Tag: Materialism

“Night Watcher” #3 / Jonah

Path Without End

75364021-1200px Who can tell me what the very last word in the Old Testament is? Who can tell me the last word God spoke before hundreds of years of silence? It is the word “curse”.

It’s Sunday morning and I’m in my quiet place watching and listening. I like to always write something on Sundays, and what am I hearing? There are many idols set in the high places that God’s people have forsaken. How have we forsaken them? Why do we bow to these idols? Where are the Elijah’s?

God spoke of a return of a type of Elijah, a type of John the Baptist, and a return of the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers. And then He threatened/ warned, if this did not happen…well… the exact words are: “lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.” (Book of Revelation begins?)

We are at such a point again. The church, through the power of the Holy Spirit, has kept Antichrist at bay for many centuries, but scripture plainly says the return of the Lord will be after the Antichrist is revealed, and a great falling away of people. If the church is no longer anointed/ powerful enough to hold back the coming of the Antichrist and his revelation, then all the curses of the book of Revelation cannot be far behind. This is what is at stake. The stakes are high!

If America is not living in a perfect storm/ CURSE right now, then I don’t know what it is. We now see the Postal Services being added to the mix. They were on course to lose 11 billion dollars! So Trump appoints a man to “fix” it. But how do we know this is not his way of sabotaging mail-in voting? The honest answer is, you can’t! But is there a real problem with the Postal Service and also mail-in fraud? Yes there is! Again, a perfect storm! And each side wants control of that pawn! Are we reduced to pawns rather than prayer? If our prayers have no power, then yes!

Is this perfect storm/ CURSE actually caused by the worldliness of our modern day church? As Eli and his wicked sons lost the Ark of the Covenant  and brought about a King Saul; and as Jonah the prophet of God running from his assignment, are we in a God-given curse such as Elijah brought upon his day by praying for drought, famine, death, and CURSE? Elijah obeyed God in praying for a curse! Is that the prayer God is answering today?

Is it possible that there are times when a CURSE is the only FIX? And if so, get ready church, because until King Saul is finally overthrown, the Davids of this world must walk in wisdom as they continue bringing the next great move of God. Of which, David was Israel’s greatest moment in history! But before all that he was an outcast and criminal, surviving in caves! Ever feel that way?

Prior to that greatness, in the days of the Prophet Samuel there had been major problems in the House of God, by way of the priesthood of Eli and his sons. Lets just say they had become very worldly. This spiritual condition in the Temple contributed to the people demanding a “king”. God told Samuel to give the people what they wanted and they got “King Saul”, and he was impressive to look at, but as time went by some major flaws were revealed, such as great pride.

His personal pride was so so strong that he would give into people in order to make them happy and himself look good, but he disobeyed God. His pride was also so strong, he tried to murder David! He realized he had lost God’s anointing and now David had it. Saul was tormented of demons, and sought to kill the next move of God. Will we be guilty of such a thing?

On the ship that day with Jonah, the pagans were doing everything they knew to survive that storm, but nothing was working, and the ship was going down. I see our country even now, doing everything it can think of to stop this storm, but the words “peace be still” are not working. There is an evil in all the high places of our land, and it seeks to set on fire the course of nature until the foundations of our country all burn down and new foundations can be set. And in this fire, even as the Prophet Samuel was powerful in the midst of his time, and a shepherd boy named David was rising, there is a new wine and a new wine skin forming!

Which comes first, the wine, or the wine skin? I would say the wine! Why is there a need for the wine skin until the new wine? David was being anointed long before he actually gained his platform. But we are in this time, church. Whether we believe Microchurches are the answer, the new wine skin, or simply getting back to early church ways, which I believe Microchurches are a part of.

