Christmas

Hello everyone in Word Press land! I would like to wish each and every one of you the most joyous and wonderful Christmas. May your New Year be ever blessed with a closer walk with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. If you have not made up your mind about Jesus I hope you have a very Happy New Year.

A little thought that came across my mind this Christmas has gotten me to think. Is Christmas a Christian holiday? Now I am not saying it is celebrated on the proper day, or any of the other intellectual arguments that are out there about Christmas. What I am attempting to say is that Christmas is for everyone not just Christians. John 3:16 is one first Bible verses that comes to mind to illuminate this statement.

God came to give, not judge, not rule with an iron fist, he did come to love, he came to forgive, he came to give of himself, he came to give you a choice of fellowship with him or not. No matter how you have chosen to lead your life, God truly loves you, just as you are right now Christmas does not evaporate if you reject it. However, Christmas continues to call you and invite you to come and feast in what Christmas is.

You do not have to improve yourself, clean yourself up, take a shower, now none of these things are real bad. But, it is not what God wants from you. He wants your fellowship. He wants you to choose freely to return the love that he is given you back to him. Do not experience love? Talk to God about it! He will listen.

If you have ever had hope, you have experienced his love. If you have ever been forgiven you have experienced his love.  If you have forgiven, you have experience God’s love. If you have ever truly loved you have experienced His love. If you have ever been loved you have experienced his love. It does not matter if you are a believer or nonbeliever you are loved by God of creation. This will always be true no matter your circumstance.

Unmerited love and grace is available for the asking from the creator of the universe. Receive and open this gift, Christmas or any time, then he will never leave you or forsake you. If you already believe continue to swim/baptize  in the grace that he is giving you so freely. So Grace and love changes you into being what you were meant to be. And this is love not that I had first loved him but he first loved me, and you.

This is from one who has been loved, and is attempting to love the best way I know how. Your servant Denny.

Grief

Charlie Brown always said “good grief!”  I have never found grief to be good!  Nonetheless, when occasion comes to grieve, as a believer in Jesus, I do not have to fear grief and can embrace grief while navigating grief.  No, grief does not drive me near crazy and to helpless state as it once did or strong denial.  Embracing grief allows me to walk with grief as I navigate through grief.  This leads me to a healing that does not exclude grief but integrates it into my life and prepares me for the future with a healthier spirit and mind.

Do not grab the USA grief style that has to be over in three days then back to work, that is three days if the person is close family to you.  There are many things to grieve in this world, death is a final one, most grief we must live with day by day because causes for grief occur in our daily life.  If it is a small grief take a moment and embrace it, then let it go.  If it is a big grief, embrace it walk with grief.  Try not to run away or deny grief, because grief will attack and overcome you in the most inopportune moments.  Remember child of God you have a resource to help you face the devastation grief can cause.  Call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, as you walk closer to him he will walk closer to you.

Praying for you,

Denny

Betray

Betrayal is a foundational block of this world.  From elementary school on we have had to deal with it.  Have you been betrayed by one or more of these examples:  friends, country, companies, family, and spouse just to name a few?  We are going to be betrayed by others in our future, This is a given.  The only real hope I see in my two previous thoughts is that we trusted somebody this is not bad, even encouraging.  Trust is a gift given by a person to a trustee.  As we know, there is no guarantee the trust will be honored or used for an advantage over you.

The one truth is that betrayal is a part of life here.  The closer the person is to you the deeper the hurt, breeding a deeper commitment to finding ways to avoid betrayal in the future.  We are all sure committing to, never trust anyone again, is not the way to go.  If you do choose not to trust it results in loneliness, suspicion, and sometimes a superiority complex.  This outcome will isolate and reduce you while hurting others.  Is there another way to deal with the hurt caused?

I have witnessed several ways to deal with the hurt of betrayal in others and myself.  Enemy making/hate is one way.  This action does not go anywhere near good!  Closing in on oneself, isolating is a very reclusive way of self-protection.  Pretending it did not bother you, stuffing the hurt deep inside.  You can seek vengeance on the perpetrator, by telling secrets that you know about them or creating a payback cycle!  Moreover, the list goes on and on but these do not lead to any place healthy emotionally or spiritually.

Jesus is the only creator of a new way for us.  Jesus created this way before the foundations of the earth.  All pain and suffering is a part of the OLD broken world we live in.  Jesus took for all time such pain on Himself with the cross he was hung on.  This is a complete payment for all sin; if you want to be created NEW, the only way is Jesus.  The only reason Jesus came here was to show a new way of reconciliation, the only new way to live ever made available to Humankind and only through Jesus.

We have to choose if we desire the old way or the New Creation way offered by Jesus.  Accepting Christ Jesus will enter you into a battle of learning faith in grueling situations of life, not relieve the stress of life.  Life in Jesus is walking/struggling through the valley of death, while learning most of the time God  is really carrying you in your suffering, doing the walking for you.  True friendship love is this: Giving your life for a friend!  Is Jesus your friend?  This question must be answered daily as you live.

Jesus answered this question by allowing his love for us hang Him on the cross to pay for our sin.  And in giving his life for his friends Jesus gave a choice for humans to accept or deny him and his ways.  Then Jesus rose from death to show us the way to everlasting life.  The promise of this truth is that nothing can separate us from the love of God and God will never leave or forsake His children.  This is the only New idea on earth and is wrapped in forgiveness, so that we can forgive also.  The work of the cross is a perfect Finished work of God. God was forsaken/betrayed in my place.

Do you or I accept this exceedingly real truth?  We can choose to have faith in what we can see and touch as our provider of hope and a home.  This is the most critical decision we make on earth. This decision is made in our mind and heart contained in our physical, clay body.

If this life satisfies, or fools us, then we have made a choice about God,  If this life seems harsh, unforgiving, and incomplete even just plain wrong.  Then there is hope of starting a life NEW with Jesus because this reasoning comes only from the living God.   Ask for God’s help, slow down, shake the dazzling and confusing misdirection’s of this world.

