The French television series Varsailles was set during the civil wars in France that occurred in the midst of the Franco-Spanish War. At that time Louis the 14^th  was confronted with the combined opposition of the princes, the nobility, the courts, and most of the French people. In the show, during one fictional encounter, Louis meets the central hero in a series of fanciful poems. The King said: “Will you not share a glass of wine with me?” Our hero responded “I prefer to see the world as it is.”

It was clearly an attempt at seduction within the broader context of the same power dynamics we’ve often witnessed in our own day. So much of our commerce, our religion, our politics, and our social media experience is tainted with a certain coercive quality. Name calling is a form of coercive labeling. Leading questions are often misleading at best. And, certain algorithms affecting our social media experience specifically target the Primal Brain or the Paleomammalian / Emotional Brain.

Efforts to severely blunt the Neomammalian or Rational Brain, also known as the Neocortex, were clearly the theme in the oft ignored Moody Blue’s song Send Me No Wine. The lyricist went on to warn “They’re gonna make you leave your, leave your heart behind.” The emphasis on higher things was clearly evident in the lyric “If only everybody found the answer in love.”

As we become centered in this particular “answer,” we can better enjoy our lives and become more discriminating, even when it comes to the finest of wines. However, when anything is taken to excess, and in the face of the ongoing warfare that was early on described as “War in Heaven,” the enemy gains tactical advantage by means of the sophistries designed to make us leave our love behind. Our Mission Commander clearly exhibited a unique situational awareness when he said: “This is my command, that you love one another as I have loved you.”

Our strife torn world is what it is. And we need to be clear eyed if we are to recognize and address its many persistent problems. Our earliest written records state that God gave us dominion over many of these things. He has delegated responsibility for mitigating the effects of war, famine, and pestilence that are unwelcome characteristics of the natural world. And we are clearly admonished to aspire to something higher than nature.

We have entered an age and are at a stage where we faced with global pandemics, regional skirmishes, and rampant criminality. Some of our fellow human beings are even fighting alongside our microscopic foes. They sabotage any effort to combat not only deadly viruses but other forms of disease as well. While paying lip service to the top forty Christian talking points, some show disdain for much of what Jesus actually taught and exemplified. 

The Book of Revelation occupies a central place in Christian eschatology. While it is widely recognized as the final book of the Christian Bible, its title is derived from the first word of the Greek text: apokalypsis. The precise identity of the author remains a point of academic debate although no one is pushing back on the descriptive title advanced when American gospel-blues musician Blind Willie Johnson recorded the song “John the Revelator” in 1930. The chorus line “Who’s that a writin” is widely regarded as asking if it was John of Patmos who was exiled as a result of anti-Christian persecution.

Whoever it was is not quite so important as other questions arising from the challenges put forth within the book itself. For example, the writer makes many interesting statements including this one : “And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he took the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil and Satan, and he bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit. And he bound him and set a seal on him, that he should deceive the people no more till the thousand years were fulfilled. And after that, he must be loosed for a little season.”

Why, one might ask, would the deceiver be “loosed for a little season?” Now the book is commonly dated to about AD 95 so, depending on the length of the “little season,” we could well be smack dab in the middle of it. And, just what is it? Could it be a time of testing? Maybe it is intended to provide for a period of sorting and sifting. We do, after all, live on a rebellion torn, confused, and disordered planet.

Maybe, just maybe, this is how Jesus always intended to separate the sheep from the goats. Really, do we think he would want to be surrounded by those feigning allegiance? Highly unlikely. Instead, Our Sovereign Lord would undoubtedly want to build his true church with those who are sincere; those with a loyalty and devotion that is voluntary, wholehearted, and sophistry-proof.

You’ve heard the old story where three blind men come across an elephant. The first man happens upon its leg, and concludes it’s a tree. The second man bumps into its trunk, and concludes it’s a snake. The last blind man feels its tail, and concludes it’s a broom. Nowhere have I seen this scenario play out more vividly than in the Christian Church. I remember sitting in an adult Sunday School class in the late 1990s. Someone shared something that reminded me of something a Hindu friend of mine had once said.

I shared that I had heard God described as the splendor of the splendid and the goodness of the good. Everyone in the room liked that description until I revealed that it was a quote from an ancient Hindu text. As if by some sort of conditioned reflex, I was told that they were talking about a different god. I have always been puzzled by this mode of thinking. Why can’t one tradition’s partial understanding serve to inform a more comprehensive one?

It’s as if some marketeer somewhere has decided that, to differentiate the faith in a competitive marketplace of ideas, the church can’t build a unique value proposition unless it somehow disses everyone else’s beliefs. Nowhere in the recorded history concerning the exemplary life and teachings of Jesus is there evidence of him attacking the underpinnings of someone else’s faith. There are, however, many instances where Jesus listened and worked to build on even the faintest flicker of faith within those individuals who came close to him.

