried to accomplish but one that has compassion on all people yet at the same time brings into light the differences of right and wrong.  Man’s laws are futile and can be easily overridden with a stroke of a pen, but God’s laws are eternal and everlasting and should be recognized by everyone as such.  Not to have God in “control” of our lives but to provide guidance for our lives so that we all may understand and live in true peace.  There is no question that the Church made huge mistakes during the time of Cyril and there is also no question that mankind has made the same mistakes throughout our history.  There is a way that we can change this progression and that is through God Almighty.

A person’s choice is just that, the willingness of a person to fill in her or his own blanks when it comes to the passions that they have.  It is also that person’s choice to do their best in an orderly fashion while trying to accomplish this feat.  Jesus made the choice to walk this earth and to proclaim the Kingdom of God, Covenant, salvation and restoration to all that would listen and desired to understand.  He did not take sides nor did He destroy the inner sanctuaries of whom He considered to be desirable; you and me.  Jesus understood and thrived upon His authority while He was on the earth, according to Kingdom standards, not mankind’s standards.  There are two guarantees that we should keep in mind.  The first guarantee is that if we do not choose God’s ways for our lives, destruction shall engulf our world and we will have no choice but to accept our own defeated fate.  The second guarantee is that God has promised to restore our land, our inner land, if we only humble ourselves and ask for His forgiveness, turn from our wicked ways and acknowledge Him as our only hope in life.  It is an easy process and very simple to complete.  Where does our congruency lie?  Is it in life or is it destruction, the choice is ours to make.  Remember that God love you and that Jesus loves you!! 

DLB

Would I Know You Now?

Would I Know You Now?

1/5/14

Some of you have followed my writings for the past two years and will know that God has shared many things we me in order for His people to understand what is going within the world today.  It can easily be construed that I could develop a big head concerning these articles that I have written but this is so far from the truth and I feel like I need to share how I feel when God sheds His words in my heart.  It is not an easy job that I have conveying the words that God gives me for you.  I have no idea who each of the articles is for and I have no idea what the people who need these words of wisdom are going through.  I have no idea if these articles are for one person, a family or an entire village but I do know that when God gives me these topics, however I trust that He is also working on the other end of these articles to ensure that the words that I write are supplied to the appropriate recipients.

Anyone who reads my articles will also know that the topics vary and are solely directed in one direction but while they differ in many topics the overall concept and message is the same and that is repentance and restoration.  It does not matter if it is on the Church level, individual level or a national level the overall message is the same.  God is trying to wake His people up so that they may hear the calling back of lives to Him.  God is doing this for a reason and the reason is that there is a HUGE shaking coming to the entire world and if we do not heed His words of warning we all will be taken by surprise and will end up suffering and wallowing within the rubble.  I cannot believe that this shaking will be limited to just the physical for God is a complete and thorough God and everything that He does is just.  And for Him to be just all things must be shaken and this includes the spirit realm as well.

As I sit here and write these words I tremble in my chair, knowing that what I say will be heeded by a few and ignored by many.  That is your choice and God understands this part about our lives, for it was He who instilled that ability within our lives.  I do not want to miss anything that God is sharing with me to say to you and I tremble to know if I did not complete the task that is set before me.  It is a frightening and humbling thing to hear these words from God because even though I have written many things I still do not fully understand why He chose a wretch like me to deliver them.

My cry is to make sure that I do not miss anything that God shows me and try my hardest to recognize Him through everything that He has given me to witness.  There is an old song by an artist named Wayne Watson entitles “Would I Know You Now?”  It was written more than a decade ago but is words have such a powerful meaning to every one of us who walk this earth.  It is a simple song with a simple question that all of us need to have running through our lives on a continual basis and that question is would I know you now if you walked by me in some manner?  I may hear words from God that He gives me but I still want to make sure that I understand and know who Jesus is if He decided to make His presence known to me.

It is not enough for me to hear the words that God has for the world but at the same time not even recognize His own Son who died for my own personal sins.  In truth, that would be a tragedy and a grave sin that I could probably never forget.  So, even though I am hearing from God I still examine myself daily to make sure that I understand everything that God is allowing me to grasp.  I would be devastated to know that I wrote words that came from my mind instead from God’s heart.

God loves His people with all of his heart and it is a love that runs everlasting.  But God asks us to choose Him and His ways and for us to forsake the world and everything that it and its king believes in.  It is a simple message of repentance and then restoration.  Use what God has provided us through His divine word and we can honestly and truly change the world for an eternal good.  I pray that the words that I have produced will bring guidance into your life and I ask God to continue to show me things that comes straight from His heart in order to bring into light the importance of this message of repentance and restoration for years to come.

I am reminded of a couple of things that support the topic of this article, one is an old song and one is an event that occurred just a few weeks ago.  First the song.  Back in the 80s and 90s there was a Christian artist that was popular by the name of Wayne Watson.  I do not know why he wrote this song but I understand some of the concepts that he must have had due to the words of the song.  The song in particular was titled “Would I Know You Now?” and it was a fairly recognizable song throughout the Christian music circles.  The message was simple and yet it made a person think about what they had allowed God and Jesus to become in their lives.