Look at Jesus, he fully understands betrayal and its effects.  He was betrayed by his disciples, they could not heal without Jesus’s intervention.  Jesus requested people not talk about miracles performed for them, they talked!  Near the end of Jesus’s life he was betrayed by his disciples again when they fell asleep, Jesus asked them to pray for him the disciples slept.  Jesus is the reason betrayed by a kiss is such a poignant saying today and deeply understood because of Judas betrayal kiss, which gave Jesus to be tried in the darkest trial ever.  While Jesus was on the cross Peter who promise never to betray him, betrayed him three times!

How did Jesus handle betrayal?   Forgive them for they know not what they do!  In Peter’s case Jesus additionally said feed my sheep!  In no way do I suggest that you restore anyone who has hurt you deeply in life to give them opportunity again to destroy you.  However, I do say forgive the wrong of anyone who has hurt you.  Some people will learn from their mistake, they can be good solid people, friends.  Some people are flippant and they do not learn, they carry on in their lost ways and hurt many people.  I suggest discernment and wisdom, which comes from God as you ask for wisdom to discern in these issues.

Then follow the answers to prayer in your request, rejoin with those that are repentant and ask Sincere forgiveness for the sin.  Nevertheless, please remember: forgive everyone, but do not set yourself up to be abused in thoughtless and unwise ways with the same people or similar people.  Think about Samson and Delilah story, causing a haircut for Samson.  Sampson was abused and betrayed by Delilah in the Old Testament  story.  God did forgive Samson allowing Samson one final heroic act of God’s strength to carry out his mission one last time.

Forgiveness is a secret super weapon of immense power in your life, without radical forgiveness, you will never see God as clearly as you possibly can on this earth.  It is expensive, costly personally to forgive!  It was expensive personally for God to forgive us.  Yet in the face of the extreme cost a binding choice was given to us: either accept or reject Jesus’s gospel offer of forgiveness to us.

You know how it feels to be betrayed, think about it, does Jesus ask you to do anything bad?  Then what is the harm of coming in and tasting what Jesus offers in his gospel, which includes the forgiveness in salvation.  Do not let someone else make this decision for you on hearsay and false news.  The extreme power of forgiveness is in your grasp and is your decision.  What say you?  Crush betrayal when it happens, join the forgiven!

Respectfully submitted,

Denny

In Thanksgiving

Hello to all my blog friends new and not so new, I enjoy the work you have posted.  First, I would like to thank you for reading this blog and all the many blogs that are out there.  Thank you on a deeper Level that is a bit more personal; I would like to thank you for the likes and comments that you have given.  You have encouraged me to continue to write even though I am not very good at it.  Thank you!

Thanksgiving has to be the one holiday that I enjoy the most!  You really do not have to have a significant other, you really do not have to buy gifts, most everybody has a special dish they make, even us guys!  We get together in a group of people and you enjoy each other, even if relationships are strained a bit. Thanksgiving always has brought a truce and upped the level of enjoyment for the day.  I know Thanksgiving celebrated in the United States at the end of November.  Why just one day, why not always?

As being, a member of the family of Jesus Christ, Thanksgiving never ends for me as a life calling.  As I interact with people, I consistently try to bring in a thank you for something they have done.  However, as I read my blog I see very little Thanksgiving to people that I interact with the blog on paper.  I think I have some explaining to do!  LOL!  Now you see some of my imperfection and inconsistency that I live with. OH!  I had to put it on paper too…..

I thank you Lord for letting me see my inconsistency in this matter of giving thanks.  I still need your help Lord, but moving on.  The first Thanksgiving after you peel away the fantasized stories surrounding Thanksgiving they did not have much of a foundation for Thanksgiving.  In the previous Winter and Spring, many people died and hope was slowly drying up.  Nevertheless, some help came along, they had a good crop with healthy people there were, to plant and cultivate the hoped for harvest.

The survivors of the group purposed to give thanks to God in spite of their loss, hurt, sickness, reduced numbers, and in less hope still purposed to give thanks to their creator.  What a shaky start to the beginning of a new winter, to give thanks to Creator knowing you might not be here next year to give thanks, nevertheless, you still give thanks.  I am thinking this is grace under fire and the hope against all thinkable odds.  Why?  Because God is true, before they came, in their trouble they were having, and for all the future, the Lord God creator is worthy.  They gave thanks to the creator in humility not pride.

Now for the Thanksgiving challenge!  There are people around you, some you like some you do not like.  Can you find it in your heart with grit and steadfastness to thank the people, not just your favorites for something good they did to someone else or you?  Do you have the intestinal fortitude forgive; sure, it will cost you dearly.  Forgiveness is not free forgiveness is costly to the one who forgives.

I do not ask for you to forget.  I only ask that you forgive.  Do not set yourself up for abuse by the person again.  Forgive the person deep in your heart, then let that forgiveness flow out of your heart and let them figure out on their own if they are forgiven or not.  Maybe never they will they know.  Will this compromise your sense of justice?  Maybe, think about the unmerited love and forgiveness that Jesus gave us at a great price.  Did this upset justice?  No, justice is still in place and active, Jesus decided to pay it all for us, now can we pay for someone’s forgiveness, paying the price of giving forgiveness?

That is a big task I just ask you to do.  Now, for a fun one, think about the year that has just passed; from past Thanksgiving till now.  Is there anyone you can think of that you can thank per specifically what they did for you.  The process will be like this, I thank you, their name, for this marvelous thing that you did for me.  It really meant a lot, made things better for me when you did this and I just wanted to say thank you.  The person answers:  it was nothing.  You answer immediately: it was really something to me and I thank you again.

How many people can you think of to give a purposeful thank you given out of your heart?  I have found it is a very fun thing to do.  Enjoy Thanksgiving everyone!  No matter where you are give thanks!  I thank you for reading and interacting with this blog.  I thank you for posting your blog is because they are fun to read.  I thank you for posting your photographs they have been a visual feast.  I thank you for the time you put into your blogs.  Now get out there mix it up with people, be a blessing, and have fun giving thanks.

With much thankfulness,

Denny

Of Love and NO

In Jesus’s expression of love to us, his own father said “no” to Jesus.  When this happened Jesus replied my God my God why have you forsaken me?  This is a true experience of  the hell of no relationship with God.  In the garden, his disciples fell asleep.  In the garden, Adam and Eve said they wanted Knowledge of good and evil more than God and relationship with God.  God in the deepest purest way knows the sound of NO when it feels like it is going to crush the life out of you.

