Tempering?

tem·per  (tmpr)

v. tem·pered, tem·per·ing, tem·pers

v.tr.

1. To modify by the addition of a moderating element; moderate: "temper its doctrinaire logic with a little practical wisdom" (Robert H. Jackson). See Synonyms at moderate.

2. To bring to a desired consistency, texture, hardness, or other physical condition by or as if by blending, admixing, or kneading: temper clay; paints that had been tempered with oil.

3. To harden or strengthen (metal or glass) by application of heat or by heating and cooling.

4. To strengthen through experience or hardship; toughen: soldiers who had been tempered by combat.

5. To adjust finely; attune: a portfolio that is tempered to the investor's needs.

6. Music To adjust (the pitch of an instrument) to a temperament.

Ebb and Flow?

John 3:8 ISV...
The wind blows where it wants to. You hear its sound, but you don't know where it comes from or where it is going. That's the way it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."

Hope for the Future?

If we embrace (take responsibility for) our past we can learn in the "Now"(a teachable heart can be renewed). A change in heart results in hope for the future. All the promises find their YES in Christ. Take responsibility for your choices and allow the Holy Spirit to take control of your future. Then heed His guidance. Seek, Listen, Trust and Obey.

It used to be.

There was a time in the past when someone could be alone. In fact it was normal to be alone much of the time. Left alone with our thoughts. Then the strategy of the enemy was lies. He could explain our situation in our thoughts as we perceived them as our own and made decisions that led to our destruction.

Now we are connected, never alone. We have access to lies, but also the truth, if we just but seek. The truth sets us free. How does the enemy now stop us from discovering it?

Distract and occupy our time. There is much more to be said about that.

Relational... participate in His ongoing Creation. What??

Jesus proclaimed the Kingdom. His mission was wrapped up in the Kingdom. The Kingdom of God/Heaven/Light. He came to destroy the kingdom of satan. To set at liberty those who were oppressed. Google that. Then we can talk.

Christ died for us?

Why? Because he loves us. Why? Because He created us. Why? To glorify Himself. Why? Because He wanted to share Himself. Why? Because by His very nature He is relational. To Know and to be known.

Why did Christ die for us? So that we could receive forgiveness of our sins. So that we could see His love for us. So that we could Know Him and participate in His on going creation.

Interpretation?

We tend to interpret our perspective by comparing it to our observation of other's actions.

We see someone do something and apply our motives to their actions and conclude what their motivation must be. If we speak out judgement on their action, we reveal not their motivation but ours, and therefore condemn ourselves.

Reality!

Reality is perception, perception is interpretation, interpretation is where we screw up. Don't trust in your interpretation!

What then?

Paying Attention

God seems to be paying attention, maybe I should too.

Running Interference

God has our back. Though we "see through a glass darkly" He is the One who opens and closes doors.

Awareness

A while back I was sitting in our living room and noticed, through the patio doors, a red light flashing. It was between the vertical blinds that I saw a flashing red light and I asked Harrison, "What is that?".

"That's the cell phone tower they put up a few weeks ago"' he said. I asked, shocked at my own lack of awareness, "It's been there for weeks?  His answer was a simple "yes".

What else is going on that I am not aware of? Such a profound question. Do you realize it's implications, when we are distracted and occupied by the enemies strategies?

Superficial

su·per·fi·cial (spr-fshl)

adj.

1. Of, affecting, or being on or near the surface: a superficial wound.

2. Concerned with or comprehending only what is apparent or obvious; shallow.

3. Apparent rather than actual or substantial: a superficial resemblance.

4. Trivial; insignificant: made only a few superficial changes in the manuscript.

Running Interference!

football legal blocking: in football, the legal blocking of opposing players to protect and make way for the player carrying the ball. 

Every parent's duty.

The comfort of the inertial frame.

We all exist in a unique inertial frame that is limited by a narrow degree of input of information. The information I am experiencing and referencing is acquired by others, but the result is different because of the response that is produced. All our different choices interact with everyone else's choices, in their own inertial frame. And we claim to understand.

