2010: Even Better!!!
On...the Unknown God:

This morning, I'm wondering how many of you really know God. Is He someone or something in the distant sun? Swimming in the midst of the galaxies or the milky way? Is He embedded in the minds of fiery radicalists, or is He just a quiet non-speaking entity? Is He all "fire and brimstone," or is He only a characteristic of "earth-and-water"? Who or what is He? Is He real?
In many ways, many seek to worship something. They long for something extraordinary. They thirst for a sign, or anything supernatural...a super man. So they plunge into diverse things, oh...there are so many different options today...you name it! There's something for anyone searching, in fact there are so many options out there such that when you blink your eyes and open them again you can make THE decision: which path to follow. It's that easy. It's public information, you could google it! But I want to introduce you to the One who created the universe and tell you some adjectives that describe Him...
1) When He speaks, His words do exactly what they are spoken for. They don't return to Him undone. He said, "Let there be light," and light has not ceased to exist till this very day. (Genesis chapter 1)
2) He reveals secret things if you let Him into your heart. I keep wondering how Elijah knew God was going to take Him away, and how those 50 prophets came to stand in front of the river Jordan that day because they knew something crazy was about to happen. God revealed it to them...they listened to their hearts, and they heard what God told them (2 Kings 2). He still speaks to our hearts today, if you're listening...(He was called the "Revealer of Secrets" in Daniel chapter 2: 46-48)
The New Wine:

Fiction
*Symphony*

In rather pitiful haste, I held the bottom of my blue & gold evening garment, pushed my hair backwards and held it in a firmer hold with the black pin, and then I proceeded to climb the spiral flight of stairs which would lead me to the second-best vantage point in the theatre- the Mezzanine seats which were directly overhanging the symphony orchestra. I had been waiting for this moment for the longest time now...I had seen lesser orchestras, but nothing like this one. I've been told times without number that here in Chicago, my eyes will see and my ears will hear greatness, such that I have never heard before. As I sat down in my seat, I stuck my head out in a plight to identify the persons in this 100-membered orchestra.
This was the more modern form of a classical orchestra, in addition to earlier instruments such as flutes, oboes, clarinets, and bassoons, the woodwinds section had the piccolo, English horn, contrabassoon, and the famous soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone saxophones. Instead of just horns and trumpets, they had 3 trombones and a tuba. Oh, my...in my entire musical life, I had never seen any harp as big or as beautiful as this one, it lay there in the shadows, a late addition to the stringed violins and violoncellos. I felt like rising up to stare, but I was aware I was not the only one seated here, albeit excited. My heart skipped a bit when a tall gentleman walked to the center of the stage with his head held high, the conductor...adorned in a beautiful black tailed tuxedo. I was flustered because I knew the experience would begin any seconds from now. I shifted in my seat because I could not remain.
As I lifted up my eyes again, his hands began to move. I closed my eyes and listened...this was "symphony." Every tune aligned exactly the way the notes were written. There was no shift or error...just perfect harmony.
About your FRUITY Peculiarity...

"...every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush..." (Luke 6:43)
Everyone has a fruity peculiarity, but many haven't found theirs yet. How can you find it? By giving your life completely to Jesus. He's the only way...I can't tell you any other way, because I've tried Him and yes, I've found myself, my niche, my dwelling place, and a way to produce the fruits I was born to bear. Why else would you think I'd want to write about it? It's the only way...there's only one way to bear much fruits. Try this way.
The Weirdo in Summary:

I want this kind of weirdness...the ability to do extraordinary things that the eyes cannot fathom in a natural state. The power to be non-traditional because I won't always think with the mind-set of a mere human. The capability to operate exactly as the Spirit of God wants me to operate, even if it doesn't make sense to onlookers. Wow, I like Solomon. Such a weirdo!
For Your Body's Sake:

In this lifetime, you will retreat for your body's sake. You will feel many things pressing towards you---many things of life: family, friends, work, projects, and other things. And if you are wise, you will understand that your body and well-being is very important...so you will retreat. You were created by God to operate in full dominion and authority. You were not created to be pushed into the gutter or trampled upon. You were created in the image and likeness of God. So when the enemy comes unto you like a flood, God must lift up a mighty standard against him. But you must know your own limits. Do what you can and retreat, leaving the rest to God.
The Vulnerabilities of a Single Story:

