This Muscle Never Gets Tired

A rabbi discussing his Passover celebration (Emet Ministries) pointed out that even though the tongue is a muscle that's used all day long, it doesn't get tired. I just saw a reference to that thought on a blog too. I wonder what the implications of that really are? The heart muscle also works constantly, it keeps us alive. Oh, never mind, autonomic systems are totally a separate concept, it's the fact that the tongue is under our control that matters here.
Our tongue does work other than speaking so I guess it still makes biological sense without any need to read something else into it.

Electrified!

That's how I feel right now, totally electrified, fascinated, awed! I just watched The Elegant Universe. Without even knowing the current state of the theory (M theory/string theory), I'm fascinated anyway. Everything makes me think of the immense power that we call God.
I remember all the books I read as a teen and young adult about parallel universes and other dimensions. I remember a book for teens that I saw again recently in a bookstore about a kid who was somehow captured in a world with extra dimensions. The author did a really good job of portraying the incomprehensibility of living with extra dimensions. Spatial dimensions at least.

I'm charged up and ready to tackle the quantum physics course my dad recently sent us. Yes, I realize this is a bit backward but how would I know otherwise what I need to know? It's a bit like arriving somewhere and taking a look back at the path by which I traveled, normally a convoluted and tortuous one for me. Why should my mental paths be any different? :-)

I love new understanding

On a forum, I read this morning the beginning of a discussion of where YHWH said in Jeremiah 7, "I never commanded you concerning burnt offerings...I told you to obey my voice.." Well, um...if we go by scripture, He DID. This says He didn't tell them to do this when He brought them out of Egypt, I suppose that's significant. Especially if we agree that Egypt was a symbol of slavery to sin. I still don't see it though, for them to obey they would be offering sacrifices, true? That was a command they were given. Or was that just a stage of what they were to do? We assume now that the final sacrifice in the form of the Son was made and THAT'S why we don't need burnt offerings. We offer our lives, our beings as a sacrifice like Yeshua did.

One guy on there had what I consider excellent insight. You know how we often try to decide if something is literal, symbolic or both? This guy (Greg) brought out what to me is a totally different way of looking at it that changes a lot. It would no longer be back and forth trying to make sense one way or another. Hmmm, I don't know how to put this on here, maybe I'll have to link it. It's part of a discussion, it may not work to post it alone. It's on eliyah.com, GregO, 613 commandments are not the Word discussion, 13th post down. It feels like I understand now.

There was going to be a point to this...

but I think it escaped.

When I'm sleepy, I don't often go to bed. When I'm hungry, I don't often eat. When I'm curious, I don't often think. At least, not using the scientific method; I prefer to 'philosophize'. Didn't do Aristotle much good though, did it? Great thinker, perhaps, deep thinker, but with much wrong information.
One good reason to blog or keep a journal - you can go back after a month or so and ask, "WHAT was I thinking?!"

I think I'll go to bed now.

Physical Mutilation as Thought Control?

Everything in us tries to restore homeostasis when it's upset. Can we be balanced with only the physical and not the spiritual, or are these two sides of the equation? What about the people who prefer to be unbalanced - is that natural or an aberration? I'm thinking of people who require constant or extreme stimulation.

If we're totally physical, if even our spiritual experiences are generated from chemical reactions in the brain, does that mean spiritual life is part of necessary human homeostasis? Does it require an "intake" of spirit from God? No one would know it had been missing until it's searched out or given.

Long ago, I read about a man in jail for crimes against children, the man tried to castrate himself but they stopped him. What about Jesus saying cut off the hand that "offends" you if you can't control it? why do people so sweetly condescendingly say, "Well we know that's not what he really meant. It isn't LITERAL." Then often those same people take the more pleasing, understandable parts literally. If we're physical, including the spiritual aspects (some believe that, some don't), why shouldn't we cut off unruly, out of control parts? If our thoughts come from our physical makeup, why not change the physical?