“Would I know you now, if you walked into the room” is the opening line of the song that I mentioned above.  What a powerful and heart wrenching question it poses to a person no matter if they considered themselves to be a Christian or not.  In all honesty, how many people would fall into the same category if asked this question, both Christians and non Christians alike?  Sure many would probably recognize the handouts or the goodness of Christ but what about His true mission on this earth and the real reason He came to this world, would anyone know this?  In this light, reread the first line of this song and then ask yourself that specific question again and see what answer you come up with.

Another line in this song states “Or have the images I’ve painted so distorted who you are.”  This line is also another awesome statement that strikes havoc to our sinful hearts, or it should.  There are a couple of ways that this line is effective and it deals with the Christian aspect of Christ’s portrayal to the world yet relate in similarity on the individual and Church level at the same time.  First off the line refers to an individual, who claims to be a Christian, who has made the choice to present themselves to the world in such a way that the worlds defines the Church.  If a person is familiar with the ways of the Church and wears these ways within their lives, then it is feasible to assume that their walk and talk will reflect in like manner.  So, are you projecting a manner of Jesus’ true nature and mission or are have you adapted yourself to what makes you feel and look acceptable within your daily activities and atmosphere?  In truth, do you really know what Jesus’ true mission was or do you just assume that you know?  This follows the old saying that going to church does not make you a Christian just as much as going to McDonalds makes you a hamburger.

The second aspect is that of the Church and that since the Church is made up of individuals then the actions of like individuals can form an opinion where the world is concerned.  By satanic design, there are so many different options about how a person believes it is sickening.  The Church has become so watered down with their own painted designs of how they feel about God that our enemy loves to sit back and watch each denomination spiritually and emotionally rape each other with ideologies and so-called philosophies of who is the best and who has the right answers for the worldly congregations.  When Jesus walked the earth He understood that not everyone that He encountered would accept Him as the true Messiah and to why He was on the earth in the first place.  People back then and people today still continue to paint their own designs of Jesus and of God; let them try and fit God into their worlds and see what and where it takes them.  It will be a place of non recognition and worldly charm which they too have painted for themselves.

There are many more lines of this song that I could spend time on but only one more will I use for this article.  The line of the song is “Would I miss You now if You left and closed the door Would my flesh cry out “I don’t know You anymore.””  Interesting line isn’t it.  The words have so many meanings and beliefs of this world today.  How many times have you heard couples say those exact words about not knowing you anymore?  Why is this and why have we allowed this statement to become a thriving aspect within the Church?  It all reflects upon the line in the song in the previous paragraphs in which it says that we have painted our own designs for what god and others should represent in our lives.  We have become so blind to God’s presence on this earth and all of the things that He has allowed us to have that we cannot even recognize that He is approaching the door to leave.  We have become so engrossed with our lives and our selfish ways that we now believe that we have no reason for God to have a say anymore.  And in many instances we have even passed the line of “I don’t even know You anymore” and use it as a scoff to God’s face.  What aspects of our lives have we not used this phrase in and how much further are we going to allow that phrase to be the defining point in our existence?

I still listen to this old song and thanks to technology I have the opportunity to listen to it whenever I wish.  I will admit to you that every time that I hear this song it breaks my heart not only for my own personal state of being but on the Church level as well.  For I understand that no matter what God speaks through to that I am nothing more than a mere worm that deserves to be swallowed up by the spiritual buzzards that continually surround me and that my presence on this earth is so marred and scarred so much that I cannot even begin to think about what God should actually do to my life.  Yet I recognize this disgusting inner self of mine an while I still do not understand why God continues to share things with me, I know that He loves me and that His mission for me is still in progress.  So my question to the Church is why has she fallen asleep with this confession and mission that she has been commissioned with?  And why have you even allowed yourself to become this way?  If I am the Church and you are the Church then we must stop and look into our own lives and wake up and recognize that Jesus is about to walk out of the odors of our lives.

The last example I am going to give actually occurred a few weeks ago in a town in Utah.  It actually took place in a Mormon Church building and it included the Bishop of that Ward.  Early one Sunday morning the Bishop went to one of the congregation members and asked her to do something for him.  The thing that he asked was to be of total secrecy and that no one should ever suspect his presence within her house.  For you see, her profession was a hair dresser and makeup artist and the act that he requested was for her to make him look like a homeless man.  You can imagine the questions that the lady had but the Bishop said nothing further about his actions and she complied with his request.

As the service began it was announced that the Bishop was not going to be in the service that morning and that another person was going to speak in his place.  Everyone in the building, including the staff of the service did not know what was about to occur.  As the service started the Bishop and his disguised look reached the front doors of the building.  He opened them and politely walked into the building and began making his way towards the sanctuary.  Now, while he was not initially treated badly he could feel the glares and stares upon him as he began to walk around the building trying to be as friendly as he could be with those who were around.

It was obvious that he was not going to be treated in the same manner as the gentleman in a suit or as the lady in a nice dress, but by the way he was being ignored gave him the perfect clue as to what the condition of his church was in.  Some of his congregation he expected treatment in this manner and they proved him correct, but there were others who he did not expect to treat him in a hurtful manner when he tried to converse with them.

At some point in the service the “homeless man” stood up and shed his disguise to the shock and dismay of the congregation.  The Bishop did not say much about the incident but his presence made an impact to his congregation.  His actions proved that the song “Would I Know You Now?” is well and alive within any congregation or denomination and it needs to be personally addressed in each of our lives.  Being right or wrong is a human “thing” that all of us are subject to each time we draw a breath.  It is our responsibility to understand that we are all sinners and that without God we can no longer function effectively.  It is time for us to stop and to repent of our foolish and selfish ways so that we may once again refocus our lives on God so that we may live in true freedom.

