Christmas Morning

It's Christmas morning. Millions of my brothers and sisters are mindful, in a special way that the God of this universe, the Cosmic Conscious Core of all existence, all living and inorganic material, has revealed a Love that is at the very apex of human understanding: the sacrificial giving of an only child. Jesus, full of Grace and Truth, has come to dispel the darkness of sin and spiritual blindness. "No more let sins nor sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground. He comes to make His blessings flow far as the curse is found."  (Isaac Watts)  I've been inspired by the story of Simeon. Here's his story, recorded in Luke Chapter 2.

25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,

you may now dismiss[fn] your servant in peace.

30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,

31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:

32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,

and the glory of your people Israel.”

33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

He was "righteous and devout",  longing for the "consolation" of his people. When Mary and Joseph came to the Temple to have Jesus circumcised, he was literally "inspired" [moved by  the Spirit] to take the child in his arms. He supernaturally recognized that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah, God's offering of salvation, a light of revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Israel. God had promised that he would not die before seeing this amazing, holy, divine intervention. I try to imagine his face when he looked upon the infant, realizing the he was the One, the long-awaited [since Abraham] Savior of the world. Mary and Joseph must have been taken aback, shocked by this compassionate intrusion; but seeing the awe in Simeon's face, Mary allowed him to hold her child. Then listened intently as he reaffirmed the dawning truth first related to her by the angel Gabriel: that he was "destined  to cause the rising and falling of many in Israel, and a sign that will be spoken against." Spoken against indeed! Hated and plotted against. Despised. Rejected. Mocked. Crucified! [A sword would indeed pierce her soul!] But also worshiped and adored by those who had the eyes to see and the ears to hear. He said he came to bring a sword to separate people from people: those who could see from those who could or would not. Even separating fathers from sons, mothers from daughters: believers from unbelievers. Bringing believers into a new family: the family of God; the Kingdom of God. "Who is my mother, sister and brother?" he asked. "He who knows and does the will of my Father [God]."  

God, the only God of this universe, the Creator, brought forth in the universe this beautiful earth, filled it with life, conscious beings in His own image, then, in Love, set us free; departed from our direct conscious awareness, but lovingly left a fingerprint, bold, unmistakable, clear, accessible: His Holy Word. This Word tells the story of God and mankind; man's risings and fallings, the epic battle between good and evil, light and darkness. And how One would come to bring a great light: a King of kings and Lord of lords; consolation, healing, deliverance, salvation, forgiveness, hope, joy, peace, abundant and eternal [!] life.  Harmonious unity that destroys the effects of evil. Jesus brings all this and more--more than can be received or related. Simeon recognized the baby in Mary's arms to be the fulfillment of that promise given in God's fingerprint. Later, His followers, also, would begin to see Him as Truth in the flesh. It seemed to dawn in their awareness, like it has with us, like the dawning of the sun, rising toward the full light of day. Culminating, in Simon Peter's case, with the bold, earth-shaking statement, "You are the Christ! The Son of the living God!" Praise God for this dawning! The angels were surely rejoicing!  As they rejoice with every soul who comes to understand and accept Jesus as the Messiah. He reveals us to ourselves, and delivers us from the darkness that is in us. Christmas hymns are the brightest and most joyful of Christian hymns. "Joy to the world!" "Good Christian men rejoice, with heart and soul and voice." "Go tell it on the mountain!" "Gloria in Excelsis Deo!"  "Joy has dawned upon the world." "Peace on the earth, good will to men, from heaven's all gracious King." "He is born, the divine Christ-Child; play the oboe and bagpipes merrily!"  "Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!"  "Glory to the newborn King!" It's all superficial though until it is internalized. We continue to wander in the darkness, even though this great Light has come to earth, until we bow in reverent submission, like the wise men, and offer the most important gift: our hearts. Then begins the true adventure for which we have been created: the adventure of being the Light in this world that He has ordained and empowers us to be. Then comes the joy of learning to Love with His Love. Then comes the great and final victory of Light dispelling darkness in our own souls. Then, and only then, do we discover the true meaning, as an inner felt experience, of freedom!  

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, good will toward mankind! Peace! And Good Will! To all!  Welcome baby Jesus! Be born anew in our hearts. Be born in us with a life that is ever new, like, as You said, "a fountain of living water welling up to eternal life." Awaken us to the Truth that sets us free, and keeps us free. Deliver us from the worries and cares of this world, from guilt and shame and fear. Empower us, through Your promised Spirit within us, to truly love each other. May Your Name be praised forever and ever!

Mike Pence Booed and Lectured

When Mike Pence was booed and lectured to at Hamilton, he gracefully smiled and told his children "that's the sound of freedom."  But even though he is a public servant, shouldn't he be granted freedom to take his family to a play without being lectured or booed? Doesn't he deserve to be respected, especially in the presence of his children? When we are "in your face" with what we are free to do, freedom morphs into something I'm not proud to send my son off to war to defend and protect. This "freedom" is arrogant, impolite, entitled. It's the "freedom" that sows seeds of hostility and conflict--the stuff that makes freedom untenable. And there are certainly more extreme examples of this arrogance in recent American history. The freedom that we love, the freedom that enhances the quality of human life, is freedom that is self-restrained. It is restrained by love, mutual respect and humility. It is bold when necessary, like Martin Luther King, Jr.'s version. But we see in the Civil Rights movement, that tension between restrained and unrestrained freedom. Oppression builds up an energy that takes great discipline to restrain, and great courage to confront. Freedom requires both that courage and that restraint. Also, prosperity tends to breed entitlement and immaturity; traits that have historically preceded societal decline. Democracy is a fragile state of human existence. It is an out-of-balance condition when looked at from the worldwide historical perspective. It is somewhat of a glorious anomaly. And it can only be maintained by a psycho-spiritually mature populace. Our Founding Fathers, though imperfect as all men, seemed to realize this fragility, setting up a system with balanced power--a form of self-restraint. And not only providing freedom from state oppression of religion, but encouraging religion [the primary venue of psycho-spiritual maturity]. In fact, democracy is arguably a corollary of [result of] the psycho-spiritual maturity of a people who were willing to fight for religious liberty and who were determined enough  to endure grave hardships to flee religious oppression.  Let us hope that this stamina still exists in the prosperity and obesity of our democratic republic.  The most important foundation of democracy is  healthy religion; the Christian Faith of our Founding Fathers. This Faith must never be imposed, but its repression is a grave symptom of the decline of all freedoms, and the rise of authoritarianism.

