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BeLOnGings

.....and being with you nothing else I desire.

Claiming the Heart of the Best 6. The Treasure Discovered.

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A few years ago my daughter-in-law felt she should give me a copy of The ALCHEMIST. I was the more eager to read it since the author’s name was not unlike my own, Paulo Coelho.

Indeed I discovered his story was a fractal of my story, even as all our stories are fractals of the One True Story.

It told of a shepherd boy in a western island who left his more secure profession to become shepherd just as I had left medical practice to shepherd a community in Ireland. He then traveled abroad on a journey in search of a great treasure – just as we have traveled to America!

After many exotic adventures the boy arrived all the way back where he started, only to discover that the great treasure he has been searching for was in fact buried at the foot of the tree where he had slept as a shepherd boy.

“We HAVE this treasure….” Paul writes to the Corinthians…….no need to go to the ends of the earth searching for it….We already HAVE this treasure.

“Ah!” you say, “….. you mean “Christ in me”?

Well, yes and no.

The scripture actually says, “….Christ in YOU the hope of glory” So while I do need to discover more fully the Christ in me, this scripture points us not inward but outward – to the other. The context speaks of God’s glory then being revealed through Christ in US. (Col.1:24-27)

The greatest treasure in my backyard is called Hilary….or maybe more fully Christ in Hilary – my closest friend.

Thank you for this friend who lies – a side of me

A stake to make me die to what is fake in me.

A staff to make me true to what’s inside of me

To confirm and to offend

Until we both have been set free 

Inside of Thee

Next to ‘love’, ‘friend’ must be the most cheapened word in our modern language.

Jesus said,”Greater love has no man than this than he lay down his life for his friends.” (Jn.15:12) At the end of his earthly ministry he only called  twelve who had been with him day and night for three years his ‘friends’ (Jn, 15:13) Eleven of these twelve ended up expressing their friendship by dying for the one who had died for them.

Proverbs says that “A friend loves at all times and a brother is born for adversity” (Prov.17:17) True Friendship is a step beyond brotherhood, it knows, shows, grows ….and goes the distance. Time is given us to yield two fruits, wisdom and true friendship.

The photo above is very special to me.

The cushion describes the voyage of Saint Brendan. Like Brendan, Hilary and I left everything familiar to us in the natural to follow our friend Jesus to this new land. He used the story of the only man to be called God’s friend, Abraham, to guide us here. When we arrived and asked Him what we were to do, he said very simply. “Make friends and be friends.” and “Always sing for friends and never ask for money.”

A friend is a gift from God. We can only offer friendship, it will be reciprocated by those He has given to us as true friends.

The carved staff was a gift from my friend Warren just before he died. He was a native Ojibwe elder, as is my friend Kevin who gifted me the model horse.

The model horse has special meaning for me because the Ojibwe name I was given at ceremony, “bebezhigooganzhii” means ‘wild horse’  in the sense of being natural or free. The inscription below the model horse kneeling in respect to his fallen master reads, “Blood Brothers”

“If we walk in the light as he is in the light then we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin.” (1 Jn.1:7)

In order to experience this depth of friendship/fellowship our lives must be an open book to one another. We must also be on the same page – a “blank page” of availability on which God can write His story as we die to self in order to live a common life of integrity which like our rider is, “Faithful and True” (Rev.:19)

……..until “every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.”(Phil.2:10,11)

It is true friends that make us truly wealthy…. a wealth that keeps growing.

P.S. Next week the shepherd boy and his wife fly back to the Ol’ sod where we ventured out from 23 years ago. For 5 weeks we will reconnect with family and with treasured friends old and new. We’ll see if we get some more good stories to blog about over those weeks.

One of those friends is currently broadcasting freely his latest docu-series called, “Live Longer Feel Better’. I would encourage you to register by going to this link:

Share – Live Longer Feel Better!

Claiming the Heart of the Best. 5. The Treasure

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Are you ready to go a little deeper with the Big Dipper?

We’ve considered two of “these three (that) remain.” – the Secret of Faith and the Mystery of Hope.  Now we come to the greatest of the three, the Treasure of Love.

In Eph. 1:17-19. this threesome is described as “….the Hope to which he has called you, the riches (Treasure) of his inheritance (of Love) in the saints and the power that is at work in those who believe (Faith)” 

Access to these, Paul says, is a result of “the eyes of your heart being enlightened”. The context of this statement is his prayer for the Ephesian believers, “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.” 

So this ‘enlightenment’ is apprehended not by soulish reason, but by spiritual revelation in the wake of our human experience.

A few years ago we had the experience of being expelled from a circle of dear friends because they believed we were in theological error. I went to my Father about this and He spoke to me through Paul’s words in 2 Timothy 1:12;

“For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.”

I was deeply reassured as this revelation came in my spirit, “I know my Father’s voice, I know my Father’s smile, I know my Father’s embrace.”

