Perception or Deception

 What is commonly called perception is a product of our senses  sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch.
I have spent countless hours as have many others have studying this sensory input to our brain. What is most oddly acclaimed as a sixth sense is also a subject of great debate. Is there a such thing if so is it spiritual or simply a calculus synoptic of the brain, even more acute in a more evolved brain. We can often become deceived by our brains in an example illusionary vision input when mirrors are used or drawing such as an Escher seem to go on endlessly. Apparent hearing deception when a parrot mimics a mans voice or in movies sound effects are used. Even our touch can be deceived by an object shown to us and then replaced by another. Our brains perception is distorted by deception often a phobia can occur, a child can be taught fear by a painful experience or simply a parents warnings. I had a friend who was in vietnam had a black belt in martial arts, belonged to a ruthless motorcycle club but was terrified of spiders. We were driving in a car pool and a spider was in the car - he cringed into a ball and was terrified. I merely collected the spider and tossed it out the window.
 Fear is learned, Fear is deception sometimes we are fearful when in the dark because our vision sensory is not able to input safe signals to the brain. Our eyes tear when tasting extra spicy food. We are taught not be fearful by the psalmist - though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death - I shall fear no evil. We are taught that evil awaits death and the grim reaper illusion. Yet , many have had near death experiences and saw beings of light and felt love and comfort. How we condition our thoughts during life can become a permanent part of us. The buddha taught what we think , we are. Maybe not exactly in those words but in his many quotes perception of ourselves is perhaps his greatest theme. Do not deny yourself love, it is something you deserve.
 The greatest deceiver is ourselves , do not be fooled by religion. We often deceive ourselves by fear, not all spiders are going to harm us and we are not little bugs. If the light goes out evil does not suddenly appear. If you are in a cave or cramped space you will not be squashed. Yet, to some these are as real as their minds will make them. The bible tells us , Let this mind be in you that was also in Christ Jesus - in so many ways telling us to take on the mind of Christ. What is the mind of Christ, a mind that is not fearful an evolved mind with a sixth sense. A mind that can forgive, love and teach hope to others. What if the buddha never spoke, what if Jesus never spoke , what if we did not speak. You often hear the phrase that person really gave them a piece of their mind or they spoke their mind. What is all this mind speak about?
 Martin Luther King spoke his mind , I got a dream speech. We need to be not religious but exhort ourselves when the time and place is right. Give a proper compliment when due, teach the young not to be afraid of the little things in life, the spiders. Teach them how to discern right signals from wrong ones.
We are sometimes programmed to think beauty is a perfect figure and ivory skin, maybe black skin is beautiful , maybe a perfect body is one that is pure in the inside. God wants you to not be afraid and I believe love conquers fear. I believe forgiveness conquers sin, I believe hope conquers hunger. I believe in God because all my senses sight, hearing, taste , smell and especially touch tell me God is near. When a man full of sickness came to Jesus for healing and said Lord are you willing , Jesus answered and said, I am willing and touched the man and he was healed. We are healed not just by faith but by touch.

My God is real

 We often hear the atheist argument of a lot of the misery and the wars today are caused by believe in an imaginary God. I do agree on one thing there are a lot of imaginary gods , false gods that can be blamed. Greed is a false god, pride in oneself, mammon or money can be  false god. Idols of dictators, the list goes on and on. One thing I do know is my God is real. He is a God of peace and understanding not just a religious entity but a personal being that walks with me daily.
 The atheist think of faith as their greatest enemy, it does not mean they cannot be humanitarian or nice people. I wrote a poem on secular humanism at the bottom of this post. Secular humanism is the greatest deceit of all - it says humanity does not need God. We see children of the secular generation caught up in imaginary worlds of game playing. They create their own reality in which God does not exist. Technology in gaming has become so advanced that avatars are more valued than other humans in Japan . We see virtual pets, virtual cities, virtual reality explosion on facebook. It all helps the secular humanist push God to the background. Their mind become a cesspool of some software guru that will profit from the easy following of these devices. I am telling you a lot of these are christian, it seems so harmless at first then they are hooked.
 I believe virtual reality is the greatest threat to faith in the one real God today, more than false religion or the pantheon of false gods. What enters your mind can destroy you from within like a gordian worm that enters a cricket. Let this mind be in you that was also in Christ Jesus. Phillipians 2:5 , I cannot stress enough my basic belief in God - Love, Hope and Forgiveness leading to Word, THOUGHT and Deed. This is the theme which I live by and measure all teaching of a religious nature. If our thoughts are confused by these virtual mind games , the Holy Spirit cannot teach us, we then create a world where we are god. This is the drug of the world today, I do not know how much longer the real God will with hold punishment. Perhaps by uncontrollable disease or planetary shift  though Gods mercy is greater than His anger. I believe we are treading on the line between our very existence and will experience a de- harmonization period. The last thing I want to do is incite fear but this is a warning ; their is an alien worm , the gordian worm that eats a cricket from inside, it starts out small then grows to twice the size of the tiny cricket, the cricket eventually jumps into water to try to extricate the alien. It is suicidal to the cricket but works. That is what I talk about in my poem the alien worm.
 Peace be with you.