Persevere

Let us not become weary in doing good, for in the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Gal 6:9
And because wickedness is multiplied, most men's love will grow cold, but he who endures to the end will be saved. Jesus Mt. 24:12-13

I wish to express my deepest gratitude to all my brothers and sisters in Christ (those who have received Him, recognizing that He is the Messiah) who are prayerfully seeking to be the Light in this world that He has ordained us to be.  In our time there are many Christian voices warning us of spiritual decline, just as in the days of Israel's decline before she was taken into captivity.  And, as then, most seem to be ignoring these prophetic warnings.  We should pray for discernment, for evil is deceptive and insidious, like unnoticed cancer cells growing in the physical body. Jesus says evil is so deceptive that, if God did not shorten the time of its rise, even the very "elect" (all of us sincere Christians) would be deceived (Mt. 24:22,24).  None of us is above reproach or immune to the deceptions of evil except as we diligently abide in Christ--in His Spirit, being careful, watchful, sober-minded; for Satan, like a roaring lion, roams to and fro throughout the earth seeking to devour those who stray from the safety of the flock of God's children--the Kingdom introduced by Christ, which is comparable to the Ark of Noah's day.  We should try to remain in the very center of the Kingdom; not out on the periphery, barely saved but not practicing our Faith. We must not make ourselves vulnerable to the subtle deceptions of the world,  which can slowly and imperceptibly lure us farther and farther into eternal darkness. We should not fear evil, but we should be very aware of  its deceptive and destructive powers. How many family members or friends do you know who have fallen into one of Satan's sticky traps? Some of them have not been able to get out. And how many Christians do you know who don't seem to take their walk seriously, as if were a nice option, but not crucial to life? Even though the effects of evil glare boldly at us through our media and everyday human interactions--perhaps because it does--we can become dull and desensitized to its devastation, and unknowingly allow ourselves to be pulled by its subtle currents farther and farther out into the sea of endless darkness. The Bible, and Jesus Himself, warn us to stay awake to the lurking horrors of evil. If you want to know how bad things can get in a Godless culture read Deuteronomy 28:15-68. There seems to be no end to the difficulties and gut-wrenching sorrows that beset a nation or culture that drifts from the Truth of Christ. God has given us freedom; and the responsibilities that naturally accrue to it. If we ignore the responsibilities that God has commanded, revealed and generously given to us in Christ, we should expect our lives to become progressively more difficult, fruitless and void. But if we will diligently seek Him and walk in the Light of the Love of Christ, He will not fail to bless us with eternal blessings, like the dawning of the sun, growing brighter and brighter to the full light of day (see Deut. 28:1-14).

Darkness/Light

Out of what kind of darkness has come the living specter of  technically advanced nations harboring weapons powerful enough to annihilate civilization and destroy the earth--nations with men  on alert twenty-four hours of every day, perpetually going through training designed to enable them to know how. when. and under what circumstances these fiery demons would be released upon the earth, demons that would scorch the earth, blacken the sky and pollute the oceans, destroying the balance that sustains life on this planet? What level of responsibility does this call forth from humankind?  How can we exercise this responsibility?
My answer: Do all you can to propagate the teachings of Jesus the Christ. He commanded His followers to love their enemies; and He demonstrated this Love in His own life. He is the Light that shines into the darkness from which those demon-weapons have come. He is our best hope of keeping these demons from being released; and He will protect His followers, even if they are.

Wisdom

The intelligence that garners wisdom was not born in this generation, and this generation does not exclusively possess it. And if you get lost in what has manifested in this generation--the bells and whistles, Facebook postings, movies and tweets, etc--you may miss something much deeper and sweeter for your soul; something that is ancient, ageless, liberating, and fresh as the morning dew. When you seek this ageless Truth, you will begin to see it everywhere. You will see the good and evil currents flowing through all your Facebook postings and tweets; and through your self. You will eventually come to sit at the feet of the One Who said, "I am the ...Truth..." And you will know that He is. Or you will remain in the anchor-less drifting darkness.

Quite A Moment

Startled by my motorcycle, rolling slowly through wide pools of four inch deep “High Water” (as the sign had warned) hundreds of tightly aligned purple martins peeled off the power line above me to join hundreds more circling, circling in the wide expanse of blue windy sky on this September day, the coolest after two months of summer heat, while, to my right, waves on the rain swollen Tchefuncta glistened in the sun as it poured its way the short distance remaining to Lake Pontchartrain. It was, I would say, quite a moment. 