Obviously, our body parts are not acting on their own, they are under control of our thoughts. People who "can't" control their thoughts would have to cut off their heads! Maybe that's why cutting off the part that offends you is not considered literal. But if you're missing a hand, you can't do the wrong things you kept doing. Maybe it WOULD work. The man who tried to castrate himself, well, aren't men's thoughts and impulses from the parts he was trying to get rid of? The perversion of these impulses in this man didn't come from his natural body, but without the body, he could no longer commit the heinous crimes he had been committing.

I don't actually condone mutilation! But Jesus said it. Perhaps it's pointing out how important it is to keep our thoughts under control. If we can't or won't, the only option left is to make ourselves UNABLE to do wrong things. Would that really help with the thoughts? Would fear of even more severe action add the needed impetus to control where we allow our minds to wander?

Did WHAT Every Sunday?

Tim O'Hearne on Minutes with Messiah said:
Every indication from the earliest writings of the Christian church is that Christians celebrated the resurrection every Sunday. (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor 16:2)

I've heard other people use these passages for various "proofs" but I've never seen why. Concerning celebrating the resurrection, neither verse has anything to do with it. Is this just for people who won't really look them up?
Concerning 'every Sunday', only one verse is something for every Sunday, not both. And even then, it's a day to collect money and donations. What does that have to do with the resurrection? Or a changed sabbath day as many claim?

The reason I post this here is that I can't find an email address on the site. Clicking on his email brings up a blank email to fill in his name. Someone commented here before with an article from there so maybe they'll respond again. Or, now that I take half a second to think about it, I can go see who made that earlier comment and write to her!

Passover /Unleavened Bread

I'm not even keeping these feasts, I didn't "do" easter, that I think really would be wrong. But to keep Passover as they did before Yeshua died and was raised, that doesn't make sense either. Maybe it does, I can't decide. It commemorated an event that foreshadowed the coming of the Anointed One. It seems obvious that it would somehow change but I don't know for sure how. I don't want to say "it's all spiritual now" because WE are not "all spiritual" are we? We live in a physical world. It's not as important, especially now, but it still is a teaching/learning method that works.

It would be easier if I had someone to do this with. I'm not looking for how it was specifically kept in a Jewish household BEFORE Messiah with 'seder' and other things I don't know. The very fact that I feel confused about it is confusing. What is there to be confused about? I can read the Bible and follow the directions, how hard is that? But I don't know what and how things should be different, I just know that it IS different somehow. Perhaps the physical DOESN'T need to be changed, it just has been endowed with a much deeper meaning. And maybe if I quit spending all my time trying to "figure it out" with my physical mind, I would pray and let the Holy One who knows the truth about it tell me!!! If it's all coming from my physical brain, the celebration should be all physical. But that's not the point of it all to me, so if it's to be spiritual, my spirit has to be involved!

Isn't It Already In Us?

In the Bible, we're told, or at least it's insinuated, that Jesus came through a wall. Never had meaning to me, so I ignored or dismissed it. At times, I thought it was ridiculous, untrue; other times I thought it would be amazing when we gained enough scientific knowledge to be able to do the same. It had to do with the new bodies we are promised, this was the resurrected Messiah. Well, we don't have any new bodies yet; so why did he do it? To show the disciples that there truly is another, better life after this?

Could Jesus do these things before he was resurrected? There are intimations that he did and we know he healed people, did he "rearrange their energy", did the Power, Spirit, Energy, Being that is "God" do it through him? Do we act as vessels, as a riverbed for the spirit of God to flow through us or is it something He's created and put in us that we should be able to access now? The Bible tells us to "give glory to YHWH"; if we discover these powers and abilities within us, that still demonstrates what HE does. It's not like we made these powers ourselves.

Wouldn't it be the same as discovering gravity? We didn't invent it, all we do is realize it exists, find out how it works, learn to manipulate and make use of it. I wonder what powers are in humans that we don't imagine yet. The things I'm reading about on Brain Stimulant's site are quite troubling to me - we're trying to manipulate brains with machines, putting power into others' hands instead of making use of the power that is already there in us. When I figure out how to do something miraculous, I'll be sure to post on here and let you know.

