Whose Will?

When I originally started this blog, I will admit I had some egotistical reasons. I was an outcast through much of my life and sought blogs originally as a way to tell "MY" story or talk about "me". My other blog was quickly tied to my Twitter account, and with the twitter-name of "@JesusSister" I had to rein in my ego and use that more of a teaching blog. So I started this one with every intention of telling my personal story, shining the spotlight on myself.

But I start each day with prayers, including a sincere and heartfelt request that God's Will - not mine - be done. I have been fighting a battle of accepting God's Will in some aspects of my life, including this blog. Once again, I think this will become more a teaching/sharing device rather than me tooting my own horn. 

In this world, I think the first stumbling blogposts will sound as if I am, but what this is becoming is more an avenue to share the lessons I am learning. Again, I ask my readers to understand, when I share some of what happens, I do not consider myself any greater (or lesser) than any of you. We are all equals here - all brothers and sisters - and all part of the Bride of Christ. We are all One in Pari (God).

So, as I shyly shuffle my feet, I will start sharing some of the even-more personal day-to-day struggles and lessons I encounter. Some may veer back to echo my other blog (and I may share posts), but this will contain a lot more of the private interactions between myself and my Brother (our elder Brother), Yeshua / Jesus the Christ.

And you can all see how stubborn a little sister I am. :P

Bride Song

You gaze upon me, such Love in your eyes

Calling me “Beloved,” but what have I done

I am hated, a loser, a thing people despise

Do I deserve such Love from someone 

~Let me look through your eyes, my beloved

~Let me look through your eyes and know

~What's within me, that you discovered

~Let me share Love your heart does sow

What do you see with your vision so wise

I feel lifted; my poor sight undone

A Light deep inside as I look through your eyes

A new journey has now begun

~Let me look through your eyes, my beloved

~Let me look through your eyes and know

~What's within me, that you discovered

~Let me share Love your heart does sow

I look through your eyes at the others
Before they were sinful, adrift and just wrong
Now I see the same Light within them
They’ve been the same as me all along

~Let me look through your eyes, my beloved

~Let me look through your eyes and know

~What's within us, that you discovered

~Let me share Love your heart does sow

I share your Love for all others

I reach out my hand without shame

I’ve learned they are sisters and brothers

And God Loves each of us the same

~Let me look through your eyes, my beloved

~Let me look through your eyes and know

~What's within us, that you discovered

~Let me share Love your heart does sow

I sing this Song to the whole world
His Love extends far beyond me
Hate or anger need not be hurled
A better life there can certainly be

~Let me look through your eyes, my beloved

~Let me look through your eyes and know

~What's within us, that you discovered

~Let me share Love your heart does sow

For the Feast, guests are excited
The Spirit’s mission is done
Bride and Groom at last united
Now they are truly One

~Let me look through your eyes, my beloved

~Let me look through your eyes and know

~What's within us, that you discovered

~Let me share Love your heart does sow

Brother / Sister no more divided
Basking in the eyes of the Son
Heaven sings; all are delighted
The Promised Kingdom has come

~Let me look through your eyes, my beloved

~Let me look through your eyes and know

~What's within us, that you discovered

~Let me share Love your heart does sow

From My Valentine

On February 10, 2009, I received a package in the mail addressed to me at my work office. I opened it with the rest of the mail and pulled out the card pictured in this blog post. As you can see, it was unsigned.

For the sake of those reading this blogpost via translator (and I am aware pictures do not translate), the outside reads "You hold a special place in God's heart and a special purpose in this world..." The inside reads "...and that makes you irreplaceable."

I nabbed my webcam and took pictures of the outside and inside of the card to send to a friend with whom I was chatting when I received the card. The response to my comment that it wasn't signed was simply, "Does it really need a signature?"

Some of my readers may suspect this friend had sent the card to me. No. This person did not know my work address. In addition, I will admit, that there were other cards in the package. It was part of some card solicitation mailing.

Yet...

That was the first card out of the package, and it had remarkably touched my heart in a way I cannot put into words. To this day, it is still within the pages of my journal at home. These were words I really needed to hear at that moment.

I never received any additional solicitations nor contacts from this card company (and I get a LOT of repeat ones from other card companies). It also touched me that it arrived right before Valentine's Day. The other cards were a birthday, anniversary, get-well, and bereavement card. By simple coincidence, I pulled this card out first from somewhere in the middle of the envelope's contents.

Or was it coincidence?

I know by know God works within my life. When something strikes me as "Wow! God just sent me a message, or touched my life somehow," I don't question it. I smile and thank God for the blessing, the reminder, the help.

None of us are alone; God Loves us, is with us and cares for us- each and every one of us. In addition, there is no "To" name as well as "From" name on the card. I think this is perfect, just as it may have been intended. This card is for each and every one of us.

We are ALL Special to God.

We ALL have a special purpose in this world.

We are ALL irreplaceable.

God Loves us ALL.

Smile.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Pain & Prejudice

I originally thought to call this blogpost "Trepidation" but "Pain & Prejudice" seems more fitting. This week, there's been quite a bit of pain, both emotional and physical.

I've had diarrhea several weeks, finally realizing it was not the stomach flu but a result of over two months on a IC/PBS (Interstitial Cystitis/Painful Bladder Syndrome) diet has left my GI track in major discord. Anything I ate would now shoot through my system like a greased pig, having me literally running down the hall within the hour. I cannot take any medication, as that inflames the IC/PBS, whose acute pain was finally lessening. The recourse I finally took was to stay home from work for two days and try adding yogurt ("an irritant to the bladder") to get some friendly bacteria back into my GI track. It worked, though I've returned to the acute pain with a full bladder and at the end of emptying the bladder. (Owie!)