It does not matter who you are or what you have done, God restores.  All we have to do is to make sure that we know who God is and what His mission for our lives really is.  And don’t you think that we need to walk over to Jesus, who is approaching our door and ask Him to stick around a while?  Strike up a conversation with Him and I He will speak volumes to you about anything that you wish to understand and then you will be equipped with the ability to walk and talk as He did and you will have the pleasure of knowing who He is.

DLB

Your Bark

Your Bark

1/5/14

It has been said that we humans can learn things from the ways of dogs and while I do not completely agree with this philosophy there are some aspects of dog’s behavior and territorial activities that we can learn about.  There is a reason that a dog is called man’s best friend in the context of mankind and not just the male side of our species.  There are many sayings and catch phrases that one can use to describe humanity by referring to the canine breeds, but what about the loyalty and the protection that a dog serves to its household or master.  On the other hand there are a few concepts and “laws” of the canine species that we should take up in order to ensure the vitality of the Church continues.  While some of these aspects may not be conventional they do serve a purpose to potential invaders who could bring havoc into the Church if allowed.  So, tune up your barking voices and let us begin the appropriate sounds to the world in defense of the Church.

As some of you know we have two Dachshunds that are considered a vital part in our family, and while I have written more about our Dachshund named Gizelle, Heidi is going to begin the article with her example of barking.  Even though Heidi is younger than Gizelle, she claims the alpha female role of the two simply because of the handicapped condition that Gizelle harbors.  For the most part Gizelle accepts this order and follows along accordingly and of course Heidi recognizes this advantage and in return does all she can to make sure that Gizelle does not get any type of alpha coup ideas in her head.  They are friendly to each other and even protect each other when they feel it is necessary.

Dachshunds are notoriously famous for being called wiener dogs, weenie dogs, hot gods, etc, etc with most of these names being funny to hear.  The internet has come up with some great pictures to reinforce these names as well; all made in jest of course for I would never harm my two girls for anything in the world.  Until we obtained Gizelle no one in our family knew what Dachshunds true purpose was for and given their size and height one would not suspect that they were originally bred to hunt badgers.  However, when one has the opportunity to hear their bark and the ferocious sounds that protrude from their mouths it is easier to understand why they were used in this capacity.  If a dachshund surprises a person or animal and then lets them have it with their bark, it will jar the intended target quite noticeably.

Dachshunds are not very large dogs and when one looks at their short legs and long backs they can bring a smile or smirk to one’s face and mind.  But it is their bark that penetrates a certain decibel level that human ears have a hard time in handling and if heard to long enough bring about an ear pain that will not go away until the barking subsides.  Dachshunds by breed are very territorial and will continue to present their case to the owners of that territory with a warning sound until the person owning the territory calms the animal down.  The effectiveness of this barking noise is one that lets everyone around know that there is a puppy dog that knows what is going on and those approaching people or animals better beware. 

I have found that Heidi will bark at almost any uncertain movement that she believes is not on the up and up.  There are many times that she sits on top of the couch and as she looks out the bay window will even bark at the squirrels playing across the street.  Sometimes it seems like she will just bark to hear her head rattle, remember that phrase being used when you were a kid?  I understand that phrase now.J  For us to keep Heidi quiet we actually have to pick her up and reassure her that whoever or whatever is outside is supposed to be there and knows what they are doing.   It takes a bit but she will eventually calm down and then ready for the next potential intrusion to occur, but by then the entire neighborhood knows that Heidi is on guard and is watching everything that they do; hence, the entire process begins all over again.

Barking is a dog’s way of letting the people and the environment around them know that they are there and that those objects which the dog has deemed as potential invaders know that they are being watched.  It is a common knowledge that when an unfamiliar presence is detected a dog will begin to bark and could even start to bark when the human has not actually heard any disturbing sounds yet.  The ear of a dog is so much more sensitive than the human’s ear and can hear sounds, voices and noises from a far greater distance than we can ever imagine.  This aspect of their abilities can come in handy in a number of ways; in fact, many lives have been saved due to a barking dog.  The movies of Hollywood have portrayed this phenomenon about dogs and more importantly we in reality, as individuals, also have witnessed this act from dogs as well, so why is it difficult for us to understand that there are people and other forces out around us that wish us harm?

I guess the more pertinent and relevant question to this process would be, why have we allowed ourselves to not recognize or hear the dangers that surround us?  I have brought to my reader’s attention that we are in a war against the spirit of the world and everything that encompasses this realm.  Yet we as the Church have repeatedly ignored the presence of this spirit and have actually welcomed its presence onto our inner property.  There is nothing wrong with recognizing the evils of the world and understanding their causes and their pain, but there is definitely something wrong when we allow this presence within our doors and then sit back and do not address the truth and deal with its presence.  This would be like having a huge and ferocious dog solely used for protection and as soon as we can take it to the vet and have all of its teeth pulled for no good reason.  Anyone afraid of a toothless dog that all he / she can do is “gum things to death?”  No, you have pity on it and then walk over and pet the animal, which forces the dog to accept its environment, no matter how it feels about the person.

