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Dog Attack... and again.

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It was the very first winter in our new home when the snow fell so thick I did not think Harley could get our Toyota out of the driveway. It was actually only about 10 inches but I did not have much experience with snow back then. So, out I went to shovel the snow before sun up. I wore my warmest winter coat I had at the time, a full length with flared out hem that I had made reversible with two layers of 100% wool and thick quilt batting. It was thick to say the least and there was a lot of fabric in it.  Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons While shoveling the snow, my neighbor let her  Airedale Terrier full grown dog, Charlie, out to do his business. Charlie stood on all fours at a height that placed his head at my waist line. The dog was huge. The moment out the door, Charlie came snarling and barking right towards me. He ran so fast that by the time I turned around to face him he already had a mouth full of my winter coat and succeeded at bruising my rump with his teeth. 
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The Scary Part

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If Matthew 5:29-30 is both literally and figuratively true as a parable, then it would appear that Jesus tells us to take up our cross to follow Him by cutting off our hands and gouging out our eyes, Matthew 10:38-39 . The problem with such an interpretation is that a person would run out of eyes and hands after committing only four sins.   The only way for  Matthew 5:29-30  to be 100% literal and true is if Jesus is talking about Himself. As such, Jesus was gouged out with a multi-stranded whip embedded with pits of broken pottery and metal. Then, He was cast out of the earth when they lifted Him up on a cross just like Moses lifted up the serpent on a wooden staff.    As believers, it is not too far fetched to prepare for this same kind of treatment in order to fellowship in Christ's sufferings. That is when Matthew 10:31-39 comes into play.   Matthew 10:31-39 31 "So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows. 32 "Therefore everyone who confesses M
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All Flesh Can Speak

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17 “And behold, I, even I am bringing the flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life, from under heaven; everything that is on the earth shall perish. 18 “But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. 19 “And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female."  New American Standard Bible. Electronic edition., The Lockman Foundation, 1986, p. Ge 6:17–19. Look how Genesis 6:17 & 19 describes as "all" flesh. This verse included plants, animals, and humans. For grins and giggles, change the words "all flesh" with the word "people." Doing this changes what is included for destruction. Now look at Job 12:7-10 in which Job lists all flesh. 7 “But now ask the beasts, and let them teach you; And the birds of the heavens, and let them te
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How to Get the Most Out of this Blog

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Here is a list of things to know about how to get the most out of this blog. I’ve also explained comment moderation. Some of these articles are not going to be easy to read even though as much information as possible has been included.  Ultimately, it is each of our own responsibilities to test every spirit before receiving what we hear.  The Bereans did not take offense when the Apostle Paul came to town with new teachings, Acts 17. But, at least 58 of Jesus' own disciples did take offense and dumped Jesus, John 6. I call this experience a crisis in faith. Even the Shulammite in Song of Songs went through such a crisis.  Please take this information into your secret place of prayer and ask the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ to:  Explain what you don't understand,  Grant you the wisdom and faith to either accept hard truths or to not take offense,  Grant you the will, internal strength, and peace to walk out what you've received. The last thing any of us wants is t
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Day Seven of Creation

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Why would anyone even want to elevate themselves into a god-like preexistence when they could have the reality of their true identity? To pretend that one has a preexistence is just plain vanity, especially when our true identity is so much greater than anything we could possibly try to define as equal with God. Allow me to explain by first summarizing days One through Six of Creation. If you want the Bible verses for this summary, see my article series titled "Birth of the Earth." God gave out a massively loud cry when He circumcised Himself. That cry sent forth the Light of Life, the first of His works, causing His Holy Spirit to be separated from His Holy waters. In other words, He gave up His Spirit and (sort of) breathed His last. To be separated from the spirit is to be dead. Thus, the Light of Life (i.e. Day) and the misery, death, and destruction (i.e. night, the place made for demons to dwell throughout eternity) were cut apart as one cuts down a tree separating the
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The Battle Belongs to the Lord

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Did you know that the Bible clearly states that God actually casts our countenance down when we do evil and raises our countenance up when we do what God defines as good? See Genesis 4:3-8. There are exceptions to this up and down cast countenance like the book of Job, voluntary periods of solemn fasting, and our own ignorance as to what God defines as good. For example, even when our countenance is cast down because of the death of a loved one, we are still able to rejoice in the Lord always. That rejoicing praise is inhabited by Jesus, Psalms 22:3, who then eventually lifts us up out of a sorrowful since of loss, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 . King David walked this out as a example for us to follow in Psalms 42:5-7.   This means that for the most part, when our countenance is down-cast, we know there is something we have done to cause it. Likewise, when we are in the joy of the Lord, we are experiencing God's approval just like Able did for his sacrifice in Genesis 4. No
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Ex Nihilo

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Are we children of God or children of nothing? If Adam was the son of God, Luke 3:38, and if Adam was created in the image of God, Genesis 1:26, then Plato was very close to being correct when he said this:   "In one of his dialogues, the classical Greek philosopher Plato developed the idea that the world was made out of preexistent matter, which was fashioned into the present form of the world. As well as being taken up by most Gnostic writers, this idea was adopted by early Christian theologians heavily influenced by Platonism, such as Justin Martyr. They professed a belief in preexistent matter, which was shaped into the world in the act of creation." How about that! Romans 1:20 was fulfilled in Plato. The prominent secular philosopher is recorded in history as admitting that all things came from God, Romans 11:36, not ex nihilo which means "out of nothing." Granted, Plato's understanding about God was not perfect, but whose is? The point is that Plato shared
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Unity in the Spirit #7 - The Testimony of Jesus

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Before I jump into explaining how it is written that Jesus demonstrated the first of the seven spirits of God (i.e. the names of the seven keys of the secrets of heaven) the Spirit of Unity, please allow me to offer this word of very strong warning. The seven spirits of God are very zealous for God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. It is not wise to approach the use of these seven keys to the secrets of the kingdom of heaven without humility. Wielding such power can destroy you in much the same way as this guy: God was performing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that handkerchiefs or aprons were even carried from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out. But also some of the Jewish exorcists, who went from place to place, attempted to name over those who had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, "I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches." Seven sons of one Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing t
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