Joseph Priestly

 Growing up very near to the Priestly home in Northumberland county Pa and often passing by it wondering who he was. A deist and dissenting  christian believed God created the universe then just stepped away like a master clock maker would create a clock and just stand aside to admire it. He was a scientist who was accredited with the discovery of oxygen and identifying other gaseous elements. He was also authored the Institutes , a history of the corruptions of Christianity. Now also is accredited with the start of Unitarian beliefs. A favorite of Thomas Jefferson who read and concurred his beliefs to be similar to those of Priestly.
 In response to the Priestly argument on the non-intervening God, we have the Son - Christ who if we deny that God did not intervene sending His only begotten Son to be a sacrifice for humanity to bring both Grace and Truth to humanity is the very basis of Christianity. Though I do not judge free thinking on any level as that is the free will of every man and women to think as they may and digest their thoughts through their experience and surroundings. To say that God is non-intervening too distant from humanity to even care. When God cares for even the sparrow ,  God intervenes more often than most realize actually on a moment by moment basis.
 If the clock was in theory a clock it is certainly one that needs winding and synchronicity. The saints throughout time acting as stones are in communion with God to perform these functions. Our minds are not imposed on by God  but welcome to Gods voice and calling. For in this I believe and experience , therefore disagree with the notions of Priestly and Jefferson not disrespecting their contributions to humanity and science but only their discourses on religion.
 We have the Orthodox mind that can digest spirituality and the natural mind that can only digest thought within the natural realm. One that accepts miracles and an intervening God, the other rejects miracles and assume God to be non intervening. Why pray if God  has no intent to watch over creation,  I can feel the very vibrant though quiet voice of God every moment. This may seem contrary to some that await a return to faith or cannot grasp or digest the Orthodox view but I am definitely 100% sure Christ exists in the mystical form today - and performed the miracles in the Son , Jesus the Christ.
 We also must examine the words of Jesus Christ closely as they are the keys to our faith. Jesus prayed, he fasted, he cried and also lived out his humanity , withstanding suffering and did not try to change scripture but fulfill it.

The Spirit and the cloth

 I was sitting in the hospital with my mother-in-law by adoption, who had for many years been a cook and housekeeper for the catholic church. She was faithful in her tithes and giving. Always working with the local school to raise funds for a new roof or gymnasium. Her entire life dedicated to the church on her walls are pictures of the priests that served in the parish.
 She was in the hospital for weeks waiting for a visit from the local priest, a man of the cloth. Every day she waited the man of the cloth never came. She called the church each day they said' someone would come - no one did'. For it was this reliance on the cloth that she lived being brought up to believe she could confess her sins, be prayed for by a priest when the need arose. However God is Spirit not cloth I asked if she wanted prayer , No the priest will be here soon. I was once an ordained minister of a non denominational , a generic pastor but never wore a collar and did pray in silence as I held her hand and washed her feet.
 How sad we rely on the cloth to bring us spiritual renewal. Today there are a shortage of priests they have had a few scandal ridden decades where many called are reluctant to be associated or answer the call. The church is relying more and more on lay persons to fill the gaps and there are few of them. What we must realize is God is Spirit , let us gather together and pray for the sick - brothers and sisters in Christ. John the revelator said' John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.  How can we rely on a person dressed in cloth , when we are all ordained to serve as Christians we are to pray for one another. James 5:16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
 It is sad that some believe only a priest can pray for them or even confess their sins to. We are all adjoined in Christ to be uplifting each other whether of the cloth or not. I do uplift those dedicated to Gods work in prayer , as they travel the highways and byways but also realize there is no special power given them that is not given to all. Where two or more are gathered n my name ,  I am there amongst you.
 It was sad , once we had a seminar on prayer and a pastor stated he never in twenty years had someone healed by prayer. A statement that caused me distress , it may have been that he had the cloth but not the spirit. God's promise is to heal us mind , body and spirit and bring peace to our souls. If we are not being heard perhaps the cloth has become our refuge and not the spirit. God is spirit-John 4:24
God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

side-note:
 Recently went again to visit my mother-in-law in the same hospital. God works in mysterious ways this time not waiting on the cloth, since it was on my mind. Reaching out to all the people in the room we all joined hands and led in prayer - sometimes we just need to capture the moment and we all felt much better - especially my mother -in - law.

