Our Part

This is your part; to realize that murder, in ANY form, is not your will. The OVERLOOKING of the battleground is now your purpose. Be lifted up, and from a higher place look down upon it. From there, will your perspective be quite different. Here, in the midst of it, it DOES seem real. Here you have CHOSEN to be part of it. Here murder IS your choice. Yet, from above, the choice is miracles, instead of murder. And the perspective coming from this choice shows you the battle is not real, and easily escaped. Bodies may battle, but the clash of forms is meaningless. And it is over, when you realize it never was begun.

How can a battle be perceived as nothingness, when you engage in it? How can the truth of miracles be recognized, if murder is your choice? When the temptation to attack rises to make your mind darkened and murderous, remember you CAN see the battle from above. Even in forms you do not recognize, the signs you know. There is a stab of pain, a twinge of guilt, and, above all, a loss of peace. This you know well. When it occurs, leave not your place on high, but quickly choose a miracle INSTEAD of murder. And God Himself and all the lights of Heaven, will gently lean to you, and hold you up. For you have chosen to remain where He would have you. And NO illusion can attack the peace of God together with His Son.

See no-one from the battleground, for there you look on him from nowhere. You have no reference point from where to look, where meaning can be given what you see. For only bodies could attack and murder, and if this is your purpose, then you must be one with them. Only a purpose unifies, and those who share a purpose have a mind as one. The body HAS no purpose of itself, and must be solitary. From below, it cannot be surmounted. From above, the limits it exerts on those in battle still, are gone and not perceived. The body stands between the Father and the Heaven He created for His Son. BECAUSE it has no purpose.

Think what is given those who share their Father's purpose, and who know that it is theirs! They want for nothing. Sorrow of any kind is inconceivable. Only the light they love is in awareness, and only love shines upon them forever. It is their past, their present, and their future. always the same, eternally complete, and wholly shared. They know it is impossible their happiness could ever suffer change of any kind. Perhaps you think the battleground can offer something that you can win. Can it be anything that offers you a perfect calmness, and a sense of love so deep and quiet that no touch of doubt can ever mar your certainty? And that will last forever?

Those with the strength of God in their awareness could never think of battle. What could they gain but LOSS of their perfection? For everything fought for on the battleground is of the body; something it seems to offer or to own. No-one who knows that he has everything could seek for limitation, nor could he value the body's offerings. The senselessness of conquest is quite apparent from the quiet sphere above the battleground. What can conflict with everything? And what is there that offers less, and could be wanted more? Who, with the love of God upholding him, could find the choice of miracles or murder hard to make.

Hindrance

The biggest hindrance to Christians

I think the biggest hindrance to Christians, besides the "turning God into a business", is their inability to get past the crucifixion. I know this first statement is not going to sit well with most pastors and preachers, especially those who have built empires on the gifts of others and their ability to con people out of their money, but if you are truly doing this for God and not your own benefit then this shouldn't bother you.  So here we go!

   The Cross

Jesus did a wonderful thing for us in the resurrection. With out the crucifixion  their wouldn't be a resurrection and with that said, let's get started. Most Christians are stuck. Their guilt keeps them in a perpetual cycle of repentance, they have to keep laying their sins at the foot of the cross and never becoming free from them. Freedom from sin doesn't mean that there are no consequences for your actions, it means that eternally you are unchangeable. "As far as the East is from the West" is a long way. As a matter of fact, that is infinity! They shall never meet and are always traveling further apart. Enough about sin, get over it! It is just a tool that religious leaders use to get you to give. You are innocent, period!

The resurrection shows us life! Life in ways that we never realized it could be. Resurrection showed us that death doesn't exist because we are eternally created by our Father and He only created the eternal. We are one with the Father and He is one with us. "In this world you are going to have trouble, but be happy because I have overcome the world" Jesus.

Business

Now for Pastor, Preacher, Leaders, Founders or what ever title you want to bestow upon yourself. Business! The only time in the bible that Jesus lost his temper was when he confronted the Pharisees in the temple. You know the passage and I don't have to quote it. They turned God into a business and was doing quite well, playing on the people's guilt. Sounds like 99% of most churches today. Tithing was never intended for pastors to make a living from. It was for the people in a time of need. FOOD! Not cars fancy houses and buildings.   I know this will offend some,and I'm sorry for that, but a wise man once said that and I quote "The truth that offends you the most is the truth that will set you free". I sincerely hope you pastors are not offended because if you are not it shows that your heart is in the right place. If you are offended,don't feel guilty just change the way you are doing things. Remember the rich young ruler.... life is better across the bridge.

Church

  Church is not God or His house. It should be a place where you can learn about a relationship with Jesus and our Father. It is not a place where you come to meet God on Sundays and then leave Him there until next week. No! God goes with us everywhere we go. He is not a fair weather friend. After you learn about Jesus then church should be a safe place where you share your relationship with others and in turn realize that we are all one with God and one with Jesus and also one with one another.