I Don't Believe It

This is a quote attributed to: "Thematic Commentary on the Quran" - Muhammad Al-Ghazali, pp. 614, 615; it's on a site called Islam Is The Solution, where the author quotes:

True believers adore God for His own sake and accept whatever He ordains for them, whether good or bad. However, as humans and believers, we need to experience the pleasure of reward, and ought not, therefore, to be so insincere as to claim that we are not seeking the material pleasures of Paradise but only to be with God and to enjoy the glory of His company!

I had to take exception to this and leave a comment. Once our Almighty Holy Creator reveals himself in the slightest way (could we handle more?) to us, directly to one, all thoughts flee about physical benefit, physical pleasures.

Yes, I've heard conversations where everyone agrees that the whole point is "to just BE with Him..", not for anything else, then everyone stands around feeling holy and righteous. For at least the moment, many can truly feel that way and it feels right and good to know that you truly only love God for God. Then the discussion turns to how wonderful it will be to have no sickness, no crime, all good, happy and wonderful. That's back to the benefits.
But once He comes and changes your whole perspective, you may remember what your perspective used to be, but it won't fit the same comfortable way anymore.
Once He shows you, you don't even care if you exist anymore, you know all that matters is that HE IS.

Life Is So Physical...Yet It's Not

Weather can have such an odd effect on people, on me at least. I went outside this morning and everything seems so strange. The sky looks hazy and gray above the treetops and the mountains are hard to see. I can still tell they have snow on them but it's different than a typical foggy day. Maybe that's because there's no fog at ground level but it looks and feels so odd. It's very windy but not particularly cold. There's an almost ominous feeling in the air, the geese are flying overhead but not honking. Almost feels like portents of a major happening.

But not quite. That's where the oddity comes in for me. There's an ALMOST ominous feeling, ALMOST portentous (is that even a word? let me go look it up. Yes, it is.)
If I saw Jesus returning in the clouds today, I would not be surprised. If I saw the cloud of a nuclear bomb in the distance, I wouldn't be surprised. But what I really expect to happen is that the sun will burn off this odd fog and it will be a windy day, maybe some rain, and the boys will be up, the phone will ring, and all will be normal.

Why does weather do things to us? Is it different for everyone like music is? Drives home the point to me how physical we are. Even if something amazing or awful happened, it wouldn't be a demonstration of humanness to have "known" ahead of time, it's the same as a dog or some other animal. Changes in air pressure, humidity, amount of light...if we're such totally physical creatures, why do we know there's more to life, a meaning? When we DO know something, understand something, what really changes? Does insight, spiritual insight, change our daily lives? Does it change our being? Instead of living totally in the physical plane/dimension of existence, we have our minds opened to far more. But we still have to shower, dress, eat, interact with others, live our mundane lives. Once we know, we are supposed to be different, walk among people who don't yet know as an example. It makes me feel like an alien in a movie.

Power In Our Words

This is what Susan said on Toltec Insights. She was discussing the power our words have on the reality of our lives.
Your words do have power.

Scripture says: From the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.
And: As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.

Susan also said:
I find watching the news very interesting. I noticed when they started talking about how bleak the economical outlook was. It didn’t take very long before the economy really was in trouble. I wonder what would have happened if all the news agency had predicted a strong economy? My hunch is the economy would be doing much better!
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Perhaps this is why we are called to unity. I definitely believe there is truth in the idea of the collective conscious. So far, all evidence I've read about is debatable or inconclusive. But it seems to be verified in scripture and in life.

Absolute Truth

Is there such a thing as absolute truth?
If so, what are the implications?

I always have trouble believing that one particular religion is the only truth; I also have trouble believing it's not! Wouldn't it be easy if there is a truth, we could all eventually find out what it is and live accordingly? But we are each unique, we have our own backgrounds, capabilities, perceptions. The Almighty knows how to reach each person with truth in the way they can understand. If we all come to different conclusions, there must be a reason for that. But there have to be some things that are wrong, too.
I believe the Bible has instructions for human life. Other cultures have their instruction books as well, I don't think every religious belief is true but I don't think I can necessarily know. Some things may be true FOR THAT PERSON at THAT TIME. It may be a step on the path for them, even just a step toward the path that they haven't yet found.
This seems to be what Hopeful Spirit discussed here: Hopeful Spirit
"... when we use our personal understanding to declare that our way of perceiving “God” and “His” plan for the lives of other persons is the only correct way..." and "Rather, we all need to honor and respect each other’s individualized understanding and perception of the Divine Creator and trust that the Spirit works in every other person’s life as surely as it does in our own."