The comfort zone makes us believe we have the answers within ourselves. Then we discover the perspective of others. That's the problem.

The perspective of other's are inherently flawed, don't trust it. They are limited by a narrow perspective. Don't limit yourself to any one inertial frame, we all see through a glass darkly. Yet iron sharpens iron.

There is only one who sees and understands all that is happening and He is wise enough to know what you should do next. Trust in Him and His Guidance. Seek it out like your future depends on it.

Tradition?

I'm not talking about the Roman Catholic Liturgies. More like the traditions we create with those we care most about.

Here is an example. Since pre-K I have prayed for my two young sons as I dropped them off at school. In the beginning those prayers were spontaneous and inspired by what the Spirit had layed on my heart. I thought, this is good, and determined to make sure I prayed for them each time I dropped them off for school. I have been 'faithful" to do such.

Now my young sons are teenagers. They graceously say "amen" to my prayer each morning as I drop them off, but my feeling is they may have something to contend concerning my prayer. You see I long ago fell back on the tradition of praying for them as I dropped them off at school instead of listening to what the Spirit was saying and responding with something other then a simple prayer for their day.

Tradition? Resting in yesterday's blessing.

Tradition has a certain re-assurance. It provides a continuity with the past where God had guided and blessed with steps to take to maintain a close relationship with Him.

It takes a lot of attention and humility to follow Christ. The easier route is to trust in what worked before. So we fall back on the familiar, and do that again.

But God has moved on.

"What we learned yesterday can get in the way of what we need to learn today" Bill Johnson

Cycles? The view is determined by your perspective.

As you go around again, do you see the good things God is holding up in His Grace? The provision? The opportunity? The way forward.

All He asks is "Trust in His guidance, don't be passive, but be intentional. Accept your responsibility,  call others to trust in the Lord with all their hearts. And believe He will Go before you and prepare the way.

12-12-2012

A unique date. We'll never be here again. Do you get it? Cycles don't exist. Today may look like yesterday but it's not. Cycles are an illusion meant to distract you and occupy your time. Tomorrow I will change my ways?... You will run out of tomorrows. Change today, for today is all we have.

Cycles.

The cool thing about "cycles" is that they bring you around again. They are closely related to "ruts".

It is God's Grace, manifest in His long-suffering.

His hope is that you'll finally get it.

Ruts and cycles, the trick is to know "He died for you". No matter how deep the rut or how many times you've been around. He has a way for you to be an overcomer.

Not desperate enough to admit you don't have it within yourself? The Lover of your soul has one last recourse.

There comes a time when in God's "Judgement" He realizes you won't get it where you are at. It is then He withdraws His sustaining Hand, like holding a ball so it doesn't fall to the ground, our sin pulls us down. Reaping the consequences of our sin will hopefully wake us up to our inability to overcome in our own understanding.  Are you awake? Then there is "Hope". May your Soul long after Him and the Grace He offers freely.

While we were yet sinners, He died for us!

Swept Along?

The interaction of mass and energy has an "inertia". Events beyond your control that sweep you along. Even when in the moment you make a wise choice, events transpire that seem to be detrimental to your situation. Your mistake is thinking you understand your situation.

Yes, we are swept along by the inertia of the interaction of mass and energy. And even though we make wise decisions, we can still find ourselves in a less than comfortable situation. Rejoice, if you find yourself there. It is there that the Lover of your Soul can reveal just how much He loves you, just how much He has "Got your back". Maybe then you will get serious about the pride that gets in the way of hearing His voice, understanding His heart, and committing yourself to His desire to bring everyone into the Kingdom.

Notes on "Time"

Time: A succession of moments demarcating change in the physical realm of our existence*

(*1. The fact or state of existing; being.
2. The fact or state of continued being.
Synonyms:  actuality, being)

Only the now exists. Ongoing existence is continually being created and held together by God. Creation was not a single act of God but is an on ongoing activity. 

Colossians 1:17 "He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together."

