Part One:
Part Two:
Part Three:
Part Four:
Monday, December 21, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
Focus
I used to do a Rural Newspaper Route. I drove over 100 miles each night out in the hills north of Austin, Texas. To get the route done in time I had to throw most of the papers while driving 40 miles and hour. I found that I could place a paper on a persons driveway almost all of the time without slowing down much.
There were two keys to this success rate. Focus and confidence that I could do it. The focus part consisted of focusing on the driveway, my target. The confidence part consisted of thinking that I could hit that driveway.
If something in the yard distracted me, that is where the paper went. As long as I kept my sights on the driveway the paper went there. Over time I developed the confidence that I could with great accuracy hit each driveway.
That is how it is with Sin. If we focus on Sin we are under its power. We are doomed to sin and if we focus on that we are doomed. But we are not doomed. We have the Love of God through Jesus Christ that is given by Grace to each of us so we may not be bound and doomed to Sin.
That Love given by Grace should be our focus. It is God's Love that heals us and leads us toward perfection through the Holy Spirit. If we focus on God's Grace we still live in sin but we are not bound there. In time yielded to God we find that He has given us new healthy, constructive desires that do not lead us into sin.
So with sin we Focus on God and have Faith in Him to bring us out of sin. As in the old Hymn, Love Lifted Me.
There were two keys to this success rate. Focus and confidence that I could do it. The focus part consisted of focusing on the driveway, my target. The confidence part consisted of thinking that I could hit that driveway.
If something in the yard distracted me, that is where the paper went. As long as I kept my sights on the driveway the paper went there. Over time I developed the confidence that I could with great accuracy hit each driveway.
That is how it is with Sin. If we focus on Sin we are under its power. We are doomed to sin and if we focus on that we are doomed. But we are not doomed. We have the Love of God through Jesus Christ that is given by Grace to each of us so we may not be bound and doomed to Sin.
That Love given by Grace should be our focus. It is God's Love that heals us and leads us toward perfection through the Holy Spirit. If we focus on God's Grace we still live in sin but we are not bound there. In time yielded to God we find that He has given us new healthy, constructive desires that do not lead us into sin.
So with sin we Focus on God and have Faith in Him to bring us out of sin. As in the old Hymn, Love Lifted Me.
1. I was sinking deep in sin, far from the peaceful shore,
Very deeply stained within, sinking to rise no more,
But the Master of the sea heard my despairing cry,
From the waters lifted me, now safe am I.
Chorus: Love lifted me,
Love lifted me,
When nothing else could help,
Love lifted me, (repeat once)
2. All my heart to Him I give, ever to Him I’ll cling,
In His blessed presence live, ever His praises sing,
Love so mighty and so true, merits my soul’s best songs,
Faithful, loving service, too, to Him belongs.
Chorus: Love lifted me,
Love lifted me,
When nothing else could help,
Love lifted me, (repeat once)
3. Souls in danger, look above, Jesus completely saves,
He will lift you by His love, out of the angry waves.
He’s the Master of the sea, billows His will obey,
He your Savior wants to be, be saved today.
Chorus: Love lifted me,
Love lifted me,
When nothing else could help,
Love lifted me, (repeat once)
Monday, February 09, 2009
Jesus Loves Us All
Jesus does not mention Homosexuality. There are references to homosexuals in the Old Testament and a few in the New Testament. The New Testament mentions are all about Lust, not sexual orientation. Outside of Israel and Judah there were many Pagan religions that used sex in the worship of their God(s). Paul was rightly concerned about the influence of these sexually oriented religions upon the young church outside of Israel and Judah Even at that, Paul later says in his elegant argument stated in Romans that in Jesus we are given life over death to sin. That gift, Grace, is free to all who call upon the name of God.
Being Homosexual and having relations in a monogamous same-sex relation is not sin. Having irresponsible sexual relations with many partners regardless of the gender of the partner is lustful and thereby sin. It is sin because the focus in on pleasure of the flesh rather than Love.
When I was in High School, Gym class was horrible. There I was with all these guys running around with no clothes on. Guys that I had classes with, that I had crushes on, right there in front of me with out a stitch of clothing. The small town I grew up in in the 50's provided me with no evidences of people like me. Not even a hint of who "people like me" were. I knew that Boys were attracted to Girls and that I was not, but then there were so many things that Boys were that I wasn't.