Yes, Jesus completed the fulfillment of the cross and resurrection because he loves you, not for himself,  Jesus first loved you.  Jesus is the root cause of all manifestations of love for believers in God and unbelievers.  Without God, there is no source for love to build on.  Therefore, when friends tell me “I will just have a beer with my friends in hell” they are assuming the love of friendship they have in this time will go on in hell.  NO, love of any kind is separated infinitely far away from the realm of hell.

Lucifer is the god of “I” and “I” only.  Hate, fear, loneliness, no morals, and no love a complete absence of good will are the rule in the realm of Hell.  There is hope though in the master and commander of love in the work of Jesus Christ only.  I would think this exclusive claim and narrow way of thought as superior and arrogant if I did not know the plan of God through the Bible AKA The Word of God.

Jesus is the most exclusive offer to humankind, yet at the same moment the offer of God cannot deny anyone entrance who calls on Jesus’s name in humility of soul, heart, and mind.  If you believe there is Good and evil in the world then you are on a path that acknowledges there is a God.  This is not enough for salvation, Lucifer knows good and evil yet is not redeemed but is independent from God.

If you have loved or been loved you have experienced a photograph of what God’s love is about.  Love is very tough but, must be accepted to do any good in eternity.  This is the decision humankind holds in their heart and mind to make in regards to God.  If we decide that good behavior, doing good, or God’s good grace will get everyone into heaven you are being blinded by the evil one and denying God.

If we decide to avoid the God issue altogether, we are still deciding against God.  Keeping this decision in the total control of humankind is what knowledge of good and evil is all about.  For this Knowledge to be active in our life it must be experienced and we get to decide who is the source of evil.  If we reject God’s gift of salvation or plea no contest in our decision about God, these decisions are counted as against the existence of God.

God, because He gave it, cannot and will not, take your personal privilege of choice about God away from you, will at the appointed time honor your decision and will send you away from heaven.  God cannot take your choice away from you.  It is your choice not God’s.

God says “No” to no one on the entry to heaven.  This decision is solely in in our clay hands to deal with. The answer God gives to you will be the answer you gave to him as you lived here in this life.  God is inviting you to His home in Heaven every moment of your life.  What are you going to do in this decision?

The love of God will start a change in you and your thinking.  God paid a near infinite price for your salvation.  Satan is a near infinite being, is finally proven finite by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.  The grave could not hold Jesus!  If you accept Jesus’s gift of salvation, death will not hold you either for the same reason.  Which is: God’s love will lift me into heaven, because I submitted to his will and love here, and believed with faith that his grace, mercy, and love is sufficient.

This faith is tested by the reality that I am able to see, when I see how ugly people treat each other, or watch the news, I perceive how evil and wrong this world is.  I must remember the ways of this world will pass away, like Satan they are finite. What will be left?

Nevertheless, some sweet day all evil and shadows of evil will be separated along with all those who choose to deny God.  After this division, the thing that will remain in heaven is pure God love.  Heaven will be pure illumination of mind heart, soul, and body with infinite peace and tranquility.  We will have an eternity to explore the adventure of God.  Every day will be an adventure of awe-inspiring proportions and the body that can withstand this pure joy.

Adrenaline jockeys think they are brave when they do death-defying stunts and manage to live through all their trials.  Facing death may be a thrill but only in this life!  Facing life and knowing that you are going to go on will be so much more rich and exciting because you are exploring The infinite God who is the source of life.  Death will have lost its power and there will be no more cheating death.  Adrenaline jockeys always faced death to make themselves feel alive.  With life abundant from God it is going to be incredibly rich and lively as we live the adventure of real life.

God will say No to all forms of evil to protect his beloved children because of love.  Jesus offers to take all your evil and remove it from you because of God’s love.  He will never say no to you if you ask for forgiveness in sin you/we still bear in this flesh as it experiences good and evil, because of God’s love gives you the choice.  How do you decide this issue in your heart and mind?

Religion will not allow you to find yourself, religion is more like a carrot at the end of a stick to entice you to an impossible goal.  Relationship with God is the only way to find yourself through Jesus Christ.  Jesus completely immersed himself in you as you immerse yourself in him, there is no carrot, just manifestation of his truth and  love for his bride.  This adventure is not for the weak in mind or fainthearted.  Let me know how you decide, come on back and read for more things that you can decide on.

Respectfully submitted,

Denny

Life and Love

I have been a passenger on earth for 6o orbits, somehow I thought I would be closer to God and know more about God than I do right now.  Humor would help at this moment, an old person joke of some kind,  not now OK, but I will assume most of you are younger than I.  The one thing you have to know and grow in is, how much God loves you. I have never gotten to the bottom or sides of his love. The other happenings and blessings in life are a bonus to God’s LOVE.

Even when it seems God is far away the truth is, His love and mercy endures forever.  Bible knowledge is wonderful.  If you want your cup to overflow with His love, meditate on how much God has shown His love to you and all of us.

To know God and walk with Him is to know love.  If you are full of God’s love there is not as much room for sin to derail you.  God’s love includes a place for hate too hate is not inconsistent with love.

God’s hate is focused on death which sin introduced to us.  God’s Love stomped this deadly foe with His love for us.  God’s love is not a wimpy sentiment, but an all-powerful life giving, irrevocable, life improving, change agent whose work will endure into eternity.

On the cross of Jesus, there were several basic events on display.  These events are interdependent, so one cannot be more important than the other is.  Jesus had fulfilled the law and all its requirements when he said, “It is finished.”  Jesus was 100% human He bled and died.

Jesus asked for forgiveness to be given to his persecutors, this is part of his mission and a foundation to reconciliation of relationship to God.  Jesus was not immune from the separation sin causes; Father and Spirit forsook Jesus when Jesus became sin for you and me.

I am quite sure there are many other events displayed at the cross, this was never intended to be an exhaustive list.  I have never heard this taught but I will share this.  The thought is that if Jesus did not became human he would not have had the weakness in him to die for our sin.

In his God state, he could not be killed or judged or die to pay for all sin, he had to become vulnerable as a human, an offspring of a woman.  The other seed which came together in Mary was Spirit, not a man providing Jesus’ God attribute.