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-alien-worm/

Secular humanism

What is the saddest invention of man is the schism,
The denial of faith, of hope called secular humanism.
The mechanical reasoning that we humans are all alone,
No hope for the children a skeleton or fleshless bone.

It would seem unreasonable man came from a lizard or ape.
If energy is transformed it would take a different shape.
The apes are still here and so are the lizards- I see,
They will never replace the human, the you or the me.

We were placed on earth as caretakers of creation,
Not just monkeys or some type of primate variation.
We pay taxes to the institutions of mans schisms,
To teach the opaque curriculum of secular humanism.

If they can get our children to not believe in God,
They can enslave them for profit a pea in the pod.
No one would rise up to challenge their control,
We would be like the Nazis and pay evil a toll.

I like to believe there is a God in heaven,
That's just not my choice ,I believe God chose me.
I am just glad for freedom of religious expression,
To be able to worship here in the land of the free.

For those who just follow a mans book on the shelve,
I have no hatred - just at least believe in yourself.
There is fruit on the vine and there is a pea in the pod,
The pea remains with the earth, the fruit belongs to God.

 I attended a small independent church in Dornsife , Pa. I was honored to have spent time with a friend  Fritzy visiting the sick in hospitals and on ministry. He encouraged my brother and I to enter  bible college and we always kept in touch. My God is real sung by pastor Fritz Bowman who passed away in 2010. May he rest in peace.

http://www.singsnap.com/karaoke/watchandlisten/play/c41208b3a

The Vicarious

 One of the roles in a baseball team is that of the pinch hitter. What happens is when a greater offense is needed to score runs you can substitute a player with one that is on the bench to bat for another. Once the substitution takes place that player must stay in the game. I was never a big fan of this in baseball but many games are won by substituting a better batter according to their stats. Especially late in the game where not many innings are left to play.
 What does this have to do with vicarious, the meaning of the word itself is the substitution of one person for another. The vicar was often called upon to substitute for a priest when they were in short supply. The act of Jesus on the cross was seen as a vicarious substitution for our sins. In Islam it is not believed that someone can substitute for another. You are responsible for your own lies and actions, the muslim holy men will often say you are responsible for your own skin. Now I actually agree with the mullahs on this point with one exception. Knowing Jesus Christ not as a prophet only but a gift of atonement , we are introduced to divine grace.
 The vicarious believe in the pinch hitter - when we are in a situation when we do not want to go down in defeat and our own attempts at holiness do not seem to be working. We call in the greatest pinch hitter of all time Jesus, who simply put walks on water. How do we substitute Christ for ourselves- pride tells us stay on the mound you will eventually get at least a single, who cares about the team or winning. It is not shameful to ask God for help, and he even encourages us to ask. Ask and you shall receive- what is God talking about a pot of gold ,  no ! He is talking about a victory in life - welcome Jesus into your heart- ask to learn of Gods divine plan and be a winner.
 My heart goes out to all the holy men trying to seek salvation on their own merits, is it even possible. I cannot sit in judgement , even Jesus did not came to judge the world but save it, in saving we our talking about winning a victory but its not a game. Some people say life is just a game, it is more than a game my friends it is a passage. We hear of the last words of Jesus saying this day thou shall be with me in paradise. A passage to paradise for all those who accept the help of Jesus Christ.
 He said , I am the way , the truth and the life. Not just  a prophet or a holy man.