-amen

Passive and Active

 Passive
 What does passive have to do with Christianity? All things will pass away Matthew 24:35 Heaven and Earth will pass away but my words will not pass away. This may sound a little deep for some and almost new age. Actually this is scripture and all things will pass away , if we think about it more - heaven and earth. Wow, I was planning on spending eternity in heaven - it was like my eternal retirement village. What now- the only thing left is the Word. Think about time it passes from second to second, and space it becomes empty - then full. So time and space are passive - we have memories of the past but really even eventually our memories fade. We can see it in our elderly or in my case my own son whose mind is diminishing. Then where is our Hope, where can we find refuge?
 Active
 We are in the moment living in a state of grace , however Christ longs to bring us further into truth. Jesus came to bring Grace and Truth , it was his mission. Grace the divine element was bought with a great price for all , and that is a wonderful gift. The truth however is gained not by finding, since the truth is not lost, we are lost. The truth is revealed by Christ in an appointed time to each of us. It is something we must submit to , like sheep we are led by the shepherd to truth. No one wants to be compared to sheep , even I was offended by this parable. I guess you will eventually realize it is the best way to describe our relationship to the truth.
 God will never leave us or forsake us, it is a promise made to those who trust God, simply put. We are living in time and space - yet these passive conditions will not exist someday being they are temporary. Life itself was described as a vapor by a prophet. So we see all that remains is the transformation, which is energy. God is spirit , spirit is God - we can find this all throughout the bible and many other religious books written by holy men and woman. Also revealed to teachers and guru's throughout the ages is that this transformation is more than just change , we become active. We become the living Word that is also Christ. We become one with Christ , this is scriptural.
And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
 So, I am not expecting what many are to think in my current reality and try to transpose that into another reality. My thoughts are now centered on Christ , being one with the Word. How is this accomplished - no longer being in the flesh but in the spirit. All that matters is Christ , not putting our hopes in passive things. All these things will pass away , trust in God only. I am not a religious fan or even a regular church goer though occasional. We think in terms of here and now - yet the clock is ticking people and things pass. What does that mean , why should we fear passive things eventually they will disappear. Time is passing , my hair is grey and white not long ago it was amber and brown.
Soon- I too will pass but hopefully not before being transformed into that spirit called the Word. We are one with the word.
And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to you. Holy Father, keep through your own name those whom you have given me, that they may be one, as we are.

Doubt

 Where does doubt become a help and another form of doubt a hinderance. Doubt is linked to the faculties of the mind , in the objective mind it helps to formulate the filter for Truth. We can say that trust is even protected by doubt. The bible says trust no one , simply put a filter to protect your inner feelings. In the objective mind doubt is a helper.
 When we think of faith we think of the opposite of doubt to overcome doubt leads to faith. However the doubt we are speaking of is in the subjective mind. Subjective doubt is a hinderance where objective doubt a help or filter. Subjective doubt can be overcome once you reach beyond the veils of various self imposed limitations. When this happens a creative force is evolving in the mind, inspiration and imagination are released to new levels. We also can enter different evolutions of time and other realms that to the objective mind are not visible. Doubt no longer is a friend in the subjective space , we often need to meditate or contemplate to overcome it.
 Doubt has a purpose otherwise God would have not built it into our minds to begin with. There is a purpose and reason for everything under the sun. We should not be ashamed of objectivity as it exists to filter out lies and formulate the truth. Once we are in the subjective mindset it needs to be released to gain access to the creative forces that exist. We can pray with faith that is much different than just blurring out requests. It is in the subjective mind or spiritual mind that revelation takes place, visions or prophecy. These are not illusions or fantasy (vain imagination)  not to be confused with real faith that takes you into the places of understanding and spiritual gifts are found.
 All life has meaning but it needs to be willing to release the subjective doubt to find it. We learn the free will has control of the objective mind only, to live out God's will we need to be subjective also.
There is no one formula as each person is different but Jesus said in John 10:9.  "I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture."
Does this mean when we die we shall find peace , no it means now. I often find those waiting for the door to be open , they are waiting for the Lord to appear in the sky, however Jesus said, knock and the door shall be open.
-peace.

Eden

 A story and a place so magical Eden was where it all began. There in the ultra famous Garden of Eden man was first tempted and our first introduction to Satan the deceiver, some say in the form of a snake or perhaps a reptilian quality that resembled one.