The Real Battle

One of the countless amazing truths revealed in the Bible is that humans are not our enemy. Ephesians 6:12 asserts We do not contend against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against authorities, against the powers of this dark world, against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
When Jesus prayed from the Cross, "Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing",  He was bringing this truth into focus. He knew that Judas, the Pharisees, and Roman soldiers were not his enemy. He knew that they had been deceived by the evil Prince of this World, Satan. They were victims--like we all have been, and to some degree still are. The "spiritual forces of evil" continue to use our human differences to deceive us into believing that those who are different from us are our enemies. Evil is indeed real. But those who practice it are deceived because it can never have a positive outcome. Evil is, by definition, destructive to both the perpetrator and the victim, but especially to the perpetrator. Jesus made it very clear to His followers that He was not a victim. "No man takes my life from me, I lay it down of my own accord." "I have overcome the world." He won the spiritual war because He was not overcome by fear or hatred. He loved to the end.
This is a very good way to understand life, even if you are an atheist. We war not against humans, but against aspects of our individual and collective personalities, false and destructive beliefs,  delusions, hatred of persons, greed, selfishness, avarice, malice, etc.  These are manifestations of our enemy. When we work to rid our own personalities of all that is not kind, faithful, and true; free, courageous and motivated by good will toward all, then we are fighting the right battles.
From the Christian perspective, we have Christ Himself, His very Holy Spirit, with us always to empower us on toward victory.
God please hasten the day when evil is eradicated from the new heavens and the new earth. And please keep on keeping my heart free from evil invasions; as You have designed my body to fight off the perpetual invasions of harmful organisms.

The Mind and God

Most of us are not even aware,  most of the time, that we have a mind. A mind. A mind!
It filters every life experience more thoroughly than the liver filters the blood. It determines the very quality of our everyday lives. And we tend to ignore it and let it do whatever it's doing.
But we can pay attention to it; and learn to control it somewhat. I can notice how my mind interprets and handles things. The "you" that can notice how your mind operates is a very, very important aspect of "you". It's the "you" that shapes the will.  It's the you that has the ability to connect with the God of this universe (or with the "Universe" if you're an atheist.) Or more correctly, it's the "you" that can discover your unending, inescapable connection to the Universe--to God. Where can one go to escape God/Universe? To ask the question "Is God, or is God Not?" issues from a place that is outside  what we might call the run-of-the-mill mind: what the zen master called the "Monkey Mind", only focused, as it swings through the forest, on the next vine or the next limb. When you realize that you have a mind you can do something with it. Otherwise, you are flowing in the river of your thoughts with no outside awareness of what is carrying you along---or where!

Meditate for a moment on the fact that we did not create, nor do we even understand our minds. Our mind is a gift that has been given to us. Think of all that has come out of the mind of man, the evil and the good. Think of all that is being manifested in the world because of where we focus, knowingly or unknowingly, our minds. What if we focused our minds on loving each other, as Christ has commanded us? What if this became a conscious process, transcending impulse and instinct? What if we came to understand that our enemy is not a human or group of humans, but rather certain aspects of our individual personalities; that, as one man said "The line that separates good from evil runs through the heart of every human being?" And that our main work in life is to overcome the darkness within our own self--that part of us that is not loving, and therefore not good?  What if we made that goal--loving people, being thankful, graceful, kind and generous, fair and responsible--our primary devotion in life? And then we were careful not to let ourselves get distracted for too long from that goal--that way of being.  Could we not then, at the end of our days on this earth, have a deep sense of peace about how we spent our lives? Could we not, indeed, walk in peace every day, knowing that we have found the true Pathway of Life? That there is absolutely no better way that we could be spending our life energy?
This is exactly what Jesus has commanded us. And He even promised to give us His Spirit--the Holy Spirit--to empower us to attain that goal; to transform not only our minds, but our hearts. If you can find a  better way of being in the world, for God's sake live it! But if you can not, in order to be truly honest, you should bow to Jesus, because He accomplished this.

The Phoenix and the Owl

The magnificent Phoenix bird, having lived a thousand years and now nearing the time of its demise and resurrection, having flown in the clear and pure atmosphere of the mountain heights, feeding on ambrosia and the finest grains of earth,

saw, with his clear jeweled eyes, far below, perched upon a stump, an owl with a decaying rat clutched in his talons.

Having compassion for the ignoble bird, the Phoenix swooped downward to invite him into the nobility of his birthright, the mountain heights and spring-fed streams.

The owl more tightly grasped his precious, putrid rat and screeched with threatening scowl.

The Phoenix sadly curved his flight upward, upward

Until even the owl's forest was a green patch on the distant low horizon.

Mark Graham 8/30/16

Far Away and Up Close

We are all more attractive and admirable from a distance than up close. It's easier to get along with someone if you don't live with them. "A prophet is not without honor except in his own household." Jesus, Matthew 13:57

Bonhoeffer quote (Grace)

" It is by the grace of God that a congregation is permitted to gather visibly in this world to share God’s Word and sacrament. Not all Christians receive this blessing. The imprisoned, the sick, the scattered lonely, the proclaimers of the Gospel in heathen lands stand alone. They know that visible fellowship is a blessing. They remember, as the Psalmist did, how they went ‘with the multitude . . . to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holy day” (Ps. 42:4) … Therefore, let him who until now has had the privilege of living in common Christian life with other Christians praise God’s grace from the bottom of his heart. Let him thank God on his knees and declare: It is grace, nothing but grace, that we are allowed to live in community with Christian brethren."
--Dietrich Bonhoeffer, from Life Together