The past is forever gone. The present now is where we exist and have our being. The future has not yet been created by our choices and God's deference to those choices. 

God has yet to exert his will completely, in hope that all will repent. Some of the future is determined and God knows it as a certainty, although it does not yet exist. Some of the future is open and God knows it as a contingency and it does not yet exist. Existence is the present now.

Now is the succession of moments demarcating Creation. Creation is continually held together by God and the concept of time is the result of the cause and effect progression of change in creation/existence. Creation is the ongoing task of God. He has chosen to share some of that task.

To some extent, we "create" our own existence by the choices we make. Our existence in the now is partly determined by the choices we have made in the past. Our future existence in creation is partly determined by choices we make in the now with the before ordained plan of God, manifested in Jesus Christ.

The plan of God finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ even before the foundations of creation/existence were laid.

Our present now is relative. Reality is comprised of a multitude of relative nows. The physicality of existence requires relativity in individual nows. My now is unique. No one else can experience my now except God.

Creation is created moment by moment. God is in the moment by moment, creating our existence. The future has yet to be created. Therein rests the Hope that motivates the Lover of our Soul.

You and I view existence from a particular perspective limited by our locale. This limited perspective inhibits our comprehension of reality as a whole.

Because God is outside the physicality of our existence, does that mean He is outside of time? To say God is outside of time makes no sense. Time is inside God. God creates and holds existence together as an ongoing activity. Existence is created by God moment by moment and is demarcated by change which results in the observance of time. To say it another way, time is the observance of change in existence as God creates it moment by moment. God is the creator of time.

It exists because of God’s ongoing activity of creation.

TIME exists because change is observed. Change occurs because things move. Things move because of the “Prime Mover” God.

The Past - Is Fact    
The Future - Is Potential
The present - God's ongoing act of creation enabling Existence.

Be Blameless

God's desire for us is that we would be blameless. It was not long after Christ became Lord and Savior in my life that I started coming across scripture that spoke that truth into my life. To be blameless, what does that really mean, why is it important?

For me it began as a conviction that I wasn't the perfect person I thought I was. I began to see just how often I "was" to blame for the conflicts in my life. As I began to realize my part in these conflicts, guilt became the consequence and my pride was revealed. Let me explain.

My pride let me think it would be easy to be blameless. You see for quite sometime I had directed the blame for my conflicts directly onto the one I had the conflict with.

Everyone is Unique.

So what should we deduce from this truth?

I'm not like you. Then why do I compare myself to you? It's because I want what you have. You are noticed, others praise your accomplishments, when I try to compete, you do better than me. When will I realize I can't be you?

Have you ever tried to be "like" someone else? What about trying to be someone you aren't, just to get someone to like you, to notice you? Have you ever struggled with trying to find the real you?

Then you are a "most fortunate soul". You are close to realizing... the real you is not like anyone else.

Years ago I learned that... "When I get a glimpse of God, I automatically get a glimpse of my true self".

Let His Light shine into (reveal) your life as you "Seek Him with all your Heart". As you get to know Him, you will get to know yourself. READ YOUR BIBLE!

Think About it!

You are unique, just like everybody else. Hmmmmmn?

A Snow Flake?

"Snow flakes are unique. But they are all snow flakes."   Hudson Brown

That's Hudson's interpretation of the statement he found online. "Just remember, all of us are unique, just like everyone else".

Light the fire Again?

Swept along? Sure I am swept along by circumstance, events beyond my control. Everyone is. The issue is our position in the flow. The flow sweeps us along the line of circumstance, but do we see a different perspective? Does our "position" rise us above the circumstance to see the bigger picture. Christ died for us while we were yet sinners!

Buck the Trend!

Swept along? By the flow? I have to remind myself...? Hmmm, thank you Lord.

http://www.randolphbrown.com/2011/04/cause-and-effect-is-in-swept-along-in.html

That's crazy.

Over the last few months I have been languishing in doubt and fear.  As I appraise my situation I find the most popular statement between Tracy and I is "That's Crazy".

