I was Just Thinkin'...

I was just thinkin'.

What makes leaders in the Christian community think it's effective to 'discipline' others by shunning them? I have once again raised the battle lines in a fellowship by not being 'obedient'.
 I'm not complaining as much as wondering when this kind of action (or re-action) is no longer going to plague the Bride of Christ.

You see, I "came out' this last year. No! Not like that! I finally actually told some church leaders that I was a ...(gulp) prophet! There! I said it again! prophetprophetprophet!

Yup. Not only prophetic, because every Christian has the ability to prophecy at times, but honest to goodness constant words runnin' in my head-can't sleep-dreamin' dreams- can see your hurts-hear from God all the live-long day prophet.

This for some reason has unsettled a few. So, in good ol' church tradition, you 'discipline' folks like me by ignoring my existence. And you use me as an example in your ministry classes and all of your followers suddenly snub me too.

You see, I'm not supposed to be a prophet. Some friends wrote a book years ago about seeking out and embracing your spiritual "office". Suddenly, everyone in leadership, or wanting leadership, was supposed to do these classes led by the authors. There were some good things in the book. And it was fun to be with  friends every week.

But the last few meetings were personal prayer times where you "discovered" your office by everyone else telling you who you were. As I sat it the center and everyone prayed and spoke out 'prophetic' word, I didn't know how to handle it. "I dub thee, Madame ...  Encourager!" (not exact words!)

I just ... well....anyway. On the way home I asked my husband "What do you think about me impartation?"

"Oh! Totally wrong! They had everything about you completely out of whack. It's like they've never met you!"

I was so relieved!


I can be an encourager. After all, I have years of training in the field of psychology to prove it. I know the right things to say and how to say them. I can manipulate words and people without blinking an eye. I have been trained in diplomacy and salesmanship. I can figure out what you want and say exactly the right thing.
I can make you feel goooooood! And truthfully, I like people!!

But in my head, I can hear the voice of the Holy Spirit and it's very different words that need to be spoken. You see, prophets are many times given a specific message to tell for a season. Patricia King was given one word for ages! "God loves you!" Sounds incongruous, doesn't it? But that word, delivered by her obedience to GOD, not man, touched the lives of countless people where ever she spoke.

I, whoopidy-dee, was given a more stringent message. And nearly every time I spoke, I got short shrift. I got to deliver warnings about, oh, different directions we were taking. Any way, the whole deal boiled down to I was a disobedient, naughty girl. They took their ball and went home.

I didn't encourage, even though I tried to do. I would even add to the words He gave me! I honestly (pun intended) added soothing happy endings to the messages I got so they wouldn't get mad!

So, I lost my grip. I was a fraud. Only a handful of people had heard me out, and had found me solid.
I finally confessed to the Lord my duplicity, my anger and my disappointment in myself. And decided it was all or nothing. Whew!!!

It seemed that I had become a person non gratis at my church. Then one Sunday morning, I was released! He set me free of all responsibility for them. In a way, it irked me! I had put a lot of years in this place and these people!! But, He set me out to find a new place with a new mission. How exciting!!

Back to the shunning! My husband who is very insightful, said it was the common church way. If you have someone whom displeases you, you simply create an unpleasant environment for them and they will eventually leave. Well, we've been in a LOT of churches and it's true. How terribly sad.

I wish the leaders who are upset with me would have talked to me. I've tried to talk to them, but it's hard to open a door with no knob. Would it not be great if we, as leaders in the church, would be willing to look at differences of ministry not as hard-headedness or disobedience, but as necessity of a calling? At least to ask someone what they are doing? This shunning stuff is for the birds!

Anywho ... I was just thinkin'.

Saturdays!!

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Saturdays

 I am not known for my timidity when it comes to Scripture. I can tell when I'm off base because it doesn't line up with the B-i-b-l-e! 

So the sons of Israel shall observe the Sabbath, to celebrate the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant.’ Exodus 31:16

That said, I run afoul of my dear SDA friends I'm sure because I have no problem with worshiping on the Lord's Day as opposed to the Sabbath. I have no problem with those who worship on the Sabbath, or Thursdays. Or Monday afternoon. Or Friday morning. In their tennis clothes. Or jammies.