Reverting back to Heidi for a moment, barking and showing her teeth a bit is her way of letting us know and whoever or whatever is around that she is watching them and that she knows you are there.  It does not matter if she has never seen the person or animal before or if the subject has just left the room, she is going to let them know that she is aware of your presence.  Heidi would never attack anyone or harm them in any way, she is not that way but she will let the people outside know and everyone in the house knows when she believes that something is not right in the neighborhood.  It has been said that dogs are great for warding off predators and a barking dog is one of the best ways to keep the house secure, since it grabs the attention of the ears quickly.  And this is where we come to the spiritual aspect of things for this article.

How do people get inside of a church?  The obvious answer is a door and this is not an inaccurate answer.  It is the truth that people get into the church through doors and it is of the utmost importance that churches have the philosophy of an open door policy for those who are in need of God within their lives.  It is the sole purpose and function of the Church to welcome people into the church as an example of the love that Jesus has for humans.  But I am sad to say that we have stopped there with this example at this point and have not continued the total mission of what Jesus established the Church to accomplish.  The goal of a church or a denomination has been to have and to record as many members as it can to prove its stability to the world; strength in numbers if you wish.  How sad and wrong this concept is and it is no wonder that the Church is in the shape that she is in today.  In other words, having a huge toothless dog is useless and good for nothing but as a door prize and a talking point to the people that come into your house.

The Church is supposed to be separated from the world and have nothing to do with the policies that it promotes.  The world is not of God and the forces that the world allows to control it stand totally against the Kingdom of God.  This is where the bark of the Church should take over and alarm the inhabitants, the Church, of the forces that are trying to gain access to the heart of the Church.  If the bark of the Church is loud and steady the attention will be drawn out in the open and the perpetrators will be noticed and deciphered as false witnesses to others.  There are rightfully those who wish to end their struggles with the world and come to Christ and these people are the ones that heed the calling of God.  On the other hand, there are those who have no desire to turn their lives over to God and have the intentions of spreading discontent within the Church.

The Church should have the keen eye to recognize this spiritual and Kingdom aspect and should “bark” accordingly.  Yet we have allowed these types of spirits within our church walls in order to boost the numerical value of the congregation and in doing so we have placed a muzzle over our spiritual mouths in the name of worldly figures.  The world understands that the Church has a history of actually biting people instead of barking at the appropriate times.  The world also understands that the Church is filled with humans in which given this historical side of the Church will accept worldly spirits within its walls in order to “keep the peace” within the community.  How wrong and blasphemous this philosophy is and with this acceptance the Church has now become as the old song states, “how much is that doggie in the window?”

The Church no longer needs the muzzle that we have voluntarily placed around its mouth for we have been in the window for so long that we have become docile and weak that we do not even care who comes in and out of our neighborhoods.  The world will enter the Church and actually pet us on the head and say “nice doggie” to us as they pass by.  Where is the fear of God on both sides of this equation?  The world is attracted to the Church because of its divisiveness and its cunning abilities to put on a front to the public.  The worldly spirit understands this because it is the exact same front that it portrays to the world.  It believes in this divisional status and it thrives on this type of sectional creativity for that spirit understands that as long as division reigns at any level it has the authority to control the spiritual movements and life of that entity.  The worldly spirit also knows that as long as this divisive and nocturnal nature resides within the true mission of the entity cannot be fulfilled to its utmost; as it does with the Church.

The Church’s bark is not to be ferocious to the person but to the enemy that controls the person.  The Church becomes ineffective in its mission when it loses this vision and in reality should shut their doors because all that they are doing is providing a lie to the people that desire true help.  Also, while in this condition the Church succumbs to the worldly spirit and allows it to run rampant through its veins spewing a divisive hate for God and everything that His Word says is true.  It masks the truth in such a manner that glorifies the world’s decisions about humanity and accepts all manner of beliefs without any corrective or repenting steps to be taken.  This action by the Church is an abomination to God Word and to His authority, and each time we allow this setting occur, we are spiritually and physically thumbing our noses to God and saying to Him that our ways and means are better for us than His.

The toothless dog understands that there is a potential for danger as soon as certain people are allowed into the house however, the dog also understands that in its present condition it is no match for that person nor can it defend the house in the capacity that as it should.  The dog usually then goes and sits into the corner or some isolated safe spot where it can view the activities with a heavy and depleted heart, fully knowing that at some point the times will change and there will be nothing that it can do when the owners cry out for help.  There is some comfort in this condition of the dog, at least when the invaders are showing their true selves, they will actually look at the dog and smile at it and tell it that it is “a good boy” not even caring what sex the dog is in the first place.  This is not a vital Church nor does it demonstrate any true life within the Church, all it displays is a weak object that should take its place in its society and not be heard from until petted.  It also displays the true identity of a religion versus a true relationship on the spiritual level both on an individual level and the Church level.

My suggestion to the Church is this, when the world comes at you with pliers wanting to pull your spiritual teeth that you show them your teeth and let them know that you understand what they are trying to do.  The Church should never hurt anyone but should always attack the person handling the marionette.  Accept the people into the Church that want to seek help, repentance and spiritual guidance for it is these people that Jesus walked and talked with on a daily basis.  See when you push back the darkness and allow the true light to shine, the darkness will leave and if the Bible addresses that this sin should be removed from the people then why is the Church accepting them and not removing the darkness from their lives?  Everyone knows that the devil himself sits in many church services gathering information, so why wouldn’t the followers of his realm do the same, especially if their ways of existence is being readily accepted without recourse.  This type of action will continue and will eventually become worse as long as the Church allows it to continue.  It is time for the Church to recognize its errors and throw out the world’s spirit that she has allowed to take comfort within.  I am NOT saying to throw out the people who are there for true repentance; I am saying to throw out the worldly spirits that have been allowed to access our vision and means of our mission to a dying world.

