"In Spirit and In Truth"

The True Church

2011-09-26T14:23:00.001-05:00

Being a member of the former World Wide Church of God, we would frequently refer to our church as "the true church". And truly I believed I found the "true church" of God. This was an organization was extremely legalistic by standards. They imposed all sorts of rules and regulations, you'd be hard pressed to find the the Good Book. Nevertheless, I felt then, it was worth it, as it was the "true church" after all.

Back then, all other churches were "false", and the haughtiness we carried amongst ourselves, and neatly folded doctrinal materials, justified our judgmental behavior as we were true members.

I'd laugh looking back from where I stand now, except it's unfunny. Looking back, I see a sad desperate, situation. A group of folks with severe self esteem issues grasping at any resemblance of self-importance. Severe self-esteem issues, I say because it showed a true lack of understanding of God's grace and Christ's gift. One who is fully assured of HIM, is humbly confident in FAITH. And what a depth of lack of FAITH back then...

I was recently asked..."How do I become a member of the true church?" Inevitably, I'm taken back to the times I've just described. I will readily admit, it is difficult to think of the word "church" without scoffing, yet I'm aware that like so many important terms, the word church has been hijacked and misused.

What IS church?? Many Christians refer to church as building, a place where people come to worship. The general definition of church is a group of worshipers that are typically regulated by a select group of "professionals" be it pastors, priests etc. In this setting, members are taught by a person or persons who typically build sermons or messages from a few passages of scriptures. Typically, these members attend church to hear the word and learn. These members usually participate in social activities provided by the church for their members.

In summary, "church" is a place to present an "act"...worship.

Instead of asking whether or not a "church" may or may not be "true", should we not consider whether or not our worship may or may not be "true"?

Who better to ask, than God, the Father of Jesus Christ of Nazareth on how HE should be worshiped?

But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. - John 4:23

Testified of Christ and ordained of God, we are to worship HIM in SPIRIT and in TRUTH, as HE wills! The quest to find a perfect place, is a wasteful one, one filled with misunderstanding of what a relationship with God the Father really means.

The one TRUE place, we worship is in SPIRIT. The HOLY SPIRIT, which was ushered in by Christ's death. The HOLY SPIRIT which is saying God's Spirit. We worship in SPIRIT because God is a spirit.

God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship [him] in spirit and in truth. - John 4:24

What we know as "church" today, has seriously evolved away from this remarkable phenomenon. The message of church membership is, one needs to go to a "place" to worship. And if you do not attend this "place" on a regular basis, then your {insert a noun/adjective here} is in jeopardy...or...as I was once told..."on a path to shipwreck". I will say this, this unspoken/spoken sentiment is legalistic and man-mandated. It is not of God.

If we worship in TRUTH we understand that it is by FAITH we receive acceptance. Only by the GRACE of Christ are we reconciled to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob this way. It is in this stead we find peace... peace with God.

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. - Romans 5:1-2

The bottom line is this...if you desire a religious experience in an organized setting, you won't need to look far to find a church that fits your criteria.

But if you want peace with God, a meaningful, loving relationship...

But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, [even] in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. - Romans 10:8-10

...it all starts with your HEART...

May you find peace with the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Organic Palm Shortening Giveaway!

2011-09-14T14:58:00.000-05:00

I'm having another giveaway on my blog, TheOliveParent. Organic Palm Shortening is another quality product from Tropical Traditions. Trans-fat free, it is the healthy alternative to frying and baking with hydrogenated fats.

Just in time for your healthy holiday cooking, you can feel great about serving your pies and delectable deserts to your family and friends.

If you follow this blog by GFC, you've met one part of the two part requirement. The other requirement is to subscribe to Tropical Traditions by email. The giveaway ends 10/4 11:59 central time. Hope to see you there! Click here to enter :)

I would love your help in spreading the word of this great giveaway, please Tweet and Facebook. (The social plugins are located at the bottom of this post.)

May the Lord of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob keep you in health and wellness!

Antioxidant Omega 3 Greens Giveaway!

2011-07-30T15:38:00.001-05:00

I'm having another giveaway on my blog, TheOliveParent ! This time I'm giving away Antioxidant Omega 3 Greens! It's a green drink that is chock full of nutrition such as flax, chorella and probiotics sponsored by Tropicial Traditions.

It retails at $44.00 and can be yours! Just enter a comment after reading the post .

No rules, no hoops to jump through. Hope to see you there!

Created4Health is promoted by Tropical Traditions and possibly affliated with them. It has pretty solid articles and supporting scriptures, I'd encourage you to check it as well.

May the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob bless you with a peaceful mind and wellness of health.

Organic Virgin Palm Oil Giveaway!

2011-05-18T09:56:00.002-05:00

I’m thrilled to be able to review another product from Tropical Traditions! I was given an opportunity to try out Virgin Palm Oil. If you are familiar with Tropical Traditions then you know they have wonderful coconut oil products that are specially hand-made. Their coconut oil has made me a immediate fan of theirs. I’ve been purchasing all of my coconut oil from them. What’s fantastic about Tropical Traditions is the way that their products are processed, Virgin Palm Oil is no different.

What is Virgin Palm Oil?

It is a palm oil “traditionally made” and hails from the tropical palm tree native to the tropical areas in Africa. Tropical Traditions sources this oil from West Africa, from small scale family farmers, that are certified organic. It’s red hue comes from it’s unrefined state, which contains carotenoids. It is fascinating to learn from Tropical Traditions website that virgin palm oil contains 15 times more carotenoids than carrots and 300 times more than tomatoes!

Tropical Traditions has an abundance of eye-opening information and research on fats and oils. Check it out when you can!

I admit I was skeptical when I opened the jar of virgin palm oil and even more skeptical when I tasted it, but when I began to implement it in many ways in my cooking, it was clear to me that this oil is one to be reckoned with!

My first try with the oil was on a staple in our home…Paninis. We have Paninis several times a week. The first time I used the oil, I coated the griddle with it. I didn’t taste a huge difference. I made a Panini the next day and this time I decided to drizzle the oil on both sides of the bread and sprinkle a bit of garlic powder like I usually do and what happened still stuns me! My delicious Panini went from great to gourmet in one sitting. My daughter raved about it!

Next was potatoes! I sautéed the potatoes in the oil. The flavor was so delicious and completely another level. The only term I can really use to describe it is gourmet! I cooked my Salmon with it, using all of my traditional seasoning and yet still produced a completely different dish. My husband literally licked his plate clean. I love the fact that I can serve him foods fried in this oil without concern. The quality of this oil is simply amazing! This oil may be red, but it certainly has a golden touch!

You too, can have this oil in the palm of your hand!

Here’s how…

Leave ONE comment, along with an email address, per entry.

Subscribe to Tropical Traditions by email (mandatory)
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Pick a recipe you’d like to try on Free Coconut Recipes (bonus)
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To enter this giveaway Go to TheOliveParent

Giveaway is open to US and Canada. Canadian bloggers, please note that Tropical Traditions is not responsible for customs or duties that Canada may charge if you decide to participate in this Tropical Traditions sponsored blog giveaway. I reserve the right to remove entries that are not compliant with the rules of the giveaway. A winner will be chosen by Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond otherwise a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway ends on June 8th, 2011 11:59 Central

Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.