It is not within the scope of our mission to try and play Theo-surgeon and attempt to excise every erroneous idea within someone else’s evolving understanding of what God has in store for them. The Promised Helper Jesus sent to help all of us is the Spirit of Truth. Just as this Helper will faithfully and competently lead us into all Truth, the Spirit can be trusted to drive out all serious error. 

God has given us an endowment of mind and spirit that give rise to an ascendant philosophy. It’s entirely up to us if we are to become responsive to Divine leading as we move forward in thought, word, and deed. The Truth consists of more than facts. It prompts us to consider meanings. It leads us to recognize and embrace supreme values. It augments our view of total reality just as two eyes enhance our depth perception. The materialist tends to see the world and the universe as relatively flat.

Our Spirit complement superimposes the enhanced perceptions, that are exclusive to the spiritually endowed mind, upon the circumscribed world view of those who would otherwise limit their understanding to that of the physical life. In Exodus we were told that God has filled the believer “with his Spirit, gifted him with wisdom, understanding, and knowledge, . . .” Later on, in a letter to the Philippians, Paul wrote: And know that the peace of God (a peace that is beyond any and all of our human understanding) will stand watch over your hearts and minds in Jesus, the Anointed One. There will come a day when he enables us to bring these cosmic views into true focus for, as Jesus said: “The Kingdom of Heaven is within you.” 

On that day we will understand the meaning and value of Enlightened Honesty as characterized by Clear Thinking, Warmhearted Luminosity, and Spiritual Transformation. – The meaning and value of Courageous Loyalty as characterized by Cohesive Integrity, Mutual Confidence, and Responsive Friendship. – The meaning and value of Enduring Peace as characterized by Common Concerns, Sensitive Communications, and Impartial Judgment. – The meaning and value of Enthusiastic Appreciation as characterized by Augmented Values, Infectious Joy, and Harmonious Progress.

We will know the meaning and value of Unfailing Goodness as characterized by Thoughtful Preparedness, Resourceful Adaptability, and Industrious Tenacity. – The meaning and value of Unselfish Devotion as characterized by Divine Guidance, Patient Foresight, and Supportive Encouragement. – The meaning and value of Merciful Ministry as characterized by Sympathetic Understanding, Enveloping Tenderness, and Inspiring Beauty. – The meaning and value of Loving Service as characterized by Shared Vision, Unified Motivation, and Constructive Engagement.

We will begin to appreciate the meaning and value of Undying Hope as characterized by Focused Purpose, Healthy Dedication, and Insightful Leadership. – The meaning and value of Confiding Trust as characterized by Moral Affinity, Informed Fidelity, and Principled Adaptability. – The meaning and value of Sincere Fairness as characterized by Seasoned Acuity, Centered Clarity, and Ethical Inquiry. – The meaning and value of Forgiving Tolerance as characterized by Balanced Perspective. Resourceful Accuracy, and Resilient Structuring

We will undoubtedly learn to embrace God’s Truth, Beauty, and Goodness because, as Jesus said, the fruits of the spirit are love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.” The authenticity of our relationship with Jesus and the Father is revealed in the nature and to the extent these fruits of the spirit are manifest in our life experiences.

The Apostle Paul wrote “I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” He went on to tell us “I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

The spiritual idealism that can take an individual, an enterprise, or a nation from one level of attainment to another is sometimes described as a form of “constructive discontentment.” There are indeed times when we realize that being in “whatsoever state I am,” is simply not sufficient. When we are hungry, we go in search of food. When we are in need, we make necessary changes to insure sufficiency. If we truly believe Paul’s statement that “I can do all things through him who strengthens me,” we take that to mean we should do all things that must be done.

Most dictionaries define the word contentment as satisfaction, as well as ease of mind. Is it possible to have one without the other? Could Paul have been at ease knowing God will make provision and, at the same time, longing for positive change? Our Heavenly Father sent his son to a strife torn world so that we may have everlasting life. Was the Father or the Son somehow “satisfied” with leaving our place in the cosmos subject to the deceptions and the sophistries promoted by the forces of darkness and death? Absolutely not. And, for all of us that are willing to envision, accept, and strive for our highest and best destiny, the Prince of Darkness was effectively deposed in our individual experience by the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

During our brief time on this world, the most profitable thing we can do is study the life and teachings of Jesus for it will undoubtedly inform the way we can best make the most of our lives and the way we may be of service to others. There is a reason we are admonished to wash the inside of the bowl first. When the oxygen mask drops from overhead on an airplane, we should put ours on before helping others to put theirs on. We must be spiritually and materially healthy to be of any real and meaningful value to our omnipresent God as well as to the others around us.

