Communication Beat

I Peter 1:4
An inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away is reserved in heaven for you.

Psalm 16:11
Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in Thy presence is fullness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

The promises of Heaven are glorious! The pearly gates, streets of gold, no heartache, no crying, no sickness, no dying . . . Knowing all this gives me great hope for the future, but trying to imagine what Heaven will really be like is far beyond my human capability. What will my new body be like? Will I really know my loved ones? What will it be like to live forever? Will it ever get boring? What will dying in this world be like? My limited understanding and the fear of the unknown sometimes cloud my hope and joy and turn them into fear and dread, but the following story puts it all into proper perspective.

A sick man turned to his doctor, as he was preparing to leave the examination room and said, “Doctor, I am afraid to die. Tell me what lies on the other side.”

Very quietly, the doctor said, “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know? You, a Christian man, do not know what is on the other side?”

The doctor was holding the handle of the door; on the other side came a sound of scratching and whining, and as he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room and leaped on him with an eager show of gladness. Turning to the patient, the doctor said, “Did you notice my dog? He’s never been in this room before. He didn’t know what was inside. He knew nothing except that his master was here, and when the door opened, he sprang in without fear. I know little of what is on the other side of death, but I do know one thing. I know my Master is there and that is enough.”*

What will Heaven really be like? Christ, my Master will be there, and that is all I really need to know. That is the hope of Heaven. So now I can say, “O death where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” The Master is waiting for me!

Beloved Savior, thank You for the promise of Your presence that gives hope for the future and strength for today.

*Original source of story unknown.
©Copyright Ann Shorb, 2006

Dr. Ann Shorb is the founder of Christian Counseling & Educational Services, an accomplished professional speaker, and the author of A Light for My Path, a weekly email devotional. Visit her website http://www.ccesonline.com for a free subscription to A Light for My Path.

Introduction

“…the moral elements are among the most important in war. They constitute the spirit that permeates war as a whole, and at an early stage they establish a close affinity with the will that moves and leads the whole mass of force, practically merging with it, since the will is itself a moral quantity. Unfortunately they will not yield to academic wisdom. They cannot be classified or counted. They have to be seen or felt.”
–Carl von Clausewitz
On War

The value system of American society has become increasingly more relaxed towards the rights and freedoms of individual citizens in establishing and living by their own values. “Morality” has become a dirty word in many societal circles as criteria for determining right and wrong. Leaders sometimes avoid spiritual discussion asserting that it does not impact effectiveness. We can certainly desire only to be effective leaders and describe and justify those traits that will lead to effective leadership. But if that is all we aim for, then we have removed the moral component out of that description and we should not pretend that the resulting traits are ethical. ‘The ends do not always justify the means.’

It is not sufficient that we allow our success to determine what the core morals are. This is because the way we act largely determines the kind of people we become. Since dishonest people and criminals do not live the good life, it would be irrational to act in such a way to become such a person. Leaders require integrity, discipline, accountability, commitment, innovation, and intelligence to inspire and direct others to achieve goals. While this is not intended to be an exhaustive list, nor a complete account of the leadership values, it does illustrate how one can derive and justify relevant virtues.

Leadership versus Management

“Leadership is a function, not a position.” (Lewis, 1996) There is a continuing controversy about the difference between leadership and management. It is possible that a person can be a leader without being a manager (e.g., an informal leader), and a person can be a manager without leading, or manage without subordinates (e.g., a manager of financial accounts). Nobody has proposed that managing and leading are equivalent, but the degree of overlap has been a point of sharp disagreement. The essence of this argument seems to be that managers are oriented toward stability and leaders are oriented toward innovation; managers get people to do things more efficiently, whereas leaders get people to agree about what things should be done.

The current research in leadership is overflowing with books describing the virtues of leadership. Recent authors include Stephen Covey, Principle Centered Leadership (1991); John Kotter, On What Leaders Really Do (1999); Phillip Lewis, Transformational Leadership (1996); Aubrey Malphurs, Being Leaders (2003); and John Maxwell, Developing the Leader within You (1993) to name a few. The argument with the most merit was John Kotter (1988), that “leading and managing are distinct processes…” and that to label people as either leaders and/or managers does little to advance our knowledge or understanding of leadership.

“The word ‘manager’ is an occupational title for a large number of people and it is insensitive to use the term in a way that fosters an inaccurate, negative stereotype of them.” (Yukl, 1998) Leaders and managers are not different types of people but rather the same people in different situations or processes. After reading Kotter, Yukl, Covey, Lewis, Malphurs, Maxwell, and the biographies of military leaders from throughout the ages, the conclusion seems very clear. While the models that examine leadership principles may change, these principles are timeless; this includes moral dimensions. “…leaders who know God and who know how to lead in a Christian manner will be phenomenally more effective in the world than even the most skilled and qualified leaders who lead without God. Spiritual Leadership is not just for Pastors and Missionaries.” (Blackaby, 2001)

Core issue: Moral, Immoral, or Amoral

“The Moral Law causes the people to be in complete accord with their ruler, so that they will follow him regardless of their lives, undismayed by any danger.”

–Sun Tzu

The Art of War

“Morality is a complex system of principles based on cultural, religious, and philosophical concepts and beliefs, by which an individual determines whether his or her actions are right or wrong.” (Wikipedia, 2005) For many individuals, morality is influenced, to a large degree, by religion or theology; but for others, secular and ethical codes are also followed. Religions typically hold that morality is not a human construct, but is the work of God. Such as in the Judeo-Christian religions, the Ten Commandments is held to have been issued directly to mankind by God. Non-religious individuals justify morality on the basis that helping humanity is itself fundamentally ‘good’ and base morality on humanitarian principles.

“Immoral” refers to “a person or behavior that is self-consciously within the scope of morality but does not abide by its rules.” (Wikipedia, 2005) The thief would agree that stealing is wrong but inconsistently try to excuse his particular act and shoulder the blame onto others by saying that he had no choice and so on. In day-to-day conversations, “amoral” and “immoral” are sometimes used interchangeably. However, “Amoral” must be distinguished from “immoral” in that “amoral persons either do not possess ethical notions at all as a result of an unusual upbringing or inborn traits (such as the so-called Antisocial personality disorder) or else do not subscribe to any moral code.” (Wikipedia, 2005) Someone may maintain that he will do as he likes and let others do the same, if they so desire, without turning this into a general principle. Because whoever says so only expresses his personal preference about the way he is going to act, the position is consistent.

Many organizations focus more on ethics rather than morals. Ethics is an intellectual approach to moral issues that asks questions such as how one ought to behave in a specific situation (for example, is abortion morally permissible?) Wether or not the claim necessitates a specific ethical stance is a matter of debate. As stated earlier, contemporary American society encourages members of its diverse population to establish their own values which leads to cultural relativism. “Cultural relativism is the principle that an individual human’s beliefs and activities make sense in terms of his or her own culture.” (Wikipedia, 2005) What follows is that a particular aspect of morality may be questioned or reasoned away, especially by younger generations in society. At times, this questioning extends to the society in general, even to the extent of liberalising laws which prohibited certain behaviors. Such as in the case of abortion, it’s her body or in the case of same sex marraiges, it not my business who marries who. Cultural Relativism also leads to a culture’s justification of immoral beliefs. Such as in the case of racial slurs; ‘It’s fine for blacks to use derragatory words towards other blacks in casual conversations or music videos but it’s wrong for a person of another race to do so.