Last night this incident came to my mind again. I went outside. Looking up into the 3am sky, I saw the Plough, directly overhead, standing erect. It hung there (pictured above) like the Cleaver that had fallen several years ago severing my soul.

“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword,it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Heb.12:4)

The words came,“Ploughmen have ploughed my back, they have made their furrows long.” …….and then the promise, “They that sow in tears will reap with songs of joy!”  (Ps.129:4, 126:6)

We are now on the ‘reaping’ side of that time.

Here is one of those ‘songs of joy’ that can come out of our spirit when we have such experiences;

 

Paul the apostle cried out, “That I might know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made like unto him in his death.” (Phil 3:17)

Paul says he counts everything else in his life as ‘dung’ compared to knowing Him.

Entering into ‘his death’ involves the severing of soul from spirit, no longer putting confidence in my inherited beliefs, my reasonable assumptions, my strong emotions, my perceived abilities or my human achievements but trusting solely in the work of the Spirit of Christ within me – that leads to life.

“And this is Life…..that they may know you.” (Jn 17:1. 1)

This then is the road to knowing Him, who is life, and to finding – The Treasure of Love

P.S. On listening to the recording I realized that the only musical accompaniment was a barley audible drone of the wind in the background as I recorded this song by the window in our bedroom on a stormy day. This is the voice of the Spirit that we now hear….. that brings us peace.

P.P.S. On re-reading the P.S. I realized the ‘accidental’ misspelling of the word barely as barley denotes the ‘first resurrection’ company of overcomers or  ‘barley’ harvest which Father is even now sensitizing to hear His ‘still small voice’ at all times and in all situations. (Rev.20:6)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Claiming the Heart of the Best. 4. The Mystery Revealed

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At the end of “The Book” we read the end of “The Story.”

All creation is gathered “AROUND the throne”;

“And they sang a new song, saying: ‘Worthy are You to take the scroll and to open its seals, for You were slain, and by Your blood ransomed people for God from every TRIBE and language and people and nation.'” (Rev.5:9) 

This pictures “the Mystery” of God’s plan to reconcile all things in Christ, and therefore to align ourselves with this plan as I wrote last week we must be freed from partisanship and come into line with God’s impartial application of His Law. (e.g. Acts 10:34,35)

The corollary of this Tribalism Renounced is THE TRIBE REVEALED

Benjamin Franklin lamented that English settlers were constantly fleeing over to the Indians, but Indians never did the same! This gravitational pull of tribal society on ‘Westerners’ is because that’s the way God planned it. From the first a man would leave his mother and father and be joined to his wife and the two would become one, not to be absorbed in their own little world, but to create that extended family or ‘household’ which is what everyone longs to be a part of, and which should be the most fundamental expression of the people of God. This earthly reflection of the Trinitarian community is something much more expansive, inclusive and biblical than our standard ‘Western’ ‘nuclear’ family.

Sebastian Junger’s book “TRIBE – on Homecoming and Belonging” says. “The most recent example of this attraction is combat veterans who come home to find themselves missing the incredible intimate binds of platoon life. The loss of closeness that comes at the end of deployment may explain the high rates of post traumatic stress disorder suffered by military veterans today.” 

Another positively stated observation among the same demographic is described in the following video which proves how the answer to the heroin addiction of Vietnam vets proved not to be sobriety but connection with the tribe – the family community!

Addiction – YouTube

Someone said, “In the beginning the church was a fellowship of men and women centering on the living Christ. Then the church moved to Greece where it became a philosophy. Then it moved to Rome where it became an institution. Next, it moved to Europe, where it became a culture. And finally it moved to America where it became an enterprise.”

The scene in heaven described above in Revelation 5 is a Creator’s Circle familiar to our Native friends. It is not the stadium or platform of Western culture where the ‘rich and famous’ are center stage and up front. As more ‘leaders’ in this culture are exposed, this fake ‘reality’ continues to unravel. For example just this morning this story came across my desk(top)

Meet the Sacklers: The Family That’s Killing Millions

At the end of our last FREEDOM! retreat all 40 participants sat in a circle around The Table holding the body and blood of the only One who had true wealth and fame – and forfeited it all, that we might become part of, and participants in, His Body. Then looking one another in the eye all took their turn to speak truthfully from their hearts to their newly revealed family community.

“This is The Kingdom of heaven!” One sister said. Several repeated it in their own words, Some who had been burnt by religion said, “This is the way church is supposed to be!” or “This is REAL church!”   

As we move into a new Kingdom age I think things are going to be very different from the religious culture we have known.

In heaven, “individualism” bows to this fundamental unit in God’s creation, the family community, healthy and intact, joining with other similar but unique families circled around God’s throne –  the whole of creation worshiping.

I believe we are entering into what is depicted in Micah 4:4 and Zechariah.3:10

“In the last days…..Every man will sit under his own vine and under his own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the Lord almighty has spoken.”

“In that day each of you will invite his neighbor to sit under his vine and fig tree,” declares the Lord Almighty.”