In addition, I've been considering what to say when I go to Confession today. When I picked up the church bulletin, I also nabbed two pamphlets titled "Why Go Back to Confession?" and "How to Make a Good Confession." At the time I nabbed them, what ran through my mind was, Let's see what they have to say about Confession. What do they expect me to do and say? It was very sarcastic and demeaning, belittling the Church in my mind. Yet... I believe God used them to show me two things:

• I am clearly hearing His intentions.
• I am being guided back home.

In my previous blogpost, I noted the reason I was given to go to Confession: To Reconcile the Bride and the Church. On the first panel of the first pamphlet, there is this paragraph:

• A few decades ago, the Catholic Church began referring to Confession as the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation. It did this to emphasize reconciliation. That's the short answer to the question, "Why go back to confession?" We do it to be reconciled. Reconciliation literally means "to meet again." We've lost our way. Confession is the way back home.

There is another section that reads like this:

• The Sacrament of Reconciliation is at the heart of Jesus' work to save and heal the world. It's the tangible expression of a loving Father's desire to find his children again. The first thing Jesus did after his Resurrection was to give his apostles the authority to restore us to the Father: "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained" (John 20:22-23).

Of course, it goes on to say that "From that point on, the Church's ordained ministers have carried out this work of forgiveness and reconciliation." This is also at the heart of why I became disenchanted with the Church. There are WAY too many levels of intercession between an everyday human being and God. Yes, I understand that there are times we are too far from God - too lost in this world - that we need help, a bridge to connect us back to God. Yeshua/Jesus is such a bridge. But what's I've learned in Catholic School was the following "pecking order:"

1. God (the Father)
2. Jesus (the Son)
3. Holy Spirit (3rd "person" of God)
4. Angels
5. Mary, the mother of Yeshua/Jesus
6. Peter
7. Apostles (except Judas Iscariot, according to some)
8. Saints
9. Pope
10. Cardinals
11. Bishops
12. Monsignors
13. Parish Priest
14. Priest
15. Nuns
16. lowly sinners, like me 

In my mind, that's a LOT of red tape to place between God and me. I know I need help, but there is absolutely NO way I could get closer to God. Why? Because I am a lowly sinner & because I am a woman. Nuns are only a half-step up from lowly sinners. *Sigh* While I don't know whether this is the picture the Church has intended, this is how it is in my mind. At the moment that is what matters.

There are also some other "disagreements" I have heaped as coals upon this fire:

Ever-Virgin Mary: I believe that Mary, the mother of Yeshua/Jesus, was indeed virgin while she conceived Yeshua (Jesus). But basic anatomy clearly states that the hymen was broken when He was born. Also, as a good Jewish wife to Yoseph (Joseph), Miriam (Mary) would have had sexual relations with her husband and very likely produced offspring that would have been Yeshua's brothers and sisters. In fact, there are several references to "James, the brother of Jesus."

Queen of Heaven: I also don't believe she was bodily "Assumed into Heaven" whole to be crowned "Queen of Heaven." Do I  believe she is blessed? Yes. Do I believe she is in Heaven? Certainly. I also believe there are bones somewhere in the earth that once were part of the body that bore Yeshua. More and more, the Catholic Church seems to make Miriam into a Goddess, ironically at the same time it denounces Pagan and Neo-Pagan practices of worshiping a Goddess. I once asked some CCD ("Sunday School") teacher to point out the scripture in the bible that states this "fact"; I was told "it is something that is accepted on faith." Yet, if I told them I speak with Yeshua (Jesus the Christ) daily and hear Him speak to me, they need to accept that on faith too, right? Of course not. I'm just a lowly sinner, likely being misled by the devil. I cannot tell how much I've wrestled with THAT particular false teaching of the Church as I grew in my relationship with Yeshua. :*(

The Name of the Lord: Another thing that seems to rub at me the wrong way is name they choose to call Him. It was Yeshua (ישוע) bara Yoseph - or Yehoshuah (יְהוֹשֻׁעַ) (bara YHWH). Or the more familiar name the family used in Aramaic: Yesua (יֵשׁוּעַ Yēšûă). First of all, the letter "J" didn't come into use in ANY alphabet, let alone Greco-Roman until 1478. The name "Jesus" is from the Greek name,  Ἰησοῦς (Iēsoûs); I believe the way "Jesus" is pronounced in Spanish, with the "Je" as "ee", is closer to the original Greek. Both "Jesus" and "Jeshua/Joshua" are transliterated from the originals. In addition, the meaning behind the original names are now lost: "Yeshua" means "God is my redeemer/savior". "Yehoshuah" means "God is a saving-cry;" which only emphases that He is the Word of God. The root "Yeho", according to some, is "a theophoric element standing for the personal name of God," which is why I have "bara YHWH" in parenthesis as it's understood within the name Yehoshuah. Further, His surname is not "Christ"; "Christ" is from the Latin "Christos" which is a translation from the Hebrew "Messiah." So the proper title of "Yehoshuah Messiah" is "Jesus THE Christ." Though, all said and done, I'm told by my beloved Brother, "I don't care what they call me, as long as they call me." His Love and His humor shines through in this. :D 

Communion Rules: In the Catholic Church, no one who is not Catholic is permitted to receive the host, even if they are physically present at the Mass. In recent years, they've opened the door to Episcopal Church members. This is most blatant of many undercurrents I've seen of this message: If you're not part of the club, we don't want you here. Yet, would this be what Yeshua intended for His Church? Does not the very word "Communion" mean "unity"??? 