Politics and Violence

When Jesus was born, Herod was the king of the Jews [their "president"]. He was so evil that Augustus said that his pigs were safer than his children (because his children potentially threatened his power.) In the Second Chapter of the Gospel of Luke we read about him. When the Magi traveled through Jerusalem, following the star that was leading them to what they had come to understand was the birth of a King, Herod said "Let me know when you find him so I can come and worship him also." His true intent was to murder him. Politics has always had a gruesome side--like life itself. Evil is real; and no arena of life is able to shut it out. Only the heart that has been redeemed and enlightened by the Christ (Who was protected by Divine intervention from the evil intent of Herod and Who has shown us the Way of Truth) can be perpetually protected from evil. This is true becasue we know, through Christ, that the Way of Life is the Way of Love--the Love that He manifested to the human family, and that He makes available to all who "seek, ask and knock".  Only to the degree that we are motivated by this Love are we free from the ravages and control of evil. His ultimate freedom was evident in His prayer from the Cross: "Father forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing." He was still loving! Nothing--not the hatred, mockery, cruelty, false accusations, abandonment, betrayal, physical torture or being nailed to a Cross and left to die--nothing could penetrate His soul of Love for the human family. And what a victory! Even today, on the streets of our violence-torn cities, divided by prejudice, fear and anger, those who are speaking with the clearest and most healing voices are speaking the language of Jesus the Christ. "Love one another! We're all God's children! Pray for one another! We got to stop killin' each other! Stop this violence! Stop it!" Martin Luther King, Jr., that Baptist preacher, knew that violence could never win the day. He was immersed in Jesus' teachings. Preached them repeatedly from the pulpit. Jesus has solved the problem of violence for all who hear and heed His voice: "You have always been taught to love your neighbor and hate your enemies, but I say to you, Love your enemies; bless those who curse you; do good to those who hate you; and pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be the children of your Father in heaven." Mt. 5:44.  Remember: He not only spoke those words, He lived the reality of them!
Until we get to this place of heart and mind, all our solutions will be temproary and restrictive in nature.No politician can redeem the hearts of humans; and no military or police force can totally block evil. Education does not provide spiritual enlightenment. (Hitler was educated and intelligent!)
The solution to our social diseases will not be found in politics, law enforcement or education. These are only helpful to the degree that they are being enacted in a social climate of humans who have been and are being enlightened by the Spirit of Jesus Christ. All other goals and motives are distractions or palliative at best.
In America we have had an unprecedented opportunity to be a "Light on a hill" to the rest of the world; not by proclaiming ourselves to be better, more powerful or more righteous than other peoples, but by taking responsibility for the freedom that we have been given by "Divine Providence" (as our Founding Fathers clearly understood) and using it for the benefit of humankind. Not by selfishly grasping for more and more "rights" or sinking into a quagmire of hedonistic pleasure; but by practicing the spiritual disciplines that are a pathway to and manifestation of the only true freedom that exists: the freedom of the soul that Jesus expressly provides. ("I come to set at liberty those who are oppressed.") We still have this opportunity! But now, as always, the evils of fear and hatred threaten it. Fear and hatred are parasitical, draining away the life-force of Love. And Jesus delivers us from them! I beg you, as one who loves America and desires her to become what God has given her the potential of becoming, join the enduring revolution! Recognize the Lordship of Jesus! I challenge you to try to find a purer, more enlightened pathway than the one He walked and taught. If you can, walk in it! But if you can't, then why waste your time on anything less? Work on behalf of the Christian Faith. Support those who propagate the Gospel of peace around the world. This would be an enlightened thing for even an atheist to do, since the Christian faith infuses any society (like "salt" and "yeast") with freedom and life-enhancing qualities that are good for all--not just Christians.  And when the general population of any nation is predominantly enlightened by Christ, there is peace and harmony among the people. Jesus said, "They will know that you are my disciples by the love that you have for each other."
Please God! This is how we want to be known! May the world see America as a nation of people who sincerely love each other; and who also love the entire human family.
"Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain" (Psalm 127:1).

Dinesh D'Souza: Conservative Politics

Below is a link to a speech given to Young American Force. His knowledge of American politics is broad and deep. A good listen.
I hope you will see his movie "Hillary's America..." opening Jul. 22

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7hM1-amF44

Proverbs

The heart that does not want to know itself is a dangerous heart; as is the one who presumes to know and possess himself completely.

The purer your love for your people the more deeply you will discern what is in their hearts, and the the more powerful will be your ministries to them.

The unenlightened feel justified in their selfish, evil endeavors, and victimized by the consequences that befall them because of those endeavors.

The human heart is steeped in selfishness. We see others through the paradigm of our own personal agenda. We like them if they facilitate our agenda; and we ignore or despise them if they don't.
In this light, it's very important to know what your agenda is.

The Bible is unquestionably the best selling book in the world.  Why not read it? All those folks can't be wrong.

Exercise always seems like a good thing to do----at some time in the future.

Youth and the Elderly

Youth often perceive the elderly as quaintly "out there" somewhere; not really in the present. I have come to understand this to be partly true: The elderly have an incredible storehouse of life experiences stored in their minds--more past than future, from the worldly standpoint. The young frequently dismiss them because of this. This can be a form of unconscious condescension. And it is sad because the elderly also have an incredible storehouse of wisdom that they would love to share with the young but cannot do so because of that dismissive attitude.

Memorial Day Links

Here's a link to Abraham Lincoln's 2nd Inaugural Address, 1865. A good Memorial Day read.

http://avalon.law.yale.edu/19th_century/lincoln2.asp

And here's a link to General MacArthur's amazing speech at the Japanese surrender at the end of WWII


http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/macarthur/filmmore/reference/primary/macspeech04.html

Note: MacArthur recognized that "the problem basically is theological" and that "it must be of the spirit if we are to save the flesh."

My Cat

My little cat knows that I don't always allow her to sit in my lap, so, when I'm on my deck and she comes to sit in my lap she at first assumes that I'm going to allow her to come, and she jumps right into my lap. And if I'm not in the mood to have her there I gently nudge her away and she hops down on the deck and doesn't seem to be disappointed at all. So she waits a while as I'm meditating, and starts, at some point to ease back closer to me, then jump up on the table in front of me; sits there for a while, waiting for my mood to change. At some point, with head held low and eyes half closed she puts one paw very gently on my knee as if to ask permission. It's as if she is the prodigal son returning home from the pig pen in a spirit of "I don't deserve to be your cat, but if you would just let me sit here in your lap, you don't even have to pet me, just let me lie peacefully on your knee"... and so I reach out my hand to let her know that she can come; and she comes, and sits peacefully and thankfully on my lap as I stroke her fur and we both benefit from it. And as I am benefiting from it, and thinking about the benefit that I am receiving, I look at this little creature and I realize that God made this little creature for me to be sitting here in my lap in this moment and the affection I feel for this kitty and the affection she feels for me [in whatever way kitties feel affection] are a manifestation of the Love of the God of this universe---the God Who created us both; gave us life; gave all life, and gave all love and all affection. And so this little creature, this experience that we are sharing is like a shaft of light that is the Light of this universe; like a beam flowing down through the forest of sunlight. And like a hologram, this beam contains the Whole.