If Trump is reelected and brings prosperity back to our country, how will the modern church change? Will they not seek prosperity and blessing even more? Will the hate against a hypocrite church professing to follow Jesus, who forsook wealth and materialism, will not that hate continue growing until they will rise up and throw the church overboard? In this perfect storm, the curse either comes on the church now, or a greater hate/curse later. Jonah is on course to find his whale’s belly. And in the midst of all that, I believe David will come forth, and there will be many battles to be fought for the city Jerusalem to rise with the power of the Ark again.

“The night watchmen found me as they made their rounds. They beat and bruised me and stripped off my veil, those watchmen on the walls.” (S. of S. 5:7)

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“Night Watcher” #1 / Microchurch.

Path Without End

75364021-1200px The study of human nature is the study of darkness and light in us.

More and more I find myself “a watcher”. I believe wisdom dictates it. I’m always looking “big picture”. I set my life according to the Infinite, not the finite. I have a mission in this earth and I must not let the foolishness of others interfere with the treasure I see before me.

America is in trouble, but mostly because “the church” is in trouble. There is no city upon a hill lifting a true standard of light for us to find our way. And now those seeds are coming to harvest.

“The night watchmen found me as they made their rounds. They beat and bruised me and stripped off my veil, those watchmen on the walls.” (Song of Songs 5:7)

No other book of the Bible is speaking to me louder at this time than the “Song of Solomon”, also known as “Song of Songs”. A materialistic money loving church has become comfortable in her bed and failed to rise when her lover showed up, dripping with the anointing. Now she is out in the darkness and in the streets searching for Him, and he is not to be found by her. The Night Watchmen find her and she is beaten and treated as a common thief.

Spiritually we are back at King Saul and a rising shepherd boy named David. We have two churches. The old traditional system that has been the status quo for many generations, and a rising young lad of an idea/ vision that is yet to prove itself. The one is very large, the other small, as in Microchurch. This is what I believe I have seen. I believe it so much that I put my feet where my mouth is and left the King Saul church to begin running with David. We got to get the anointing back! We got to bring the Ark of the Covenant back into the church, the body of Christ!

We are all aware of the perfect storm we’re in. Frustration is starting to set in as conflicting messages whirl all about us. People are beginning to reach max stress point. No one knows what to do with Covid, or what it will do with us as the next flu season arrives? Fear sweeps through the streets like a winter wind. Add Racism, protests, and rioting to the mix. Add a very heated election to the mix. Add China to the mix. Add people being evicted, loss of jobs, poverty, hate, media propaganda, and whatever else may be next to this mix. And what to do with our precious children? Go to school or not? Have we ever seen such a time? And where is the church in all this?  Lost in a virtual world of “my best life now”.

David was a rag-tag group of mighty men before King Saul was finally overthrown by God Himself. There is a journey of the white owl we need to make, a journey of pure wisdom. This blog site will not be liked by the King Saul’s of this world, but maybe there are a few who are drawn to the caves of David.

Jonah admitted to the pagan sailors that the storm was because of him. Have we admitted this yet? Are we willing to be thrown overboard by the pagans? Or do we stay asleep in the bottom of the boat having our virtual services?

Violence is filling the land. The Magnificent Mile in Chicago was a result of foolish leadership entrenched in high places. They have tunnel vision. They refuse to see the forest because they have a tree or two they love. They love the finite rather than the Infinite, and yes… that is as foolish as Esau selling his birthright for a pot of beans! Anyone should be able to “SEE” it! And yet they don’t?

In recent months we could point to many such examples taking place in our cities. My own city of Indianapolis, the downtown area has been crippled! No one is going there. They fear for their life when they do. Stores are going out of business. And yet our leaders fail to fix the problem. The forest is burning while they drool over a few seeds they plan to plant.

They are determined to burn down the forest in order to plant their own tree. But I am not of their way, and I have a mandate from heaven to perform in the midst of even this perfect storm. How will God see it through? Can we walk on water? Can God keep us in the eye of the hurricane? And what shall come of the King Saul church and their King Theology? More virtual reality? We shall see… because I intend to be a Night Watchman.

