Customized Crazy for the New Year

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For some reason this year, it seems we're not hearing as much about the New Year's wish or plans for the New Year, or, what are you going to look back on as being really cool and what not to try again. Remember how big that used to be, and here we are about one day away from the big ball in New York, and the Eiffel Tower getting laser nuts in Paris and all over the planet everybody going "whoo hoo," we made it! Right about now you may be wondering that this really doesn't sound like what a devotional is supposed to sound like? Gee whiz, is it possible that, we're going to climb outside the typical- and here we really don't want to use the word boring, because, devotionals, from the past, are hardly that, are they? But in writing a devotional for the time we're in, do we need to change gears a bit? It's a question that I want to put out there, because some of my online buds, some of whom are pretty powerful network marketers, (note: the some...not all, some...) have told me to "lay off the devotionals"- and that's just bizarre advice, because devotionals have picked me up at times, and really given me so much perspective, but the key seems to be, does anyone read it, and then, does anyone drop a dime (comment) that they've been there?  So Happy New Year, BUT, how about letting folks know some of your ideas about what the years has been like, what you'd like to do next year...mine?  Oh, you wanna hear a few of mine...O.K.  Like the politician say's  "you first..."  ;-) <---smiley face?  Wow old fashioned but still in fashion...wouldn't you say? 

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Every year we have the friends over for a little party, about
six of them, think it is, anywho, it's nice to see how they
have changed and how the world has changed, together,
every year; it's a nice measuring stick.  What do you use?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTYIAp0GrLA

The 100th Monkey

See this documentary soon...

What an incredible story from the documentary "Collapse,"
that scientists around 1940 or 1950 tried an above
ground nuclear test on a Pacific island.  Going back
years later, they discovered about 10,000 monkeys
on the island, where, everything seemed to have
grown back, but, the monkeys were eating the
coconuts which had radiation in their shells.
So the scientists took ten monkeys and taught
them to wash the coconuts in a fresh water
stream, cleaning the radiation.

As they monitored the monkeys they found
after a short period of time that twelve monkeys
were washing their coconuts.  Then a few more
as time progressed, some months in, 47 were
washing them.  After about a year or more,
they noticed that nearly a hundred monkeys
were washing  their coconuts, then it happened
when the 100th monkey washed the coconut
the 10,000 began washing theirs!  This is a
phenomenon that had been noticed before,
but it gives us remarkable hope for surviving
the hard times which may be ahead.

Hope this takes root with you, don't give
up on folks learning, just keep looking for
that 100th monkey.

Documented

When we see a film, for some reason, if it's any good at
all, we tend to buy into what it's proposing.  If it's
fiction, we get into the plot and the drama and then

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we either smile and cheer or weep at the finish.  If
it's a documentary, we either feel it's worthwhile
and try to remember what we've seen, or we
doubt what it's saying, and we try to forget it.

This must have been documentary week for me,
as I took in a bunch of them; mostly on the
subject of end times.  There are many ways
to look at end times.  For example, God
who controls my heartbeats might call
me home- that's my end time, but it's not
the end times that the Bible addresses.

The end times that the Bible addresses
appear to be much larger, world wide
in scale, and yet centered in Israel.
But the leading up to events, those are
where the interpretive nature of prophecy
in the Bible and end times comes into
the scene.

So it was that three movie documetaries
came into the focus for me.  "Collapse,"
which is Michael Ruppert's report on

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what his studies have revealed.  My
studies have revealed the same thing,
which seemed a tad creepy to me,
Michael isn't conscious about his
language, however, which is a
shame, but, for the few times that
he does say something instantly
offensive to most, my suggestion is
to overlook it and consider the
message, not the messenger.

"Waiting for Armageddon," on the
other hand, turned out to be good,
my thinking going in was, "oh great
another, Jesus is coming back
documentary, telling me all about
the end times."  Frankly if you are
like me, you've seen a lot of those
and they rarely get the job done.
This documentary, however,
has turned out to be quite good.

One of the things that we know
is going to take place is covered
in "Collapse," that's the economy
of the world going haywire, and
all goods getting to a point where
fair trade isn't happening, and
goods begin to cost 100s if not

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thousands of times more than
they did prior to the advent of
the end times.  Now this isn't
meant as an alarm but if milk
was available for $2.29 last
years, and it now is costing
$4.49 what sort of price increase
is that, in a standard production
market item?

"Well, O.K., Dana, but where is
the third, you said three of them?"
The documentary "The Future of Food,"
should get your attention, what it
points out to me is, the truth, were
it necessary for me to plant a
garden and have some animals
for us to eat, we'd be in trouble,
those skills aren't in me; and my
suspicion is they aren't in a lot of
people, so no matter what the cost
of milk, my two options are, pay
what they ask, or, don't drink it.

Rev 18:15 The merchants of these things,

which were made rich by her, shall stand

afar off for the fear of her torment,

weeping and wailing,

Just the Cost of Doing Business

As a person who has started, ran, watched fail, and

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participated in, small businesses, and large corporate
types of successes; it's my pleasure to tell you, they don't
change.  It's nice that they don't because you need
some solids in your diet, because we all know what
happens if all you get is liquid, right?