US Military Value System

“If the theory of war did no more than remind us of these [moral] elements, demonstrating the need to reckon with and give full value to moral qualities, it would expand its horizon, and simply by establishing this point of view would condemn in advance anyone who sought to base an analysis on material factors alone.”

–Carl Von Clausewitz

On War

The US military has a responsibility to itself and society to set and adhere to high moral standards. This requires the kind of moral courage that is critical to successful leadership. It also models a healthy value system for a society that may be in danger due to its own abandonment of such traditional values. The military value system is based almost entirely on the laws that govern it, the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). The UCMJ applies to all branches of the military including the Coast Guard. Most of the issues covered in the UCMJ include: bringing cases to military courts, the different types of court-martial, treatment and apprehension of prisoners, and the trial process. Additionally, rules and regulations govern military behavior and standards of conduct. It is the very nature of military leadership to promote virtuous behavior for themselves and those who follow rather than passively follow the crowd that is liberalizing its values to accommodate contemporary social trends.

The professional military leader is stuck in the middle of this conflict between traditional and contemporary values, on one hand being a member of a dynamic society, and on the other hand called to lead in an establishment steadfast on traditional moral principles. But you may have noticed that people with military experience have certain intangible qualities. Things like self-confidence, pride and a sense of purpose. The military instills these qualities in enlistees because it makes them good people. By embodying such core values as Honor, Courage and Commitment; men and women build character and confidence, develop strong team skills, and learn to accept responsibility and accountability for personal actions. In the Navy, for instance, the same bedrock principles or core values of honor, courage, and commitment have carried on to today since the naval service began during the American Revolution.

Military Perspective on Homosexuality

The military law expressed in the Manual for Courts-Martial (MCM) and Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) is clear on the US military’s view of homosexual behavior. UCMJ Article 125, Sodomy, declares: “Any person subject to this chapter who engages in unnatural carnal copulation with another person of the same sex or with an animal is guilty of sodomy. Penetration, however slight, is sufficient to complete the offense.” The MCM provides a detailed description of what it considers “unnatural copulation” that clearly addresses the sex acts of homosexuality. It sets the maximum punishment for guilt of this offense as dishonorable discharge, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and confinement from 5 years up to life (depending on whether the act is consensual and whether the act is committed with a child). This is just one of many longstanding provisions of military law based on moral acts. Many would argue that the Department of Defense (DOD) policy on homosexuals in the military called “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” has weakened the military’s position on this issue.

By citing homosexual behavior as an illegal act, military law makes a strong value judgment of its unacceptability. Moreover, by describing this conduct as an “unnatural” act, the UCMJ and MCM make a moral determination that homosexuality itself is wrong. Indeed, there is no mention in the UCMJ Article 125 or in the applicable MCM provision of the need to prove a negative influence of this activity on order, discipline, or image of the armed forces. Conduct of the act alone is enough to constitute guilt. There is a historical moral basis of condemning homosexuality in the American society, leading me to conclude that this value judgment is also based on traditional moral principles, such as those found in the bible: “Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman.” (Leviticus 18:22, KJV)

American Societal Value System

“America today is in a virtue deficit where our standards of right and wrong have become increasingly hazy. Out of this haze have arisen great problems within our society including: hostility towards organized religion, sexual exploitation, the homosexual agenda, the demise of the family, and the culture of death.”
–Gary Bauer
President, American Values.org

Similar to the military value system, most of what American society believes to be right and wrong (i.e. morals) is defined by our laws. Centuries ago, our Founders boldly proclaimed to the world a distinctly American faith in democracy; a faith rooted in the self-evident truths that “all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator”, this statement alone denotes Judeo-Christian roots.

‘Public Agenda’ is an organization that was founded to help our nation’s leaders better understand the public’s point of view as well as assist citizens in understanding critical policy issues. In 2002, Public Agenda conducted a detailed study of more than 1,600 American parents with children between the ages of 5 and 17. The study focused on a preeminent challenge of parenting: “how to raise children who grow up to be responsible, honest, humane, and considerate adults.” This study carefully looked at issues facing today’s families and the task of raising children of good character. “From every direction, today’s popular culture seems bent on emphasizing the violent, irresponsible, and squalid aspects of life. Nearly half of parents (49%) say they worry more about raising a child who is well-behaved and has good values, than about providing for their child’s health and physical well-being (23%), although a quarter (25%) of parents say they worry about both.” (Johnson, 2002) These statistics are a testament to the impact of a decaying moral society that has abandoned its traditional value system.

American Societal Perspective on Homosexuality

The American society’s position on homosexuality has changed dramatically. Laws against sodomy in this country go back to the American colonies, which enacted strict prohibitions against homosexual acts based on the strong influence of Christian colonists. In recent years, homosexuals and lesbians have demanded that people accept their sexual orientation as an “alternate lifestyle.” In 2003, a landmark U.S. Supreme Court verdict overturned all remaining sodomy laws in the United States in Lawrence v. Texas. The court exclaimed:

“A law branding one class of persons as criminal solely based on the State’s moral disapproval of that class and the conduct associated with that class runs contrary to the values of the Constitution and the Equal Protection Clause, under any standard of review.”

Homosexuals also demanded that benefits be given to “domestic partners” and that we accept gay marriages. Business structures are at the forefront of submitting to the demands of gay men and women. “Approximately 45% of companies within the Fortune 500 offered domestic partner benefits and nine of the top ten companies include sexual orientation in their non-discrimination policies.” (Wikipedia, 2005) The gay rights movement has led to changes in social acceptance and in the media portrayal of the gay community. The portrayal of homosexuality in the media reflects and guides societal attitudes towards homosexuality. Significant portrayals of homosexuality include television shows that glamorize homosexuality such as Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Queer as Folk, and Will and Grace. Homosexuality is just one aspect of where American societal values have changed due to a spiritually amoral stance on leadership values.

Conclusion

“He who walks righteously and speaks what is right, who rejects gain from extortion and keeps his hand from accepting bribes, who stops his ears against plots of murder and shuts his eyes against contemplating evilthis is the man who will dwell on the heights, whose refuge will be the mountain fortress. His bread will be supplied and water will not fail him”. (Isaiah 33:15-16, KJV)

While this study has shown the lack of popularity in contemporary society of addressing morality, it has also cited sources that argue that the moral dimension is critical. Moral strength is essential to successful leadership, as well as to the health of a nation. It is critical that today’s Christian leaders prepare themselves to deal with the value systems clash described in this paper. The US military and the American society is just one example of the moral standards gap, and it appears to be widening. As members of society and those called to lead a young generation, it is probable that leaders will have ample opportunity to demonstrate the importance of moral leadership. I believe that the Christian leaders have an obligation to challenge this moral dilemma. Giving extra care to their moral foundation, moral leaders should reinforce the moral value system that made this country strong.

