One of the greatest embarrassments to the faith is the masquerade. Those feigning reverence for all that Jesus taught and exemplified, while harboring attitudes and engaging in behaviors that make a mockery of those same ideals, are doing far more damage than good. This is Lucifer’s legacy. For the self-proclaimed God of Liberty has advanced an unbridled and fraudulent form of liberty that is, first and foremost, characterized by contempt for all things true, beautiful, and good.

The first casualty as a result of the Luciferian sophistries occurred within the minds of those with an exaggerated sense of self-importance. Narcissism is clearly incompatible with Divine Truth. This was brought home in our recent history as Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi Propaganda Minister, advanced the deception of his day. He said; “If you repeat a lie often enough, people will believe it, and you will even come to believe it yourself.” 

Once a person is fully vested in the lie, they are not likely to depart from it. And Goebbels addressed this with his description of just how the lie runs deep within the mind of the psychopath. On this he said; “Propaganda works best when those who are being manipulated are confident they are acting on their own free will.”

Goebbelian tactics are focused on the more animalistic among us. The emotionally charged and intellectually stunted are ripe for exploitation. Goebbels put it this way; “There was no point in seeking to convert the intellectuals. For intellectuals would never be converted and would anyway always yield to the stronger, and this will always be “the man in the street.” Arguments must therefore be crude, clear and forcible, and appeal to emotions and instincts, not the intellect. Truth was unimportant and entirely subordinate to tactics and psychology.”

As to the target demographic, likely to embrace his message, Goebbels zeroed in even further saying; “…the rank and file are usually much more primitive than we imagine. Propaganda must therefore always be essentially simple and repetitious.” He elaborated further on the nature of the message with a warning; “The most brilliant propagandist technique will yield no success unless one fundamental principle is borne in mind constantly – it must confine itself to a few points and repeat them over and over.”

Goebbels revealed much about how the church and the state, together with the religious and political discourse of our time can be turned to resemble the arrogant effrontery displayed by Lucifer in the Court of Heaven. For Goebbels said: “We enter parliament in order to supply ourselves, in the arsenal of democracy, with its own weapons. If democracy is so stupid as to give us free tickets and salaries for this bear’s work, that is its affair. We do not come as friends, nor even as neutrals. We come as enemies. As the wolf bursts into the flock, so we come.”

Today’s insurrectionists are Goebbelian fundamentalists. They turn a deaf ear to the Jesusonian warning that “He who lives by the sword dies by the sword.” Instead they embrace the prescription offered by Goebbels when he said: “The masses need something that will give them a thrill of horror.” He also observed that “propaganda must facilitate the displacement of aggression by specifying the targets for hatred.” 

The FIBS tactic of leveraging Fear, Ignorance, Bigotry, and Smear is a huge part of the Luciferian legacy and nowhere was it better articulated than within the Nazi propaganda machine. Goebbels focused on the street saying “Whoever can conquer the street will one day conquer the state, for every form of power politics and any dictatorship-run state has its roots in the street.”

Consider the politics of today in light of Goebbels proclamation that “We shall reach our goal, when we have the power to laugh as we destroy, as we smash, whatever was sacred to us as tradition, as education, and as human affection.”

Jesus famously said “By their fruits you shall know them.” We know the animalistic hoards that stormed the United States Capitol on January the 6^th in 2021 produce the kind of strange fruit that Billie Holliday recorded a song about in 1939. She sang of a “pastoral scene of the gallant South – The bulgin’ eyes and the twisted mouth – Scent of magnolias sweet and fresh – Then the sudden smell of burnin’ flesh.”

John Wycliffe, for his translation of the Bible into Middle English, prefaced his work by writing “The Bible is about government of, by, and for the people.” Since that time counterfeit Christians have paid lip service to this essential biblical principle. They feign an affinity for democracy. And yet, the idea of a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, and multi-racial democracy terrifies them. This is why the first casualty resulting from the Lucifer Rebellion was truth.

