Saturday, September 30, 2017

LCA 2017 Handouts

BRINGING GOD IN
LCA Conference 2017, Session 18
Mark Graham, M.Div., Ed.D., LPC-S, Licensed, Ordained Minister of the Christian Gospel

Some questions for intake form:
1. Do you have a religious affiliation?
2. Is faith in God an important factor in your life?
3. Would you like to incorporate prayer and Scripture into our sessions?

Prayer: {example. To be read or spoken at beginning of session, with client's permission}
Holy Father/Lord Jesus/Heavenly Father:
Thank You for giving us life. We recognize that we did not create ourselves nor this beautiful earth that supplies all we need for biological existence. We are thankful for the gift of life. And thank You for the beauty that is all around us. Help us to see this beauty, and to recognize it as a gift of love from You. Thank you for the amazing gift of manhood and womanhood, children and family life. We need look no farther than that to know that You truly love us. Thank You for the gifts of music and humor. Thank You that we can laugh ...and cry. Thank You for the gift of feelings. Even though some of them are
difficult and painful, we know that emotions are a gift also. Please help us to be mindful of our eternal souls—our heart-of-hearts—and to cultivate Love and good will, as You have commanded us, so that we can avail ourselves of the gifts you have promised us: abundant life, peace and joy. Please help us measure our spiritual growth by how well we are loving others, and how much we are growing in the inner experience of peace, joy and abundant life. We accept that this life will not be easy. You told us we would have tribulation in this world. We know that to be true. But You also commanded us to, nevertheless, be of good cheer for You have overcome the world. And You are in us and we are in You, therefore we also overcome the trials and tribulations of life. Help us therefore to maintain a vibrant hope. We renew our commitment to love the people in our sphere of influence. Whatever our suffering, may we rest assured that we can fulfill Your purposes in our lives. We pray Your blessings upon this session. Please focus us on those things that will be most helpful for our spiritual growth in all areas that are most pleasing to You. Help us to be mindful of Your love for us and for all in our sphere of influence. May our lives always be guided by your Love, Truth and Goodness.
In Christ's Holy name,
Amen

Example of Post-Session [closing] Prayer:
Lord we thank You for the opportunity to open our hearts deeply in this way, knowing that You are with us to help us deal with whatever has come forth in a healthy and healing manner. Whatever Truth has come forth in this session, may it be a seed planted in the fertile, receptive soil of our souls. May it take root and grow, bearing the fruit of Your Spirit within us: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-control. May we be more of everything You created us to become for having gathered ourselves here. May Your will be done in our hearts and minds and lives, and on earth, as it is in Heaven. And may Your Name be praised forever and ever.
Amen


An alternative prayer to be prayed slowly; meditatively:

Jesus promised to be with “two or more who are gathered in my name.” {Matthew 18:20}
Lord, we are gathered in your name.
Thank you for your presence with us.
We ask you to give each of us here a deep inner sense of your presence—your Spirit—your profound love for us and for everyone in our sphere of influence.
You have encouraged us to ask, in your name, for what we need. {John 14:13}
We ask for wisdom, and that we might be guided by your Love and Truth.
Help us to face our fears.
Help us see ourselves as we truly are, especially our sinful natures that are weak and blind.
Help us to remember that you love us despite our faults, and are ready to help us overcome.
Help us not to condemn ourselves as we look honestly into our souls.
Thank you for forgiveness and grace!
In obedience to you we also forgive all who have hurt us in any way.
Keep us in your perfect peace. Amen





SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

Regarding the primary goal of the Christian life:

Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. This I command you: that you love one another; as I have loved you, love one another. [Jesus] John 15:12-14

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. [Jesus] Matthew 5:44-45.

Jesus said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command.
The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.
All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.” Matthew 22:37-40

Beloved let us love one another, for love is of God and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God for God is love. 1John 4:7-8

St. Augustine: "Since love grows within you, so beauty grows. For love is the beauty of the soul."
de Chardin: “Someday, after mastering the wind, the waves, the tides and gravity, we shall harness for God the energies of love; and then, for a second time in the history of the world, man will have discovered fire.”

Some powerful verses that are liberating and healing:
In the world you will have tribulation; nevertheless be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.
{John 16:33} Breaks down a mindset of entitlement—to life being easier. Moves us toward acceptance of the innate difficulty of life; and, paradoxically, diminishes suffering—the suffering of non-acceptance. Cheerfulness is a choice.

I am in you, you in me, and I in the Father. {John 14:20} We also can overcome the world! He is in us. This is profound for those who can receive it.


There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. {Romans 8:1} God does not condemn those who have recognized in Christ's Love the solution to their own and the world's problems, and are peacefully motivated to walk in the Light of that Truth. We must not condemn ourselves or others, nor receive it from others. To condemn is to judge as damnable; render a guilty verdict.

