MRLPJ

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......

  "BE YOU, AND LET PEOPLE FEEL THE WEIGHT OF WHO YOU ARE..." (To read more, well, just keep reading!) Provided below are a few of the meditative sayings I recite each morning to help me "prime the pump" as I launch into Morning Worship: Dave… Take what’s Mine, and make it yours. —Jesus Nobody cares, Dave … so just work harder. —Unk [adapted] At best, “correctors (especially, over-zealous, self-righteous ones)” are tolerated. Don’t be a corrector; DEMONSTRATE how things “can or could” be done. Show; don’t correct (or tell). Carry yourself in this way, and you’ll go a lot further in helping others to be and become The People They Say They Want to Be. — YT [Yankee Tango (aka "Yours Truly")] Shun any and all meaningless busyness. Do that, and maybe then you’ll find that which makes you come Alive as a person. —Inspired by themes portrayed in the 1952 Japanese film Ikiru [ikiru means “to live”] “I can’t afford to hate people. I haven’t got that kind of time....

  "THE TRUTH IS… YES, I WAS ONCE A LITTLE CHILD. THE TRUTH IS, TOO, THAT I (VERY MYSTERIOUSLY) STILL AM." To read more, well, just keep reading :o)... -- Jesus… I was one A Little Child; but, somewhere along the line, I forgot Who I Was. And, as a consequence, I (through neglect, forgetfulness, and even thoughtlessness) abandoned That Little One. Help me, Lord, to remember… To remember… what it was really like to be That Little One… … for I’ve forgotten and neglected so much. The Truth is… Yes, I was once A Little Child. The Truth is, too, that I (very mysteriously) still am. As Papa’s Told me—many times now—I’m “still VERY, VERY Young in The Kingdom.” Help me, Lord, to feel this and to Live and PLAY(!!) into it (that is, to Live and play into WHO I am—and to do so for all Eternity). Help me to rediscover and to be once and again That Little One that I Truly Am—That Little One that Plays at Life, and… That Little One that Wanders about with a Deep Affinity for, Wonder in...

    Four Factors that Enabled The Faithful (in the first and second centuries) to Thrive [ Note :  Again, these overlap and are synergistic ] in “this current Earth-life”…   1/ The Person and Presence of The Holy Spirit .   2/The deeply supportive role of The True (and local) Church Community (that is, The Local Ekklesia — The Expanded Fellowship, Image, and Authority of The Trinity on Earth).   3/ The Messages of The Cross [ see segment later in this section ].   And…   4/The belief that a man [ or woman ] must partner together with God (via The Divine Processes of Metanoia ) to be and become Like Him . -- The Seven Spirit-wrought Factors (following The Incarnation, Life, Crucifixion, Suffering, Bodily Death, Burial, Bodily Resurrection, Ascension, and Exaltation of Jesus) that Historically Enabled The Kingdom of God to (on Earth) ORDINATELY Establish Itself, Strengthen Itself, Expand Itself, and Thrive [ Note :  And, yet again, these...

Greetings... This post is NOT my attempt to control anything anyone posts.  That's not my place.  I'd rather use this forum to encourage anyone who posts on social media to post only things that are GOOD , TRUE , and/or BEAUTIFUL .  If what you're about to post is neither  GOOD , TRUE , nor  BEAUTIFUL , do us all a favor and keep it to yourself. Speaking up for myself only (and whomever might like to join me in this), I'm not interested in anyone's partisan-driven political views.  Most partisan-driven political posts that I encounter on social media often lean toward the extreme and, most likely, find their basis in half-truths, egregious polemics, flagrant exaggeration, and outright falsehood.  Often, such posts label those who disagree with the one who posted it as being totally worthy of public shaming (or worse).  That's really saddening to me. In the past, I've posted political opinions.  And I regret those that were partisan-driven....

    When I’m  lost in rebellion and transgression ,  The Holy Presence of God  is experienced as wrath, darkness, and dread; and all I want to do at that point is hide from Him (like Adam and Eve did when they fell [ see Ge 3:8-10 ]). To read more, well, just keep reading... -- In the past, I’ve struggled with the whole concept of God’s Wrath .   What does the phrase God’s Wrath even mean?   Over the years, I’ve begun to think about it a little differently.   In a way, I’ve come to feel that the expressions of God’s Wrath have a whole lot more to do with me than they do with Him (or Them [ see Note below ]).   Note :   The Trinity is One and is comprised of Three Distinct Persons.   God, The Trinity, is, technically and mysteriously, A THEY .   Throughout this compilation, I refer to God as He, Him, His, They , Them , Their , etc.   This may be a difficult concept to grasp semantically.   To aid in this,...