Getting There

It seems to me that life can never be what we want and need it to be until we receive Jesus Christ as our Lord. And even when we receive Him we continue to have sadness and anger and fear and self-doubts and character defects that we cannot overcome; but we are able to manage these because we have the Power of Eternal Love living within us--Love that never abandons us, never gives up on us, constantly forgives and always encourages and empowers us to simply and peacefully take the next small step onward and upward. We can always take a small step in the direction of Christ's Truth and Love. We will always be able to do so. That is all we will ever need. "I am with you always, even to the end of the world":  This is the only true security that exists. And the only way to have peace as an imperfect human being.

Religious Lostness

And the Lord said: "Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment of men learned by rote;.. Isa 29:13

The people being confronted by God through Isaiah in this passage were religious people: prophets, priests, synagogue-attenders, etc. God said they honored Him with their words, but their hearts were far from Him. I recently saw a couple in therapy who were very religious Christians. They attended not only regular church services, but extra-curricular Bible studies, and even taught a Bible class [the husband]. And I believe they were sincere in their faith. But their hearts were full of criticism, anger, and hostility that caused them to have to separate from each other because one could not tolerate the physical presence of the other. I asked the husband to lead in prayer at the end of a session and he prayed with some eloquence, as a man accustomed to public praying. He did not, however, mention his wife, with whom he was having obvious problems, in the prayer, so I asked, after he had closed, if he would pray for her. He stammered and struggled through a prayer, obviously trying, not quite successfully, to avoid sounding like an indictment against his wife. She was full of anxiety, with a pattern of chronic defensiveness that sounded like a whining, victimized, but counterattacking shrew.

Their painful patterns reminded me of the very important truth elucidated in the above passage. We religious folks can be living behind a veneer of love for Christ while harboring a heart full of bitterness, resentment, and critical blame toward our own spouse or some other person in our life. One man said, "It's easier to forgive folks you don't live with." [Or have ever lived with, I would add.] That's true I believe. But Jesus has not given us an out on this score. He commanded us to love our enemies, bless those who curse us, do good to those who hate us, and pray for those who despitefully use and persecute us. [Mt. 5:44]. Guess that pretty much covers any evil thing my wife might do to me. Love?! Bless?! Pray for?! Do good to?!

We can get so much negative crap built up in our souls that trying to do that is like trying to eat your own vomit. Unless we allow the Truth that is at the core of it transform that vomit into the most potent and sweetest nectar that ever passed through our lips, into the heart, like a healing potent, warming and opening the heart, and washing away all the plaque-like clusters that had been blocking the flow of one's very life; relaxing constriction into freedom. As one writer penned, it's like setting a prisoner free, then determining that the prisoner was you.

What is this Truth that is at the core of this commandment of Christ? It is that He commands us to be motivated only by His Love. He wants us to be free from the heavy, leaden, grip of an angry, bitter heart. He knows that we are creating unnecessary suffering for ourselves [and others] by languishing in that darkness. He is inviting us into the light. "But men loved darkness more than light" Jesus said. [Jn 3:19]  And they just get lost in it...lost in the darkness. While the Light is shining all around them.

Fear of God

The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, as recorded in Proverbs. Jesus teaches us that the Love of God is the fulfillment of it. And one deceives himself if he says that he loves God and yet does not practice love for every human being: even one's enemies. [Mat. 5:44]. The most important thing you will do today, and every day, will be to consciously practice love for those whom God places within your sphere of influence. And we must never deceive ourselves by believing that this is an easy or natural process. It takes prayer and sincere openness to the Holy Spirit of Christ within us. No person is easy to love all the time. And some are extremely difficult to love [You may be one of them ! ;>).]  But our Lord offers no excuses for us. He commands us to love, do good, bless and pray for those who hate, curse, despitefully use and persecute us.
If I try to proselytize people while not practicing love for them I will damage the image of Christ and His Kingdom, for it is grounded and motivated only by Love. I must never allow my ministry to outpace my love for people. I must not pretend to love people, which is hypocrisy. I must sincerely love them. None of us does this perfectly; and that is quite all right as long as we admit it. Jesus is the only perfect Lover of our souls; and He has gracefully promised to abide within those who receive Him. His Love within us is pure. Our work is to allow that pure Light to shine through us, unencumbered by our apathy, ego-centric need to impress people or our self-centered judgments and critical spirits emanating from our sinful nature. People will always hurt, betray, disrespect or wrongfully ignore us sooner or later. They're only human. Like Jesus, we must not allow this to deter us in loving them. This does not make us victims; it makes us victors! More than conquerors! Because this loving way of being in the world is what we freely choose in obedience to our Lord; it is not determined by others, especially the worst that is in them! In the likeness of Christ's love for us, we love them in spite of their sinful nature manifestations, which is a symptom of their [our] blindness. Like our Lord we pray, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do." But unlike Him, we must also pray, "And forgive me, for I have not been knowing much about what I've been doing either."
We only really know what we are doing when we are practicing Christ's Love peacefully and joyfully. Then all is well in the universe. This is where the fear of God leads us--again and again and again.

RESURRECTION!

Resurrection means new life

Available every moment

Right now----and now-----and now!

Freedom from all oppression

Everything that is oppressive

What oppresses you?

Jesus overcame it----and lives in you!

Only those parts of your personality that are flapping in the breezes of this world,

Out from under His wings

Are vulnerable to the oppressive stuff.