We should never confuse a fleeting and subjective gratification with an enduring and supreme objective satisfaction. Jesus promised a spiritual helper to help us better differentiate between the two. Our Sovereign said The Spirit of Truth will lead us into all truth. And that truth exists at the nexus of facts, meanings, and values; the corollaries of which are science, philosophy, and religion. We depend upon this triad to achieve a balanced understanding of the whole of truth.

There are believers who are fond of saying “When the Lord returns, the world will be made right.” And yet, in his Parable of the Talents, Jesus made it clear that the servant that was industrious, the one who made the most of the resources entrusted to him, was praiseworthy. This example stands in stark contrast to the servant who failed to leverage the assets, who merely protected them and effectively buried them. That servant was described as indolent, slothful, and even wicked. The religion of the Spirit is not an opiate. It was not bestowed to make us contented.

In the Book of Genesis God is quoted as saying “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness; and let them have dominion . . .” The verse, and of course the rest of the book, go on to describe the extent of our particular dominion. But here we need to understand just what is meant by the term dominion. Most modern dictionaries define it as the power or right of governing and controlling. And those of us that take our responsibilities seriously take this phrasing to mean God has delegated such authority in a way that confers upon us certain obligations. 

The written Gospels according to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John each, with minor variations, quote Jesus as having said: “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for My sake and the Gospel’s, the same shall save it.” There is a principle that Our Father put forth that governs his far-flung creation. It is that we must each provide something of value for the common good. The people that are just going along to get along within the world must learn to re-focus their energies and make a difference, to effect positive change.

Will the Master, upon his return describe our stewardship as faithful, or will he say: “You knew I would require an accounting with reasonable profit, such as your diligent fellow servants have this day rendered. I’m taking the one talent from you and giving it to the one who has the ten talents.”

One of my all time favorite Far Side cartoons is the one where there’s a guy pushing a wheelbarrow full of rocks in a hell-fire and brimstone sweatshop. He’s in this whistle while you work mode as devilish figures are standing off to the side talking. The caption read something like: “You know, we’re really not getting through to this guy.”

A recent experience reminded me of that particular imagery. I have a very long driveway in a mountainous area. Parts of it are relatively stable on a bed of stone while a delivery of large rocks is blocking other parts. The construction has been going on for years and I usually enjoy living on the canvas with all its challenges.

This week started out with lots of rain in the forecast and, with a pile of rocks blocking part of the driveway, turning the car around can be a problem. At my place, when you’re not driving on stone, you’re driving on clay that’s really slippery when wet. I arrived home just as the rain was starting and got the car stuck in the mud. I thought to myself: “No problem, I’ll yank it out using the truck.”

The truck is four-wheel drive and, of course, one gets a certain sense of invincibility while driving it. I got partly deflated when I also got the truck stuck. But, as one never willing to admit defeat, I thought: “No problem, I have a winch!” It was one of those cool ones with a wireless remote control and I was dying to try it out. I chocked the wheels so the truck couldn’t roll or slide further down the hill, put it in neutral, and attached the winch cable to the straps I had wrapped around a huge tree.

I stood there with a big smile while using the remote control to pull the truck out of the mud and onto the gravely part of the driveway. My humility lesson came when the winch broke. The truck rolled down the hill, pushing the chocks through the mud as it crashed into the car. I looked to the sky and said: “Glad I could be of some entertainment value.” Actually, that’s not what I said. And I’m not going to share what I did say. I did however look at the sky. It was getting much rainier and the ground was getting slipperier so, knowing I was well past the point of diminishing returns, I decided to take a nap.

As I awoke I was already thinking about next steps, I did a food inventory. I also wondered if I had become a source of amusement for our angels. I thought about Jesus and his admonition to “Be of good cheer.” I’ve always thought he must have a great sense of humor. I also love being around those with a pioneering spirit. One popular statement was meant as an expression of encouragement for those taking on a wide variety of difficult tasks. I am certain Jesus appreciates the can-do attitude that moves those who rise to face any given challenge, and especially the line: “Well, if Jesus tarries and the creek don’t rise . . .” After Hurricane Fred, and the tropical storm that preceded it, any reference to a rising creek is especially resonant here in Western North Carolina.

I have another good friend that helped me free my truck. As for the car, it’s covered with the mud that was thrown on it by the spinning wheels of the truck. I’m content with letting the rain wash off the mud. And now I’m also content with just waiting for the rain to end and for the ground to dry. It is that feeling of contentment that freed me from impatience. Another friend, after reading about my experience with the car and the truck wrote: “There’s a parable in there somewhere.”

