Getting past blame to hearing the voice of God
- By Ben Graydon
Has God called us to be fruitful? Of course. So why, then, aren’t we? Be careful; let’s not just find someone to blame besides ourselves.
I’ll admit that I grew up in blame-placing, excuse-making environment. I don’t think I am alone in that. It’s easy today, for example, to blame liberal Democrats for everything … or the boss who failed to give you that promised raise … or the idiot who’s driving too slowly in front of you. But it misses the point that God wants us to learn, learn from, and develop new ground rules to live by.
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The Biblical Mandate for (Growing) Wealth
- By Ben Graydon
Jesus speaking: “Again, heaven’s kingdom realm is like the wealthy man who went on a long journey and summoned all his trusted servants and assigned his financial management over to them. Before he left on his journey, he entrusted a bag of five thousand gold coins to one of his servants, to another a bag of two thousand gold coins, and to the third a bag of one thousand gold coins, each according to his ability to manage.
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Witchcraft and Witch Hunts
- By Ben Graydon
Religionists have required of would-be converts to Christianity to not only adopt Jesus as Lord, which lordship is not readily comprehended in our current cultural context anyway, but also to adopt another culture that is, in fact, extra-biblical. And “extra” in this sense does not mean MORE (as in “an extra scoop of ice cream” or MORE biblical); it actually means the opposite.
“Extra” means “additional, beyond the usual, outside.” For example, as “extra-legal” means “occurring outside the law, not governed by law, lawless; being beyond the province of authority of law,” Congress is now embroiled in a political effort – a coup, actually – to take down the duly-elected President of the United States. It is not a LEGAL battle – it is extra-legal – in that it is not governed by the law, by that which is legal, by actual written law, but by POLITICS: i.e., it is purely a political act outside of the law. That does not make it IL-legal; it simply means that it is not a LEGAL act, played out in and according to the established, published rules of the legal arena of the law – it is POLITICAL.
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Sitting ATOP the Seven Mountains
- By Ben Graydon
Some time back, I came across the 7 Mountain idea, a.k.a. the 7 Mountain Theology, which posits that there are seven “mountains” of societal influence: Religion, Family, Education, Government, Media, Arts & Entertainment, and Business. Some would hold that “religion” is the one that contains God and so, therefore, it should dominate over the others. (We see how well that has worked out every time it’s been tried.) But the bottom line is that all seven (except Family), in their institutional formats, are the creations of men, and that – to the extent that reality and truth exists in each one – God is in them ALL.
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Trump Impeached!
- By Ben Graydon
Is God threatened by the impeachment investigation against President Trump? To the thinking, God-knowing mind, that question is ludicrous on its face, but many people act as if they don't really believe in the sovereignty of God. Or maybe even more to the point, as if God really cares (like it could upset His plans or interfere with His power) who our president is. Now, granted, many of us believers have been rightfully excited by the presidency of Donald Trump, as he has done many wonderful things while serving in the Oval Office that no other president before has ever done. But while that is good, we ought not to hang our hats entirely upon the personal supremacy of this likeable and excellent president.
- Hits: 2228
Better than Trump
- By Ben Graydon
The one thing that Jesus-followers have going for them that nobody in any religion has is the love of Jesus.
Jesus is the Rock, the common ground of all who know Him, love Him and name Him as Savior and Lord. Despite all of the fussing about stupid stuff – hair, music, dress, associations, etc. – that we may do down here, when it’s all said and done, if we’re His, we’re family. And that’s what we should all focus on.
- Hits: 1914
Crazy
- By Ben Graydon
We are all a little bit crazy. Crazy is defined a little bit different for everybody. But anybody who is not you is crazy … to you – and by the same token you are crazy to others.
Crazy simply means that our belief systems and values and actions are different. There really is no scientific definition of crazy, or any other “mental illness,” as nothing in the mental health category can be scientifically determined or defined (in laboratory terms). Jon Rappoport, investigative reporter, writer at NoMoreFakeNews.com, has clearly made that case.