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A toast To May Day Babies!

2011-05-01T08:54:00.001-05:00

Alrighty, so I'm going to share something with you that I’ve never shared before. I’ve been blogging since 2007 and have never made the announcement I’m about to make, but this time, it feels just weird not sharing it so here goes…

Today I am *cough* *cough* years old! That’s right, I am a May Day baby! I thought I’d take a bit time to reflect on the last *cough* *cough*…darn this cold, years. :)

I embrace where I am in life. This has not always been the case. I was very much career-oriented and was all set to fast-track my way up the career ladder. I was independent and sassy, a personality punctuated with the occasional (okay, more like habitual) eye-roll. I knew everything! Yes-siree.

I laugh now. Really. To say that motherhood created who I am today would be a slightly unfair assertion. I have to credit my marriage. Being married to someone, I think, is right next to motherhood as a humbling experience, because life is no longer just about you. So I do credit, my God (of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob) for blessing me with a husband with an insane amount of patience! Together we have navigated this life and it’s crazy ideals when it comes to birthing, parenting and pregnancy. Truly, I have no idea who I would be today without it!

So today, I wish a happy and well birthday to all the May Day babies! May your life be as much as blessing as mine was!

Are you a May Day baby? Leave comment so I can wish you a happy one!

Stylish Blogger Award!

2011-03-26T12:06:00.001-05:00

A heartfelt THANK YOU to THRIFTYMOMSPOT.COM for this Stylish Blogger Award!

Here are the Rules:

1. Thank and link back to the person that has given you this award.

2. Share seven things about yourself.

3. Award 10-15 blogs you feel deserve this award as well.

4. Contact these bloggers and let them know about the award.

Since I have a some new followers this is perfect time to share a few things about myself.

I’m the youngest of six children
I was a career woman at a college before I had children
Butter Chicken is my favorite dish (Indian)
If you do not read my other blog, I have had 5 home/water births
I like to create my own natural body care products
I’m VERY silly!
I like make up and fashion :)

Water Prints

2011-03-26T11:12:00.001-05:00

Okay, now this is funny. Looking at my stats for this blog a month ago, I noticed I was getting some traffic from a porn site. Yes, that's right...porn. Well, I thought, my outreach is heading in the right direction and paid it no nevermind.

A month later, I was contacted by a webmaster requesting a link exchange. The webmaster believed that my blog would fit perfectly into their "collection of quality links" on their site. In hindsight, his insistence that the email was not spam should have been my first clue that this request was not a your typical link exchange request. Nevertheless, I clicked on the link and was bombarded with pictures of a woman displaying her ta-tas.

My blog is a perfect fit for a porn site?! I was offended! The more I thought of it the more I realized that quite possibly, the webmaster may have taken my "no judgment/no hypocrisy" message a bit too far. So, I had to laugh. Let me state, while free will exists, I will not contribute to the degradation of women,ever by posting such links to this blog. Porn webmasters, you’ve been warned. :)

While I speak out against hypocritical, judgmental and condemning evangelism, it does not mean that I endorse behaviors/actions that can be hurtful to the self or to others. It simply means that it is not my place to judge or condemn, and neither is it the biblical position of Christians to do so. Unfortunately, Christianity has has earned such a reputation and it has reflected on my Beloved Savior poorly. Such "evangelism" is the anti-thesis of Christ's true evangelism and is indeed no evangelism at all.

The truth of the matter is we ALL have freedom of will. The principle of life is we ALL choose to live life as we see fit. Anyone and everyone CAN have sex whenever, with whomever they choose. That is fact. It is also fact that there are consequences to choices such as these that may not necessarily yield the best result for your life....consequences are a fact of life...a principle of nature.You reap what you sow. You can be a sexual being and display yourself in a sexual manner...you may contract illness because of it. Your spouse may become offended. You may feel self-loathing. You may be viewed as worthless...the list goes on.

All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not. - 1 Corinthians 10:23

I am content to believe that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is a competent Judge. He doesn't need my help.

Christ's true evangelism can be found in many places in the New Testament, but one story is a popular one...the woman at the well...

Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with [his] journey, sat thus on the well: [and] it was about the sixth hour.

There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.

(For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)

Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.

Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?

Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?

Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:

But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.

Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.
The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:
For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.

The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.
Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.

Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. – John 4:6-24

Christ sets a clear example of sharing His own Gospel. Notice, while He mentions the woman is currently living with a man of whom she was not married to, it was NOT His focus. He doesn’t tell her to cease her lifestyle, or condemn her, as He has every authority to as a Son of God, but rather He preaches spiritual reconciliation by INVITING her to partake in “living water” He so freely offers to all who would receive. A “water” when it is received, revives (quickens) that soul that was dead due to separation from our One and only Creator God. He invites and explains a spiritual life of reconciliation. While there is MORE edification that comes with this dialogue between Christ and the woman, the difference between His Gospel, and the poor imitation society has been subjected to, is clear.

What is interesting to note, while the disciples said nothing of Christ’s interaction with the woman at the well, they “marvelled that He talked with the woman”, a reflection of the same attitude that is prevalent in Christianity today. (John 4:27)

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it until Christ returns; His message is not one of condemnation, but of salvation. Salvation that comes by reconciliation. Many are quick to quote John 3:16, the message of John 3:16 is not fully realized when taken out of context of its surrounding content (another serious issue that plagues Christianity)

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. – John 3:16-19

How can any flawed being judge a darkness in a man’s heart? No one can. Believers were not given that responsibility upon Christ’s ascension. How arrogant is one to think he/she is more than the Son of God to condemn others, where Christ does not? I dare say, they have become laws unto themselves and obey no God.

My point is simple, render unto God what is His (judgment) and focus on the task at hand, which starts with your own spiritual salvation. How can anyone edify another if they, themselves, are not edified?

Read wholesome, scriptures within their context, outside of anyone’s thoughts, opinions and theologies. After all, your relationship with Christ and the Father should be based on what YOU believe, not what you were told to believe.

With love, In Christ…

Hannah

Medicine & Idolatry

2011-03-15T01:42:00.001-05:00

I received a tweet from @CoconutHealth yesterday and was riveted by their post: Medicine: Idolatry in the Twenty First Century http://bit.ly/e8cUZO

Very rarely do I refer or endorse other scriptural material, but I am in agreement with the content in this article. I encourage you to read the article in full as it compares America’s love affair for prescription drugs to idolatry. It makes fascinating and thought-provoking points and comparisons.

Here is an excerpt:

“Are things any different today in terms of idolatry? It has taken on a different form, but it is in essence the same thing it has always been – trust in idols rather than God to supply our needs and desires. Modern-day culture has changed dramatically since the theory of Darwinian evolution came on the scene and dominated academics in western culture, so that today the physical world is exalted above all other realities. The spiritual world is either denied or ignored. Hence, creation of physical idols is very uncommon, because current culture ignores the unseen world that could be represented by such physical manifestations.

