2010: Even Better!!!

Today, I want to say cheers to a great year. If you did not accomplish all your goals or attain all your heart's desires, I have a message for you: it is not the end of the opportunity for those goals. The Alpha and the Omega is the only One who starts and finishes, and He is your beginning and the end. Therefore, if He has not ended your destiny yet, then you are still in for the running.

I will resume posting in 2010, and for some crazy unexplainable reason I just know that as soon as January 1st hits, there'll be a lot of great concepts and more secrets to know about this God. My suggestion is that you have an open mind to want to learn more about Him in this upcoming year. I'll use this opportunity to invite you to keep joining me in my walk, as I decipher and unravel the mysteries of this exciting God, and as I continue in my journey to discovering myself within my walk with Him.

Cheers

SEE YOU IN 2010...

Lots of Love from the Light-Her-Lamp Blog...

On...the Unknown God:

Sometimes, my thoughts are streamlined. Other times, they are nothing less than sporadic--shooting out in so many different directions like unassuming fireworks in a festive event.

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)

3) Healer. Jehovah Raphekah. Even after Lazarus was buried, God raised Him from the dead, opened the eyes of the blind, made the deaf to hear again, stopped the flow of a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years, dried up the deteriorating boils of lepers, identified a betrayer but loved him in spite of, ate with sinners and allowed a prostitute to wash His feet (For these details read the book of John).

.

4) Provider. Jehovah Jireh. Used five loaves of bread to feed 5,000 people. Caused a little oil in a jar not to run out. Told the fishermen to put their nets on the other side of the boat, and their nets almost broke with their new catch. He instructed the Ravens to bring bread and meat to Elijah when there was famine in the land (ravens are birds that have a varied diet, including dead animals...a.k.a. "meat"...so did you figure that the ravens could have eaten the meat themselves, but they delivered it to Elijah?). Oh yes, getting personal, He provided $13,000 for me when I was about to get kicked out of graduate school...I was given only a week to perform some sort of miracle!

5) Timely. Despite His ability to perform miracles in your life, He won't come when it's too early or too late. And He won't do it if it will be disadvantageous to you (even if you cry or wail). He knows those things that are good for you, so why would He respond in an untimely manner? He makes all things beautiful in their own time (Ecclesiastes chapter 3).

6) Teacher. He explains complicated things to the simple-minded. He instructs you just like the manual of a car would, or a cell phone. Step by step, if you follow His lead. He's the good shepherd (Psalms 23).

...and my point is...

I've actually experienced this unknown God and He is as real as it gets...

Photo by RedBubble

More than a million reasons...

The New Wine:

Fiction

It stuck with her all these years, the melodramatic picturesque setting of the audience. The way the people looked at the stage with great expectations, the way they turned their heads sideways as they watched the play, and how they studied the unassuming looks of the characters. The way the old lady with the hat clapped her hands, and just how the well-built young men cheered, of which, by the way, some of them spoke to her after it was over. The way the people loved Shakespeare. The way they loved her.

Lucille was her name. She was always Juliet, and Maximus usually played Romeo. They played their roles really well, and no one dared contest with them in the entire village. The play was her pride. In this place she became someone else, a different person altogether. Oh, the joy of that! Instead of the poor church-rat she really was, she became the rich young woman who was in love with Romeo, the handsome man from a family her own despised. She always got lost in the moment.

But in a few days, BROADWAY would be coming to town. A new theatre had just been completed, more beautiful, exciting, and unfortunately more daunting. A new look, and new faces. She was completely afraid...afraid of what might happen to this place. She did not want to part with the old. Inside her, she knew people would stop coming here. And that the regulars would become strangers. She had the opportunity to audition, but she did not want to take it. She was afraid, really afraid. Afraid of the what the future held. Afraid of the new wine.