Glossary

Amorality. The quality of having no concept of right or wrong. (i.e., morally neutral.)

Cultural relativism. The principle that an individual human’s beliefs and activities make sense in terms of his or her own culture.

Ethics. A general term for what is often described as the “science (study) of morality”. In philosophy, ethical behavior is that which is “good” or “right.” The Western tradition of ethics is sometimes called moral philosophy.

KJV. King James Version (of The Holy Bible).

Military law. The statutes governing the military establishment and regulations issued to carry them out. In a limited sense, the term has been equated with the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) and Manual for Courts-Martial (MCM).

Morality. System of principles based on cultural, religious, and philosophical concepts and beliefs, by which an individual determines whether his or her actions are right or wrong.

Moral Relativism. The position that moral propositions do not reflect absolute or universal truths. It not only holds that ethical judgments emerge from social customs and personal preferences, but also that there is no single standard by which to assess an ethical proposition’s truth.

Sociology. The study of the social lives of humans, groups, and societies, sometimes defined as the study of social interactions.

Sociological perspective. A point of view that focuses not on individuals but their group, or society. In that perspective, human social structures, including cultural and governmental institutions and behaviors can be explained using social facts or social forces.

Values. A set of beliefs and ideas about general concepts.

Value system. The ordering and prioritization of the ethical and ideological values that an individual or society holds.

Virtue. The habitual, well-established, readiness or disposition of man’s powers directing them to some goodness or act. Virtue is moral excellence of a man or a woman. The four classic Western “cardinal” virtues are: prudence/wisdom, justice, fortitude/courage, temperance.

Bibliography

10 USC Chapter 47 (2001). Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ)

American Psychological Association (2001) Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th Edition. American Psychological Association, Washington, D.C.

Bauer, G. (2005) Statement on Culture & Religion. American Values.org retrieved electronically on May 10, 2005 at http://www.ouramericanvalues.org/issues_culture.php.

Blackaby, H. and Blackuby, R. (2001) Spiritual Leadership: Moving People onto God’s Agenda. Broadman and Holman Publishers. Nashville, Tennesee.

Griffith, S. B. (2003). Sun Tzu. The Art of War, Translated by Samuel B. Griffith. Running Press Book Publishers; Miniatures edition.

Howard, M. (1984) Carl Von Clausewitz. On War, Translated by Michael Howard. Princeton University Press. Princeton, NJ.

Johnson, J. (2002). What Parents are Saying about TV Today. A report from Public Agenda for the Family Friendly Programming Forum.

Kotter, J. (1988). The Leadership Factor. Reed Business Information Inc. Waltham, Massachucets.

Lawrence et. al. v. Texas (June 26, 2003) Syllabus, majority opinion, concurrence, and dissents. Entire 52-page written document compilation. http://supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/02-102.ZO.html.

Lewis, P. V. (1996) Transformational Leadership: A New Model for Total Church Involvement. Broadman & olman Publishers. Nashville, Tennessee.

Malphurs, A. (2003). Being Leaders. The Nature of Authentic Christian Leadership. Baker Books. Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Manual for Courts-Martial (2002). Includes amendments dated April 11, 2002.

Wikipedia (2005). Homosexuality. Retrieved electronically from Wikipedia (Web based, free content encyclopedia) on May 09, 2005 at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexuality.

Yukl, G. (1998). Leadership in Organizations, 4th Edition. Prentice-Hall

Lieutenant Kenneth Rice is an Active Duty Naval Officer stationed in Norfolk VA. Lieutenant Rice is a graduate of Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia where he received a Masters of Science in Educational Leadership and an Education & Training Management Subspecialty. He is currently enrolled in the Naval War College completing the Joint Professional Military Education Phase I and at Regent University working towards a Doctorate in Strategic Leadership.

The inevitability of Jesus’ return is a subject not often touched upon in sophisticated circles. Until recently, it was a subject only for the theologically inclined or those intoxicated by recent religious conversion. Since September 11th, however, the theme of salvation suddenly has a topical relevance. In light of the personal devastation we have all shared, many are asking how there possibly could be an All-Powerful, All-Loving God. A few, on the other hand, citing an obscure blue and gold book are asking an even more disturbing question, if there is an All-Powerful, All-Loving God, how can the world we see be real?” These in ever increasing numbers are saying that A Course In Miracles, and the personal transformation activated therein is evidence enough to herald the Second Coming.

In 1965, a Voice claiming to be Jesus of Nazareth began speaking to Columbia University psychology professor, Helen Schucman. With gentle authority, the Voice insisted, “This is a Course In Miracles. Please take notes.” For seven years, Helen Schucman scribed the material known today as A Course In Miracles. A number of best-selling authors and new age gurus including Jerry Jampolsky and Marianne Williamson owe their fame to the principles of love and forgiveness contained in A Course In Miracles. But despite its phenomenal beginnings, A Course In Miracles today is relegated to the bottom shelf of most bookstores, forgotten in others, and has lost its appeal on the television talk show circuit. That is, until a small band of activists took up the Course as their cause.

Before I go any further with this story of my personal encounter with the Course, I’d like to tantalize the reader with the same mind-boggling experiment given to me by these miracle teachers as they called themselves. They asked me to suppose for a moment that as is claimed by the Voice in the book, Jesus really did author A Course In Miracles. “If that were true,” they inquired, “and I knew it, how would I view it?” I considered the question. “Well, I’m not a practicing Christian,” I mused. “But if Jesus really authored the Course, I would have to be impressed. Clearly, it would be a miracle. I’d run out, buy it and ingest every word.” “It would be the greatest story in the history of mankind.” I paused. “Well, second, I guess, to the story of the resurrection, which I might just have to re-consider as fact.” “But who could believe such a story. It’s akin to ouija boards. Come on, Jesus as a ghostwriter. That’s funny!”

“Well, if you won’t believe the Messenger, how about just looking at the Message?” They had me, these miracle teachers. They had demonstrated to me in my own mind the potential magnitude of this event, if, in truth, Jesus was the author of the Course. I had to proceed further, out of sheer curiosity. “Just take a look at the introduction,” they requested. “It’s just a few lines.” So, I looked.

This is a course in miracles. It is a required course. Only the time you take it is voluntary. Free will does not mean that you can establish the curriculum. It means only that you can elect what you want to take at a given time. The course does not aim at teaching the meaning of love, for that is beyond what can be taught. It does aim, however, at removing the blocks to the awareness of love’s presence, which is your natural inheritance. The opposite of love is fear, but what is All-Encompassing can have no opposite.

This course can therefore be summed up very simply in this way:
Nothing real can be threatened.
Nothing unreal exists.
Herein lies the peace of God.

