Live Anew

When I was younger I used to memorize many Bible verses. I was so proud of all the verses that I had memorized. However, in recent years I am actually repulsed at the idea of "memorizing scripture"

I think it's because there are so many other valuable writings as well. For instance, I just received an email from Carlton Pearson. Within his email was this thought:

I have seen and read the "Statement of Faith" of various churches and religious organizations which they seem to hold up as the undeniable and unbendable proof of their faith. It seems that they are saying that (their) faith is, or has been, a result of very precisely following the formula of "read the bible, pray, go to church, accept Christ as Saviour, etc." The path can be (at least in their minds) be very clearly traced along a specific religious path.

Christians often pray that God may save this person or that person, or that God will cause something to happen. And yet at the same time Christians say that God condemns people who don't "accept Christ, etc.". There is a paradox here. Is it God that changes our hearts, or are we responsible to change our hearts? If God is the one who changes our hearts, then why do Christians say that God condemns those who "don't change". On the Other hand, if we are responsible to change, then why do Christians pray that God will change our hearts? Which way is it?

Life is full of Seemingly Unimportant Decisions (SUDs) that come to us throughout our daily lives. "Let's skimp on this so that I can have that." Whether it is skimping on the quality our work so that we can have more time or more money.

One might say that the true God is the embodiment of everything that is true, honorable, virtuous, and true. It is not enough to say that God "has" love, but God Himself is the essence of all that is true love. The converse is also true. All true love is God. In a very real sense we "worship" God and "live" in God by living a life of true love. The same is true of all the other virtues and character qualities. We live in God as we endeavor to live them out and express them to the fullest. How do we do that?

Choose your framework

chose components of framework

Spirit

What is right, ethical, 

flesh

I want it

Do you trust in God, or in your image of God?

"When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change." (Bishop Carlton Pearson)

"No problem can be solved from the same consiousness that created it. We must see the world anew." (Albert Einstein)

If someone says that he doesn't trust a responsible person, the responsible person will still continue to be responsible and trustworthy because that is who he is. He is responsible and trustworthy by nature. It doesn't matter what other people think, he will still act in accordance with his nature. He will follow the rules and submit himself to those who are over him. A responsible person will ... because he knows that those rules are for his benefit.

Nowadays so many people romanticize pirates. Children's movies and TV programs love to play pirates. Church Vacation Bible Schools often have "Pirate"days. Are these really the examples that we want our children to fantasize about and to emulate?

In reality, pirates were nothing to be romantisized or emulated. Pirates were thieves, butchers, murderers, rapists. and terrorists. They made their living by doing great harm to or killing others.

Words and labels meanings. What you give something a label, you label it according to what it is or what it does. For example, a tool that is used to drive screws into wood is called a "screwdriver". In another example, in years long ago a person who made pottery was called a potter.

However, when something is personafied, then the meaning is often disregarded. Let us take a look at the word "Spirit". Putting any form of personification aside, let's look at what the word actually means.

There is no such thing as a holy book. Books of any type are just black ink on white paper, or some simulation of that. Holiness can only be found in a life that is lived for God. God is holy.

God cannot be found in a book. God is living and active, he is alive. Books are black in on white paper.

From time to time you hear the question, "If there is a God, then why do bad things happen? Why is there evil, disasters and tragedies in this world?" I don't have the answers to that question. But I do have some thoughts. It has been said that every dark cloud has a silver lining. Many good things have come out of seeming tragedies.

Over the years I have seen many outspoken Christians and atheists......
In Reality, I don't think that the views about desire morals and behaviors of the "Christian", the atheist, or the agnostic are all that far apart. What often separates them is misunderstandings, prejudices, personal biases and "doctrine". I sincerely doubt that anyone of these groups would be against being kind to others, dealing honestly with each other, realizing the importance of telling the truth, etc. (The overall heading of these virtues might be love, as follows.

Jesus came to show us how to live this life, how to think, how to act, and how to behave. He came as an example for us. He came to give us his spirit (his was of thinking and acting, his motives and his desires). But, instead of putting on Christ, many have made his spirit into a person, a diety, into God himself.

I have been listening to an online audio course about the Historical Jesus, taught by Bart D. Ehrman. In Module 21, The Afterlife of Jesus, he makes this statement:

"They took the religion of Jesus and made it into a religion about Jesus." Bart D. Ehrman