  And it happened that He was passing through the grain fields on the Sabbath, and His disciples began to make their way along while picking the heads of grain.  The Pharisees were saying to Him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”  And He said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions became hungry;  how he entered the house of God in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the consecrated bread, which is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests, and he also gave it to those who were with him?”  Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”  Mark 2:23-28

What I take exception to is those who do not worship. I know! Going to 'church' is not a requirement for salvation. But...

 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,  not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.  Matthew 10: 23-25

I am not a Hebrew. Even though we ALL come from the same family, God managed to embellish the human body with different structure and pigments, languages and accents. So in that idea, we are all Hebrews. But, I am not. I am an American mutt of several tribes and nations. 

And this woman, a daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years, should she not have been released from this bond on the Sabbath day?”   Luke 13:16

Immediately the man became well, and picked up his pallet and began to walk. Now it was the Sabbath on that day. So the Jews were saying to the man who was cured, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not permissible for you to carry your pallet.”  John 5: 9-10

Here's the whole of the matter....

Therefore some of the Pharisees were saying, “This man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.” But others were saying, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?”And there was a division among them.  John 9:16

 And there was a division among them. 

If I am wrong for using Sunday as my day of worship, I'm sure the Holy Spirit will straighten me out. If not.....? But let's not let these things divide us. We all have shortcomings when it comes to obedience, but let's help each other and focus on what we're learning about the Most High God of Heaven!

By the way, the Sabbath is not called a day of worship.  

Shalom!!!

Heaven is for Real! And so is Hell.

So I'm flickin' though the channels (air TV, kids, no cable!) and of course perusing the dozen or more "Christian" channels. Why that one was playing 'One Day at a Time' is beyond me. 

Any way, there was a commercial for this website the tells"the truth about Hell!". I was curious, of course. I wanna know the truth, don't you? 

What if I'm wrong?! Oh-my-goodness-heaven-to-betsy- sakes!

I hurried over to my laptop. I'm lying. It's already in my lap. But I do not pass go, do not collect $200 and look up the site immediately.

It reads real nice. It is really comforting!

You see, many people reject God because we've been teaching fallacies about Hell! It's our fault. 

People who believe He will send non-believers to eternal punishment aren't going to follow Him because they don't want to obey a god who is vicious and mean.

If you re-read that several times, the asinine irony finally sinks in.

I have a friend who is not going to heaven because she doesn't want to worship a god who has a fan club. What can I say?

I digress.

This group of kinder, gentler Christians says those who are not followers get judged, serve a term of punishment according to the naughty things they've done, and then die. Poof. Gone.

God turns the earth into a lake of fire and toast all the bad people. DONE! Phew!

Oh, and when anyone in the Bible says "forever", it doesn't mean FOREVER, It's a colloquial term that means, and I quote, "for as long as time lasts in that specific case." Unquote.

                                                                    I'm  so  confused!



Here's the deal. I would like it very, very, very much if Hell did not exist. It was created for Satan and his demons, not us. But according to a few folk in the scriptures, if I am not serving God, I am serving Satan. Pretty sure that makes me complicit with hell itself.

The Scriptures used are convincing, like most scripture is when taken out of context, used with agenda translation, and then sprinkled though-out an article with shoddy research data. 

41 “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; 43 I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ 44 Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not [e]take care of You?’ 45 Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”  Matt 25:41-46

In Mark 9, Jesus says the fires of hell are unquenchable. That means it does not burn out, by the way. According to our truth website, if the fire DON'T go out, God will FAIL to remove sin from the earth. (Buh-scuz He's not a magician, dad-gummit!)

Let me make the point of this rambling post clear; I want, more than anything, for you to know that God is real. He loves you. He watches you. He calls your name. He sacrificed for you in the form of the Son, Jesus Christ. He sent you a love letter full of history, adventure, pain and glory. He sent another part of Himself, the Spirit, to hold you close. To hold you in His arms. To whisper in your ear. 