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. {Proverbs 4:23}
We can guard our hearts from toxic relational energy: blame, verbal abuse, criticism, etc.

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. {1John 1:8-9} Breaks down denial. Heals guilt and shame. Emphasize “cleanse”.

 Who perceives his unintentional sins? Cleanse me from my hidden faults. {Psalms 19:12} The writer shows great wisdom in acknowledging character defects that have not come into consciousness. C.G. Jung — 'Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.'

Love your enemies, bless those who curse you; do good to those who hate you and pray for those who despitefully use you, that you may be the children of your Father in heaven. {Matthew 5:44}
This is helpful for Christian couples who have “fallen out of love” or who don't feel love toward each other. De-emphasizes the romantic concept of love. Also for anyone trapped in hatred of any person. We can hate sin; but not a person. Love is a choice. Jesus, in his love for us, gives us no excuse not to love.

We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose. {Romans 8:28}
Sometimes we can see the good that comes from our suffering; sometimes not. Faith reminds us that we will, at some point, see the good in all of it.
Can you find some redeeming value in your tribulations/sufferings? Then there is something to be thankful for---which justifies the following verse:

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. {1 Thessalonians 5:18} “If we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little. And if we didn't learn anything, at least we didn't get sick. And if we got sick, at least we didn't die.” There is always something to be thankful for, and there is always something to complain about. The choice is ours.

Why is it so easy for you to see the speck in your brother's [spouse's] eye, but so difficult to see the beam in your own eye. Don't be a hypocrite. Get the beam out of your own eye first, then you can see more clearly how to help your loved one get the speck out of there's. {Matthew 7:3-5}
Addresses the blame and defense dynamic: “It's not me; it's you.” Helps couples learn to lead with confession rather than criticism or blame.

Brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. {Philippians 4:8} So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. [2Cor.4:18].
Here is a major component of CBT—the cognitive component—that calls us into mindfulness. What composes our thought life? Peace is promised [Phil 4:9] if we shift our thinking toward lovely, admirable, etc. things and toward the unseen, vs. seen aspects of life. The qualities of suffering [fear, dread, anger, despair, hopelessness] are unseen, as are the qualities of healthy personality [love, joy, peace, freedom].

Do not return evil for evil, nor be overcome by evil; but rather overcome evil with good.
Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Give careful thought to do what is honorable in everyone’s eyes. Rom 12:17,21 Helpful for any believer caught in a desire for vengeance or wanting to hurt someone who has hurt him/her. Couples frequently get caught in this cycle of returning hurt for hurt. This, along with the command to “love your enemies” [Mt. 5:44] frees us from being controlled by the character defects of our loved ones [or "enemies"]. Sometimes this returning evil for evil is being lived out passive-aggressively.

Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. {Phlp 4:6-7} There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. So the one who fears is not complete in love. {1John 4:18}
If we pray about the things we would otherwise worry about, and practice a chosen gratitude, peace will supplant anxiety/worry over time. I tell my clients to upgrade worry to healthy “concern.” Never say “I'm worried about….” but rather “I'm concerned about...” Love and gratitude are the enemies of fear and anxiety.


For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens. {Eph 6:12}
Our struggle is not against our wife, husband, boss, co-workers, parents, siblings, etc. The struggle is with whatever any of these people can evoke within us. This transforms interpersonal conflict into spiritual warfare—and potentially growth. Remember, Jesus commands us to love our enemies.

Regarding depression:

Then He [Jesus] said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.” {Mat 26:38} Jesus experienced deep sorrow—-but continued to love.
We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— {2Co 4:9} There is a foundation underneath all sorrow and hardship below which we cannot fall. “The house stands.” {Mt7:25} We can actually rest in our depression
The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed… {Luk 4:18} Jesus promises freedom from oppression. What is oppressing your clients? What is oppressing you?

“Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Mat 11:29-30 Regarding self-care: The way that Jesus wants us to love each other will never excessively drain or deplete us. His yoke is easy, His burden light.

I try to get my clients to measure their growth by how well they are loving their people and by how much more peace, joy, and abundance of life they are experiencing. To make these traits a conscious part of our growth is very powerful.

