Leaving the Grandstand World

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Please enjoy a re-run of my very first episode which began April 24, 2021. 
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What a splendid prayer the title to this chapter is! I want FAITH. I'm rubbed until I'm raw with the sandpaper of this world. I'm rubbed until I'm bleeding all over my Bible. God's Word appears to have no power. But, with faith, I hear it has unlimited power. I WANT faith!

The world gives me bedsores from sleeping in its ways. Its ways inhibit, blindside, drown my spiritual sight. Is there no respite from this world's crushing blows? It constantly reminds me I'm powerless, I'm of no value; it says that Jesus’s "Bread of Life" is filled with toxic gluten when, by faith I know His bread is sweet and kind and sure and strong! I want Faith to the extent that I never forget that.

How am I supposed to see the reality of my spiritual journey with eyes so blinded by the world's dark view that embeds itself deeply into my life, my values, my beliefs! I do not want my beliefs to be so influenced by this world's strangling fingers. No, I say, No, I repeat, NO, I scream!

Let God's words be true and all from men, a lie! Take my trembling hand, oh God, and lift me out of this abyss of sorrow. I don't have to stay here, do I? I don't have to be a victim, do I? I'm free to fully embrace my personal savior, my heavenly Knight, my wonderful Jesus. I'm perfectly free to deny this world's "truth" and know only the heavenly "Truth" (with a capital T) that sets me free. Increase what little faith I have, Lord.

By His stripes I wasn't healed in the past. By His stripes I'm not healed in the future. By His stripes I'm healed NOW. It is done!! Praise God, it is complete. Oh, mind, I beseech you to engage in the truth as found in God's word--and know that what Christ did, is done. Praise God, it IS done! In perfect joy and amazing grace, I am able to see beyond appearances, see beyond desperate circumstances and look straight into the loving, light-filled eyes of our savior, Jesus Christ, who, while walking this earth 2000 years ago, healed most everyone who came into contact with Him.

I want faith! Oh, Lord, somehow, I need to erase what the world has told me is true. It lies. These are not white lies, but the blackest lies possible. Lies that mock any faith I'd extend to God. Lies that detest the supernatural, lies that cower at the light of God, lies that say, "There is no one to rely on but yourself. You are lower than a worm but you're all you've got. Don't fool yourself.” 

“I want faith! Lord, take a shovel and dig deep as I am dwelling six feet under this earth, but my eyes are opening to Your majestic and holy presence. I, who am coffinized in this earth, can hear Your shovel digging deep, scraping away the pebbles and clods and mud that stands between where I am and You, Lord. Come, Lord Jesus. I'm told You are here and I'm told You are with me--but I'm buried in the muck and mire of this earth and, changing analogies, I'm stuck in thorny weeds that constantly prick me and make me bleed. Help me turn away from this nightmare, Lord. Save me from these thorns. I want faith in You! Now, Lord!”

The truth can make me free, but my mind has accepted too much earth--too much world. I've been in a News coma. I've listened to the world's news to the detriment of the "Good News" and the Good News, the Gospel, is sitting too far back in my bookshelf. I can't reach it. The only way I can get a grip on it is with faith. I want faith, Lord.

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I begin with "Wonderful Words of Life" rendered poetic with instrumental by Kevin Macleod. Next you'll hear a chapter from my book, A Course in Christianity entitled, "Don't be Messin' with Perception," and finally one more waxing poetic, "O Sons and Daughters, Let Us Sing" which is a poem I found in the public domain.

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Don’t Be Messin’ with Perception

"The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!" Matthew 6:22 

In the beginning God extended Himself into all of us. He created us in the image and likeness of Himself (found in Genesis). He gave us the same ability to create as He did with the exception that He did it all while we can only "create" our world(s). Remember this as I extend this idea. 

You've seen examples of this perceptual extension all the time in this world. People either making their own circumstances (bad or good) or creating the Kingdom of God (bringing "Thy Kingdom Come, Thy will be done" on earth as it is in heaven). Mankind feels they can change God's reality by ignoring Him and proceeding on their own to fantasize whatever they desire on earth.
 

Misusing our extending ability (the eye is light, but it can see darkness indeed) is when we extend darkness by begging God to heal what He already healed from the cross, thereby making the appearance real. We don't want to do that. But on this earth, this is a mistake too easily made. We need to use our extension gift in a much better, practical and pragmatic way. We can, if we choose, extend darkness and make or believe in appearances so much that we see no way out of our "made" circumstances. This is very disturbing.