Now those of you who are religious types,
your mind automatically goes to that place
called "milk," am I right?  For
those of you who aren't particularly religious but
read this blog for entertainment or to get P.O.'d-
well; suffice it to say, you are what you eat, so it's
good that some types of business paradigms don't
change, because you need solids in your diet! It is
easy to say; that for every ENRON where the corrupt
got busted; there are plenty, that didn't, and won't.

As my heart raced and my mind struggled to get her
message, fully, it occurred to me how amazing it is
that Queen Rania of Jordan points out how costly
it is to let children not get educated.  It is so simple
and yet we just don't get it. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1seYnM9izw

How easy is it to get behind this idea?
As easy as it is to walk next door, or
down the hall by one door, knock and

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ask "hey you're my neighbor, and I just
wanted to get to know you." What's
actually happening world wide is a way
of life that includes you and only
those who you feel comfortable knowing.
Because of this, the crimes which in
the past were held in check, are
flourishing behind a lack of community.

Crime, the ultimate declaration that a
person rejects God, crime; and yet, in

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many countries, just being a person who
is Godly, is a crime! Notice I didn't say
Christian, I said, Godly; because there
actually are still some countries which
practice anti-God - period, let alone-
anti-Christian ways. Yes it's hard
for you to believe that, but this evening
as you go to the house, and close the
door, and don't know your neighbors
plight, much; realize, you aren't an
isolated person doing this, the world
is becoming a very cold and distant place.

Mat 24:12 And because iniquity shall abound,
the love of many shall wax cold.

Now for those of you who don't believe Christ
maybe you can explain how he would know this?
There wasn't anything in His agrarian village
based culture to indicate this?

Simple Idea - Tough Reality - A Dear Friend Goes Home

Stay Simple- You Never Cease to Exist!

_________________________________

We're (all of us) eternal, let's approach it from
the simplest thing that we know; matter is neither
created nor destroyed; except, for the first
singularity - creation. Now that's a physicist
approach, a scientific way of looking at what
we are- we are, always going to be. Now let's
expand that just one step, we will change;
Paul in the New Testament reinforces the
teaching of Christ in that, we will change,
but we will not cease to exist.

Keep It Simple - Eternal Is
______________________ 

Today a friend of mine for over a year of
knowing him and praying for him, changed
from this reality to the next.  His passing is
significant because the testimony of his
life, is significant, because he accomplished
a great deal for the kingdom, and, he
endured endless pain and suffering, and
without complaint; the entire time that I
was blessed to know him.

What does it mean to suffer quietly but
to rejoice both inwardly and outwardly
at every day of life?  It means that we
feel and believe and live knowing that
we can endure and overcome even pain,
if we stay close enough to Christ and
listen attentively enough to Holy Spirit
as He leads us.  The pain does not go
away, that would be Paul the Apostle's
testimony, in fact he suffered to the point
that three times he appealed to God to
lessen the pain, and, was refused?  Yet
at the end of that experience, what he
shares with us is, what he learned.

In following Jesus I think there are some
aspects of the journey which are tough,
forgiving those who aren't easy to forgive,
that's one. Loving yourself, that's another;
and constant pain, such as Arthritis, a
daily reminder that your joints aren't
what they used to be, a third.

 My friend was mastering the latter,
pain, intense and constant pain; when
God finally ended  the endurance trial.
Yet, the wonderfully full of life;
truth is, we're already missing him, and
we grieve. But we also know, he lived,
really lived, and loved, really loved,
and Jesus is his savior, and he is now
home; but his witness shall live on here.

Keep It Simple - And You?

________________________________

 What we say now is that we can look

at the life we saw lived before us and 

realize that Christ was his center.

Faith was his power, and that now,

we can know, faith works, pain can be

endured, and in the end, that's a great

story to share with folks. The courage 

of a person who endured, and the

faith that they never surrendered

in Christ as their savior- and you?

Simple is Better

What if they are wrong, they've lived good lives, eaten good food, had good times and been productive people with good friends; what's the problem with that?  But for you, if you believe them wrong, what are you going to do if they are right?  Consider carefully that you may not know everything that you believe that you do, and that some things may be outside your realm of knowledge.  Is that possible?  It is only the most arrogant of arrogant people who would dare claim they were all knowing, and the truly brilliant and truly intellectual, know that they don't now and never will know, all they need to.  After this short paragraph, and the video, there will be one more question, and that one is from the heart, here is, Plato's challenge...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsFYra7VzNk

Someone once contended that on the basis of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and freedom of expression, if you were to yell "FIRE" at the top of your lungs in a fully crowded theater, theoretically, you'd be correct, but really, you'd also be responsible for every person who charged out and injured themselves doing so. It's known as a conundrum of sorts, and so is the question regarding a reasonable person, who knows they don't know everything there is to know, that possibly some things are beyond them, yet they insist, that God cannot exist? That's a conundrum of an entirely different dimension. What about you, do you believe God exists?

Don't Go Too Fast

My Grandson likes driving games on the computer; I do too, it's as if we are somehow connected into what we find exciting together; so, when I bought this brand new device that is shaped like a steering wheel, and has a pad with brakes and an accelerator pedal; it was for him, you believe that don't you?  Nope we know, just as he and I are somehow joined, somehow there is something beyond the presence of our lives together about us, some, thing; that one can't really put their finger on, but it is there.  The pure science nuts, because that's what I think of people who put everything that they have into a science which can't suggest how to get past Heisenberg; and, if you aren't understanding that, write to me, but in my mind a person who puts everything that they have into that, is missing a large, much larger, picture with much more complexity to it than mere science.  There is something deeper about us as humans, we are somehow unique and yet we are also in some way, tied together.  This is why my grandson won't have any trouble getting me to show him how to use the new steering wheel with the computer game.