* * *

Have you ever been afraid of the "new"? Afraid to take hold of the unfamiliar? Afraid that what you have right now might be better than what you think you could have tomorrow? I know I have! I remember when I started attending my current church. I saw how people let go of themselves and go crazy for God, and inside my heart I called them lunatics. Come on now, what was all the noise about? What was this charade and hullabaloo? Like they couldn't keep quiet and listen in solitude. Every little tune from the piano made someone shout or leap for joy. Every sound of prayer made someone tear up. Couldn't they just do things like normal people? God was a quiet spirit, so what was all the noise about?

But the newness in my path was for a reason. Though some times we can pray in the quietness of our spirits, there are other times we may need to shout for help. There are other times when some thing like a word touches our hearts and we tear up. There are sometimes when we need to stand up and start jumping. It was a new wave of worship, and I just wasn't used to that!

This writing is not about "worship" though, this is just about letting God take over your life. Christianity is not a tradition, neither is it a religion. It is about the freedom to follow wherever God's spirit leads you. The freedom to part with the old and take in the new. Today, technology has reached a new high...with twitter, facebook, blogger, wordpress, linkedin, and so much more. People are using these social networks for the wrong reasons, but I totally believe there's something deeper than just social networking. There are lives to be taken for God, there is the new wine tapping on old doors...new ways for miracles to happen...new ways for God to visit you.

You might be the one who's stuck in the old, you feel something in your heart tearing apart, but you're still there trying to hold the pieces together. How about you do this? Let the old garments be torn apart, and put on a new you. Don't tell yourself, "this is just the way I am, I can't change." Change is not too far from you...it is only seconds away...closer than you even think.

DRINK IN THE NEW WINE...& POUR OUT THE OLD...Let God do what He's been trying to do with you...let Him in...He's knocking...

"And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved. And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, ‘The old is better.’” Luke 5: 37-39

Photo by redbubble

*Symphony*

Fiction

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.

* * * * *

Last night, I came across, errr stumbled upon (I really stumbled upon it by mistake) the scripture where Jesus said "I will not call you servants, but friends," (John 15:12-17). He explained that He said this because servants never know what their masters are doing (they are only given instructions and they have to just go and obey, kind of like systematic robots or clones). Rather, God chose to call us "friends" because He wants us to understand His movements and His heart, and then when we understand Him we'll automatically obey His commands because we'll know the ultimate purpose. Perfect symphony. Unbreakable harmony.

It suddenly hit me that the way I understand some of my friends is ridiculous. Sometimes I say things like, "I knew you would do that," or "I know what you're thinking right now," or "wow, I know what you're about to do." I know these things because of the nature of our "friendship." Most times, the friends you roll with are like-minded...they think like you, act like you, and do the things you do.

I'm certain you're getting the point by now...we were created in the "image and likeness" of God, so if we truly understand our nature and where we've come from...we would automatically be like God. In perfect symphony...no shifts or errors. That's why you're not merely a "servant" (robot), but you're more of God's friend.

But there's always the propensity that you didn't know or understand this up till now, so you have to come to that realization right now and start working in a new dimension...as His friend. God does not intend for you to be His robot, moving without any emotion or inclination. Rather, He wants you to see through His heart and understand the reasons why He does the things He does, so that your obedience is not merely robotic or fake.

The bible says that Abraham was a "friend of God," and also that Enoch walked with God and was no more. Who were these people? Seems like they were in complete symphony with God such that it would have been hard to tell the difference.

Today, my charge is that you become someone who is in such perfect symphony with God, like the musical instruments in a 100-membered orchestra, such that people will not be able to tell the difference between your mind and God's mind. A TRUE friend of God.

Photo by RedBubble

About your FRUITY Peculiarity...

It starts from somewhere inside you. You can't stop it, it's just who you are...you can't even help it. It heats up like a warm spring, bubbles up like waters in a sauna, and rises up like forceful conventional heat currents that have no choice but to rise...higher and higher, and higher into a distant place in the sky. It can't decline and refuse the path that has been paved for it, it either comes out of you as something to be acknowledged or something to be despised. It is you and you are it, this thing on the inside of you. It is intertwined with the ropes of your spirit, interjected by the thoughts of your soul.