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The night watchmen found me as they made their rounds.

“A Small Footprint” #1 / Microchurch

Path Without End

portland-protests-2 “Burning Ancient Foundations”

Is there still an American dream? How have we gotten to such a place, that a significant number of our people no longer see America as the Land of Opportunity? They burn our Flag and Bibles. They add a pig to the mix to show their disgust. They set fire to our ancient foundations, those that have been proven by time, history, facts, stats, and God’s Word…but let it burn! Who are these people? Is this the definition of a Progressive?

I must admit, a lot of greedy and materialistic people live in America. For those who love money, the Capitalistic system is ideal. This new generation loves nature, and wants to leave a “small footprint” as they say. In this I agree with them. I am very much of this same nature. Jesus lived a life of the small footprint. I follow Christ, but the modern church seems to be lovers of material and money just like the world, and so…this new generation has no respect for them. Can you blame them?

I see it now. This hate and disgust is rooted in a righteous cause. If the church has become like the world, if there is no bright city upon a hill to inspire a righteous standard, then violence grows in many forms. Disgust grows in many forms.

Jesus warned against materialism and called us to be servants, but we would be kings. Kings do not desire a small footprint. Some of these preachers even have personal jets and live in mansions. Wow…Jesus rode a donkey. How is it a large portion of the American church fails to understand this? They cling to the Old Testament and reject the New. They desire New Testament grace, but refuse taking up their own cross!

Once upon a time, the American dream was mainly about Freedom, but as the church became more worldly, so has the world. Sounds odd, does it not? More and more the American dream became about money, and the Capitalistic system became the perfect vehicle for power and greed. It’s hard to reason with people who feel they have a righteous cause, even though they be not righteous themselves, nor in their methods.

Jesus warned us about greed and the love of money. He gave us an example of keeping things simple. I’m not a Progressive, but I left the modern church system for many of the same reasons Progressives now burn the American Flag and Bibles. I see no hope for America, unless the church gets back to what Jesus actually did and taught.

More greed and love of money will fill this land, and it makes some of us sick to our stomach to the point of disgust! God’s Word says a form of Elijah would return in the last days. Elijah had no interest in material things. He left a very small footprint. The Old Testament closed with this promise of a return of Elijah, and then came many years of silence… until John the Baptist…of the spirit of Elijah…living in the desert and leaving a small footprint…but also challenging the religious leaders and government of his time!

“Look, I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the Lord arrives. His preaching will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers. Otherwise I will come and strike the land with a curse.” (Malachi 4: 5-6)

Is that a threat? Is God threatening us? Was it not Elijah who prayed for a curse upon the land in his time, and God granted it? Did not Elijah pray for no rain? Did he not pray for drought, leading to famine, no prosperity, and a curse? What would prosperity preachers say of this? Is not Elijah speaking to us again?

I think Micro church is also a form of getting back to the “small footprint” our Lord exemplified himself. I believe God’s Anointing is upon this new wine of simple ways. And if the church fails to wake up and listen to the message of Elijah and John the Baptist, then the curse continues, and it grows, until the church finally humbles itself once again, seeks God’s face, repents of her sin, and prays, like Jonah finally prayed.

Jonah was the source of the storm. These pagan sailors did not want to throw him overboard. They fought hard to save him. But the storm continued growing until they had no other choice but throw the prophet, the man of God, overboard, into the raging sea.

It is my hope and prayer that the new wine, missional movement, Micro church, is a return of a form of Elijah, and the Anointing that was upon him, and even the greater Anointing of our Lord. I hope we take this message to heart.

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“Lot” Part II

Path Without End

20180728_145905 So… II Peter 2:7 declares that Lot was a righteous man in spite of his soul being tormented every day by what he saw and heard as he lived just outside of Sodom, and as he was involved with that predator city full of predator people. What drew Lot to live in such an area? Was it the money?

