Destiny

'Destiny'

While in sweet repose

It came to me

On the wings

of a dream

and true it is

I suppose

It is a terrible thing

To always be torn

Between destiny

And the past

You can't change the one

And will never know the other

Until you finally

Decide

At last

To go in search of the one

And finally be done

With the other

Which is of course

Only the past

At long last

copyrighted

Life Above the Sun

'Life Above the Sun'

A poem

'Life Above the Sun'

I often wonder

What it would be like

To live above the sun

What would I see

From so lofty a height

From which the Universe is bathed in so much light

Where each ray

Would display

The location of it's flight

But alas

I can only imagine

The joy it might bring

And the songs it would sing

Crossing the Great Divide

Which heart

Would it provide some

Brief respite

Heralding the end

of it's long night

For under the Sun

I can only see

It's bright race

Only when it turns

it's great face

In his humble Grace

(Copyrighted)

Names

A Christian man asked me once what I called my self . . .

I am called, by my Jewish brothers, a 'Messie," (not a term of endearment I assure you).
By my Gentile brothers, I am called by many other "names" equally displeasing.
By my Indian brothers, 'Halfbreed.'
 
My real Brother, calls me 'Friend.'

My real name means 'Beloved of God.'

He said, 'If they hated me they will hate you also.'
I have seen that to be true. Took me a lot a years to accept it.
As you might suppose . . .

Nowadays, I am good with all my 'names;' (Those that are true and those that aren't so true). I've made my peace with name calling, and I am learning to love you all.
Just don't expect me to come outta the woods any time soon. OK?

In the woods I call myself "Blessed."

A Brush With Death

I know the life I've lived
If you knew it, you would have to agree
I deserve not a thing from Above
Not even one plea
While I laid in the mud
Asking Him for one breath
All the while
Hearing the steps of Death
I came to see
It would have been just
To once again
Become only dust.

copyrighted

The Maschiach in Torah

Yitz' chak said to Avraham,  "I see the the fire and the wood but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?"
Avraham said," God will provide himself the lamb for the burnt offering."
( B'resheet 22:7-8)

Later God said,  "No one shall appear before me without an offering"
(Sh'mot 34:20)

Then in the primary book of the Law or Teachings, (the Torah) the first chapter is devoted to describing the acceptable offering!  (Offerings were made for the atonement of the person making the offering. Vayikra (Leviticus) chapter one.

"The offering shall be from the herds and the flocks it shall be male without blemish"
vs 3
(Self explanatory I think) 
see 1 Peter 1:19 "It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God."

"and he (the priest), shall put his hand on the 'head' of the offering.
vs4
Yeshua is the 'head' of the body."  Colossians 1:18

"Aaron's sons shall shall bring the blood and sprinkle the blood around the Alter."
vs 5
It was the Cohen, (Priests), of Yeshua's day that brought him to the cross where his blood was sprinkled.

"and he, shall 'flay' the burnt offering  and cut it into it's peices"
 vs 6
Yeshua was given 40 lashes 'flaying' him to the bone and literally cutting his body to shreds.

"But his inwards and his legs shall be washed with water"
vs 9
When the Centurion pierced his side water and blood flowed from his side and down onto his legs.  His inwards and legs were washed with water.

You see the acceptable offering, that atones for us is YESHUA ben David the Maschiac.  "No one will come before me without an acceptable offering."
God has provided our offering for us . . .
Do you 'see' it . . . .

Help

I went to visit a friend of mine who has back and neck injuries similar to mine. He's been living on morphine for years.

I was set free from morphine, Fentanyl, and a plethora of other pain reliving addictions by the power of God.
I promise you, when that happened, I was in NO WAY worthy of the help I RECEIVED!

I found my friend covered in a blanket and bemoaning his pain. I offered to pray for him . . . he refused my offer. Even though he professes to believe.

While I was there his morphine came in the mail.

Before even opening the package and taking the morphine, his demeanor immediately changed from sorrow and depression to elation and joy . . . purty sure it is a cycle that will be repeated.

'From whence does our help come . . .?' King David



Life can be lived in the Donut hole. Surrounded by Donut; but in the hole where there is no Donut to eat and there is no help.

Help -To aid; to assist; to lend strength; a means to move forward with efficacy in purpose.

Legalistic ways of thinking are the things that keep us in the Donut Hole.
Because they either cause us or someone else to think and finally believe we somehow have to be worthy to receive help.

Isn't the fact that help is needed enough to succor help?

Under legalistic ways of thinking, No one gets help because help has to be earned.

Some think they are worthy of help, but others, not so much because they aren't yet worthy . . . Legalism requires worthiness, perfection, to get out of the Donut Hole.
If that is THE WAY . . . if human perfection is THE WAY . . .
Then why does He say He is an ever present help in time of need and why did he then say we who obviously are not yet perfect could come to Him boldly in time of need to receive the help we ALL need . . .

Legalism puts us all in the DONUT HOLE where THERE IS NO HELP.
God's Grace unmerited favor puts us on the Donut.  Grace was paid for by Jesus.

My help, from God, (and I get a lot of it), comes when I believe the help I need is already on the way.
My part is to believe until the help I need gets here.

Help from people comes by asking or begging or manipulation.
Help from God comes from 'Receiving' the help that has already been given.
'see' Hebrews 4:16

When I go to the throne of grace to receive the help, that has already been given, His answer is always, "Request granted!" or as it is written "The promises of God are yes and Amen to THOSE THAT BELIEVE."

If I preach a Gospel that negates God's grace, unmerited favor, and focuses instead on performance how could that be 'Good News?'

It aint good news at all, it is business as usual. Because, ya see, my performance aint all that good. How bout yours? In buisness, what happens when yer performance does not meet expectaion . . . Ya get FIRED.
Gospel - 'Good News' - not bad news . . . ya get it?

Reflection

I can only see how I look when I look in the mirror but I can see how others look without a mirror . . .

The problem with that is, without looking into the mirror occasionally, it is all too easy for me to forget how I look; but I never seem to forget how others look because I don't need a mirror to see them.

Maybe our proclivity to see the fault in others, is really just a reminder of what we see in the mirror .  .  . when we look into it . . . and soon forget . . .

But if I look into the 'perfect law that sets us all free,' (singular law, not collective law) . . . .

Wonder what the "perfect Law that sets us all free is? Don't you?
A Meditation from James 1:25-27

The tests of faith that come our way, the ones that really teach us what living a life of faith really means are the ones that give us no way to turn but up.

I've found myself, of late, wishing there was another way to learn the lessons of faith while, at the same time, looking forward, to the next lesson of faith because I'm finally seeing the peace that passes all understanding  . . the lessons of faith bring