I remember fondly a beautiful moment that must have been truly led by the Spirit. I attended a Healing Mass with my husband and his parents. His mother is a Protestant, and thus is forbidden from receiving communion. My mother-in-law remained in the pew while we went to receive Communion. The priest noted that she stayed behind and, after the line was finished, he went up to her and offered her the host. She demurely declined. He asked, "Why?" She explained, "Well, father, I am a Protestant, not a Catholic, so I can't receive." He offered it again despite these words, and she instinctively put her hands before her mouth, again stating she wasn't allowed. He grasped her hands and pulled them down stating, "That doesn't matter" and placed the host in her hands. With a look of shock, she received the host. While many whispered around us, and later commented that the priest will get into trouble for doing so, I BLESS the priest for that simple act. That is exactly what Yeshua would want in His Church.

I could go on with my list, but I think I hit the main points there. The short of it is, there are many things I currently hold against the Catholic Church. When I read "We've lost our way. Confession is the way back home," the "we" seemed to apply not only to the "lowly sinners" but to the Church as well. It has lost the way and needs my forgiveness as part of the steps on the return home. We both do. For it is my own pride, my ego, that sees these barricades when my mind thinks of the Church. I need to lay them down in this act of Confession; I need to set aside my pride, gather a cloak of humility instead. Did not Yeshua get Baptized by His cousin John, who in his own humility claimed he was not even worthy to unfasten Yeshua's sandal? Yet, He was Baptized because it was God's Will. Through humility, we are drawn closer to God.

When Yeshua gave the right to forgive each other, it was NOT just to the leaders of the Church. It was to all of us - each and every human heart regardless of status, education, position, gender, world location... or even religious affiliation. We ALL can forgive each other.

• Reconciliation is at the heart of Jesus' work to save and heal the world.

It is not the Church alone, who does this. The Bride does this. WE - all of us together - are the Bride. That means I need to forgive the Church and let go of the prejudice, let go the grudges; for they hold both myself and Church back. It is a time for re-meeting. A new beginning. That is the VERY HEART of Reconciliation. As long as I am not willing to give the Church a new beginning, I am denying my own self a new beginning. That is what Yeshua means when He says, "if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

When Yeshua said, "Receive the Holy Spirit" he was not talking only to the apostles and future priests, he was speaking to us all! Do we not consider ourselves receiving the same Spirit in Confirmation? Do we not ALL have the Spirit within us, the divine Spark of God that guides us? We do! This is NOT just for the Church leaders! We can forgive others! We can! It is a gift ALL have received. 

And it is a gift we all MUST use, for it alone can heal the world. Many would testify that we can only be saved by "being washed in the blood of Christ." It was not Yeshua's blood streaming down the wooden cross that reconciles us to God and each other. It was the LOVE He had for us. In the Jewish belief of the day, sins were only forgiven if there was a sacrifice offered to God. He chose to be that sacrifice because He loved his brothers and sisters so much. His Love also shone through His words on that cross: "Abba, FORGIVE them, for they know not what they do." While we can still be blind in our pride and prejudice, He has planted within us both the same Love and Forgiveness. All He asks of us is not sacrifice, but to use those same gifts instead of using the pride and prejudice that stems from the ego. In doing so, there is healing from the pain; healing for the whole world.

"What would Jesus do?"

Heal the World.

Forgive.

Love.

Kingdom Visitor

Another story written and posted on the other blog, fits with my feelings today. While written originally for Atheists, this fits with the debate described earlier.

Kingdom Visitor

Once upon a time, in a not too distant land there was a king that loved all the people. Because he had such love for the people, he wanted them to be happy and to love each other as he loved them. One day, he called before him all the magistrates in the land and commanded of them to design a way that would best enable all the people to love one another.

The magistrates gathered and spent much time in council determining the best methods to govern the people that would make them love each other so the king would be happy. They decided on a long list of rules that the people would have to memorize and adhere. They decided on celebration days that would, by their annual repetition, reinforce the rules they established. Further, they set up a system where there would be rewards for those who obeyed the rules and punishment for those who did not.

This, they surmised, was the best way to make the people love each other.

Over the years, the magistrates instructed the people in the rules, meted out the rewards and punishments, and watched the people carefully so they knew who to reward and who to punish. In response, some of the people would either vie with each other to do the most loving acts to gain the best of the rewards, or they followed the rules minimally when they knew they were being watched, lest they face the dreaded punishments.

Then one day, a stranger arrived and set up a temporary home among the people of this kingdom. Within a few days, one of the magistrates presented to her a thick bound volume of the rules. But the stranger handed the book back unopened and, instead, took out her visa which indicated that because she was not a subject of the king, she had diplomatic immunity and thus was not subject to those rules. The magistrate tried to harass her, but she knew that the magistrate could not force their ways on her.

At that time, the king wondered how well the system his magistrates established was working. Were the people truly loving one another as he loved them? Was the system enabling their love for each other to flourish? Or were the people merely following the established set of rules because they sought individually to gain a reward or avoid a punishment? So the king decided to find out for himself. He disguised himself and went out among the people.

Where the magistrates were to be found, people performed all kinds of loving acts, helping one another and more. But where there were no magistrates watching, the poor were left hungry, the cold were left outside alone to fend for themselves, the sick were shoved apart from the healthy, and the outcasts were friendless. There was very little love here.

Then the king spied a young woman, a stranger in this land, and she was doing what the people were not, when the magistrates were not watching. She shared her supper with someone that had none, she helped carry someone's heavy load, and she welcomed the homeless into the rooms she rented so they would not have to suffer the freezing rain and falling snow. Who was this woman?

The king called court the next day and called this woman before him. "I am king of this realm," he told her, "and I have seen what you have done."

"I know of your rules may be different here, your majesty, but as I am not one of your subjects, so your rules do not apply to me."

"So you do not act as you do fearing punishment?"

"No, sir."

"So you do not act as you do expecting reward?"