Redeemed nations, tribes, clans and families circled in order and in harmony.…….on earth as it is in heaven.”

As I was writing this blog my friend Mike, one of the FREEDOM! prayer team, ‘just happened’ to send me the following email. Father’s confirmatory wink through brother and bird!

Hi Paul
As my trusted local interpreter of signs and wonders, what do you know about eagles? I’ve seen a preponderance of them this week, in diverse places. Today one circled directly overhead. Is there significance to this or do I just look particularly delicious? Feel free to say “I don’t know.”  But if you DO know, I’m not opposed to you weighing in with an opinion, unless the answer is ‘imminent death,’ in which case I prefer to be surprised. At your leisure of course…Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving! (That Godly export to America from the British Isles…of course, so are the Kyles…on the Northern Ireland technicality)
McCabe!

Claiming the Heart of the Best. 3. The Mystery

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People are hungry for good news. This is the conclusion I have come to as I have observed my readership slowly creep up again over the last few weeks. I guess folk would rather hear about the Best than the Beast : – )

Continuing our meditation on “These three remain” ( 1 Cor.13:13) we move from the faith that brings an unwavering peace to our lives to the HOPE that brings a matchless joy, as we move this week from Paul’s Secret to his MYSTERY.

A few weeks ago I was driving to a friend’s office Downtown. At one intersection I saw my opportunity for a ‘short cut’ so, as they say here in America, I hung a quick right – only to be stopped in my tracks by another car that was pulling out……eeeeeever so slowly, onto the road in front of me! As I braked, already late for my meeting with friends Bill and Mike (pictured above) frustration almost got a hold as the car continued to craaaaaawl along at barely 10 mph. I couldn’t wait to see who this “selfish and inconsiderate” road user was. As the car pulled around, there in the driver’s seat sat a befuddled, burka-clad, black woman. I had an instant to go in one of two directions – and plumped for, “Bless you dear” 

The next day Hilary and I had just set off on a relaxed bike ride down the beautiful fall Parkway. A horn sounded behind us. As we pulled over the driver through the open window of his BMW barked, “You’re driving in the middle of the road – you IDIOT!” Again I knew it was decision time as two different responses rose up, one from my soul the other from my spirit.  How would I choose to respond to this aggressive, affluent, arrogant, anglo white male ? 

I couldn’t help but notice as we continued on our bike ride how incredibly “Minnesota nice” every other kindred cyclist was, almost apologetic as they passed by with a wave and a, “Thank you….have a great ride!” This time I was tempted to think, “It’s so good to experience the camaraderie of our courteous and civil, cyclist’s clan.!” 

These three rapid fire experiences of  the A B and C parties served to illustrate to me the incredible power of “party spirit” in my own life. Paul speaks against this, (Gal.5:20 RSV) and  warns the Corinthians that it had even tainted their relationship with Jesus when they asserted in this ungodly spirit, “I am of Christ”

Innocently we get tutored in this ‘partisan spirit’ from an early age as we’re encouraged to cheer for the Vikings or the Packers, for the Glens or the Blues, for Liverpool or Man. United…..and then we think God is just like us.

There is ‘an axis of evil’…. and we of course are the ‘good guys’

This thinking is so ingrained in us that when we discover God thinks differently than this believers can find it hard to accept. “Could the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ really be the BEST – for everyone? ……..surely there must be a cut off point where the ‘LJC party’ is seen to win and everyone not on ‘God’s side’ are declared the loosers!”

This purely human way of reasoning is no different from other religions who also think they have ‘a corner on the market.’

The real gospel is foolishness to this natural way of thinking but I believe it is the ‘Spirit of truth’ who reveals that Yeshua Hamashiach is indeed the ONLY ‘Way’ – and what’s more – He has a corner on the WHOLE market!!!

Jesus is not coming to take sides, He is coming to take over.

The other night this revelation dawned on me afresh as in a dream I was pondering Paul’s words, “God was IN CHRIST conciliating THE WORLD to Himself.” (2 Corinthians 5:17) 

In my dream I was beside myself with excitement. as I realized at once, both the breadth of this salvation and the narrowness of it’s access.

“I have to write this down!” I said to Hilary in the dream but could only find a pencil…..so grabbed it and began frantically scribbling this verse on the only material available –  the dress on her chest!!! As I pondered it later, Father said, “I am writing MY law on your hearts.”

You might wonder what the photo above has got to do with all this. Well the three of us at our meeting that day talked about the non partisan nature of the gospel and Mike said, “So was he crucified leaning toward the left or leaning toward the right? No his arms were stretched out wide – to embrace ALL men – indiscriminately!”