I’ve pondered so many times why his wife was turned into a pillar of salt, of all things? I thought salt was a good thing, symbolically speaking. Are we not called to be the salt of the earth? And so when his wife looks back at Sodom being judged, which she was strictly told not to do, why did she turn into a pillar of salt? Why not pig dung, or catch fire or something? What is the Bible trying to tell us?

“But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.” (Gen. 19:26)

I welcome any theories on this, but the best I’ve come up with is that salt was also a form of money in those days. It had value. In desert areas where you sweat a lot, it could be used to pay for other things. Also where the phrase, “Are you worth your salt?” came from.

So she just can’t help herself. In spite of the warning, she looks back at everything she is losing. All her earthly stuff. And whamo! She turned into a statue depicting a form of money. Jesus warns us also; when speaking of the last days, judgement, and possibly rapture, he tells us to “Remember Lot’s wife!” (Luke 17:32)

As an American, how hard is it going to be for me not to look back at my earthly goods with some kind of longing? I think that was the real problem with her looking back. She was too attached to her material things. Are my affections set on things above?

In the account of Lot’s rescue by the two angels, which is in detail in Genesis 19, the word angel is used 7 times! That’s kind of a lot. Angels were heavily involved in the rescue of Lot, his wife, and two daughters. Those angels were likely there because of the interceding of Lot’s Uncle Abraham. I want to look closer at angel involvement in the last days in Part 3, but for this article, I want to consider something else. I want to examine where the angels told Lot and his family to flee. They told them to escape to the mountains! But Lot said that was too hard. They would die there. And he begged for another place.

Gen. 19:17> “When they were safely out of the city, one of the angels ordered, ‘Run for your lives! And don’t look back or stop anywhere in the valley! Escape to the mountains or you will be swept away!”

(VRS 18) “Oh my Lord!”

Lot begins begging to be allowed to go to a small town called Zoar. He cries that they will die in the mountains, and the angel grants his request. But what does the mountains represent? A separation to our Lord, the high places, spirit life, the eagle, all the good things of God, the very life we are supposed to desire as the born-again, but Lot dreaded the thought of it! And the angels suffered his pleading. They allowed him to settle. But what ended up happening? We find out in verse 30.

After everything that happened, something began happening in Lot. Another fear began to invade him. After seeing such destruction and judgement, then it says he began to fear the people in Zoar! And he ends up going to the mountains after all! And some bad things happened there too, but… a new fear overcame Lot’s fear of the mountains. He was terrified of them before. He begged not to go there. But ended up going of his own free will, because of the evil he now saw in other people. Hhmmm.

We should not fear the high places of living in Christ, separating ourself to the love of God. We have nothing to fear in those high places, and everything to be gained.

“Afterward Lot left Zoar because he was afraid of the people there, and he went to live in a cave in the mountains with his two daughters.”

Obviously Lot had some issues after what he had been through, but it was his own selfish heart that caused him to take the bountiful looking land while he left his uncle with the desert. Then he decides to mingle with Sodom, and for what? Money? Was it worth it? I think not. But how careful are we not to be doing the same thing? Could we end up with a destroyed family and so full of fear we run to a cave? Don’t be too quick to say that will never happen to me.

Why should we learn from Lot? I suspect we each have our own Sodom we’re contending with? Are we living too close? If so, why? What is the motivation? Are we calling on the angels God has made available to us? More on that in Part 3, but for now, we would do well to take heed of the words of our Lord. A very simple 3 word recommendation, or is it a command? “Remember Lot’s wife.” 3 simple words.

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After Part 3 of “Lot”, the story of “Yinney the Sloth who needed to Poo” will continue.

 

“Yinney” – Chapter 11

Path Without End

download (2) With all the rich color of her blue feathers, and the bright yellow around the eyes and beak, Lu-Lu had suddenly landed upon a limb of Yinney’s 7th Day Tree.