"No, sir."

The king's cheeks started to glisten with tears and he stepped down from his throne and faced the woman eye-to-eye. "Then why do you do the things you do?"

The woman shrugged, "It's just the right thing to do. We're all part of this world, we should help each other."

The king stepped forward and embraced the woman fiercely!

When he stepped back he announced, "Let this be known across the land, this woman has acted with Love for her neighbor, not because of reward, not out of fear of punishment - for she clearly does not expect either. She acted simply out of the Love found in her heart. THIS! This is what I sought for my people. All I simply ask is that they love one another."

Love
thy
neighbor

Weeds and Wheat

I have run into similar religious attitudes before. This story was written in my other blog in response to my feelings following a similar conversation in the past.

Weeds and Wheat

There once was a field planted with the finest seeds of grain. The sun shown down gentle and warm. The ground, freshly tilled, remained moist with the gentle washings of the rain. Soon the spouts began to grow, bright and green, as they stretched themselves toward the sun.

As the spouts grew, the weeds snaked their roots under the tilled soil and sprouted their own kind in the field. Concerned for the grain, the farm hands took action.

They heated the plants hoping to scorch the weeds. Many wheat stalks withered. The ground became dry and bitter; roots were pulled up when the wind buffeted the field.

The farmhands spread poisons hoping to kill the weeds that way. The wheat itself also sickened, many stalks never gaining the head that grain reaches in its maturity.

As a last resort in their vendetta to kill the weeds, the farm-hands viciously attacked the field, cutting down stalks of wheat as well as weeds, leaving both to wither and die rootless on the side.

At last the weeds were gone. A fraction of the wheat remained in the field, ready to be harvested.

When the landowner arrived, he looked dismayed at the remaining wheat. He cast his eyes to the piles of wheat cut and cast with the weeds on the side, the lines of wheat that had sickened and never matured, and the remnants of the wheat that were scorched so badly, they never had the chance to grow. "What became of the crops I planted?" he inquired of his farmhands.

"The weeds had gotten into the field, master. But don't worry," they added proudly. "We got rid of them."

The landowner wept bitterly...
______________________________________________________

Let those who have ears, hear. The meaning behind this story, I have not shared with my readers on that blog, but I will share it here.

The wheat that was scorched with heat were those that started to follow the teachings of Christ only to be berated by various religious leaders. They scolded and debased them publicly to the point where the people withered into submission, loosing the spark of passion that Holy Spirit brings or left the teachings behind entirely because they would take no more of the verbal attacks.

The poisons spread are the condemnations thrown around the globe on a daily basis. There is much good in this world; God works through humanity in many different ways. But because it is beyond the small, shallow parameters of how they believe God should work, they condemn, separate, divide, and lead countless others (many millions) to do the same sad thing. They choose not to see the good but only the label, and condemn those whom they group under that label. This poisons much of the good in this world. Those who who are consistently attacked and condemned, sadly give up doing good and sharing the Love God placed in all our hearts. The world becomes much smaller and sadder. We never reach the full potential God placed in us.

Then there is the final act: the wars. The condemnations lead to hostilities and outright war against our brothers and sisters. We are told they are evil. Many believe them and refuse to see good where there is good. There is so very many good folk that are cut down - even physically maimed and killed like the wheat - because another tells people that they are evil.

God is our landowner.And (S)He does weep when we do these thing to each other.

(PS: Thanks Yeshua, my dear Brother, for sharing the gift of parables with me. I truly count it a blessing. :D) 

.

Debate Part 2 - Religion

Following stating my positions on politics in general (last blogpost), I broached the subject of Mormonism. I stated that while I know there has been some bad press on some Mormons, such as underage (12 year old) wives and a second-class treatment of women among them, there are also bright points I have seen too:

• They were the first to respond with aide following Hurricane Katrina - three days before the Red Cross and over a week before State and Federal government responded. They had left two days before the Hurricane made landfall to be there right after it hit.
• Mormons are the only Christian group I have seen who prepare for the "End Times." They store a full 7 years of food, water and necessaries to survive practically any natural disaster short of the sun going nova. More importantly, they SHARE that when disaster strikes. ("If you love me, feed my lambs."~Jesus)
• In addition, they require every male and female of 17 years old to go out and preach the words of Christ. They are not to confront anyone, nor are they to fight with someone even if threatened with violence. Many are threatened as they go door-to-door through the neighborhoods. The Church of Latter Day Saints (Mormon Church) also spends money in advertisements that spread the message of "Love your neighbor."

I clearly indicated that I do not mean that Mormonism is the "one true way." I pointed out that it is neither all good, nor all bad. In fact, none of them are. But as soon as I mentioned one good thing of Mormonism, I was slammed. I was quite clearly instructed that Mormonism is from the devil. "Mormonism is all bad, all evil. The followers are deceived. Romney is a high priest in this false lying religion leading people into hell..." He added, "There are many seemingly "good" people among Hindus, Buddhists, even Muslims, but they are deceived by false religion"

I replied that I have no doubts that Gandhi is in Heaven right now feasting with Jesus. I got another long tirade following that, including:

• Jesus must be worshiped and received as Lord and Savior, there is no other way to Heaven, no back doors for Hindus or anyone else. In other words, Gandhi could not be saved by acting "Christlike" A PERSON MUST BE BORN AGAIN. You must be bought by the blood of Jesus... Anyone who does what looks right is not necessarily a Christian. The devil can do something that looks good. He is a deceiver..Only the blood of Jesus can get anyone to Heaven. Only those who have been washed in the blood of Jesus, whose sins have been paid for.