Indeed. The experience reminded me of a statement by the Apostle Paul. For he said: “I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” And there was more to Paul’s statement for he went on to say: “I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Sometimes the secret to facing our challenges is just a prayer or phone call away. Those who live on the canvas, in rugged terrain, help each other out as needed. I could have gotten a ride to the grocery store at any time through the power of friendship. Sometimes our angels stand back, and let those who refuse to act on their light of truth learn lessons the hard way. In my case the comedy show resulted in minor cosmetic damage to material possessions. From a spiritual perspective, I also knew, in advance, that the rain would stop, the ground would dry out, and I would regain traction in the near future.

Full Transcript:

Whenever we are in need of a humility lesson we would do well to remember that, with one trifling exception, the entire universe is composed of others. When Galileo tried to make the case that, likewise, neither our planet or its sun is the center of the universe, he was forced, under the penalty of death, to deny theory he floated. The abjuration of Galileo in 1633 is another thing we would do well to remember. For it read:

“I, Galileo, son of the late Vincenzo Galilei of Florence, being 70 years old, swear that I have always believed, believe now and, with God’s help, will in the future believe all that the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church doth hold, preach and teach. But since, after having been admonished by this Holy Office entirely to abandon the false opinion that the sun is the centre of the Universe and immovable, and that the Earth is not the centre of the same and that it moves, and that I was neither to hold, defend, nor teach in any manner whatsoever, either orally or in writing, the said false doctrine; and after having received a notification that the said doctrine is contrary to Holy Writ, I wrote and published a book in which I treat this condemned doctrine and bring forward very persuasive arguments in its favour without answering them: I have been judged vehemently suspected of heresy, that is of having held and believed that the Sun is at the centre of the Universe and immovable, and that the Earth is not at the centre and that it moves. Therefore, wishing to remove from the minds of your Eminences and all faithful Christians this vehement suspicion reasonably conceived against me, I abjure with a sincere heart and unfeigned faith these errors and heresies, and I curse and detest them as well as any other error, heresy or sect contrary to the Holy Catholic Church. And I swear that for the future I shall neither say nor assert orally or in writing such things as may bring upon me similar suspicions; and if I know any heretic, or one suspected of heresy, I will denounce him to this Holy Office, or to the Inquisitor or Ordinary of the place in which I may be.”

Of course, neither the Earth or its sun is the center of the universe, but the Galileo experience underscores a much bigger concern. The man was not even free to advance a theory and was forced to deny his highest conception of truth and fact or lose his mortal life. He did this at the hand of a corrupt authority, a morally bankrupt and spiritually insecure church. Where Our Heavenly Father gave each of us the right to accept or reject the divine plan, the church engaged in intimidation and coercion. Turn or Burn was, in the long run, a vein attempt to usurp the authority of the Spirit of Truth. 

Spiritual unity should never be confused with uniformity. Where God bestowed a questioning mind through which we may discover, prayerfully consider, and freely embrace the divine attributes, the institutional church actually retarded progress through its own control freakery nature, its threats, and the demand for lockstep conformity. The Church was never supposed to be a Mechanical Bride.

Marshall McLuhan authored a book by that title. He was concerned by the size and the intentions of the North American culture industry. He wrote: “Ours is the first age in which many thousands of the best-trained individual minds have made it a full-time business to get inside the collective public mind. . .” Are today’s academic institutions, with their own entrenched priesthood, better equipped to free us from certain habits of thought? Or are they, like the church of the dark ages, top heavy with dead intellectualism? It is not a question of being an educated fool versus a religious one, for ignorance concerning the true role of religion is pervasive. We, the earth bound, should be asking if lockstep conformity with the fleeting standards of either theological or political correctness is somehow superior to such conformity with any other dogma? At some point we must ask; “Where is the freedom in either case?”

The Book of Matthew describes a pivotal exchange between Simon Peter and Jesus wherein Peter exclaimed: “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied: “. . . flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church . . .”

The pivotal moment consists of how some would interpret “this rock” to mean Peter while others see the Spirit giving rise to the revelatory experience. The “Get thee behind me Satan” rebuke Peter experienced just moments later betray any notion that the true church would be built upon anything other than the direct connection we can each enjoy with Our Heavenly Father who dwells simultaneously within our minds and at the Center of the Universe.

Full Transcript:

We each have faithful companions that sometimes go unrecognized. One is the Promised Helper that sojourns with the human soul. Jesus referred to this Spirit of the Son as The Spirit of Truth that will guide us into all truth if we are sincerely willing to be led. He was also referring to his personal spiritual presence when he said: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock, and if any man will open, I will come in.” If you sincerely desire to reach your highest and best destiny, then this divine Spirit will gently and lovingly lead you along the pathway of sonship and spiritual progress. Every step must be in accordance with our own thoughtful free will. It will be one of many steps taken as we embark on a journey through intelligent and cheerful co-operation.