What has replaced those idols, however, are beliefs in new ones. The most common idol in western culture today, by far, is medicine – the new “magic.”” READ MORE!

The article ends powerfully on this quote from James 5:14-16 “The prayers of a righteous man is powerful and effective”

I would encourage everyone to lean upon the Holy Spirit for guidance and understanding when considering a person’s “righteousness” in this day and age of apostate Christianity.

On another note: Check out www.tropicaltraditons.com for their wonderful coconut oils. See my review of their coconut oil on my other blog.

Coconut Oil Old School Style

Can You See Him?

2011-03-12T08:53:00.001-06:00

The beauty of raising seven children is the variety of characteristics that grace our home. There is no shortage of creativity. I absolutely love the fact that these seven babes display a rainforest of personalities, exotic and unique, come from the same people. What an Artist we have in the Lord!

And like a rainforest, people populate the earth, all with talents, skills and thoughts, some unique, others not so unique, but all glorify the Creative Artist in Him.

Being a member of the WWCG long ago, there was a limit on uniqueness. There was no vision of creativity. Blacks and whites were not allowed to mix. Marriages that didn’t fit certain criteria were to be separated. Women were only allowed to wear specific items of clothing, devoid of makeup and allowed to work only at certain jobs. Having come from this background, there’s no wonder why I’m sensitive to any hint of mainstream conform. Many religious organizations are full of, if not mandatory, then pressured, conformity of group thought and action.

Church attendance is one, but then, there are the small things that seem to emanate from individuals that buy into the limited perception of unique individuality. For example, my hair style, or my choice of televisions shows all the way down to my taste in food. I’ve had tense (yes, tense) conversations with people who claim to love the Lord in all of His essence, about these mundane choices of mine.

Really? My hair style? My preference in food? How can matters as minuscule as these bother and disturb another Christian? Do these things detract from the value of my faith, the one thing that is required of Him?

How can they SEE God if these things are so bothersome to them? How can they glorify Him as a Creator of all things, if they cannot perceive my preference of food as something…unique, different…than themselves? I wonder.

An exotic flower in its majestic surroundings can provoke the imaginations of a Glorious God of wisdom and might, how much more should the most mundane differences between two people reveal His power?

The Mouth Speaks

2011-03-03T14:44:00.000-06:00

I cannot count the number of times a Christian has used the "Body is a temple" example to justify legalistic measures or judgmental condemnation against behaviors such as smoking, drinking and sex. Yet these same people who proclaim to be holy in body are the first to blurt out "OH My God!" at the most inane and simplistic things. A proclamation that clearly uses the Lord's name quite vainly. How can such a temple speak faithless things?

These same people, zealous for what they believe to be true evangelism preach this example of guilt, will in a second, wring their hands quite worrisome when their next meal is in question. How can such a temple speak faithless things?

Expressions of doubt of one's salvation. Worries about food, clothing and shelter are common sentiments I have heard from Christians who chastise others who do "physical" wrongs, yet they doubt the security that comes with Christ's blood, going against the very fabric of why they call themselves "Christians". How can such a temple speak faithless things?

"There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man." - Mark 7:15

From the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks and it is the declarations of the heart that determines the temple that surrounds it... A true temple is revealed by the contents of its heart within...not without...

"A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh." - Luke 6:45

Armstrongism Still Going Strong

2011-03-01T01:21:00.001-06:00

Here's an interesting website called BatteredSheep.com that talks about Armstrongism. Here's a portion of what is talked about on the site:

It is astonishing that many still bow at the feet of the deceased Herbert W. Armstrong as if he were God himself. There are websites by ex-members of the Worldwide Church of God, that have a great deal to say about their experiences within this modern day church organization. Some such websites are: The Painful Truth, Exit & Support Network, and there are many websites about the Worldwide Church of God on the Internet. There are innumerable personal stories by ex-members of this authoritarian hierarchy and tragically some ex-members are now "atheists", while some over the years have committed suicide. Others have fanned out into many different church organizations, while others no longer attend church, and others are members of various splinter groups.
Herbert W. Armstrong still has many followers, including splinter or offshoot groups who believe they are the "true church of God" on earth. From what I have read there are literally hundreds of splinter groups of the Worldwide Church of God, and since it was a church organization that spread out over the world into many countries, there have been many splinter groups formed. Some of the splinter groups have the following names:

Philadelphia Church of God

Living Church of God

Restored Church of God

Intercontinental Church of God

United Church of God

Church of God's Faithful

Independent Church of God

Church of God, An International Community

Christian Biblical Church of God

Many other groups

How many of these church organizations still exist, I have no idea, nor do I know what they teach aside from glancing at a few websites to learn that at least some of these groups are still Saturday Sabbath keepers, Old Testament "Holyday" keepers, and keepers of such doctrines as 1st, 2nd, and 3rd tithes. Some still have an authoritarian format they adhere to, and all in the name of Jesus Christ as the "true church".

Click here to read the entire article. It's a sad, true and unfortunate fact.

Creatures of Nature

2011-02-13T10:06:00.000-06:00

Redwood Trees

Volcanoes are amazing creatures of nature. They are formed from the dust of the earth to expel the hottest substances known to man. Creatures of geology, they fascinate scientists and laymen alike. The most famous, extinct, volcanic crater is the Diamond Head, located in Honolulu, Hawaii. An unquestionable, landmark it takes a breathtaking landscape and makes it extreme in it's beauty...marry it to the ocean of Honolulu and you have the perfect marriage of land and water.

Undoubtedly, the Redwood Trees are creatures of nature in divinity for infinity. They speak of a majestic God. Confident in His ability to create, unafraid to demonstrate the in the simplest fashion the power of his thoughts.

Old Faithful

Perfectly named, Old Faithful is a nature creature. A cone geyser in Yellowstone National Park of Wyoming that spews thermal water filled with complexity of minerals and dissolved gases. It has fascinated the minds of mathematicians and scientists. A gift to these groups of people from a God who tantalizes the mind with a glimpse of His profound wisdom.

We stand in awe of these creatures, alive with the glory of the Lord. If I should be blessed to witness these creatures in their presence, I should stand in quiet humility in respect of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and remember the limitless strength of his character. If these creatures of nature in perfection, might and glory exist in sight, then His love for all in the gift of His Son, Jesus of Nazareth must exist in faith.

The Golden Calf

2011-02-08T01:15:00.000-06:00

I'm afraid a dangerous practice that has long been in place has taken a hold and has had a dramatic effect on those who profess/confess Christ Jesus and Him, crucified.