So bring everything you've got under His wings

Every thought captive

You are not of this world

Like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, in the fiery furnace of this world

You will not have even the smell of smoke on those parts of you that are “in Him.”

The rest is wood, stubble and hay

And will be burned away in the Consuming Fire (the sooner the better),

It is nailed to the Cross and died, dead and buried.

You, the real you, arose with Him in new life that is not of this world

Not entangled in the worries and cares of this world

Not worried about the economy, politics, health, the kids, terrorism…..

Now you know why you're here and where you are going.

You are burning in the peaceful fire of His Love for the human family.

You are the Light of this world!

You are born again!

You are resurrected!

Again and again and again and again……

And death is your final victory!

Mark Graham

THE PRESIDENTIAL SPEECH I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR

My fellow Americans and my fellow Earth Citizens:

Deep currents of joy and sorrow are flowing through my heart. I rejoice in what we have accomplished as the human family on this beautiful earth. And I deeply grieve what we have failed to accomplish: Peace and Love for our fellow humans. I don't have to remind you of what we have accomplished; you are immersed in technology and have media that holds it before you each day. The same media also reveals the horrors that I deeply grieve, and about which I wish to speak in this address. More to the point, I wish to speak words to encourage the psycho-spiritual evolution beyond those horrors.

The time has past for arrogance, high-minded superiority, and condescension. The time has past for nationalistic pride in anything that does not embrace and encourage the best for the entire human family; not just for those who reside within certain man-made boundaries on this earth. The time has past for the lust for power and the desire to control territories and amass material wealth. The time for competition between nations has past, unless it is competition for which nation can be the most generous and bring the most service and good will for the human family. The time for hatred and fear has past. We have evolved technologically beyond prior generations' wildest dreams. We probe space, circle the earth, communicate around the globe in hand-held devices available to all advanced nations. In the last few decades we have acquired the power to destroy the earth! Quoting from Gen. MacArthur's speech on the USS Missouri at the end of WWII:

Men since the beginning of time have sought peace.... Military alliances, balances of power, leagues of nations, all in turn failed, leaving the only path to be by way of the crucible of war. We have had our last chance. If we do not now devise some greater and more equitable system, Armageddon will be at our door. The problem basically is theological and involves a spiritual recrudescence and improvement of human character that will synchronize with our almost matchless advances in science, art, literature and all material and cultural development of the past two thousand years. It must be of the spirit if we are to save the flesh.

Perhaps we have advanced to the point at which we can hear these words with fresh ears, and see this vision with new eyes. We speak of peace, but often with little hope that it is attainable. But now, more than ever, we have at our disposal the global connectedness to encourage the Truth that sets us free. And whether we are theists [as I am] or atheists; whether we follow Buddha, Mohammed or Jesus—we must see that we have the same universal origin; we breathe the same air and have the same basic needs. We all stand in awe of our own consciousness, which we did not create and which we do not even understand. And the fact that we have been given the amazing and unspeakable gift of life must reveal to us that the Originator of that life is beneficent, and must be characterized by that which we most highly esteem within ourselves: Love. Even the love that we have for our children is not an aspect of our personality that was chosen by us. It was placed within us by the same Source that originated our hearts and minds. Surely that Source must comprise the highest form of this Love: for the entire human family! And so now, more than ever, we have good reason to be renewed in the hope that peace and love—consciously chosen good will and compassion—can increase upon the earth.

The difficulty of this endeavor—the increase of Love and Peace—speaks to the power that militates against it. Let us call it evil. But let us not relegate it to any certain nation, party or faction of the human family. Let us recognize, as the theologian states, that the line that separates good from evil passes through the heart of every human being. Until we evolve to the point at which we can look in the mirror and see that which is not good within the self, we condemn ourselves to project that unacknowledged evil outward upon someone or some group or faction of the human family. This has always been the fertile soil in which hatred and violence grows; and it can break out like a wildfire and destroy centuries of advancement. I am thankful to be an American, but I do not for a moment believe that America, or any American, is pure. The power of evil, lurking in all our hearts, tends to kill or reject those who are the purest among us. But this is what we now seek to overcome.

One of the reasons, perhaps the main reason that I am thankful to have been born in this nation is because its government is founded upon a trust in the general populace to govern itself. That is a radical trust, always in jeopardy, and predicated upon, not only the intelligence of the people, for intelligence is neutral and may be utilized for good or evil. This trust is predicated more upon the psycho-spiritual maturity and wisdom of the common men and women in its domain. It is predicated upon the mainstream populace's ability to care for the common good above selfish endeavors. Without this dynamic, democracy and world peace will never be possible. We will always be at war, like children jealously fighting for the attention and highest esteem of their parents—parents who love them both dearly and grieve their competitive nature. The great importance of government for and by the people is emphasized by the fact that evil loves power, and governing is a form of power. Common folk are not generally enamored of power. They just want to get along—work and provide for their families; enjoy the prosperity of the land and the beauty of the earth. They are, therefore, a safer repository of power than the minority who are afflicted with a need to rule. But this latter will always be those who compete and work diligently to gain that power. A government that places the ultimate power in the hands of the common folk is therefore genius—provided the common folk are psycho-spiritually mature. This is why our Founding Fathers wove together democracy and unfettered religion. They realized, in a manner that seems advanced beyond their time, that democracy could not maintain itself without this growing maturity that facilitates sincere and intelligent good will and a willingness to overcome the baser drives of human personality. In fact, any true religion places this endeavor—the overcoming of the “sinful nature” inherent in every human—at the apex of importance. And any religion that attempts to force or coerce cannot originate from the God Who has set us free—even to violate His will. The God of this universe does not need man to enforce His will; He is quite capable of that Himself, if it were His will to govern by power, fear and intimidation. Every bird, butterfly and child's lovely face speaks loudly that this is not the way of the God of creation. We must come to realize that our lives must be motivated, more and more over time, by the Love that we have for our children. That Love must be the decisive factor in all our endeavors. And that Love must not be excluded from any human or group of humans on this earth—even those who seem to be absorbed in the darkness of hatred or the lust for power. We must trust the power of that Love to overcome all evil, as light always overcomes darkness. We must raise this endeavor to a conscious level, and keep it infused with hope, because it is always in danger of sinking down underneath the worries and cares of daily life, drained by cynicism or overcome by the fearful need for power and its false security. Any viable religious practice must serve to keep its practitioners mindful of this Love, and growing in their capacity to live it out in the world of daily living. And those who do not believe in a supernatural being must surely see and realize that there is no higher motive for the human will than this Love. We can all, therefore, be unified in Love. I do not believe there is another force on earth that will unify us.