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Hunger: the Anti-Drama
- By Ben Graydon
Dog Whisperer Cesar Milan says that, if you’re hungry, you won’t have drama in your life. Cesar, who understands dogs so well that he also understands people, speaking about people in third world countries where they don’t spend food money on dog leashes, was pointing out that when you are totally focused on finding your next bit of food in order to survive, your life will not look like a soap opera. You don’t have the time or energy for it.
- Hits: 2167
Corn Chip Christianity
- By Ben Graydon
Pop open a bag, grab a handful, and munch. They’re salty, savory, and snack-worthy. But there’s nothing to them – no nutrition, no satisfaction, and no filling.
Many Christians have the same sort of spiritual life. They pop into a church on Sunday, observe a performance, get some emotional stirring and hear a good word or two, but then go out the door the same way (internally) they came in. That is the way it is designed to … by “church leaders.” Because it sells and, in some shallow way, keeps the church relevant in the eyes of enough consumers to keep the doors to the church (a business) open.
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God’s Not Looking to Spank You
- By Ben Graydon
People have a view of God as Chief Disciplinarian. We fear getting out of line and doing things wrong for fear that He will zap us. Many go through life in fear of judgment and going to hell for their sins which, the more serious we get, most find to be inescapable. Others use that fear, that description of God as Judge, to get their followers to adhere to certain behaviors. (Manipulate much?)
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Post-Sunday Reflections
- By Ben Graydon
One of the downsides of all religion is that religious people have their own sets of rules or definitions of what that religion is all about. Jesus’ disciples were first called “Christians” at Antioch, Acts 11:26 tells us (meaning that Jesus did not start a new religion called “Christianity”). When the Body of Christ, the family of God, the ecclesia, was retrofitted, artificially, into a new “religion” – a “church” – by Constantine and others, “Christianity” in the process became associated with, and largely defined by, various sets of rules about what it meant to be a “Christian.” Now we have almost 2000 years of religion, but are we as a result any closer to the savior – Jesus, the Christ – for whom this “religion” is, ostensibly, named?
- Hits: 2031
Devices. Gotta love ‘em.
- By Ben Graydon
I haven’t been away … but an old trusty device checked out on me, having been replaced now by some new things that I’m still just learning how to use. Following, therefore, are some assorted thoughts that I’ve recorded, mostly while driving, since I last checked in on this page:
- Hits: 2157
Failure to Think Big Thoughts
- By Ben Graydon
If you fail to lead in the area where God has made you to be a leader, you are like a seeing person who refuses to open his eyes … or a hearing person with his fingers in his ears shouting, “Njah-njah-njah-njah-njah-njah!”
You are, then, truly like a fish out of water … or a bird with no feathers.
Sent to the game, you fail to check in and you miss your at-bat.
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Fire-Escape Religion
- By Ben Graydon
How many want or have wanted to be saved so that they will go to heaven rather than hell when they die, and that literally is the extent of their perception of the value of their salvation?
Surely, to them, to go to church on Sunday is probably necessary in order for them to maintain any sense of ongoing connectivity with the whole Christianity idea.
But the faith of followers of Christ is – or ought to be – about a lot more.
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The Sin that Affects us All
- By Ben Graydon
James 4:17 says, “Therefore, to him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”
We’re not talking about a “churchy” sin here: not being there every time the church doors are open, not putting your money in the offering plate, or disobeying your pastor … No, we’re talking about sin as sin actually is: not a breaking of some (man-made) rule, but missing the mark. God’s got a calling for – a mark on – you; miss it, miss the mark, and it’s sin.
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True Authority Under God
- By Ben Graydon
So, someone is telling you what to do (and you’re not a child, and he’s not your parent). The truth is, unless you are violating the law of God, the only thing that gives that person any authority over you is your agreement to grant him authoritative status. He has no true (“because I said so”) authority.
The lesson of scripture (I Cor. 7:21) is that we should avoid people and institutions that presumptively assume authority over us if we have the opportunity. We have no king but Jesus!
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