If Christian's weren't equally nutty about their singular impression of things, it might be easier to understand a prophet like Ezekiel, but once you get into the wheels within wheels, well; it's gonna take a while for you to step back to pure reality, and understand that it isn't what it appears to be, which is what the message of Ezekiel is all about.  Things, my dear friend, aren't at all, what they appear to be.  Our eyes aren't what they seem to be, and we aren't made of material, we are all composites of matter which is atomically oriented together; it is, wheels within wheels.  This is probably why each wheel resembled it's outside on the inside, and was, made up of eyes- ah, the better to behold a mystery of sights, a deeper stare, from wheels within wheels.  Pray about it, as my prayer will be for you, of all the prophets, Ezekiel strikes me as the toughest to comprehend, in that, his message is not what it appears to be. 

Eze 1:1

¶

Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth [month], in the fifth [day] of the month, as I [was] among the captives by the river of Chebar, [that] the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.

You May Not Know This

Sometimes you see things, sometimes things you have prayed about, things that matter to you, and you see them taking place, and you realize, don't you, that your prayers are being answered?  Is that a powerful moment of faith for you?  It should be, because few things in life are sure, be honest about it, how much do you feel is sure in your life?  Have you heard, "death and taxes," isn't that amazing- because the people who say it don't give it a second thought, do they?  When you hear it, you don't give it a second thought either, do you?  But get your heart ready because here is a shocking truth, you don't die.

In Ezekiel God revealed so much truth, it is almost beyond our ability, or at least my piddling' ability to take it all in.   But somehow we have to consider chapter 20, verse 49; and just drink it in.

"Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! they say of me, Doth he not speak parables?"

 Do you believe that Ezekiel was explaining something to God, as if though, he didn't think God knew this?  That's absurd, isn't it, for a prophet who has been through what Ezekiel had been through, and that my friends is where you prayer about this might start, ask God, what was Ezekiel saying, and then my friend, get ready; God has a message for you today, and meanwhile my prayers will turn to tomorrow.  Until then, may your request of the Holy Spirit be answered in the way He sees fit.  -Amen

Why Cynical Fails YOU

Know why you've become so defensive as a Christian? Ha ha, you might say, "I'm not," uh huh, I hear you, but, let's get a little bit past that business,
into the real, because when Christian's who function
in the world of faith, get real about that; they have
to deal with everything that everyone gets to deal
with, AND, they get to deal with faith. Faith; it
is as Tony Robbins so clearly and passionately
says, "passion!" Now I don't love or endorse all
that Tony does, but trust me, tonight, his sleep
won't be disturbed by that fact at all, nor should
it be; Tony Robbins has helped millions of people
have better lives, he is the master, so should
he be listened to; you betcha, but what if you
don't buy into what he's saying, so what? It's
your mind, but I can guaranty you this; I'm not
a salesperson for Tony, don't make affiliate

marketing money for him, I mention him because
I see the malaise, the tiredness, the lack of
passion in my friends, and in Christian's, and
I know, this man can help.

So that little piece of judgmental thinking, does it
serve Tony or myself? Nope, it does
not serve Tony because as we're going to see,
there is a power that is in play when we discuss
faith, that is beyond anything you and I would
feel comfortable with. We are, very much, like
three year old behind the wheel of high powered
Hummer in freeway traffic in L.A. at rush hour.
Does that judgment serve me? Nope, because the
truth is, when someone has helped millions to
achieve more, to live empowered, and to grow-
distancing oneself from them, isn't smart.
But again what happens is far more in depth
than that. Faith- oh my, think on this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0cqPTEzftg

What an adventure faith is, and how quickly
it can get away from you. All the passion
that you have bottled into your life, can
get out of your life, before you even realize
it's gone, your empty and wondering "where did
it go?" Faith is meant to be the element that
for the person who exercises it, puts them
into the mix of an entirely more powerful
existence, one where passion meets excellence
and the result of that is, your very best.

LOVE - what cost? Being Human? You decide...

Jack Canfield, noted author of "Chicken Soup for the Soul, and
a book that is going over me now, "The Success Principles," is a
man that I believe, has what the Nez Perce indians described as
a "Big Soul."  Near as I can find from studying the Nez Perce
culture, they had a word for human, and it meant a person who
acted as they ought, lived as they ought, and respected others
as they ought.  The Nez Perce I've heard, had not word, as we
do, for someone who wasn't "human," it wasn't conceivable
to them that someone would be so, instead they had only two
descriptions for a person, they were, "human," or, they weren't
described at all.  Think about that- what sort of difference might
it make in our lives today if we simply didn't even acknowledge
when someone was being a total jerk?  How much effort, time,
energy and soulful hurt is engendered inside the Body of Christ,
by  people who are expressing that someone wasn't "human."
As Jack Canfield might say to them, "let go of the past."