Emmanuel is God with us in flesh, yes, God walking around in skin.  Therefore, Jesus has the unique makeup of being 100% God and 100% man at the same moment in time.  This is how God kept the law to live a perfect life.  This is how God allowed love to hold him to the cross as no nail or judgment of man could hold Jesus on the cross, but his love for his father and us could.

One of the overlooked events in the cross account is the resurrection!  Jesus was crucified, dead, not almost dead, completely dead, while in that death Jesus took up life again showing his true God powers over life and resurrection.  If you join God’s family, we are resurrected into his life everlasting and given his family name.  All we had to do is trade in death to get life everlasting.

Our access to heaven 100% based on the life Jesus has already lived perfectly and given to each believer in Christ. Because of this every person who has accepted God’s gift will be in heaven based on Jesus’s perfect life being added to each of his children.  This is the gospel.  All this was provided through the weakness of one man named Jesus, who was not rich as this world counts richness but shared the wealth he had with each and every person who will deal with him in true humility which is our weakness.

In my weakness, becoming a believer in Christ through his gift, i found there is bountiful and rich sources of God’s help.  When God gave Abraham his covenant promise that many would be blessed through his seed, it was Jesus in particular and the gospel in general that completed this covenant.  Abraham was unable to walk through the sacrificed animal parts to complete the promise,  Abraham  saw  God walk alone to make the promise in a vision.

This indicates that only God could unilaterally love us enough to send is very own sacrifice so that we could regain relationship with God,  God would share his home heaven with us.  God and God alone made the promise and paid the price for restoring our relationship with him. Not Human good behavior, but God’s perfect behavior.

I did a modification of the first 3 rules of Real estate, location, location, location.  Location is the definitive measuring stick of value to the property you have for sale.  In Christianity it is something else altogether.  As a Christian the first three rules of being a Christian would be always founded on this truth found in Romans 8.

The first three rules for a believer in Christ are these:

1) No condemnation

2) No condemnation

3) No condemnation

This is God’s measuring stick, Provided by God, Lived by God, Gifted to all who accept the love by God.  This is the value of being one of God’s children.  This is why God’s children are valuable and worthy of life. Yes, even on a horrid day.

Read Romans 7, then focus on Romans 8: 1-2 for my source.  Just have to love God and his good news on this one!  Now this is beginning to understand what it means to be first loved by God.  While being loved by God you are taking steps into learning about life and life, more abundant as God has said it would be as a believer in Christ.

This is our hope in Christ Jesus: he took up life from death.  He wants to do the same for you.  We are born with a death sentence on our head, only God can Save us from this curse.   If you have not had an encounter with the love of Jesus, then ask Jesus for an encounter with him, he is with you.  We are naturally blind to God and His help.  Jesus has been calling you your entire life ever so gently but consistently.

God’s love beckons you wherever  you are.  God calls the unbeliever into fellowship with him, and the believer into closer fellowship with him.  The unbeliever whom God invites to his family, but the unbeliever must decide to accept the invitation as God gives it.  If you are a believer God calls you to be a walk continually closer with him, again the believer has to accept the invitation.

The commonness of both invitations is this, if you humble yourself and accept God’s offer, you will be humbled and then lifted up by God.  If the decision is not to accept God’s offer we will become prideful and fall away from God’s uplifting love.

God humbled himself on the cross to show you how much he loves you.  Are you willing to humble self and walk humbly with God, the way Jesus has walks humbly for and with you?  God is true life and love.

Denny

Monsters in life

Matt.  7:15 Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16By their fruit you will recognize them.   Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles?

ME:  There are monsters.  Monsters cannot give something they are not.  More hate will not change a monster.  Monsters cannot be identified by gender, race, or claimed beliefs.

Matt. 10:16 Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves.

ME:  We are to be aware of monsters, but learning to live well while enduring and learning how to avoid their insidious traps in life.

II Tim. 1: 12 For this reason, even though I suffer as I do, I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him for that day.

ME:  God is the only sure hope who is able to sort out and separate the monsters for eternity.  For now, we have light and dark together making a shadowy place to live.  Our hope is to make a dent in the monster population by introducing them to a relationship with our only true change agent, Jesus The living Christ.

Even though being a believer is not a absolutely sure way to sort out betrayal  in relationship.  It gives opportunity to experience the fruit of the persons life to help your decision on whether they would be a good choice in a mate for you.

Acts 4: 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of our people, 9 are we being questioned today because we’ve done a good deed for a crippled man? Do you want to know how he was healed?  10 Let me clearly state to all of you and to all the people of Israel that he was healed by the powerful name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the man you crucified but whom God raised from the dead.  11 For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says,

‘The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’

12 There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”

Me:  In salvation and the starting point of the Gospel is all about learning to beware of monsters, even harder learning to love your enemies  AKA monsters.  Feeding all monsters true love from God above so they can make their decision on the love of God and whether to reject or accept God’s Gospel (Good News).  Then you  will see the God of the creation manifest Himself to you in amazing ways as you do battle with God’s sincere love not hate, prejudice, conceit, or any other one of Satan’s many tools.

It is a tough way to live, not for the fainthearted.  The Bible is not afraid of truth; the Bible is the good truth that everyone is afraid of.  It encourages you to live for others and live less for yourself.  It also encourages us to allow God to be the architect of our life.  While at the selfsame moment, we are making decisions of how to live and the amount of influence God will have over us.

Accepting this truth is not an easy life but, I life that is abundant and rich through Jesus Christ.  Imagine walking up to a monster and not displaying hate but kindness that the monster knows they do not deserve.  This would be a lively application of being aware of the monster yet being in all forgiveness.

Beware and know this, God desires to heal even our known mistakes.  Never take God’s forgiving grace as an endorsement on how you are living.  Do take God’s forgiveness and grace as a manifested witness of God’s love for you.  Obedience is better than sacrifice.

In Mercy and Grace,

Denny

MY Rights, Dilemma!!

In a previous post about rights, I touched on some ideas of nature/instinct not being a source of compassionate human rights.  I also touched on instinct as being a bit of a tyrant as far as human rights are considered.  In as far as the singular source, God’s government is the only foundation for rights to be built on yet, there is another problem.

This problem is the implementation of Human rights on a personal level in an imperfect world.  In the past most cultures looked to family/tribe as being the most important unit in society not the individual. In the context of family/tribe human rights are counseled in group thinking not an individual.  This recent individual development creates a conundrum for human rights and the directions they take.