The practice of reading, studying and interpreting the Word of the Holy God out of it's original context has implemented the start of many denominations, false doctrines, teachings, followings and teachers. But those who do subscribe to sound doctrine and who proclaim the Word of God inerrant and consistent, also fall prey to this practice. Add to the fact that we live in a time where there are translations galore. Translations of every sort that promise "easy" Bible readings, catering to the understanding of the student as opposed to the student catering to the understanding of the Word. Proverbs 2:1-5

This practice has been devastating. It has devastated the integrity, the wholesomeness of the Word as we use stand alone scriptures to "rebuke" ,"reprove" and support a theology or position we strongly believe in. As a result, the Word of God has become "relative" to its reader. It has become contradictory to itself. It has become place where all can be wrong and right simultaneously. Is there any wonder why so many Christians today believe that all roads lead to Heaven? (Read for the full report - 3,000 Miles Wide...) Lastly and by far the worst result, when we separate pieces from the whole, we get a belief out of context of the Gospel, which is the ENTIRE point of the Holy Word and its manifestation, the Messiah, the Son of Man, Jesus Christ of Nazareth...His power and ability to save so those who DO believe (with Faith) will live together, forever with Him in a perfect world. So when we, as Believers/Christians get together to dialogue about the Word, we a choose horse of our preference and ride the not so merry-go-round of confusion where edification cannot be accomplished. I speak from very personal experience. As a former WWCG (World Wide Church of God)member, I picked and chose over the Word to my detriment...that is... until I was saved by the renewing of my mind by the POWER of the Cross.

Having said that, we need to ponder the thing that started it all, sin. It is one thing we wrestle with still, even after a confession of Belief in the Son of God, I fear to the detriment of many. We must understand WHAT sin truly is. When we speak of sins, we must recognize how we are talking about sin, be it in the plural or singular sense. If, grammatically speaking, sin is the ROOT word of sins, then there must be a single definition of sin. To understand exactly WHAT implemented the need for the salvation of mankind, that is to say salvation from hell, an eternal separation from God, we need to revisit the Garden of Eden.

"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin..."

"And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. " -- Genesis 2:15-17

In the Garden, God gave one decree to Adam, obey or die. It is just that simple. As a matter of fact the Gospel is VERY simple. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil represented and was a departure or a leaving from God, in thought and knowledge. God stated a truth, don't eat from that tree or you will die. Doing it, that is living, on our own, by our own terms IS a death sentence in and of itself. When man became "knowledgeable" of good and evil, we were deceived by this knowledge into thinking that we CAN live apart from God and on our own. This deception continues to blind us as we grow more "intelligent" by the decade.
So then what is the singular form of sin? Quite simply, it is unbelief, a departure from God.

"Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. " -- Hebrews 3:12-13

A departure, which is unbelief, displays (manifests) itself in many ways, thereby becoming manifestations of sin. When one lives apart from God, they automatically are sinful, because they are lone souls, submitting to no one, they are a law unto themselves. Romans 2:14 God, not willing any should perish, 2 Peter 3:9 , established a plan to satisfy the desire of His heart, to be reconciled unto man. It is vital to understand that the consequences of sin (death) are two-fold. The penalty was/is a physical and spiritual death.

"Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound..."

Well what about the ten commandments? You may ask, as I have been asked. "The ten commandments tells us what sins are." Yes, the ten commandments tells us what sins are and what we should and should not do. However, the whole point of the implementation of the law was this:

"Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
Therefore by the deeds (practicing) of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin." -- Romans 3:19-20

The law makes us knowledgeable of sin, singular, and EVERY one of the ten commandments reveals and convicts us of the sin behind that specific sin...a HEART of departure from the Holy God. The law exposes one part of the two-fold consequence of sin. It exposes the physical... no matter what we DO, no matter how hard we TRY to keep all the laws we cannot make ourselves "good" outside of God, therefore NO FLESH is justified in His sight.

"For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh..." -- Romans 8:3

"...But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:"

I simply cannot stress the importance of reading/interpreting scripture within its context. Moreover, in the context of the ENTIRE Word. God is a consistent God and does not contradict Himself. ALL roads in the Word lead to Jesus, the Salvation and reconciliation of man. If departure from the living God is sin and unrighteousness, then returning unto Him is life from the dead! If unbelief is sin, then faith is the clothing of righteousness! What Christ does is expose the TRUTH of sin, and the deceitfulness of sin. Sin ordinates from the heart of mankind, and only by the TRUTH of our heart can we confess an acceptable FAITH of God. Many of us desire the visible salvation, many of us persist and insist that works (keeping of the law and other actionable works) can save us. I cannot tell you how many times people have praised my interpretation of church (spiritual) yet insist I need something tangible to be saved. Christ is our only intangible source of salvation. He is victorious over ALL, but more specifically, the 2nd part of the two-fold consequence of sin, spiritual death, that is...eternal separation. And THIS is how HE does it...

"God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
For he that is dead is freed from sin.
Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness UNTO sin: but yield yourselves UNTO GOD, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace." -- Romans 6:2-14

HENCE, THE GOLDEN CALF

Having defined sin as a departure and the manifestation of departing, sins, we can understand with more accuracy exactly what Faith means and how vital it is to the soul of a Believer. However, many have built a "golden calf" of the manifestations of sin, whereby we continue to beat our chests in agony and pain. We wrestle with the physical, visual sins in our lives not fully understanding and/or accepting the POWER of blood of Christ Jesus. Under estimating the TRANSFORMING POWER of the Holy Spirit. At the calf we stand in our own power trying, wrestling, practicing the ten commandments in the flesh, and condemning others for not doing the same.

People, don't you understand that when you reconcile unto the Holy, living God, through Jesus Christ, the Son, that His Laws are written on your heart (Holy Spirit) just as He promises Israel?

"But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." -- Jeremiah 31:33-34

We as adopted sons and daughters of Faith, have the power of the Holy Spirit, by which, daily we are renewed, as we continue to walk in Spirit, by Faith.

While we live in these natural bodies prone to the lusts of departure in knowledge, thought and therefore action, our fight is NOT with sin, it is with protecting our Belief, Faith and Trust in the Messiah for ALL things, in an unbelieving society. Sin has been overcome by Christ, but the Devil, the serpent of old, is clever. Deceiving those who profess themselves Believers into worshiping at the calf of sins. Planting seedlings of belief that Christ didn't do it all, that we must by our own power, cleanse the sins in our lives. We forget, or do not believe, that He will FINISH the work that He started in us. It our job, yes, our race and burden to remain faithful in a society that worships at the alter of the intelligence of man.

On every side I am buffeted by unbelief, especially by those who claim to be Christians. "Go to church" they proclaim to me. "You're on a path to shipwreck" they declare. All the while, they speak in terms of "luck" and "coincidences". They wring their hands and worry all the while, " Am I truly saved?", "How will I eat?", "How will I survive?" The lack of faith I have witnessed among Christians is astounding. Even more so, under the guise of "bible studies" and "church" these types of proclamations are accepted, pacified as O.K., yet these same people, who speak from the abundance of their hearts, verbally slay others and unbelievers for "immoral" sins. They are completely blind to their own utterings of doubt, which is the very essence of sin!

"Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.
O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." -- Matthew 12:33-34

"Either make the tree good, and his fruit good...