"...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)

The things that come out of you are only an illustration of your "fruity peculiarity." You are like a tree planted by waters, but you are the owner of the roots and you direct the path you want the roots to take. Your roots could either go in the direction of the soothing and life-giving water, or you could direct them into an arid dry desert land (towards the opposite side).

At the end of the day, the key lies in your hands to be peculiar in a "fruity" way. No one will come to you for healing if you don't have the right words; no one will come for provision if you can't show kindness in simple and small ways; no one will come for laughter if you can't crack jokes; no one will come for lessons if you can't show any iota of brilliance; no one will come for your celebration when you are a dead-looking "frowner"; no one will smile at you if you never smile at anyone; no one will listen to you if you have no visions, goals, or dreams.

Who are you? What is your life about? Are you just merely existing, or do you know the reason why you're here? If you don't know, I'll let you in on a little secret. You were BORN for a golden purpose that no one else will do. If you don't do that which you were born to do, it will just be the loss of one more wasted life. God created you to be a solution to a problem...and you need to find that problem and solve it. You are PECULIAR, but in a FRUITY kind of way, such that if I should come near you today I should be able to smell the fruitiness of your future. You are a tree that needs to produce fruits, and by your fruits we will know that you are utilizing the things God has placed inside of you.

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.

May your own land yield its increase...(Psalm 85:12)...but you have to find that land first.

Photo by RedBubble

The Weirdo in Summary:

He was such a weirdo. A rich man who took over his father's property...but see the things he did. He ruled in a different way from kings that had gone before him. I may not be able to portray the full details of his life the way I really want to, but I can give you a few notable things about him.

Any time his mother would come into the room, he would get up quickly and bow down to her, and then he also set up another throne for his mother to sit (kind of like his own), so that he wouldn't be the only one sitting on a throne when the mother who bore him for nine months was around. Pretty deep man!

He gave some ridiculous offerings to God. Imagine in a time when people counted sheep for the slaughter, he came with a thousand of them...to be served up as burnt offerings. In hind-sight, I would not have understood his offerings...I may have thought he was crazy at the time. But now I know better. His reasoning was that even a thousand burnt offerings was not adequate for a God who created the Universe, so why come to the altar with less when he had more back at home? Such a weirdo!

He's the only king recorded to have given a huge feast specifically for his servants. Yes, for the members of his palace who toiled day and night to keep the place clean, to prepare breakfast, lunch, and dinner...and generally to take care of the royal courtyard. He made a feast for all of them. I don't know...he was pretty weird.

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!

Inspired by 1 Kings 2 & 3

Photo by Redbubble

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.

I have some examples of when Jesus was teaching multitudes of people in Luke chapter 5. And so it was that he was standing at the edge of the lake, and these people kept pressing towards him. They kept moving forward, forward, and continuously forward...trying to glue their ears to what He was saying. I noticed that He looked back and saw two boats behind Him, then He thought about it again and made the decision to enter one of the boats, and then He told the owner to please drift out a little bit. And He continued teaching from His new vantage point...

See, when you don't drift out a little bit, the people will compress your message. The people might drown you inside a pit of no return. It is good to go away a little bit to re-group. When you say your message when people are not drowning you, you will sound stronger and more confident about what you carry.

Also, before you make important decisions of your life, you need to go away to your quiet place to consider what you are about to do. In Luke 6:12-13, it was recorded that Jesus went out by Himself to the mountains to pray, and He continued all night in prayer. The next morning was when He selected those 12 disciples that He would later reveal the secrets about His life to. The selection was an important process that He had to go through, but He went on a retreat with God FIRST before He made that decision. Do we do that before we make important decisions?