My mind hiccupped. The opposite of love is fear, but what is All-Encompassing can have no opposite. My brain felt like it had been put into a blender and put on “liquefy”. It was whirling. How could my reality be so contradicted by Truth? And, yet this Voice, speaking so simply was obviously expressing the clarity of vision of a mind unencumbered by threat. Clearly, if there is an “All-Encompassing”, any reality I justified as intimidating could not be so. I was being asked to question all my premises based on fear and there seemed to be plenty of them. What about the “me” who was uncomfortable making conversation with strangers at cocktail parties? What about the “me” who was afraid nothing I ever wrote was good enough? What about the “me” who was afraid to be late, or to get sick, or to say “no” to my best friend? What about my “justifiable” fears like disasters, terrorists, pain, or murder? Nothing real can be threatened. Hmmm. When I thought about it, the only “me” I know is the one making decisions based on whether or not I feel safe or comfortable. You mean, none of me as I know myself is real?!

What is this Course In Miracles anyway?

My investigative spirit had been sparked. But more than that, a place deep within me, had been quickened, a place long scarred over by “professional skepticism” and repeated personal disappointment. It was the poignant place in me that yearns for Truth, that knows of “something else”, that is a persistent feeling, sometimes not more that a tiny throb, at other times hardly remembered, but surely returns to mind again and again. In the Course’s introduction, I had remembered an echo of my heart’s desire. I decided to check out these miracle teachers and their Course under the guise of investigative reporting.

I arrived at the Wisconsin campus of Endeavor Academy on an early spring afternoon. Driving to Lake Delton, I was bombarded by billboards trumpeting the thrills of water parks and the family fun of miniature golf. Who would have thought to locate an academy of spiritual transformation near the birthplace of the Ringling Brothers Circus and the tourist mecca of Wisconsin Dells? Then, I saw the irony. “How appropriate,” I thought. “I’ll be divested of my illusion in the heartland of illusions!” As I took my luggage to my room I could hear the eclectic cacophony of a number of languages being spoken. I could recognize German, Italian, Spanish, French, Dutch, and what sounded like Polish. And there were obviously different versions of English being spoken as well. It was clear I had walked into an international tower of babble. And, a happy one at that. Everywhere I looked there were welcoming smiles, laughter and arms raised in joy.

Later that afternoon, in an orientation of the premises, I wandered into the Academy library. Although small by college library standards, the variety and depth of material about enlightenment in all traditions was astounding. The bookshelves bulged with metaphysical treatises by Christian heretics, Eastern masters, and new age spiritualists.

My eyes were drawn to a volume entitled “The Perennial Philosophy” and I began to scan Aldous Huxley’s anthology of mystical utterances. I was struck by the universality of the metaphysical experience that resurfaces throughout all time, and that traverses a broad spectrum of cross-cultural recipients. Whether the words emanated from a Sufi saint, a Zen or Mahayana Buddhist, an Indian guru, a Taoist, a Moslem, a Hindu, or a Christian mystic, I sensed the fabric of eternity within our tapestry of time. I hear the timeless words of the mystics, and I am reminded again of the Course’s Introduction, This is a required course and of my own infant transcendental moment that brought me on this search to remember the divine Reality behind the world of things. Apparently, I am in good company.

Had a miracle had brought me here?

Later that afternoon, while filling out my registration, I had a long talk with Wolter and Nohra, two of the Admissions Office Staff. Wolter is a jovial radiant Dutchman with a chuckle like Santa Claus. Nohra, his wife, laughs with an enthusiasm born of conviction. I asked Nohra what was going to be my favorite question, “What is this place?” “Endeavor Academy is an academy for teachers of A Course In Miracles, she replied. “Its purpose is the same as that of the Course itself, to bring you enlightenment through the transformation of your mind.”

“Enlightenment, there is a big idea. What does it mean?”
She easily quoted the Course. Enlightenment is but a recognition not a change at all. “I think I’ll let Jesus explain further. He expresses it better than I do,” she said, “and certainly more beautifully. She picked up the fabled blue and gold book and began to read:
True light that makes true vision possible is not the light the body’s eyes behold. It is a state of mind that has become so unified that darkness cannot be perceived at all. And thus what is the same is seen as one, while what is not the same remains unnoticed, for it is not there.

This is the light that shows no opposites, and vision, being healed, has power to heal. This is the light that brings your peace of mind to other minds, to share it and be glad that they are one with you and with themselves. This is the light that heals because it brings single perception, based upon one frame of reference, from which one meaning comes.

As Nohra read, the revelation born of truth emanated from these words and overwhelmed me. It expressed an unworldly point of view not found in normal human correspondence. Again, I was reminded of my response to the Introduction to the Course. The throb had returned, right in the pit of my stomach and my head was reeling again. I felt like Keanu Reeves playing Neo in The Matrix. I had swallowed the red pill and there was nothing I could do about it.

Wolter looked at me brightly and explained further. “The nature of Reality is Thought. Everything is only your idea of it. The Course teaches total responsibility for what you perceive. This realization permits you to change, in an instant, perception in its entirety. Self-responsibility is thus the catalyst to the experience of transformation that is the mind-training program of A Course In Miracles. That revelation is practical, very sacred, and very emotional. It changes the entire way I see the world. The Course does not seek to change the world but through our individual acts of love and forgiveness to change the mind that perceives the world. Jesus says it simply this way: To free the world from every kind of pain is but to change your mind about yourself.

Listening to the two of them, I realized this assignment had just gotten very personal. I saw in these few minutes how my perception of my world had been edited by my own fear of fear. I saw how I had imprisoned myself and everyone around me by an elusive and unexpressed anxiety. I was beginning to feel very exposed.

That evening I sat with a group of other students over a vegetarian pasta dinner. Making conversation, I asked Philly, “What is this place?” She paused. As I watched her, something happened and I was not prepared for the depth of her answer. I felt the intimacy of a memory rise up in her. Her eyes began to water behind her glasses and she spoke with great emotion. “A while before I came here, I was lying in a hospital bed. The next day I was scheduled to have my left breast removed. I was very frightened and, perhaps for the first time, I prayed. In that moment, a miracle occurred. I knew, no matter what appeared to happen, I was going to be all right. The next day, when I woke from the anesthesia, the surgeon leaned over me and told me the news. He had found nothing. There was no tumor. He called it a mistake, an aberration, a poor diagnosis. But he never considered the possibility it had been a miracle. You ask ‘what is this place?’ This is a place where miracles are recognized. I had told no one here of my healing. Yet, the first day I was here, the Master Teacher looked at me and said, ‘here is an association who had cancer of the left breast and decided not to.’ This is a place, a new continuum of time where suffering and pain cannot exist. It is a continuum where you and I see the Truth in each other.”

Needless to say, that night I retreated to my room, my heart brimming with the infinite possibility of the miracle and my mind conflicted with the cynicism of an idea too good to be true. I curled up on my bed and began to read the masterpiece known as A Course In Miracles.

Presented as a self-study program, the format of the Course is a workbook of daily lessons, a text, and a teacher’s manual. Proclaiming to offer a primer of how enlightened mind works, the Course purports to activate our memory of our Divine Inheritance through our individual application of the psychology of self-responsibility and the art of forgiveness.

The stated purpose of the workbook is to: train your mind in a systematic way to a different perception of everyone and everything in the world… The very nature of true or enlightened perception is that it has no limits. It is the opposite of the way you see now. True perception is the means by which the world is saved from sin, for sin does not exist. And it is this that true perception sees.