For instance if I have a piece of (moveable) property sold to me and for some reason is not easily accessible for removal to my possession.  I may have to access it utilizing someone else’s property.  They may or may not allow me to get to the sold item.  This creates conflict.

The legal system thrives on this kind of conflict.  To protect people’s rights there are laws.  These laws sometimes are in conflict, sometimes are unclear, worded in the most confusing method possible with few normal language speakers who can understand the law.  This is where two individuals start duking it out with words in a court of law.  Then more laws are made becoming more confusing, even to the intent of the law being reversed in a “legislation from the bench” change in the spirit/intent of the law.

Are laws intended to protect Human Rights?

Yes!  You are correct in my rights, I said we have rights, I am additionally arguing that other people can take my rights away!  In the United States of America, the blame rests on voters shoulders in the area of rights infringement.  I am a voter, with this right, I have elected officials directly, or the elected officials have appointed officials to help govern the people.  Therefore, it comes down to my vote and it is my fault!  Maybe!

When I read or listen to the news I do not have to listen very long to discern there is a problem in the governing methods in this democracy (USA), in which I live and participate.  Is the result of the election solely due to my bad choice?  Or could it possibly be a fundamental shift in the thinking of” most Americans” and I am no longer in the majority?

This is how in a democracy by the people, rights are removed and given.  This is why Democracy is not the best government for all people.   Especially to those who have a strong self-interest and personal agendas.  The more self and individual interests are involved the more corrupt government becomes.   As the saying goes “Power corrupts.  Ultimate power corrupts ultimately.”  Coined by Lord Acton. This is the problem or conundrum I have alluded to in human rights.

Now what do I do with MY rights?  How can I tame the wants in me to be a good citizen?  Is there someone out there I can truly trust with my rights?  By the way, I just got my rights, why do I want to give them away, even to a trusted person?  Would I transition my rights if the person would protect human rights?  In my arrogance of playing with rights and using them, do I know every single situation so well that I KNOW right and wrong in each situation?  Am I unbiased and looking for the good of most in my application of MY rights?

The real problem: Now that I have rights, I need help on how to apply them properly for the good of all.  Whom is trustworthy to surrender my rights to?  Not me!  No mere human has ever started a method of Government that has not drifted off the path of Human Rights to infringement of the rights for control.

Religion fails at the human rights defense too.  There are so many rules to follow in religion, who can follow all of them?  When you fail, we are doomed to hell.  We can believe if we repeat life, with all the wrong baggage following us, then as we improve, make better decisions this time, our state improves we hope, then we repeat again moving to a higher enlightenment. Or we are living in a fake unreal universe “Matrix style” that we have no afterlife, If you follow this way the right way you may make it to enlightened life but, do not make a mistake or you will miss the light.

There are many more variations on religion too.  There are so many rules of many different religions and so little hope unless you deaden yourself to no connection to people or things.  All of these methods are the trappings of religion especially the ones called Christian with their many added man made rules.

There is an E PLURIBUS UNUM (Of many, ONE) Religion out there!  No, it is not the most popular fad in “religiondom” on earth; However, upon completion of the promise given humanity through a promise to Abraham long ago, it was first called the Way.  Even the younger brother of this man/God worshiped and believed who his older brother is.  A worldly leader even washed his hands of the unjust judgment against this leader of souls.

What is this religion?  Well let me tell you a bit more on the New Belief system before this One religion is revealed, however not to be a spoiler, it is a non-religion not a religion at all.  Now, WHAT IS A NON Religion???  A non-religion is much what it sounds like a way of belief without a lot of impossible rules to follow know and remember to apply rules.

The Roman Empire identified the new belief system, I will try not to call it a religion anymore since it is a non-religion, as a form of atheism.  Yes, atheism is a religion it has rules to follow or you are not an atheist!  Therefore, atheism still does not identify the essence of this new belief system.  The logic behind calling it atheism was and is sound, as I understand it.

The Roman soldiers would ask the new belief system followers questions like: Where do you have to go to worship your God?  The answer would be we do not have to go anywhere we can do it right here.  The next question would go something like this: Where are your temples for worship?  The answer: We do not have any.  To what city do you have to travel to worship?  We do not have a city to one city to pilgrimage to.  Well!  Where is your God’s sanctuary?  Our God does not live in a sanctuary built by hands!  How about your priests, where they?  We have no priests.  Oh, your sacrifices, where do you do your sacrifices?  We have no need of sacrifice to our God.  What does your God look like?  Our God is invisible!

The Roman conclusion after the series of questions, you serve in invisible God, you have no buildings to worship in and no priests.  You have no system of sacrifice.  You do not even have a city that is symbolic of your religion.  Therefore you must be an atheist and you have nothing! Therefore, I find the reasoning behind calling these new belief system followers’ atheists.  This is a logical conclusion to this information given.  How would you identify this new belief system?

Believers and other people who knew the believers were commonly called followers of the way.  Later the followers of the way now known as Christians.  This is because the Christ adopted anyone who will believe in to His family.  This adoption gives us complete adoption as offspring of God the same as Jesus Christ.  The adoption then changed our names to Christ ones AKA Christians.

When the adoption happens in Christianity not only includes full and irrevocable membership in the family of God but also the righteousness of Jesus is added to each family member.  What does all this adoption cost us?  The cost is completely bore by Jesus on the cross and in his resurrection back to life therefore, this adoption cost us nothing.  It cost God and incredible amount that I still find unfathomable to describe and completely understand.  Nevertheless, the triune creator God did not hesitate to pay this price to adopt you into his family.

I now clearly identify the E PLURIBUS UNUM (Of many, ONE) Religion the true non-religion as Christianity.  Christianity is the only major belief system I have read about in which the God who created the belief system also fulfilled the belief system laws and with no work from accepting believers.  God freely gives access and full membership because the God who made the rules of the belief system came and paid the full price for membership at his own cost for each of his adopted children.

What does this mean?  What it means is there is no work or activity that can be done to earn this adoption (no RELIGION).  This adoption is a gift.  As with any gift, you must accept the gift and open it, which is not a work.  The opening of the gift is entering into relationship with God.  Opening this relationship with an invisible God is the start, Belief in God also is built on something invisible called faith.