Paul speaks of this Mystery to the Ephesians,

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places……….In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He has lavished upon us with all wisdom and insight, making known to us The Mystery of His will, according to His purpose which He set forth in Christ  as His plan  for the fulness of time, to unite (sum up, bring together) ALL things in Him, things in heaven and things on earth.” (Eph.1:3 – 10)

Consider first the Purple. Whose will, plan and purpose is it?…….  God the Father’s

Now consider the Red. How is this will, plan and purpose to be fulfilled?…….. Through Christ

Finally consider the Green. Who or what falls outside the scope of this will, plan and purpose?…………………………..

Fill in the blank and there you have it!…..The MYSTERY – in black and white….. and glorious technicolor : – )

FAITH and HOPE, PEACE and JOY, come together beautifully in Paul’s final words to the Roman believers, “May the God of HOPE fill you with all JOY and PEACE as you TRUST in Him, that you may overflow with HOPE by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Rm 15:13).  

Mysteriously this hope, extends from the God of hope to ALL things – so NO one or thing falls outside it’s blessed scope! 

Claiming the Heart of the Best. 2.The Secret Uncovered

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A few years ago we had a couple of friends from Sweden come to stay with us for a week. They are journalists and by the end of a week of getting to know us better, they asked if they could write an article about our interesting life. I told them we weren’t looking for publicity but if they felt lead they could certainly go ahead with the story for Charisma magazine. It was a nice article, but a few months later I was asking Father, “What was that all about?” He had me go and pick up the complimentary copy I’d received and as I looked at the front cover I heard the encouraging words, “On the front for all the world to see is Lakewood’s Big Secret, but hidden inside….is my little Secret.”

This past weekend we had a wonderful party at Rivendell!! 46 people found their way here from all over the country  – 22 of them sleeping over!! Some of the party goers had been ‘straying’ sons, some had been ‘staying’ sons, but they all came in through the same door….the door of humility. For the first group of  ‘pushers’ and ‘addicts’ the password they needed to confess was “pride and independence”. For the second group of pastors and church workers the password was  ‘pride and self righteousness’. But both groups of ‘younger sons’ and ‘older sons’ had to bow to come through that lowly door to be part of the party! (Luke 15: 11-32)

On the first night I sang

“I hear some of those plates you’ve been spinning’ are fallin’ ; crackin’ up, breakin’ down, cavin’ in. 

O we’re so glad to see you’ve decided to call in. We’ll put you together my friend.” 

Laughter and tears, song and dance, food and drink, prayer and healing, honest conversation all flowed freely and in abundance amongst the freshly formed Freedom! family!

At the final talking circle, every single person chose to speak in their turn, adding their light to the multifaceted 27 hour miracle we had all been part of.  A common starting point was. “I came not knowing what to expect. I knew I was broken….but then as I listened to the stories I realized – We’re all broken!!!”

Sarah, for example, had been nervous about coming. Her anxiety had been compounded by a series of car mishaps that almost prevented her from getting here. At the time of introductions, the lady in front of her turned around and exclaimed, “It’s YOU!!” Sarah was equally shocked to recognize the kind lady who serves her lunch every day in the cafeteria of the small College she attends in a town 165 miles away!! Sarah began to relax, assured, ‘I must be in the right place!’

By the end of the retreat she’d had a ‘God’ paradigm shift. It was confirmed to her in a dream she was given on the second night. She wrote,

  “Last night I had a dream. In the dream I had decided to schedule a physical exam, which is not something I would do in real life because I am honestly very afraid of doctors. I don’t like someone looking at me and telling me what’s wrong with me, I know what’s wrong with me. I also don’t like having someone poking around in my personal space. This doctor, however, was different. He wasn’t a loud and cheerful doctor, and he didn’t look like a handsome television doctor, but I could tell he was good at his job and that I was in good hands. He wasn’t gruff, he was gentle. Instead of subjecting me to a bunch of tests and measurements in the normal fashion of “get in and get out”, he would ask me which one I wanted to do next, and if I didn’t want to do one, he would hold off on it until we felt like I could handle it. At one point he even put the scale up on a shelf because I didn’t feel like I was ready to look at it yet! And when I did do a test, like the blood pressure one, the results were better than I could have ever hoped!

                This dream obviously is about God as a Healer. He is gentle and He has a perfect timing for everything. He knows what we can handle and when. When we work with Him, things turn out way better than we could have ever imagined. This also illustrates to me how He is. God isn’t judging me. He just wants to walk with me and heal/help me, even if it sometimes takes longer on different areas. He sees the areas I could do better in, but He still wants the best for me, even when I feel I don’t deserve it because of my failures.

        The love of God is simple and beyond what we can reason. 

Thank you so much for letting me into your home. Thank you for the wonderful, albeit sometimes uncomfortable (in a good way) time. Thank you for giving me the 5-steps as a tool I can use. Thank you for your faithfulness to Jesus and to doing God’s work on this earth.

Sincerely,
Sarah”

Sarah uncovered, hidden away at Rivendell, “The Secret” I described last week;

God is our perfect loving Father who knows us intimately and can be completely trusted to heal our lives and to restore us to Himself as beloved sons and daughters.