One of my all time favorite movies is "the Matrix," which I believe
holds many, many truths about how we ought to consider the
value of life; and in that movie; one of my favorite characters,
"the Oracle," says this to the star "Neo."   "Oh what's really 

going to bake your noodle later on is, 

would you still have broken it 

if I hadn't said anything?" 

Listening in, hearing, understanding, becoming, joining,
are all words which express both motion, and existence;
think about it.  We hear someone, we are hearing, it is,
motion in our life, our brains are cranking out meaning,
at that moment, our existence is fully entrenched in
hearing what they are saying, but are we hearing, the sound
of the chirping bird on the bush outside our window? The
neighbors loud muffler as the car starts up?  The slamming
door across the street?  The grass growing...zip, the needle

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slides across the record on that one, doesn't it?  "Hear
the grass growing?  Sure Dana we've got nothing but
time to stand around and hear the grass growing, even
if we could, even if we cared, which we don't!"  Feel
familiar?

Well let's play Oracle, for a sec; you see, you
actually do hear it; you just don't recognize that you
do!  Your brain in any independent moment is taking
in as many as thousands upon thousands of audio,
video, touch, and other sensory inputs from eyes,
ears, skin, hair, nose, mouth; feet, you name it, you
are literally a sensing expert- but most of what you
sense, moment to moment is placed into a path where
you aren't cognizant of it at all, are you?  So yes, you
have heard grass growing, you just didn't realize it-
now, let's get scriptural here for just a second and think
together about the power we know as love, that the Bible
says is God. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HgbpMDAmno

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1.03.01

Not So Fast There Friend

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When you really care for somebody, think of them frequently,
respect their opinion about things, honestly thrive on the time
that you are able to be with them; they matter to you.  So it
is when they are not in touch with you, or, you lose contact
with them, that you notice the absence of them in your life.

Fast forward that to how we react and act toward the church
and church life, and even Christianity in the world today?
For a moment put aside the grief you may think you can
justify against this noble organization, rather, think of it
based on the above, from the churches point of view? 

What is horribly amusing is the rise of the behavior which
used to be held at bay by the church, and how even those
who profess to be against the church, find that they are
in alignment with what the church would say.  A friend
of mine, Chris Voss, just released a blog about sexting,
an aberrant form of text video cellular that let's people
send photos of themselves in compromising scenes-
very explicit sexual scenes, for the enjoyment of the
one they are sending them to, but; it is when those scenes
through accident or other ways become public that
real sexting issues crop up. 

Would you believe that a Biblical principle comes into
play many times on this very issue?  What do you think
that would be?

What Do You Do

The question gets asked often, as much as any other,
that's for sure, and it's not unusual because we seem
to believe that what a person does for a living is a
large part of who they are?  Now you know me well
enough to see ahead and know that I don't go that
way in my thinking, even though I know on the
surface such is true, when you dig beneath that
surface appearance a bit, there is where you see
what is real. Just this past Sunday a man stopped
me in the hall and asked me, "hey I sit in class
you with and you seem to be a pretty smart person,
but what is it that you do, because it seems like
folks really listen to you?" Well, he asked, so
I told him. Hmm, wonder what he thought of that?

For example, my friend Chris Voss
who does "The Chris Voss," show, seems on the
surface to be a free-wheelin', fun lovin', let it roll,
sort of guy.  But that's Chris's public persona, and
here is what a little study of Chris reveals- he is
successful, but he has a heart in what he does.
Chris is that rare sort of leader who doesn't want
to brag on himself, so much, as he would love to
brag about his organization and his team.  Chris
is an amazing person to listen to, but more than that
he is a responsible leader in the world of social media.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itzU6L6TzX4

Now your question might be, "how in the world
does that matrix with Chris Voss, and Proverbs
there bud?"  Great question, and already you know
from what was said earlier how my feelings on that
one run, but more, think of it in context with what
is revealed, it is that revealing process that seems
to me to inexorably lead a person to know what
is true, not from someone telling you it is true
but from it being validated for you by your life.

You Are What You Were And Not What You Will Be

Mouthful isn't it, and it's the sum of
what we are, we aren't what we

were, but we aren't what we will
be, either, we are in the present,
and that's the only place we can be.
That's a tough fact of life,
and yet as we exist at that moment, 
the moments that built up to
it, have to be considered, else
we'd never grasp any newness
to life.  However we cannot live
"back there," it doesn't exist,
and we can't live for a future that
isn't existing either.  Plan for
it, anticipate it, if you must, certainly
it's interesting to try, but
ultimately, what we have is right
here, right now, from both of
those other perspectives.  It's not just the past, but also what
you believe you want to have as a future that contribute to
the person we see standing there, right now.

That would be an exercise in semantics if it weren't for the
fact that we who live out our faith know that we place a very
significant amount of "hope," in a future far different from the
existence we are in, right now.  What Christ spent a good deal
of time saying was that such shouldn't be the case, you should
be, right now, as you plan to be, then.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMTAhdcoVhE

This is why my life has become a pursuit,
first, of service, literally asking people,
what can I do for you? Sounds silly, almost,
doesn't it? But my experience bears out that
often people do need some help with something,
but they don't want to make people feel like
the are obligated to help, and yet, they need
help, but they don't ask. So why put them
through that, just volunteer your service,
when you do, several things take place, what
might you surmise those would be?