This standing up against the spirit of the world will be rejected by some, this is a given but it shall also create a revival amongst the Church and cause her light to shine once again.  There can be no denying that the principles of the Church have gone a bit wayward and spiritual cleaning needs to be done but what a way to complete this task if you have people who wish to clean themselves at the same time.  This is the meaning of true restoration when everyone agrees to return to the ways of God and to follow His examples concerning life.  When this occurs the Church will be restored to what she was designed for and will once again begin the process of working towards becoming the bride of Christ, in her true beauty instead of her outward appearance to the world.

Show your spiritual teeth when you bark and I guarantee that the worldly spirit will recognize you almost immediately.  The Church is toothless and lacks the discipline to stand up to the world and this is a death sentence to the Church, so much so that in truth the Church becomes a church in stature and systematically reduces herself to the corner in which she is told to sit.  No way did Jesus intend for His Church nor his bride to behave so why don’t we get this concept and understand that we the Church are in a state of sin?  Repent and then allow God to restore, He has promised this to us and it is so easy to begin.  Hey, I think I can see some teeth appearing. J

DLB

Picking and Choosing

Picking and Choosing

1/3/14

Reading a book and skipping to the exciting part is not reading but an example of picking and choosing what one wants to read.  I also have a hard time in believing these types of people that read in this manner and then provide their own views according to the portions that they have read.  I believe that one must read the entire book in order to understand the entire content of what the author is trying to say to the reader.  Picking and choosing is a dangerous field of belief and it cannot serve any purpose except for your own.  Many people are famous for this concept when it comes to the Bible as well, even ministers must be included in this category as well and all God asks of us is to read His Word in truth and He will provide the understanding.

As many of you know my parents are ministers and have been associated in some type of ministerial profession for over 50 years.  This is a huge accomplishment and I am so honored to have such a legacy within my bloodline.  There is not a day that goes by that I have to hang my head in shame because of what my parents have proclaimed or achieved.  I thank God every day that I came into their lives 46 years ago and I pray that we have many more years together on this earth.

Many progressions have been made in the Christian world during my lifetime and when I stop and look back at these things I am utterly amazed at how far the “Christian” scene has advanced.  I am only going to pick one area of this progression and it is a subject that I have talked about before but I am going to add a few extra lines to the equation in order to set the stage for what God is saying to us.  The subject area is music and music is a topic that I hold very close to my heart and it means the world to me and I thank God hat I am able to understand how the composers and artists are conveying their messages to the ones that are listening to their works.

Some of you might not be aware that the Contemporary Christian Music scene that we enjoy today has not always been around.  In fact, it is still relatively new in its origins even though modern technology has brought it along rapidly over the past few decades.  I have to be honest and say that I do not listen too much of the Contemporary Christian music even though I thoroughly enjoy hearing its messages that it provides t o a dying world.  Many of these songs touch my heart and enhance my faith every time I turn in to the stations.  I am also blessed to have a choice of Christian radio stations to choose from for I know that one day these options may be not available. 

The Christian music industry really did not get off to a popular start and it took a while for it to make it across the United States.  I also have the honor in stating that my father was part of the initial breakthrough in Contemporary Christian music when we lived in California.  Not only did our church have its own touring music group we as a church invited many of the up and coming Christian artists to our church as a section rally; all of these occurred on a recurring schedule and it was fabulous.  While this was a great opportunity for me to witness a growing and positive trend in my life, this style of music was not the original type of music that my parents introduced me to.  My mother was very instrumental in introducing me to classical music and she taught me to listen to it in a very special way that made the music come to life and it is this aspect that I will explain and make the connection about reading the Bible in its entirety and not just picking pieces of this Word to believe.

My mother being in a band and playing a couple of instruments during her lifetime; then include my father who played in a marching band and loved every minute of it I really had no choice but to love music and to try and understand its content as they did.  They never forced me to play an instrument and they tried their best to keep me interested in music all the while my interests began to flame towards the female aspect of humanity.  Mom did however peak my curiosity by a question that I posed to her, in other words I initiated my own state of beliefs about classical music, not her.  I walked into a room one day and she was sitting down listening to a piece of music on the old record player.  My question to her went something like this:  what are you exactly listening to? So she proceeded to tell me.

First she told me to sit down and to get comfortable because it is going to take time for her to explain the answer to me.  She then got up and while she was walking towards the console she told me a little bit about the piece of music that I was about to hear.  Now, I knew what a symphony was and I also knew that there were many different types of instruments within a symphony and when they all played their respective notes a beautiful sound would protrude from the instruments into my ears.  She started the piece again from the beginning and told me to fix my ears on the trumpets and what their notes were during the piece.  Now, I do not know about you but it came natural for me to hear trumpets because that is the instrument that I played in school.