The Beginning

 I never thought it that important to know how the world was created, but who  the Creator was seems to be more important. We hear of the big bang theories, the bible story, the mystical stories of indian and aboriginal cultures. We even hear ancient alien theories, and in some beliefs we do not really exist at all  , yet I am sitting here writing this. The other day I experimented and tried to think of my earliest thought , maybe somewhere trapped in my mind was all the answers.
 I soared past the many jobs and relationships, past high school, past elementary school, even got before kindergarten. Saw myself sitting in front of a black and white TV watching the mickey mouse club. Remember my first nightmare of a parrot, and snuggling between my parents. I do not recall being two or even three years old ever. I remember some old songs that were played on the radio, my last and earliest memory was sitting on my grandfathers lap. I cannot even remember what he looked liked but felt safe.
 Imagine if we could go back into infancy , wondering if we even had a worry other than a soiled diaper or a taste for milk. I think we can get caught up in our beginnings the same as we can get caught up in the worlds beginning, what is important is today. We should always remember not our beginnings but what happens in between that is important, and mainly where we are today. I remember the story of Lots wife and how she turned into a pillar of salt , looking back. What the hindu religion says is we are born into bliss, and ultimately through salvation can to return to bliss. In christianity we are born into sin ultimately we can through salvation can defeat sin and go to heavenly bliss.
 Why be born at all if just to be polluted by sin , or have to find our way back to bliss. I guess that is the big question - my thinking is to become one with the Creator. We are a living soul , the physical body is always going through changes then eventually , the shell becomes immaterial. We spend a lifetime getting hairdos and putting on makeup. We pluck unwanted hairs from our cavities then it becomes a useless , wrinkly - painful shell and we just want a new body. If it were possible we would go to the store and purchase a new one like a suit.
 The only hope is that someday if we live a holy life , we will get our wish and that new body. Or there is another way, we can shift our importance to our eternal soul and forget the body. Why not have an out of body experience , shift all your energy to being one with God , ask him to fill you with the Holy Spirit. This can be the most wonderful experience of your life, and it is free. How much are you spending on cosmetics , medication, cigarettes or booze. Imagine for free you can be experiencing what it is like not to controlled by your body needs, just shift your priorities. Ask God- send your Holy Spirit , I want to live a holy life, send the comforter Jesus promised.
 This will be the Beginning.

The Lords Prayer

  If you are a Christian or a Muslim the Lords prayer is mentioned in the Christian bible and in the Quran. Some will say it was borrowed, I believe the Lords prayer was given to all mankind and should not be a point of dispute. The Lords prayer has a universal quality that should be practiced and enjoyed by all.
 Early in my life I used to teach as seminar on the Lords prayer. Yes- an entire seminar devoted to this inspirational prayer. I always believed that if we pray for the world, then for the community , our families, then our own needs seem quite small. I remember going to various places in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Kentucky teaching that seminar with all the poster boards explaining prayer. We cannot be effectual in prayer without first learning the Lords prayer. Whether you are a Christian or a Muslim many times you are called upon to say a blessing for the meal or a family wedding or event. Remember to always honor God first and thank him and ask for his blessing upon the occasion. Gods mercy is greater than his wrath- this is taught in all religions. 

   Lords Prayer

Our Father who art in Heaven,
Hallowed be thy name;
Thy kingdom come
Thy will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
And forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those who trespass against us;
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory.

Forever and ever.- amen

 Let there be peace, there is no glory in war.

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/rose-petals-8/

The Edict and the Verdict

 Two simple words only separated by a couple letters  yet both are a decree. One is a religious decree another a judgement or court decree.