Peace Day Sep 21 2010

Jude Law has done an amazing job on this video about the
celebration for world peace and peace day Sep 21, 2010

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EymStNxnSWE

Please pass this message on to as many people as you know who would
like to promote peace today.

Your Way Works

Ever talk to someone and they are telling you about how

fabulous things are, and yet, you get the feeling listening
to them, that they're not quite telling you all there is?  What
do you suppose gives you that feeling?  Ever felt like you
knew somebody, so you could basically anticipate what
they were going to say next, only, they didn't?  In fact
they were so far different from what you believed
might be said, that it shocked you?  Have any thoughts
about where that comes from?  Hmm...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcKgHFVKKDM
(If you aren't seeing the video please click on this address.

Who's the teacher and who's the student- who is
the borrower, and who is the lender? What is
one position, versus another? Is that- war?
Is it within a person that they war literally
against their own mind? NOW, yes of course,
this has the obvious meaning, but when you get
a little deeper into it, that meaning
starts to indicate that the writer may have
had something far different in mind. Are
you familiar with how many women were in
Solomon's life? Could it be possible that
he might have had something not even attached
to money or monetary matters in mind?

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1.03.01

What Do You Think? Proverbs 22:6

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"What we have here is failure to communicate, now, that's not the way
I wanted it, that's the way he wants it."  Those famous words are
part of one of my favorite movies, "Cool Hand Luke," it
has a lot to say to somebody who is wondering about life,
hope and rules. "Cool Hand Luke," was a values based movie
about values when such wasn't cool, it had a heavy moral
within it, as does our Proverb for today, 22:6

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7gzI9gj3eU

We're putting together a deeper section on this,
because it is so often mis-interpreted. How you
raise your child, may, or, in this day and age, as
at no other time in history, affect how they live.
We live in a time when the power, raw power of the
media, and social media, FaceBook, for example, are
not only as influential as a parent, but many times
are viewed as more influential. We can continue
to deny that in main stream evangelical religions
but if we do, we do so at the peril of those
whom we will fail to reach by taking that narrow
view of how powerful an influence that is.

Let's take it deeper...

RUSH - 2112- Proverbs 22:5 AND YOU

Click Here To Image Site

Oh please, tell me that you aren't a RUSH fan, I can just hear it
now.  So the deal is, if you listen to that stuff you just can't be
a Christian, please, that's so archaic it makes my teeth hurt,
and when my teeth hurt, you can tell it in my writing!  Goodness-
how far ahead of their time is the rock band RUSH, I'm
not even sure they have a time, but of this I am certain,
they found the techno alienation of this world and made
the message of their songs speak to it, and people by the
millions and millions world wide, responded to it.  In
this one album, which came up out of the grass roots
of Canada, "2112," predicted a cold world possessed by
priests who only seek to maintain the status quo, no
matter what.  And what did the album indicate was the
hook point of that control, the freedom of people to play
music, well, it might sound simplistic but the voice of the
prophet comes in all sorts of flavors, and I take their
warning seriously as Big corporations now nearly control
every single channel of what you see and hear.

What does it mean to keep your soul?  One thing it
can't mean is give up your ability to run freely and as
fast as you can with your God!  He is thrilled at what
you try, He isn't scared by what we call limits, He is
God, and He loves gettin' stuff done that anybody
else would say, "nah, ain' no way He is behind that,"
see that's precisely what people have been saying about
the truth (prophecy) since it's inception.  Thank you God
for living as free willed people who can find the power of
your love, the power of truth, the wonder of YOU!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HgbpMDAmno

7cc4b91a-198c-49f9-b0fd-d92566146b60

1.03.01

Three Simple Paragraphs - Widsom, Proberbs 22:4 and You

The difference between success and no success in the online world is participation.  It's interesting because even the major "blogs" fight this same dilemma,  Dr. James C. Denison who runs the "Center for Informed Faith," which is based out of Dallas Tx has a listed membership in the hundreds of thousands- so certainly his mail list is quite a bit more extensive than ours, and yet, each day about 8 to 10 comments are
monitored into the process- participation is absolutely key but participation is invoked, isn't it(?)- meaning that we have to raise issues that are stark enough that you feel compelled to answer.

So moving quickly to the point - in Proverbs 22:4 we hear that:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsYpUDJLKj0

How important is it to know where you are in terms of who you are
and what you are about?  Humility in terms of who you are is possible
without believing in God, but when you add the necessary
understanding of who you are with God in the picture, will
at adds an entirely more essential dynamic to the picture. 
We're going to take this one deeper, but we wanted to get
your opinion about that and see what you think? 

Here is what this would compel me to say, Lord Jesus you show
me wisdom, in the mornings when you were praying to the Father,
and you were alone, you teach me wisdom.  More than that
you were often quoting this very scripture in your ministry;
and it's humbling to realize that.  Thank You for allowing us to
share this today, without You, we wouldn't be able to, You
are the vine, our hope is to become fit branches of the
powerful tree which Father God is the root of.

Burn Notice - Spys and Christians? You and Them

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burn_Notice

"Burn Notice" a highly touted and
much well received television
series starring Jeffrey Donovan,
Gabrielle Amwar, Bruce Campbell,
and Sharon Gless.  While it sounds
like sensationalism and a reach is
it possible this show can teach
Christian's something?  Does the
public image of a spy have anything
to say to modern Christian's?  If
you take it to the ultimate, this show
which has nothing to do with the
practice of religion, actually does
speak about something that does
have to do with religion, and it says
it brilliantly. 