It is quite normal to have such crushes, but it is important to realize such crushes are fleeting and soon vanish. The immediate intensity of the crush may make one feel that they must tell the person who is the object of their affection how one feels about them. That is true of gay people and straight people. When we discover the feeling we associate with love, it is a revolution in our lives - our bodies - that we feel compelled to shout out.
Even at 62 I have these infatuations. As a teenager I never had the nerve to say anything. I remember them all as if they were yesterday; Donald who set in front of me in English in the 10th grade, Greg with his wrangler jeans that fit all too well, Jimmy with his cute rear end all prompted me to fantasize about that which seemed so unique to me, but that later I found out was common. The list goes on and on.
If you are bold enough to tell your crush about how you feel, and you are rejected, even mocked, never fear. There is life after High School. As long as you are breathing there is always "life after" whatever your current crisis is.
Remember you are Loved. God may not be someone who you know or even believe in. Shoot even the most devout in religion still has question and doubts. The good thing is that God, in all his earthly manifestations, believes in You. He has many forms but they are all variations of Love.
Being a Christian, I believe in the Teaching of Jesus. Love is not sex, or sexual. Love is giving and caring not of your body but of your person and all that you have. When you have a crush on a person it gets a little crazy. For an explanation of true Love read 1 Corinthians chapter 13. These words of Paul tell us what God is all about. John tells us that God is Love (see 1John 4:7-12)and all who Love are in God and God in them.
This Love is not the emotion of the flesh, but the spiritual desire to serve God and your neighbor. We have the strong feelings that God has placed in our flesh to serve his will. He knows our weakness and as Paul tells us throughout Romans God loves us. For His will we are in the flesh and for His will we live in the flesh submitted through the Spirit to serve his Will.
God does not want us to be alone. Even among straight people a relation that involves sex is not easy. For Gays and Lesbians it is even harder. Yet in God's creation we are here, made by Him. The trick is to be of Him. If we freely yield unto His Will we begin to be perfected in His Love. We do not lose anything except that which is destructive to us.
If your focus is Sex you are servant to the flesh, but if you focus is upon God you are a servant to the Spirit and even thought we fulfill the life needs of the flesh we are still in and of God.
Being Homosexual and having relations in a monogamous same-sex relation is not sin. Having irresponsible sexual relations with many partners regardless of the gender of the partner is lustful and thereby sin. It is sin because the focus in on pleasure of the flesh rather than Love.
When I was in High School, Gym class was horrible. There I was with all these guys running around with no clothes on. Guys that I had classes with, that I had crushes on, right there in front of me with out a stitch of clothing. The small town I grew up in in the 50's provided me with no evidences of people like me. Not even a hint of who "people like me" were. I knew that Boys were attracted to Girls and that I was not, but then there were so many things that Boys were that I wasn't.
It is quite normal to have such crushes, but it is important to realize such crushes are fleeting and soon vanish. The immediate intensity of the crush may make one feel that they must tell the person who is the object of their affection how one feels about them. That is true of gay people and straight people. When we discover the feeling we associate with love, it is a revolution in our lives - our bodies - that we feel compelled to shout out.
Even at 62 I have these infatuations. As a teenager I never had the nerve to say anything. I remember them all as if they were yesterday; Donald who set in front of me in English in the 10th grade, Greg with his wrangler jeans that fit all too well, Jimmy with his cute rear end all prompted me to fantasize about that which seemed so unique to me, but that later I found out was common. The list goes on and on.
If you are bold enough to tell your crush about how you feel, and you are rejected, even mocked, never fear. There is life after High School. As long as you are breathing there is always "life after" whatever your current crisis is.
Remember you are Loved. God may not be someone who you know or even believe in. Shoot even the most devout in religion still has question and doubts. The good thing is that God, in all his earthly manifestations, believes in You. He has many forms but they are all variations of Love.
Being a Christian, I believe in the Teaching of Jesus. Love is not sex, or sexual. Love is giving and caring not of your body but of your person and all that you have. When you have a crush on a person it gets a little crazy. For an explanation of true Love read 1 Corinthians chapter 13. These words of Paul tell us what God is all about. John tells us that God is Love (see 1John 4:7-12)and all who Love are in God and God in them.
This Love is not the emotion of the flesh, but the spiritual desire to serve God and your neighbor. We have the strong feelings that God has placed in our flesh to serve his will. He knows our weakness and as Paul tells us throughout Romans God loves us. For His will we are in the flesh and for His will we live in the flesh submitted through the Spirit to serve his Will.
