Gathered Together

I love that line from the song where it goes..."Better is one day in Your court, then a thousand elsewhere". In these difficult times we all need to stand together, arms stretched out to catch a falling brother or sister. There is too much fighting going on  in the Christian realm right now about so many things that don't really matter. Its our pride that compels us to want to be right.

I have personally seen what pride can do. Over the years and in different churches I have seen the true motives of a man's heart. And they are wicked beyond our understanding Jeremiah 17:7-13. I recently witnessed a situation at a local church where a group of people couldn't settle into the "kingdom way" of doing church but wanted to rule and reign God's church the way they wanted to despite what the pastor felt was best. Some people love the spotlight and seek attention on the center stage. The spotlight is reserved for Jesus and only Jesus is worthy of our praise and worship. Run from pride all you people. Run for your life. Theology 101 in a nutshell..."Nothing but the blood of Jesus" and always put others needs and concerns before your own.

This world is beginning its final meltdown kind of like what we saw in Japan last year. Where the powers that be will try and prop up the world economy through market manipulation. It will not work and it is going to get worse and implode on itself  like a nuclear core meltdown. Jesus said it would happen and it will. I believe Jesus do you?

If you read your bible try reading through Matthew chapters 5,6 and 7. Here Jesus is teaching on a rise in the landscape to be able to get His voice out to the multitudes that were following Him. The purpose of this sermon from the mount was to get all the people thinking. Remember He had been walking from city to city through all the villages in between healing all who asked and casting out demons.So everyone wanted to get in on all the signs and wonder.

When you read these chapters keep in mind that since Jesus is the one talking, He is still alive and well. What I'm getting at is that the Lamb of God had not yet been slain and these people listening to Him were still under the law and the old sacrificial system. Jesus was teaching them rather proving to them that they cant keep the law. Which means we cant save ourselves we need a savior. Emmanuel. Its kinda sad how many Christians are continuing to strive for perfection through the law.

Our Lord ended that particular sermon with a story about two men who built two different kinds of houses. One built his house on a foundation of sand. Sand  when it gets wet does compact but it has no sure foundation to anchor a house to. This is really a picture of the old sacrificial system where endless sacrifices would never heal our wounds or take away our sin. The sand which could be considered animal blood in this analogy would merely wash over or cover over our sin and transgressions for one calendar year.

Jesus was setting the stage for what he was about to accomplish. Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! These words spoken by John,  should continue to ring true in our ears. So you see the man who built his house on the rock was able to withstand the storms of life. Even though the rain and the wind pounded and pounded he survived because he was being held onto by God Himself. The law was never meant to save us only Jesus can do that. The law was never meant to hold onto us only Jesus can do that! God is salvation lit. Jeshua. Is the picture getting any clearer?

Jesus once said "Oh how many times I have wanted to gather you together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wing...but you were not ready." paraphrased. People get ready cause there is a kingdom coming that you want to be a part of. You cant earn it or buy it or even live in a way that secures your place in it. You must call upon the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ to be saved. Love one another.

Shalom Mishpokah!

So you want to write a book

I'm such a sap and gullible to the gills. My tent making business has been very slow this last two years because most tents are being made overseas in Asia. Actually, my business is really residential home remodeling and if the current corporate business world could find a way to provide residential remodeling from Asia they would build it there and ship it here for Wall Mart to distribute. So why I'm I such a sap?

Since my business was slow I figured I would write a children's book. I love to write prose and it seemed like a very attainable goal. So off I went with pen, paper in hand and within a year "Clyde The Donkey" was ready for the book publishers around the world to bid on or so I thought. First off I think everyone on the planet knows someone who has written a children's book. Now then if this fierce competition wasn't enough to scare me off...the reality to hire a book agent definitely did.

My next idea was to take a day to visit my local bookstore and search children's books for actual publishers. As I was turning the pages and writing down the information my list was starting to grow. Next came a quick cup of coffee at Starbucks followed up with free Wi-Fi and a couple of hours of non stop emailing book publishers. This was a complete waste of time.

Oh, how I dread to admit when I am wrong and so does my wife otherwise she would have to admit she made a mistake in marrying me. The story line of my book really wasn't half bad but it was still going to take a miracle to get someone to take an honest look at it. Soon the almost inevitable advice started pouring in from all the other armchair quarterback writers who had faced off on the gridiron of literature before me. Yes, my writing peers who also had never published a book but acted like they knew something I didn't, simply what was the best way to get published.  I don't get it, why do people think they are helping and encouraging you by hacking away at you (watch out for your  fingers.)

Well at least I haven't got writers block yet. Oh yea, the advice I received from my peers was that I need to join a literary guild and hone my skills. Now OK that sounds like good advice on the surface but lets think this through together. Your trying to publish a book. There's too many other writers out there so you join a writers guild with a whole bunch of other writers who are also trying to publish a book. Once you are all in this new found fellowship you begin to read each others books that will probably never get published. So now you are helping add even  more authors to an already incredibly large ocean of literary work.

Somebody stop me! By the way my book is published right here on my "New Wine" blog site under January 2012 titled "Clyde The Donkey".  Please enjoy reading it for free just don't leave a comment. So now even if it was a great book, one that  that Dr Seuss would be drooling over, now all my potential customers can just read it for free. Other advice I received was that Dr Seuss went to 49 different publishers before someone took an interest. By the way Dr. Seuss would have been 108 on March 2nd 2012 if he was still in the land of the living. Thomas Edison, I have been told, made 500 attempts at making a light bulb before getting one to light up...but I don't think I have that much time on my hands.