Yes, this offer is too good to be true.  Yet it is the only safe course of action in the entire universe to take.  The God of Christianity has proven over the course of humanity’s time that he keeps his promise.  Even with insurmountable odds against him, he keeps his promise.  God keeps his promise even when it hurts Him to the core; God still keeps his promise to you and me to all.

The gift of relationship with the eternal creator God is available continually as long as we draw breath and are able to call out to God. God, put this truth inside clay vessels and will honor your decision about His gift into all eternity, accept or rejection.  God will keep his promise and honor your decision. Because of God’s proven unfailing rigger in keeping promises with humankind, I post the thought of surrendering my human rights to God for his safekeeping.

God knows when to apply a human right, and when to sacrifice rights for the good of humankind. God did give up his rights on the cross and in resurrection from death.  God loves believers and unbelievers and is not prejudiced in his application of  love and truth to humanity.  As I learn to love my fellow human beings, I find both joy and pain.  I find success and failure in interaction with people of all kinds.  When I am wise and do not grip my rights in a situation, usually there is a peace that comes that I do not understand where comes from but it is wonderful.

In conclusion, yes I do have rights.  I also have a place that is safe to keep my rights in God.  Because I have given my rights to God, he helps me direct my rights and use them in a way that is good for all.  At least when I am listening to God and his direction in the use of my rights!  The rights dilemma is only a dilemma if you do not include and trust the God of creation with those rights.  Just as a democracy does not operate effectively outside direction from the triune God because God is the invisible unifier and truly the original World Wide Web of connection and peace.

The further we fall away from God the more war, sickness, and worldly troubles will happen.  The closer we are to God the more peace, kindness, and love will be present and rule the time of humankind.  If you do not believe me, take a good hard look at history in its pure honesty not reconstructed to a point of view that excludes God.

The dark ages were dark because man was separated from God by human rules and humanities quest to be independent of God.  The fall of the Roman Empire was not because people were becoming godlier but because they became more perverse and further away from God.  You may have to dig to find the religious conditions of the times that parallel good and times and bad times in human history because it is so covered and obscured by people who hate God and are writing the history from a skewed point.

PS

Sorry this one is so long.  I really wanted it to be short but it kept growing and growing and growing.  Please feel free to make any comments in question unclear points that I have.  Thank you for reading. Maybe a helpful edit,,,, no! not a blank page either! LOL

Respectfully submitted,

Denny

MY RIGHTS!

That is right!  My and I repeat my rights!  Let me see, what do I have to base my rights on?  Well, I have the constitution of the United States with the Bill of Rights.  While the Constitution and The Bill of Rights does not exactly cover every right that I am thinking of here.

My right to health, my right to do whatever I want to, live where I want, spend/save, work, no work, what I want, now that is what I am talking about, my rights!  Where do they all come from?  Are they like all the lonely people where do they all come from?

Think about your rights.  Do I have the right to respect?  Do I have a right to have a job?  Do I have a right to good health?  Do I have a right to live in the upper middle class or better?  Do I have a right to despicably abuse people?  Do you have a right to talk behind the back of others?  Do I have a right to gossip?  How about a right to love and be loved?

Maybe I should refer to them as civil society rights.  These rights defined by dictionary.com as a moral, ethical, or legal principle considered as an underlying cause of truth, justice, morality, or ethics.  Great definition in all respects dictionary.com.  Just have a few questions I would like ask to clarify before I adopt this idea.

Number one question is who establishes the truth in rights?  Next, who establishes justice?  What is the standard for morality?  What is ethical behavior?  In addition, what is foundational underlying all these principles to hold them up?  And what is morality today then tomorrow?  What is legal today?  I’ll ask one more question.  When all are answered “Says who! “

What exactly do we mean by rights?  Do my rights end the where another person’s rights begin?  A teacher presented this idea when I was in second grade.  At the time, it sounded impressive.  Then it became very subjective and hard to define as I tried to live and discern rights, where they ended and began for each situation.  I found it to be an impossible task.

This idea imprisoned me and freed other people to do as they please.  This way of living is not what I signed up for, groan.  But, no worries, right!  STUFF happens!  The philosophy of Government stated in the United States Constitution requires the majority of its people to be responsible individual people.  As we are finding, our government does not work well any other way.

Whether you have ever been in court or not, we are dependent on lawyers and judges to determine right and wrong.  The legislature legislates, the courts interpret, helping the legislature fill in discrepancies or make changes in the law completely, relegating the law.(divisive?)  The president, well, watches all this events unfold before their office and vetoes some documents and signs other documents into law.

Nevertheless, do these principles cover our basic rights?  If I move into science and evolution, for foundation for rights,  I find a very unsatisfying law of survival of the fittest.  If I am fit I kill you as needed for me and mine to survive, if you are more fit than I am, you kill me, then you and your clan survive.

This is one- method to decrease the surplus population and follow the law of evolution.  No backlash it is natural no worries.  Harsh, but it does follow the law of evolution.

Now, if your reaction was negative toward this thinking of evolutionary law which science has defined for us, what are you appealing your objection to?  Is it natural as the law of nature and instinct?  Nature is a fast food advertisement: Have it your way! Until of course, someone kills/eats you! I hope they kill you first before eating!

There is no other law nature offers no mercy, if you are strong/smart you exert your authority over whomever you desire.  Sometimes we call them dictatorships, emperors, cults, and many other names, in each of these governments’ people give up freedom to be part of the government.

There is not much hope in what I see in these governments.  They tend to lead to rebellions.  The wars sometimes replace tyrants with more evil tyrants.  There is no justice!  Is there another way?

I am not impressed with the answers I get from nature and science.  Is there a hope?  Is there another way?  We have become so civilized in our daily living that we have forgotten how violent the world really is.

How did we become so civil?  We have really forgotten to what we owe the ideas of benevolence, kindness, self-sacrifice, doing unto others as you would have them do unto you.  Where do you find ideas like this in nature or science?  The empirical data for these ideas are not there.

I propose we are looking for something supernatural and outside of nature.  Nature is harsh, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, cold, heat, fire, sickness, and survival of the fittest.  Where is your mind going when it goes to the supernatural?  The supernatural life experience Hollywood/PBS portrays on different documentaries does not seem to be an absolute good.