The other thing I just can't get over is that it seems we're all made of energy, that's what we ARE. Organized energy. And God is pure existence. Can't really tell you what that means but that's what I found out; perhaps my intellect can't quite comprehend it but my soul does.

Thoughts From A Posted Video

On Controversial Marketing, a video is posted of a reverend (the black guy) and the author (the white guy) of a book called God Is Not Great. One of the things the white guy mentioned is that in the New Testament, Jesus told people, "Let he who is without sin throw the first stone," which means none of us could 'punish' the wrongdoer. But that in the Old Testament, YHWH said, "an eye for an eye." He said it makes it sound as if OT people didn't know before that day that murder, perjury, stealing, etc., were wrong, but that of course they already DID know these things. He was making a point that we don't need a "god" to tell us these things, our innate sense of right and wrong is enough.

The point I don't remember ever seeing in debates where the NT is pitted against the OT is that the people WERE expected to be sinless in the NT. Yahushua (Jesus) was making sure these people knew and admitted that they had fallen short of the mark and that they were not. So many love the verses that state there is none without sin, if we claim we are without sin, we are liars and the truth is not in us. Isn't that the whole reason for the concept of religion in the first place? That we become sinless? Isn't that why Jesus was sent - to show it could be done and that becoming clean and starting again is expected?

(I guess I should go back and get the mens' names instead of referring to "the white guy" and "the black guy" or "the reverend" and "the author" but at least this way, you know who I mean.

Finding "God" Within?

The last two posts are what I start thinking about when I read of "finding God in yourself" or "the divinity within". Many Christians rage against the concept, I understand why. It seems to me though, that some of the disagreement may be merely semantics.

I often wonder how individualized our instructions are. Isn't it true that we each need our own lessons in life? Some need to learn to stand up for what's right, some need to learn to shut up and remember that they don't run the world themselves. Scripture addresses pretty much all issues in one way or another, we may not need every one at every moment. Perhaps I need to keep all the feasts of God for a season because I don't understand that way of thinking. There are lessons to be learned in that. For now, I can't see why it wouldn't be necessary for everyone, it's the plan for mankind laid out, who doesn't need to see it? But some people aren't there, have already been there, or won't ever be there. Even if it's the will of the Almighty that we all do so, what about those who die before they realize it? Or those who firmly believe these are "Jewish" feasts but spiritually do all they know to do? Is their enlightenment not up to the heavenly Father? It's not like people can "figure it out" by themselves.

Scripture is full of statements by YHWH that He blinds people and reveals to people in His own time, according to His own purposes. When someone is desperate to understand the truth of God, will He always reveal truth to that one? If not, is that person responsible for not knowing?

It's How We're Made

Thinking of the words of Jesus - he was able to do things like heal people, say the exact words someone needed to hear, feel compassion for those who aggravated him from ignorance or deliberately, 'conjure' money from a fish's mouth (or at least know the fish had just gulped a coin). And he said we will be able to do much more than he ever did because he didn't have a long life.

I've heard often that thinking we can do anything is wrong, that it all depends on the Father. Like scripture says, without me you can do nothing. (Is that without Jesus?) Anyway, I believe that but I see that it's because we've been made with these capabilities in the first place. I think He made us that way. Perhaps the spirit in us is what gives us access to what we are able to do. Otherwise, we stop ourselves, sabotage ourselves. Or He stops us. Seems anyone can do awesome things; maybe they are valueless without the right purpose. There's a blog I've been reading, Brain Stimulant, very interesting but at times disturbing. Do we really want to give control of our moods, our intelligence, our very souls it seems, to doctors and pharmaceutical companies?

I'm not sure that acknowledging what is in us, what we can achieve on our own is denying the power of God. He created humans in the first place, however it was done, we were made this way.