After the piece ended I thought that my day of my music lessons was over but little did I know that they had just started.  Mom asked me about the tempo of the trumpets and I recited a little bit about their beats, no biggie right?  Then she got up from the chair and went back to the console and picked up the needle and began the piece of music over again and then she said this time I want you to listen to the clarinets.  This was a bit trickier for me because I was now focused upon an instrument that I had not really listened to before.  Es, I appreciated the clarinet but really never thought about its specific existence within an orchestra before.  The same questions were asked by mom to me but this time my answers were not as thorough as the trumpet answers.  Mom was not trying to provoke me into becoming upset or to take prejudice against any other instrument within the orchestra all she wanted me to do is to understand that there are more sounds that make up a beautiful symphony than one or two sets of notes being played.

This cycle continued until she had me listen to each set of instruments within the orchestra and I learned a great deal about music that day and it is a lesson that I still use to this day when I am listening to any type of classical music setting.  What mom taught me is that most of the time when our ears are listening to music we usually focus on one aspect of that piece and basically tune out all of the other items that we deem unimportant.  But these unimportant items also serve as a part of the complete and overall symphony and must be used in order for the piece of music to sound as the composer intended.  A masterful piece of music can be played without the entire complement of instruments being present but when this occurs the full body of the work cannot be displayed and projected because certain pieces are missing.

I continued to listen to classical music in this manner and I enjoyed the process so much that I began to do the same procedure to the music that we played and sang in church.  Quite a process that was and many of my friends never knew what I was doing at the time.  Church music was a tad easier to complete in this way since there usually were just a limited amount of instruments on the platform, but it was still a beautiful analysis of the music and words that were being portrayed.  My classical music studies were fabulous and I soon began to recognize certain pieces of music as soon as they would come on the radio or if mom had one playing on the console when I came into the room.  I found that my knowledge of classical music was increasing on a constant basis and even initiated some musical commentary with my mother about certain portions of music.

Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and Tchaikovsky soon became everyday words to me and these men began to influence my musical thinking on a larger scale.  I had the opportunity to go listen to a matinee recital with my 4^th grade band class while I was in California.  I cannot remember which composer the musician played but I remember sitting there listening to the concert in total amazement and wondering if I would ever be able to understand music in a similar fashion as he did.  My complete learning would take decades to continue and I have to admit that I am still learning today.

One day mom asked me a question and this question entailed of a composer by the name of Chopin.  I had no clue who this person was or what he played or if he was even in the classical music industry.  Mom then asked me if I was familiar with a composer by the name of Shostakovich and I must have given her the most craziest look because I could not even pronounce that name much less recognize his works.  Mom’s point to me was that while I knew some of the bigger names in classical music that there were still many other names in that genre that I had no clue about, which meant that I did not know squat about the overall classical music scene.  Mom did not ask me these questions to knock me down or to discourage me in any ways but she did want me to understand that even though I might know some of the popular composers there were far more out there that I still needed to learn.

The example that I just wrote to you occurred when I was in Junior high school with a quick flashback to elementary school thrown in there as well.  I am 46 years old now and I have to admit that I am still learning about composers and their music, even today I have listened to works of music from composers that I had no idea existed.  Some of you might have heard of a composer by the name of Lyatoshynsky, but I had never heard of him before and up until today I had never heard any of his compositions.  Has anyone heard of composers by the names of Sgambati, Lachner, Busoni or Czerny?  These are some of the composers that I have recently learned about, all because I dug into the classical music scene a little deeper than I normally would; that normally would conditions being Bach, Beethoven and Mozart.

It is this type of listening and understanding that I am trying to convey to the readers about the Bible as well.  And here is how both subject come together.  A musical composition no matter what type of music it is has a specific amount of notes that are put into place so that the work can be finished.  This work may be a 5 minute contemporary rock song that is written for only four instruments or it may be a 45 minute symphonic work that is written for a full complement symphony, it does not matter but one must know that each instrument and every note must be recognized and understood in order for that piece of music to be played accurately and in the manner in which it was written.  The Bible is the same way my friends.

As I stated above my father and mother have been in the ministry for over 50 years; that is a very long time.  Dad on a continual basis tells me that God shows him new things on a constant basis.  Now, if a man has been in the ministry for over 50 years and God is still showing him things, this means that my dad, who is totally dedicated to the Word of God, has not fully learned everything that God’s Word is saying to humanity.  Dad admits this, so why cannot the average and everyday Christian admit this as well?  Why not every other pastor or minister admit this?  Or every other denomination or any denomination for that matter?

God’s Word is the complete Word of God and His Word comes from an infinite being that our finite minds cannot even come close to understanding, yet He places His words into our lives through a series of stories that are based upon human activity.  Now, why would we want to pick and choose from just bits and pieces of our own history?  That is easy to answer and it really does not take too much thinking power to figure it out either.  It is because it takes all power and authority away from us when our truthful past is proclaimed to us today.  The Bible is looked upon as a judgmental book taken totally out of context in order to suffice our own whims and qualms about our personal beliefs.  When a person or group takes the Bible and places it into this type of setting, you are only listening to Bach, Beethoven and Mozart. 

A quick example of this would be Paul and the effect that he had upon the New Testament church.  Paul wrote a good portion of the New Testament itself and he is a very popular figure when mentioned in biblical terms and settings.  So one can safely regard Paul as being a Bach or Mozart of the Bible, right?  Ok, so we can understand this analogy about the so called big names in the Bible but does anyone know who Hadad was?  He was mentioned in the Bible and played an important part in a popular Old Testament person’s life.  What about Ashdod, recognize him?  Does anyone know what was going on during the times of these last two names that I asked about?  What about the importance of their lives and what happened to them and their families or communities?  These examples are the composers named Czerny, Busoni, Cleve, Davydov, Fesca, Gablenz and countless others who even though they might not be extremely popular still produced a valid claim to their existence in the classical music realm.  So doe these almost unknown people in the Bible, they too have a claim to their existence in the Bible and for some very important reason God decided to mention them in His complete Word.  Now, don’t you think that there is a reason for this?