He would not be dissuaded from this even when I brought up statements from the bible he hopes I will learn from:

• Matt 7:1 ~ "Do not judge, or you too will be judged."
• Matt 7:16-18 ~ "By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit." 
• Matt 12:50 ~ "Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother!"

I know Jesus/Yeshua. I know Him and Love Him like the Brother He is. He is not looking for a church of converts, He wants us to simply and completely: Love each other; forgive each other, and help each other. Period. He does not say anywhere "Join my Church or perish ye in the flames of hell!" :*(

My debater told me, "Jesus said He came into the world to divide the sheep from the goats. You have bought into the worst lie of the devil that dishonors Jesus." I believe he refers to a part of Matt 25:32. I argued that JESUS will separate the sheep in the goats. We do not have the Omniscience that He shares with the Father. He never asked us to do that for him. We are instructed NOT to judge each other. He argued that: "Judge not means don't judge your brother and sister's lives, but we have the mind of Christ if we are His & we are told to judge all things." Sadly, I have heard this argument many times before. Many fail to recall the ENTIRE passage in Matthew. It begins by these words:

• “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats."

First, Christ has not yet returned in the Second Coming, of which this passage speaks. Second, it clearly states that HE will Judge. Sadly, there are many in the world who feel they are called to be the judges of humanity. This, unfortunately leads to hatred, condemnation, war and hardships that need not be in this world. He compared Romney to Hitler in his blogpost. Why does he not see that he does the very same thing Hitler did with his words of hate?

I know now it is the adversary who wants mankind divided. Remember, together we can achieve something greater than the sum of our individual efforts. Divisions lead to hate, and to war. Feeling you are part of a group (or even individually) who are higher than the other or are "the chosen ones" leads to feelings of pride, segregation and prejudice.

Christ taught: Love one another. Love those you see as your enemy. Pray for those who persecute you. And - one many forget - forgive one another. In drawing these lines, do we do any of these?

I also know from direct contact, there are non-Christians in Heaven. I know that there are good souls in all religions of the world (though I still question Satanism; Yeshua (Jesus) still sees some light in those souls too). I know with absolute certainty, that one does not need to follow a Church to follow Christ. We need to follow what He teaches and the path is open to us. Period.

I had asked my debater thrice if he was a descendant of Abraham, if he had blood ties to the 12 tribes of Israel. Why? Also from the bible, Christ speaks these words:

• Matt 15:24 ~ Then Jesus said to the woman, "I was sent only to help God's lost sheep--the people of Israel."

Yet after the Resurrection, Christ proclaims:

• John 10:16 ~ "I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd."

Interestingly enough, the accounts in the Book of Mormon that speak of Jesus, say the interactions with those in North America take place after the Resurrection. In fact, they report a great cataclysmic events that shook the land during the time of His Crucifixion. 

There are also accounts in Native American history in the southwest that speak of a visitor who taught them to love one another, and forgive one another. One who broke and shared His bread with them. One witness realized it was the Christ of whom the newly-seen "white man" had spoken, "But He was not like what they say He is. He is not pale like the white man, but dark skinned like the People." Which is actually true. He is not as dark as some from the African continent, but does have the dark-olive complexion of the middle-east. Ironically, many may mistake him as "terrorist" in America today.

Are the Mormon accounts true then? I honestly do not know. Sadly, I was not able to continue this debate as my debater had unfollowed me when I asked the question about Abraham. I do not even know if he read them, and I had no chance to share the passages above.

What I've been given to know is simply this: people are called to Love one another. That means unity, not division. We are called to be humble; that means not proclaiming your belief is greater than another. We are called to share and care, that does not mean wishing others go to hell. We are called to Forgive, not "convert" to your group; that's campaigning which politicians do. Campaigning does not teaching, does not love, and certainly does not forgive... 

Love one Another.

Please...

:*(

Debate Part 1 - Politics

While I put my twitter account on hiatus, I do check my DM messages. I made the mistake of reading and responding to a blogpost someone sent me. The blogpost spoke vehemently against US Presidential  candidate Mitt Romney, comparing him to Hitler and calling him the antiChrist. Why? Because Romney is Mormon.

*sigh*

I started my response by saying I don't prefer to discuss politics. My political point of view runs along these lines:

• I chose to be "Independent" because I had to choose some party when I registered and I wanted neither Democratic nor Republican. Sadly, Joe Lieberman (a Republican wolf in sheep's clothing) switched to the "Independent" party when he lost the Republican primaries one year. Now I search for another non-affiliate party. 
• The leader we choose should be chosen not based on the group affiliations, the amount of money he has (or raises for the political campaign), nor the color of his skin, but by the content of his (or her) character.
• I believe strongly we should have a legitimate "None of the Above" option on voting ballots - from President to Town Clerk. Too often we are left to decide who is the "lesser of the two (or more) evils." If we could vote "None of the Above" and force those who parley for our attention and votes to get out of the way, perhaps better choices would rise. Or perhaps politicians would spend more time resolving real issues and spending less time campaigning.
• I believe strongly that ANY political leader who has any say in a budget should live on minimum wage for at least 5 years - without using any savings (including a mortgage-free home) and without breaking any laws, including "working under the table" (cash only, no income taxes). In all honestly, those who manage to live as such at or below poverty level have a MUCH better sense in how to budget than those who can loose a few thousand dollars without a concern.
• I believe we should eliminate the Electoral College in America. That was established when it took weeks to send a message and the country was far smaller. Now, every single vote should count.
• I also believe that EVERY American 18 years or older should have the right to vote. Sadly, there are parts of this country where people are no longer allowed to vote - even though they are legitimate US Citizens. The laws require the people have certain ID's (like a State issued Driver's License). Not everyone drives. Even the State issued, non-license ID's cost a great deal of money. If you had to choose to vote once per year or eat for a month, which would you choose? Sadly, that is a decision some are forced to make. Then, there are the homeless. Whether or not these people reside in a temporary homeless shelter, live in their car or are in a cardboard box on the street, they can not obtain these ID's for they do not have a legitimate "home" address. Even if they have a Post Office Box to receive the mail, the laws clearly indicate that is not good enough to obtain the "proper ID" needed to vote. Many of our poor are unable to vote in our election systems.