This is clearly a radically different paradigm of the world. I gave up trying to understand for the moment and closed my eyes. As I drifted off to sleep my heart was flooded with a nostalgic longing, for what I did not know. Yet, in the yearning, it was fulfilled and I felt contentment from a past long unremembered.
In the morning, I prepared for session. This is the single event of the day that everyone at Endeavor Academy– teachers, students and guests, –all share. At breakfast, I met with my “guide”. James is an Irishman turned Australian, who still retains a hint of the blarney in the twinkle in his eye. I was interested in “the Master Teacher” spoken of by Philly, the night before. “Who is he?” I asked.

James turned serious and spoke with a quiet, authoritative certainty. “The Master Teacher is a teacher of awakening. He is an introduction to the dynamics of the transformative process profiled in A Course In Miracles. As a whole expression of Universal Communication, Master Teacher is a catalyst to the stimulation and acceleration of your own illumination.
Jim’s voice became low and personal. “As an awakened teacher, Master Teacher transmits the energy of Resurrected Mind. He demonstrates through your own personal experience the healing essence of Light as the transformative factor of your Mind.” Through him, I have recalled that vibratory resonance And through his expression of A Course in Miracles, I have remembered myself as the Light Jesus proclaimed me to be. My recognition of the Master Teacher has been the divine recognition of my Self and everyone around me.”

I listened, but could barely pay attention because I had become liquid Light. The whirling I had experienced earlier had coalesced into a single, indescribable blending with everything around me. I was being lifted somehow through myself and propelled into the universe. I experienced no fear, only awe and tremendous gratitude. Jim continued speaking:
“The Course and its awakened teachers are a vibratory call that resounds to the personal remembrance of your own mastership through revelation. This is a teaching of initiation, or the determination of an individual mind to come to its own whole universal self. It is the transitional passage from time to eternity, a personal adventure, and a required course for the completion of man’s inevitable metamorphosis to his natural enlightened condition.”

Our talk was interrupted by a great excitement. The Master Teacher was arriving.

I looked around the session facility. The room was filled with about 300 people of all ages, races, nationalities, and economic background. “What could attract such an all-inclusive diversity of human form,” I thought. There were resounding laughter and a spontaneous rising of arms as the Master Teacher entered the room. At that point, my focus shifted from the figure in the room to a compelling force of energy surging through me. I remembered one of the phrases Nohra had read to me the day before from the Course. “True light that makes true vision possible is not the light the body’s eyes behold.” I was swept by an imperative of integration that was physical, emotional and intellectual. I lost my reference of myself as an objective entity separate from the room and others around me. It is a state of mind that has become so unified that darkness cannot be perceived at all. And thus what is the same is seen as one, while what is not the same remains unnoticed, for it is not there. I was in love, of love, and from love.

In the background of my mind, the Master Teacher was relating the thought system unlocked by the Course with the tenets of Mind espoused by Jesus in His Sermon on the Mount. As a man thinketh so doth he perceive. The experience of eternal life demonstrated by Jesus in His Resurrection, maintained the Master Teacher, is the same truth advocated by quantum physicists in their recognition of the unreality of observed form. I saw that the Master Teacher was speaking of the very experience of integration of which I was, in that moment in joyous awareness. “There is no world,” the Master Teacher was saying emphatically. My experience confirmed this outrageous statement. I was in the world but not of it. I was sharing a vibratory pitch of energy that was so inclusive the separate nature of the world that I had known disappeared. I was One with the Universe. My kingdom is not of this world. All the Biblical phrases of the New Testament were rushing back into my agnostic mind with the reverberation of Truth.

I began to see that this tiny band of activists was right. The Second Coming was at hand. Jesus wasn’t reappearing as an objective form outside of me. He was reappearing as me in my Self-realization of the Singular Reality of God. In a single instant of revelation, Christianity’s idea of atonement reconfigured in my mind as the experience of at-One-ment I was having. In A Course In Miracles, the miracle of His Return was being played out in a remarkable story of individual transformation to Wholeness–my story.

At that moment, a hand touched my shoulder and I was aware that the Master Teacher was speaking through me. I was being lifted beyond all thought and conceptual articulation. As I “left”, I heard the invocation of my baptism in Light. “Glad is the hand of the Father extending His Love to His Son” and I was Glad.

Glad is a Teacher of A Course In Miracles. The Miracle Times : http://www.themiracletimes.com

A boy went flying down the staircase from his room and after finding his mother busy in the kitchen he blurted out a question with great earnest and urgency. Mother he said…is it true what the preacher says at funerals about us when he says we are going from ashes to ashes and dust to dust? His mother pondered the question for a moment and replied…yes that is true son. The boy took only a few seconds to think of his mothers answer and then blurted out…well Ma you better come upstairs real quick because there is someone under my bed but I’m not sure if they are coming or going.

The question of our origins and our final destination has been more than a child’s question to us since history began. The answers we provide ourselves are many and some of them could hardly satisfy a child’s curiosity. We send multi billion dollar space craft to Mars trying to find clues about the origins of life in our solar system. We search religions and the supernatural in quest of the answer to what happens after life. More often than not we sail right by the answers that have already been provided especially if they cannot be scrutinized by our own science or human reasoning.

It seems like one great open ended question that is up for grabs. Anyone can take a stab at the answer thus no answer is regarded more important than another. Since the answers are up for grabs that makes the question seem as if it isn’t very important. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact it is one of the most important questions any individual may ever ask. The answer will determine more about our world than we could imagine.

At this point you would expect me to identify my particular view based on where or with whom I stand. If I start by saying what the Christian view of the origin and final destination of man is you may not even bother to finish this paragraph. Who is not familiar with the biblical view of life and death? Of course there will always be those who just don’t give a damn about where we came from or where we are going. It is not the argument but genuine care for people that cause the true believer not to give a damn that they don’t give a damn. More often than not it would not be expressed this way but maybe it should be.

God does not have a view. If God had opinions and viewpoints we’d all be sunk. We would have to stumble through life like a man driving down a dark mountain pass late at night in the fog on a road with no painted lines to help guide the car. We would endlessly debate the true meaning of the ten suggestions or the beatitudes if you can handle it ideas. We could create a whole new ocean of new religions in which to sink or swim. Drowning would be normal.

God has been very clear about the origin and destination of mankind. He is also makes it very clear that agnosticism, atheism and unbelief in general is a choice not the natural concomitant to the lack of humanly acquired answers about the beginnings or the outcome of life. God says he made the earth and every living creature on it and that one day he will visit it again and hold us accountable for what we have done with our planet and our lives. This is called accountability.

Late in the last century two grand musings were presented to the world that have gained wide acceptance. They are of course the theory of evolution and the idea of interstellar space travel. How convenient that these two answers have come just in time to help a world spiraling out of control to have answers that trump God and handily remove all accountability to him in one sweeping new wind from the devices of the heart section of our philosophies.

If we came from the lonely amoeba swimming about in the primordial ooze and evolved to our present grandiose state, then we don’t have to answer to God. Conversely if we are to just fly off into space and colonize infinite planets to further the human race then we won’t ever have to answer to God after life. There would be no after life but only the continuation of life elsewhere in the great somewhere in the sky (space). Whew! Sounds a lot like the gospel of secular humanity and I can almost hear someone voicing a strong amen from out there somewhere.