There is something different we could do. We could bring the Kingdom of heaven to earth by using our gift of extension properly. We should never ignore God or think God doesn't exist. By doing that we are making circumstances encircle us which we think is "truth" but is actually the manifestation of our beliefs. Does that make sense? Atheists who think there is no God have surrounded themselves with proof that what they believe is true. They cannot see miracles which are brought on when the child of God extends the Kingdom to earth as it is in heaven. They can only see things from within their atheistic wall they've built. By the way, it takes an amazing amount of energy to keep that wall upright because proof of God permeates this world.

Let's humble ourselves and not be "Messin' with Perception." It is easy to believe appearances in this world but rebuke that nasty habit in you and believe in the Kingdom of God instead. It will make a world of difference because your sight which is ruled by you within, manifests what you focus on. Our internal “focuser*” needs to be adjusted and the only one I trust to adjust my “focuser” is Jesus (and His Holy Spirit He shares with us). Don't let the world, or appearances, rule you. You rule the world by allowing Jesus Christ full access to your “focuser.” Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. (Have I stated that enough times?) He says, "Be of good cheer for I have overcome the world." If He is your way, you have overcome the world also. His Kingdom is much more satisfying than Satan's (or the world's) is. And trust me on this, if you don't bring Jesus into this world in a mighty way, you'll be allowing Satan to be your “focuser,” allowing him to do his work. There is no sitting on the

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I begin with a poetic rendering of "When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder," followed by a chapter from my book, A Course in Christianity entitled, "Active or Passive?" I finish with an original song by me but rendered poetically entitled, "Wherever You Go." I think you'll be blessed!
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Active or Passive?

I LOVE a good spiritually enlightened book! It is wonderful to get into the stream of Godly thoughts flowing from its pages and immerse myself in its ideas when they stem from the Bible. It's like taking a shower after a hard and sweaty day's work. Refreshing indeed!

 But it's passive.

 There's a place in our lives for passive. We need to surround ourselves with the truth in this dark world. Otherwise the dark world will creep, slither, and drip into every exposed crevice of our lives and cause us undue pain and suffering by influencing our beliefs. The crevices of uncertainty need to be surrounded, immersed, and melded with the truth of God, not the deceptions of Satan.

 But remember, there's a difference between passive and active. Let's keep in mind that prayer is active while having someone else pour truth into our ears, or eyes (if we're reading or watching something edifying on TV or the movies) is passive. It is important to know that ACTIVE prayer trumps passive truth by a long shot.

 Do you want to be practical? Do you want to be healed? Or drawn into the purpose God has for you being here on planet earth? Then spend more time in active prayer. Don't let the passive things become dominant. Frankly, that's Satan's ploy. He would rather have you swim around in the wading pool of God's truth than press in and receive the waterfall of God's glory with His healing for us and our purpose revealed. If that were to happen, he’d be left standing at the gateway to hell all by himself. 

 Yes, one can read the truth and listen to the truth and watch the truth and have cycles of deep prayer mixed with passive intellectual involvement but remember to keep your priorities straight. When passively letting the truth wash over you via whatever media you are using, and suddenly you come to an inspiring place that triggers a spiritual response--a movement of God's Holy Spirit deep within you, don't skim over that. STOP, LOOK, and LISTEN as if a train is bearing down on you. You are on the right track! Prayerfully absorb the truth.

 Stop! Ponder. Relax in God. Know the truth being revealed right then. Don't pass by this enlightened moment. Let it sink slowly and purposefully into your heart, mind and soul. This, my friends, this is a germ of "Active" found in the passive. This is a gem of truth. Allow it to shine actively in your mind.

 Passive is when others supply the seed and your interest feeds on their fruit. Active is when it is just you and God. This is when God nourishes YOU, the seed He created, that you would produce the fruit and extend His Kingdom.

 Satan says, "Always do the passive, read the truth, absorb the truth found in spiritually mature movies and TV or regular pastors/evangelists. Let the preacher’s heartfelt messages roll over you but," he continues, "don't connect directly with God through prayer. It will kill you." (That's what the Israelites felt when they told Moses, "YOU speak to God. We can't do it!")

 When Satan gives you that lie, please put him in his place (under your heel) and declare "GLORY BE TO GOD. I WILL PRAY. I WILL PRAY MY HEART OUT. I WILL PRAY UNTIL THE COWS COME HOME. I WILL PRAY UNTIL I KNOW MY SHEPHERD'S HEART INSIDE AND O

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I begin with a poem by a public domain poet entitled, "Take My Life and Let It Be" then slide into a chapter from my book, A Holy Hodgepodge entitled, "To Vent or Not to Vent," and I finish with one of our songs (poetically narrated), "The Happy Song," with lyrics by Eva Zarley. Happy New Year!
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Anger is a powerful emotion. When Satan seizes his opportunity, because we've held some things back from the Lord, thinking we could handle things our way, he beckons it to come through us. Like a mammoth boulder crashing down a mountainside, it can crush everything in its path. When allowed to seethe, like the bubbling mud pots in Yellowstone National Park, small, seemingly harmless bursts of steam and gas permeate the days--discoloring the surroundings. Anger is of the flesh. Anger is the devil. But, upon closer analysis, anger is not really anything to get upset about. It is Satan causing us to misinterpret what is really happening. That's all.  