God does not want us to be alone. Even among straight people a relation that involves sex is not easy. For Gays and Lesbians it is even harder. Yet in God's creation we are here, made by Him. The trick is to be of Him. If we freely yield unto His Will we begin to be perfected in His Love. We do not lose anything except that which is destructive to us.
If your focus is Sex you are servant to the flesh, but if you focus is upon God you are a servant to the Spirit and even thought we fulfill the life needs of the flesh we are still in and of God.
Monday, January 26, 2009
I Am the Gate
I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved (kept safe). He will come in and go out, and find pasture. - John 10:9 (New International Version)
Jesus is very clear here. He is not A Path, but The Path.
What may not be clear is what the "I am" means, but it is clear that Yielding to God's Will is that path. Jesus, on several occasions, talks about everyone being a "son of God" as He was the Son of God.
What is clear is that we do not need other people to define God or Jesus' role for us. God, through Jesus, offers to us the Holy Spirit to guide and teach us. While there are means that assist on earth that leads to Jesus the Path, those means are fallible and not of ultimate authority. Such means as Ministers, fellow Christians, written Doctrines, and organized groups, fall in this category. Even the Bible, on its own without the aid of the Holy Spirit, is not of Ultimate Authority.
That certainly does not invalidate the vital role these means play in a spiritual life. It just places them in a role of humility, acknowledging that any claim of authority in conflict with the direction of the Holy Spirit is invalid. God as represented on Earth in the person of Jesus is the only Ultimate Authority.
The idea here is that one should not let man dissuade them from a prayerfully led spiritual decision.
Jesus is very clear here. He is not A Path, but The Path.
What may not be clear is what the "I am" means, but it is clear that Yielding to God's Will is that path. Jesus, on several occasions, talks about everyone being a "son of God" as He was the Son of God.
What is clear is that we do not need other people to define God or Jesus' role for us. God, through Jesus, offers to us the Holy Spirit to guide and teach us. While there are means that assist on earth that leads to Jesus the Path, those means are fallible and not of ultimate authority. Such means as Ministers, fellow Christians, written Doctrines, and organized groups, fall in this category. Even the Bible, on its own without the aid of the Holy Spirit, is not of Ultimate Authority.
That certainly does not invalidate the vital role these means play in a spiritual life. It just places them in a role of humility, acknowledging that any claim of authority in conflict with the direction of the Holy Spirit is invalid. God as represented on Earth in the person of Jesus is the only Ultimate Authority.
The idea here is that one should not let man dissuade them from a prayerfully led spiritual decision.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Facts About GLTB Suicide
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth are up to four times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers (Massachusetts 2006 Youth Risk Survey).
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth who come from a rejecting family are up to nine times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers
(2007 San Francisco State University Chavez Center Institute).
From The Trevor Project - Saving Young Lives
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth who come from a rejecting family are up to nine times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers
(2007 San Francisco State University Chavez Center Institute).
From The Trevor Project - Saving Young Lives
God Loves This Fagot
Homosexuals can be Christians and God accepts and Loves them with no condemnation. He also understands that they are Homosexuals, not by choice but by his design.
He does ask of Homosexuals the same thing that he does of Heterosexuals, that they live lives that treat intimate relations between people to be responsible. Paul is right when he says that our Bodies are our Temple. God wants us to be health in all of actions. He also expects us to treat others with respect for His Love of them and their Bodies.
If we are to do God's will on Earth we have to focus upon Him. Having sex is part of our lives and we should be able to have sex as we are made to do and be focused on God at the same time.
Just as we eat to satisfy our nutritional needs we have sex to satisfy our emotional and physical needs. Maybe what we need to start doing to make sure that sex is within our focus upon God is to offer a Prayer before we have sex just as we do before we eat.
God Loves This Fagot.
He does ask of Homosexuals the same thing that he does of Heterosexuals, that they live lives that treat intimate relations between people to be responsible. Paul is right when he says that our Bodies are our Temple. God wants us to be health in all of actions. He also expects us to treat others with respect for His Love of them and their Bodies.
If we are to do God's will on Earth we have to focus upon Him. Having sex is part of our lives and we should be able to have sex as we are made to do and be focused on God at the same time.