Sadly, I also believe that no matter how strong the moral character a leader has, it will be SORELY tried in the viperous den of DC... There are very strong influences to protect what they have built there, and way too many corporations have strings tied to the politicians.

• Thus I also believe there should be no corporate campaign contributions. There should also be a law stating that those who contribute can NOT influence decisions after the election. Oh, how quickly campaign dollars would dry up if that came to fruition.

Did you know that when America was founded, those who were its first Senators and House Representatives were VOLUNTEERS! Yes, they did not receive a penny (or even half-penny) for their work. They did so because they loved their country. That is why politicians have so much vacation time; that was when they were to go back home to work on their farms and businesses to earn a living for their families. Now they earn millions, have full-paid benefits that most of us can only dream about, including extravagant health-care while millions go without it, and even paid room and board while they "work" in DC.

The sender was silent on these points. I did not learn until a few minutes later that he was not talking Politics at all. He had a vendetta against a particular religious group. :*(

Confession

This morning on the walk to work, I swung by a local church and picked up a bulletin. I need to look up when they have Confessions (Penance) scheduled. About two decades ago, I made a determination that I do not need to see a priest to confess my sins. I can talk directly to God. I can speak directly to Yeshua (Jesus). I do not need an intercession. At the start of this week, I was asked to go.

The Lamb wants his Bride and his Church reconciled.

While raised Catholic, there are several points I disagree with the Church's point of view. Without going into a long list of items, I will go right to the point of contention between my Brother (Yeshua) and I: I need to forgive the Church. Period. 

Going to Confession will be a step toward this. All I will say before a priest has already been confessed to Yeshua directly, but He asked me to do this. So I grudgingly trumped down to the church and picked up a bulletin. They only have confessions at 3pm on Saturdays - rather inconvenient in my mind, especially as my husband wants to go hiking those days while the weather holds nice, or the movies when it rains. I guess if I make a choice to follow Yeshua, I need to make some time for Him too. I'll try to get Confessions on the schedule when my husband & I sit down to our weekly planner-sync today at lunch. He already knows I want to go.

It also occurred to me that there is a broader lesson here. It's not just reconciling myself to the Church. In fact, I noted some bitterness that the Church doesn't even know I'm detached. In fact, there are MANY who are disenchanted, disengaged and detached. Many are faithful and close to Christ and follow Him outside the church. My husband suggested I talk to a priest about this. I balked at this idea. But it does have some merit.

There is also the concept of forgiving a group, an institute, an organization - a collective group of people who act as one. The church is one. Corporations are another. Yes, there is A LOT that I hold against corporations, especially those in America and how they are cruel, callous and heartless to the common man. Now they are so deep in the pockets of political leaders - here and abroad - that the laws favor them over the individual hoping to maintain basic human rights... 

This, too, needs to be forgiven. It doesn't matter if they are right or wrong. I need to be forgiving and still strive to find some good in them - even the faceless of an organization. The Church is only one of many.

*Sigh*

On the way to the church, my mind was arguing (stubborn as I am). I debated that I was already forgiven, that I had already confessed to Christ directly. Why do I need to Confess to the Church? An answer came back, Why did Yeshua need to be Baptized? The answer is simply, He was following God's Will. Who am I do NOT do the same???

I lifted my eyes at that moment. Across the street where I was walking was a small Ukrainian Church. The rising sun was barely clearing the horizon at that very minute, only the very top of the steeple was lit. A gold-plated cross blazed brilliantly in the light. The rest of the world around me was still in the shadow. Was that a sign? Something in me said it was. 

Doubt faded as I crossed the street and read the name on the sign: "St. John the Baptist." 

*Smile*

Yes, God is active in my life. I should never doubt that. My life can only be better when I follow God's Will rather than my own. So, just like the little girl in "A Miracle on 34th Street" I'll go along with the plan saying "I believe, I believe. It's silly, but I believe..." :D

Though, in my heart, I know even if it seems "silly," I'll be taking an important step away from my ego and closer to God and my Brother. :D

No Passing

On the way back home, we ended up behind a McDonald's truck that has the images of food on the sides and a sheath of fries in the back. The words above the fries read "No Passing." Given we were stuck behind the slow-moving truck for a while, we had time to discuss this.

Having traveled by road often, I've seen signs for "No Passing" on the backs of trucks before. It simply means this vehicle is way too big for you to see around and it would be down right stupid to try to pass this large vehicle on a winding country road - even in a passing zone. 

But the image of fries led to many other possible meanings. I'm sure the advertisers would like the interpretation that we can't pass up the opportunity to get some of those mouth-watering fries. It sets into our mind the temptation, so the next time we see a McDonald's we may stop and buy some. 

Then there was another interpretation - a darker one: No passing, as in no passing the fries to someone else. When people sit around a meal at a table, we ask one another to "pass" the food to us so we can partake. We are sharing the food before us. This thus reads - do not share. Keep all the good food to yourself. Be greedy.

There are actually a number of commercials in America that clearly indicate this is what we should do. Skittles, for example, encourages not only the fact that we hoard the candy to ourselves but that we should actually harm another who may want some.

That led us to wonder about the statement on this truck. Do they simply mean don't pass the truck; it's unsafe? Do they mean don't pass up an opportunity to get these fries? (Not too healthy, but still reasonable advertising.) Or do they mean don't share the fries? 