What I do know of God is that HE IS. It's like everything that is - He's there. Scripture says man is without excuse because nature declares His glory. Sometimes that's hard to see in people, in animals, in nature. Is it that we have fouled ourselves and the planet? That sounds totally disgusting. But can we still see the awesomeness and the potential - the way things are intended to be if we only look for it?

Gift of the spirit

In a book called Bible Basics - A Study Manual by the Christadelphian Bible Mission, it's stated that the gift of the Holy Spirit means the gift FROM the Holy Spirit, not necessarily the Spirit being the gift. In English, that could be possible, like we say, "..that blue shirt of yours" or "that huge TV of his". I can't think of when we would use that sentence construction for gifts though. English speakers say "gift of $300" or "gifts of food and clothing" or some such thing, referring to the gift itself and not the one from whom it came.

In the Hebrew before the translation to English (or maybe the translation from Greek to English), in what grammatical form is the word Spirit? What would that even be in English, object of the preposition? Possessive? It matters, doesn't it? But because the spirit is spoken of as being in us, working through us, I still think it means the spirit is the gift itself.

Example of the Jews

If we are no longer to follow any of God's laws, what was the point in the first place? It's been said they were to keep the Jews separate from the other nations. They were to be separate by being holy, right? So what they were taught was the way of holiness. Why would Yahushua coming and doing it all perfectly, like the chosen people never did, mean no one has to anymore? Makes no sense to me, it seems more likely that he came to show how it could be done and also give us the power to do so.

There is the problem though of what is actually part of the law intended for our good and what was inferred and added by men. I don't know of anywhere that the Jews were told never to mingle or be friends with godly Gentiles, they were told that there was one law that applied to all who lived with them, Jew or stranger within their gates. So later when Peter saw a vision with all the unclean animals and was told to eat, then was told not to call unclean what God called clean, what did that mean? It couldn't be the actual animals because God DIDN'T call them clean. Peter understood it to mean people, God hadn't called people unclean.

I'm just trying to figure out what does and does not apply. Maybe God told people just eat whatever they wanted since our bodies are so screwed up by sin now, maybe it doesn't matter anymore.

One Special Moment

I've often been fascinated by the thought that somebody may have been created for a specific purpose. I mean a very specific purpose, like to say Hi to a particular person at a critical time. Like a particular person with a great work and destiny awaiting who is feeling hopeless and has "made a deal with God" that he'll believe God cares if even ONE person bothers to greet him today.

And maybe I'm that person. And that was my whole reason to be alive, have all the events happen that did in my life so that I would be there at the moment, in that mood to say Hi to a stranger.

Or maybe there's one piece of advice, a warning, a word of encouragement I am to give someone. And that's the whole point of me.
Sure would give meaning to the verse about being judged for every idle word we speak.

YHWH the true acronym?

Because Passover is coming, I was researching to see how I can celebrate it, what to tell the littles, and to find out all the spiritual implications of the physical. I went to the Heart of Wisdom website about Passover and was surprised to read this:

During Bible times, messages were commonly written with the first letter of each word. An example in English: UPS, stands for United Parcel Service. The phrase Jesus of Nazareth and King of the Jews was written in three languages on a sign above Jesus as He hung on the cross (John 19:19). The Hebrew initials for Jesus of Nazareth and King of the Jews was YHWH. That is why the priest asked Pilate to change the writing.


I don't know Hebrew but I'm surprised. If this is true, is it common knowledge? Guess I'll have to learn Hebrew now to check this out. It's not what I remember seeing in pictures of the cross.

Beautiful!

Sorry, bad manners or not, I love these paintings! I THINK he's saying they are digital reproductions of his oil paintings.
paintings

Even my son was impressed and he doesn't particularly care about paintings. We wonder if some of them are enhanced photos.


Yes, I realize this has nothing to do with the usual subject of this blog but I really liked these.

Bad Blog Manners?

I just read that it's considered bad blog manners to quote someone's post and link to it without first getting their permission. Is this the general consensus?
I was just so happy to have figured out how to link to someone's post, now I find it may be bad manners! To me, this would be the same as calling a friend every time I wanted to tell someone else something funny or inspiring they had said - I don't do that and doubt anyone else does either. But I realize this may be different. Is it?