. . . the fruit of the Spirit is
love
joy
peace
patience
kindness
goodness
faithfulness
gentleness
and self-control.
There is no law (Jewish Law) against such things.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have EVERLASTING LIFE.

 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to SAVE THE WORLD through Him.

Whoever believes in Him is NOT CONDEMNED, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son."

. . . .

Not that I have already attained or have already been perfected, but I follow after it so that I may lay hold of that for which I was seized by Christ Jesus. 

I do not count myself to have attained, but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 

I press toward the goal to the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

living water

I am made in the image of God, not your image of God.

We must challenge ourselves to be the good and faithful disciples of Jesus - resurrected people - not people who are lukewarm, but people who are on fire for this love of Jesus that we worship this day; this Jesus that has literally saved many of our lives; this Jesus who calls us again and again to believe in hope, to believe in transformation, to believe that our lives matter, to believe that we can make a difference just as Jesus did.

You see, the resurrection of Jesus is not just a story of ancient times. The resurrection of Jesus is a story that we must make our story - a story of hope and grace and love and truth and compassion.

And, perhaps, even a story that allows the resurrected Christ to become real again when we offer those gifts to one another.

And yet in our world today there seems so much division even in the body of Christ: division, where some are welcome and some are not; division, where we make judgments about one another as if we have the right to!

There are times when we don't exemplify Christ in the world when we don't forgive one another, love one another, and bear with one another in all things.

And that's another cool thing our Senior Pastor told us.

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An Extraordinary Adventure

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"Hope is the ability to hear the melody of the future. Faith is the willingness and the courage to dance to it today."

Life is beautiful. Not easy. Beautiful. Not without challenges. Its paths are not devoid of obstacles. These challenges and obstacles vary tremendously through time and circumstance. Our mind, our body, our spirit, our soul, are remarkably capable of dealing with these. They are supremely designed! I have grown into a mindset disposed to believe life - individually and collectively (as seems the desire and intention of 'our' Almighty Creator) - has been gifted in a way that allows each of us to make of it the best quality it can be, and that it will not blankly best itself on its own. What's your disposition?

What QOL Challenge Are You Facing?

We are Pressing Toward The Mark of Our Highest Calling

Along this extraordinary segment of our explorative journey to the lean side of the mountain, where strategies essential to living a life worth its salt and effort and power and meaning are laid bare and where as well 'we' anticipate discovering how to convert current challenges into consumate opportunities, 'we' are being transformed, having just climbed down from Golgotha, and are currently on our way into The Circle.

Indeed, 'we' did not spend an inordinate amount of time reflecting on that blood-boiling experience. Rather, 'we'' are focused (arm in arm, cheek to chest) on being and becoming. True, troubles all around - hither, far and near - abound. Noises hither to and fro are menacingly loud. Through it all, 'we' are still surrounded by sparkly eyes. Love, strength, joy and huge challenges all in hand; we are feasting on foods of champions - Super Champs - with each and every stride.

How is it along the stretch of your journey? Share!

"I am the door. If anyone enters through Me, that one will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.   The thief does not come, except to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." Jesus, Son of Man, Prince of Glory, Redeemer.

Who made the mountains? Who made the trees? Who made the rivers flow to the sea? Who sends the rain when the earth is dry? Who made the flowers to bloom in the spring? Who made the song for the robins to sing? Who hung the moon in the starry sky? Yes, all that and way much more! Our minds. Our bodies. Our spirits. Our soul.

Who is accompanying you?

Being fully functional and wholly human!

Words are the Seeds of Deeds

Hopefully, by now it's clear whoever promulgates the idea that "sticks and stones can break one's bones but words can never hurt you" is either maliciously or misguidedly inflicting one of the most damaging wounds one can inflict on the spirit, the mind, and the soul. Words are powerful. We value our speech precisley because it is of great value. Yes, words are powerful, but they can lose their power. Besides, there exists a shield even for that!

"It is Finished!"

Finished! A powerful word! In fact it is the second most powerful word in our universe.

Words that build us up, words that inspire us through our utmost to our highest, words that empower us to lift and protect and service and strengthen and reveal truth to power, those are the kinds of words 'we' endeavour to entertain in our lives and sustain along our journeys.