 The Edict often is handed down by a holy guru in hindu religion based on the interpretation of their ancient scripture it is often a prescription. Sometime a prescription of self denial or pain, it can also be prescription to ease the conscience of a believer who may feel his karma is out of place. Karma is a true principle of law , what we reap we will sow. I devoted a whole section of my blog to karma. The Hindu practices also have another swing to karma. If we do not reap in this live, we will reap it in another or in the afterlife. So, it is very important to settle your karma now in the hindu faith. Sounds reasonable but as a christian we  do not believe in multiple re-births, we become born again in this life and  believe that christ settled all our debt on the cross.
 The Edict in catholic faith is surprisingly very much the same, a edict or decree can get you out of a marriage and allow you to marry again in the catholic church. It was by holy decree the church used to control the people , they feared the edict more than the law of government. Church law during certain periods of mans history was more powerful than any governing law by royalty or any parliament. To be  excommunicated was by far a worst judgement than even death. Martin Luther was excommunicated yet in the Lutheran church we often say we be believe in one holy catholic church, it is part of the catechism of believers. Lutherans still hold to the unity of a catholic church but deny the pope as elder as in early time the papacy authorized the sale of indulgences, which were writs of paper of forgiveness for sins for profit. That has long since been abolished but still it is use as a reformist draw card.
 I myself attended the lutheran church and it was very closely aligned with catholic beliefs because my wife being a catholic, we often attended catholic church. My sons are both baptized catholic as to ease any doubt. So, I am familiar with both catholic and lutheran , including the catechisms, liturgy and teachings. The lutheran minister wears a collar just like a catholic priest. Both drink alcohol of choice lutherans seem to take to beer as Martin Luther's own wife did the home brewing. Martin often stated the only sin concerning beer is bad or poorly brewed beer and often blessed his wife when the brew came out just right. The catholics also enjoy their selection of spirits (alcohol). Both teach not to over indulge or become  public nuisance. I personally try to  avoid soda which with all the sugar is more harmful. Actually, do not have cable TV or most earthly pleasures but that is just my choice. I can put that money spent on cable to a better use (grandkids education) or cause. For those who avoid use of all intoxicants, it is commendable as the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit not to be abused. I do my best to keep to that as a principle not condemning anyone who believes otherwise, that is personal. What is more indulgent a beer or eating excessively to obesity hmmm.
 The Edict in Jewish faith was also a combination of religious duty and decree. One would have to say the rabbi had a lot of power interpreting scripture and making things kosher. If something wasn't made kosher by a blessing even in modern times jews could be shunned or condemned to other punishments. The rabbi spent an entire lifetime examining the law behind the scripture. Not much time understanding the principles behind the law. A taste of understanding is what I call it , the flavor of the law can lead to a feeling of compliance to duty and therefore aid the conscience.
 The Edict in Amish faith is somewhat the same again only the elders platform is the ruling authority. I live in a community of Amish. Often had business dealings with them, I used to own a couple cell phone stores and believe it or not was one of the first to sell mobile phones to the amish. They were allowed cell phone because not being apart of the electric grid. They always bought the dull grey phones not to be fancy as in their tradition. We would put on the ring tones of amazing grace or other hymns. They were not allowed to take government assistance. I had a friend who was amish as we both had handicapped children. Once his daughter was lost in a corn field and was found by a trucker roaming the highway, she was deaf and took seizures a special child he loved dearly. They made a necklace with a cow bell attached to avoid her getting lost again. They eventually lost their farm even though their child qualified for assistance, the medical bills were paid by selling the 200 acre farm. He and his wife went to live on an amish commune and I never saw him again. The elders chose his path for him and he followed their rule of thumb.
 We often will impose a personal edict upon ourselves, maybe it was a matter of honor or something we were taught as a child. I was fortunate to have been blessed with a very spiritual mother and father. They were not always that way , it took the hand of the Lord to bring them into faith and they do live by faith. My mother once saw a car accident and though it could have gone up in flames at any moment, she held the hand of the man trapped and prayed with him, telling him about Gods love trying to keep his mind of the pain of broken legs. She often will lead in prayer and I know personally of healing faith she had. She is very humble and many who know her ask for prayer.
 My father is interested in music and is trying at an elderly age to learn to read music as he never actually did before. He gets excited when understanding a musical composition as he never took the time to reflect on this - raising a family. Both were married 60 years a few weeks ago was their anniversary. They never taught us directly from the bible but would tell us right from wrong and lived as examples. I can say the only edict as a child was we were taught hard work and it was ingrained into us as children not to be slackers. I never dated much in high school , it was always working at the family business restaurant and garage, 7am till 11pm .We never had a telephone or color TV , my first bicycle I had to purchase myself from a junk man, Elmer Shin which was rebuilt for 5 dollars.
 Not getting off subject in childhood reflection, a edict  is a bondage not just  a decree that is imposed by religion. Often a edict has a good intention to fill a decree as interpreted by one of the many religions  and I mean many religions. Religion that is not Love, Hope and Forgiveness leading to Word , Thought and Deed is of man. They use the edict often for profit or control and some of these are a strong force today. I personally believe in Christ but I do adhere to karma , same as the hindu and they speak of Thought, Word and Deed which I also adhere just in different order. My wife is catholic we often attend the catholic church and most of my friends are of the catholic faith, but do not subscribe to all of the church doctrine. I consider the catholic church as part of the christian community as a whole , the catholic church had gone through a lot of changes - mostly for the good, surprisingly they believe doctrine of inclusiveness of all christian that accept christ are part of the catholic church, contrary to what you may have been told , they believe is is not a perfect union but a union. 
  I once spoke at a Jewish funeral and my wife read psalm 23, there are many sects of the Jewish faith as many as there are christian denominations. I am familiar with the reformed mostly and studied the old testament. They believe in Love, Hope and Forgiveness and Word , Thought and Deed but adhere to law more than God's nature revealed in Christ. They seem to practice a religion but without having a personal relationship with God , you are just practicing works. I speak of the bondsmen in my poem- the man by the well. 