God says He is not just telling the truth but He is the truth and that truth was also embodied in his only begotten Son. John14:6 Lies also have a source according to God. They come from Gods enemy the devil. No, not the horned red faced and pitch forked demon from the comics or folklore but the covering and brilliant intelligence the scriptures refer to as “the God of this world” 2Corinthians 4:4. In fact he is not just a good liar; he is the “father of lies” John 8:44. Sure the Devil may be the inspiration for the lies you told your mother about skipping school or the fibs you told your girlfriend about kissing Suzie behind the bleachers but don’t be fooled he has much bigger fish to fry and he is a diligent cook.

The garden variety lies are endless like robbing banks will make you rich and happy, pornography will excite you and help fulfill your otherwise dull life, a great political ideology will finally bring peace to the earth, etc, etc, etc. But just before the judgments of God take place and Christ returns the Devil pulls out all the stops. In order to solidify the world with one mind and one pervasive secular world view he introduces the two most dastardly lies of any generation in history.

The wise of this world think that they won’t let the notion of an unknowable and un-seeable God make fools of them. At the same time they are letting an un-seeable entity (Satan) make monkeys of them in the most literal sense of the word through a vehicle known as the evolutionary model. The god of this world caps off his greatest deception by providing the wildest imaginations with ideas of Klingons, Vulcans and Kardacians living together with humans in a happily ever after world of the future.

Sometimes I wish I could whisk about and visit every person who just sat down in front of the TV to watch an episode of Star Trek or some nature program filled with great swelling statements about what took place four hundred million years ago. And much like the minister I heard about who approached a scoffing prison inmate after he screamed out “there is no God you idiot” I would say “hey, did you know that you were in the Bible?” The prisoner said “show me where I am in the pages of the bible and I might believe in God too.” The minister read to him from Psalms 53:1 “The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God.”

God has been clear that anyone who seeks Him will find Him. I think we not only know that but we know where to look for him. This idea is given credence every time someone cries out to God when in extreme danger or despair. Never has it been heard that the soldiers crouching in a foxhole encompassed and outnumbered by their enemies decided to call out to the great one cell amoeba of the past or the future brother hood of humans, Kardacians and Vulcans.

Rev Bresciani has written many articles over the past thirty years in such periodicals as Guideposts and Catholic Digest. He is the author of two books available on Amazon.com, Alibris, Barnes and Noble and many other places. Rev Bresciani wrote “Hook Line and Sinker or what has Your Church Been Teaching You,” publisher, PublishAmerica of Baltimore MD. He also wrote a book published by Xulon Press entitled “An American Prophet and His Message, Questions and Answers on the Second Coming of Christ.” His book is now being heralded as the clearest book on the subject of the second coming of Christ since Hal Lindsey’s “Late Great Planet Earth” Rev Bresciani’s website is,

http://americanprophet.org

Recently a heated debate broke out at a Think Tank and in this think tank an Atheist and Christian Scholar politely argued over the possibility of science and researchers being able to develop the perfect artificial intelligent computer chip able to fully integrate itself with while being human/computer interface enabled. Having cognitive functions and add-on memory to name a few of its capabilities.

The debate turned into a side question of whether man’s brain was a physical brain working as a spirit or if the brain worked randomly. Without knowing of the atheists knowledge or theories of how the brain worked the Christian Scholar stated: “If this is so, then by your theory that your thoughts come from your brain which is physical particles, your thoughts are chaotic random arrangements, they mean nothing and they prove nothing and therefore your own words are self-contradictory when you claim that you know you are right.”

The Atheist countered this comment as this was nothing near his thinking, but also added some other insight perhaps worthy of mention and stated:

“Wait one second Dear Sir, being right or knowing truth is subjective and I did not say everything is chaotic. In fact those are words you put into my mouth, prior to proper input of my observations. Additionally the brain does not work on complete chaos, as the brain seems to spend a lot of time defragging while sleeping. I use the term loosely as the organic brain is not a computer, it is much better than one in many regards, yet not as good in others. The brain is set up to categorize and make connections and imprints of electrical impulse flows in its storage mechanism. Additionally one theories of chaos, randomness or order, have nothing to do with self-contradiction of what is right or wrong or a near miss. It does not prove the meaning of anything is “No thing” or even if the existence of “No Thing” is even possible, thus how could anything be possible. Therefore your multiple variables to prove your point are in error, even if one did believe in a fate or randomness that would not make truth an either/or choice. If indeed total truth could exist. So, in review you have miss characterized my thoughts on the matter, brought us to an irrelevant point and failed to make yours. Try again.”

What do you think of the physical particle comment or self-contradiction of chaos and randomness? What do you think of the way misunderstandings break out and impede thought between atheists and Christians? How would you explain what is going on in the human brain? Do you believe truth and perception are subjective? Which side of this argument do you fall on? We would like to hear your input on this? Think on this in 2006.

“Lance Winslow” – Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

Jeremiah 5:22-5:22

Let The Sea Roar!

Psa 98:7 Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. Jer 5:22 Fear ye not me? saith the LORD: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it? [Jer_10:7; Deu_28:58; Psa_119:120; Mat_10:28; Luk_12:5; Rev_15:4]

Where is the fear of God the Almighty? Are the people so strong that they can fight against the will of God? Can a nation that forgets God survive? The word rendered “be troubled” means to boil; to ferment; to foam; and here it refers to the ocean as agitated and lashed into foam. The world will not be destroyed by water again, but it is being punished, India, Japan, Philippines, South East Asia, Germany, Poland, Italy and yes America. Isa 5:30 And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea: and if one look unto the land, behold darkness and sorrow, and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof. Isa 13:9 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. Jer 25:30 Therefore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, The LORD shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation; he shall give a shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth.

Jer 31:35 Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth [to stur up] the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name: The A-politic Nature of the elements of prophecy are being fulfilled but still yet, there are millions of people that refuse to heed the warning. I don’t, as many others do, take every disaster and cry out doom and disaster, but when all the elements of Revelations start coming together, its time to blow the trumpet and wake a sleeping people. Jer 10:10 But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation.

Fear ye not me? saith the LORD. Where is the fear of God? Does the earth have to be on fire before mankind starts to fear God and his wrath? “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Mankind looks for comfort in the arms of Government and self, family and friends, those who cannot help, who cannot comfort, who cannot save. This is the duty of Ministers;1Ti 5:20 Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear. But have the ministers also lost their fear of God and replaced it with the fear of mans retribution? God help us all if thats the case. We are the light of the world, but if we loose that light all mankind shall be in darkness.

A man asked me the other day,”Where is God, Where is the proof that the Bible is real. I hear so many different interpretations that I don’t know what to believe. Thomas needed proof and I will be like Him, where is the proof ? ” I told him of history books, not related to the Bible that supported all the accounts of Jesus, I told him of history biographeys of famous men that gave testimony of the validity of the Bible and I told Him of Faith in the unseen to help believe those things that we can see. My talk with Him still continues. Heb 11:7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. Let them behold darkness and sorrow, let the seas roar, let the dead bury the dead, let that light of freedom and comfort be extinguished, so that the soul might be saved.