To whom can we take our case to for our own personal rights?  Where do I go to obtain my rights as a citizen of the planet Earth?  Is there such a place?  There has only been one source for the ideas of a just a government found only in one place.

In a letter sent by the creator of the universe to men and women so that they could know, what God has to say about government.  I chose Isaiah as one excerpt from this love letter which indicates the direction and scope of government and who is responsible for it.

Isaiah 9:6 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us.

The government will rest on his shoulders.  And he will be called:

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

7 His government and its peace will never end.

He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity.

The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!

Amazing, Amen and Amen!

Does this government sound like someone who deeply understands justice?  Would you feel comfortable trying your case for rights in front of this judge?  Whatever you believe in right now takes faith.  Dig deeply into what you believe what is it founded on?  It is kind of like a paper dollar note, which is worthless but someone says is worth something so we spend it as legal tender.

No belief system can withstand the quest for absolute proof; Faith is always an element that finalizes your foundation in what you decide to believe.  Dig deep and test it for yourself.  If you do not allow self-evident ideas to exist there is no absolute proof for any belief system especially Christianity.

In God’s word it says without faith, it is impossible to please God, a self-evident truth.  Therefore, there is no absolute proof there is God because it would set us up for failure to please God.

We are designed predisposed to live in faith because we are image bearers of God.  We understand we are not with God and things are not right.  The real world is on its way, your beliefs that you choose yourself will be bound in heaven unbreakable by even God because he has given you that choice and will not take it away.

If you want to be free unbind yourself from nature, science, and instinct, bind yourself to God who says he has built a mansion for you to live in with Him.  Science has never made that offer.

In fact, I almost get the feeling that God says, come up to heaven all you lightweight partyers, now I will teach you how to party.  I will give you bodies that are going to be able to withstand partying, as you have never dreamed of before.  There will not be a time of wondering when it is going to end or when someone is going to say something wrong to offend, there will be absolute love in this party and no wallflowers!

Everybody will be the life of the party!  Yes, even the drab Christians that we have experienced in life will be vibrant and the life of the party.  Think about it!  I cordially invite you to see this wonderful site with me by calling on Jesus’s name as I have.

If you think, I am wrong that is okay!  However, could you please explain to me why Jesus made the 160 gallons of a very fine wine to celebrate a small wedding in a local town near the end of the celebration?  This miracle is the first and a sign of who God is.  Do we just die and end as nature says?

Do we go to a party that is never-ending for all eternity, a celebration that is totally worthy of all joy and fun and fellowship?  Which sounds more plausible to you? Is there not something more wonderful in you than a thought or a heartbeat?

Are you really that stuck on yourself that we cannot be remade better?  I welcome you to do the adventure of believing in God.  Talk to him on your own and then look for someone or some group to fellowship with in his name.  Not all assemblies really believe and follow him but look deeply into the word of God the 66 books of the Bible for your guide.  Test and compare, the truth is out there!

Good Bible translations would be the new King James, the NIV, the new American Standard, the new Living Translation, and if we want to get crazy and be driven nuts try the amplified Bible and others.  Read more than one let the Spirit guide you to truth.

Do not delay, we are only gifted one lifetime to figure out whether there is a God or not.  There is a God, and you know it deep inside just look and listen as you get quiet it will come out.  If you are an especially downtime there will be a voice of good reason in kindness calling you, humble yourself and follow it.

With rights, I think,

Denny

Duality Within

I sincerely hope this finds you well and at peace.  As I write this, I find myself in an age-old struggle deep within me.  I made a in a hurry careless mistake last week.  The mistake did not seem to have a big effect negatively on anything, yet it was a haunting mistake for me.  Because of the mistake, I began to get negative on myself because I did something that was careless.

As this self-inflicted interaction within me was taking place, I found that there was no good coming from it.  In fact, there was collateral damage happening, creating other thoughts to grow that were negative and unhealthy in nature.  Things like anger issues, self-righteousness, negative attitude about life and other thoughts that at one time plagued me all to often.

With good reason, this set me on a spiral down into a deprived place in me.  Even though I am a Christian, I am still a sinner.  Becoming a Christian added something to me, that I do not deserve, called forgiveness a gift from God.  All my imperfection is still intact and working to control me in my Christian forgiveness, doing battle moment by moment.

As I was experiencing this most unsettling time of life a thought occurred to me.  It is something I have told people many times so to do battle with their sin nature.  The principal goes something like this: do not use Satan’s tools to do good!  This whole idea came home to rest on me in a unique way.

What happened was this, what I was trying to pound out and destroy in my own strength, was only serving to spread the seed of discontent, inferiority, and unforgiveness in areas that I was previously overcoming because of God’s forgiveness.  I was using Satan’s tools to do God’s work of sanctification/purification.  (SIGH) What an opportunity to practice what you preach Denny!  Rats!  Found out again!

In being found out by my misconception of God’s grace there was an epiphany moment, sin is extremely subtle influencing us away from God.  Even with experience in living in faith I was fooled.  When I use Satan’s tools to do good I am using a defeated method.  Therefore, whatever I do with Satan’s tools is bound to fail by God’s Victory over sin.  All of Lucifer’s tools are defeated foes.

Now if I applied God’s tools to the same situation of my mistake/sin, (Now I am) tools such as confession, grace, forgiveness, and humility what would have grown out of those God-given tools?  God desires to prosper His children not destroy us.  Each human being is an image bearer of God therefore; Satan has no problem cannibalizing his own followers (unredeemed image bearers) to do his evil, or anyone else who will avail themselves to his power lies and work, even believers in Jesus.

Paul the Apostle prayed three times for a thorn in the flesh/sin to be removed from him.  God answered Paul and said: My grace is sufficient.  Without checks and balances in living it is easy to be duped into a sense of victory when in reality it is God dependent -given victory not self victory.  We say something like: Do not worry God I have got it handled.  I will stamp out sin in my life let me show you how.  God, see how good I am!

Good and perfect gifts come from above and the book of James tells us our own sin nature leads us astray.  It certainly pulled me astray in trying to take care of my own sin.  I am dependent on a merciful God for all the forgiveness I will ever need as I live.