 The Verdict - I find it most important to understand judgement, by reading Matthew 7. We learn to with hold judgement but only to judge ourselves to be approved. That does not mean we are without sin because Jesus only showed us the cure, sin still exists. I am a sinner yet a christian, because sin does not rule my life but I am constantly in need of the Holy Spirit , his cleansing is continual like a well we draw water from to cleanse our bodies , we draw from the well to cleanse our soul. I know many will say Jesus died for our sins and think they can continue to sin for that reason. True Jesus did take on our sins at the cross. He also wanted to draw all men unto him, not just a few chosen. He died for all humanity to release them from bondage. How is it that we are later led into bondage by religion , hmmm. He also wanted us to learn of his divine nature and seek to follow him in living a holy life. Jesus said ,"Follow me." I often will have to go back to cross to seek this freedom from bondage. It is a continual process he died for sin once and for all, but I need the Holy spirit to continually cleanse and guide me- even in thought and sometime deed or a deed left undone.
 I find it interesting in Luke where there was a man who said to Jesus , I cast out demons, healed and did miracles in your name but yet the Lord said to him depart from me you worker of iniquity, I never knew you.  What ? here is a person who did miracles in Jesus name but he said, he never knew him. We can look at all the charlatans today that make huge bucks claiming to heal the sick and yes in Jesus name. God knows our heart and where our faith is at all times , we can fool ourselves but not God- we must try to live a holy life. Does this seem odd - We must remember always that all glory goes to God the Father. Even Jesus gave all glory to the Creator , God the Father. It is our also our purpose to communicate with God through the Holy Spirit.  Christ was to redeem us this is the Great Mystery of our faith that is different than other religions or beliefs. There is but one God the Father yet he revealed his divine nature in Christ, and continues to work in us through the Holy Spirit. We often pray in the name of the Father , the Son and the Holy Spirit. This separates us from the hindu, the jew, the many other religions of the world and philosophies. Jesus was saying to this man- you did all these things but continued to live in sin, is it possible to lead a thousand souls to Christ yet be rejected by Him. Obviously it is, our salvation is personal and it must never be taken for granted whatever your stature, even for a minister. We often hear of the big name evangelist that later admitted sexual misconduct, or priest pedophiles it  was more important to Jesus that they turn from sin than perform  service in His name.


He was not an entertainer or celebrity, superstar and did not want to be.
 John 12:47 [Jesus speaking]: "As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it."
 The most amazing truth about judgement while on earth is not that we are judged but actually
Jesus wanted us to judge Him. He wanted us to know his divine nature and make a choice, he allowed himself to be judged by men. He let the jews judge Him in particular to show us that the law would condemn even Christ himself. He taught us grace , not to live by edicts which lead to verdicts. We are to judge no one as Christ taught - but to show ourselves to be approved by showing mercy and forgiveness. 
 See there are really just two types of christian , forget about all the denominations and names. We are either Noah christians that forgive and find grace in the eyes of the Lord, or we are Aryan christians just like the two arks , written about in this blog. Aryan christians hate the gay, the sinner, the blemished, the mentally challenged, they are like the pharisee who put the law above grace. Think twice before you shun, ex-communicate or condemn someone to hell. Every soul is precious in Gods eyes, .
 

The Songbird

 The songbird is what wakes me in the morning, it is relaxing to hear. At night the cricket plays his fiddle knowing the bird is at rest. It is said, the music of the song bird is relaxing even to a child as he is prepared to receive a vaccination or needle. The Japanese prize their songbirds and treat them as family often taking them for walks in the park.
 Matthew 10:24-31 is one of my favorite verses in the christian bible. It explains how God keeps his eye on the sparrow, how much more does he keep his eye on us. Often we forget his all encompassing presence not just in church but in our back yard. I have always been a big fan of Mahalia Jackson - my two favorites are What a friend we have in Jesus and His eye is on the sparrow, she always seem to express my  same feelings.
 At night we often hear the cricket, I think of the diversity in nature each tiny creature singing and playing music. The cricket  makes a joyful noise at night , to some it may seem annoying but I enjoy this little guy. The insects in nature often can teach us things if we study them. We see the firefly and how magical they seem like fairies in the night time catching the hearts of our children. The bee how they pollenate the flowers and serve an important role in nature.
 I will say each day when waking hearing the songbirds sing it tells me the end of time has not yet come and the air is still breathable. The spider is even an amazing creature , how they can create a web often swinging back and forth on a single strand. We used to catch large cane spiders and place them on the wall in Hawaii for insect control without useing toxic chemicals.
 It is important we take time to not get to caught up in society and appreciate the little worlds around us. I  attached a link to His eye is on the sparrow by Mahalia. Who was herself a Songbird of inspiration.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eM_JRAPSw