Just as we eat to satisfy our nutritional needs we have sex to satisfy our emotional and physical needs. Maybe what we need to start doing to make sure that sex is within our focus upon God is to offer a Prayer before we have sex just as we do before we eat.
God Loves This Fagot.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Defining God
For people of faith, any faith, it is a great trial to see their children fall away from that faith and follow other ideas, other faiths.
It is a strange dynamic that something that is defined as believing with out evidence or proof, requires so much confirmation.
So maybe, all faith is in transition. Maybe in youth, things move much faster than later in life. Maybe Faith is a process and the falling away is just rapid movement of faith's growth. A rapidity that is unnerving to those of us that have become "grown up".
If our faith is not challenged it becomes stagnant and rigid; becomes unbending, unyielding, lacking in humility. It becomes a faith that can not hear God calling us to change. We are not finished projects.
When we lock in a fixed definition of God, we limit Him by our imperfect knowledge.
We call upon God to take us and mold us in His image and then lock in our "belief" of what that image is. Our faith becomes our image of God, not the image God.
If we are to have true Faith we must have an open door to that which is unseen and unheard in addition to what is seen and heard. It is finally a faith in something out of our carnal experience.
My faith is in God as revealed through Jesus. That revelation is Love. We know Jesus first by what is written, but in Christian Faith Jesus reveals more than a prophet to follow. Jesus reveals an eternal connection to God. A personal connection to God. Jesus reveals a transcendence of the flesh into the spirit in mortal life and beyond.
For me I choose not to limit God by fixing an image of God based upon what I know at any moment. In being perfected, as promised in the New Testament, my knowledge or awareness must also be perfected. My Faith will grow only as much as I allow.
If we place ourselves in a locked room, for which only we have the key, Jesus can knock on the door for eternity and we can tell him to come in, but until we unlock the door an allow Jesus in, our relation with Him - though being a valid relationship - is unfinished and incomplete.
So my prayer has been for God to challenge by Faith, refine it in the fire of adversity, so I might have greater Faith and greater understanding. Not just understanding of God, but of myself and my neighbor so I may Love all three more.
It is a strange dynamic that something that is defined as believing with out evidence or proof, requires so much confirmation.
So maybe, all faith is in transition. Maybe in youth, things move much faster than later in life. Maybe Faith is a process and the falling away is just rapid movement of faith's growth. A rapidity that is unnerving to those of us that have become "grown up".
If our faith is not challenged it becomes stagnant and rigid; becomes unbending, unyielding, lacking in humility. It becomes a faith that can not hear God calling us to change. We are not finished projects.
When we lock in a fixed definition of God, we limit Him by our imperfect knowledge.
We call upon God to take us and mold us in His image and then lock in our "belief" of what that image is. Our faith becomes our image of God, not the image God.
If we are to have true Faith we must have an open door to that which is unseen and unheard in addition to what is seen and heard. It is finally a faith in something out of our carnal experience.
My faith is in God as revealed through Jesus. That revelation is Love. We know Jesus first by what is written, but in Christian Faith Jesus reveals more than a prophet to follow. Jesus reveals an eternal connection to God. A personal connection to God. Jesus reveals a transcendence of the flesh into the spirit in mortal life and beyond.
For me I choose not to limit God by fixing an image of God based upon what I know at any moment. In being perfected, as promised in the New Testament, my knowledge or awareness must also be perfected. My Faith will grow only as much as I allow.
If we place ourselves in a locked room, for which only we have the key, Jesus can knock on the door for eternity and we can tell him to come in, but until we unlock the door an allow Jesus in, our relation with Him - though being a valid relationship - is unfinished and incomplete.
So my prayer has been for God to challenge by Faith, refine it in the fire of adversity, so I might have greater Faith and greater understanding. Not just understanding of God, but of myself and my neighbor so I may Love all three more.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Define God for Me
I spent a long time fighting my belief in God because it made no sense. IT made no sense because I let other people define God for me. It turns out that the god I did not believe in was not God.
So how do I know? I don't, and neither does anyone else. Belief by definition is accepting as real what we can not prove is real. I take what is written as God's word and for me, God is what Jesus said God is. So the search begins in the Bible,
So how do I know? I don't, and neither does anyone else. Belief by definition is accepting as real what we can not prove is real. I take what is written as God's word and for me, God is what Jesus said God is. So the search begins in the Bible,
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