It is an honest statement of perspective and a witness of "unbelief".

Yet time passes and God's provision, though it makes no sense, still remains.

On a road not of my own construction.

Yet, here I am. I thought the choices I made would direct the consequences that my future would reveal. Make good choices and good results would happened. What the?

Good choices compared to logical choices. My mistake was thinking "Logical choices" were "Good choices" NOT!

I walked a path of logical choices. At the end, I was un-employed and left to figure it out on my own.

The logic of it all, okay. But the immediate result, scary.

Then God proves Himself. Stay tuned.

Where do you place your trust?

The well equipped, tend to trust in their equipment.

Those with no sharp axe are much less likely to believe they can chop down the forest.

Perspective.

Our perspective informs all our opinions. Our opinions are an amalgamate (to combine into a unified or integrated whole) of our experience and the understanding we had in the moment. Insight is a crucial factor affecting the validity of our opinions. I suspect that "our insight" is superficial.

Superficial

su·per·fi·cial 

1. being at, on, or near the surface: a superficial wound.

2. of or pertaining to the surface: superficial measurement.

3. external or outward: a superficial resemblance.

4. concerned with or comprehending only what is on the surface or obvious: a superficial observer.

5. shallow; not profound or thorough: a superficial writer.

Born Again. Earthly things?

John 3:1-12 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.” 3 In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." 4 “How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!” 5 Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”


9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked. 10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11 I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?

Light the Fire again.

I have many times re-lit the fire on my backyard deck. I pride myself in using just one match. I look to arrange the coals from my previous fire and bring them together in close proximity to one another. That is where I strike the match that burns brightly. Though it is small, I bring it close to the coals from my previous fire. The match sparks the coals around it yet if left alone the light of the flame quickly dies out so I blow on them. I take deep breaths in hopes that the longer I blow the more intense the embers glow and the more likely new fuel will ignite. Once the embers are glowing bright I sit back and watch the progression. I see how oxygen is now flowing into the embers and the heat rises pulling in more oxygen. The coals glow and heat is created, and it rises.

The glowing embers spread out slowly. I think I can anticipate where they will spread. Then all of a sudden I see a flame break out in a surprising place. The flame's light spreads out from it and illuminates the deck area. The flame comes from fuel that has never been exposed to the fire or the heat. It was the embers closest to the fresh wood that ignited them because of their close proximity. I had purposefully positioned the wood to come in contact with the glowing embers that they might be ignited by the heat that the embers possessed and become a roaring campfire that would attract all to come and see.

Making Sense?

We all try to figure things out. We look around and our experience gives us a clue. Yet there is so much more. In our pride we take our perspective and try to use it as an answer to explain the reality of the circumstance. And then the circumstance changes. We are fools who trust in our own understanding.  Proverbs 3:5-6

Potential

1. The inherent ability or capacity for growth, development, or coming into being.

2. Something possessing the capacity for growth or development.

WHEN WE THINK ABOUT OUR IDENTITY it is important to understand that God sees us from a perspective of our potential. It is this potential that is the foundation of His commitment and long-suffering toward us. With insight and understanding of our God-given potential He rebukes, chastises, and disciplines us with exhortations of humility, honesty, and demonstrations of unconditional love. He calls us to be over-comers, blameless, willing to admit our mistakes, dependent on His guidance. Willing to serve His purposes. 

In this light, we should consider our choices and decisions!

To be "present" in the Now.

Have you ever been distracted? Has your attention ever been occupied? Have you ever lost track of what you were paying attention too?

Being "Present" in the "Now" is the last thing the enemy of your Soul wants you to be aware of, understanding the reality of your existence, being aware and cognizant of your surroundings, both physical and Spiritual.

It is there you "attend" to the need. It's the last thing the enemy of your soul wants you to realize. There is no better time than "Now". There are no other considerations as important, no other distractions that beg procrastination. Time and effort proclaim "do it now" there is no better opportunity for the doing,  and the promise "Be at Peace" is fulfilled when done. There is no greater Joy than to obey "Now".