Wealth

   The accumulation of things does not mean you are spiritual. It just means that you are probably trying to hide something or distract yourself from your real needs ( a relationship with Jesus). I saw a post on Facebook that said and I quote "trying to be happy by the accumulation of things is like trying to satisfy hunger by taping sandwiches  all over your body". Having possessions is not a gauge to spirituality. Peace would be a good gauge if you are looking for one to judge by. 

   These are just my thoughts and you are free to believe what ever you want and still be friends with me. This is about my journey with Jesus and what He has taught me about life. I'm not an expert, just someone walking with Jesus and sharing what I've learned.   "Love one another, by this the world will know that you are my students" Jesus. This is the most important thing, that we love one another, not that we all agree or understand. Just love each other. This is how you can identify Jesus' students. Not that they wear a suit and stand behind a podium and drive a Cadillac  or Tahoe or have a mega congregation. It's that they love one another and are safe.

   Enjoy life. Be thankful. 

Simple Treasures

"Light and joy and peace abide in you because God put them there."

            Jesus

It is the simple truths that bring us the most. Any thing that is complicated automatically raises a red flag in my mind because God has made this very simple. Anyone who over complicates ANYTHING is probably trying to sell you something. Just a little reminder to keep it simple, enjoy life, love people, smile a lot, laugh often, and experience peace.

The Little Willingness

"I, who am host to God, AM worthy of Him.
He Who ESTABLISHED His dwelling-place in me created it as He would have it be.
It is not needful that I make it ready for Him, but only that I DO NOT INTERFERE with His plan to RESTORE to me my own AWARENESS of my readiness, which is eternal.
I need ADD nothing to His plan.
But to RECEIVE it, I MUST be willing NOT to substitute my own, IN PLACE of it."

The Authority Problem

The issue of authority is really a question of authorship. When an individual has an “authority problem,” it is ALWAYS because he believes he is the author of himself, and resents his own projection that you share his delusion in this respect. He then perceives the situation as one in which two people are literally fighting for his own authorship. This is the fundamental error of all those who believe they have usurped the power of God.

The belief is very frightening to them, but hardly troubles God at all. He is, however, eager to undo it, not to punish His children, but ONLY because He knows that it makes them unhappy. Souls were given their own true authorship, and men preferred to remain anonymous when they chose to separate themselves FROM their Author. The word “authority” has been one of their most fearful symbols ever since. Authority has been used for great cruelty, because, being uncertain of their true Authorship, men believe that their creation was anonymous. This has left them in a position where it SOUNDS meaningful to consider the possibility that they must have created themselves.

The dispute over authorship has left such uncertainty in the minds of man that some people have gone so far as to doubt whether they were ever created at all. Despite the apparent contradiction in this position, it is in one sense more tenable than the view that they created themselves. At least, it acknowledged the fact some TRUE authorship is necessary for existence.

Only those who give over all desire to reject can KNOW that their own rejection is impossible. You have not usurped the power of God, but you HAVE lost it. Fortunately, when you lose something, this does not mean that the something has gone. It merely means that YOU do not know where it is. Existence does not depend on your ability to identify it, or even to place it. It is perfectly possible to look on reality without judgment, and merely KNOW it is there. By knowing this, you are not doubting its reality at all.

Peace is the natural inheritance of the soul...

Created

Holiness created me Holy
Kindness created me Kind
Peacefulness created me Peaceful
Helpfulness created me Helpful
Perfection created me Perfect.

Sight...

  Let’s start off describing the day I lost it all. I grew up on Lake St. John which is a beautiful lake in Louisiana and a wonderful place for a young boy to grow up. The year is 1973 and the Mississippi River had been really high that spring. The result caused the lake to rise and cover our pier with about 3 feet of water which in turn caused us to build a higher ramp from the bank so we could get to our boats. Later in the summer the lake fell rather rapidly and what was safe to dive into one day was not the next day (obviously). The day I broke my neck was like any other.

  

  Nothing special seemed to be going on in early August. I think someone must have yelled, “Let’s go swimming” and the race was on. I was running as fast as I could and then I remembered the ramp. I could be the first in the water if I dove off the ramp. I made the prefect dive! But the lake was lower than I remembered it. I hit the bottom head first and tingles went through my body and then there was nothing. I’m floating to the top and still holding my breath. I can’t move but that seems to be secondary to my need for air. I try turning my head to get a breath but I can’t turn it far enough. I try to move but there is nothing … as if my head is no longer connected to my body.

I am almost ready to take a gasp of water when someone turns me over. “I’ll save you!” It’s my brother Keith. He thinks I’m playing a game that we used to play like we were knocked out or something and then one of us would come to the rescue and pull the pretending person to safety. Only this time it wasn’t a game. When he gets me back to shallow water, he tries to stand me up but I can’t stand. All I can manage to get out is a faint “thank you”.