Thank you so much to all of you who support us with your prayers and gifts and facilitate these glorious transformations!

Hilary’s Healing Table                                                   Carol and Mary’s Ojibwa Healing Song

Claiming the Heart of the Best. 1.The Secret

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Having spent seven weeks considering how God is cleansing our BE(A)ST heart, I now turn to how we can claim the heart of the BEST  – a heart of “FAITH, HOPE and LOVE” for when all we have inherited from the first Adam has been cleansed away, these are the three, from the last Adam, that will remain. (1 Cor.13:13)

It was at the end of his life that the apostle Paul disclosed the fact that he had learned ‘The Secret’ (Phil.4:12) The Greek word ‘mueo’ used means “to be initiated into the mysteries.”

Sensing he only had a few years to live he shares The Secret in chapter 4 of his letter from prison to the Philippians. I believe it is hidden in the earlier phrase, “Rejoice in the Lord ALL-ways: and again I say Rejoice!”(v.4). Apparently the Greek word Kurios had not been used to describe a god as “THE Lord” before apostolic times. I sensed therein lay The Secret: Paul had become convinced through his life long experience that ‘his’ God (v.19) as the Supreme Sovereign over ALL things, was indeed able to supply “ALL your need” (v.19) and beyond this to affirm that,

“ALL that comes to you”, as determined by “The Lord” is not only good or acceptable but – is perfect.“ (Rm.12:2)

In this sense we already live in ‘a perfect world’ for while to our eyes there seems to be much amiss around and within, the sovereign Lord is working out His plan for every person and situation down to the smallest detail. I like to think of Him as my personal trainer. He knows exactly what challenges I need to reach His perfection and has divised the perfect personalized ‘training program” for me and for every single person.

Many of you have been waiting patiently for out next CD which has been several years in the making. Our intention was to record a number of unrecorded songs which people have told me over the years are the ‘BEST’ of the songs that have been given me.

I remember on one occasion talking with Ben in the studio about how the album was progressing. We had settled on the title “The Whole of Creation” Behind him I noticed a digital display that kept changing but continually returned to the number 1188. Father reminded me that Psalm 118:8 is the middle verse  (The Heart), of the entire bible. It reads, “It is better to trust in the Lord ….than to put confidence in man.”

Father then whispered to me, “This is the Heart of the Whole….to learn in this life – TO TRUST ME”

Ben and I talked yesterday standing outside that recording studio where over the last year he and Kim have been storing their possessions since having to let go their moldy home next door to The Big Green House (pictured above) because both got sick there. They were disposing of all but a few items as they continue to yield to the ‘cleansing’ process and to heal.

Ben recounted how the other night little Asher had got locked in their van. He gradually became more and more aware of what was going on and disturbed at being separated from his dad. Outside the van, Dad too began feeling the pain! He knew that at any moment he could break a window and end the suffering for both, but in his spirit he knew he was to wait… until eventually the right man with the right tool arrived. In a matter of seconds the door was popped open, the suffering was over, and the two, reunited.

Ben realized that on his healing journey he is being given the opportunity like a trapped, “Asher” to trust that their all knowing, all powerful, all wise, loving Father knows best what He is doing!

Paul continues by giving the flip side of “Rejoice ALL-ways…. Be anxious for nothing” (v.6) I believe no-thing means no-thing just as all-ways means all-ways. The command which is really a promise is  – NO fretting – ever!!!

I believe this is not only meant to apply to major earthquakes like having a serious illness, (or your best songs being canned for the moment : – ) but to the many slight tremors that are unforeseen and come to disrupt our plans from day to day such as your wife interrupting your blog muse to help her fold a sheet or that sunny day you’d hoped for, bringing the first snow of winter!

This is what it means to consistently “be content” (v.12) as we learn to “dwell in The Secret place of the most High” (Ps.91:1) This is The Secret Father waits for us to discover, the reality he waits for us to embrace.

“But how is this possible?” you might ask. Paul goes on to say, “I can do ALL things through CHRIST who strengthens me.”(v.13)

The secret to The Secret is found in, Gal.2:20, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but CHRIST LIVETH IN ME: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” (KJV)

It is not faith IN the Son of God, but the faith OF the Son of God. It is “Christ in you.”

That is our “hope of glory” (Col.1:17)

More about hope next week.

P.S. stands for PleaSe pray for our FREEDOM! retreat this weekend November 3rd-4th. We will have a full house! Thanks.

Cleansing the Heart of the Beast. Part 7. The True Pioneer

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God continues to use our Big Green House to let us know what he is doing in our hearts. The heart of this beast is a little room where the water, air and fire are regulated. It was here I noticed the above wording on a pipe. What struck me was how the word had been broken into two parts PI….ONEER. I mentioned before how Pi being the 16th letter in the Greek alphabet points to the 16 aspects of love listed in 1 Cor.13. Mathematically Pi is 22/7 and represents infinity, so Pi speaks to us about the infinite love of God.