As days grow short before the culmination of time, I am encouraging you to not believe everything you hear and read about the Bible, and it's Author. Now is the time that the Enemy is trying harder than ever to monkey wrench the children of God. And unfortunately, he's going to succeed with a lot of people. Not because we have misrepresented hell to people. It's there, and it needs some understanding, but because we have  not been teaching Jesus. It's all about Jesus. How else do you get to the throne room? 

Have you been married a long, looooong time? Do you have love letters or little notes from the early days of your courting? When you read them now, doesn't your heart melt again, your pulse quicken, the years fall away? 

Get back into your Bible. Let it all happen over again! Let others see the beauty of the Father in you. Let them see the love affair of the century. Then, hell won't even matter.

Oh. And eat a pomegranate.

(If you want the website, leave a comment and I'll give it to you.)

Who Makes This Stuff Up?

As you can see, I'm not a very consistent blogger.

I usually have a burr under my saddle when I do.

Oh well.

Facebook is fascinating. You can spread your story in the blink of an eye! And, you have a pretty big audience. 

So, if you want everyone you know to know about your life...well! There it is.

And, I would assume you want Comments on it. Positive comments.

But.

Hmmm.

What if they aren't positive?

Delete button!  Yaaaaaaaaaay!!

Get ready to push the button, Frank.

I'm concerned about the trend of young Christian women to read non-fiction literature based on ideals outside the word of God. 

Especially those books written by non-believers with an agenda. 

Well, pretty much any non-believer.

I have trouble with the majority of books written by believers! 

One of the books going around is a nice little missive called "Quiet" by Susan Cain.

Who was a Wall Street attorney and didn't like it.

A woman who had latched onto a label, created out of the field of psychology, called "Introvert", slapped it on her forehead, and lived that life.

Whatever that is.

I cannot understand the fascination with these books. They are designed to separate us. 

To make differences that matter.

 Asked what inspired her to write the book, Cain likened introverts today to women at the dawn of the feminist movement—second-class citizens with gigantic amounts of untapped talent. She said that our institutions are designed for extroverts, causing many introverts to believe that something is wrong with them and that they should try to 'pass' as extroverts. She concluded that this bias against introversion leads to "a colossal waste of talent, energy, and happiness," saying that it is "the next great diversity issue of our time."   (wikipedia)




Well, it could be. Now that you've got a group of influenced people to spread the poison word.

Harsh, you say?

Yes. Yes it is.

But with a good reason.

I am tired of women being the target of every jerk that wants to water down the presence of God in their lives. 

Reading books like these can be informative, but if they are not Truth, they are death.

Jesus never put a label on anyone.

Except the Pharisees and Sadducees.  But they asked for it!

 “You are altogether beautiful, my darling,
And there is no blemish in you."  Song of Solomon 4:7

That is what God says about us. 

Why do we insist in making ourselves less?

Let's see who I can hack off today

And do not fear those who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul: but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.  Matthew 10:28 

Here is your glossary for today's post.

Church = every person who has a relationship by way of confession with Jesus

Fellowship = the place we go on Saturday or Sunday to sing and pray and listen. Or drink coffee and    eat donuts.

Leadership = every person who claims a place of authority in the church/fellowship. This includes pastors, deacons, SS teachers, elders, ministry leaders.

IHOP = International House of Prayer (no pancakes today)

Bethel = Christian University, church, community

Jim Jones = Pastor who lead his fellowship in mass suicide, Guyana, 1978

I am not trying to be a rebel. Or a pain. Or mean or anything.

What I am trying to do with these posts is get you to THINK .

Think like a follower of Christ.

Think with the power of wisdom.

Think like you're not just another cow in the herd.

I can talk my head off and give you info on Islam, Satanism, cults, blah blah blah, but those aren't the real danger to the church today.

You oughtta know already that these are bad.

 I don't need to slap a sign up on the rim of the Grand Canyon that says “No Diving”. You're not stupid.

I have recognized a growing trend in the church to to idolize certain sources of spiritual teaching. Ah really, that's nothing new. If it was new, Jim Jones wouldn't have been able to kill 909 people.

Wow! You say. That's harsh! Valarie, are you really comparing Jones with what is going on today?!