Jesus said: “This is my command, that you love one another as I have loved you.” Authentic Christians should take note. When we have such clear instructions from our Mission Commander, we need look no further for a clear and concise Mission Statement.

We’ve all seen the bumper sticker that exclaims “It’s All Good.” I once worked with a woman of authority in a small Baptist church whose car had one of those stickers. She took some heat for it but, as far as I know, it is still prominently displayed on her car. The “heat” would come in the form of gentle corrections, nudges, or reminders. Some would say “All things work together for good.” Someone else would add “for those who love God.” And finally, one in ten would cap off this important principle adding “and are called in accordance with his purpose.”

We’ve most likely known people for whom it seems everything that can go wrong does go wrong. I have lived a significant portion of my own life on what some might call a shoe-string budget or at a subsistence level. And I know, from personal experience, why the Gospel of Jesus resonated with the poorest of the poor. I look back upon such challenging times as a series of blessings in disguise.

For some, the idea of independence is aspirational. But for others, there is no such thing as independence. Pontificating politicians drone on endlessly about energy independence, even though they are themselves trapped in patterns of fossilized thought. Even those worshiping at the alter and feeding at the trough of fossil fuels fail to recognize that, without solar energy, there would have been no photosynthesis and therefore no leaves with which to feed their pet brontosaurus. There is no way to avoid the fact that everything on this side of the sun depends on solar energy, and its byproduct, biofuel.

Sometimes we need paradigm shifts in our patterns of thought. Jesus focused primarily on the desperately poor, the marginalized, the least connected to, or vested in, the economy of the rich and powerful. And he did this because there is something beautiful and serviceable about an attitude of appreciation. While this simple truth is entirely lost on the self-satisfied, Jesus warned that “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!” For those who are religiously atheistic, none of this makes sense. But to those for whom the true Gospel resonates, it is everything, In part this is because those who value a relationship, with the only real powers that be, are constantly refreshed and renewed in a way that removes all doubt. 

When Jesus said “The Kingdom of Heaven is within you,” he gave us the keys to the Kingdom. Those keys are sincerity, sincerity, and more sincerity. For as the master locksmith made abundantly clear, only those wiling to engage in honest introspection are qualified to enter. The spiritually blind Pharisee was told to first clean the inside of the cup so that the outside may also be clean. In other words we are each admonished to examine and change our inner selves. And, as we better conform to God’s precepts, our public lives and deeds will reflect essential truths and become shining examples for the ultimate benefit of all.

An onward and upward trajectory is dependent upon our innermost understanding of Divinity. This is the unifying and coordinating quality that draws us near and into the heart of God. Arrayed along this drawstring, like glimmering pearls, are God’s Truth, Beauty, and Goodness. When Jesus asked “Why do you call me good,” he then made it clear that there is only one First Source and Center of all that is Divine.

God’s goodness can only be understood in the light of his personality, for only a person can love and be loved. His desire to elevate all of us so that we may share in his Divine perfection, insures our high destiny, should we choose to accept it. When we understand that we have an all-powerful benefactor, who is so affectionate and so dedicated to perfecting us through his uplifting ministry, our most appropriate response is one of appreciation. It is through the expression of such appreciation that we begin to reflect the inner beauty that also originates with our loving God.

Erroneous ideas about a self-contained or self-centered God simply recede as the truth of his generosity takes hold. We develop further appreciation, of the way God has bestowed upon us a spirit complement, to indwell and envelop us, as we become ever more responsive to Divine leading. The Promised Helper, that Jesus called the Spirit of Truth, is fully capable of leading us into all truth. For this to happen, as intended, we must let go of any security blanket that might hold us back. We must “put away childish things.” 

Our world’s advancement depends upon our individual advancement. At some point our standing as a planet will rise. We will become worthy of a place in the cosmos where echos shine and reflections ring. Our posterity will someday enjoy an Era of Light and Life. Only there and then will the statement “It’s All Good” ring true.