If you cook you know too much heat under something
for too long a time can be a disaster. While that
is obvious because we call it "burnt," isn't it
amazing in modern Christian circles how we manage
to miss it? Did God intend that you should burn;
would seem not, he covered Moses so he wouldn't
burn, and yet, God does control the cooking as we
see him using coals on the mouth of the prophet?
(Isaiah 6:6)  So it is in th popular spy drama that
we see Michael Weston getting "burnt," and of
course, it's not by God, although some zealots
could possibly say; "well you know, God is in
everything..."  (Thought you'd get a kick out of
that one...)

So wrapping this post up the point is very simple-
we're gonna have to take it deeper, because there
are a ton of angles on this one...wouldn't you agree?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1g9MYBtfUDc

See Danger Take Refuge

Does this sound like something you may have said to
a young person, "don't stand in the street, you'll get..."
and you finish that sentence with, "hit." We learn
from early days what it means to anticipate or plan
against danger, but do we learn to take refuge?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1g9MYBtfUDc

The idea in this Proverb is tied strongly into
the relating of a person to God, the idea is tied
into that because the Hebrew so strongly overtones
their existence with that in their culture. We today
are not so strongly tied into that idea. When this
Proverb says to take refuge it is with the cultural
understanding that your strength and refuge is found
in God. We today in our culture don't see that
we see instead our own way of design and that is
where our flaw is. If you'd like to get some
more impressions of this then click on the tab
on this blog that says, "Taking It Deeper."

In fact we today believe in planning and in our
own ability to strategize so strongly that we will
spend great amounts of time and money doing that.
We will in fact, lay out entire designs based on
the fact that if one thing happens then another
is entirely likely to happen, this is called
"Post Hoc, Ergo Hoc," thinking, "because of
something, this something," the idea of cause
and effect. We see that as truth, and yet
the harder reality is that is almost never
true, there are subtle natures to what takes
place and almost without fail, something that
is believed to be the cause, when it is looked
at long enough and with enough scrutiny is
found to be only a contributing factor of many
that ended up at that result. Truth is,
outside the will of God, we have no cause,
we have no result, but that's a hard truth
that we truly don't like to try and plan for,
do we? Be sure to let us know what you think.

Oh Quit It...Conversations

"Well my time is already tied up, so I just
don't know where he thinks I can find the
time to do that?"  Ever hear somebody
saying something like this when asked
if they could do something concerning
church or volunteer work?  Now
in this blog we're going to go into
why church work and volunteer work,
ought to be the same thing, and my hope
is that some Christian's will read this
and just get furious and write me all
sorts of really mean and nasty stuff- do
it, defend your way of life; anybody
should, we all should, but when we're
wrong, we ought to be big enough to
admit it, and correct it (!)

(NOTE I DIDN'T SAY MOVE ON- MOVE ON 

ISN'T GODLY...we'll "scuss" about that in

"taking it deeper") 

Christian's need to correct it.  Do you correct it?
When  you get mad at somebody, without cause,
and they get mad at you, without cause, do you
correct it, or let it sit?  Heat on ice...melts the
ice and turns it into...water?  Water, living water?

"Correct what man, what are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about when you are asked to serve on a
committee or do some community work, or the
Pastor or a Deacon or someone else asks you to do
something and you tell them, "my time is already
taken, so I don't think I can, that's what I'm talk..."
"Yeah OK, great, I get it, your just guilt tripppin'
me on this, my "we can't be everywhere all the time..."
"Yeah I know that..." But they continue cuttin' in;
"Look I can't be up at that church every time the
doors open."
"Hey I wasn't talking about..." but they cut in again,
"furthermore am I the only person who ever does
anything around here, 'cause that's how he acts
when he asks me to do somethin..."
Ever hear a conversation, or take part in a
conversation like that?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNI5DDTreig
A video of Dr"D" off YouTube should be in this
space if it isn't please click here

So we see that Proverbs 22:2 is not only about now,
as in all wisdom literature, it brings to the table, the
awesome nature of it's author, God, who breathes
into the Word of Life, an eternal connection not
present in any other literature.  Want to see miracles
take place in your life?  Start taking the Proverb as
it is, and believe that God's word, the Bible, is a
Holy Book, it's not just another book in the world
out of all the other books in the world, the Bible
is a singular and trustworthy inhabited work- and
it is inhabited by the very presence of God who
is the author and creator of all!

AND while we're on the subject Christian, if you
are asked by a community to serve in a volunteer
capacity, please, please pray hard about that before
you say no, know why?  Ah hah...call us...we'll
tell you ...

This For You

Moved, we say it about the people who
"used to live next door," they moved; we
say it about a time when we felt strongly
about something, we were "moved."
Interesting how they mean a transport
to somewhere else, you either go there
in your mind, or, you go there physically,
but you transport, you are moved, we
are moved, we become, moved- it's an
active word. The Proverbs are designed
to move you, you aren't supposed to
just read the words and say, "wow that
was nice," that's not the deal.
The Proverbs are really meant to
be read under the starry sky, with
your heart open to the heavens so far
above what any human might even
consider; so enormous, and so full
of promise, or, something else, but
if you can look up at the starry sky and
not be moved, then you can read
Proverbs and not have a clue, the sayings must
move you. Like the first time I heard this...