Satan trips us up so that we misinterpret something, which then allows that mammoth boulder to crash down the mountainside, destroying everything below. It is merely a twisted view that causes the steam and gasses to burst through our muddy lives and discolor our world. 

Mr. Spock, in the old Star Trek series, was always thought of as cold and maybe even heartless. That was the judgment of others in the plot. In his own way, I always felt there was a lot of love in him and his loyalty to the captain could not have been greater. Rarely, however, did you ever see Mr. Spock get angry. Why? Because of his strong sense of logic. He simply did not feel anger was a pragmatic approach to whatever problem was besetting him, in each episode. He would rather spend his energies finding a solution. He would rather spend his time solving the problem.  

Is it possible we could receive a mind-meld by Mr. Spock, the next time we feel we are attacked and maybe his logical mind could help us "reason" our way through it? Just joking! We don't need to imagine a "mind meld" with Mr. Spock, when we can have the mind of Christ. Jesus is the ultimate picture of calm and cool collectedness in the face of impending doom. He slept in the sea-tossed boat during a raging storm. When the fearful disciples woke Him, He merely told the storm and seas, "Peace, be still." No crisis there! 

Anger is often just a reaction to fear. We are not victims. Hard as it may seem, there is no time when anger comes upon us without our permission. Yes, anger is a choice. A choice we are making to focus on the deceiver instead of on the Lord. Once we realize we have chosen to become angry, it is easy to not choose that as an option the next time. The key, however, is not to try to suppress it once the choice was made. Suppressing anger merely puts us in denial and causes other problems later. Suppressing anger is like trying to put a cork in a volcano. For a while, things will appear to simmer down but then BAM! Our whole world blows up like Mt. Saint Helen all over again. It's best to never let anger kindle. 

Here is some advice on how to keep anger from poisoning our mind, our environment, indeed, our whole world. We must recognize what is happening when there appears to be no other reaction we can have to a circumstance. Satan has restricted our mind, he has it in a headlock and won't let go. Our Lord, dwelling within, would ask us to take a deep breath and ask Him to show the situation to you. Tell Him you want to see things through His eyes, not your own. Jesus will tell you that it is not an attack against you that is taking place. It is, in fact, a call for love. Ask for the Holy Spirit's

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Today, as is usual at this time, I begin with a poem set to appropriate inspirational music (this time by Josh Woodward). The poem is entitled, "Standing on the Promises." Then I share a chapter from my book, A Course in Christianity entitled, "Which Teacher Are You Listening To?" then I share one more poem set to music and my narration, "Sweet Hour of Prayer."
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Let me be blunt and up front with you. Here are the names of your teachers: Your carnal self and the Holy Spirit. Which one is your teacher? 

You don't know? Hmmm. Do you indulge in carnal things like gluttony, addiction to entertainment, or wandering eyes (if you're married)? You know who teaches those fleshy things. Your carnal self. 

Do you know the things of the spirit like joy and peace? Love, hope, compassion? Those are taught by the Holy Spirit. Honesty is too. We need to be honest with ourselves. We need to look at our lives objectively and ask, "Who is my teacher? Am I following my carnal self and listening to Satan a lot or am I forgiving others, exploring the spiritual things, and finding I am filled with the fruit of the spirit?" 

Yes, we have two teachers in this world--but only one that will successfully lead us to God in the next world. Today we can choose which teacher we follow. Are we going to follow the one who said He was the way? Or the one who operates in this world and who leads us astray?


Two teachers, one student, you. 

You've seen those cartoons with a small angel perched on the right shoulder and a small devil perched on the left shoulder of a confused person who needs to make a choice. Who will he listen to? It's like that with us. Who do we listen to?
 

Those two voices we listen to have within them two consequences: Defeat or victory. It really is a choice to either have failure or to be a conqueror through Jesus Christ. Jesus said, "Be of good cheer for I have overcome the world." Why should we be of good cheer because HE overcame the world? We should be of good cheer because He has chosen us to dwell in, and in Him, we live, and move, and have our being. His victory is ours. His joy is ours. 