It is our responsibility to end the denominational garbage that binds us to a limited biblical source and begin to seek the personal relationship with God that He desires.  I am not saying to drop your denominations or your practices, but what I am saying is that we need to forget the lines that our denominations bring to our lives and to open up our hearts and to read, read, read and reread God’s Word over and over again.  God has everything mapped out for our lives in His Word and I can guarantee you that He has not left anything out.  He created a very smart individual and He gave us the ability to understand what He is trying to get across to us.  Our problem is that our enemy wants us to pick and choose what we want to read and live by that simple and little bit of information, and to be honest with the way the Church has acted over the centuries we have allowed our enemy to complete this task almost without any hindrance what-so-ever.

So, have the true grit to study God’s Word in the manner in which my mother presented music to my life.  Take the time to understand each portion of the Bible as it was you living each story.  Use your heart to secure the complete meaning that God wants your life to understand.  Each instrument of the orchestra has a purpose and a reason for its presence within that piece of music.  Each one of us has a purpose in life as well and we can find it if we read what God has to say about us.  The Bible is about humans and the lives that they lead, the conditions of their societies and their churches.  God understands our lives because He is the one who formed us from nothing.  We need to read His Word with a pure and honest heart not trying to justify our current status by an isolated passage that is popular, for if we live by this standard then we will be one of those people when our life is over will be saying…..Lord, didn’t we cast out demons in your name???

DLB

Voice or Noises?

Voice or Noises?

12/30/13

The question posed in the title of this article can provoke many responses.  The way we answer that question can determine how we view life and what kind of lives we live.  It is important for us to hear voices for they can provide health, happiness, or even destruction.  The consequences of us not heeding or adhering to our voice of authority can lead to our destruction.  History has revealed that when we do not listen to the voice of God our expectations of humanity go up in flames and this is an issue that we need to change.  Even with all of the hustle and bustle of life’s surroundings we can still fine tune our spiritual ears well enough to listen to our Creator and to secure a complete life through Him.

There have been a few stories that have come across the news sources that have brought hope to many lives that cannot hear properly.  While there are numerous hearing conditions which impair the ability of a person to hear correctly, there are some technologies available now that can stop, reverse or override these negative effects.  One example of this technological development is a cochlear implant which when activated allows the ear to function in a normal capacity and brings sound to the recipient’s ears.  There was a news story not too long ago where a child who was suffering from a congenital condition received a cochlear implant.  Before the implant the child could not hear anything and was completely deaf due to the condition that he was born with but after the surgery the implant changed his life forever.

The parents agreed to have a video made of the moment that the implant was activated which was then agreed to be placed on the internet as a testimony of hope for thousands around the world who suffer from similar conditions.  The video was powerful because as the cameras began to roll, and the implant activated the child’s face immediately lit up with excitement and a smile came over his face almost at the same time.  The child’s father then spoke his name and the child turned his head in the direction of his father and the grin on his face grew by leaps and bounds.  The room was filled with tears of joy, and claps of approval began to ring about the room from the medical staff.  The doctor did some final checks on the implant and not too much longer and the family was allowed to leave and go home with their son that was now able to hear.

A couple of questions arise with this type of setting and the first one is most of us have no problems with our hearing and for the most part will not have any problems with this part of our anatomy.  But can you imagine how that young boy must have felt to be able to hear things for the first time and all of this being allowed to occur because of the knowledge of someone else and their capabilities to put into practice a device that would help someone hear?  The endless things that this child will learn now, you know, the ones that we take for granted each second of every day?  His world has now become alive all because he can hear what is actually going on.  After he gets older his parents will allow him to play by himself and to walk down a city sidewalk without fear of never coming back because he will have the ability to navigate the streets without help.  All because he has the capacity to hear sounds around him.

When we attend to another person’s voice we form a temporary communication link that serves a specific purpose.  That purpose of this link is to come to terms with what each other is trying to get across to the other party and while there are other methods of communication that humans possess, having the ability to hear what others are speaking to you speeds up this process tremendously.  But do we always understand what the other person is trying to convey to us or have we already preconceived what we want to hear before their words leave their lips?  It is a special art in listening and even though it might seem to be a simple process, what we hear may not be what we want to hear.  The boy who now can hear due to modern technology will now be able to hear everything that the world is saying, but not all of these voices are as such, many of them will turn out to be just plain noise.

How many of you hear your parents’ voices when they call your name?  How many out there ever knew that they were in trouble just by the way their parent’s called out their name?  What about when they used your middle name, did that mean anything to you? Sure did to me. J  How about on the opposite end of the spectrum could you tell when they had good news for you?  All of these examples and many more like them gave either a warning to us or promoted happiness within our lives and it was all due to our ability to hear their voices.