This sign confirmed to me that the end point toward which all our watery and fiery trials are moving us to, is that our hearts be cleansed to make room for the nature of our Father which is LOVE. I was hearing “Pi is on here”

Last week I  finished with the scripture where God promises to change our hearts and write his law on them. In the New Testament Jesus says that law is summarized in the two commandments that we love God and love our neighbor.

The Beatles sang “All you need is LOVE”. The problem is the way in which we have been conditioned by the world to understand what love looks and sounds like.

2 John.6 says, “And this is love that we walk in obedience to his commands.”  These commands are the principles laid down in scripture but the personal application of them can only be revealed through intimate communion with God’s Spirit within us, from moment to moment.

1 John 3:16 says, “By this we know love that he laid down his life for us and so we also ought to lay down our lives for one another.”

At a church meeting recently we were singing about reaching this goal and being “Overcomers” when Hilary, feeling a bit cramped turned  and asked me to, “Move over” Father then said to me “The true Overcomes are the MOVE- OVER COMERS.”   

Reflecting on the history of this land I realized that initially when the Europeans arrived here the disposition of the first people of the land was to MOVE – OVER (and make room for the new) COMERS to share. They understood that they did not own the land but were simply given stewardship of it by the Creator and assumed the newcomers had the same understanding – and would honor God and their fellowman.

The biblical law of Creators Rights had however been superseded in the newcomers minds by the manmade doctrines of “Discovery” and “Manifest Destiny”.

Ironically then it was the native people who understood and practiced biblical law whereas the so called “Christians” in violating 400 treaties to steal the land, broke Bible Commandments 6, 8, 9 and 10!

A native brother then rose to speak at the meeting illustrating powerfully how this mentality continues today. Citing the media’s reporting of the Standing Rock affair, describing the natives as “Protesters”, he then said, “They see themselves rather as “Guardians of the Water.”

They MOVED – OVER not to ‘protest personal rights” (Actually only God as Creator has Rights. Man as creature is granted privileges.) but to “fulfill their responsibilities” as stewards of the land that has been entrusted to them by God. according to Acts. 17:26, “From one man He made every nation of men, to inhabit the whole earth; and He determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands.”

This is what defines a true Overcomer …one who follows in the way of Jesus, who though he was in the form of God ….MOVED OVER (to take the form of a humble human servant…..to make room for the new) COMERS beside His Father.

This is what it means to reach our destination of LOVE in step with “the PI-ONEER and PERFECTER of our faith.” (Heb.12:2)

There is coming a GREAT REVERSAL when in the big picture the apparent winners of history will step down and those who have been forgotten because in reverence for their Creator they moved over to make room for others will be raised up as the true MOVE – OVER COMERS.

In the little picture of my life it means I learn each day to step aside from ‘centre stage’……even before my wife has to ask me : – )……….Preferring one another in love. (Phil.2:3, Rom.12:10)

After last weeks post two of you sent photos to match mine : – )

 

May we all aspire to be among the nameless and faceless members of that servant company.

P.S. An excellent book to get a fuller understanding of the difference between the indigenous and western perspectives is “Neither Wolf Nor Dog” by Kent Nerburn.

Cleansing the Heart of the Beast Part 6. The Final Op.

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After an amazingly consistent weekly readership for over a year, last week suddenly my ‘openings’ as tracked by Mail Chimp were down by a quarter! Well I suppose that’s what you get for writing about ‘poop water’!

I never know from week to week if the blogs will continue until, usually in the middle of the night I am awakened with the message. I wondered if the drop in readership meant Father was saying it was time to wind up the blogs, but last night I had a dream in which he gave me a different understanding.

I had fallen asleep after reading a book passed on to me by a friend. This paragraph had struck me,

“A deliverance is happening. It has been happening to you progressively over the years, but now we are in the time where it is coming to a culmination. The last bit of extraction has to be done. there has to be a last minute surgery where the spirit of the Lord goes in and just surgically pulls out that last bit of religious conditioning…...”

I remembered the  photo above which I had laughingly taken weeks ago at the beginning of this series when I was descending into the Heart of the Beast of the house……to do surgery.

Do you remember George (the Father) pointing out to me the lint problem? I digressed to talk about Valley Forge and a number of other things, but returning to the lint problem……I was subsequently able to identify it’s source.

15 years worth of laundry ‘by product’ had completely blocked the duct and it had ‘blown open’!  I then had to go in and surgically remove every last bit of the clogging (religious) ‘fluff’ to cleanse the Heart of the Beast

Last week I identified this ‘waste’ material as the religious “turd-itions of men”. When I woke this morning Father gave me this definition of the religious spirit,

“The way the world is meant to work, according to me”

Ha!-  I just realized, that is www.me  (If anyone knows the prophetic significance of Montenegro please let me know : – )

As you can see you don’t need to go anywhere near a church or mosque to have this problem….every man is caught in this ‘net’!