Jesus said: “I will be with you, and my spirit shall go before you into all the world.” Clearly the Spirit of the Son is empowered to do precisely what Jesus promised. Throughout our history, humanity has encountered and been told of many spirit influences, both “clean and unclean.” And, once the Spirit of Truth was “poured out upon all flesh” at Pentecost, it became the faithful guide while coordinating the full spirit complement that indwells and envelopes us. Even so, true Spirit leading is never tainted with coercion, nor is it in any way compromised by compulsion.

There is also the Holy Spirit. This is Our Creator Son’s Spiritual Consort that has been conceived of, throughout history, as the Creative Daughter. In addition, there is the direct presence of Our Heavenly Father, nested within the minds of humankind. It is an integral part of that endowment resting gently upon the electrochemical mechanism we think of as the physical brain. We have something from The Father himself which actually dwells within us while our minds and bodies serve as temples.

When Paul wrote: “in Him we all live and move and have our being,” he was cognizant of Our Father’s all pervasive nature. God is omnipresent in addition to being omniscient and omnipotent. The knowledge of the Spirit is profound in addition to being complete. That part of God, that indwells our minds, is able to reveal things to us as needed in service of the Kingdom. 

Ours is not merely an elemental, fundamental, or even an intellectual religion. It does not stem from the religions of arbitrarily assumed authority but is rather a truly experiential religion of the Spirit. Likewise the Sovereignty of Christ is not one of arbitrary assumption. Jesus lived a bestowal life characterized by fatherly devotion and tender affection within the context of personal relationships. He faithfully submitted to the will of Our Father, not because of any unworthy motivator such as fear. He did so because they truly love one another just as Jesus admonished us to love one another.

Faithful submission also serves our highest and best interests within a vast universe of universes. Within this diverse creation, we each have the potential to be perfect even as the Heavenly Father is perfect. This can occur only within the context of Divinity, that characteristic unifying and coordinating quality of Deity.

The carpenter always has some important reference within the larger creation and uses visual clues to “true up” or align his own creation with that larger truth. For a painter, the quality of the work always depends upon the quality of light falling on the canvas. A musician must work with the components of sound to build a soul satisfying connection with the audience. The individual notes that comprise a chord are not unlike the color combinations used by the visual artist, and like the latter, the overall effect on any good work will be consonant, dissonant, diminished, augmented and ultimately resolving in ways that are pleasing to the listener. Without taking the time to tune however, the individual musician cannot contribute much to the creation of beauty or give what would be termed a good performance.

What the true Lover, Painter, Carpenter and Musician have in common is high motivation. Through their commitment to the high mission of art, they foreshadow a higher reality. When Jesus said “Love one another as I have loved you” he was underscoring the fact that his life was lived in accordance with an overarching commitment to that which is true, beautiful and good. The act, in accordance with the Golden Rule, yields good habits, the healthy conditioning we have been seeking. 

The Divine Son who admonished us to love as he loved had, in effect, redefined and upgraded the golden rule. For his love has always been expressed in accordance with the highest concepts of Truth, Beauty and Goodness comprehensible by us. While it is true that the prophets who walked before him always taught in accordance with the light of their day, Jesus is the whole light, the rule, the standard reference, the first violin, the perfect pitch, the Truth. And his Spirit of Truth is right now laboring to move us into a greater appreciation of that Truth.

Full Transcript:

We possess free will. With this endowment comes responsibility and the potential for error, evil, sin and iniquity. Though we are the final arbiters of our own destiny; pre-destination and fore-ordination are reality factors with which we must contend. To put it another way, each child of destiny has the power to accept or reject the divine plan. Whether we achieve our first, best destiny is entirely up to us.

Within our wide range of choices are perfection and imperfection, the mature and the immature, the complete and the incomplete. Between life and death stand the committed and the uncommitted. To every person across a far-flung universe of universes, Our Creator’s message is consistent; “I set before you life and death, therefore choose life.”

The first point of law is life. We are, first and foremost, commanded to live. Evil is more than just a reverse spelling. It runs contrary to survival. Now we often have problems thrust upon us or difficulty letting go of certain things, attitudes, and patterns of thought that tend to eclipse or impair a full and fruitful life. Figuring out what’s good and what’s evil is part of the growth process, right? Is experience a necessary part of life? Yes! Is there the potential for error? Yes! Are you responsible for your decisions? Of course! Are you unjustly held accountable for the sins of your forebears or everything that goes wrong in your life? Hardly!