May God bless America, and may God bless the human family.

Happiness

Just now I think I am about as happy as anybody ought to be; happiness being the moving target that it is.
Sometimes still, though, I'm tempted to think it's "out there somewhere; beyond the next horizon; around the next curve." I hear rumors of people who've found it in the French Quarter or Colorado. But I've moved around enough to know the new wears off everywhere and you're left with the same challenge, more or less: Learning how to use what you've got to bring more Love and/or Truth and/or Beauty into the world; that happiness is the by-product of that endeavor. Happiness without that endeavor is, I believe, a form of pathology; a defect in character; a facsimile of the real thing. That challenge [to bring more Love, Truth and Beauty into the world] becomes the next horizon; the next curve in the road; the great opportunity and adventure of every moment.

Make America Great

Make America Great Again

Of course, at the time of this writing, all readers will recognize the title of this discourse as the political slogan of Donald Trump. Hillary Clinton, his democratic opponent, states that America is already and has been “great”; she just needs to be made “whole”. When I think of America's “greatness” I think of French historian Alexis de Tocqueville's evaluation set forth in his book Democracy In America. Below is his summation regarding the source of America's greatness:

I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her ample rivers - it was not there; in her fertile fields and boundless prairies, and it was not there; in her rich mines and her vast world commerce, and it was not there.  Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits ablaze with righteousness did I meet the secret of her genius and power.  America is great because she is good, and if America ceases to be good, she will cease to be great. Alexis de Tocqueville, French historian and political author, Democracy In America, 1835

The “genius and power” of America's greatness is her “goodness”--the goodness that was, and still is, being proclaimed from the pulpits of her churches. This is an amazing statement and conclusion. No arrogance, power mongering, intelligence, military might or political savvy will maintain America's greatness; only her goodness, the goodness of Jesus Christ, will do so. All other pathways are regressive.

Mark Graham

[Please share]

LOVE YOUR ENEMIES

Jesus commanded His followers to love their enemies [Matthew 5:44]. He demonstrated this love in His prayer from the Cross, "Father forgive them for they don't know what they are doing." He was praying for the forgiveness of men who had betrayed, denied, falsely accused, tortured, mocked and crucified Him. He was praying for blind, arrogant religious leaders, blood lusty soldiers, and weak disciples. He was praying for infidels and apostates [Judas]. He never indicated in any way that His followers should force, coerce, terrorize, or murder anyone. This is an amazing teaching that distinguishes the Christian faith from other religions and philosophies. A statement I have heard frequently in Christian circles summarizing this teaching is "Hate the sin but love the sinner." This teaching of Jesus sets forth a line of demarcation that partially defines the Christian Faith. It is a line that is difficult to maintain; but when one crosses it, he has departed from Christ's Way. Whenever any Christian or group of Christians become more motivated by hatred or fear than by Love, they are no longer acting as true disciples of Christ. In Christ we are not allowed to hate any person, no matter how immersed in evil they may be. God hates evil--because He loves all people and wants all to be saved from its darkness. This teaching of Christ reveals a spiritual progression from some Old Testament teachings that were perhaps appropriate for the time. He was ushering in a deeper understanding based upon man's growing capacity to understand the heart and mind of God. In that darkness--in the world of evil--there is the need to hate someone; to find blame, destroy or dominate cultures, kill people, judge and condemn. All this is contrary to the Way of God illumined by Jesus Christ. Any religion that ordains such actions is regressive and detrimental to the human family--even if done in the name of Christ. Any person, group, organization or religion that respects Jesus must understand that they have departed from His Way and His teachings when they hate, murder or terrorize other people.

Politics and Love

Much ado about politics these days. It's an important arena, populated by those who want to serve and those who want power. And it's hard to discern between the two. There currently seems to be a trend toward the desire for authoritarianism in the voting public--people want someone strong, decisive, and opinionated, who is not hesitant to wield power. In the early 70's I asked a lady who had grown up in Nazi Germany how such a man as Hitler could rise to power. She said, "Oh, the people loved him. He made the streets safe to walk again." Apparently the people in Germany at that time were tired of the chaos and violence, and a strong, unifying voice who was willing to be brutal against the "evils" of the day was welcomed and embraced. Some people to this day still embrace him--and [or] his way of governing.
My prayer continues to be that we will govern ourselves; with compassion, self-control, and responsible living focused on the common good. If we drift too far from this way-of-being, only tyranny will subdue us. As Edmund Burke penned "Society cannot exist unless a controlling power upon will and appetite be placed somewhere, and the less of it there is within, the more there must be without. It is ordained in the eternal constitution of things that men of intemperate minds can never be free. Their passions forge their fetters."
I believe, and have experienced in my own life, that it is impossible to subdue all that is not good [that is, evil] in us without the power of the Holy Spirit that Jesus brought to this earth and perpetually offers us. It is the Spirit of Love/Truth; and everything in us must sooner or later come under its [His] authority. Otherwise the ego will ultimately overpower the personality. I don't know about you, but  I know that my ego is not good for you. It's not good for me. It is blind.  When we see clearly we realize that Jesus and His teachings are the only solution for human blindness and selfishness. No political system, amount of education, or military can save us from the darkness that is in us. Even religion, as we have seen in stark, frightening clarity, can become a powerful venue of evil. But religion itself is not the problem, as some seem to believe. It is the "god" that inspires that religion. Only the God of Love [the God of Jesus Christ] can transform the heart of one who has been blinded by a god of hatred, violence and terror. No secular political system nor military power will ever subdue religion. We must all [secular and religious] work toward refining religion into its purest manifestation. Jesus said these words: "You have been taught to love your neighbor and hate your enemies, but I say to you, Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you and pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be the children of your Father in heaven." [Matthew 5:44]. He also lived the reality of those words: He walked the walk.  If you can discover anything purer than that, follow it. But if not, then acknowledge that, at least until we attain the fulfillment of His commands to love each other, there is no higher power that we need to be seeking. In fact, it's a distraction and waste of time to be occupied with anything other than that.