 I will first tell you a short story of my own that may relate to this ancient beginning. While a young man on a deserted island , once occupied by the Japanese during WW11 came across a diary of a Japanese sailor, one who eventually committed the rite of suicide - hari kari because of starvation. In the annuls of the diary he described abuse by officers and limited rations. It was unbearable and the honorable thing in his culture was to take his life with a small sword.
 The amazing thing about this island was that fish were plentiful , they surrounded the tiny island and flourished in the lagoon. The island however was also beautified by coral , in the coral lived tiny bacteria poisonous to man but not to the fish. Therefore the fish could not be eaten less a painful poison enter your body , even though some have tried to their regret. It struck me as somewhat ironic that God would place us there in the midst of this temptation.

 Back to the Garden of Eden we have a similar incident involving  fruit , but this was no ordinary fruit it made the person aware of the sin of desire. The fruit of the tree of knowledge had been forbidden by God and so the story goes anything else could be eaten, Adam had eaten of this fruit.  Now remember this was before books were written , so this story had to be passed on through story tellers , and it was to explain our separation from God and being expelled from this place called Eden.
 Was Eden the place God inhabited or was it a testing ground for God's creation. We will never know this place called Eden - was it just a metaphor or actual place. If it were a place it was the most beautiful on earth , without a doubt a place one would want to stay forever. It was not to be though Adam and the generations that followed would experience suffering and at times hunger. One thing that stands out in particular is that Satan actually told the truth. Satan spoke that of the fruit of desire , how wonderful desire felt. God on the other hand warned of the fruit of desire and of its consequences. We are told Adam saw his nakedness and turned to the fig leaf for cover, as so the story goes.
 How many of us have tasted forbidden desires and later regretted it, how many have taken a drug and became addicted. The worst suffering is separation from God , be not fooled. This will often be something to ponder on, inner peace is within reach but we must know what fruit to avoid and what fruit is good. - peace to you.

Where is Christ now?

 Where is Christ now?
 We see thousands of Christian churches across every continent , dotted across rural communities they surpass all the fast food restaurants combined. Some are almost like franchises , some are independently formed , other massive corporations. The question is where is Christ now? We last hear of Jesus in the bible visiting the apostles after the resurrection, as it is told. He then ascended and sits on the right hand of the Father to return in glory. The Jews are still awaiting the coming of the messiah - king. This is what is taught in some circles not my words, scripture.
 If you ask the Ana baptist they will tell you Jesus is in your heart.
 If you ask the mystic they will say in your mind.
 If you ask the catholic they will say in the communion , bread and wine.
 If you ask some they will say the messiah has already returned in their holy man or leader.
 If you ask the hindu they will tell you Christ was just another representation of God perhaps an avatar.
 If you ask the buddhist , they will say Christ is a journey.
 If you ask the atheist they will say a story.
 If you ask the philosopher a story teller.
 If you ask the scientist he became another energy or force.

 Where is Christ now? This very moment. If Christ is present in all the multitude of churches and alliances formed in his name - where (2) or more are gathered in my name - I am there amongst them.
If Christ is a personal savior , he dwells in each believer. How can he then later return , the second coming - with all His angels to bring judgement upon the world? The same Jesus that said, while he was here I came not to judge but save the world. Perhaps he chose a few to save as some say, perhaps we all have the opportunity to accept the invitation of salvation- some say.
 OR - perhaps we are  all lost in our perceptions and just believe what the educated tell us. Educated by Yale or Harvard or some Ivy school - even more credible. Maybe if they attended a seminary or were in a monastery- more credible. Perhaps the more humble and quiet guru that looks homeless is more credible or the loud good looking charismatic evangelist in a suit.
 We have those who say Jesus left and will return , but he is really in their heart, in their church right now. Well what does the bible say - God is light, God is spirit , God is the Word - but then who is Christ and where is Christ now? Many will say they have the answer Christ is God, God is omniscient, omnipotent. I can tell you this Christ is not lost , we are.
 Someday you will come to the realization , God was always here. We put up the barriers , the veils and we can take them down. God will reveal the truth , Jesus came to bring Grace and Truth. I cannot speak to all these other claims of religion concerning Christ whereabouts.