  

  I don’t know how long I was there or how they got me out of the water but I think Jimmy Ray Oliveaux helped. I do remember him being there along with my mother and Maggie. I remember my dog Queenie bringing me a rock to throw. But I couldn’t and I remember apologizing to her for not being able to play fetch. My body was completely relaxed and I didn’t feel anything from my neck down.

  Fast forward a couple of hours and we are on our way to New Orleans. I have no sense of time, only the idle chit-chat going on between the paramedic and the driver. I could see my mother and her worried face. I do remember that someone said that I must be important because they never had escorts all the way from Natchez to New Orleans. I don’t know how fast it was but they were happy because they had gotten there faster than anybody else had before. 

  

  Fast forward again and I’m aware that I’m surrounded by doctors asking me “do I feel this or do I feel that”. NO! I don’t feel anything. I guess I panicked and began throwing a fit. Well, as best I could because I can’t move. The most I can muster is a thrashing of turning my head. One of the younger interns grabbed my head to hold it still and said, “Be still you little son of a bitch! You broke your third vertebrae and severed your spinal cord. We are trying to figure out why you are still alive.” Then he looks at me “We don’t know why you are still alive so please be still or we will screw a ring around your head to hold you still”. I guess bedside manner was lacking in the 1970’s but the thought of that was enough to keep me still. I didn’t want the only thing I could feel (my head) to be in pain I was good the rest of the night.  I spent a couple of days in ICU then moved to a room where despair set in…

  

The visit

  

  That night, the night of my visit started with me praying for death. Not just an ordinary prayer but the hardest I have ever prayed. I wanted to die. I didn’t want to live in the condition I was in. Paralyzed with no feeling whatsoever and I had no hope of ever being any different. I remember falling to sleep with those prayers on my lips and I had a feeling that they were going to be answered. My mother, who was in my room with me, must have had the same feeling because she was crying and begging me not to pray that I would die.

  

  Sleep comes quickly and soon I realize that I’m not really asleep but aware in a way that seems vaguely familiar. Next I notice someone I know coming down the hall and I can see through the walls. I can see it is Jesus and two angles, one on each side of Him coming down the hall. I know they are coming for me and I’m not afraid anymore. Fear seems to have left me at the sight of Jesus but something else has replaced it. Pity, at first, for the condition that I’m in physically and mentally then pity is replaced with guilt. I have to look away from Him because I cannot bear the feeling of condemnation that has came over me.

  

  It is as if a thousand lifetimes of guilt has been accumulated and poured out on me at once. I can’t see anymore as I’m blinded by my on heart and I’m speechless. My guilt has condemned me to death. I’m without hope, lost in an eternity of despair. Then He touches me and my sight returns. I look into His eyes not knowing what to expect. Condemnation wasn’t there, Judgment wasn’t there. The most loving gaze I have ever seen is all I see. No judgment, no guilt, no condemnation was there and as I look into His eyes all of my guilt melts away. I realize that my past doesn’t matter to Him and all the things that I thought I did or didn’t do wasn’t important to Him. The only thing that concerned Him was that my guilt didn’t concern me and the longer I looked into his eyes it didn’t concern me anymore. I realized that it wasn’t important, like it hasn’t really happened. I realized that what is important is standing right in front of me and His gaze is transforming me back into my true self.

  

  For the first time in a very long time I remember who I am. I am still as Father created me. I am perfect, without flaw and I am free. I realize that all my memories are but nightmares to be forgotten as soon as I awake. To be dismissed! I can move freely in and out of my body, light is everywhere and there seems to be singing coming from the two angles. I am no longer a part of time and I remember this is who I am, this how I was created and this is who I was created to be with. Then Jesus tells me that I must go back to my body, that I have something to accomplish before this dream is done.

I look at my broken body in the bed and the next thing I know I am back inside my body. His gaze is still on me and I can feel my legs. My movement has returned to my arms. I can move my toes and legs. And then He seems to be fading from my sight and I don’t want Him to go. Then He says to me that “I will never leave you. We were created as one with each other and one with our Father and nothing can usurp the power of our Father. I will always be with you”.

   

  Then, I’m awake in this world again but it is different. I can move! I can feel! And I know that I will never be alone again! At that instant the physical therapist come in to move my arms and legs. As she picks up my leg, I push back against her hands. “Can you move?” she asks. I say, “Yes and I feel your hands on my foot.”  She runs out of the room screaming for the doctor who could not have been very far because it was just a moment and he was in the room. There were lots of questions about what I could feel and a lot of poking me with pins to see the extent of my recovery. Then the oldest doctor takes a step back and instructs the younger ones to leave me alone. Then he says something I will never forget “Fit him with a brace. It seems he is out of our care. Someone with much more knowledge than the four of us is caring for him now”. That was the last time I saw the doctor.