paravanes:meditations

The final beatitudes, found in the Book of Revelation, are teachings given to us from the ascended Jesus Christ. Why are these teachings so often ignored or forgotten? Listen to this podcast on the first of the two final beatitudes here .

 "Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand." -- Romans 14:4. "Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way." -- Romans 14:13  It's pretty simple: if you are a Christ follower, you must disqualify yourself from judging other Christ followers. Feel free to give advice (if advice is requested).  If you feel a fellow believer has "missed God", pray for their restoration. That's where your authority ends. Because you cannot guarantee another person's salvation, you cannot judge them or where they are on their path. Because you cannot cancel another person's salvation, you are not qualified to judge their salvation.  Relax.  As the Apostle Paul writes: "Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and mutual edification...

This is an encore post, originally published in September of 2018. I believe these ideas are still relevant and important because, at this time, many people are praying more than they have ever prayed. Some of the prayers are made in desperation, others in faith, others as a last ditch effort to make things work out favorably. As you can imagine, everyone will not receive everything they ask for. What does it all mean? Are prayers always answered? Continue reading... **************************** Yes, your prayers are always answered. How can you be certain of this? You can be certain because God invites us to pray and God never invites us into a meaningless, useless experience. Not only does God invite us to pray, but during his time here, Jesus gave direct, easy to understand instructions to his disciples who wanted to know how to pray. Jesus begins his instructions by saying "Pray like this..." Note that he doesn't tell the disciples to say the exact words he spoke. He ...

 This isn't one of the Ten Commandments. You won't find a distinct directive to "honor the body" anywhere in the Old or New Testament, except for Paul's directive to avoid sexual relationships not protected by a covenant.  These books were written in a time when most people did a lot of physical work or manual labor.  Overeating wasn't a option unless you were very wealthy. Food was not readily or easily available for most people in the ancient world. Maintaining your home, fields, work place, finding and preparing food, making and repairing clothing and similar tasks involved physical work and took most of your waking hours. The average person had very little leisure time. For many of us who live in North America or certain other parts of the world, we have a different problem. Our work often involves little movement, or involves a single solitary and repetitive movement in a shop or on an assembly line. Perhaps we work in offices or classrooms where most of ...

Beware of those who only reach out or contact you when they think --  or they have heard -- something is wrong. It may seem obvious, but if they're really concerned about you, they will be in touch consistently or until you tell them not to. No one is ever too busy to do what's important to them. A question may appear in one or more of these ways: "I heard something happened. Are you OK?" "I saw a news report saying your company is laying off. Will you be alright?" "COVID is spiking in your (town, state, etc.). Have you been tested? Is everyone OK?" You may hear a statement that sounds like this: "I'm glad I don't live there." "I'm so glad I'm blessed to be able to work from home." "It's not good to take too many risks at a time like this. Maybe you shouldn't have moved for that job." Remember: people who really care don't need a reason or an invitation to reach out.  They won't mention ...

Note: this is an encore of a post from 2012. Based on Psalm 23, the main idea of the post is to explain why faith often waits, listens, and is demonstrated by patience and by asking "what's next?" or "where do I go from here?"  It is often arrogance or presumption that leads us to believe faith means we say what we want and then we get what we said. Remember: Jesus Christ is the Great Shepherd of the Sheep. Sheep don't declare or decree.  Sheep are not self-directed and are lost without a shepherd. Sheep follow because they are happy to have a shepherd who knows more than they know and who is also good to them and always leading them to what is best. The sheep of the Great Shepherd are protected, fed, loved, and treasured. Not a bad way to live, is it? ****************************** Psalm 23 (King James Version*) 1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 ...

Note: This is an encore of a post written in 2008, while I was growing my second set of locs. My first set was freeform and the second set was started with two strand twists and cultivated. I cut them in 2015, after seven years, and am now enjoying my TWA (teeny-weeny afro). It was time for something new.  I've found the lessons about locs apply to lessons about life and spiritual development. Enjoy, and blessings to everyone on their loc journies. I may rejoin you one day. ********************************************* The Spiritual Lessons of Locs, Or Dreads, Or Dreadlocks   Here's a view of a couple of strands of hair. I am now growing my second set of locs. There are some deep spiritual applications in the process. I am not Rasta, so I am not growing true organic dreadlocks. I twist my hair, style it, condition it, etc. I understand there is a large debate in the locked community about how this hairstyle is labeled. Some insist this twisty style be called dreadlo...