A mixed bag of blessing and failure is how I appear right now to others and me.  However, to my Lord and Savior I am sinless and un-condemned see Romans 8.  I call 8:1 the first three rules of Christianity there is no condemnation, there is no condemnation, there is no condemnation.  It is my choice on how I live, I do not choose to continue to use Satan’s failed tools.  I want to learn to use God’s tools for living well and not be duped into a lesser life.

To be or not to be is not the question!  To live by God’s grace that is wild and wonderful or to have a false sense of control of your life and live by Satan’s rules of pseudo-life is the real question.  God has given each of us one life to figure this out.

Jesus is building a place for you, your choice; do you want fellowship with God forever?  If you answer yes, then ask Jesus in your own words to forgive your sin.  Then start walking with Him, remember you are forgiven, and live like you are thankful for what Jesus did for you.  Yes, salvation can be that simple. (if God has forgiven you, you will see that living in thanks to God is a privilege and joy not a law of any kind) God wants your fellowship so much He died and overcame death to show you the way to overcome sin.

In Christ’s resurrection.

Denny

Jesus has risen indeed.

Jesus, after being born of a woman, a.k.a. begotten, living a perfect life, then choosing to give His unstained life, as the final sacrifice to end all sacrifice was not enough love from an abundant God to his precious children.  Our God, Jesus also took up life again after death and then ascended back home so the comfort of His Spirit could be with all his obedient children.  There is no biblical record of God the father calling Jesus forth from the grave.  Jesus did it in Godly love because he is the great I Am.

This obedience is not a traditional kind of obedience that I think of as I picture obedience.  God’s obedience tends to be more of an acknowledgment of our humility to him.  The obedience I speak of is even more as it includes a continuous need for help from God himself (we fail regularly).  It is a dependence on God for his forgiveness in our shortcomings so we can have real hope.

When I think of obedience, I do not think of misbehavior as being part of it, God includes it.  I think of doing the right thing as being part of obedience.  David who was in the genealogy of Jesus was never a perfect man.  In fact, it is easy to throw stones at David because he made so many sinful acts recorded in Scripture.  Yet, God himself said that David was a man after God’s own heart!

What a scandalous thing for God to say about a man like David who fell short of the glory of God in so many human ways.  However, what about the statement from God, is it void of understanding of the man David?  Not at all, God knew David!  It was in complete knowledge of David, and who he is!

David in all of his life never claimed a righteous life but was continuously dependent on a merciful God for righteousness.  David is a master at a short sin list with God.  Look at his life record in the Old Testament.  Where did David immediately go when sin was known in his life? With fellowship like this, not every little sin needs confessed.  Nevertheless, God requires acknowledgment as the only hope we have for forgiveness of sin.

Where did David go when he realized the sin in his personal life?  Remember, this is the Old Testament when, God was known for his wrath.  David went directly to the sinless one who knew his sin and confessed the known sin.  David was a man after God’s own heart because he had no doubt that the Mercy seat he so needed is found exclusively in his hope resting in the one awesome God he served.

David was not ever one to hold onto his sin.  He humbled himself before his God and sought forgiveness that he knew he did not deserve.  This is how David mastered pure fellowship with God.  David’s pursuit of God had nothing to do with David’s great works, it had to do with David’s great humility to an awesome God who is full of mercy and grace.

Yes folks, mercy and grace are paramount players in the Old Testament.  I have heard it told that the Old Testament is the New Testament concealed.  The New Testament is the Old Testament revealed.  The new and the old are interdependent on one another and cannot contradict each other in the reconciliation message at its core.  Mercy and Grace given/gifted to undeserving mankind by a merciful and loving God.

Humbly submitted,

Denny

A right to good health?

As I’m sitting here writing this blog and I am in great pain in my right knee.  I just landed a decent job, supposed to start in a week and a half.  I can barely walk on my right knee.  I have already given notice to my former job.  Has God abandoned me?  God knew what was going to happen when I applied for the new job and turned in my resignation for the old one.

I try to leave a half decent life, should God owe me a healthy knee, need time to start my job and try get health benefits and some time off to recuperate from whatever is going to happen to my knee?  Should I be doubting through my faith trying to figure out what’s going on?

Do I have a right to good health?  I think of Johnny Erickson, and my friend Bill whom blogs on WordPress as unshakable hope, they both have wonderful ministries and reach many people.  However, they both have health problems, they are different but, nonetheless glaring health problems.

Why would a common guy like me deserve better health than these two fine warriors of the Lord doing wonderful work bringing his peace and love to the world?  So here, I am in my pain, and feeling sorry for the bad situation I am in.  Should I even ask God to heal my knee so I can go to a new job or even work?

My best answer is yes I should ask.  But my attitude is I have no right to ask God to help me in this situation.  For now it is like this, here in the Shadowlands where there is dark and light, good and evil, there is a price to pay in fallenness.  However, the price I pay is a bargain compared to my life without God.  If God decides not to heal my knee it simply means he has another plan for my life that I gave to him upon my salvation.  Help my faith in Jesus and his everlasting love.

Salvation is kind of a word that says God fulfilled All laws of the Old Testament’s requirement in perfect obedience.  Because of this perfect obedience to the law of the Old Testament God was able by one death to pay for all sin that was ever committed.  He kept the law because he knew I could never do it on my own or even with his help here in this world that we live in.  Jesus is risen and living today.

I currently have his help in the Holy Spirit indwelling me, I still struggle with the darkness and go to war war with it on a regular basis.  It seems that I win battles but only to find that there are so many more to be fought.  At first this sounds discouraging but, God is a life-giving Redeemer.  This gives an ability for me to see how short I fall of his glory and be encouraged because he has promised to love me and obliterated my biggest problem I had.  I never have to worry about going to hell ever again because the work of Jesus.  It has nothing to do at all with my work that I do but everything with the work that he does.

All I did was receive Jesus’s perfect work by answering his call, no work involved at all on my part.  Now about my knee, if I have trusted God with my salvation and life.  Why am I having such a hard time trusting with something as simple as the human knee.

There are many medical procedures to help fix knees and other parts of the body.  The timing and everything else of this injury has been so wrong for me.  One day I am fine the next day I’m barely walking.  I am in a struggle with doubt and want, darkness is of varying degree.  Help me Lord Jesus!

OUCH,

Denny