No! Yes. Kind of.  What I am going after is the herd mentality of the church.

I am NOT saying people are trying to lead us down the Kool-aid path. But.....

I'm saying we need to be knowledgeable of our scripture. We have to know, when someone is standing there teaching, and has “adjusted” the Bible, that we are listening not to the Word of God, but a personal narrative.

We have left the realm of the King, and are now in the office of Secular Sociology.

Most of these people who do this are well meaning. They are really burdened by the Lord to teach, evangelize, minister to the needy, lay hands on the wounded. They are not bad people.

Butbutbutbutbut! They are teaching what they were taught, without delving into the Bible to learn for themselves. Or they've been sparked with a great idea, and have skimmed the Bible, and the internet, for a scripture or two that just might work to base their teaching on.

If they were taught by someone working from knowledge and wisdom, that usually works just dandy. If they were taught by someone with an agenda, usually based on their personal fellowship traditions from childhood, not so much.

I took issue with a clip from Bethel.tv posted on Facebook today with Kris Vallotton teaching from Esther. I understand the point he was trying to make, I really do. But the truth is, he rearranged the actual events to fit his message. Why would you do that?

Improving God's message? Don't think it works that way.

I'm trying to be a real follower of Jesus. I am so far away from being a true believer it's scary. I read and research, I pray and talk and listen and cry and laugh and cringe. There is so much of me and so little of Him in my life and I want it the other way around.

Years ago, I was asked what I wanted in my life. It hit me in a flash.

I want to love God as much as He loves me.

If that is your desire, you are going to have a hard time getting there by receiving messages from leadership that doesn't know the Bible. Or is tweaking it for their own agenda.

Let me throw a little aforementioned scripture down.

I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book. Rev 22:18,19

I know this is specifically about the book of John's revelation, but I'm sure God wants us to be wary of any place in the scriptures being fiddled with.

You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life. I do not receive glory from men; but I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves. I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, you will receive him. How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God? Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; the one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?” John 5:39-47

You're saying “Valarie, I think you've gone overboard. What could moving a time frame in one little verse hurt? He's just trying to make a point that is good.”

As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. Mark 10:17-18

(I just threw that in there for good measure!)

Let' me give you a small idea of why tweaking/rearranging/adding/subtracting/messin' with scripture can and will change your view of God's story.

Ahem........Read with precision, paying close attention to punctuation.

I love eating Grandma's peach pies, and painted butterflies.

I love eating Grandma's, peach pies and painted butterflies.

I love eating Grandma's peach, pies, and painted butterflies.

I love eating Grandma's, peach, pies, and painted butterflies.

I love eating, Grandma's peach pies, and painted butterflies.

Five sentences, all using the exact same words, all unique.

You tell me. Did the addition, or subtraction, of a few commas change anything? I went from a person who loves my Memaw to a cannibal in one tiny mark. Yeesh!

Go read Esther. Ye search the scriptures for a reason.

This picture has nothing to do with my post. I just like Chihuly.



I'm not telling you not to listen to preachers and teachers from Bethel, or IHOP, or any place. I'm saying when someone starts teaching something from the Bible, and YOU have to take their word for it, you are at the mercy of MAN for your understanding.

Get in the Word. Read! Research! Dig like a crazed terrier! Fall in love with the poetry, the angst, the mystery and the action!

Stop letting someone else do your work for you.

No workie, no eatie. 2 Thessalonians 3:10 (You've really gotta read this whole chapter!)

I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed! For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ. For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. Galatians 1:6-12

Okay. I'm done.

Almost. One last hit. “The Message” is not a bible, so stop using it as one.

Okay! I'm done!

Make Ready the Way of the Lord!

Are you ready to fight? Have you been a watchman on the wall, surveying the coming and going of the crowd?

Are you prepared to make the way of the Lord?

Do you even know what that means?

“Make ready the way of the Lord!” The cry of John as he walked out in obedience to the Holy Spirit.

We tend to diminish this statement, this call, to “He's a-comin'! Put on a clean shirt!”

Oh, fool-hearty children. You seriously think John risked life and limb to get you to comb your hair and put out the good towels?

