Its official

Danielle is pregnant. We have waited to make an announcement until I got to tell the girls.

We are a little surprised, and the joy is beginning to set in. Telling my kids was a little rough, there has been a lot of change in the last year. But the intensity of the change is already being overshadowed by funny thoughts and ideas like "I wonder if Danies belly wont get bigger, instead she will get taller!", and "Can we teach it to spit watermelon seeds really far so it can be a champion?". There is a names list already being started (not by me). Sofar the list is:

Micah
Shiloh
LaFawnda
Dawn


I find myself in a strange spot. It has been so long since I had a baby (7+ years) and I have never really thought about the reality of raising children again, let alone doing it with someone else, and experiencing this as a lot more healthy person than I was before.

God never gives us trouble with a blessing. although some blessing cause trouble from others people! At this point, it will be yet another adventure, and a bundle of joy at the end.

What is the Law?

So WHAT is it?

It isnt the "Torah", although that is the Hebrew word for "the law". But even in that respect it has several definitions, none of which seem totally definitive.

I have a feeling that isnt quite concious yet that "The Law" such as David referenced when he said "Your Law is Perfect" in Psalm 19, and many other references in our bibles, means far more than a list of rules.

In fact, Im betting the list of rules is an almost insignificant expression of "The Law" in that they represent only the simplest things, in words humans can grasp, and all of which could be summed up when Jesus explained that Love would fulfill all of them.

I seriousy need prayer and feedback and any help in investigating this, especially anyone with exposure to OT theology, or messianic jewish pracitce and thought. I beleive there is some keys waiting to get released in this for me, and the Body in general.

And to think, this all started with sitting in the IHOP hearing people sing Psalm 19, and me saying "God, I dont even pay attention to your Law, let alone think about it or like it. I think Im missing something, please help me".

2 weeks later, something like a common thread is pulling in all sorts of interior places. God is on the move in my heart.

Reply to Don

Hey Don...

Wheeee.... And you arent rude. I am open to honest and sincere input.

Some disclaimers:
First off, I am still processing this, and trying to wrap my head around it. I though I made it clear in there, but I might have missed that.

Second, as far as "out of context" I make no claim to subscribe to anyones personal exposition of scripture, or bias. I (like everyone else), loves proof texting when it suits me, and totally disregards it when I dont like it. Anyone who thinks they truly exegete well and doesnt miss context when it suits them is deceiving themselves! LOL.....


The only verse Im pretty sure I used out of context was the Revelations, and that, along with almost all the other references, was for metaphor, or symbolism, not theology. Thats important here, because I am not trying to build a theology or a message, simply stating som ething, and using examples and symbols of other verses that I found interesting.

It is odd to me the Paul, John and Peter use the symbol of a lion with regards to appetite and pursuit (leopards and tigers, bears, rodents and all sorts of other things are good symbols too for voracious and yucky critters, and some of them are around Israel) so I included it.

If I am trying to make a theological point with some of the other scriptures, and they are out of context, let me know, because maybe Im getting screwy.

Actually, this idea might be closer to a "Health and Wealth" message (not gospel, puhleeesseee) than anyone is comfortable with. It wasnt intentional, and yet I think there is some of it that sounds parallel. My paradigm includes the reality that some of the "Faith" message is actually true, but some of it gets dsitracted or too focused on certain things. Im that way with fundementalists, and charismatics, and all the other isms and ists and icss in the body. One add-on I need to make clear is, we are responsible for our sin, and sin has consequences. God does forgive, and gives Grace to the humble, but we still have the results. We reap what we sow. But in Christ, I am forgiven,a nd can stand confident in front of Him, and ask for HELP to fulfill my part. As I do that, I am clean and clear, and the rest is someone elses.

The main point here is, there is something bigger and more decisive in our walk than what we think. There is a lot more to this idea than I presented already, and I hope it will distill itself more. But think through this part:

1. God DID come to set people free, including deystroying the works of the devil (Im thinking John 10, numerous Isaiah passages etc..)
2. When He was here, He literally demonstrated it, and then facilitated the disciples to do likewise (interestingly enough before they even knew how to pray!).
3. He commanded us to follow Him in many ways, including loving HIm, loving one another, and going forth making disciples etc...

But my head/heart/mind (hopefully all the things Im seeking to know and love Him with) are beignning to peel back something, and seeing some underlying principles, one of which is JUSTICE.

Not only have I suffered at the hands of myself, my choices, my sin etc... I have also suffered at the hands of others. And behind all of it (ALL OF IT) is sin, and behind all the sin is the invitation of Satan.

Satan tempted Eve and Adam, and then they chose. For all sorts of reasons, (none of which are explicit in scripture, but we extrapolate things like Free Will, and the nature of Love and obedience) God allowed it. But it is unjust. The enemy, using the Law, stumbled us. We bit into it, but he presented it.

We were NEVER designed to live in sin, and the consequences are terrible. We arew ripped off from the true experience, purpose, life etc... that we were designed to have. We were LIED to, and WE CHOSE it. However, it was false.

Not only did we get ripped off, but so did God. God designed me for intimacy with Him, tobe loved by Him, and in His heart, He wants to be loved by me. All the sin in my life, caused by me, or thrust upon me, has one big result. It cuts me off from the very purpose I was designed for, and strangles me. And both God, and I are getting stolen from.

Interestingly, God is not mocked. Not ultimately at least. We know people do mock Him day and night, but scripture says He wont be mocked. I think it is is obvious that God designed something for His special use (Paul talks about that in Romans I think), but it gets hijacked, and used for something totally different. That is a theif.

But God wont ultimately be mocked. So what does that mean. I think the Law is perfect, and the Law convicts me of sin, and brings me to Justice, which then the Blood of Jesus fulfills. But once that occurs, the Law is my ADVOCATE, because it was designed with Justice in mind.

