MRLPJ

Friend… God loves you. He loves you not because you’re a well-behaved person but because He’s so prodigally extravagant and inexpressively good that He cannot help but love you. At the risk of sounding blasphemous (and I pray you see the spirit behind what I’m about to write), I believe God loves you so much, and I believe He’s driven so much by the desire to give Himself away to you, that, where you and His desires for you are concerned, He almost doesn’t quite know what to do with Himself. Have you ever felt that way about someone? Perhaps for your husband or wife? Or for a newborn child? That’s what God’s love for you stirs within His own Heart-mind! You, my friend, are that dear to Him… that valuable to Him… that loved by Him. YOU (!!)... move the Heart-mind of God Almighty! Let me write that again (in case you missed it!): YOU (!!)... move the Heart-mind of God Almighty—The Supreme Master of Forces and The Eternal Lord of War and God of Angel Armies! Sit with that thought fo...

I'm a noun, but I'm not JUST a noun. By that I mean...While I'm a human, a male, a senior citizen, a movement enthusiast, a solver of problems, Papa's Son, Jesus' Baby-brother, and The Holy Spirit's Temple-oasis, I'm not only those descriptive words and phrases. Okay, Dave... If you're not just a noun, what are you in addition to being a noun? My quick answer? I'm a verb. Being slightly more specific (and, yet, still staying a little abstract)... I’m An Unfolding Event… Anthropologically, yes, I'm A Human Being. But... I’m also—in this very moment—An Unfolding Event. My life is—and will forever be—An Ever-expanding, Never-ending (that is, Eternal) Stream of Creative, Unfolding Events. I am who I am. I'm also becoming The Person I'm in the Process of Becoming. Provided below are nine Scripture verses to consider when contemplating the person you’re becoming (or becoming like!). I recommend that you memorize all nine of these and begin allo...

When I was conceived, I was conceived with the disease of sinfulness. Did I create the disease called sinfulness or the disease-nature (that is, a diseased second-nature) that was already at root within me from the start? No. Am I responsible for every sin I commit? Yes. As A Follower of Jesus, my fallen nature was Annihilated on The Cross. While I still carry residuals and echoes of the fallen nature, I am No Longer a Sinner. I am A Son of The Father, and I’m A Baby Brother of Jesus. I’m also The Rightwiseness of God. Regarding the residuals and echoes I just mentioned, can they be progressively exterminated? Yes. In addition, I can, through my own Holy Spirit-channeled Agency, choose to be Impregnated with God-wisdom and God-life. My Friends... Many in The Church teach that I (and you), as A Follower of Christ, am still a sinner.  I believe that's a lie.  While I still sin, I'm NOT a sinner.  I'm Papa's Son, I'm Jesus' Baby-brother, and... I'm T...

The whole concept of sin and sinfulness can be confusing. Our sinfulness is a condition of being that’s commensurate with our being sinful (that is, filled with sin). Adam and Eve became sinful (that is, they were stricken with the disease of sinfulness) when they committed their first sin in The Garden of Eden. This is historically (and commonly) referred to as “original sin.” A sin is a specific act or instance of falling short of God’s Glory (that is, falling short of being fully alive and Fueled by The Abundant Life of God). When Adam and Eve committed that first sin, they immediately contracted the sickness of sinfulness. Because they really had no idea what was happening to them, they were, in a very real sense, raped (or molested) by sin/evil/sinfulness/evilness. A sinful person is a sick person, who has the disease of sin (aka sinfulness). A sinful person behaves sinfully and cannot help but behave sinfully. That person is, quite rightly, “a sinner”—by identity. When I w...

Even though I was born into sin and, thus, born “a sinner” (by identity), such an identity is no longer the case for me.  Because of Jesus, I’m Not a Sinner.  No.  I’m A Son of The Father, I’m Jesus’ Baby Brother, and… I’m A Temple Oasis for The Holy Spirit. In addition to this, I am and am becoming The Rightwiseness [see definition at the end of this post] of God. THIS is who I am.  Because of Jesus. Rightwiseness, a defintion:  The Wise-, Just, and Harmonious-ordering of Oneself in and by The Trinity.

