Gardening of the mind.

Matthew 7:18 ESV

A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.

Looking back on my life I can see a person that left his mind open to any kind of influence. Whether it was good or evil by any standard I absorbed it all. Violence, profanity, and pornography were some of the worst pollutants I allowed into the environment of my thoughts. They buried deep down inside me with every daily dose. At the time I didn't consider that I would regret it later. Today it is a constant struggle to rise above the cluttered landfill my mind has become, but through the strength of the one who never let himself become defiled I have hope of restoring my ecosystem to what it was and even better. I say all this to those who are working to tare down the house they built with sinful thoughts that they might have hope. I also say this to those who struggle to build a new house dedicated to the new Lord of your house. Just as deeply rooted the sins of the past life and it's dark deeds were so are the seeds of the new life. They hurry down deeper than lust, hatred, or pride. No word read in the Scriptures, no song sung, and no message on Sunday will return void. It's there with you even if you don't feel it working. One day when you least expect the seed planted in the quiet time that seemed so frustrating will burst free of the ground and display the glory of the Spirit that is buried deep inside you. Therefore I say this: No sin is impossible to remove, forget, and be forgiven, and every word from God in any form will lead to a blessing on a kingdom scale in the Lord's faithful timing.

Premarital sex

"The Bible says not to do it (have premarital sex) ,but I think,for most people,they need more than that," said Landini,now 35,who still sees her 11-year-old son,Jacob,whom she gave up for adoption. "We want to know why. And most of the time folks aren't prepared to answer the question why."

I think the answer to this question lies in the paragraph. The laws of The Bible aren't limitations put on us, but rather are guidelines for life. It's not so much "Though shalt not commit adultery" it's more like find yourself a wife for life, find physical intimacy with her, and create life from your commited love. I don't say this as an judgemental observer, but as a person that gave into temptation. Truly we humans operate better in a sexual relationship in side the confides of marriage. Giving into lustful passions doesn't work in any area of life. Sleeping around whenever possible will lead to emotional problems. Giving into what ever feels good won't get you far in life. Having a child (which is always planned when penis meets vagina) works best inside marriage. I'm sure I will get a lot of flack for basing my moral judgment on an ancient book, but would you rather I base it on my day to day whims? I'd hope not.

The wind

"I wonder if it's the wind that pushes so much on the earth. If the breeze makes waves, cloud, and trees dance in unison. Maybe it's all of creation joining in a rhythmic sway in honor of the creator. The Holy Spirit then would be the conductor" -Thomas Anderson

Signature sin

If our sin nature is a disease , it could be said that each individual act of sin is a symptom. Some are more obvious than others. A "signatures sin" is just the easiest to recognize problem. They would be the surface problem we have. If a doctor was examining a sick patient and stopped at checking the outside problems and ignored the inside problem nothing is really solved. The devil plays into this. He doesn't want us to know we are sinning. So he could cover up the guilt with another sin. Layer upon layer of sin. Luckily for us Jesus dug down deep all the way to the core. He changed us from the inside out.

Master of death

No even breaking through the threshold of the afterlife removes me from the power if Christ and His cross. What then can anything do in this world to break my life saving cord that is anchored  to the cross? Death is the greatest unknown. No living man can see what the dead glimpse after their go dark.
But our heavenly father sent His son ahead of us. To explore the pit. To enter the darkness while still being a creature of light. He wandered in the labyrinth of Gehenna, and returned proclaiming that he had mastered the puzzle. Answered the hardest question. Simplified our choices or what happens when we die. Endless meditations, studies, and imaginings are no longer needed. The Christ walked back across the threshold of death, confidently laughed it off. "Hah, oh that place" "There is no more need to worry about it my child" "The choice is yours" I give the knowledge that conquers death freely."

Romans 14:7-9 ESV

For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.

Jesus in Islam

Not even the false religeon of Islam denies the position of Christian fully. Though they deny is divinity they can never ignore his prophetship.  If only they would embrace the love, mercy, and grace of Jesus. Then they could brake free of the bondage of rules that lead to God. Remember this Easter that even Muslims need to Christ just as much as anyone.

Surah 61:6 And remember, Jesus, the son of Mary, said: "O Children of Israel! I am the apostle of Allah (sent) to you, confirming the Law (which came) before me, and giving Glad Tidings

White ink

Think about your works as white ink. He sees everything you do as pure. The page He writes your story on is wholly white. So good deeds and selfish sins are recorded in white ink on a white page. Written down , but the neither add to or remove the way God looks at the book of your life. Every since the name above every other name was written in red ink the rest doesn't go for or against you. The word of christ in red are all that matters.

Qing Ming Festival

Todau is The Qingming Festival  an opportunity for celebrants to remember and honour their ancestors at grave sites. Young and old pray before the ancestors, sweep the tombs.

Lets metaphorically celebrate this holiday today, and sweep off the dust of false teaching that has accumulated on the grave of christ. Lets abandon what we've been told believe about Christ's death, and instead read what was written down as the essential account if Jesus of Nazareth.

Religeous reform

why waste your time cleaning up theology? Its been perverted since Cain offered vegetables as a sacrifice. You and I are thousands of years late to the game of purifying the worship of God. Just read trough kings or 2 Chronicles. No matter how hard we work to clean up the temple when we die someone else will undo all our work. Thankfully we have a simple God that made things easy at the cross. After believing in Him we are set for life!