Is this because of just one catastrophe, No, its because of prophecy coming together in this lifetime. Just as Noah was warned, we are also warned. Mankind in the day of Noah, scoffed and laughed at the preachings of a man of God, and the same is coming to pass today. Noah condemned the world by his obedience to the will of God. Building of the arc was not only a task to save his family but was the prelude to the end of man on the earth, lawlessness, greed, hatred, sin, and disaster. The same is as today, an arc is being built, not one that can be seen, not one that can be moved, but one of the spirit, calling out for those that fear God to come aboard and be saved from the roar of an angry God.

Who is going to stand in the anger of Gods wrath? Nations and Governments are turning away from the truth, turning away from Righteousness, turning away from the reality that which is of God. Laws being passed to insure and unholy lifestyle, lies and compromises, replacing one dictatorship with another, false religious and false prophets, going on the air ways spouting death to those that believe something other than they believe, this is not Christ like and payday is coming. To stur up the anger of God, to make Him roar like a Lion, to taunt Him with speculation and unbeliefe. Men are laughing at God and His anger is kindled. ” Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled – The waters of the sea.”

The idea is, that they would not be afraid, not be afraid of God but of the times that they live in, though everything should be in commotion, and be as unsettled as the restless waves of the ocean. The earth might be changed, the mountains removed, the agitated sea roar and dash against the shore, but their minds would be unsettled, but their fear would not be of God. Man is looking for a natural explanation for tragedy and suffering. Their looking to place blame on anyone or everyone except themselves. Christian and sinner alike are suffering, but the Christian has someone to comfort them. The sinner must repent and have the fear of God within them.

Eze 7:19 They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity. Zec 7:12 Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts. I leave you these questions to answer for yourselves; Where is the fear of God the Almighty? Are the people so strong that they can fight against the will of God? Can a nation that forgets God survive?

Temple of Spirit & Truth Ministries
A.R.Smith Sermons International

http://www.ourchurch.com/member/a/arsmithsermons/

The textbook I’m using is Edward Chumney’s book entitled, The Seven Festivals of the Messiah (Treasure House, Sixth Printing 2003). We begin now with a brief introduction. Introduction: The 15th of Nisan begins the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is a high Sabbath. It is a seven-day feast to the Lord. The day following the Sabbath during Passover is called the Feast of First Fruits (Leviticus 23:10-11). Understanding the Festival Ceremony: When the standing ripe harvest of barley and wheat was ready to be reaped, the celebrant would take one sheaf from the standing harvest and bring it to the priest. The lone sheaf was called “the sheaf of the first fruits.” The priest was then to take this one sheaf and wave it before the Lord in His house. This was to be done “the day after the Sabbath.” Prescribed offerings were also to be presented along with the sheaf. The Sheaf of First Fruits in the Bible God commanded the people to bring a sheaf of the harvest. The Hebrew word for “sheaf” is omer. An omer is defined as “a measure of dry things, containing a tenth part of an ephah.” The definition of an omer being a tenth part of an ephah is found in Exodus 16:36. An ephah contains 10 omers of grain. Remember three times a year God commanded the people to come to Jerusalem to celebrate the festivals of Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. All three of these festivals are agricultural harvest festivals. Passover is the barley harvest. Pentecost is the wheat harvest. Both of these festivals are first fruits harvests before the final harvest that was to come at the end of the year during the festival of Tabernacles, which is the fruit harvest. The harvest represents all who would put their faith, trust, and confidence in the Messiah. So, the sheaf is the first of the first fruits. Since a sheaf in the Bible is used to typify a person or persons (Genesis 37:5-11), a sheaf spiritually represents people who accept the Messiah into their hearts. The nation of Israel was familiar with the concept of first fruits or the firstborn. The first fruits were always the choicest, the foremost, the first, the best of all that was to follow. They were holy to the Lord. The concept of first fruits or firstborn is a major theme in the Bible. Everything on the earth, both man and beasts, was to be presented before the Lord as first fruits to Him. 1. The firstborn of both man and beast were sanctifies and presented to the Lord (Exodus 13:2). 2. The first fruits of all the earth were presented to the Lord at His altar in praise and thanksgiving (Deuteronomy 26:1-11). The 17th of Nisan–Resurrection and Salvation The theme of the festival of First Fruits is resurrection and salvation. There are several important events that happened on this day in the Bible. 1. Noah’s ark rests on Mount Ararat (Genesis 8:4). 2. Israel crosses the Red Sea (Exodus 3:18). 3. Israel eats the first fruits of the Promised Land (Joshua 5:10-12). 4. Haman is defeated (Esther 3:1-6). 5. The resurrection of Jesus or Yeshua, the Messiah (Jon 12:24). Jesus celebrated the festival of First Fruits by offering Himself as the first fruits to all future generations (Matthew 27:52-53). Yesuah is the first fruits of the Barley Harvest He is the firstborn of Mary. He is the first-begotten of God the Father. He is the firstborn of every creature. He is the first-begotten from the dead. He is the firstborn of many brethren. He is the first fruits of the resurrected ones. He is the beginning of the creation of God. He is the preeminent One. Jesus is indeed the Most Holy One of God and is sanctified by the Father. He is the first, the choicest, the preeminent One. He is both the firstborn of God and the first fruits unto God. Jesus is the sheaf of the first fruits. Since Jesus was slain on the tree on the day of Passover, the 14th of Nisan, and He arose from the grave three days and nights after He was slain, Jesus arose from the grave on the 17th of Nisan, the day of the festival of First Fruits. In fact, Jesus is called the first fruits of those who rise from the dead. Tid bits of info Isaiah 53:9–Jesus would be buried in the tomb of the rich. Why was Jesus placed in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathaea? Arimathaea was another name for Ramah, the city of Samuel–prophet priest and judge of Israel. Ramah is FIVE miles N of Jerusalem. It’s still called Ramah to this present day. In ancient times it was customary for Jews to be buried in Jerusalem. In fact, this practice is still done today because it is a traditional belief in Judaism that the resurrection of the dead will take place in Jerusalem first. In the book of Genesis, Joseph the son of Jacob, made the children of Israel take a vow that when they went to the Promised Land, they would carry his bones with them. Ramah was term that represented idolatry. Two countries were called the seat of idolatry in the ancient world: Babylon and Egypt. Joseph, the son of Jacob, was also known as Joseph of Ramah. Moses took the bones of Joseph with him when he and the children of Israel journeyed to Succoth. Therefore, Joseph’s tomb in Egypt was empty. The empty tomb of Joseph of Arimathaea (Ramah), which stood for wickedness, was a fulfillment of Isaiah 53:9.

Keep the faith. Stay the course, dear saint. Jesus, the spotless Lamb of God, is coming a second time, not as a Lamb but as the Lion of the tribe of Judah. For Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords! Pastor T.