Regarding Forgiveness: Mt 18: 23-35

“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there will ever be to know and understand.” Albert Einstein

Imagine that you thoroughly believed in the one and only God of this universe:
A conscious being Who IS LOVE! Light; Freedom; Peace; Joy; ultimate Truth; Eternal; Infinitely Wise and Powerful.
The God of Jesus Christ. A Loving Parent Who commands us to love each other but Who chooses not to control us, but rather gives us freedom, even to do evil.
Who gives us His Holy Spirit as an internal Guide and empowerment to live a truly successful life regardless of circumstances, history, or upbringing.
Who promises to be with us always, even to the end of the world.
Who promises to bring us to a place of spiritual completion—the fulfillment of our heart's desires.
Who tells us plainly that we will have tribulation, but that we can overcome it all by abiding in His Spirit.
Who is working ALL things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Rom 8:28
Who loves others as much as He loves you; and holds you accountable for how you treat them.
Who can and will spiritually protect you from being defeated by evil.
Who promises peace, joy, abundant and eternal life!
Who offers rest for the beleaguered soul.
Imagine that you had come to know, through and beyond doubt, that this is Truth. And that this Truth had dawned in you like a sunrise, and was now rising higher, like the sun going toward the full light of day.
Feel the Power of that Truth to set you free. The God of the entire universe is the Creator and origin of all Love: mother love, father love, brother and sister love, man-woman love…
That the God of the universe actually is this love—magnified by the power that could create a billion galaxies!
Imagine that you regularly called yourself into a mindfulness of this Reality; lived in the Light of it; peacefully bound yourself to it through devotional living, loving service, meditation and prayer. Imagine that you did all this with a growing peace and confidence born out of honestly and carefully facing doubts and fears; that you had looked deeply into the alternatives of Faith and found them all lacking and untenable. And that now, flowers, birds and children could call you into a place of delight, gratitude and deeper faith.
Imagine that when disaster blindsided you through a death or a diagnosis, you accepted it peacefully as one of the tribulations that your Lord had prepared you for; and you began immediately, without denial or minimization, finding blessings amid the tribulation.
Imagine that you knew that your reason for being here was to learn to love, and to practice and perfect this love; and that your God and Creator knew this about your heart, and was well-pleased with you, even though your practice was weak and very imperfect. [This is Grace!]
Imagine that what those who've had near death experiences are telling us is true: That there is indescribable love, peace and completion on the other side of death; to such an extent that a loving mother does not have a desire to return to her children in this earth-life.
Imagine that you are free – with an infinite and growing freedom that is not based on politics or nationality or circumstances; a freedom that can not be taken away from you because it transcends earthly realities.

Imagine that the God of All has revealed Himself as our Friend!
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Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Imagination


“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there will ever be to know and understand.” Albert Einstein

Imagine that you thoroughly believed in the one and only God of this universe:
A conscious being Who IS LOVE! Light; Freedom; Peace; Joy; ultimate Truth; Eternal; Infinitely Wise and Powerful.
The God of Jesus Christ. A Loving Parent Who commands us to love each other but Who chooses not to control us, but rather gives us freedom, even to do evil.
Who gives us His Holy Spirit as an internal Guide and empowerment to live a truly successful life regardless of circumstances, history, or upbringing.
Who promises to be with us always, even to the end of the world.
Who promises to bring us to a place of spiritual completion—the fulfillment of our heart's desires.
Who tells us plainly that we will have tribulation, but that we can overcome it all by abiding in His Spirit.
Who is working ALL things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Rom 8:28
Who loves others as much as He loves you; and holds you accountable for how you treat them.
Who can and will spiritually protect you from being defeated by evil.
Who promises peace, joy, abundant and eternal life!
Who offers rest for the beleaguered soul.
Imagine that you had come to know, through and beyond doubt, that this is Truth. And that this Truth had dawned in you like a sunrise, and was now rising higher, like the sun in the sky going toward the full light of day.
Feel the Power of that Truth to set you free. The God of the entire universe is the Creator and origin of all Love: mother love, father love, brother and sister love, man-woman love…
That the God of the universe actually is this love—magnified by the power that could create a billion galaxies!
Imagine that you regularly called yourself into a mindfulness of this Reality; lived in the Light of it; peacefully bound yourself to it through devotional living, loving service, meditation and prayer. Imagine that you did all this with a growing peace and confidence born out of honestly and carefully facing doubts and fears; that you had looked deeply into the alternatives of Faith and found them all lacking and untenable. And that now, flowers, birds and children could call you into a place of delight, gratitude and deeper faith.
Imagine that when disaster blindsided you through a death or a diagnosis, you accepted it peacefully as one of the tribulations that your Lord had prepared you for; and you began immediately, without denial or minimization, finding blessings amid the tribulation.
Imagine that you knew that your reason for being here was to learn to love, and to practice and perfect this love; and that your God and Creator knew this about your heart, and was well-pleased with you, even though your practice was weak and very imperfect. [This is Grace!]
Imagine that what those who've had near death experiences are telling us is true: That there is indescribable love, peace and completion on the other side of death; to such an extent that a loving mother does not have a desire to return to this earth-life.
Imagine that you are free – with an infinite and growing freedom that is not based on politics or nationality or circumstances; a freedom that can not be taken away from you because it transcends earthly realities.