So my message today is that you must learn to care for your body and your mental health by retreating into the quietness of God's presence. In a quiet place you can think properly and communicate with God, asking Him about the best ways to proceed with certain decisions you have to make. Also, from a vantage point, you can see the people trying to press towards you more clearly, you can gauge each one of them and identify what areas they need your help in. You can ascertain the needs and characters of people by stepping away from them for a while, rather than studying them when they are right up in your face.

There goes my thoughts for today...I've been a little busier than I expected, but I will post again really soon. I may not be able to reply every single comment, but I want you to know that I will read your comments and probably smile at one or two...lol. I pray that you will learn to seek wisdom from a quiet place and a vantage point when no one is with you. Most of all, I pray that God will bless you and make His face to shine upon you, and that your hands will receive everything that He has already equipped you to be successful in this world. It's already in your hands...

Photo by RedBubble

The Vulnerabilities of a Single Story:

On hearing the popular Nigerian novelist, Chimamanda Adichie, speak about the dangers of a single story on TED, I was inspired to write about it.

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.

Photo by Redbubble

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.

Suddenly you feel a slight breeze blowing through your sandy veins. In the rising of a second, you do something you've never done before-- you open your eyes and you see the valley for the first time. It is beautiful. You begin to do other things too, like stretching out your hands to feel the lily of the Valley, and sniffing the soft scent of the buds. Then you also feel your whole being rising up to appreciate the day. As if this newness of life isn't enough, your throat starts to wobble and you begin to struggle in your plight to stop the movement. But you can't stop it, your words spill out like unstoppable Tsunamis...and you realize that God has visited you. You were only CLAY, but now you're alive. You were dumb, but now you can speak. You were hardened, but now you have a heart. You were blind, but now you can see yourself the way God truly sees you.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

In every man's life there will be an awakening of his soul. You will not be the same forever. Someday, you will have a witness inside of you...an experience that will change your life forever. This experience will have something to do with God. It will be unexpected, and you will be like clay in His hands...undoubtedly allowing Him to mold you in the right direction.

When that time comes, do not harden your heart. Allow yourself to be softened and to be open to receive the blowing of a new wind. With everything going on in the world today, there will soon be a major awakening.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Photo by Redbubble.

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.

I am his daughter, but there is a thin line between the man and my father. He preaches every Sunday, but yet our own home is torn apart into unrecognizable fragments by the devil himself. His words are true, but they are a lie to me. He is a physician to the people here, but he cannot heal himself.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

In this fictional story, a daughter observes her preacher man father distastefully. He is speaking the word of God, but it makes no sense to her because her home is torn apart...and the head of her home is the preacher man. In Luke Chapter 4, after reading the Torah in the synagogue, Jesus told the people that their salvation was already here. He told them that even though it was right in their faces, they weren't going to understand or recognize it. Even until the end...because they would tell him, "Physician, heal thyself."

When I read this I thought about how people sometimes observe the messenger. If the messenger does not look like what he's presenting, then they choose not to believe. I know it makes sense to you, but I want to tell you that sometimes the messenger will not look like the message.

You need to focus on the words, not the carrier. Yes, the carrier may look thin and shabby, but his words could carry so much power. The voice of God could be a still small voice, yet we may be waiting for a thunder-storm kind of voice. Our healing could come in such a small way as closing our eyes and opening them again, but we may be waiting for many years for a torrential impact-- possibly the laying of hands by a popular minister.

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:

True health reform is a complete eradication of those things that obstruct the health of the citizens. Of those things that cause the depreciation of the mental conundrum, the defragmentation of the human body, the blindness of the eyes, deafness of the ears, dumbness of the lips, and lack of sensitivity of the skin.

True health reform is not here today. Not until all individuals find God...

"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

We can do as much as we physically can to improve the world. But diseases will come and go. Famines will slash the people, and then disappear. Storms will come and go. Winds will keep blowing from the North to South, and from East to West.