My sin is now taken care of, and now my part is to contend for Gods purposes (my little list up above). Now the Law works in MY FAVOR. anything I have done is atoned for in Christ, and I walk out my part with His help. Anything done againt me (or Him) I can bring as a petition to Him, and He who wrote the Law, is the Judge as well. He also is the ONE who enacts Justice on our behalf. He DESIRES Justice, and will eventually even come Himself and MAKE IT HAPPEN all the way down to even things like envrionmental issues.

Thsi is rambling on and on, but my point is that it isnt a name it and claim it scenario int he classic sense, but it is a point where I am beginning to realize God WANTS to do something, bith He and I have been injured in this, and positionally only He has the power currently to restore anything to righteousness. My part is to go before Him, and admit my part, be cleansed, and then ask Him to do what He wants to do. Just like in the Promised Land, He then gives me the way to walk, and give me His power to do what He wishes. But the enemy is bound by the law just like I was, and now the LAw is my advocate against him.

Dont know if I make any sense, and I know there must be lots of spelling errors. what do you think?

UnsysteMatic tHeologies of juStice and PrayEr

Well, Im am sifting through a lot thathas been building for years in me. I assume I will find people who already know this, or who could really help me expand my understanding on this. But I have a had a few requests to write this down, so that it could be simply presented. I would love ot hear others expound on it.

1. The Thief, and his food.
Prov 6:30-31
30 Men do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy his hunger when he is starving.
31 Yet if he is caught, he must pay sevenfold, though it costs him all the wealth of his house.
(NIV)

I have read other translations that say it even slightly different, but the basic idea here is we understand (not permit or accept!) the reality that a person steal when they are hungry, but when they do, they must pay back 7 times what they have stolen.

2. Who is the thief?
John 10:1
1 "I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber.
(NIV)
John 10:10
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;
(NIV)

The thief is the devil, and those who do his work. He seeks to steal, and to incite others to steal.

3. Is the thief hungry?
1 Pet 5:8
8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
(NIV)

He walks around hungry, looking for anything he can eat.

2 Tim 4:17
17 But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion's mouth.
(NIV)

Paul uses the concept of the Lions Mouth that was chasing him, and seeking to devour him as he shared the Gospel.

Rev 13:2
2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
(KJV)

The beast has a mouth like a lion.

4. What is his food?
Gen 3:14
14 So the LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, "Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life.
(NIV)

Gen 2:7
7 the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
(NIV)

Man is formed from the dust, and the enemy is cursed and forced to eat the dust all the days of his life.

5. The redemption-Summary
The enemy walks the earth like a hungry lion, seeking to steal and kill and destroy. His food is the dust of the earth, and he is ravenous. Mankind is made from the dust of the earth, and is essentially the enemy’s food.

The enemy prowls the earth looking to eat mankind. We understand this is the way it works. We know the routine. We all understand the enemy is seeking us out, to see if he can devour us. We don’t say it is ok, but we do know it is the way things work.
HOWEVER, when he is caught, he must repay back 7 times what he has stolen, even if it costs him everything.

Whatever the enemy has EVER stolen, time, money, faith, hope, love, intimacy etc… WHEN he is caught, he must pay back 7 times what he stole, even if it bankrupts him.
The foundation of Gods throne is Justice. As we bring the enemy before Him, we can ask for 7 times what has been stolen from us. It is Gods role to adjudicate, and then enforce the sentence.

Not only that, but we can extrapolate this concept, and ask for revelation of any place in our life we have been stolen from. As Holy Spirit reveals this to us, we go quickly to the JUST JUDGE, and start the process.

There is so much more to expand on. Think about Leviticus. Everything is set up that when something is stolen, we get more back than we lost. And on the other side, whenever we give, we get more back.

The economy of the Kingdom is geared to our benefit. And also the enemy’s. He knows these laws, and uses them against us. He accuses us in front of God, Jesus even uses a similar example about casting demons out, and them coming back with 7 OTHERS. It is as if the enemy gets cast out, but says “I had a RIGHT to be there, and I was kicked out unjustly. See they haven’t put anything back in there, so I have a right to go back, and bring more than what I lost!”

We must begin to rise up, and ask God to reveal to us anywhere we have stolen, admit it, repent, and ask for Grace. In Christ, we can stand in Gods court, and petition for justice where we have been stolen, until the enemy has to go oppress someone else because he keeps losing more than he gains. Then we start to GIVE, and we get even more return!

My Favorite Danie

Every time I see this picture, I think about how much I love and enjoy my wife. I cannot explain all of it, it is more a feeling.

I remember when God helped me realize certain things about loving like this. Im not saying I can actually love like this, but I catch pieces of it experientially. Its kind of like this:

Question: Why do you love your wife?
Answer: I just do.

See. I cannot tell you why. I can tell you that I do. And this is the key....

Do you notice that God NEVER says (that I can think of) "I love you because...."

In fact, I cannot think of one thing God says when He talks about Love that is qualified by the recipient.

What I do see is this: "I Love things ABOUT you like this....(ala Song of Songs)"

There are a lot of things I like/love about Danielle. I could list them, and spent some time recently in Kansas City with people who traded lots of them with me.

But now I think I see a little bit about God's Love. If He loved me because I was obedient, as soon as I failed, He wouldnt love me anymore. If He loved me because I was attractive, as soon as I got older, He would stop etc...

But He doesnt love me for a reason based on me/myself, only Him. I dont think He ever explains WHY, He just DOES. I can bless Him, and I can even ravish His heart, but He will always Love me because He does.

so as great as my wife is, and as many wonderful things there are about her, I think I get it more now than ever.



However, when it comes to "Why do you love her?". I just do.