Imagine that the God of All has revealed Himself as our Friend!
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Saturday, September 23, 2017

Grace and Power


2 Tim. 2:1
You, therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
Act 4:33
With great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was on all of them.
Act 6:8
Now Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people.
2Co 12:9
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.”
Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may reside in me.
Eph 3:7
I was made a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace that was given to me by the working of his power.

There is holy power associated with grace! What is this power?
Take some time to think about every aspect of evil, especially your own weaknesses, character defects, besetting sins that you cannot, no matter how hard you try, overcome. [Remember, 1Jo 1:8
“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”]
Place it all together---all evil, all darkness, everything you are in denial about or don't want people to know about you, all worry, all oppression—and envision it as darkness that you are pushing down into a corner of your soul. But it continues to invade your heart and mind. Like viruses and bacteria, it continues to infect, penetrate, and drain your life and make you sick with shame or guilt or fear.
See this darkness. See it clearly.
Now see the Light of God's Grace shining through Jesus Christ; shining from above down into that darkness and driving it farther and farther away—as the East from the West; making you clean and free and pure as the spirit of Christ Himself—His righteousness being imparted to you by God—cleansing you from all unrighteousness. Allow yourself to inwardly experience this cleansing Grace on every level of your being. This is not denial. This is not rationalizing. This is God's unspeakable Love manifesting through His Grace offered through faith in Jesus Christ!
Now notice that there is no condemnation. God is not condemning you. You must not condemn yourself, nor receive condemnation from any human. This grace penetrates down deep where the shame of your life's litany of failures has pooled like toxic waste in the bottom of your soul. A miracle transforms that waste into healthy soil in which the seeds of Truth and Grace take root and grow quickly, producing the Fruit of the Holy Spirit in you: Peace, Love, Joy…. No man can condemn you! You are free! Free to love with the Love of Christ!
It is only God's Grace that frees us from the power of sin: No herculean marathon of good deeds. And no massive wall of denial can ever extricate us from what is being denied. Only this Light of Grace can penetrate and drive away that darkness.
Paradoxically, we discover that, when liberated from denial and shame, we can love better! The draining energy of shame, guilt, and fear is transformed into peace, gratitude, and love. And since we do not want our testimony to be blotted by our character defects, we ask Him to purify us from our besetting sins. We do not want to be hypocrites. We continue to confess our sins before God and mature others, but we do not live in condemnation or shame. We live in forgiveness and Grace. We accept the righteousness of Christ, even though we are sinners. Others in the world may seem freer than us in their denial, but we do not see their inner soul. We must not compare ourselves to the unredeemed—or to anyone for that matter. We must simply abide in Christ and in the Truth that He reveals to us in His infinite Love for His creation and all humankind. In Christ we have the power to be the sons and daughters of God—His children, in whom He is well pleased!
Gal 3:26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.


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Friday, September 15, 2017

Self-Care

Bear one anothers' burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ....
For each man must bear his own burden. [Gal. 6:2,9]