No. It was a battle cry. A charge! A trumpet blast!

“GET READY! HE'S HERE! Soldiers, up and running! Get your weapons, saddle up and ride. THE WAR HAS BEGUN.”

Franklin Graham is making waves this week in the news. Why? Because he is stating his opinion, based on his experience, education in Scripture, and belief in the tenets of All Mighty God.

And that, my pumpkins, is not going to go over well. Not in Washington. Not in political circles. Unfortunately, not in many 'churches' in the country.

There is more to this than a crappy government. Our leadership in the USA is not incompetent, or lazy, or stupid. Our present situation is a well mastered, cleverly executed and driven plan. And not a new one.

And the church mice keep doin' their thing. Teaching Bible classes. Having fellowships. Playing games. Starting up ministries.

And Rome is burning.

We are called to be warriors. Not just praying and hugging people (which is wondrous

) but to learn to fight, to war, to win. If you think we are going to win peacefully, you have NOT been reading the book. Real Christians do not live in fear. We are getting ready for WWIII.

It will be here.

It will be on my street.

I am going to win.

How about you? Are you ready? Will you stand and fight for those who cannot? Will you be the cold cup of water Jesus was talking about, or are you going to be the wanderer in the desert crying to go back to slavery?

Make ready the way of the Lord!!

Church Phrases

Church Phrases.

I hate church phrases.

What are they, you ask, a little tremor in your voice.

Church phrases are those neat one-liners we are all endowed with through ministry training, Sunday School, Sabbath School, Bible study, pastoral “repeat after me” stuff, etc.

But, we use this to help people, you say. Auuuugh! That's ridiculous!! I'm sick of them.

The reason I hate them is...........they ain't scriptural! They don't even make sense most of the time. They are dopey traditions we get saddled with usually when someone in charge has read another book of a third party's experiences with God.

One of the least faves is “Wow! God really showed up this morning!”

What the bob saget is that supposed to mean? Where was He? Hiding out in the wings awaiting His introduction? Eating donuts in the green room listening for His cue?

Where do leaders get the idea that God has to wait until we INVITE Him into our presence?

How do you correlate an all powerful, omnipresent Creator with someone who needs YOU to call the shots?

My thought has always been “HEY! Maybe YOU showed up; shut up; and finally listened enough to realize He was right there all the time.”

Next in irritation level. “God is a gentleman. He will never force Himself on you.”

Well. La-ti-da.

In my understanding, a gentleman doesn't give you enough rope with which to hang yourself. (Nice grammar, eh?)

The Most High God of Heaven can, and will, jerk you upright, hug you tight,slap you down flat, rock you like a baby, roll you around in a mud-hole, hold your hand in His, or shake you like a rag-doll if that's what it takes to get your head out your own stupidity and look at what He has for you. He will keep on and on, especially if there is someone bearing down in prayer for you, until you either get it, or you decide to shoot yourself repeatedly in the foot.

How about this snippet of soggy wisdom? “God never closes a door without opening a window.”

Oh. My. Head.

Who makes up this stuff?

Ever have God close a door?

Yup.

Ever run around like a chicken, trying to find that open window?

Yup.

Ever get totally frustrated with God because there wasn't a window, much less an open one?

YUP!!

My experience is when He closes the door, it's because you're not supposed to go in there!

Your two year old wants to climb the 20 foot ladder they're using to paint the house. You say “No!” and lock the screen door. But you open a window in the bedroom, just in case he really wants to climb that ladder.

What kind of parent are you?!

Why do you think God shuts doors, locks doors, slams doors?

To keep you from going though them, ninnyhammer! You wanna get out? Go the RIGHT door. Quit looking for an open window to sneak through.

Don't bruise the Bride.

Walk in your healing.

I got more!

What I'm trying say, as I stomp all over my friend's toes, is we have got to stop living “Christian” lives based on the latest fad of ministry. We have GOT to read the Book and DO what it says! We have got to have a REAL relationship with Jesus Christ and do what He did, does, and always will do.

How else will we stand, folks?

How can we love, if we are still reading a script?