Almost ten years ago, veteran Raleigh-Durham news anchor Larry Stogner (of ABC 11) passed away from ALS.  I first met Larry in the spring of 2014.  At the time, I didn't know he was a news anchor (as I don't have or watch TV).  When I met him, we were both part of a team preparing for a mission trip to Kenya, Africa.  I asked Larry if we could be prayer partners on the trip.  We, almost immediately, developed a friendship (and prayer partnership) that continued until his death in October 2016.  Anyway, early on in our friendship, Larry shared with me what has long sense been called "The Announcer's Test," which was first developed in 1940 for radio and TV announcers.  (I understand Jerry Lewis practiced it a lot.)  Larry encouraged me to practice it, too, as "You never know when you might need to speak publicly.  It helps me as I prepare for my nightly news broadcasts.  Someday, it might help you as well." Provided below is "The Announce...

Generalism is the art and practice of becoming reasonably proficient in multiple skills and knowledge-disciplines. Generalists are those who live lives characterized by a deep sense of generalism. We see generalists in nature, such as the coywolf, who, in their territories, sit near the top of the food chain, and whose ability to adapt to and thrive in almost any environment is unrivaled in the animal kingdom. We see generalists, too, in all arenas of humanity. Some sectors, though, tend to attract and produce greater percentages of generalists. As an example, I point to the U.S. Navy SEALs. Because generalists seem to be interested in almost everything—from engineering… to skateboarding… to writing… to botany—the generalist’s approach to life inevitably results in their ability to do “almost everything reasonably well.” Rather than focusing exclusively on just one or two arenas, generalists tend to develop a base-level competency in diverse collections of skills, disciplines, ...

Greetings... Provided below is a prayer I crafted many years ago.  In this prayer, I ask God to help me slow down so I can be with Him more The Way He Is With Me.  Consider adding a prayer like this to your life shared with God.  In all arenas of my life, I've begun to consciously aim at moving at "Godspeed."  In my experience, it would seems God moves at a pace that more resembles that of a turtle, sloth, or snail than any other creature.  If you feel distant from God, perhaps the best way to catch up to Him is to slow down. Below the prayer is a link to video I've been watching at least once a quarter for the last ten years or so. Peace to you, Friends... -- Holy, Glorious, and Gracious God… I know that when I speak, You Always Hear me. In fact, I know that every time I say (or try to say) something to You, You’re Always Far More Ready to Listen to Me than I Am to Speak. I know, too, that every time I listen (or try to listen) to You, You’re Always Far More ...

NOTE:  THIS WILL BE MY LAST BLOG POST UNTIL AFTER AUGUST 1ST.  I'M TAKING MY SEMI-ANNUAL BLOGGING AND PODCASTING SABBATICAL. -- What has eBay taught us about the value of something? It’s taught us that something’s inherent worth is what someone is willing to pay to acquire it. In The Church, we, as Lovers of Jesus, love to fixate on being A Person of Service to Others. We also love to fixate on how “unworthy” we are for God to Do anything for us. Beloved, you are of infinite worth. To Purchase you, Jesus (that is, God The Eternal Son) Paid for you with H-his Own Life. Read that last sentence again! God Paid for you with H-his Own Life. That’s how valuable you are. You.. were “worth it” to God to Pay the ultimate price to win you back. My Friends… You were NOT Saved to serve. No. You were Saved to love—to be and become Love Incarnate—Love Itself. Your “service” is intended only to be an expression of you, as Love, loving God and others. As I’ve indicated countless times b...

While most everyone knows physical exercise (and just moving a lot) is important, few of us exercise, move well, or move enough on a consistent basis. The verbalized reasons for this are varied, but I think they can all be paired down to just one: At the point of choice, those who don’t exercise chose something else. If this is you, be kind to yourself, and take responsibility for the choices you’ve made. It’s not that you don’t have the time, space, money, or energy to exercise. These are all smoke-screen lies we tell ourselves and other people to keep us from taking responsibility for how we feel (and look). As difficult as this might be to swallow, the body you have at 50 is 99.999999% your fault. What I mean is this: How you feel, move, and look is directly the result of the millions of day-to-day choices you’ve made in your 32+ years since becoming an adult. This is a fact. Of course, you can pretend it isn’t so, but that doesn’t make it any less true, applicable, or releva...