But the Word of God will remain...

The word that stands sharper than any two-edged sword, setting asunder the spirit and the flesh and tearing them apart. Only that truth will stand. And through this truth, many lives will be saved and will receive true health reform and transformation. Only this Word...the Word which sometimes we take for granted, but which, like the doppler effect, has not ceased since the day it was spoken from the mouth of God.

Only this truth can transform our lives...only this truth can save us. That God saves...

If only you can understand that there will be no complete healing, no complete transformation, or even reform...if only you knew and were convinced, then you'll understand what I mean when I say there is no true health reform outside GOD. But when you find Him, then you'll know PEACE.

On Revering Caesar...

Imagine this stratagem...

You are well-renowned and respected in your field and almost every one of those things concerning your ideologies. Your aim is to, maybe someday, be a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize, or something close to that caliber. You fear God, and you worship His Name. And so you veer away from uselessness and make yourself indispensable and highly productive in the world, as much as you know how.

You've travelled to Asia, Africa, and Europe...and you hope to travel to the rest of the continents of the world. Everywhere you go, you constantly sow seeds of kindness and altruism in the lives of those ones who cannot even dream to repay you. And then, there's this thing about your heart...you've fallen in love three times, in each of those three continents...and every single time you've gotten your heart spliced into three sections. But you remained unrelentless in the plight of finding love...and you believe you will...really soon.

You are all these and more...but there's one thing lacking. Your RESPECT for Government. You've looked at the scrolls and even the constitution, but many things are opposite to your way of thinking...or let us say opposite to the laws of God. If Jesus came right now, many of the people in the Government might very well go to hell...at least according to you. And who knows? You may just be right...

BUT that does not mean that you should not revere Caesar. Oh yes, you need to give the Government the respect that is due to them. When Jesus was here, He briefly said at some point, "Render to Caesar those things that are Caesar's, and to God those things that are God's."

God has not called you to be an insurrectionist. Or to be in rebellion against the Government. Not that you should necessarily be "a part" of Government, no that's not what I'm implying here. But you must learn to respect your leadership and play your own little role in improving the laws of the land. You were not called to be the judge and to point out who the devil is in Government, or the angel (although you must not be foolish as not to know). You were called to be a "LIGHT" shining in the midst of darkness. You were created to have dominion in your own little area, and then let's see if the world will not change at your own end.

Today, the call is just to be respectful of leadership...not just Government, but every form of leadership that God has allowed.

Copyright: Light Her Lamp, 2009

Painting by Derek McCrea.

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...

I abandon my task of pushing the sliding door and I bend really low, as if ducking to avoid a water ball, and then I crawl on all four limbs to hide behind the sofa. There is a blue and red striped accessory pillow on the carpet. I pick it up and hug it, pulling my knees upwards towards my chest. I close my eyes. I am in a ridiculous predicament, a senseless limbo. Who is walking up the stairs? I stay there for a while, eyes tightly shut and hoping that no one catches me in this house. I do not want to be caught. I just want to get out of here. The sound stops and I start crawling towards the sliding door again. This time, instead of standing up, I try to push the sliding door from my low position. It's not moving half as fast as I want it to...

All of a sudden, the light comes on. Oh no, it's my father. I AM in my own house!

"What are you doing honey?"

"Daddy, I...errrr...I was sleep-walking again."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

There have been times when we are conscious, at least enough to realize that the kingdom is ours, and ours for the taking. At times like that we act like royalty...kingly, priestly, and very bold. In fact, we refuse to see or accept defeat, because our plight is only victorious. There's no room for anxiety because there is support on every side.

But what about those times when everything seems bleak? So bleak that you begin to act like a stranger in your own household. It feels like you're just sleep-walking in an unfamiliar territory, moving in a strange land. In times like this, you need to WAKE UP.