These verses speak to the issue of self-care. We are called by Christ to help people with their burdens. Others are called to help us with ours. We realize, if we are practicing the Love of Christ, that we do not want to burden other people with our burdens. They have burdens of their own, and we must be alert as to how we can help them, as Christ would have us. So we work diligently to carry our load--we are responsible; we know that it is more blessed to give than to receive; we have before us always Christ on the Cross, giving His life for us and commanding us to love each other as He has loved us. Our desire is for all people to be responsible in this way, but they have never been, and are not likely to be so in our lifetime. So we must learn to keep our peace in a world with the type of spiritual blindness that makes people sick and weak, and causes them to be more dependent on others than they should be. We help people like this by using our energies to persuade them toward responsibility as the pathway of their greatest happiness. We realize that their dependence is pathological for them. And we are careful not to judge them, nor to do for them what they can and should do for themselves [which is called "enabling."]  If they can receive Christ, becoming regenerated in the New Life that He supplies, then they become more responsible because they begin to be influenced by the voice and Spirit of ultimate Truth--the Love of God in Christ. But this is just religious vernacular to those who have not tasted the beautiful, transforming Truth of Christ. So we do not expect them to understand. I have seen cases in which, for example, a daughter was working diligently to care for an aging mother who had never really been a mother because of an unredeemed personality disorder. The mother was incessantly displeased with her daughter, complaining about the daughter's ministries, accusing her of not "caring", keeping her in a constant battle against guilt, anger and resentment. Caregivers must learn to "guard their hearts" in such situations. If we [caregivers] give too much, we will start feeling resentful and may become passive aggressive. It would not, however be loving to totally abandon the dependent one. We must remember that God loves the caregiver as much as the receiver of care. And that He sustains our hearts as we love and serve. We must not lose our peace trying to give it to others. It seems that some people never take root in the Truth that would set them free. They never get to the soul-fulfillment that Jesus gives us. We must be ultimately OK with this.
And we must not idealize this "soul-fulfillment". Life on this planet never gets easy for anyone. We hear Christ when He says, "In this world you will have tribulation"[  ]. We accept this on a very deep level. But we also hear Him say, "Nevertheless, be of good cheer. I have overcome the world."[John 16:33]  Our Savior and Friend, who has promised to be with us always, even to the end of the world [Mt. 28:20], has overcome every tribulation we will encounter, and secured eternal life for us. Death is our final victory! The afflictions of this world are slight and temporary compared to the "glory to be revealed in us" [ 2 Cor 4:17; Rom 8:18]. But in the mean time, as Dietrich Bonhoeffer has said "If the Lord returns tomorrow, then I will rest from my labors, but today, I have work to do."  We have work to do. The work of faith, hope and love. The work for which we have been ordained by our Lord: to go out into the world with the Light that is shining in us--the Light of Christ Himself.  This work  is accompanied and partly motivated by an ongoing sense of unfulfillment. It is the unfulfillment of Christ Himself who was at times, frustrated with faithlessness, sorrowful, angry and disappointed.  His humanity connects with us. Then His divinity lifts us to new heights of freedom and peace. The unfulfillment is swallowed up in His Love in us. It becomes fuel for a holy fire that we would never extinguish. This is a mystery, but some will understand, not only with the mind, but with the heart. These are the free ones.
Christianity is a religion of the heart, soul, mind and body. All of these are in the domain of the Creator; our "Father" as Christ called Him, and with Whom He was and is One. How could our faith in the God of the entire universe be anything but wholistic.  This frightens some people, I know. They see it as too "dogmatic"; even arrogant. If it were not centered in the Love of Christ, I would think so myself. But I challenge any man to discover a purer, more holy or healthy philosophy to devote one's life to than the Way of Christ---His sacrificial Love---and His command that we love each other. Until we attain that level of maturity, I can see no other pathway worthy of  our devotion. Everything outside of Christ's Love seems like a distraction at best. "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and lose his soul?" Jesus asks [Mt 16:26].
If we truly embrace Christ in our sincere quest for ultimate Truth, we will find it there, in Him.
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Tuesday, September 12, 2017

Violence

All violence motivated by greed, lust, anger, fear and/or the desire for power, is evil at its core.  There is such thing as holy violence. It is motivated only by Love and the ensuant desire for freedom for the human soul. This is the violence that one would use to protect his family from a violent attacker. But there are threats in the spiritual realm that threaten freedom and peace for whole nations and cultures. The lust for power was recognized by our Founding Fathers who set up a governmental system with "checks and balances" to guard against it. They recognized the dangers that perpetually threatened a government that provided and tried to protect individual freedom from tyranny and oppression. They recognized the dark side of the human soul. They even protected the populaces' freedom to bear arms to prevent being overpowered by a government run amuck. This, of course, places immense responsibility upon the populace to be mature and self-controlled; not quick to violence and willing to go to great lengths to settle all disputes without violence, but rather through the sincere pursuit of the "common good."  Even with this sincere discipline and holy desire, there has been and will continue to be the need for good men who have no ill will toward anyone---who covet no man's property or rights, and who desire to live in peace with all mankind---to take up arms against those who seem to be lost in a deep darkness that spawns hatred and callous disregard for freedom and human life. The primary battle is and will always be the battle for the enlightenment of those who are in this darkness. This battle can only be won if motivated by divine Love---the Love of Christ evident in His prayer from the Cross, "Father forgive them. They don't know what they are doing." Theological debates, though necessary, are only useful if they lead to more of this love in the hearts of human beings. This is the result of all true evangelism. The hardness of heart that opposes the Truth of Christ puts one on a pathway that has as its ultimate destination many variations of hell, including hatred and violence.
Any theology that presents a god that rejoices in the death of any human or that rewards violence and spawns hatred cannot be the God of the universe---the God Who has so generously lavished us with life, beauty. and freedom.
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Prayer


Pray this prayer slowly, meditatively. Be careful not to just read it---pray it. Contemplate the meaning of the words.