(a video of Leonard Cohen "Hallelujah"
should appear at bottom of email if it isn't here)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccGz-li_rgM

Proverbs are meant for
wonder in your soul,
but they are also something
else, something really big,
something really mysterious.
It doesn't hit you right away,
wisdom is like that, sometimes
it has to rummage around a
while in your head and then
suddenly, the truth begins to
emerge. As if though out
of a New England fog bank,
so thick you can't see at all,
and then suddenly, the fog is
gone, and you can see, "watch out
for that truck!" Wisdom comes at you, and
the wisdom you get, comes to you that way,
you cannot rush it, but oh, my, we want to.

That's why the image of Jesus that I connect
with is wisdom, He is sitting alone on a hill
side in the morning.  The disciples see Him,

Web Site For Image

and they must wonder, "should we?" Because
they have just seen Him heal a withered Lepros
hand, and, well, it's a bit odd; what do you
say to someone who has done that in front
of your eyes?  The disciples probably didn't
know what to say, you think?  Do you,
know what to say?  You see, every once
in a while let the truth of the power of the
light of Jesus shine into your soul my love,
you see, He really is who He says He is.
That my love is what we call, wisdom.

At Times Like These

Wonder why sometimes the people
who should be the most
giving, aren't?  Ever wonder
why the people who have the
most to give, don't?  Ever
wonder why the people
who aren't blessed with enormous
resources, seem to be the ones who
make the most use of those resources?
Ever wonder why those who have
huge reserves aren't willing to share them
when doing so would have no
real consequence to them?

We live in an age where for the price
of a tank of gas a person can obtain
valuable knowledge worth thousands
of dollars, and yet, most choose not to?
Ever wonder why someone would
choose to stay without knowledge?

The most perilous thing that we face as a
people isn't a threat to our economy, but
those who seek to control the population
through fear, would want you to believe
that, ever wonder why?  The most
perilous thing that we face as a people
isn't our educational decline in
standards, although, those who want
to rule you by fear, want you to
believe that, ever wonder why?  The
most perilous thing we face as a
people is not the idea of being separate
and powerfully separate, which
is called freedom, although those
who want to rule by fear, would want
you to believe that, ever wonder
why?  You see, the most perilous thing we face as
a people is the death of the question why?  When we
no longer question why, we have died inside.

Proverbs makes this painfully clear:
21:28  "

- Pro 21:28 -

A false witness will perish, and whoever  listens to him will be destroyed forever.*" Footnote: * Or / but the words of an obedient man will live on

The Facts Don't Match Up Here

NIV - Pro 21:23 - He who guards his mouth and his
                             tongue keeps himself from calamity.

The facts, how do you get to know the facts?

You may see them, on the evening news, you

may hear them, from the radio or T.V., if

you are just listening, but more often than

you realize, you get your news, or at least

your sense of the news, from someone else.

You hear them tell you what they thought

they heard.  It is a perpetual and much

faster paced rumor mill than at any other

time in history. 

Now that's not a terrible problem if
we are talking about things that
people say that are just moderately important,
but when the depth of the item takes an
another dimension, the rumor spread can
cause absolute devastation, and people
can lose not only money, but something
much more important than money- they
can actually lose their life over something
that someone says. 

An interesting number is the amount
of searching under Google when
asked "number of people who have
been assaulted or killed in the U.S.
over something someone said." 
27,100,000, which is compared to
searches containing the name O'bama;
709,000,000; significantly less.  This
may indicate that there is less interest
or searches for this particular statement
but likely it indicates that people are
more interested in anything President
O'bama is in, versus how much they
fear the chance of attack.  So when
you and I consider our life, we don't
consider statements as being dangerous,
and yet, truth told, a lot of violence
comes from words, and most of us
know this, without news reports to
tell us. 

Proverbs here resembles a familiar
passage to most readers of the Bible,
if that is you, you'll know the book of
James, if that isn't you, we'll quote it
here, but we would suggest to anyone
who wants to read something interesting
to read the book of James, it is intense,
it is powerful and it is wisdom, but
just look how closely these two
statements written thousands of
years apart, are:
Jam 3:5 Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth
             geat things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!

Melissa and Joey Say Something To Us

What is the show Melissa and Joey about?  Did you
watch the opening of the show?  Have you seen this ad:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2jUPjQ6Ml4

The idea is an interesting and upbeat one. Obviously
the concept of a single family change is a tough one,
and obviously the Bible says some pretty profound
things about the family unit; (most of which have not
been brought to light - guess why?) but it seems
that ABC is taking an interest in trying to get some
ideas about the family out there. What do you think
about this?

Just the fact that a network is trying something like
this says something pretty intense to our culture.
It's a comedy, that's a friendly format for ideas,
if they work, everyone laughs, if they don't then
you have the option of saying, "it's a comedy get
over it," it's win-win broadcasting at its best.
But is it possibly something else?