What is an unemployed blogger to do? I heard tell that even JK Rollings of the Harry Potter book fame  went years trying to get someone to read her new book series. Oh, how I wish I could have been the knuckle headed publisher who finally said to her..."Well, Miss Rollings, I'm not going to promise you anything."  Even Tim LaHaye has enjoyed an incredible ride in top selling book circles. What authors need is a name cause I'm betting its pretty easy to find a ghost writer or co-author out here in the unemployed, cyber blog realm.

If you know someone who might be interested in helping me publish another children's book could you please forward the story to them? Help a starving, recovering Calvary Chapel pastor to get his book published? Then I can start feeding my family once again.

This Present Satanic System

Have you ever been around super spiritual people? Christians who seem to be on hyper drive going at the speed of light. Or maybe you were part of a deliverance group who could see demons under every dinner plate. I use to think people who walked cities praying for them were in that category but not anymore. Now, I am taking the spiritual battle we are all in very seriously. We should never let our guard down or fail to put on each piece of armor the bible tells us to put on. I remember saying hello to Pastor Romaine in the "Mother Ship" know as Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa before he passed away. Our brief conversation went something like this. I said "Hello Pastor Romaine, how goes the battle?"  and the solid, confident Pastor known by some as "Pastor Chuck's hit man" replied " The battle's not mine...The battle belongs to the Lord!".

You know he was right on and even if he wasn't I wouldn't be the one to tell Pastor Romaine anything. We do know the end of the story where Jesus indeed wins the battle over Satan or Lucifer at the close of this present Satanic System or age. The timeline and exactly how this plays out is debatable among mature Christians or might become the topic for a church split. You see don't go looking for Lucifer out in the world, because the world is already in his control. No, the spiritual battle is in our churches and Christian organizations.Just don't ask a Calvary Chapel pastor to be flexible in this area as they are betting on "The Rapture". Just an aside before moving on. In the book of Genesis, Isaiah and Ezekiel what is described as "the serpent" can also be interpreted as "The Shining One". Could it be that the picture forever engraved in our minds from Sunday school of a talking serpent is really an angelic being somehow made up of light?

 Isaiah 14:3                                                               "How you are fallen from heaven, 
O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of old; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.   Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit.  "Those who see you will gaze at you, And consider you, saying: Is this the man who made the earth tremble, Who shook kingdoms,   Who made the world as a wilderness And destroyed its cities, Who did not open the house of his prisoners?   "All the kings of the nations, All of them, sleep in glory, Everyone in his own house;   But you are cast out of your grave Like an abominable branch, Like the garment of those who are slain, Thrust through with a sword, Who go down to the stones of the pit, Like a corpse trodden underfoot.   You will not be joined with them in burial, Because you have destroyed your land And slain your people. The brood of evildoers shall never be named."

"I will be like the Most High"  what a fatal remark that was, pride does come before the fall and now we are seeing this Satanic system in full swing on its way to complete and utter destruction. If you look at the alternative news sites on the Internet you will see that America is unfortunately on its way out. We have lost our way in the world and given up the true and living God for mammon. For your information I have lost all faith in our government. It seems for the last few decades that there are other hands on the steering wheel of our government. Our law makers have drank the wine of corporate fornication and our presidents have merely been actors standing up in front of the networks repeating whatever talking points they have been handed. Unfortunately, large corporations have the funds and manpower to get the job done. Lobbyists wine and dine our politicians and make contributions to election funds in a variety of ways.

Proverbs 28 says this..."The wicked flee when no one pursues, But the righteous are bold as a lion.  Because of the transgression of a land, many are its princes; But by a man of understanding and knowledge, Right will be prolonged. "

Proverbs 29 goes on to say this..." When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. whoever loves wisdom makes his father rejoice, But a companion of harlots wastes his wealth.  The king establishes the land by justice, But he who receives bribes overthrows it. "

Its no wonder the USA is in the shape it is in. My opinion is that in the early 1960's the spiritual battle was intensifying. Satan had a plan to take prayer out of our public schools and replace it with drugs and witchcraft. The assassination of John F Kennedy,  Robert Kennedy and Martin L King should have been a sign post for us all to see. Corruption was becoming the norm and cash was its king. Most all powerful men crave after mammon and it becomes their god. Jesus taught us to rather store our treasures in heaven where moths and rust cant destroy. Having written that last line I feel a weight lift from my shoulders but beware we are living in a Satanic world system that is doomed. Look up folks and keep your eyes on the true King. Jesus is God's Son, part of the Godhead and our sacrificial lamb. Don't let the lure of fame or fortune take you out of the battle. Many a good man have fallen to the evils of lust, power, authority and titles.

Jesus is the world's only true hope. He is our future and is described as our bridegroom. God is in control and He knows how and when this Satanic system will end. I encourage all within the sound of my voice to persevere, pull up your bootstraps, put on all your full coat of armor and fight the battle. Yes, the battle does belong to the Lord and its not yet over. Jesus will be satisfied and Satan will be cut down and his head crushed. Hold fast to what you have learned and make it a reality in your life. Don't fall into temptation and endless arguments over what color the carpeting should be or what type of chairs to put in the sanctuary as we probably wont be sitting in them too long anyway.

I'll leave you with Proverbs 3:5,6  " Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;  In all your ways acknowledge Him,  And He shall direct your path..."