What does it mean to those of us viewing the image? With all the other corporate conditioning we receive through our life, how do we read this?

In the end, I chose to read it this way: Drive Safely; Share the Fries.

I think that is how Yeshua / Jesus would like us to read it.

Machimoodus

Yesterday, my husband & I hiked in a State Park known as Machimoodus. "Machimoodus" is a term the local Native Americans gave the place well before English Colonials moved out of the Plymouth Bay (MA) area in the early 1600's. It means simply "Land of Noise." The perfect place for a nice quiet walk to get back in touch with nature.

There are trails that are level, and ones that are super steep. There are broad, level, wide-open fields that were once farmland. There are a Christmas Tree farms left to grow wild, still in ruler straight rows. Some parts are thick with woods, others open majestically to the neighboring river, pond or other water source. There are grasslands, sand pits, gravel yards, dilapidated barn and a few steep, tall hills with magnificent views of the surrounding lands from the top. There's caves in the area too, but we haven't found them yet.

It actually has a lot to offer, except public rest rooms or port-a-johns. If you are squeamish about "doing what the bears do" it may not be the spot for you to stay long. I, fortunately, don't mind. :P

Despite the name, it is a quiet place. The name's origin is based on an interesting geologic feature. The particular make-up of the land actually amplifies the noises of the earth. For centuries there have been moans, rumbles, roars, creaks, cracking and crashing sounds that echo mysteriously through the woods. Legends include dragons fighting underground, gods moving in the earth, and a battle between good/white-witches and the devil underground. Interestingly enough, a nearby town is named "Salem." We know now there are very small earthquakes ("micro-quakes') in the area (1.0 or less on the Richter scale). It's too small for people to feel, but they can actually be heard there.

My husband and I have visited this place a few times, now, and haven't managed to be there for any strange noises. It's quiet enough to hear the distant planes 15,000 feet overhead, the rustle of bluejays through the pine trees, the chitter of a squirrel eating acorns, or the lapping of wind-generated waves gently lapping the sides of the riverbank.

Yesterday, we took advantage of the lack of snowfall to explore off-trail. In the summer and fall, the wild briars are thick and puncture many layers of clothing. With just jeans and pull-overs, we were able to explore areas we could not easily access before. There were wonderful discoveries of old fields, hilltops with beautiful vistas, little sheltered coves surrounded by bare-branched trees, and animal tracks of a wide variety, including local wolf-coyote mix.

That is what I treasure most on these day-trips, the chance to explore off the beaten path. For when I do, I see far more than the common sights. While the cleared paths are easier to walk, and leave you with more chance of someone finding you if something goes wrong, going off-trail, we see far more wildlife, and many more beautiful scenes, great and small, that many others miss when they stick to the trail.

How much is life like that? We walk the everyday trails, living life day-by-day, rarely venturing off the wide road to explore the narrow ones - or even go where there is no trail at all.

But when we do, there is SO MUCH MORE to see. :D

Bird Watching

I am not one that actually bird watches. Sadly, I'm not that patient. But I do observe birds that are around me. Friday, I noted a few things on my walk to work

Canadian Geese. These birds normally migrate from Canada all the way down to North & South Carolina and back. They are the first heralds of spring's return in New England. We see them on the return trip north. Only... they weren't going north. They really weren't going south either. Over the past week, I've observed several large flocks of Canadian geese flying east and west. First one way, then back the other. I don't know if they are the same flocks or are just trading empty corn fields with other flocks in the area.

One hypothesis is that these birds never really got that far south this winter. The Nor'easter was early, before the bulk of the them fly past us. The winter has been very mild here since, so there was no reason for them to go further. In fact, just south of New England, the strip of land known as Long Island has been feeding and protecting Canadian geese for the last few decades and have successfully - if unintentionally - created a new breed. These Long-Island/Canadian geese do not migrate. In fact, they can NOT migrate; it has actually been bred out of them. Now they just soil soccer fields and get fat off the bread and other food people toss their way - an oversized pigeon whose only main competition are the Sea Gulls.

Another theory I have is that the shift in the poles has started and this has thrown their natural sense of direction off. We've seen other - and far more horrifying - bird phenomena in the US the last few years, such as hundreds of birds literally dropping dead, falling from the sky for reasons unknown. There have been some proposals made, but none really seems to fit. One such theory experts have proposed was "distant fireworks" startled a large flock from the roosting ground. The startled birds flew and all supposedly had heart-attacks. I may not be a bird-watcher, but that seems a bit far-fetched...

Sea Gulls Another visitor to the neighborhood this week is sea gulls. They are not too strange, but are not a common sight. These birds usually are along the shorelines - 70 miles south of where I reside. They are noisy, tough birds whom I've seen wrestle children and even stubborn adults for food. I recall a drive to a beach on Long Island (where I grew up) where two lanes of cars heading for the beach had to be detoured because some seagulls refused to move. Any car that threatened to run them over ran the risk of having the underside dismantled. They are quick and clever - and mostly around the shoreline...

The only time we see them this far inland is when there is a major storm - we're talking hurricanes and nor'easters, not just thunderstorms, approaching the shoreline. Tough as they are, they know to get the heck out of the way when these move in. Yet, we've had nothing but unseasonably warm weather and clear sunny skies all week. No storm, hardly any wind in fact. I don't know what they are doing here.

There's one in particular that I swear even spies me walking up the road and calls to me from the street lamp as I go by.

Crows Crows are said to be the harbingers of change. Last year, there was non-stop activity with crows. They would swoop and call out as I walked to work or around town. I would see large flocks of them rise from trees and fill the sky. There were many who - quite unnervingly - flew directly at my office window only to turn away at the last possible moment - inches from the glass. That happened too many times to recount - well over a few dozen.