My soul which I naturally identify as ‘me’ has been shaped by this world in accordance with ‘logical’ ideas, ‘human’ sentiments, and ‘natural’ desires. God however communicates with us – in our spirits.

This struggle between our souls and His Spirit within, is described well in the old hymn that goes,

“O let me hear thee speaking in accents clear and still

Above the storms of passion, the murmurs of self will.”

As we embrace the grace to more deeply let go of the ‘net’ that has captured mankind and believe and trust in God’s word in our hearts we learn,

“The way the world does work, according to God.”

The consequence of our being transformed in this way is described in the next sentence of the book quoted above;

“We must realize that the more you come into sonship, the more you come into a spiritual walk with God: the less and less acceptable you will be.”

“Ah!” I thought, “So it is inevitable when you write about the purging of fecal matter you will loose readership!!!”

And so to the confirming dream…. and a further plummeting of my readership…..

I was in ‘a church’ about to officiate at a wedding, surrounded by many familiar Christian friends. But I felt awkward and embarrassed because I realized…… I was leaking at the rear end! I looked around and saw a toilet at the front. As I tried to make my way toward it I noticed the angular wooden sides – it was in the shape of a traditional pulpit!

The message was obvious to me that much of what has been espoused from the pulpit by myself and others over the years has nor been pure spiritual food but a ‘mixture’ that includes our religious ‘turds and fluff’!

Thankfully Father is an expert at enemas of the soul and has promised to clean up our act.  As we surrender to the Master surgeon’s work of revealing and removing our heart idols,  such as the ‘fear of man’ or the need to control, He will give us brand new hearts that fully know and authentically reflect Him and His ways!

“This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.”(Heb.8:10,11)

This morning I was picking up our granddaughter. She has two ‘boyish’ older brothers which is probably why mommy’s parting words were, “Now no toilet talk!”

Alas, sometimes it is better to be truthful than polite : – )

Thanks for reading.

P.S. We are looking forward to experiencing more of the Master surgeon’s work during our upcoming FREEDOM! retreat on 3rd and 4th November. You can find out more and register at http://www.paulkyle.org/events

 

 

 

 

 

Cleansing the Heart of the Beast 5. Through Fire and Water.

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We had a special connection with the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, through The Flame song that was given to me to pass on for that event. Subsequently, the wind of the Spirit blew the message far and wide both in Australia and to other countries.

On our return from ‘Down Under’, I remember watching that Olympic opening ceremony live on a TV in Colorado and seeing Cathy Freeman, pictured above, the Aboriginal runner and final torch carrier, standing on the platform that was supposed to rise up through the fire and through the water for her to complete the lighting of the Olympic flame. Due to a technical hitch, nothing happened initially, but eventually to everyone’s relief, the platform did begin to ascend, the ceremony reached it’s climax – and the Games could commence!

Afterwards I was lead to Psalm 66

For you, O God, have tested us;
you have tried us as silver is tried.
You brought us into the net;
you laid a crushing burden on our backs;
you let men ride over our heads;
we went through fire and through water;

How appropriate for this representative of a people group who have so experienced these fiery and watery trials. I realized Cathy could have panicked with fear or with shame and embarrassment and run, but as she simply stood her ground, she was lifted up…….and ultimately, awarded a gold medal!

When we too are able to face down the shame from our past and the fears for our future, then ‘having done all to stand’ – firm on the finished work of Christ, we too will ascend, cleansed and purified (CATHERINE) as mature Sons of God (FREE MAN). Passing through our own fires of affliction and waters of trouble, is what prepares us to receive ‘the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.’ (Phil.3:14)

Our Adamic ‘Beast’ nature first surfaced after the fall. “I was afraid because I was naked and I hid myself” Adam confessed. (Gen. 3:10) Now in Christ we can draw near, without shame or fear. In contrast to the tormenting human emotion of fear, (1 Jn.4:18) ‘the fear of the Lord’ – submissive wonder, awe inspired reverence, profound respect, brings us peace. I love meditating on Proverbs 19:23;

“The fear of the Lord leads to life. Then one rests content, untouched by trouble.” What a wonderful promise for these troubled times!

One of the people who picked up on The Flame song all those year ago was a lady who lead a meeting at the Massachustes State Capital in Boston of leaders interceding for the rekindling of the flame of faith in New England. This was where the Pilgrim Fathers emerging from the fire and water of opposition in Old England, carried the torch of the gospel message to this New World.

Our friends Collins and Cheryl Lein have pastored faithfully for many years in that North East corner of “Amel reich” (heavenly kingdom)  At the site where they meet is an ancient graveyard where the local Indians requested to be buried in a  circle facing the white pastor who brought them the good news. Their hope was that at the resurrection, the first face they should see was the that of their beloved pastor.

Sadly however there was much that was flawed about other bearers of the gospel and the baggage that came with it to this New World. Tragically the arrogance and greed of the newcomers culture meant the Native Fathers here were not properly honored.