O Holy Father and Mother,
The Conscious Core of the universe, beyond all concepts, beyond all labels, beyond all religions; the Giver of all that is. Help us to know You as You are. May we feel Your Love inwardly, and therefore know, beyond all doubt, that we can Trust You in life and in death.
Fill our hearts with Love and Peace and Gratitude. We are thankful to You, O God, for life. You have given us Life. Our consciousness is a product of Your consciousness. And we are alienated from Your consciousness only as we are in darkness—the darkness that You allow, in order for us to be free and for our lives to have meaning. We recognize that there are many in this world who do not believe that You exist or who have different ideas about You. We have come to know You through Christ, Who has revealed You as a loving parent, patient, merciful and kind; but also Who commands, and Who has the rightful authority to command us to love each other. We understand that You, O God, are Love—the love that you have put within us for our children! You are constrained, in Your infinite freedom, only by this Love. And we are also only constrained by it. This is a joyful restraint! It is the constraint of freedom. And You, O God, have always demanded that Your people be free. We receive, in this moment, the gift of knowing that we are free, and allow ourselves, with Your permission, to feel this freedom and the peace it brings into our souls.
The Peace that we find in You O God is also constrained by this Love. We recognize the unnecessary suffering that we inflict upon ourselves because we have not known, understood and submitted to this Love. We are appalled that men still brutally kill men, women, children---that there is hatred in our hearts toward each other, and that, even in our most mature relationships there are lapses of selfishness and abuse. We recognize that we have work to do. We pray for the Peace of Christ as we do this work. Help us to be neither lazy nor compulsive in this work of Love. Help us to be diligent---and peaceful. Help us to overcome our fear of man, what he thinks about us or what he can do to us. But, please Lord, help us to never stop loving him and working for his freedom from all oppression; as we allow Your Spirit in us to keep us free from oppression—even the frustrations of our own and our peoples' failures and ignorance. Help us to take to heart Your prayer from the Cross: “Father forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing.”
Thank You for Grace—Amazing Grace—that enables us to live free from both denial and guilt. It is only in Your Love that we can look at some of the ugliness in ourselves; and it is only by Your Grace that we can be “cleansed from all unrighteousness.” Thank You for giving us the Righteousness of Christ—unspeakable gift! We receive Your Grace, forgiveness, and cleansing, with deep gratitude and the humility that recognizes that we did not earn it, nor are we entitled to it; any more than we were entitled to life on this planet. You give deliverance as freely as You have given life---deliverance from all oppression. In this moment, we allow ourselves, with Your permission, to feel free from all fear, or to embrace our fears in Faith. We allow ourselves to feel forgiven and healed of all the ways our souls have been twisted by the darkness that is in our world. Free from all oppression.
We seek only to be motivated by Your Universal, Divine Love---Love for all sentient beings, for life and goodness and truth---for all the love that has been and is being expressed in the human family---for kindness and generosity of heart---for the innocence of childhood, and for the opportunity to return to it ourselves---for the delivering power of forgiveness. And for the confidence of Your promises: to be with us always, even to the end of the world; to complete the work that You have begun in us---to give us eternal life---to empower us to love effectively with eternal results.
We renew our devotion to be obedient to You by loving others as we love ourselves; and by doing what we can to facilitate the expansion of Your Love in the hearts of humans---to work for Your Kingdom.
In Christ's Holy Name,

Amen---Let it be so---Amen.
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Friday, September 1, 2017

Bible: Statements Regarding


Great Statements Concerning the Bible

“The only way of establishing and perpetuating our republican forms of government is the universal education of our youth in the principles of Christianity by means of the Bible. ...The Bible contains more knowledge necessary to man in his present state than any other book in the world.”
-Benjamin Rush, signer of Dec. of Independence, “Father of Public Schools under the Constitution”

"So great is my veneration for the Bible that …the earlier my children begin to read it, the more confident will be my hopes that they will prove useful citizens of their country and respectable members of society. I have for many years made it a practice to read through the Bible once every year."
"I speak as a man of the world to men of the world; and I say to you, Search the Scriptures! The Bible is the book of all others, to be read at all ages, and in all conditions of human life; not to be read once or twice or thrice through, and then laid aside, but to be read in small portions of one or two chapters every day, and never to be intermitted, unless by some overruling necessity."
"In what light soever we regard the Bible, whether with reference to revelation, to history, or to morality, it is an invaluable and inexhaustible mine of knowledge and virtue."
"The first and almost the only Book deserving of universal attention is the Bible."
- John Quincy Adams

“The existence of the Bible, as a book for the people, is the greatest benefit which the human race has ever experienced.”
-Immanuel Kant German philosopher who is a central figure in modern philosophy


“Of the many influences that have shaped the United States into a distinctive nation and people, none may be said to be more fundamental and enduring than the Bible.”
“My experience in this office that I hold has only deepened a belief that I've held for many years: Within the covers of that single Book are all the answers to all the problems that face us today if only we'd read and believe.”
_Pres. Ronald Reagan