The manifestations of sin are a reality, a natural part of our mortal bodies. We are inclined towards departure from God in many ways, therefore being Faithful is at odds with the flesh and is something we need to work at daily, prayerfully. Have Faith! Believe that the Lord Jesus sufficiently overcame sin!
Watch the way you speak. Watch the way you think. Watch the beliefs you adopt from those around you and analyze it in the light of the Gospel. And make your fight to walk in the Spirit a daily thing!

This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." Ephesians 5:16-23

And Finally...

The Word (of God) isn't saying anything different today than it did to Adam, Abraham, Moses, David and Paul. God always has and always will look upon the heart of a soul for the truth of whether it desires to dwell with Him or apart. The Creator of man knows very well that its not about seeing Him or witnessing miracles on His behalf. Its not even about not seeing Him. Its about whether you LOVE Him with all your heart. The theme of the Word since the beginning was FAITH, and the thread can be found throughout the entire Word. Put together, it creates a Majestic quilt, by which we are covered and can rest peacefully with it around us.

Author's Note: All formatting in scripture and in parentheses are mine :)

Technorati Tags: Law of Sin,Faith,Death,Christ,Salvation,Book of Romans,Walking in the Spirit,Flesh,Hope Gospel,Word of God,Moses,Faith of Abraham,Adam and Eve,Garden of Eden,Fall of Man

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T00:10:00.001-06:00

Happy New Year everyone! Wishing blessings & accomplishments your way!

Colored Glass in the Midst of Rhinestones

2010-12-09T10:50:00.001-06:00

As reported by CNN:
http://bit.ly/hzRmx4

Westboro Baptist Church says it will picket Elizabeth Edwards’ funeral

Posted: December 9, 2010, 9:20 am ET

(CNN) — Members of the Westboro Baptist Church announced Thursday plans to picket Saturday’s funeral for Elizabeth Edwards in Raleigh, North Carolina.

The Kansas-based Church — monitored by anti-hate groups such as the Anti-Defamation league and the Southern Poverty Law Center — is known for its extremist opposition to homosexuals, Jews and other groups.
The church members also oppose the War in Iraq.

According to the church’s website, members will hold a protest from 12:15 p.m. to 1 p.m.

Edwards, the estranged wife of presidential candidate John Edwards, died Tuesday after a six-year battle with breast cancer.

------------END OF ARTICLE-----------

Huh?? What in the world does Elizabeth Edwards have to do with...ummm....anything? The fact that this...group calls itself "church" is not only laughable, but a clear lie.

Churches in general may have lost my respect by the way they have poorly represented Jesus Christ of Nazareth & His Gospel, but I absolutely refuse to call this group a church. What's next on their list? Blacks? Maybe we already are on it!

Seriously, they should just make a policy change in their organization...instead of Sunday attire at their weekly gathering, they should just don white robes with pointy hoods...its more honest that way.

No God Before Him! Isaiah 43

2010-12-05T14:42:00.001-06:00

My husband led me to this scripture...

Isaiah 43

8 Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears.

9 Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled: who among them can declare this, and show us former things? let them bring forth their witnesses, that they may be justified: or let them hear, and say, It is truth.

10 Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.

11 I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.

12 I have declared, and have saved, and I have showed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, that I am God.

"I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no savior."

WOW! What a statement of power! So absolute and complete in it's simplicity why would we concern, fret & worry about the "doings" of Christianity? Why should we not throw ourselves at his feet in complete recognition of the Lone Savior first... and trust Him to figure out the rest of the mess that is today called Christianity?

PRAISE the God of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob where no other god (singular) existed before Him, now and forever! Neither in the lowly depths of earth nor lofty heights of the heavens! He is our only Savior....

Out of the Mouths of Fools

2010-12-03T13:51:00.000-06:00

Recently a skeleton was discovered in the back of an old family closet. It was revealed the true reason why this person grew up without a parent...WWCG demanded a divorce from their parents...and the parents complied. I can not reveal any specifics out of respect of privacy. This revelation is not only shocking, but it made the insensible, sensible.

However what amazes me is not the secret itself, but the utterly destructive nature of the wisdom of man.

Many a life (and death) has been molded by foolishness of thoughts & perceptions of human nature. But can we hold accountable those who espouse self-righteous judgements upon others to the detriment of many? Absolutely!

...only if we recognize our own accountability in our active placement of faith in the "lower" thoughts & ways of man.

Isaiah 55:9

"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways , and my thoughts than your thoughts."

Our society has built an alter of worship around man-made wisdom. Think about it... pastors, doctors, psychologists and more, are the Frankensteins of man-made intellect.

Frankensteins in light of the fact that by their reasoning, lives, physical and spiritual, are set on paths to shipwreck. We have been conditioned to defer to those we consider more "intelligent" than us, and take a back seat to our own lives as a consequence. And when we discover these "intelligent" creatures know no more than the rest of us...shock and tragedy...

Before we shake our fists in righteous indignation, allow me to reiterate my earlier sentiment...are we "lay people" bigger fools for our active placement of faith in man's made wisdom?

Yes, there is no doubt.

A harsh sentiment? Probably...but when you consider those who claim to accept the Good News of the Christ, Son of the God of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob and his precious gift of the Holy Spirit...the very wisdom of God Himself, the sentiment becomes a logical one. It becomes a question of this...

If we believe on such a wondrous phenomenon, the wisdom of God we receive by faith...WHY would we base the health of our spiritual & physical lives on the theories that comes from the mouths of fools?

Be not confused, no one, no matter how intelligent they appear to be, has the authority, nor the NATURE to judge & "fix" the wrongs of others. Anyone who believe they have this power indeed is a fool. The only authority we have as Believers is to love another.

Romans 13:8
"Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law."

Can we learn knowledge and gain understanding from others with more experience than us? Of course! Learning from and having faith in another are two vastly different things.

All in all, we have created a society filled with little gods of wisdom in various areas of living. Ones we can see, talk to and get instant answers.

It baffles me to no end when I get questions or criticisms from other Christians on how I function without organized religion. Seriously?? If you must know, please read all FOUR gospels in the Bible...you know...the books that explain the Good News of Christ, who's very name is the reason why one calls themselves Christian.

What ARE they teaching in church if this is a common question for me?

The WISDOM I have applied to my life is not my own, but the one who gave His Son to bestow this gift of reconciliation upon my spirit. I no longer walk in accordance to my lowly understanding and the comprehension of others. But in power and in liberty & I will be with Him ALWAYS!

Having tasted this heavenly dish, why would I believe in the laughable perceptions of man? How can I lose hope & joy in the absolutes of man-made declarations? Who has the power to limit and enslave me with their words?? Only those I give power to! ...and by FAITH, Christ is empowered to enter in that door He has been earnestly knocking on!

Revelation 3:20
"Behold, I stand at the door , and knock : if any man hear my voice, and open the door , I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."

Free will is not always a negative thing. But it is vital to recognize with the freedom of will comes irrefutable accountability. Use this fact of life to submit to the Wisdom of an unfailing, perfect God!

1 John 2:27

"But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him."

....Amen

Take the IS&IT Poll!