Is it possible that while media often pushes the
latest BUZZ of the masses at us, and often it is
either incredibly high science (Matrix, X-Men,
Inception (which one commentator said wasn't any
good, I don't know haven't seen it yet, have you?)
or very scary (Saw- "nuff said?") in this instance
is there perhaps a reason that ABC has decided to
bring into our lives something about a family
which is headed up by a single parent, who is
trying to cope, and chooses an intriguing way to
do it, way outside the box and the norm? I do
not know - but would be interested in what you
have to say about it, and if you have an opinion
on this?

If this show were about studying the Bible at the
end of the day, as a family, could they carry
it off, or would it look completely unnatural
to most Americans? If Melissa sat down with the
family and Joey and said ...well how would
you complete that scene and have it get shown
on national T.V.? Are we going to continue to
pretend that media isn't powerful and as a
teaching tool, incredibly powerful? So -
you finish the script...it's your turn to teach?

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Hatred Toward God and God's People (in three paragraphs...)

Dr. James C. Taylor, co-authored a power
work with Dr. Harold Bryson called
"Building Sermons to Meet Peoples Needs,"
as a student of the great Dr. James C. Taylor,
it is my pleasure to distinctly remember him
and his wonderful, loving, Christian ways.
As John would say of Jesus so would I say of
Dr. James C. Taylor, I knew him, and was with
him and know that today, he is with Jesus.
So the greatness of us, who we really are,
comes at us daily; but the sum will come
back to us, from those whom we touch and
reach and influence. Likely it will not come from
the work that we do, unless that work touches people
and that will last.  At 3 A.M., this morning it hit me how
powerfully Nehemiah affected time and
history. The mental blows came at me from Nehemiah
chapter 11 and from teaching, from the past.
Many times people who say that there is no God, they
scoff at those of us who believe in God, and it hit me, Nehemiah
chapter 11, verse 6- these men, stood, in the face of opposing armies!
Real soldiers and real armies who wanted to kill them! These men
the Bible says were 468 of them in verse six, "The descendants of
Perez who lived in Jerusalem totaled 468 able men." 
It hit me like a sledge hammer, "able men."  Oh God we need able men,
and God where are they?  Dr. Taylor would say to us, "you preacher boys are
feeling like you are going to go out there and set the world on fire
with your preaching, and that's good, you need that, you need to feel
that -" and he'd pause ever so slightly, letting our minds finish a
statement we'd no idea what he was going to say, "you need to feel
that fire in you, but until you get under the load of the love of
Jesus, until you get broken under the Yoke of Jesus,
you won't know what it means." Until you get broken under the
yoke of that love, you won't know what it means, to be an able man.
We'd likely be more politically correct and change that to, an able person,
but that isn't what the Bible says- it isn't politically correct, it says
that these men were there to stand, to stay,
that they were sons of Perez who were 468 in number,
not 469, not 467, but 468, and they -"able men!"
Don't bend, don't break, don't give an inch in your defense of
the Gospel of Jesus Christ- bend your knee with me that we
might become- able(!) against those who express such hatred
against God and against those who love God. 
Are you broken under that yoke?

The heathens, the atheists, with their prideful stances and their
arrogant scientific minds; (or so they believe, personally as a

Click Here To Visit This Site

scientist possessing a masters in computer science,it seems
possible to me that they are delusional since, and if;
they believe God isn't in creative process of
every moment; in momentous ways, beyond anything they're
paltry little brains can conceive of...but that's another days work),
will tell you that there is no God; well, they are wrong.  It is
that simple, and what we as Christian's must come to understand;
it seems to me, (in prayer at 3 A.M.), is that God through Jesus
provided for us something so uniquely powerful that we
can rely upon Him. And when we do, He, Jesus, will fulfill
our needs, but we must rely upon Him; as Dr. Taylor relied
upon Him, as Dr. Bryson relies upon Him, and then we become
a family; like those who stood with Ezra the priest, and Nehemiah
the leader; of ages past, and my prayer is that someone will
say of us, "they were able." Because one thing that is absolutely
true is - our Christ is able.  Are you broken under that yoke?

So what do you believe you should do in a world
that says to you that it "doesn't care?"
Is that world so different from the armies which threatened to
kill those inside of Jerusalem?*  It really isn't; the battle is the
same, the time is different, the weapons are different, they
had swords, we have words, but the spirit that those weapons
seek to kill is the same.  We must be those type of able;
'lovers of God,"who say, "you can kill this body but
you'll never kill this love!"  You can take the body,
have it, we don't need it, it isn't us, for we belong
to Jesus who has purchased us with
a precious sacrifice beyond anything any silly and unfocused
and delusional mind can conceive of. Fore in this mind, in
this soul, in this heart- is the love which goes beyond any
hatred, any expression of ill will, to let you who say you
don't believe know, we pray, we forgive, we continue, we
stay, we stand, we kneel in prayer, not because of anything
about us; but because of everything about Him.  We are
able because our God is able; because Jesus... is, and we
know He is... because He lives!  He isn't in that grave-He is
alive- today- in those who are able!
We are broken under His yoke.

Wanna take it deeper?  Go ahead - CLICK

Would you as a member of this mail out like
a copy of Dr. Richardson's book "Reaching
Your Full Potential?"  - CLICK

*Of course it's ignorant to say that a time when swords
could kill one single enemy in any regard reveals a
world where atomic bombs will kill billions- that's
absurd- but the mind set of those who hate Christian's
hasn't changed in regard to that - it's not absurd.

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