“There are a good many problems before the American people today and before me as President, but I expect to find the solutions to those problems just in proportion that I am faithful in the study of the Word.”
-Woodrow Wilson, 28th Pres. Of the United States

"The Bible is no mere book, but a living Power that conquers all that oppose it."
- Napoleon Bonaparte

"The American nation from its first settlement at Jamestown to this hour is based upon and permeated by the principles of the Bible."
- Justice David Joseph Brewer, Supreme Court Justice

"I believe the Bible because it is the Word of God."
- William Jennings Bryan
"I know the Bible is inspired because it finds me a greater depth of my being than any other book."
“I have found in the Bible words for my inmost thoughts, songs for my joy, utterance for my hidden griefs and pleadings for my shame and feebleness.”
— Samuel Taylor Coleridge an English poet, literary critic, philosopher and theologian who, with his friend William Wordsworth, was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England  

"It is impossible to enslave mentally or socially a Bible-reading people. The principles of the Bible are the groundwork of human freedom."
- Horace Greeley

"I have always believed in the inspiration of the Holy Scriptures, whereby they have become the expression to man of the Word and will of God."
- Warren G. Harding

"The Bible is worth all other books which have ever been printed."
- Patrick Henry

"That book, sir, is the rock on which our republic rests."
- Andrew Jackson

"The Bible contains more true sublimity, more exquisite beauty, more pure morality, more important history, and finer strains of poetry and eloquence than can be collected from all other books, in whatever age or language they may have been written."
- Sir William James

"Of the hundreds of thousands of artifacts found by the archaeologists, not one has ever been discovered that contradicts, or denies one word, phrase, clause, or sentence of the Bible . . . but always confirms, and verifies the facts of the Biblical record."
- Dr. J.O. Kinnaman

"In all my perplexities and distresses, the Bible has never failed to give me light and strength."
- Robert E. Lee

"All the good from the Savior of the World is communicated through this Book . . . All the things desirable to man are contained in it."
"I am profitably engaged in reading the Bible. Take all of this Book upon reason that you can, and the balance by faith, and you will live and die a better man."
"I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man. All the good from the Savior of the world is communicated to us through this book."
"In regard to this Great Book, I have but to say, I believe the Bible is the best gift God has given to man. All the good Savior gave to the world was communicated through this Book. But for this Book we could not know right from wrong. All things most desirable for man’s welfare, here and hereafter, are to be found portrayed in it. To you I return my most sincere thanks for the elegant company of the great Book of God which you present."
- Abraham Lincoln

"I consider an intimate knowledge of the Bible an indispensable qualification of a well-educated man."
- Dr. Robert A. Milliken, American experimental physicist honored with the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1923 for the measurement of the elementary electric charge and for his work on the photoelectric effect.

"We account the Scriptures of God to be the most sublime philosophy. I find more sure marks of authority in the Bible than in any profane history whatever."
- Sir Isaac Newton

"I thoroughly believe in a university education…but I believe a knowledge of the Bible without a college course is more valuable than a college course without the Bible. Everyone who has a thorough knowledge of the Bible may truly be called educated."
- Dr. Wm. Lyon Phelps, Yale University

"A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education."
- Theodore Roosevelt


"Make it the first morning business of your life to understand some part of the Bible clearly, and make it your daily business to obey it in all that you do understand."
- John Ruskin

"There is only one Book – the Bible."
- Sir Walter Scott

"The whole hope of human progress is suspended on the ever-growing influence of the Bible."
- William Henry Seward

"Nobody ever outgrows Scripture; the book widens and deepens with our years."
- Charles Haddon Spurgeon

"You ask me what I think of Christ? He is the Chiefest among ten thousand, and altogether lovely – my Lord, my Saviour, and my God. What do I think of the Bible? It is the infallible Word of God, a light erected all along the shores of time to warn against the rocks and breakers, and to show the only way to harbor of eternal rest."
- William Strong

“The fundamental basis of this nation's laws was given to Moses on the Mount. The fundamental basis of our Bill of Rights comes from the teachings we get from Exodus and Saint Matthew, Isaiah and Saint Paul.”...
"The Bible is the moral code of civilization."
- Harry S. Truman

"A loving trust in the Author of the Bible is the best preparation for a wise and profitable study of the Bible itself."
- H.C. Trumbull

"After all, the Bible must be its own argument and defense. The power of it can never be proved unless felt. The authority of it can never be supported unless it is manifest. The light of it can never be demonstrated unless it shines."
- Henry Van Dyke

"I cannot too greatly emphasize the importance and value of Bible study—more important than ever before in these days of uncertainties, when men and women are apt to decide questions from the standpoint of expediency rather than on the eternal principles laid down by God Himself."
- John Wanamaker