WAKE UP! WAKE UP! The land is still yours and you still have a heritage in your daddy's house. WAKE UP! The whole earth is groaning for your manifestation. WAKE UP! It is time for your mighty prowress to be seen in the world today. You need to realize that you are not a stranger to God, but you're His SON. You're royalty in His eyes, but you live like a hot mess. You're intelligent in His eyes, but you keep living like a scatter-brain. How about you wake up and turn on your light bulbs? Let these words be a lamp unto your feet even as you awaken to today's new dawn...

Joel 3:9 "Proclaim this among the nations: “ Prepare for war! Wake up the mighty men, Let all the men of war draw near, Let them come up..."

Joel 2:7 "They run like mighty men, They climb the wall like men of war; Every one marches in formation, And they do not break ranks..."

Mark 9: 23 Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”

Luke 9:1-2 "Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick."

John 14: 12-14 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it."

John 16:33 "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

If you don't know these things, then you may be a stranger in your own house-- scared to walk upright and afraid to do those mighty things that you were called to do. But don't be afraid...

Photo by RedBubble

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)

Why, why, why?

You're sitting on an ancient Chinese-style stool in your verandah, and tumultous waves of ruminations and multiple deductions are racing through your mind. Unlike a mathematical or scientific experiment, you end up on an obsolete empty mission...because this is a matter of faith and to you there are no real answers in the physical world.

And so you stand up and fling your hands up in the air in deep frustration, wondering why things are the way they are. Why did yesterday go by the way it did? Why didn't that man wake up in the morning? Why are you alive? What signs should you be looking for? When do you say "Yes," or "No," or even "Maybe"? When should you move or when should you just stay back and be still? Is there really a God? If he's there, why is He silent? How can you hear His voice? What does it mean that Jesus is returning a second time? Why are you so afraid? What is real and what is unreal?

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.

Conference Details:
Thursday, August 27th: 7.00am - 12noon EST (United States)
Call-in number(s):
From 7:00-12noon: 1-309-946-5000 (code 37460)

SEE YOU THERE THIS MORNING!!! Don't forget to set up reminders/alarms on your cell phones for this morning's free conversation! It's short notice, but I know that at least one person needs this. Bring some bread and coffee if you like...lol :)

Photo by Redbubble

"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)

This miracle was done in two parts. Oh, I know you thought all the miracles performed were just by one-time touches, right? Naaaaaahhhhh! This one was different. Jesus laid His hands twice so that the man could get the full picture. The second time around, he saw men as "real men" with two legs walking down the street. The deed was completed the second time around. (*See comments below to add to your understanding*)

*************************

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.

Photo by Redbubble

The ultimate LET-DOWN:

Fiction

Admittedly, you are one of those people who are very trusting of people in dignified positions. You have a lot of respect for authority. You are not notorious for being off and disjointed at sanctified meetings, or even for being aloof. You respect order. You adore hierarchy, and you believe that the world would be in utter chaos without lineages, patriarchy, matriarchy, monarchy, primogeniture, and kingdoms-- whichever one a society deemed good enough to use. In your head, everyone has their place, and rightly so. There cannot be two masters or two contrasting authorities. You are a sucker for order and leadership, and you believe that you are the better for it! Your mind is stable and in place. You are not lost in a world where others are lost in their own instability.

This being said, the things that have been going on in today's world must come to you in sadness. The increasing lack of trust of authorities. The mis-use of power. The injustice of kings and the selfish magnetization of wealth. You are a Christian, but that does not help matters because the toxicity has crept into the confines of the church as well. There is the abhorring smell of apostles and those who are supposed to save the people, and you cannot stand it anymore. You read the word and you know deep inside you that something is drastically wrong somewhere. The body of Christ is ematiating and self-destructing in the muscles of the head, and of course the virus is leaking downwards to the other areas of the body like the flesh-eating Streptococcus pyogenes.

Do you step out? Or do you stay? Do you let go, or do you remember who God is to you?