Our ultimate survival is not so much about the things beyond our control or programmed responses, as it is about gaining control through our free will choices. You’ve heard or read that all have sinned. You’ve also learned that the wages of sin is death. So why aren’t we all dead? If justice reigned supreme throughout this universe, we probably would be. Fortunately, for all of us, true justice is tempered with mercy, and divine justice will not destroy what God’s mercy can save. Mercy takes into account the fact of our weaknesses as growing, imperfect beings.

Our Father did not create evil, although he did create the gift of free will. In so doing he created the potential for evil. At our stage of growth, learning to prove all things and adhering to that which is good is an essential part of life. There will undoubtedly be errors, bad habits and perhaps even compulsion to overcome. But once we’ve identified actual or potential evil and continue to choose it, or refuse to let go of it, well, that is what we call sin.

Where the term ‘sin’ traces its roots to archery and missing the mark, iniquity is wholehearted rebellion against the Divine will. It is not something we mistakenly choose, stumble into, get goaded into, or lured into. It’s not something we reluctantly choose or are forced to accept in a time of weakness or out of ignorance. It is not an attempt at choosing the lesser of two evils. Iniquity is willful defiance. It is when evil or sin is deliberate, because it is contrary to Divine law.

Iniquity is a direct assault on the organizing principle of the universes, an attack on the unifying and coordinating qualities we’ve come to know as truth, beauty and goodness. Our rightful inheritance is family unity. Jesus told us: “I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.” Where Our Father sows love, our enemies sow hatred. Where we would reap love, the forces of evil would advance chaos and have us fully immersed in ill will.

Some believe that unity is obtained through uniformity. Others hold that unity is only achieved at the expense of honest deliberation. And so, I put these questions to you in light of these historical considerations: Was the Lucifer Rebellion quashed? No! Was any effort made to suppress? No! From the start of the Lucifer rebellion each individual was left free in his or her choice.

The rebellion was permitted to run its full course. Or, as John wrote in the Book of Revelations, “The dragon was loosed for awhile.”

Why is that? It is precisely because we are a family. And Our Father is dealing with a universe full of free-willed individuals who must be afforded every opportunity to make an informed, deliberate, wholehearted and final choice. There is no enduring value in corralling individuals into a superficial allegiance through fear and intimidation, through the hellfire and brimstone imagery of ages past. Those who simply go along to get along are not likely to exude the quality of loyalty when tested. 

We must each get to that place in our own spiritual journey where we can, with depth of conviction and in all sincerely, pray to God saying; “It is my will that your will be done.” For after all is said and done, Our Father desires only the devotion that is voluntary and sophistry proof.

Full Transcript:

In the seventeenth chapter of Genesis it is written: “When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said; I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.” Although we can hardly hope to attain perfection in the infinite sense, it is entirely possible for us to fit perfectly into our highest and best destiny, to attain all that God has set before us. When we achieve this, in accordance with His will, we will be just as replete in our finite domain as God himself is in his sphere of infinity and eternity. We may not be universal, unlimited in intellectual insight, or final in any spiritual sense, but God is working right now to perfect our motivation, and our understanding of his will for us.

We live in a strife-torn world. And honing our effectiveness when the situation demands articulation in matters of faith and a world of competing ideas, is essential if we are to fulfill our ministerial obligations. Perfection in life temporal is a progressive attainment; and this applies to discernment and perception. God reveals himself to us in accordance with our capacity to behold him. Because we each minister within our own sphere of influence, it is important to see that world and its proper context within God’s Universe of Universes.

As we blow through our circumscribed world view and challenge each other’s assumptions, we become better positioned to explore the notion of adjusting to Infinity and Eternity. We are ambassadors of an Infinite and Eternal Heavenly Kingdom operating on an isolated, temporal, finite, rebellion torn world. Our understanding of this world and its people is crucial to our success. 

In what became known as his Whit Sunday Sermon, C.S. Lewis discussed “transposition.” His treatise is not so much about modulating from the key of C to D but rather taking Truth from a higher plane to a lower plane or from a higher to a lower language. Lewis illustrated the problem of portraying Spiritual realities this way:

“If you are to translate from a language which has a large vocabulary, into a language that has a small vocabulary, then you must be allowed to use several words in more than one sense. If you are to write a language with twenty two vowel sounds in an alphabet with only five vowel characters then you must be allowed to give each of those five characters more than one value. If you are making a piano version of a piece originally scored for an orchestra, then the same piano notes which represent flutes in one passage must also represent violins in another.”