2010-12-02T14:36:00.000-06:00

We all know how I feel about the condition of the church/Christianity today :)

How do YOU feel about the direction of church/Christianity? Please do take a moment to take the IS&IT poll. Feel free to elaborate your responses in the comments!

Mark 16:15-20

And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;

They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.

And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T10:36:00.001-06:00

Wishing all my readers a very Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy your day & eat heartedly, your waistline will worry about itself tomorrow!

My contribution will consist of a garlic studded pot roast, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes with herbed gravy & greens! The honor of making this year's turkey goes to my mother-in-law.

What are you making?

It's A Girl!

2010-11-10T17:53:00.001-06:00

It has been so busy in my house that recently I realized I've yet to announce the arrival of our newest family member!

After a long 9 months, our daughter Linjila Neema Joy was born on September 18th! She weighed in at a hefty 10 pounds and 21 inches long. She is simply gorgeous and sweet. Such a surprise she is after 4 strapping sons. My home birth could not have been more perfect and blessed and I fully boast in the glory of what the God of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob can do! And now at 7 ½ weeks she is a smiling, blissful, beauty weighing in at 14 pounds!

It is curious to me, as those who profess themselves to be Christians, are my biggest dissenters of home birthing my children. Curious because as believers in today's man-made church system, they profess they love the fellowship/accountability of like-minded members. So together they worship with lifting of hands and praises, being moved to tears they profess the Lord is mighty in His stead and can do ALL things. With uplifted hands they believe faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains...yet upon hearing my home birth testimonies they are the first to offer the "what ifs". They are the first to express doubts of a natural process created by the same Lord they say can do ALL things.

What's up with that??

Its an incredulous contradiction of belief! Even more incredulous they make no association with the double-minded standard. Its completely normal to make such contradicting expressions.

If being a church-attending Christian means having a full assurance of faith one day of the week and being a fear-mongering, worry-wart the rest, I'll keep my "unchurched" status thank you very much!

I have asked the Lord to impart His divine wisdom in understanding my pregnant/laboring body as an unique, individual creation of His and He has obliged and then some.

So I wonder how does one reconcile conflicting proclamations? Do they prioritize Biblical principles by their preferences? Or is True Faith like the Easter Bunny... imaginary, but fun to talk about?

What do YOU think?

Hand-Me-Downs

2010-11-09T12:21:00.000-06:00

I love preventing unnecessary household costs and I love a bargain. If I can find my favorite product on sale AND have a coupon on it, I am absolutely thrilled. The same is true for clothes. Having four sons have been a blessing, especially when my firstborn son's too-small clothing can be saved and passed on to the next son. I do my very best to obliterate all of the grass, mud, chocolate and the very dreaded blueberry stains. But, for all my efforts, I just cannot prevent the split-at-the-knee holes that seem inevitable with a nice pair of jeans. So I usually end up cutting them up at the hole, for a nice pair of jean shorts for summer. My boys, I must say, have a lot of nice jean summer shorts :). No matter how many knee patches I buy, one thing is clear to me, hand-me-downs can only last for so long, until it's no longer at it's wholesome value.

For me, there is one thing that must be absolutely brand-new. It absolutely must be of the utmost quality. Free from stains, holes, patched-holes, and cut-off-at-the-knees quality that money cannot buy and coupons cannot redeem.

Information.

I abhor second-hand information, it translates into a hand-me-down no one should attempt to wear. Second-hand information translates into gossip, confusion, conflict and the destruction of order.

Yet this is exactly how church systems across the world are set up. Parishioners and congregants are require and even told that it is mandatory to their salvation to learn about their Savior (whom they are to have a personal relationship with) by the sermons and lessons of their pastors.

(Sigh) It may seem as if I am bitter, hateful and repetitive about church systems today. I have a passion to declare and expose truth being held in unrighteousness. Christ has declared that the truth shall set you free, yet so many are enslaved to manmade "works" and "laws" imposed in this church-laden society, believing in error that these behaviors bring redemption and righteousness in His sight. I speak out heavily against church systems today because as a child of the living and righteous God. It is my duty, joy and pleasure to carry out His truth, with love, in the hopes that the truth MAY indeed set free the weary parishioner who cannot seem to arrive that the "peace as Christ gives, not as the world gives". Please do not mistake my passion and motivation for truth as bitterness and hate. Just because the TRUTH as God has ordained it is hard to hear and know, does not make it wrong.

I have been blessed with a natural tendency to be distrustful. Undoubtedly, I am a woman who likes her information straight from the horse's mouth. I am inquisitive about the information others attempt to bestow upon me, and thank the good LORD that is my nature. For if I have taken every single thing everyone has ever told me as gold and silver, my life would be tragically and utterly destroyed and ruined!

This is my point...if we as people, can appreciate, value and pride ourselves with material things of quality; our homes, cars, clothes and phones, we can certainly examine all information given to us by others (pastors etc.) with the same diligence and frame of mind. Is not the information we take in and digest into our mind, thoughts and ultimately our hearts much more valuable than those things we wear and use? Is not the Word of God which promises eternal life with Him more than this temporal life where our "quality" material possessions, are rubble in comparison to His spiritual possessions? How much more, with extreme diligence and careful consideration, should one be to examine gospels given to us by those who claim to hear Him?

There are two issues that should raise a red flag for the truth-loving, truth-seeking, God-fearing Believer when it comes to church as it is perpetrated today.

We live undoubtedly in apostate times. I could show you LOTS of scripture to support this, because of the times we live in, many have become desensitized to scripture. The holy Word has been abused, and taken out of context so much that I'm seeing and sensing a shift in this apostate climate for the worse. I can see that a lot of Christians have become immune to the truth. So, I'm going to instead apply some common knowledge. It is common knowledge that there are many and varied divisions of Christianity claiming truth. All cannot be true, because all are proclaiming different "truths". Since we believe in ONE God, there must be ONE truth. (Eph. 4) Therefore, because of the evidence of differing doctrines, we DO live in the apostate generation.
Mainstream pastors/leaders hardly or do not recognize THIS apostate generation. Because so many stress the need to be led or taught by an "ordained" (by the standards of this apostate society I MUST mention) minister, it is SO important to note that mainstream pastors hardly warn their flock of "false prophets", as a matter of fact. Some half-way decent televangelists like Dr. Charles Stanley, as an example, encourages those seeking, to find a "good bible-based church", immediately after leading them in a prayer of acceptance of Christ, the Savior. There is no acknowledgement or warnings, in such statements that your "local, bible-based church" may be a gross deviation from the truth Christ sacrificed for. These statements come across like the legal disclaimers you find in small print on products not approved by the FDA. If your pastors and ministers do not acknowledge this very common knowledge in this church society, what else are they not mentioning?

You may never allow your children to wear anything short of designer clothing. I will, however, accept the hand-me-down, split-at-the-knee jeans and reject the mud-stained, full of holes, second-hand knowledge for the pure quality of first hand knowledge, His indwelling spirit in my soul and the souls of my children! How precious His direct instruction is to my soul, indeed it is life from the dead! It is the preservation of peace and safety from the pitfalls of second-hand knowledge! It is quality of the utmost, free to all who believe it so and a warranty of eternal life!