“So this is it!” she declared. “This is where my favorite sloth will center his life.”

“Yup,” he affirmed. “This is it. And look! I have a lagoon!”

“I see that. What an awesome place you have found. This truly is a wonderful spot.”

“Thank you. I am very happy indeed. Go ahead and take a look around. I have not been to the top yet. I might do that today.”

Yinney knew Lu-Lu could check out his tree on her own and save him the energy. She quickly jumped from this limb to that, as he watched with amusement. Could she really appreciate every fine detail of this special tree, as she moved so quickly, he wondered? He watched her turning her head when she studied the lagoon below.

“Hhmmm, very interesting!” she declared, and then flew to the uttermost top branch of his tree, to look about. After a hard look, she returned.

“Well, what did you see up there?”

“I saw the smoke has not reached this area yet. Even from your highest branch, it still cannot be seen.”

“What do you mean?” he asked, “What smoke? Is there a fire?”

“Oh, there is a fire alright, but not the kind we think of. A fire burning in the belly of man. Since we last talked I flew towards the east and checked on the road man is attempting to build through the Amazon.”

“What?” Yinney asked, and then slowly blinked three times before saying, “A road!”

“Yes, can you believe it? A road in the Amazon jungle? But don’t laugh, they are doing it. Its been a major challenge, and progress is fraught with set-backs, but man intends to tame this jungle for his purposes. Their machines belch smoke, are loud, and stink. I was looking to see if you could see it from here, but your safe, for now. In other places many animals are running deeper into the jungle.”

When Lu-Lu mentioned animals on the run, Yinney realized it was part of the vision he was given at the bottom of the lagoon.

“Lu-Lu, you’re not going to believe this, but the All-Creator gave me a vision of this, while meditating at the bottom of this lagoon.”

“What?” It seemed Lu-Lu’s yellow around the eyes got bigger and brighter as she reacted to Yinney’s statement. “Wait a minute. Let me see if I understand what you’re saying. “Did you just say you meditated underwater? And you had a vision?”

“Yes.”

“You’re a strange one, Yinney, but I like you. It’s a wonder you didn’t drown! Are you crazy?”

“It’s one of the beauties of slow. I can hold my breath for a very long time. I always wanted to do this, so I did not waste any time. The very next day after finding my tree, I went into the lagoon. I found a tree settled on the bottom, and latched hold of it. I was resting down there for a while, when suddenly a voice began speaking, and I knew it was the All-Creator!”

“Wow…” Lu-Lu was still trying to imagine doing such a thing. No wonder sloths are sought after as spiritual teachers in the animal kingdom. Who else would do such things? “So what did the voice say?” she finally asked.

“Well… it’s sort of a ‘big picture’ vision. Not a lot of details were given as far as the ‘how to’ is concerned. The vision said bad things were headed this way, but this tree and lagoon would be a protected place, and animals on the run would come here. I am supposed to set this tree as a refuge and develop a special place of community and communion. It said I had three years to prepare.”

“Oh my,” the blue macaw said with worry in her eyes. She was silent for a time before finally saying, “That would seem to make sense. Three years. Yes, I can see that. With the way the jungle is fighting back against the progress of man, it could easily be that long before it affects you. So even without me telling you of these things, you would already be preparing even though you knew not what was coming?”

“Yes, the Spirit prepares us for many things, even though we don’t always have the details before it actually happens,” Yinney explained. “And there is one more thing…”

Lu-Lu waited in anticipation of what the “one more thing was”. She could tell it was something important from the way he was acting. This sloth who lived such a simple, peaceful, and slow life, centered around a particular tree and his need to poo, actually was better prepared for the future than she was, even though she flew all about with much flapping, constantly keeping an eye. What was Yinney about to reveal to her now?

“There will be a man.”

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“Yinney” Chapter 4

Path Without End

Dorothy was bored. Dorothy was lonely. Dorothy was restless. Dorothy was gaining weight. Dorothy was Jerry’s wife.