I’m A Rebel at Heart. I’ve been one my whole life. And, at times, it’s gotten me into significant trouble. In many instances, what our culture teaches (sometimes even within The Church) are lies, and I refuse to accept or live my life in accordance with such lies. This world (including, unfortunately, large segments within The Church) tends to wallow in fallenness. I don’t—by choice. This world also tends to submit mindlessly to, and thus live out, its fears, nightmares, lazy cravings, insane (and convoluted, even bass-ackward) rules, and self-administered anxieties. Again, I don’t partake. In fact, I refuse to entertain even the hint of such drivel. I can remember (for years) being criticized by many in the church (that is, the visible, institutional, legalistic, little “c” church) for my emphasis on pursuing those things that “make me feel happy in life.” The knee jerk reactions I often received were those of legalistic contempt and paternalistic preachiness: “Dave, God does...

All of us are gifted.  All of us. All of us have genius in one or more arenas.  All of us. All of us have developed skills.  All of us. Sometimes, though our giftedness, genius, and skill can be harmful.  Like when we put too much trust in such things. To help me with this, I crafted a prayer a while back, which I pray daily.  I've provided it below.  Maybe you'll consider praying such a prayer yourself. Praying in this way, I think, taps directly into God's Desire to create meekness within us.  A Meek One is not a weak one; on the contrary, A Meek One is One Who's Strengths have been Appropriately Channeled and Leveraged by God.  A Meek One is like a firehose in the hands of a skilled firefighter. - Lord Jesus Christ… Set a governor on, upon, and about my natural inclinations [strengths, propensities, genius, aptitudes, competencies, glory, grit, etc.]. Catering too much to that at which I excel could, at times (or in time), be and become the de...

Provided below are the principal health practices and strategies I implement every day.  The hope in my practicing them is that not only will I live a long life, but I’ll feel well and energetic well into old age. 1/I go to bed early (at or before 9:00p). 2/I get up early (4:30a). Yep, that equates to at least 7½ hours of sleep a night. 3/I take naps several times a week. 4/I practice intermittent fasting nearly every day (I take Saturday's off).  My typical feeding window is 11a to 630p every day. 5/I floss, gargle, and brush at least twice a day. 6/I take an icy-cold shower [see Note below] for the last two minutes of my daily, morning shower. Note:  In the summer months, my icy-cold shower is more cool than it is cold.   7/I practice Wim Hof breathing after my morning shower every day. 8/I, typically, fast one whole day a week (usually on Fridays), where I fast from after dinner the previous night to at least 3p on the day of my fast. 9/I use the toilet ofte...

Provided below are just a few of my greatest fears. While my faith, of course, trumps all these, to not identify them would be disingenuous on my part. 1/Dying and my death being the absolute end of my existence. 2/Losing all Hope, dying without God, and experiencing a Godless Eternity. 3/Abjectly failing in “my Earth-life (that is, dying and not fulfilling The Trinity’s Overarching Purpose for me, which is to experience, to the fullest extent possible, Divine Intimacy with Them).” 4/Physically damaging myself irreparably through injury, idleness, carelessness, heedlessness, slothfulness, or acute or chronic illness. 5/Not being enough (that is, being found character-deficient, wanting, or wholly incompetent is some manner). 6/Being unloved, and not having someone to love. 7/Hurting someone so deeply that it causes him [or her] to lose Hope and faith. 8/Being suffocated or engulfed by people and/or “Earth-life” circumstances. 9/Discovering I have significantly more power than I though...

“Entering the Iron: Taking the Way that Hurts” Pain. We all feel it, struggle with it, suffer through it. As challenging as it is to bear, I’m exceedingly grateful for pain; for it, in and of itself, can be intensely illuminating. Pain, if I’m listening properly to it, can tell me a lot about my current situation. It can tell me… 1/When there’s something wrong within myself. 2/When a perceived wrong is being (or has been) committed against me. 3/When I perceive that I’m committing (or have committed) a wrong against someone else. 4/When I’ve exceeded my limits. Like when I’ve pushed myself too far and taken ill or suffered a repetitive-use injury, a sprained ankle, or a pulled muscle. 5/When I haven’t pushed myself far enough and am suffering the pangs of guilt arising from half-hearted, easy-way-out behaviors. 6/When I lose something and feel really badly about it (or don’t). It can be really illuminating to lose something and yet not only NOT feel badly about it but feel relieve...