"It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible."
- George Washington

"If there is anything in my thoughts or style to commend, the credit is due to my parents for instilling in me an early love of the Scriptures. If we abide by the principles taught in the bible, our country will go on prospering and to prosper; but if we and our posterity neglect its instructions and authority, no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us and bury all our glory in profound obscurity."
"The Bible is our only safe guide."
- Daniel Webster

“It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ! For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here.”
-Patrick Henry


“The Bible is the rock on which our Republic rests.”
-Andrew Jackson

 For more than a thousand years the Bible, collectively taken, has gone hand in hand with civilization science, law; in short, with the moral and intellectual cultivation of the species, always supporting and often leading he way...     Samuel Taylor Coleridge

"A man had deprived himself of the best there is in the world who has deprived himself of this, a knowledge of the Bible. When you have read the Bible, you will know it is the Word of God, because you will have found in it the key to your own heart, your own happiness and your own duty."...
"I am sorry for the men who do not read the Bible every day. I wonder why they deprive themselves of the strength and of the pleasure."
"It is very difficult for an individual who knows the Scripture ever to get away from it…it forms a part of the warp and woof of his life."
- Woodrow Wilson
"This Book contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise, believe in it to be safe, and practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveler’s map, the pilgrim’s staff, the pilot’s compass, the soldier’s sword, and the Christian’s character. Here paradise is restored, heaven opened, and the gates of hell disclosed. Christ is its grand object, our good its design, and the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet. It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure. It is given you in life, will be opened in the judgment, and will be remembered forever. It involves the highest responsibilities, will reward the greatest labor, and will condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents."
- Unknown

The text that led to Martin Luther’s conversion, and inspired the Reformation: "For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith.’" (Romans 1:17)

The text which more deeply influenced the life of John Knox: "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent." (John 17:3)

The text which saved William Cowper from suicide: "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God." (Romans 3:24-25).

John Bunyan’s favorite text: "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." (John 6:37).

The text which challenged David Livingstone: "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you, and, lo I am with you always, even to the end of the world." (Matthew 28:19-20).




Just use me – I am the Bible.
I am God’s wonderful library.
I am always – and above all – The Truth.
To the weary pilgrim, I am a good strong staff.
To the one who sits in gloom, I am a glorious light.
To those who stoop beneath heavy burdens, I am sweet rest.
To him who has lost his way, I am a safe guide.
To those who have been hurt by sin, I am healing balm.
To the discouraged, I whisper glad messages of hope.
To those who are distressed by the storms of life, I am an anchor.
To those who suffer in lonely solitude, I am a cool, soft hand resting on a fevered brow.
O, child of man, to best defend me, just use me!
- Unknown

The Bible in 50 Words
God made, Adam bit, Noah arked, Abraham split, Jacob fooled, Joseph ruled, Bush talked, Moses balked; Pharaoh plagued, people walked. Sea divided, tablets guided, Promise landed. Saul freaked, David peeked, prophets warned, Jesus born. God walked, love talked, anger crucified, hope died. Love rose, Spirit flamed, Word spread, God remained.

BIBLE
I find the Bible to be what it says of itself: a hammer that breaks down my defenses, a mirror in which I see myself, and a sure guide.

The Bible is more than a historical document to be preserved.
And it is more than a classic of English literature to be cherished
and admired. It is a record of God's dealing with men, of God's
revelation of Himself and His will. It records the life and work of
Him in whom the Word of God became flesh and dwelt among men.
The Bible carries its full message, not to those who regard it simply
as a heritage of the past or praise its literary style, but to those who
read it that they may discern and understand God's Word to men.
[From the Preface of the RSV New Testament 2nd. Ed.]


We learn 7 different images for the Word of God in the Bible. This Bible study lesson is the list of these images found in the Bible.
1. Like a Double Edged Sword:
* Hebrews 4:12: -" Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart."
2. Like Fire:
* Jer 23:29: - "Is not my word like fire, says the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?"
3. Like Hammer:
* Jer 23:29: - "Is not my word like fire, says the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?"
4. Like Lamp and Light:
* Ps 119:105: - "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."
5. Like Food:
* Mat 4:4: - "Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."
* 1 Pet 1:25-2:2:"But the word of the Lord stands forever." And this is the word that was preached to you. Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation."
6. Like Seed:
* 1 Pet 1:23: - "For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God."
7. Like Mirror:
* James 1:22-25: - "But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves* in a mirror; for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act---they will be blessed in their doing."
Bible study - What is Word of God like? The seven symbols of Word of God in Bible - Double edge sword, fire, hammer, light and lamp, food, seed, mirror


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