And those wounds - even wounds inflicted by damaging words - 'we' seek to heal, and through our healing be strengthened, and in our strength as in our weaknesses enable! Sometimes, to do that most effectively, we've found we need to quiet the distractions.

Healing requires its healing moments. Mine does. We might carry scars, but scabs leave us exceptionally vulnerable to claws. The best healing leads to wholeness. It is a process, advisedly, that needs its proper finishing!

Now, as you probably know, the methods used for extracting rotted teeth (molars, if you please) back in the dark ages are hardly the recommended methods used in healthily serviced civilized communities today. Trust me, I know! And just for anyone's calibration if that be necessary: be it known I am distinctly not in favor of dental methods used in the dark ages, no matter how character-building anyone might promote those primitive cruelties to be. I am not that nostalgic. But of course, one is free to knock one's self out in that manner if one fancies such character-building methods for one's self. My brothers and sisters of such stripes, I can't speak for the rest, but be it also known I will not be knowingly and willingly attending any such excitement, thank you very much. Enjoy yourselves.

Some of us are profoundly aware that some good-intention-words can be just as bloody and cruel as those well-intentioned un-informed methods of long gone dark ages. And how does one find such words? One knows them by their deeds. They leave scars - most often thick scabs! Such scabs become aweful distractions, and at times, blissful glory-knotches visible to their inflicters, and quite bloody at the scratch. Just sayin! From discoveries along our journey.

But here's the flipper!

Sometimes the glories of our history just don't translate well into the realities of the present - they are just out of place, out of step, out of fashion, or out of time. Some such failings are innocent. Some are blandly intentional! They strike and instruct us unkindly. Definitely incorrectly! And the unsuspecting suffer greatly.

A thing, for example, meant back then, say, as a necktie, is now a noose tightened upon the draw. A thing meant to be a scapel is now a sword. A tincture is now a poison, and a poison now a tincture. The fruit from the tree of knowledge is now an apple and now an apple is Eve's evil fruit. You see what I mean? Not at all funny. It imprisons lives. We make choices and decisions unwisely, thinking them wise. Worse, godly!

This journey is liberating some of us into love and joy and restoration and . . . well . . . oops . . . perhaps I need to formulate this awesome sentence of our reality at a more informed moment! We need to apply a word: a beautiful God Word. An oh-so-wonderfully-amazing word. But I must await a better moment.

By the way, do you recall (that's if you were exploring with us from the beginning) I mentioned we will be walking head-on into some very important but sadly often musused or misappropriated words?

Two such words are sin and saved.

If you haven't as yet, I highly recommend 'we' discover / review / understand the origins and meanings of each of those two words within their contexts where e're they are used. Both words have suffered the trauma of enormous diseases. They are two of the most misunderstood words in every day usage within and without christendom. We all think we know exactly what they mean, don't you?

For a point of personal commentary: that's how wickedly effective evil is; it traps good-folk in its tricky web of 'holy' deception; ever lock them in guilt and shame with faint hope of release.

Fear not, Jesus broke that gate wide open!

Oh, did you notice something - a good something (I trust with a boyish smile)? This presentation is also intended, more or less, as a micro-presentation of the original meanings and intentions of those very two words: sin and saved. Did you notice?

Okay, I admit, this is my subtle attempt at exciting liberating news.

Don't worry, if you didn't realize you naturally got it. I get chided fairly frequently by 'good friends' reminding me that I tend to be a little (well way more than a little) too diplomatic. For those of us who prefer knowlege, guidance and encouragements delivered blunt and bloody, we will encounter, face-to-face once again, the authentic natures of these two words and several others in The Circle then again at The Lean Side of The Mountain.

Oh, I so love my Jesus! In their authenticity those two words quiet distractions along our journey. That's what I have discovered? What about you? Click here to access ILICET - A Time To Begin Again, inclusive of the ten most powerful words inflencing our lives and how we become who we are; as well as how we might best employ each rather than be employed by them. Yes, life is beautiful.

"Knowledge that takes you not beyond yourself is far worse than ignorance." Elif Shafak.

Something To Consider

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You are

What POWER!