Some regard Paradise as the garden from which Adam and Eve were evicted. To others, paradise refers to Maui. And then there are those who see Paradise as the origin and destiny for all spiritual and physical energy, the gravity center for a universe of universes, the geographic center of infinity, and the eternal dwelling place of God.

I once had a friend that, upon encountering the concept of infinity’s geographic center, mused “How does that work?” I suppose the idea of God’s eternal dwelling place would prompt similar questions. Of course, trying to wrap our finite minds around infinity and eternity has always been, more than a little, problematic. Even so, when Jesus said “The Kingdom of Heaven is within you,” he was expressing more than a nice sentiment. That seemingly simple statement speaks volumes that will likely take a mortal lifetime to unpack.

Most 101 level theology courses describe God as all knowing, all powerful, and all pervasive. This omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, and personality bequeathing Deity, knows power in all its forms together with how and when to use it. The parables of Jesus were replete with the power of parabolic analogy. The master had a lot to share and much of it would have to wait for future generations that could even begin to comprehend it. Fortunately the Parables of Jesus gracefully transcend time.

For some, taking a ride through the countryside brings to mind the Parable of the Sower. Those lessons about seed scattering and the soils that support growth are every bit as true today as they were when Jesus shared them. Of course, the directing arc for each of his teachings and, for that matter, the entire universe has the same focal point. That is Paradise. We often think of God and Paradise as existential and this is because they have always existed. However, as the original Personality, God is also experiential.

I have a friend that once told me; “Bob, God doesn’t just want to be your upstairs advisor. He wants to be your Partner.” I thought, if that’s true, God would certainly have to be the senior partner. As time went on I started to see my friend’s comment in the context of what Jesus meant when he said; “I stand at the door and knock.” I also thought about his personal Gospel message which emphasized; “The Kingdom of Heaven is within you.”

In Truth and fact, when we invite Jesus into our lives, he, as a Paradise Son, reveals Paradise and its original Resident. Jesus was very fond of saying “He who has seen me has seen the Father.” Clearly our world is populated with many who are looking without seeing. Although, once we’ve seen Jesus, nothing is more important than seeing more. This includes the attributes of Jesus, those of the Spirit he promised, and those of a loving Father who so loved the world that he sent his Son.

When Jesus said; “I am the Light of the World,” he was referring to the highest quality of light. It is a triune, very real form of illumination composed of physical light, intellectual insight, and Spirit luminosity. Like the primary colors within physical light, the Truth, Beauty, and Goodness Jesus revealed are the primary components of Divinity. This essential attribute is the unifying and coordinating quality that, like a drawstring, gently pulls us further into the Heart of God. Authentic Truth, Beauty, and Goodness are like glimmering pearls arrayed along that scintillating string.

As we begin to see Paradise as the origin and destiny for all that is real, we appreciate the highest reality of all. Any given set of facts, their meanings, and the implicit values all take origin within this nucleus from which all personality finds its First Source. We’ve all known individuals we would describe as enthusiastic personalities. And, when we think about it, the enthusiastic part has a transcendent quality of its own.

The term enthusiasm stems from the Ancient Greek word enthousiasmós. It literally means “God within” and also “within God.” Implicit to the Jesusonian teaching that “God’s Kingdom is within you” is the concept of God dwelling within you. When we combine this with the later Pauline teaching that “In Him we live, and move, and have our being” we begin to get a pretty good idea of what is meant by those who teach that God is omnipresent. 

As for the omniscience part, many people believe that the concepts of fore-ordination and pre-destination somehow mean that everything is decided in advance and that we don’t have free will. I would ask you to consider the fact that, just because God knows our highest and best destiny, it doesn’t mean that we are not free to accept or reject any part or all of it. Just as Jesus stood at the door and knocked, waiting for an invitation to enter, the Father respects our choices. Even when we make poor ones, God does not use his omnipotence to impose his will.

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.

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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.

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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.