I still hear my dad’s voice today, even if he is not even in the same state.  It is not a bad thing but a comforting one to my life since my dad and I have a good relationship with each other.  Now, there might be some issues that we do not completely agree upon, but even having the capability of hearing his voice inside my head reassures me that his presence is still within my life; I revel in this knowledge as well.  See, being able to hear my father’s voice in my head lets me know that I have understood what he has been trying to get across to me all of these years and that is to reason things out and listen to the voice of wisdom before I act on things.  When I heed his words then that means I am putting into place the things that he taught me and following those guidelines that he wanted me to understand.  As I have gotten a tad bit older I look back now and wish that I had listened more to him and included many more areas of life that he wanted to share with me.

I still have the privilege of having both of my parents around me and in my life but I also have the confidence that when that sad day reaches me and they are gone that I will still be able to hear their voices in my head continuing their guidance and wisdom when certain circumstances arise.  To this day I still continue to seek my parent’s advice on matters and I continue to learn from their wisdom on a daily basis.  My point to this portion of the article is that hearing a voice of reason and wisdom proves to be invaluable to a person when those trying times arise for this voice is a constant one and a steady one that provides solid evidence to either avoid destruction or to limit destructive path while you travel through it.  It is the ears that allow your inner spirit to understand wisdom and to remember the voice of truth when times become tough and it is the voice of our Creator that we need to hear when our paths are about to collide with reality.

There is a popular Christian group out right at the moment named Skillet that many of the younger generations may recognize.  They have a new song out entitled “American Noise” and it is a fantastic song that enhances the topic of this article and it also leads into the second important question of the article as well.  There are so many noises that our ears are subjected to on a continual pulse and this pulse can seem overwhelming at times.  All of us have just wanted to run from this scene and lock ourselves into a quiet room and just sit and revel in the quietness of an empty place.  It seems like we can then reset our brains and think clearly once again.  But the question that this raises is one that puts into light to which voices that we are allowing to rule our minds and to what effect do these voices have on our ability to make sound judgments?

The world will never relent on its endless and mindless talents of noise for bringing noise into our lives is the only way that the world can gain access enough to influence our decisions.  Even reacting and running from all of the noise results in a benefit that the world has against us and costs us greatly in our walk in life.  We have no choice but to be a part of this world yet it is our choice to allow the noise of the world and our society deafen us to the point that we cannot hear the voice of our Creator.  These noises prove difficult to hear what specific people are trying to convey to us and if we continue surrounding our ears with many voices then eventually we will lose track of the one voice that we want to hear.  This is where focus comes into play and keeping our spiritual ears open to the voice of God and what he is trying to say to our lives.

We must first have a good enough relationship with God in order to hear His voice within our spirit.  And once this relationship is established then the danger is somewhat lessened as long as we continue seeking and remembering His voice in our hearts.  It is when we allow the entertainment of other voices that approach our hearts that it becomes dangerous because we while we are allowing the other voices to grab our attention we lessen the voice of God and of reason.  I am not saying that we have to isolate ourselves from the world, for that is an impossible task to contemplate but we can lessen the noises that we hear from the world by drawing closer to God in our relationship with Him.

It is just like hearing me father’s voice in my head even when he is not around.  It is the relationship that we have between us that continues his voice even when he is not around.  Ask anyone who has lost a grandparent, parent, etc and they will tell you that they still hear that person’s voice protruding in certain situations.  It is a normal response from our insides and it is this same type of relationship that God desires to have with us.  When we allow this type of relationship to develop with God the desire to al God to work through our lives will save us many heartaches and burdens as we continue the course of life.  Hearing His voice of wisdom will prove to be the perfect tool that we need to chip away at all of the junk that the world throws at us.

We become vulnerable to the world and its leader when we fail to recognize and hear our Father’s voice.  It is so easy to get caught up in the world’s settings and without even realizing our circumstances fall into the rap that has been laid before us.  When this occurs God has not forsaken us or stopped trying to get our attention.  It is because we have turned our focus away from Him and began to listen to the other noises around us that take us away from His voice.  Our ears are a gift that we need to make sure we take care of with the correct applications.  God’s voice does not change nor will His voice become in any manner threatening, but it will be a small still voice that provides direction and a steady course that will give us a way out if we are listening.

It is not too hard to find God’s voice and it is not hard to hear His voice either.  A common question is how to hear His voice and it is like this:  when you hear a voice that goes totally opposite to what the world is promoting, that is His voice.  When you hear a voice that wants you to have compassion with other people, that is His voice.  When you hear a voice that says repent for I love you, that too is His voice.  When you hear a voice that says that what you are doing is wrong; yep, you got it, that voice is His voice.  Are you listening for this voice or are you honing your ears on the voices, sounds and noises of the world?  God will allow you to choose the voice that you listen to and He will also allow you to experience the results of that choice.  The world’s patterns are set into place and its leader our eternal enemy but God will still allow your choice to be heard throughout the heavens, just as loud as His voice is calling you to be restored.

It is easy, the choices you have are of the world or of God both of which are acceptable because it is your choice.  One choice will lead to a miserable and confused life because of the environment in which that choice rests upon.  The other will go against the flow of the world and even though things might seem a bit tougher, true peace and tranquility will rule your life that will provide you answers to every question when you listen to the voice of our Father.  Our Father’s voice is a neat experience and one that will change your life forever.  The voice of the world will lead to destruction and a life so self centered that one will spin around in circles just to try and understand one point.  The world is not free, but God is and He offers this freedom to you.  All you have to do is look for Him and then tune your ears towards His voice and the restoration process is guaranteed to begin.

DLB