We are no longer fighting this world, no longer kicking off the dogs whose teeth are clamped to our trousers because now we embrace the strength of God through Jesus Christ. Now we are the victors, the winners. Now, we wonder, how many sad people who don't know this, can we nudge/urge into the Kingdom with us? Not by coercion but by our genuine heart-felt love? 

We need God. God did not leave us alone in this world to fight its constant battles. We are not abandoned. But, if we look for another way out of this constant conflict, we will not find it. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes unto the Father but by Me." Don't listen to Satan who often manifests to our egos. Don't listen to the one who can't fulfill the promises he makes. They constantly fail. He promises that we will be happy if we eat that carton of ice cream, he promises that we will be happy if we have an affair, he promises we will be happy if we do hard drugs (or soft ones for that matter), he promises we will be happy if we watch all the episodes of Burning Lust, but his promises are disappointing and a lie. So, he promises if you do more carnal activity, that will make you happy. But it never does.  

When will we realize happiness does not come from our carnal self? Listen to the One who is the only way out of this refugee camp world where the fallen and the lost dwell. Come home to Him. Come home! And

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I start with "Savior Like a Shepherd Lead Us" narrated by me with a wonderful instrumental by Alexander Nakarada. Then I share a chapter from my book, A Holy Hodgepodge entitled, "Air Blockage or Prayer Blockage." I complete this episode with another poem, "Savior Lead Me Lest I Stray."

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I start off with a narrative rendering of Philippians 4 verses 4 through 9 then share from my book, A Course in Christianity, a chapter entitled, "Are people Lost?" then I conclude with another poem, "Open My Eyes That I May See." You should enjoy this episode a lot.
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My dog escaped yesterday. I was watching a movie on our flat screen TV when a gust of wind outside blew the gate open. In my dog's mind this meant FREEDOM. He happily exited and began his dogventure. Our other dog, Molly, decided to stay home.

 Eva, my wife, had been out shopping but upon hearing via my text message that our dog had escaped and was "lost," came home quickly.

 I got into her van upon her arrival and we began the arduous task of circling the neighborhood in a systematic way, shouting out the window, "Charlie, oh, Charlie." We circled the neighborhood for about 45 minutes. In my mind, it was hopeless. I was not too optimistic that we would find this lost dog, but Eva wasn't giving up and she didn't know I was feeling so negative. 

 We came upon one street we hadn't searched yet and there, standing in a yard, was a lady who had Charlie on a leash. It was cold and cloudy with a biting wind blowing but at the exact moment that we arrived, she was out there with our dog. What a joyous and happy reunion we had. I wanted to kill a calf and celebrate the return of our prodigal dog. (Molly, our other dog, was feeling despondent that we gave so much attention to Charlie, but she understood and barked approvingly when I told her, "He was lost, but now he's found.")

 Anyway, why tell you all of this? Because there may be people in your life who are lost and you may feel as I did when it seemed such a fruitless cause to continue searching, to continue reaching, to continue being optimistic and prayerful that the lost will be found. But I urge you to not lose faith, ever. They aren't lost. They're just not found yet.

 By choosing hopefulness instead of hopelessness, we consciously contribute to their rescue. We have chosen to continue to have hope and it is in that hopeful light that God can work His miracles and bring your prodigals home...to Him.

 So, are we hopeful or hopeless? Are we guided by circumstances and appearances and falling prey to a negative result or, with Jesus, are we knowing the truth and, through His strength, remaining positive?

 Are we victims or victors? This world paints a picture of defeat and many moan helplessly and, with heads hanging down, walk the muddy streets of this world, depressed and forlorn. Is this you?

 Don't be a victim when, through Christ, you can be a victor.

 It was great to have Charlie home again. Molly panted with delight and was very glad to see him, too.

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I begin with a poem embedded with an instrumental by Alexander Nakarada entitled, "Living for Jesus." Alexander's tune is entitled, "Spring." Next I share a chapter from my book, A Holy Hodgepodge entitled "Who's Pulling Our Strings?" and I finish with an old hymn "Onward Christian Soldiers" again with an instrumental by Alexander Nakarada which he entitled, "Chase."

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I begin today's episode with a poetic rendering of a song entitled, "The Holy City," but I think of it as "Jerusalem Jerusalem." Then you'll hear a chapter from my book, A Course in Christianity entitled, "The Steeple in the People." I end with another poetic rendering. This time it is entitled, "Leave It There." God bless you!

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I begin today's episode with Eva's lyrics entitled, "Intimate Mystery." Then, from my book, A Course in Christianity, I share a chapter entitled, "Eye Hath Not Seen" and finally I share the lyrics to an old hymn entitled, "In the Garden."

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