A single story can change a posterity or a younger generation forever, either for the better or worse. A story embedded in the minds of the youth is what will cause them to want to become something great, or maybe something minuscule. A single story will dare us to dream mighty BIG, or will do the exact opposite-- drowning our thoughts of irrefutable success in an ocean that we cannot be rescued from.
What stories are we telling? What stories do we use to speak to our own destinies, or even the destinies of those around us? What stories are we publishing? Which ones do we deem as our representation here on earth?
My story is NOT a single story, but rather multiple stories wrapped into one, about the richness and intelligence of God's creations. My story tells of a series or combinations of how God originally intended for the world to be. This story is inspired by the Holy Spirit to inspire Nations. It is for everyone, regardless of race, color, or status. There are no disparities in this one, because God don't make ugly. There are no sensitivities, because the truth must be told, and tell it we must. There are no lies here, only transparencies. There is no judgment, only a plea for you to see that God designed you for greatness, and that He is actually real and not just a figment of your imagination. There are no obscurities because the will of God is clear. In God's story, there are no CHOSEN or SELECTED readers...because when God created you, He did it with a purpose in mind...so everyone is included in the plan. We just have to find out what that specific plan is.
I am in support of what Chimamanda has said HERE, regarding the dangers of a single story. But what matters are the stories that we CONTINUE to tell.
CONTINUE to strengthen your own story.
Clay...

You're lying there in an empty arid valley...not breathing, not sighing, not in the least bit conscious. You don't have any form, you're just soft and gooey. You are CLAY. You're the hardened surface of a flat land, spread across a hidden valley...far from life and human existence. In this moment and in your subconsciousness, you secretly wish that you had a voice-- something to express the thoughts that weaken your soil. Something to make you leap and shout and fine-tune the energy that grills your being. You also wish that you had a body, something to give you the strength to move and exist in a better form.
Physician, Heal Thyself!

Sitting down on the last row of the pews, I strained my eyes to hear him. He was standing right there on the altar, in front of the stained glass windows, wearing his old peach-colored saintly regalia-- he looked like he had been enlisted among the angels of heaven. I was listening hard and long, searching for words to burst through my veins. Just digging through the piles of literature for something to touch me inside, although I didn't know what.
Things are not always the way they seem. They shouted "Physician, heal thyself!" when Jesus was on the cross dying, but they never thought to look at the grave to see if he had risen from the dead. Don't focus on the obvious, focus on those things that are not so obvious.
True Health Reform:

Fact:
"And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come..." Matthew 24:14
On Revering Caesar...

Stranger in My Own House...

I am walking around without my socks and slippers, every tip toe counts. It is dark and I don't want to turn on the switch to the light bulbs in the patio, so I skulk and move around stealthily. I push the sliding door open, but I do it very slowly so that the screeching sound is not heard in the next room. As I stand there pushing slowly, I hear a distant sound coming from the basement. I panick. My heart is beating louder and faster now, like a wild horse galloping on a rodeo show. What was that brusque sound? I listen again, and I hear the same thing. Sounds like someone hitting a box. Or perhaps someone walking up the stairs...
FALLEN BUILDINGS:

“See these great buildings?” Jesus asked his disciples, referring to the great architecture of the buildings of the Jewish temple they were standing in, and maybe those buildings surrounding it as well.
The disciples must have turned their heads towards the buildings, looking upwards, downwards, and all about them. Their eyes must have glittered with awe and excitement. They must have marvelled at the intelligence behind the buildings. The great thoughts that went into creating something so extraordinarily superb. A place of worship and selfless abandonment. They were staring intensely at the architectural stones. The way the stones etched into each other, one by one, as if forming the illusion of an unshakable stronghold. Stone into stone, marble unto marble.
“There shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down,” their teacher added, continuing his former sentence.
But He was not just marveling at the beauty of the temple, He was speaking rather of the signs of the end. He went further to explain what He was trying to say.
In the end times, the fallen buildings symbolize the fallen bureaucracies of the world—everything that man has worked so hard to establish as standards in the world we live in. The standards will fall. “Heaven and earth will pass away, and only God’s word will remain.” Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. Earthquakes, famines, and troubles. But even these will only be a preview to what the real shocker will be. The gospel must first be published among all nations, and then the true afflictions would come. Yes, many of us are getting desensitized by the news and the portrayal of the woes of the world we live in by the media. We see earthquakes, famines, and lots of troubles every day, and they don’t phase us. But when I read Mark 13 this morning, in verse 19 Jesus said, “For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time…”
That tells me that something different is bound to happen that will SURELY stand out from all the other crazy happenings. Something magnanimous, possibly beyond our comprehension. I wonder if the popular media will have the voice to carry the news. But you and I must be ready when that time comes. Ready to see the fallen buildings, but not crush under their weight. The great thing about it is that Jesus ended on this note, “watch ye therefore, for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at evening, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning.”
You can watch. Your eyes can be glued permanently on the buildings, so that you will not be standing under them when they are ready to fall. You need to be at the right place and at the right time, doing the right things.
Photo by RedBubble
Your Conversations...with God...(see you THIS MORNING)

So here I am also, sitting in front of my computer...knowing you may have questions and aching to show you some things that I've studied in God's word. I'll be hosting a free phone-conference this morning (Thursday, August 27th: 7.00am-12noon EST), and I'm inviting you to come and search the scriptures with me. Let's see what God has to say...let us teach ourselves.
In the bible, there were these group of people called the "Bereans." They were very knowledgeable. When they heard something, they did not just take it as their bread immediately. Instead, they went back home and searched the scriptures-- investigating every nook and corner and discussing it amongst themselves. To be wiser we need to investigate the Truth. And moreso, when two or more are gathered in God's Name, He's there in their midst.
Thursday, August 27th: 7.00am - 12noon EST (United States)
Call-in number(s):
From 7:00-12noon: 1-309-946-5000 (code 37460)
"I See Men as Trees, Walking..."

The first time God opened his eyes to see the world, he was ecstatic. He was lost for words and his eye muscles were hyperactive. He had been detrimentally blind, but all of a sudden with a touch from the Messiah he began to see the things he had been desiring to see. Those things which had only been a part of his diffused imagination. The unbelievable objects in his wildest dreams.
But the first time God opened his eyes he didn't get it.
The first time God opened his eyes he could not see the clear picture...he saw men as trees walking...that's what he said...the men he saw were trees walking down the street. Jesus had to put His hand on the blind man's eyes again! (Mark 8:22-25)
The first time around you may not have understood what God was trying to tell you. The first time around, maybe you were still psychosomatic or still on your rampant rage. Maybe you got the message, but you didn't know how to apply it so you continued in your old life. Hmm...maybe you even cried for joy because God had touched you somewhere beyond your heart, but later on you felt like there was still something amiss? Yeah, you knew what God was trying to do (it's not like you didn't know)...but you just could not see the clear picture....YET.
The first time around really happened...
But you just didn't get it. Wanna know something? God can touch your eyes again...He wants you to get the clearer artistic picturesque vision! He's not up for halves or near-misses! He wants you to really really get it. He wants you to completely feel His touch. Not to feel the wave about your head, but to feel it actually moving through you. And you'll get it this second time around...right here...now...He's right there with you, revealing things to you again.
The second time around is part of your miracle...this time you won't see men as trees, walking. You'll understand exactly what God has been trying to tell you for the longest time. Today, you'll feel His presence and you'll understand more of your purpose here on earth. You'll feel it as you read this blog...you'll just know. Nothing is impossible with God, but it's up to us to receive our miracles. We also have a role to play to see things the way God sees them.
The ultimate LET-DOWN:

The Day the Swing Called My Name:

Hey, Mr. Stony:

Where are my seeds?
The little brown dusty seeds I gave you
The ones that look like white dots in the middle of a sliced water melon
Did you put them in your soil,
Or did you throw them away?
What happened to them, Mr. Stony?
I remember yesterday so clearly
No, my vision fails not...it really happened
It was only just yesterday, why would I forget?
My memory goes back for as long as I can remember
You were looking at me with your ever daunting eyes
I could sense the anticipation in your soul
A longing and an insatiable hunger in your spirit
A delectable humility to soak in every moment
A rare kodak moment of expectation bursting with exhilaration
Before I opened my hands,
Yours were already open
Before I spoke the Word
Your ears had already listened
Before I said "lift up your hands"
They were already all up in the air
And so it was that I buried my seeds in-between your palms
Inside the seat of your ability
Immediately you sprung from your seat
Like a mountainous volcanic eruption
Or fireworks that refuse to be restrained
You said you must go and plant those seeds
And maybe someday they would become trees
I smiled in knowing recognition of your willingness
I smiled, knowing you truly meant every word
Today has come and I thought I should visit
So where are the seeds, Mr. Stony?
The little brown dusty seeds I gave you
The ones that look like white dots in the middle of a sliced water melon
Did you put them in your soil,
Or did you throw them away?
What happened to them, Mr. Stony?
I wrote this because yesterday I read Mark Chapter 4 again...the parable of the man who went out to sow seeds in different grounds, and was reminded again of how sometimes we are like stony grounds receiving much seed with so much gladness but not having much soil to hold the seeds well, of how the seeds spring up immediately but have no depth and do not last long...of how we're so quick to say how these writings make sense to us, or how we're going to do something about them. How enough is enough and how there is work to do. Is the joy of reading these words only for a moment, or is it for the long haul? Is it just for the hour, or is it for a life-time?
The issue is...what do we do with the seeds when we wake up the next morning? Do we forget all about them?
Photo by RedBubble
This Thing Called Tradition:

The Sign-Watcher:

It is midnight and you are ready to go. People call you a sort of "watch-man," but your job is really not to stay at the top of a watch-tower waiting for boats to pass by or arrive at your seaport. You, on the other hand, are a different kind of watch-man! Your self-assigned task is to watch for signs & wonders without anything such as a blink. Every single night as the clock hits 12:00, you pick up your indispensable tools: an old opaque magnifying glass, a crinkly torch-light, an ancient telescope, and a worn-out fall jacket. It's an obsessive compulsive routine that you've gotten used to at this point in your life. You can't change it. It is who you are, and it is what they know you as.
And so you walk out on your porch and put on your crinkly torch-light. You proceed to position your ancient telescope in such a way that you can see the brightest star, and finally you begin to watch for the move of God's mighty hands. Two weeks ago you spent your time studying the clouds; last week it was the darkness around the clouds. Tonight, you will spend your time waiting to catch the sunrise. You must not sleep if you want to see exactly when the sun rises. No man has ever caught the awakening of the sun, but what is impossible with others is possible with you. You know it. You can just feel it in your veins. You're an unstoppable watchman!
My mission this morning is to tell you that it's not all about the signs. Sign-watchers are those ones who actually miss the signs. I was talking to a friend last night and she said that many times we're waiting for the mighty and great works of God to prove that He exists, meanwhile He has already moved in the smaller things around us, but we didn't catch His movement. Sign-watchers usually, most times than not, miss it.
There were three young Hebrew boys who didn't miss it: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. These three were at the risk of being thrown into a very hot burning fiery furnace, just because they chose not to bow to the King's non-living statue. But it is what they said that shows that they understood that it wasn't about the signs: "Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O King. BUT IF NOT, let it be known to you that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up."
But if not...
What in the world? What kind of boldness was that? So what if God did not come in a whirlwind to rescue them? Honestly speaking, they didn't really care. They had already been previously convinced that God was real, so they didn't even need Him to show up at that point.
What if God doesn't rescue you today? What if when you speak to Him you get silence for words? What if your prayers haven't been answered yet? What if instead of perfection it seems like everything is spiraling downwards? The answer is that He may not give you a sign, but He sure does know what's going on. And He said that He will do it...so He will. Stop depending on signs, just be someone who can bask in His presence...no matter what you're going through.