He continued: “As the examples show we are all quite familiar with this kind of transposition or adaptation from a richer to a poorer medium. The most familiar example of all is the art of drawing. The problem here is to represent a three-dimensional world on a flat sheet of paper. The solution is perspective, and perspective means that we must give more than one value to a two-dimensional shape. Thus in a drawing of a cube we use an acute angle to represent what is a right angle in the real world. But elsewhere an acute angle on the paper may represent what was already an acute angle in the real world: for example, the point of a spear on the gable of a house. The very same shape which you must draw to give the illusion of a straight road receding from the spectator is also the shape you draw for a dunces’ cap.”

In summary, Lewis said: “It is clear that in each case what is happening in the lower medium can be understood only if we know the higher medium. The instance where this knowledge is most commonly lacking is the musical one. The piano version means one thing to the musician who knows the original orchestral score and another thing to the man who hears it simply as a piano piece. But the second man would be at an even greater disadvantage if he had never heard any instrument but a piano and even doubted the existence of other instruments. Even more, we understand pictures only because we know and inhabit the three-dimensional world.”

Jesus routinely shared concepts that were foreign to many of his followers. The mysteries of the kingdom were presented in what he called parables. To his enemies such parables were not understood and thus would not arouse antagonisms. The parabolic analogy, whereby the story has a directing arc and a principle focus, is also an ingenious way to convey meaning that gracefully transcends gender, culture, and time. When you are working with masses, individuals, or groups of varying intellects and temperaments, you cannot speak different words for each class of hearers. You can however tell a story to convey meaning and each individual, will be able to make his or her own interpretation of your parable in accordance with their own intellectual and spiritual endowments.

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When realities are meaningful, we develop an appreciative consciousness of values. When relationships are recognized and appreciated, we grow individually, socially, and spiritually. Our most closely held values are ideally cultivated within the context of personal experience thriough relationships.

William Glasser was an American psychiatrist. His theories were arrayed largely in opposition to conventional mainstream psychiatry. Where the prevailing tradition was to focus on classifying psychiatric syndromes as “illnesses” and prescribe psychotropic medications to treat mental disorders, Glasser believed that people sometimes process their frustrations in unhealthy ways, acting out due to a lack of any meaningful personal connection with the most important people in their lives.

Glasser’s emphasis was on education and in developing frameworks for finding and following healthy therapeutic direction. After being thrown off the staff at a VA hospital due to his anti-Freudian beliefs, He worked as a staff psychiatrist at a school for delinquent youth. There he developed many of the ideas that became the basis for what he called reality therapy. He authored and co-authored many influential books on mental health, counseling, school improvement, and teaching.

At the heart of Reality Therapy is Control Theory, and the latter is how Glasser often referred to his body of work. By 1996, the theoretical structure evolved into a more comprehensive methodology and it was renamed Choice Theory. From the very beginning, reality therapy, emphasized the present. The goals are to change current behavior, improve relationships, and thereby address the prevailing mental health conditions. Glasser believed that disconnects, from others, are at the core of the unhappiness that ensues, a person’s general dissatisfaction with life, and sometimes a variety of physical symptoms, including chemical imbalances.

His critics, are quick to point out, it is the legacy issues and resulting internal states that may be causing a person’s troubles. In reality therapy, the process begins by guiding a person’s attention away from past behaviors in order to focus on those that occur in the present. Practitioners hold that present needs are what’s most relevant, as they are the needs that can be satisfied.

From a philosophical perspective, the “here and now” focus on choice dovetails nicely with the alternative scenarios that were described long ago, in the Book of Deuteronomy, wherein God said: “See, I have set before you this day life and good, death and evil.” Choice Theory emphasizes responsibility, commitment, and a willingness to change. The counseling process starts with assessing the state of relationships and any unmet needs, exploring what behaviors clients are manifesting that either help or prevent them from meeting their needs. It then aims to help them find better ways to improve relationships and fulfill their needs.

The unified mind of Jesus is our greatest example of what can be achieved through self-mastery. Successful living is built upon superior habits and dependable techniques for solving common problems. The solution to any problem often becomes obvious when the reason for such difficulty is first located and isolated. Impediments may include an inability to recognize our problems due to our failure to grapple with and overcome our most profound fears. Add to this our other common human foibles such as envy, deep-seated prejudices, clinging to illusions of safety and false feelings of security and the nature and gravity of our situation can be obscured. 

The abandonment of fear, comforting illusions, and our long-cherished conceit is prerequisite to any real understanding of what a sincere and logical mind discovers. Within us is a powerful conspiracy of spiritual forces that can effect our final deliverance from the bondage of fear and the handicaps of time. We are, in purpose and ideals, empowered increasingly to subject the animal nature to the mastery of the Spirit. Evidence of character and the true measure of self-mastery stem from our trustworthiness.