"AS WE BEGIN TO EXPERIENCE THE SIMPLE PLEASURES THAT COME FROM GOD THROUGH HIS HELPING US TO WALK MORE AND MORE IN WHO WE TRULY ARE…  LIFE WILL BEGIN TO BE AND BECOME, EVER-INCREASINGLY, SOMETHING TO BE ENJOYED AND EXPRESSED VIBRANTLY, RATHER THAN JUST WEATHERED, ENDURED, OR SURVIVED." (To read more, well, just keep reading!) Life can’t be truly conquered—if, by “conquered,” we mean shaped to conform to our inner-cravings (that is, to our inordinate, unredeemed desires). Life can only be funneled along The Paths of True Victory and Genuine Life-mastery when our inordinate desires are Transformed (by God) into The Desires of Christ for, in, with, through, and (mysteriously unveiled) AS us. As this Transformational Channeling Occurs, and as we begin to experience the simple pleasures that Come from God through His Helping us to walk more and more in Who We Truly Are (that is, in conformance with our glory and weightiness… with Who We Were Created to Be in our True Selves) and ...

  Note:  This piece is inspired, at least in part, by the writings and teachings of Dr. Ellen Davis. True Wisdom is NOT the opposite of ignorance. On the contrary, Godly Wisdom (alive uniquely in humanity) and ignorance are actually two sides of the same coin. Consider the following: None of us can anticipate, or even know in retrospect, more than a fraction of the consequences of our actions. So… given this, a significant aspect of Wisdom may actually mean acting (or refraining from acting) in full acknowledgement of our own almost complete ignorance. As such, this kind of Wisdom brings with it an inherent modesty and humility. Wisdom doesn’t try to manipulate or impose its will upon the world—based in some abstract set of principles that are supposedly valid simply because they’re scientific, utilitarian, politically correct, etc. The Truly Wise enter into a contemplative, lovingly-heartful relationship with the world: They watch (before they act)—often, FOR A LONG TIM...

  "I WANT ALL MY HUMAN ENERGIES TO BE CHANNELED, ORDINATELY AND SUPERNATURALLY, BY YOU. ENABLE ME, O GOD, TO PARTNER WITH YOU SO AS TO MAKE SUCH A WAY OF BEING THE ENDURING REALITY OF MY LIFE." (To read more, well, just keep reading!) O Holy Trinity... With all my heart-mind (that is, with all that comprises The Eden of My Soul)… I want to be and become Faithful to You—with both lion- and gazelle-like intensity. Help me, Lord, to be and become As Such. I want to Live and walk before You in holiness, humility, and purity-, nobleness-, wholeness-, fullness-, faithfulness-, fruitfulness-, and revelliousness [see entry in Lexicon)]-of-heart-mind all the days of My Existence—both in “this current Earth-life” and in “The World and Glorious, Lingering Life to Come.” Help me, Lord, to Live as such. I want to respond to every person—especially difficult and challenging people—with Loving-kindness, toughness, happiness, openness, attentiveness, genuineness [see entry in Lexicon]...

"CHASING THE FIRE… WELCOMING THE HAMMER… BECOMING A SWORD… BEDOMING UNBREAKABLE…" (To read more, well, just keep reading!) Provided below are prayers and sayings I pray over, and over, and over again while I'm out and about.  Pick one today and, when you're out and about, just repeat it over, and over, and over again (and out loud if your surroundings will allow it). Lord… Have Mercy… Holy Trinity… Come… Lord… Save me; Don’t Let me go… The Trinity Is With Me and Within Me… I am One with The Trinity… Chasing The Fire… welcoming The Hammer… becoming A Sword… becoming Unbreakable… Selflessness... and service… Lord… I want to be Holy, Healthy, and Happy… Lord… May I treat everyone [including myself] I meet with the utmost kindness, respect, dignity, and Compassion…

"I AM THE VICTIM.  THAT PERSON ATTACKED ME." (To read more, well, just keep reading!) If you ever have to defend yourself physically (and you survive), say these three things to the police when they show-up at the scene: 1/Tell the officers, "I am the victim." 2/Point to the person that attacked you, and tell the officers, "That person attacked me."  If others witnessed it, point to those people, and tell the officers, "... and those people saw what happened."  If the person who attacked you used a weapon, point to the weapon, and tell the officers, "... and that's the weapon that person used when he attacked me." And... 3/Don't answer any questions.  Instead, tell the officers, "I'm really shaken-up right now and cannot answer any questions without my lawyer present."  Be very firm with this. - Again (to reinforce the above), say these three things: 1/"I am the victim." 2/"That person attacked me......