The Path of A Life - So Much More than what We Think

  Just sharing a thought today: As I'm sitting here, thinking of the journey I once had in the buildings they call churches, I was thinking how, in that journey, so many people are left.. so many people "fell away". Well those were the words we were using.

You would hear people say how so-and-so fell away, went back "into the world", "backslid", all these words, that today, I know really don't mean what they were saying. I have a different understanding now, a different view on those words.

And I was thinking about the lives of many people.

You hear, especially in children that are growing up in the church buildings, how people will say, "Oh, they're going to backslide." "Oh, I see them, they're going the wrong way." "Oh, they're going to go out in the world and do all kinds of things!" and sometimes, I think, regarding the minister's children or the leadership's children, do they really believe that their children aren't going to make decisions and choices when they grow up? There's so many things to talk about, why people leave a church building, and most of the time it's not because they "backslide", you know, using that word, backslide, it's other reasons.. so many reasons.

It would probably take a whole series to talk on on that subject alone and, when it comes right down to it though, we don't know the hearts of each individual, we don't know what they're thinking and what they're going through. We don't know what they're even believing or not believing so, I was just thinking that, we really don't know what another individual is going through! We don't know what these children that grow up, and leave homes, we don't know what they're thinking but I do know that everyone has a journey in life - They have their own path in life. And when you grow up, you take your journey, you take that path and you live in that path.

You follow the path that you choose - What's right for yourself

And it has nothing to do with backsliding or falling away or turning away from God or wanting to do all these things. I say that because the focus, of the majority of people in the church building, is they think the negative, they think the bad, they spread the rumor, that that person is falling away from God!

But as i sit here and ponder on that, it makes me to believe, their life, their journey, their story, that's how it's supposed to be. They're supposed to have their own path in life. They're supposed to have their own story. Because it's between them and God, in the end, and whatever path they choose to go in.

Sometimes it's even a path where they will find God - THEY WILL! - Where they will know that it wasn't all about the church building, and the rules and all that, it was about an intimate relationship. Knowing how much you're loved and forgiven and accepted by the almighty Father, by our Jesus, and that you could be made alive! You know? Born again alive. You become new and alive with Jesus.

So i just want to end my thought and pray, if you are led to - pray, for people. Pray for them.

That they will know the truth, of His Perfect Love and Acceptance, and that the truth will set them free.

In Jesus' name, amen

God's Perfect Love? Or A Dysfunctional Relationship? Choices, choices..

Following is a blog I submitted to "Spiritualabuse.org" Check out their Blog page where, hopefully, it will soon be posted.  

 In most denominations of Christian religion it is common to hear phrases like, "My relationship with God", "Make sure you have a relationship with Jesus", "Work on having a personal relationship with the Spirit..", etc., and that is a good thing to have - a personal relationship with your Creator. That said, when you look at the many types and qualities of relationships we have with each other and that, the very notion of relationship is an invention of your Creator, it makes sense to conclude that He alone can offer any relationship in its absolute perfection. We have parent to child, sibling to sibling, friend to friend and spouse to spouse and they can all be wonderful but, for a picture of any one of them in perfection, we must look to Him. I am not saying this so we can aspire to "live the impossible dream" by trying to be like God, rather, I believe the accuracy of this observation goes to the fact that He, your God who is "Jealous for you", has constructed this life. It is quite apparent, in my opinion, that all of us are designed with a "factory installed" need to be loved and accepted perfectly. It is also apparent that none of us is capable of accommodating those two needs, perfectly, for another individual, which should lead us to conclude that possessing the perfect love & acceptance - offered by God alone - is the one opportunity we have for peace and rest in this very chaotic world.

   

   Enter: religion (and I do not mean 'the cavalry'). Specifically, "Conventional Christianity". For brevity, after this, it will be referred to as "the yoke". I have not surveyed all under the yoke but, I believe there is evidence to suggest that very few of its members see there God as anyone like the above described perfect parent, sibling, friend or spouse. There are a lot of questions to be asked regarding that: Why? As in, "Why not?" How? As in, "How did we get here?" Who? As in, "Who made it like this?" or, more to the point, "Who is keeping it like this?" For the why and the how, and even the who, Genesis provides a very good account. But, again for brevity's sake, I will focus on the who of it (also, answering the Who can often give insights to the Why and How of it). But first, for clarity's sake, here's a thumbnail of why I believe God, Himself, is LITERALLY love, Itself, and Jesus is the personification of that love:

   Once before-a time, before there was any time / thing(s) / or place to put them, God was and there was nothing and no one else, not even the angels. Then, before there was even the notion of something other than Himself, He thought about the idea of creating time, space and matter and - most of all - YOU. I say it like that because I believe He has great intention in His decision to create (both then AND now. As in, "then because of now"). Not for the purposes of manipulation, as in Calvinism, but for the intent of having someone who He made, Himself, with all the problems and complications that entails, with the end goal being that of what He lost in the garden - relationship. And the fact He did it this way is the reason your free will is such a big component. Without it, He's simply a tyrant. By it, He is your God by choice - His choice because He made you knowing you could reject Him in spite of this great gift, and yours because you have to want Him to be you're God. The amazing thing though: All the risk is His. And then He stepped it up to the absolute heights of perfect Love by becoming (not only like one of us but) literally, one of us. That God, who was self-sufficient and in need of nothing, proved His love by first creating what -He certainly knew- would require thousands of years of longsuffering and then, at the apex of our religiously inspired rejection of Him, gave His very self for us that we might, finally, drop all the trust in self and institutions, etc. and look at that perfect Love and acceptance and say, "Okay, I trust you Lord. You and you alone. You want me? You have me -  and I don't want anything or any-one else to give me what only you can." He did all that knowing many would never respond like that last sentence. THAT is God. THAT is Jesus. THAT is perfect love. So you see, in His very un-yoke-like plan, Jesus is the "Who" and the "How" and, YOU are the "Why". 

   Okay, we have perfect Love in the form of our God who came to rescue us from ourselves or, the yoke. God treats you like someone He formed, from His heart, with His own hands. The yoke? it tells you that He has no such love for you. Not only that, the yoke tells you that, without the yoke, He will never love or accept you even a little - let alone perfectly. Never fear, however, the yoke is here to "help" you "get right" with Him. Can you see the perversion? Can you see the absolute abuse? God says, "I made you because I love you and I want to be with you forever, my precious child. Trust in Me and Me alone and I will show you the wonders of My loving heart that beats for all who put their trust in Me." The yoke says, "Ya better obey and be the best (insert denomination here_______) you can be or He might not let you into His kingdom or even curse you!" Or, in its more sophisticated variants, "Learn the theological depths of these doctrinal dogmas and fill your mind (ego?) with quotes by intellectuals and you will realize all that God has for you." Or, worse yet, "God cannot be known. He cannot be understood. Follow US and we will show you the way...". 

   Bottom line: Adam walked with God. neither one of them had a religious affiliation (i.e. they weren't "yoked up"). God brought him the animals "to see" what he would name them. God lost that due to a lie, the man believed, which said "Learn this knowledge and BE some-ONE". And now, He is restoring what He had to those who want to KNOW someONE - for sake of being near Him in order to explore (forever) why He went to such great lengths to be with us - for eternity.

google49aa6deb68aefe1b.html

Jesus Loves YOU with an Everlasting Love

Jesus loves you w/ an everlasting Love

Letter to Dennis Prager re: his question, "What saved your hopeless marriage?"

Hello Dennis,

My wife & I were at our end and had, in our hearts, truly given up. Counseling, talking, praying, reading books, everything we could think of...until we both came to this understanding: that our God loves us, He always has and, He always will - even if we fail at every effort to save our marriage. Or anything else for that matter.

Now, before you say, "Or vey! These two wanna sell me unconditional love, that was yesterday for cryin' out loud!", I do admit it's ironic that this applies the day after that show. Although I would say His love & acceptance for people is perfect, not "unconditional". Here's why. I believe that God makes people. It's not us who makes us. (see: Psalm 100 "it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves") So, if that is true, does He make things He hates? And, if He love's who He makes, when does He stop loving them? Or, once we lose this love, what must we do to get it back? What is the criteria, i.e. When do we know we are "good enough" for His love? Who determines these answers? These questions reveal to me that man is subjective while God is perfect so, because of this, He loves even the one who "makes his bed in hell" as the Psalmist wrote.

In Jeremiah there's a prophecy of the new covenant wherein we are told that, He will forgive our iniquities & remember our sins no more. I take that as a thing that happened, literally, at the cross of Christ. Therefore, All are forgiven - the saint who believes, and the unbeliever who goes to hell. I also believe those two states of mind produce very different kinds of 'fruit'. One who really KNOWS He loves Him will be less likely to sin while, one who "knows" He doesn't has nothing to lose - "Eat, drink & be merry, for tomorrow I die."

To shorten this up, it's not a question of, "Does He love unconditionally?" but, what is the love of the eternal God? Is it perfect and, is He the only one who can dispense it? 

The answers we found are, It is perfect, and, He alone has it to offer.

Thank you, Dennis, I hope very much to carry on this conversation with you more.

God bless you & keep up the good work, Mark and Suzette d. in Rancho C.

Thank you Jesus for: your love & acceptance