A long time ago, God made one of the disciples, John, see this kind of chaos in a vision. John wrote his vision in the Book of Revelation (Chapter 2). He revealed that there are certain people who will be eaten up inside by so-called apostles of God. "I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My Name's sake, and have not become weary (tired). Nevertheless, I have this against you-- that you have left your first love."

Today, I write to those who have continually offered respect to their leaders, especially in a Godly environment. I write to you who have been hurt in one way or another--by those leaders who promised to show you the right way, and yet they spat on your faces and led you down the path of hell. I write to you who have cried endlessly for the raping of minds and the deceit of words. I want you to know that God sees.

What God wants from you is your intimacy with Him. And if you are that intimate with Him, you will understand that you should never lose respect for authority. That you should keep laboring just the way you did when you first fell in love with God. Your leaders, as much as they preach perfection, may not practice what they preach. But what do you do when they don't? You hold them. Instead of judging them, or leaving them, you uphold them and lift their hands. In some cases, you need to begin to become that leader you're aching for. You were not called into God's love to be hidden in darkness. Rather, you were called to shine and be a beacon for all to see. So instead of running away from God, why don't you run towards Him and ask Him to save you (and them?). Many of these leaders could be in the wrong, but God is asking you to be right with Him. Are you right with God? Do you even remember your first love? Do you remember the day you fell in love with your Maker? Do you remember how passionate you used to be when you woke up each morning? Do you remember?

It will all boil down to "your FIRST love." It will all go back to the One who has all the power. The King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. The One who created you, and the One who loves you. No one else matters. God wants you. The leaders will get their own consequences, but God wants you.

Photo by Redbubble

The Day the Swing Called My Name:

Fiction

Let it be known that kids also play dirty political games! Ayana was only five years old like I was at the time, yet she was taller than most. But if you glued your ears to the walls of our house in the middle of a hot afternoon, you'd hear her laughter all the way from the playground, laughing at whoever was a whimsical weakling and could not climb the swing.

Once I heard it, I would close my ears so tight with my palms, and tears would begin to fall. My parents thought I had a disorder, maybe "Attention Deficit Disorder," but they did not do anything about it. Once I caught them discussing it with the good neighbor, then I saw them laughing together. I do not think they understood the real reason why I cried every afternoon. Maybe because other symptoms also persisted: I would refuse also to go out to the swing area to join the rest of my siblings, I wanted to be with mummy and daddy all the time...morning, noon, and night. They thought I was old enough by now. But I sure wasn't as brave as little red riding hood. Oh, there was something else. When mama took my hands at 7 O' Clock, and we went for a stroll in the park, I would notice that all the kids had left with their own mamas and I would release my mother's grasp and run to the swing. But I always made sure to stand far away from it, many inches in front. So that when Ayana came the next day she would not even smell my footsteps. I would not climb. I would not swing. I was not as strong as the rest. Too afraid that I would be too weak to hold it and would fall.

But this crazy day came, and it was not as hot as the rest of the days the week before. I felt different today because it was my sixth birthday. At lunch, I told my older siblings defiantly (with head held up high) that I would be going to the playground with them. My parents looked at each other, but pretended they did not hear what I said. I was too excited and finished my meal before everyone. On this day, Ayana and the rest of the kids were there. She was watching me with those big white eyes as I took those steps to stand in front of the swing, poised to laugh, ready to pick on me. Slooossssh. Slooooosh. Sleeeeasssh. The leaves were crumbling under my feet as I stepped forward. The girl on the swing got up and gestured that I could get on. The swing called my name and I smiled. I took a hold of it and sat down. The wind worked with me and lifted me up...higher and higher...until I started to laugh...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Who told you that you couldn't do it? Everything you think you cannot do is all inside a figment of your imagination. Who told you that you're different from the fire-releasing ministers, or the too-good-to-be-true people of the world? Who told you that you cannot make heaven? Who told you that you can't be forgiven?