Interestingly, just yesterday there ended a conference organized by a diverse group of believers in that New England area, called “Revive and Restore”  I like the word Restoration as it denotes not just a temporary stirring up of fire, but a returning to the way things were meant to be, or as I say in The Bridge song,

“He is our way BEYOND Eden………For He’s King of this heavenly realm.”

This gospel of ‘the kingdom of heaven’ lifts us to a higher plane beyond the limitations of any particular culture and time. “Of the increase of His kingdom and peace there will be no end…. until.… the knowledge of the glory of the Lord covers the earth as the waters cover the sea.” (Is.9:7, Hab. 2:14)

This we know is the glorious end of His-story….. as hinted at in the next line of Psalm 66:12,

“…..yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance….saturated and soaked, satiated and satisfied……  filled to overflowing!”

In searching the internet for a photo of Cathy at that pivotal point in the ceremony I found the one above as part of an article that described how after the opening ceremony the soaked garment Cathy was wearing mysteriously disappeared from the dressing room. This too speaks of how when we ascend with Christ we will together be “filled with all the fulness of God’ (Eph.3:19) exchanging our earthly apparel for spiritual garments enabling us to ‘follow the Lamb wherever he goes’  on earth and in heaven. ( 2 Cor. 5:1-3, Rev. 14:3)

P.S.  By way of confirmation of the timeliness of this blog I had two unsolicited conversations with two local Native American leaders today….both telling the story of how they recently rose above flooded basements!!

 

Cleansing the Heart of the Beast Part 4. The Watery Beast 2

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We read in Hebrews that “Christ is faithful as a son in God’s house.” (Heb.3:4) – I think that must include the toilet!!

I remember a young man who has journeyed with us closely in community saying one day that the experience had changed his naive aspiration to ‘be a leader’ “I have come to realize it is often an unpleasant and uncomfortable, task – this Christ-like leadership!” he confessed.

Last week the Big Green House basement was flooded with Big Brown Water – or ‘poop water’ as the grandkids laughingly called it! It was no laughing matter cleaning up (helped by Aaron, pictured above) but I did smile as I recalled an early experience as a ‘leader’ in the early days of community in Belfast, getting an emergency call to one of our women’s households.

“It’s a blocked toilet!” declared the damsels in distress. Having tried every other option I realized the only thing to do was to roll up my sleeve and literally reach through the brown matter to remedy the situation.

I smiled again as I then recalled one of the first jobs I took when we moved to the U.S., somewhat disorientated. I’d left a career in medicine, our family, friends and homeland. All we knew was that each morning we should “pray and obey” (nothing has really changed!). I was lead to take a job cleaning toilets at night in a local store. Again I recalled how with my hand down another toilet in the ladies restroom I had the epiphany, “There is nowhere I would rather be and nothing I would rather be doing than this ….knowing I am a faithful son seeking to be about my Father’s business – no matter what that might be!”

I exploded spontaneously in exultant praise right there and then!

Human dung represents the Adamic turd-itions that Jesus said make void the living word of God….man’s way of figuring things and fixing things. (Mk.7:13) When this Beast nature is our operating system we rely on our soul, i.e. what I think, what I feel and what I want. The basic motivation of a Beast however is fear based, self preservation which distorts our perception.

When we come alive in the Spirit  and reconnect with our Father God, the “SEA of our being” ceases to be fear and becomes the nature of God – love.

Our soul then begins to be subservient to our/His Spirit, as what matters is no longer my opinions or emotions or desires but what Father thinks, feels, and wants.

This transformational journey is beautifully expressed by the 18th century hymn of Gerhard Tersteegan.

“Thou who fillest all things in Thee living moving, evermore are we

Shoreless sea unsounded, mystery and wonder, sinks my soul in Thee

I in Thee, no longer bound in self’s dark prison

And the life that moves me fills me – Christ arisen!” 

…..or in the words of a more recent songwriter;

“In my Father’s house rivals long forgotten

In my Father’s house Him alone to know

In my Father’s house wonder without ceasing 

As loves endless sea breaks upon my soul

Jesus You alone are my holy passion

Blood and fire and water ravishing my heart

In my Father’s house I’ll be always singing

Of this fairest one, how He took my part.”

Blood represents what Jesus, “this fairest one”  did as the quintessential servant King who gave his life….

TO CLEAN UP OUR MESS!

This becomes our inspiration as we follow our bridegroom through the testings of  fire and water to become as He is.

I wrote last week about our friend Lois going to serve with the Hurricane Harvey mess clean up. She laughingly told us yesterday that her colleagues give her the nickname, “Lois Lane” !!!  (If you haven’t made the connection  – check out last week’s blog!)

As I finished off this blog, and walked out of my study, Hilary exclaimed,

“Oh no Paul! I forgot to clean the toilet for our guest coming this evening!’

“No problem Dear…… I’ll get it”  I said immediately……….well, after a very brief pause  : -)

 

 

 

 

 

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