"for the Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." ROMANS 14:17

We are not defined by the stuff we have accumulated

Look around yourself. Okay, look around your "home". Look at the stuff. It's all familiar. It all has a history. Are you surprised from how "long ago" the stuff has sat there? I was.

Stuff, I thought it would define my families future. But it is left by the wayside cluttering up our now. I'm reminded of the idea that "Your possessions, possess you." I need to stop that.

Set in your ways?

Don't be.

The steps of a good man?

Psalm 37:23-25 (NKJV)

²³ The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way.
²⁴ Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the Lord upholds him with His hand.

²⁵ I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken,
Nor his descendants begging bread.

Inertial Frames?

The interaction of mass and energy have their frames of inertia. Planets cycling around suns. Stars revolving within a galaxy, Galaxies moving in the Universe. Inertial frames all relative in the now.

Determinism makes it all predictable. Yet, choice makes it all incomprehensible. Choice is the wild card. We can build or we can destroy, it is our choice. The enemy of our soul speaks in accusations, wanting us to focus on how we have been wronged, how we have been trespassed against. As long as we use that to excuse our own failings we will not be able to confess our sins and accept God's forgiveness.

The path of being an overcomer begins with the rejection of blaming someone else for your situation.  Looking to the lover of your soul as he calls you to reject passivity, accept responsibility, lead courageously and to expect the greater reward. Then trusting He will be faithful.

(https://www.authenticmanhood.com/store/category/33-the-series)

Inertial Frames

Frame within a frame, within a frame and so it goes. My inertial frame, how do I define it? Tonight I realized the house that my family lives in is not "my" inertial frame. Why? Because... it's not.

Who am I?

Who I think I am is brought into focus by the interpretation of my perception (5 Senses) which results from my perspective of what exists. This perspective is informed by truth or lies...

What is the source of your information? Is your perspective of reality interpreted from your limited perception, then you have reasons to be uncertain about anything you decide, or do you rely on information from a perspective high above your own? A perception that is not limited to the "Here and Now"?

Lets do some investigation...

I started an online course from Stanford on Artificial Intelligence. There's a free version available.

It seems that AI research has come up with “Reasons of Uncertainty” as they investigate “What to do when you don’t know what to do”. Here are the reasons for uncertainty...

• Sensor limits. Don’t see it all.
• Stochastic environment. Unlimited variables.
• Adversaries. An enemy dedicated to you failing.
• Laziness. Not being thorough in your investigation
• Ignorance. Not knowing and not caring.

Oh, crap! Christian, does this sound familiar?

Euroclydon [yoo-rok-li-don]

A southeast billow, the name of the wind which blew in the Adriatic Gulf, and which struck the ship in which Paul was wrecked on the coast of Malta (Acts 27:14; R.V., "Euraquilo," i.e., north-east wind). It is called a "tempestuous wind," i.e., as literally rendered, a "typhonic wind," or a typhoon. It is the modern Gregalia or Levanter. (Comp. Jonah 1:4.)

A Natural Man!

A natural man, yes I am, that broke free from the cycle of deception. Ill equipped to face the challenge of condemnation or exaltation, how do I train up a son in the way that he should go?

The truth shall set you free!

Deception: is the norm. Make believe is entertainment's offering to all our perspectives. How can I discern the truth in what I perceive.

Conception: an abstract or general idea inferred or derived from specific instances.
Self conception: who you think you are derived from past instances that formed an identity.

Tumultuous in its energy, the flow of truth and lies mixed up to give veracity to the current of deception, has its effect. The discerner of spirits will fall back to the fundamentals and embrace the Lover of their Soul. Peace in the storm, do you see the signs?

Though turmoil is all about and I am flummoxed on every side, the Rock of my Salvation is solid ground. I stand in His Grace. He knows me. Amen.

Facebook Timeline.

Who are you? Your past defines you if Facebook has its way. Be wary.

The past provides clues to discover the real you. Mistakes, even if they are documented, really provide insight...

