Manna

Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. By faith we understand the things which were seen were made from things not visible. For viewing click Manna in latest topics posted, left column. For comments click Manna today. 

What God has wrought.....

The US Constitution emphasizes one primary purpose, the defense of the individual against aggression of majority groups. Individuals need the group to function but groups do not need the individual. 

The Sun only Rises
in a comparative state

The Constitution was written for one purpose so that the government would be required to protect the individual from government and not establish any religious entity to compete or supplant the individual's choice by influencing religion in any way. 

Protection of individuals are authorized, not by any one person or groups of people. It was removed from the hands of men, attributed to God Himself and there was no other. Eventually for the first time ever, anyone already in bondage or slavery was in due course declared free under this world view. It was at great cost in blood.

There was great benefit in consumption because freedom afforded a great reward in production. What came to be called the protestant work ethic accompanied the new arrivals who were forcibly driven out of the Western Europe. Today they still represent the largest ethnic group in the US. 

This unrewritten capsulized history, told first by those who lived it, were more greatly justified in writing than those forced to create an opposing slant with secondary views as their sole support.

Great Mystery Requiring Unwavering Belief

 How long can I let questions lie?

Question with answers that will provide me the faith to gain the unseen? Belief might not be so easily attained as mere agreement, or just going along with the belief of someone else. 

Thoughts pointing differently

The only path beore me is to speak words repeatedly into my spirit that will lead me to the great mystery that lies before us all. When time is over and that moment is gone..... or is it different if I am in a passage

where time is no more?

Definition of Art

 Art is not what you do.

It is the way that you do it.

Same as on my Benny Goodman

78 record co-written by 

Sy Oliver and Trummy Young

entitled Tain't what you do

For healing, I follow Jesus

Very few, I've found personally, including even pastors, understand very much about healing. This despite having Jesus Himself, as a role model, showing how He healed. 

For many, at one time myself as well, my eyes were dull of reading. Rather than follow His example, even many pastors follow their own natural understandings and apply them to God. This despite purporting to believe God does not change His mind hither and yon.

First of all, God is not going to heal us. Why? Why because He already healed us when He sent His only begotten Son to be the final sacrifice on the Cross. Jesus died and suffered stripes. It is this act right then that healed us, by His stripes! Now is the time then to accept and praise for it. Not healed immediately?

Bedrock of Belief is Persistence!

Then, if not healed immediately, then I keep on praying until I do. I keep on believing. I keep on as if I were already healed, despite any feelings or fears. (Fears are the signal of footsteps in the sand leading to a lack of faith.) Faith is the belief in things that are not as if they were. This is a lie to the world, but for me it is expressing faith in what I want to experience. This is the workings of the Holy Spirit as I believe within me. It could be even for some the spirit of unbelief within. Or I guess it is simply that the Christian looks ahead and the world looks behind itself.

Jesus asked those who wanted to be healed, do you believe I can do this? Upon their answer yes, notice what He said, then be it done unto you according to my faith.  Is that not correct? 

A different view of the same thing.

No!

It is not correct! What did He then say? He said, Then be it done onto you according to your faith. The way I take that is it will be done according my faith in Jesus' faith. Instead, what story do I so often get from seminary trained ministers? My readings revealed that there are quite a few, up to 50%, professors who do not believe in God and are willing to admit a public unbelief in God. One wonders how many there are who will not admit it. That is my long standing understanding in any event and supports my experience right up to the current moment. 

There are many who believe in Jesus, but do not actually believe for a fact in His Power. You have to understand that the story is not true,  just the meaning of the story is true. Meaning is defined as a painted egg, a hidden painted egg yet. There is a reason for hidden decorated eggs, sort of like the reason for the quick erase in Xmas.

According to Jesus....

....God draws those whom He will. Many did not follow Jesus after that. What then if you are oriented toward as many as possible, even everyone, being accepted by God? Or if singularly, you are in the public relations career field, then your heart should've "sank" to discover how many, previously won over to him, now suddenly left His ministry. Jesus lost a lot of votes there! But Jesus first comment did not reveal any such "sinking". 

Outside the fold?

Therein asks the question, should not God want everyone in His fold? This answers the question how anyone who was not even aware of the Jesus' ministry or being completely unaware of the very existence of Jesus being judged as climbing up another way? Jesus also said specifically that there those who were sheep of another pasture.  Wonder how other people handle that? Then what about those who are plain too stupid. Is even that fair? 

I guess it depends on whether I am sheep of another fold myself. If I question God's decision then maybe I should be God since I am better at it? I at one time did actually decide something like that when I blamed God for thinking like the pastor a team of great deacon bowlers in the church league.

I discovered eventually my thinking was a logical fallacy. It is still embarrassing when I think back on  that kettle of fish. My particular fallacy that fooled me was misplaced authority. Not entirely sure as I speak, but it certainly looks like I have the same thing on my hands yet again. The struggle to believe, to strength my faith, is never ending. 

The devil slips in doubt wherever he can. There are places worse than a favorite barroom. I should've watched out for churches. I can lose my faith in a church quicker than W.C. Fields teaching me to play poker. Church and Faith at Pulpit Rock

Time does not exist by itself

Physical science it has been noted, does not agree on the nature of time. I think space is on the same plane as time. As for time itself I think it only exists in a comparative state. As for space, it surely exists but it might be illusionary. I cannot say I've reached any solid conclusion in regard to space as yet. Never can tell when something worthwhile will pop up. But if I think space is illusorily in the first instance then what can I hope for in the second? I'll put a bookmark here for now. Ideas come when they come, like chocolates.

Anything without will first have come from within...

What goes in comes out.

In order to project something on someone else, the bald fact is it must first come from within. Jesus said if we just say we what we like to do, that means we might as well have done it already. This is the spirit within every man manifesting itself, which was the main theme of His entire ministry. That is first the unseen within and when expressed, the seen. Never take offenses, leave them wherefrom they come. That is my view. Whatever is done in the heart is done already.

Only the offensive can give offenses, 

But if I do not take them.

I do not become 

offensive myself.

My questions fell silent but remained.....

I always ask myself when I encounter something puzzling, now what is the origin of this, why is it there, and what 

Reminiscing

purpose is it serving? When a child I will never forget the annoyance I stirred up in adult faces. Thinking back, their responses were more suited to an adult, not a child. Maybe I could have responded better. I should have asked myself Who put it there.

A sudden strange tilt....

 

You cannot discover new oceans unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.

All words have their own histories....

All the propaganda out there all attempting to persuade others one way or the other! Egad! 

Water over

or maybe Zooks, whatever. I believe when the final curtain falls, all everyone is doing is persuading themselves. They are the only ones who know what they will buy and eventually only believe it themselves.  As for others, they are doing the same thing reflectively. My sincere belief is that we are all totally responsible for whatever happens to us, whether we had any choice in the matter does not change the result that we bear the burden or the reward of whatever happens to us. Assigning blame is not the same as deciding who is responsible.

The one responsible is the one bearing the burden of the results of the one who is blamed for that burden. This is the kind of mush I get into after they taught me in public school how to diagram my sentences in the fourth grade. 

Actually, the history of words and the various parts they are made of is really high flying entertainment once anyone gets into it. For instance, the word for pig when it is alive is an English word and after it is prepared to be eaten is French. Everyday reality runs deep.

Unbelievable but believable anyway....

 Many find ancient accounts unbelievable yet while they may be, they could have easily happened anyway. Upcoming, the Red Sea parting will be explored to discover possible causal scenarios.