So what I say to you...you who are weary and seek an everlasting peace. Go to the Father, by pass the pastor, by pass the books, the advice, opinions and gossip. Reestablish the order that second-hand knowledge destroys. The order established by His sacrifice, we should have that comfort of the Holy Spirit and the knowledge it gives us. John 16:8

I have no earthly motivation to exhort the seeking Believer. I do not belong to any type of church group, religion or denomination. You can rest assured that I'm not trying to meet a "quota"! As a matter of fact, don't believe me! Have FAITH! Believe the Word. Read it for yourself. I do have a warning. Read the Word out of the King James Version. Other translations have not held up to the consistency in this translation. Also note, that people sacrificed their lives to see the translation of scripture in the King James Version come to fruition. Compare this understanding that to the fact of modern translations being sold and created for profit. Some translations may be passed off as a translated Bible (from Hebrew and Greek) but are really paraphrased Bibles. In other words, Bibles that are rephrased in accordance to the author's explanation of scripture. In short, it's hand-me-down knowledge! The NLT (New Living Translation) is one. Read my testimony of how I discovered I was studying digested information, Translation vs. Paraphrase.

Maybe you think the King James Version is "out of touch" and "hard to understand". Well, honey, it's time for a renewing of your mind! Is anything too hard for the Lord? It amazes me when Christians can proclaim the glories of the Lord, yet are extremely insecure in His ability to enable them to understand spiritual principles. My mother had very little education, was deaf, yet profoundly spiritual. She understood the Lord, and knew Him well. My mother, God rest her blessed soul, was the very manifestation of FAITH.

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
Jam 1:6
But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
Jam 1:7
For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
Jam 1:8
A double minded man is unstable in all his ways

My challenge to you is this: step out on FAITH, skip church one Sunday, stay home instead, read one whole, yes, an entire book from the New Testament. It could be James, Hebrews, Galatians, Ephesians, what ever you are led to ingest. Read it without a commentary (it can be misleading, and no, I don't care if it was authored by a Bible scholar), but do read it with a Hebrew/Greek lexicon concordance and absolutely read it in FAITH!

When The Dust Settles – Life After WCG

2010-11-09T12:15:00.000-06:00

A few years ago I wrote a post “Confessions of a Former World Wide Church of God Member”. Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to “meet” other former WCG members online. Some have gone on to other religions, others are still searching for a place to belong to. Most are still picking up the pieces of what was a life shattered by a church that promoted a false and apostate teaching that misled many away from the true Gospel of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Needless to say many who have left, harbor anger, bitterness towards a church that promoted such a destructive doctrine.

I’ve seen marriages and lives ripped apart because the pastor/policy was against racially mixed marriage. Yes, these marriages that were considered mixed had children in some of them. Those children had to watch their other parent marry more fitting spouses while attending the same church as they did. Some of those children were my friends in WCG and harbored serious emotional issues.

Now, as an hearing impaired, African-American, orphan attending church with her sisters, I can tell you I was looked down upon and even excluded in some cases, but what I experienced as a WCG Member does not remotely compare to what those who parents & guardians have staked their lives and the lives of their children upon such a teaching. I came to WCG as a teen, but others were born, raised and bred WCG doctrine. Truly, I have genuine sympathy towards their anger and bitterness.

So what now? Since the doctrinal changes in 1995, how does one go about their lives when the dust settles? Especially those whose lives were catered around that old WCG doctrine. Where do they go? How now do they live?

For my sister, her answer was to return to “WCG” prior to its changes, which is now called United Church of God, pardon me while I will not link to their site. Although she stuck with WCG afterwards for some time afterwards, she missed the fellowship and social events that came with the “holy days”.

We discover who we really are when life events like these happen. We find out if we are really soldiers at heart or creatures of comfort. Implosions like these give a ripple effect of reflections, we finally see who we are, or who we thought we were and for the most part it can be an ugly reflection.

After WCG I realized, I was a creature of comfort, seeking churches for physical socializing to appease my want of “belonging”. It was when I would inwardly cringe and wince, whenever the pastor would teach his own messages and not that of the Lord was when I faced the truth…my will or HIS will? Eventually I decided without realizing I decided. I couldn’t take the mangling of His Word for my own sake. Truly I understand now with vital clarity, that if I were to appease that inward creature of comfort, I would be utterly useless for His Glory. Like salt that has lost it’s “saltness”. Good for nothing, but to be thrown away and trampled upon. Matthew 5:13 Each I church I attended after the “implosion”, was a search for a church of my liking, my belonging. With the lofty goal of finding the right church as I have been so oft been told, Eventually I had come face-to-face with the reality of this life time…apostasy…

Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; – 1 Timothy 4:1

Every “new” church I attended brought this reality home. As I saw things that disturbed me.

Inabilities to dialogue knowledgeably about the Word.
Un-comfortableness dialoguing about Christ
Exclusive tight knit social groups
Overt admiration and catering to the Pastor/leader of church (what I call pastoral worship)
Sermons catered to the quality of one’s life (marriage, parenting, finances) as opposed to making “teachers” for the Gospel (Hebrews 5:12)

Apostasy is alive and well and a very very real issue that has created a culture, rather than a Gospel out of what we call Christianity today. What started out as a damnable heresy, by WCG, progressed to a wind of doctrine and ended as my acceptance and contentment with the calling of fellowship with Christ as sufficient for my soul and spirit.

God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. – 1 Corinthians 1:9

That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. – 1 John 1:3

So here I am, no longer do I consider myself a “former member of WCG”, but an unchurched Believer in the Son of the the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Content to walk in the fellowship of Christ Jesus for HIS sake.

I do not want to be misunderstood. Desiring physical fellowship with like-minded Believers is GOOD and RIGHT. But physical fellowship at the cost of TRUTH is wrong. It is easily forgotten that we are called to bear our cross. (Luke 14:27)

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? – 2 Corinthians 6:14

What is an unbeliever? Many say they are Christians. And many Christians attend church, but ultimately our heart defines who we truly are.

This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. – 1 John 1:5-7

In conclusion, whether we have been led astray by damnable heresies or by a wind of doctrine, we have the blessing of free will. We can use our free will as others do to deceive, to BELIEVE the holiness and righteousness of a God who so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son!

We have that power to turn what was evil for the goodness and glory of HIM! I praise God for my WCG experience, if I had not known, I would be unable to share the jewels and pearls of my experience, with my children. I would be unable to give them a life I desired as a child, a life a truth, love and acceptance. With a renewed mind and lightened heart I was not defeated by a doctrine so destructive.

And I encourage all of you who once called yourselves a member of WCG, do not allow the beauty of the Gospel to be tainted by the evils of humanity! You are no longer former WCGs, a victim, but an over comer.