Jerry was gone to work as usual, and both children were at school. She flicked off the flat screen after watching the latest episode of finding homes for lottery winners. She would have a fine home like that someday, but what to do today?

Rising from her sofa and opening a closet door, she looked at herself in the full length mirror. “Hhmmm, I don’t like what I see, Dorothy,” she scolded herself.

She considered turning on some music, but had done that all week. Looking outside it was a cold nasty day. She didn’t enjoy reading, had tried that, too, but it just wasn’t her thing.

Once again Dorothy was drawn to her bulletin board where she had stuck an add torn out of the paper. Her local L.A. Fitness was running a special if you joined this month. The special included a personal trainer for the first six weeks. Time was running out. She looked around at the quiet house. It felt dark like a cave. It was a cave she spent too much time in alone. She needed to get out, make some adult friends, live a little. It was time. She would do it, and no better time than right now.

Grabbing her keys, purse, and jacket, Dorothy headed for the door. No looking back. This was her answer. She needed this. The fitness center was only a fifteen minute drive away. She was there in no time; and signed up even quicker after one of the trainers showed her around.

She couldn’t help noticing how fit the trainer was. His name was, Kevin. Mmmm, Kevin,” she thought. He was hot. So were a few of the guys working out, she noticed. Jerry use to be that way. But those kind of thoughts were for days gone by. Weren’t they? Of course they were! “Get your head on straight, Dorothy. That’s not why you’re here.”

Many many miles south, Lu-Lu had just finished describing to Yinney what she called Predator Cities, and the danger they posed. “They are so hungry!” she added. “They are always on the hunt. They never seem to be full or satisfied.”

Sloths are prone to lots of meditation. They spend a lot of time “not moving”, but a lot is moving on in the inside, in the soul. Yinney knew he only had four days left to find his 7th Day Tree, but now he wanted to ponder this new knowledge Lu-Lu had revealed to him. “Thank you, Lu-Lu, for a great revelation I did not know. I will meditate on your words. Will I see you again?”

“You most likely will,” she affirmed. “I like this neighborhood. I still travel around from time to time, but I live a more settled life now. I’ll be seeing you, Yinney. Good luck finding your tree,” and away she flew.

Yinney did not move. He was on his way deep within, deep in thought, as he pictured these ugly, dirty, noisy, hungry cites Lu-Lu had so vividly described.

Jerry, on the other hand, was not bored at all, and never one to meditate, he was in his element at the mill. He had been on the phone making calls, selling lumber, wheeling and dealing, and laughing all the way to the bank. Now he was very much enjoying himself as he read some very interesting statistics on the Internet.

“I am definitely in the right place at the right time!” he shouted while quickly jotting down some numbers on scratch paper. “According to this,” he continued out loud, “the average square footage of U.S. homes have nearly tripled since 1950! The average in 1950 was 1000 sq. ft.. By 1970 it had risen to 1500 sq. ft.. 1990 it grew to 2,000! And present day is almost 3,000! And all this in a time when the size of the average family has dropped tremendously! How in the world do you account for that? That doesn’t even make sense! Most families do not exceed two children, and yet? Hhmmm. Ha! Whatever the reason, it’s all good for me!” Rejoicing in his good fortune he hit the computer button and decided to check on his workers. They had a big order that needed to be completed soon, and he was hoping not to pay overtime.

The clock was ticking for one and all, as time always does. Time is a river always flowing forward. Dorothy saw her life flowing by in the mirror, asking if her best days were gone? Yinney knew he only had four days left to find his sacred tree, but went into meditation anyway, for what good is a sacred tree if one does not live in a sacred way? Jerry was worried about his bottom line. He saw time as money! Time that would cost him “time and a half” if his guys didn’t get a move on! And so it was on planet earth as a simple sloth named Yinney needed to find his tree to poo.

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<This story property of D.A.>