Are you having trouble finding effective ways to overcome your fears and anxieties? As an author of a managing fear book, I found it difficult to find all of the answers in managing my anxieties. Although I am a layman and not a professional, I realized that the best way to overcome my fears is to find those coping skills that effectively manage the fear and anxiety.

The first step is to ask God for help. Pray to God and ask him to help lead you in the right direction to find the answers in managing your fears and anxieties. Each and every day, a person should make it up a habit to talk to God and ask for his help. When using the help of God to manage your fears, a person needs to be aware of how God is working in their life. Most of the time God works in mysterious ways and the answers he provides might not be that obvious.

The next step is to take advantage of the help that is available around you. If possible, talk to a professional who can help you manage your fears and anxieties. They will be able to provide you with additional advice and insights on how to deal with your current problem. By talking to a professional, a person will be helping themselves in the long run because they will become better able to deal with their problems in the future.

It doesn’t stop there. The next step is to apply what you have learned. In my particular case, I made it a point that every time I would experience a fearful or anxiety-related situation, I would use the information I have learned. In every anxiety related situation I experienced, I began to learn what worked, what didn’t work, and what I needed to improve on in managing my fears and anxieties.

Remember to focus on the strategies and techniques that actually reduce the fear and anxiety. All it takes is one effective technique to make a world of difference in managing your fears.

The main point of this article is that no matter how difficult it is to manage your fear, the answers are out there if you look hard enough. It might take some hard work and persistence, but it is possible to find those techniques that work for you.

Shabbat Shalom Arthur,

After reading your article Whose land is it anyway? A response to Pat Robertson at UPI Religion & Spirituality Forum, I see that what you find hard to believe is THE BIBLE. Apparently you’ve rejected it for your faulty human reasonings, which is idolatry.

May God grant you repentance (Isa. 55:7-9) that you may come to see what others who submit to the Word and Will of God already do: it’s the Promised Land of ISRAEL – by divine decree.

Sincerely,

David Ben-Ariel

************************

Mr. Levine responds:

From: Arthur Levine

To: davidbenariel

Date: 1/21/06 3:19:26 PM

Subject: Re: Pat Robertson

Dear David,

I make it a practice rarely to respond to zealots, but after looking at your blogg, I have concluded that you will probably take this as a compliment.

My personal feeling about the Bible and its literal translation – New or Old Testament – and whether I believe in it is not central to my belief in God, which I do, and to my belief that people have the right to choose their own path to God.

I would hope that in the future you can find it in your heart to understand that other people may have different versions of personal faith and belief systems that differ from yours, which are valid for them, even if they do not adhere to your interpretation of the Bible. Regards,

Arthur Levine

arthur@faith-patch.com

******************************

My reply:

To: Arthur Levine Date: 1/21/06 4:31:18 PM

Subject: Re: Pat Robertson

I make it a practice rarely to respond to zealots,

And what are you but a zealot for humanism? Here a zealot, there a zealot. Such prejudicial language coming from an estranged Levite, if not a cohen. Regardless, I appreciate your response, Arthur.

My personal feeling about the Bible and its literal translation – New or Old Testament – and whether I believe in it is not central to my belief in God, which I do, and to my belief that people have the right to choose their own path to God.

Just like Adam and Eve rejected revelation, stole the divine prerogative to determine for themselves, as wannabe gods, what is right and what is wrong? That amounts to SPIRITUAL ANARCHY.

I would hope that in the future you can find it in your heart to understand that other people may have different versions of personal faith and belief systems that differ from yours, which are valid for them, even if they do not adhere to your interpretation of the Bible.

I already understand this but consider it dishonest once errors are clearly pointed out by the Light of the Word, and if someone rejects that light to lean to their own human understanding they have no legitimate basis for their beliefs, and everyone’s beliefs are equally valid (which logic demands simply is impossible) and everybody remains lost in the spiritual wilderness, groping about, yet ironically feeling smug and self-righteous about how their religion, created in their own image, is so tolerant and understanding. Yet your article is not tolerant of those who accept that there are absolutes in life, that there is a definite right and wrong and that the Bible sets the standard for all men and nations to follow, so help us God.

Shavua tov Arthur,

David Ben-Ariel

FIRST LOVE RECOVERY MINISTRIES THE RAT RACE

Ecclesiastes 9(KJV) verse 11 ” I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.” Romans 9(KJV) verse 16 “So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.”

Underneath the megacity,millions of rats young and old,male and female hurried through the varoius passageways in search for food. Whenever food got scarce, the sick,weak,injured, disabled,elderly and newborn often got neglected,since the natural instinct of hunger had been transformed into lethal greed in a battle that favours the fittest and wittest.For every rat,this gruelsome race starts from birth and continues until death! The modern world is lost in such a race as people run after the pleasures,possessions and positions that life offers! Even though this way of lfe seems popular does not mean that it is the authentic way of life especially for those who are followers of Christ Jesus the Lord!This way of lfe engages motives,methods,and means that are diabolically opposed to the ways of our Lord! And everyone is naturally born into ‘this rat race’.

Matthew 7(KJV) verse 13 “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:” verse 14 ” Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”

The rat race takes place on the broad and glamorous way that leads to destruction of the individual,the home,the community,the nation,and the world! The Christian race is however different to the rat race which is the order of the worldly system.The Christian race is run on the narrow way.The Christian race is the pursuit of God through Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.Throughout the Christian race,Christ alone is to be glorified from start to finish!It is therefore a race that is for Christ,with Christ,and through Christ! To leave ‘the rat race’ of the world system and start the Christian race,everyone has to have a personal encounter with Jesus Christ during which the individual wholeheartedly repents of his/her sins and humbly accepts Jesus Christ as his/her personal Lord and Saviour into his/her heart. The word of God clearly advocates divine prosperity but shuns worldly prosperity! And the people of God have to boldly take and keep a stand against all signs and shades of unrighteousness even in all financial matters since they are called to be a holy people by the Holy One of Israel Himself!The acquisition and expenditure of kingdom wealth by the Christian,and the Church is by divine wisdom based to godly fear;and demonstrated by good works. The Christian should not trust in his riches,but in the Lord who gives him power to get wealth(Deut 8:18).The Christian is called to be a servant of God,not mammon,or both!

Proverbs 23(KJV) verse 4 “Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.” verse 5″Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.” Matthew 6(KJV) verse 24 “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” Matthew 6(KJV) verse 33 ” But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” 1 Timothy 6(KJV) verse 17 “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;” verse18 “That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;” verse 19 “Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.”

The world system presents several obstacles which are designed to hinder every Christian from having and spending kingdom wealth but we overcome this wicked system through our faith in the Lord as our provider.

1 John 5(KJV) verse 4 “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.”

In this Christian race,for anyone who is feeling… …weak,the LORD is our strength(Psalm 18:2) …sick and injured,the LORD is our healer(Exodus 15:26) …confused and troubled,the LORD is our peace(Judges 6:24) …lonely,the Lord is ever with us(Matt 28:20) …under attack,the Lord is our defence(Psalm 18:2) …lost,the Lord is our guide(Psalm 48:14) …guilty,the Lord forgives and cleanses us(1 John 1:9)

Hebrews 12(KJV) verse 1 “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,” verse 2 “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”