Marriage Improvement

Check out this link:


http://timlane.org/blog/the-most-important-ingredient-to-improve-your-marriage


Hint: It's friendship.

Multi-Culturalism and Boundaries

The Civil War is one of many examples of the difficulty of maintaining unity in a nation, especially as large as the U.S.  Division is always fertile ground for strife, whether in the color of the skin or the ideologies men live by. There has to be an undergirding ideological foundation that unifies any culture in order for it to survive and flourish. There is much emphasis currently in our nation on the concept of multi-culturalism.  We have evolved from the "melting pot" to the "salad bowl".  There seems to be a light and shadow side to the concept. Our physical bodies present a good example. The body is unified. Every single cell in the body works to keep the it alive; to nourish and protect it. The body has a boundary [the skin] as does every cell [the cell wall and membranes]. These boundaries allow certain matter to enter and they repel other forms of matter--that which is detrimental to the unity and function of the body. We know that it is destructive to the body to allow any substance/matter to enter randomly. There is a form of biological wisdom evident in the "choices" being made at the cellular level in terms of what passes through boundaries. The repelling of certain matter by the boundaries of any organism does not constitute intolerance, at least not in an unhealthy sense. Contrarily, it is for the good of the organism that it repels that which works against the life-maintaining functions of the systems and subsystems of that organism. Likewise, it is the duty of any culture to discover and adhere to all that is good for the human family, and to prevent any viral, Trojan Horse invasions of its boundaries; or to eliminate them before they destroy the life-enhancing functions of that culture. This process must be characterized by humility and compassion: never hatred or fear. A boundary can be too rigid or it can be too porous to serve the organism well.
Mark Graham

Tyranny

Those who rule by fear, intimidation and force are tyrants; whether in a family, business or nation. And all tyranny must end. The God of this universe is not a tyrant [He has set us free!] and He does not ordain tyranny.
Freedom from tyranny is founded upon a responsible populace that is not lazy or entitled. Sociopathy requires forceful control. The greater the sociopathy in any culture, the riper the ground for tyranny.

Human Growth

Peyton Manning was recently implicated in the use of Human Growth Hormone [HGH]. This is a synthetic version of a hormone that, among other things, enhances cell production, and has been used to enhance athletic performance. It's been banned by the regulators of professional sports, but, until 2000 was impossible to detect since the body produces a form of it.
Anyway, it got me thinking about human growth--not the physical type, but the psycho-spiritual type. Human maturity. One of the great revelations of my life is that human maturity does not  happen naturally or automatically, as does normal physical growth.  If there were a hormone that would induce psycho-spiritual maturity, I would spend all I have for it. But I suspect there will never be such a substance. Human maturity is forged in the crucible of life experiences faced with proactively chosen faith, hope and love. We see that those who use mind-altering or mind-numbing drugs to face the painful difficulties of life retard or halt their growth toward maturity.
This indicates that there are certain ways-of-being, behaviors, etc., that facilitate human maturity; and certain ways-of-being that do not. Not only drugs but absorption in entertainment, sexual fantasies, materialistic pursuits, or just plain laziness will keep us from developing our potential. And, as was stated on an educational commercial, "a human mind is a terrible thing to waste". Human potential is vast and valuable beyond all measure.  How sad for it to be wasted sitting in front of a TV or glued to an electronic device. How sad to waste our lives living in an imaginary world created in the venue of social media.  This is not to say that imagination and social media are evil or counter to growth, in fact they can and are used very responsibly to foster maturity.  But we see very clearly that they can also be an escape from the responsibilities that foster maturity. 
Perhaps the main point here is that maturity does not happen naturally. This calls us into mindfulness of our way-of-being in the world, and whether or not it is facilitative of growth. For me personally, Jesus has awakened me to the deeper, more profound and truly meaningful aspects of humanity. He has caused me to examine myself in the light of His love for the human family, and called me into what Chuck Colson described as the "enduring revolution"--the ongoing increase of the Love of God in the hearts of humans--the progressive overcoming of all that is oppressive to life, peace, and joy. I came to believe in Him as the Messiah almost forty years ago, and His Spirit is still as fresh as this morning's sunrise in my heart. I would say unreservedly that anyone who has not read the New Testament with an open mind is a fool, and cares nothing for the truth. How could you claim to be a truth-seeker and ignore the one who said "I am the truth"? The one to Whom we testify each time we write or speak the date: January 5, 2016 AD [anno Domini, in the year of our Lord]? I encourage everyone that I love [and, in Christ, I love everyone] to be very serious about his/her personal psycho-spiritual maturity. And to look deeply into the teachings and life of Jesus to foster that process. If His words are true, the fullness of maturity is impossible without His Spirit. I know for sure that my capacity for love, peace and joy has been awakened and greatly increased because of my devotion to Jesus. I celebrate with everything within me every step I have taken in response to His loving invitations. I see in Him the solution to the problems that we humans create for ourselves. I challenge you to look deeply into the teachings of Jesus. Only fools and cowards ignore Him.