The swing is right there, waiting to work with the winds on your behalf. Just silently waiting to take you higher and higher. Throw the notion that you cannot do "it," whatever your "it" is, away into the dust-bin. Because you can! Yes, you can run with your visions, goals, aspirations, and desires. You can even be the person who Jesus spoke about in the book of Matthew, when He said, "Be the light of the world and the salt of the earth."

The problem is that you're looking at someone else. Someone you think is stronger than you are. Someone you think is more of a leader than you are. Someone who will laugh at you when you tell them who you want to become. But you need to look at yourself and see the treasure inside of you. You can become a president, an ambassador, a King, a Queen, a CEO, an entrepreneur, or any other thing of empowerment...if you only look inside you. You can also come to know God more if you tell yourself that you can do it.

The swings are waiting...the winds are not blowing yet, until you hop on for the long haul.

"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world, a city set on a hill cannot be hidden." Matthew 5: 13-14

Photo by redbubble.

Hey, Mr. Stony:

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:

16-year old Jerome sat still on the white leather ottoman, holding tightly to the precious thing in his left hand. The thing looked like messy cloudy waves sitting on top a sea of life-less muddy water. It was in a little cream-colored cup which had letters strewn around it in a circular pattern, alluring to the eyes and pleasing to the mouth. It was like gold to him, this triple layered chocolate-flavored vanilla swirl Jell-O pudding. Nothing could dare to replace it all these years, not since he was two and still breast-feeding. Anyone that tried to change him eventually gave up on him. It was his permanent way of life, his very own inundated tradition. He held on tightly like his life depended on it, not caring whether he was currently fifty pounds over what his Body Mass Index indicated was healthy for his age. It did not matter to him- what people said, or whether there was a healthier substitute. He loved the life he was living; he felt as good as Shrek feels when he's hidden in a solitary place where no one can tell his true ugliness.

He squeezed the cup and a little Jell-O dropped on his jeans. He looked downwards, and when he saw the stains the waterworks began. The tears fell freely, although they say a grown-up boy should never cry. He wanted to break it...he wanted to tear this silly tradition into two. But he just couldn't fathom a single good plan...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Is your life based on a failing tradition? Have you been telling yourself to stop something, or even to start something new...but you keep falling short?

Hey, God always has His arms open with unlimited chances! You can easily stop your ancient tradition. You can stop your "Religiosity" and move on to "Intimacy" with God. You can tell yourself that you don't just want to hear or read the scriptures, but you want to actually "do" what it says. You know something? No one will ever see the things that you read...not even a neuro-surgeon as powerful as Ben Carson can understand the depth of your knowledge about God. Only you can.

You're the only one that can break your unnecessary traditions: listening on Sunday without really understanding the words, doing good without knowing why, giving alms without loving the poor, settling fights without having the peace of God within you, waking up in the morning without knowing who owns your breath, preaching the word without being the messenger, singing along to worship lyrics without really worshipping, stretching your arms to heaven without understanding where God sits, doing what you usually do at the middle of the night without knowing that He sees you, being prideful rather than running into His arms again.

We're in a ludicrous season when each man should know his own calling and his own plight. We're no longer in the era of 'group-hugs' and 'family affairs.' Rather, each person should be ready to break his or her traditions into something deeper. There's no use leaving this world with a steady-set of rules that cause you to live your life with no revelation. My message today is "Yes, you can change. Yes, you can change any old tradition and have a more meaningful life instead."

It's a new day...a new dawn. A time to put the old traditions in the thrash and break forth into a deeper understanding of who God really is..."To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?" Says the Lord. "I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or goats. Bring no more futile sacrifices...wash yourselves, make yourselves clean..." (Isaiah 1: 11-20). To me, the 'multitude of sacrifices' written here is representative of die-hard traditions which people find really hard to give up.

Photo by RedBubble

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!

You are a sign-watcher. And that's just who you are.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

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.

Copyright: Photo by Redbubble