The world presents plenty of evil, real and potential. This contrastive perfection and imperfection is stimulative of the choosing between truth and error, good and evil, righteousness or missing the mark. Prayer effects positive and enduring change within the individual who prays with sincere faith and confident expectation. It is the forerunner for peace of mind, cheerfulness, calmness, courage, fair-mindedness, and self-mastery.

Jesus told us it is by our love, for one another, that we will convince the world it is truly possible to pass from bondage to liberty, from darkness and death into light and life everlasting. To become the living channel of spiritual light to the person who sits in spiritual darkness is an ennobling experience. In the effectual working of God’s power, we are first transformed by the Spirit of Truth, strengthened in our inner souls by the constant spiritual renewing of our minds, and thus endowed with the power of the certain and joyous performance of the gracious, acceptable, and perfect will of God. 

When we are born of the spirit, we are inducted to the joyous kingdom of the spirit. We produce the fruits of the spirit in our daily lives. The fruits of the spirit are best produced through the highest type of joyful and ennobling self-control, true self-mastery.

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There are those among us that have been unable to tell the difference between that liberty, as enjoyed by the truly faithful, and the license that is sometimes sold as liberty. To be sure, any so-called liberty that is exercised in ways that works to the detriment of others is not genuine and contrary to what Jesus taught and exemplified. Stoking anger, resentment, and a sense of entitlement is easy. Backbiting, while offering no clearly articulated vision for a future of light and life is also easy.

Leveraging the FIBS of Fear, Ignorance, Bigotry, and Smear as used by integrity challenged politicians is only an effective technique when the consumer is unquestioning. Fear is an unworthy motivator for a person of faith. There is no excuse for ignorance with such diversity in the way information is gathered and delivered. Bigotry has always been rooted in delusions of superiority and an exaggerated sense of self-importance. And smear? What excuse is there for someone who professes love and an allegiance to the things our Heavenly Father holds dear?

We must ask ourselves, just what is it that any true parent holds dear? It is that we all cherish our children’s future. The likelihood that anything resembling a bright future will be brought about by militant factions is just about zilch. Jesus made it clear that he who lives by the sword dies by the sword. Even so, those cherrypicking the words of his followers can usually find some phrasing, in some interpretation, through some translation of the bible, to justify leading with an AR-15. Are such people faithful representatives of the good news? Or are they selfishly setting themselves up as the arbiters of your destiny?

Jesus said: “This is my command, that you love one another as I have loved you.” Jesus loved all of humanity. Those who would convert the flock into their own club of self-righteous exclusivity, those who aim to do a makeover and thereby shrink the Kingdom of God to fit their nationalist, sexist, and racist ideology, and those who think hate mongering is somehow compatible with our rebirth into the Family of God, are indeed fortunate that Our Father is a Person who bestows unmerited favor upon all of his children.

Jesus is quoted in Matthew as saying “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.” And, in the Book of Numbers we are told “Now the man Moses was very meek above all men.” In his 1828 Dictionary, Noah Webster defined meekness as “Mild of temper; soft; gentle; not easily provoked or irritated; yielding; given to forbearance under injuries.” Dictionary-dot-com offers this phrasing in its contemporary definition for the word meek “Humbly patient, or quiet in nature; as under provocation from others.”

To be appropriately humble means to be submissive to the Divine will. Jesus was also quoted in Matthew as saying: “Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest to your souls.” From these examples we can understand that genuine meekness has no relation to fear. It refers to an attitude. It portrays a scenario whereby an individual human being is co-operating with God. “Your will be done” is not an utterance to be given up grudgingly. It can be stated enthusiastically and fervently as in “It is my will that your will be done.”

Those inheriting the earth actively embrace patience and forbearance. They are motivated by an unshakable faith in a lawful and friendly universe. Faith is, first and foremost, defined by loyalty. It masters the self and is therefore impervious to any and all temptations that would lead to rebellion against the divine leading. Jesus was the ideal meek man and he illuminated the way to faithfully administer our true inheritance.

There are those who believe “When the trumpet blows” the game will be over, that Jesus will fix everything and the faithful will receive their reward. They seem to forget that when Jesus delivered the Parable of the Talents, he described a scenario where one servant was given five talents to invest, another two, and another was entrusted with one. While the first two wisely invested the funds entrusted to them, the third servant buried his. When they were called to account, the first two had produced twice what they had been given while the third servant returned only the original amount he was given, no return or increase on the investment.

The wealthy man praised the first two servants while to the third he said: “You are an indolent and slothful steward.” When the trumpet does blow, we too will be called to an accounting, and God will remember what we were admonished to do in the Book of Genesis wherein he said: “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.” Will we qualify as good stewards of all that has been entrusted to us?