For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? – 1 John 5:4-5

Three Quarters Christian

2010-08-28T09:25:00.001-05:00

I received a tweet from CNN yesterday about an article on more teens becoming “Fake Christians”. It was a very interesting article to say the least. Mostly because it is a trend that I have been watching for a long while now. While the article’s focus is on teenagers. It should be, by default, applied to adults, as adults are responsible for shaping, teaching of young impressionable minds. Here are some quotes from the article.

“Dean says more American teenagers are embracing what she calls "moralistic therapeutic deism." Translation: It's a watered-down faith that portrays God as a "divine therapist" whose chief goal is to boost people's self-esteem.”

I simply cannot agree more with this statement. It applies to American adults as well as teens, quite simply because teens are being led in this fashion of “new age” Christianity.

“Dean drew her conclusions from what she calls one of the most depressing summers of her life. She interviewed teens about their faith after helping conduct research for a controversial study called the National Study of Youth and Religion.

They have a lot to say. They can talk about money, sex and their family relationships with nuance.--Kenda Creasy Dean, author

The study, which included in-depth interviews with at least 3,300 American teenagers between 13 and 17, found that most American teens who called themselves Christian were indifferent and inarticulate about their faith.”

This is true for many adult Christians as well. Many Christians I have dialogued with on the subject of Faith in Jesus Christ of Nazareth, cannot articulate the principles of faith as it taught by the Word. Most of the time, I get a “story” of what Christ has done for them in terms of their quality of life.

“The study included Christians of all stripes -- from Catholics to Protestants of both conservative and liberal denominations. Though three out of four American teenagers claim to be Christian, fewer than half practice their faith, only half deem it important, and most can't talk coherently about their beliefs, the study found.”

This trend I’ve been witnessing is not limited to a certain segment of Christianity, but has become a cohesive group of denominations with different practices and beliefs, but with the similar “foundation” of this “moralistic therapeutic deism”. It defines what I call the Culture of Christianity. Again, I cannot disagree with this quote in the least.

Many teenagers thought that God simply wanted them to feel good and do good -- what the study's researchers called "moralistic therapeutic deism."

“Dean, a United Methodist Church minister who says parents are the most important influence on their children's faith, places the ultimate blame for teens' religious apathy on adults.”

“She says parents who perform one act of radical faith in front of their children convey more than a multitude of sermons and mission trips.”

“But it's not enough to be radical -- parents must explain "this is how Christians live," she says.”

To read the article in full click here.

Salt of the Earth

2010-07-13T09:19:00.003-05:00

About a month ago I went on a fact finding mission about salt, and what I have discovered has been nothing short of a renewing in thought about refined and unrefined salt. I wrote a post on it on my second blog, Its Your Journey titled Is Table Salt Giving Salt a Bad Name?
Here’s the rundown; refined salt, also known as table salt or “purified” salt has been processed to strip the salt of it’s natural minerals, leaving only sodium chloride. Sodium chloride is known to be aggressive without its natural counterparts, such as potassium, calcium and other minerals found in unrefined salt. Needless to say sodium chloride taken in large amounts has led to the belief that salt is bad and should be limited or removed completely from our diets.
The truth of the matter is salt in its wholesomeness is the very essence of life without it, we would not be able to function or think. Salt, unrefined, is what hydrates a body, taken with water it is the perfect balance of hydration. As a matter of fact our blood and tears have a salty solution in them. Salt is GOOD and vital for life.
With an enlightened mind, I’m reading Mark 9:50 with new eyes…

Salt ²¹⁷ [is] good ²⁵⁷⁰: but ¹¹⁶¹ if ¹⁴³⁷ the salt ²¹⁷ have lost ¹⁰⁹⁶his saltness ³⁵⁸, wherewith ¹⁷²² ⁵¹⁰¹ will ye season ⁷⁴¹ it ⁸⁴⁶? Have²¹⁹² salt ²¹⁷ in ¹⁷²² yourselves ¹⁴³⁸, and ²⁵³² have peace ¹⁵¹⁴ one²⁴⁰ ⁰ with ¹⁷²² another ²⁴⁰.

Because salt was considered a bad thing scriptures that spoke to the goodness of salt was disconnected to the reality I thought I understood.
Salt refined has literally lost its “saltness”, in other words it’s worth. To use it is unhealthy, even dangerous at best. It’s good for nothing.
I chuckle a little when I write this because, I decided to switch to sea salt a few years back, because I figured then, that “natural” was better than table salt. So I haven’t used table salt in quite a few years. However, my husband has been buying table salt during the cold winter months to defrost our sidewalks and driveways. We figured, it was cheap, only 33 cents at Wal-Mart, and left behind very little mess. We definitely weren’t going to use it for our food, so why not use it for our driveway?
I will be blogging a bit more about this subject as let my newfound knowledge soak in :)
Let me leave you with these scriptures about salt. Leave a comment if you will as the Spirit moves you to!

Ye ⁵²¹⁰ are ²⁰⁷⁵ the salt ²¹⁷ of the earth ¹⁰⁹³: but ¹¹⁶¹ if ¹⁴³⁷ the salt ²¹⁷ have lost his savour ³⁴⁷¹ , wherewith ¹⁷²² ⁵¹⁰¹ shall it be salted ²³³ ? it is thenceforth ²⁰⁸⁹ good ²⁴⁸⁰ for ¹⁵¹⁹ nothing ³⁷⁶², but ¹⁵⁰⁸ to be cast ⁹⁰⁶ out ¹⁸⁵⁴, and ²⁵³² to be trodden under foot²⁶⁶² of ⁵²⁵⁹ men ⁴⁴⁴. – Matthew 5:13
Salt ²¹⁷ [is] good ²⁵⁷⁰: but ¹¹⁶¹ if ¹⁴³⁷ the salt ²¹⁷ have lost his savour ³⁴⁷¹ , wherewith ¹⁷²² ⁵¹⁰¹ shall it be seasoned ⁷⁴¹ ? – Luke 14:34
Let your ⁵²¹⁶ speech ³⁰⁵⁶ [be] alway ³⁸⁴² with ¹⁷²² grace ⁵⁴⁸⁵, seasoned ⁷⁴¹ with salt ²¹⁷, that ye may know ¹⁴⁹² how ⁴⁴⁵⁹ ye ⁵²⁰⁹ought ¹¹⁶³ to answer ⁶¹¹ every ¹⁵³⁸ man ¹⁵²⁰. – Colosians 4:6

Author’s Note:
The subscripts in scripture are numbers to the Greek Lexicon. For references on refined vs. unrefined salt, please see my post on Its Your Journey or click on the link at the beginning of the post. God Bless :)

New to Spirit! Deaf Ministry Page!

2010-07-11T02:13:00.001-05:00

A few years back I posted the "Light of the World Series" I discovered on YouTube. The clips are in American Sign Language and are captioned for the convenience of those who do not know ASL. (With exception to the "short clip", which I will translate in the future)

I have complied all the links on this page and a little extra. Please do take a moment to check it out. It is compelling at the most. Do let me know if any links seem to be broken, missing or repeats of another link.

Thank you for visiting "In Spirit & In Truth"! God bless and keep you!

(The pictures spell LOVE)