These past few weeks... they have not been seen at all. I've seen crows and sea gulls co-exist before; usually both will be chased out of the tree by a sparrow in the summer months. :D But they have been notably missing since... the start of the year I would say. I didn't notice it right away because I was focused on work and ill, but the more I think back, the more I realize they are just... gone. They were here in December, right up to Christmas.

Robins: The traditional phrase in the area is, "It isn't officially spring until you see your first red-breast robin. The robin has always marked the beginning of spring in the area. Though with the unusual warm weather and the changes of birds of late, will we see this harbinger of spring? Or will we see yet another change to one of the lives that surround ours everyday?

Wait, watch, and we shall see.

.

Strange Winter

Thinking back to last year, we had one bad winter. We did not see any snow until Dec. 26th (2010), but then it kept coming. By February, we had already seen 82 inches (2.08 meters) of snow. Though New England sees it's share of snow, it's a remarkable, record-shattering year for snowfall in the southern part of New England. Even dedicated snow-lovers, like myself, were desperate to see it melt by late March. We worried what the 2011-2012 winter would bring...

In August, we had a Hurricane roll up the eastern US seaboard. We lost power for four days; others in our area lost power up to 12 days. We also had to keep listening to the radio as they were evacuating people along the Connecticut River. We were just outside that evacuation area. Unfortunately those in Vermont upriver from us were not so fortunate; whole towns were isolated when the bridges and roads washed away. One down disappeared completely, washed down stream and passing us on the river's way to Long Island Sound before it met the Atlantic. You could stand near the river banks and find debris pressed against the tree-trunks well past the river's original borders...

 

Then we had our first - and history-making earliest - Nor'Easter at the end of October. After a day of howling wings, we awoke to a world blanketed with early snowfall. When you compare this shot with the previous one, it does not look bad at all.

In truth it was very little to shovel, comparatively. The true level of destruction isn't visible. It looks like a clear, beautiful day following a light snowfall. 

You don't realize that gardens were still growing, fall peas were on the vines, leaves were still in the trees, many were only starting to change from summer green to the myriad golds, reds and oranges of autumn colors.

To the left is a shot of the morning glory, blackening on the vine. Confused flowers were pushing through the snow to greet the sun for the last time...

All around us was destruction. All through the prior day, we heard horrific snapping and cracking of large tree branches breaking and crashing down. Mighty oaks, elms and maple trees were broken.

The weight of even this amount of snowfall on limbs full of leaves were too much to bear.

 

Smaller trees were completely crushed. It was as if some giant had reached down in the night and crushed them. Others just seemed to peel apart like a banana.

Trees crashed down everywhere - on houses, on cars, bringing down miles and miles of power lines and phone lines. Blocking every single road - great and small.

 

With roads blocked, utility companies could not get to the power lines. With power lines down, road crews could not clean up the tree branches. With both, the snow plows were completely useless. With only three inches (76 mm) of snow, the entire state ground to a standstill.

Instead of having no electricity of four days, this time we were without it for eight days - over a week. In some places, they did not get power back for THREE WEEKS - nearly a month without electricity. Not only was this an inconvenience; this was dangerous. Without electricity, most have no heat, many have no water - hot or cold! Shelters were set up - once the roads were cleared to get to them. We stayed overnight at home, with candles and LOTS of wool blankets. But I still had to make my way to the shelter for a shower.

Businesses struggled. Most found ways to continue via generator powered wi-fi and cell phones. Then the cell towers began to fail; the battery back-ups on the towers only last a few days.

Another issue was the shortage of gasoline. A few gas stations had acquired generators following the hurricane's outage. But there was no access into the state to get their tanks resupplied. Many were only open less than two days before they were run dry. People needed gas to drive to the shelters. People needed gas for the generators and chain saws. Work crews needed it for their snow removal, tree removal and power line repair trucks and equipment. The state had to make a decision in some areas to ration gas.

We - obviously - survived this storm too. Things returned to normal. Christmas was very quiet though. Only a fraction of the people put out holiday decorations and lights - both personal and public areas. So Christmas seemed a bit darker. Everyone wondered... what will happen next....

It's now the beginning of February. There are still many trees with broken branches hanging in their limbs, dried leaves still fluttering from the dead branches. But we have not had any other snowstorm since then. In fact, we only had a dusting twice that disappeared within an hour of sunrise the next morning..

The trees are bare; the ground is frozen - somewhat. But this is not what one pictures January in New England to appear. Yet this is our January, even our December. No snow. This may lead to a dry spell as we will not have our snow melt in the spring and the frozen ground does not absorb the rainfall.

For the most part, our January has been practically amazing! We've had beautiful sunshine in a time when we mostly see cloudy skies, snowfall and perpetual gloom. This past week, temperatures have been in the 40's'F - even 50's' F (10'C). Our normal daytime high temperature this time of year is 20'F (-6'C). 

Each evening, there are many people out walking at sunset. Kids are playing outside without a jacket. There is no snow on the ground; there are no plants blooming, though it feels like late March now. Even the ground that was frozen in December has become soft and pliant. Grass has started to grow again.

I do not know what the rest of winter will bring. Today is Groundhog's Day. There is a small mammal that allegedly predicts if spring is here now or if we will see eight more weeks of winter. As fun as the tradition is, I don't hold much stock in it's predictions.

Like many things in life, we can prepare for the worst, and smile in joyous surprise when we are provided the best. Or we can believe all will be well and get hit with several feet (meters) of snow in late April. It has happened before. 

Anything is possible with God; and God does indeed touch this world of ours. Who knows what will come this year. 2012 can be one of destruction or one of major blessings.

Look to the light - for that is where Hope always resides.