Okay, maybe a timeline on facebook will confront shortcomings. Of course, if I can edit my history then I can build the me I think I should be. Danger Will Robinson.

Connect to Reality in an Excellent way

How do we navigate through the flood of distraction and find our way to the reality of our existence?

The Excellent Way has two witnesses.

God's Initiative has provided us with #1 the Holy Scriptures, passed down through time to us. AND #2 The Holy Spirit...

John 14:26 Amplified Bible

26 But the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will help you remember everything that I have told you.

Distraction sought after.

I look for distraction to occupy my time. Time I have, to afford thoughts of my situation in reality. When distraction seems preferable to facing up to the facts on the ground. Distraction seems attractive.

Distraction and Excellence. Connecting to Reality.

Connecting to reality, how is my pursuit of excellence confused by distraction that warps my sense of reality?

There is any number of means to have contact with those I have a connection with. Contact is the operative verb.

I am distracted by the many "goings on" that I am afforded a connection to, because of the latest communications technology. Information overload... you only overload a system when you expose it to more then it was designed to handle.

When you understand the system is designed for distraction you also realize the system is not built for excellence. I mean when you want to connect to reality.

Reality is not "our" perception. It never can be. It is His and He is the author of His plan for us. Who will you trust.

Excellence.

How do we define Excellence? Is it being the best at what ever we choose to commit our time and attention to? An unlimited definition of excellence would allow me to define my commitment to "Pumkin Chunkin" an excellent accomplishment if I achieved a world distance record. What about the best swindler, should he be proud?

Distraction meant to occupy.

Distract and occupy. Decieve and destroy.

Flow... a current of data.

Tumultuous in its energy, the current of deception is given veracity as it it mixed up with truth.

The discerner of spirits will fall back to the fundamentals and embrace the Lover of their Soul. Peace in the storm, do you see the signs?


Though turmoil is all about and I am flummoxed on every side, the Rock of my Salvation is solid ground. I stand in His Grace. He knows me. Amen.

Change is the constant, continuity is not a given.

Continuity - Noun: 1. The unbroken and consistent existence or operation of something over a period of time.  2. A state of stability and the absence of disruption. Yeah right.

Continuity is full of disruption. Stability? All is sinking sand. A state of stability is the only place continuity can be studied. From my perspective "continuity" is neither unbroken or consistent. It is a flow of cause and effect that can only be understood from the stability of a perspective that sees all as it happens. Tap into His view and all the changes start to make sense.

It's Hard to Tell.

It comes at you from every direction. Information.  It has many forms, emails, tweets, advertisements online and broadcast... Okay, it's easy to tell the source of some of the crap you are exposed to. But the internet is an exquisite tool of communication and it's the best way to pretend you are something you are not. Just spend sometime on Facebook. Technology allows you to fabricate a virtual you, that isn't... you.

Where do we go from here?

Source.

from Old.French. sourse "a rising, beginning, fountainhead of a river or stream," fem. noun taken from pp. of sourdre "to rise,spring up," from L. surgere "to rise" (see surge). Meaning"written work (later also a person) supplying information or evidence" 

There are only two sources. A source of truth and a source of lies. Truth is simple and easily understood. Complication comes from the father of lies and is meant to confuse.

Swept along.

Circumstance, it is a sea of turmoil. We all swim in it. We are swept along and most perceive not the flow. Flow? It is the current that inhabits the sum of every decision that those with choice make. Descisions break the bonds of determinism. But freedom to choose does not guarantee justice. Only the one who is everywhere, and sees all as it happens, can be the arbitrator of justice, who has already declared from the beginning, follow me!

Humility, the first step of a wise man.

We absorb truth from our surroundings if we understand that Wisdom, insight, understanding and knowledge... Are defined by a humble realization that it is not within ourselves to fully comprehend.

Reality?

Rejoice in the dynamic circumstance of your reality. For so intertwined is my reality with yours we cannot define reality but as "ours".

Rejoice.

Definition of REJOICE

transitive verb
: to give joy to : gladden
intransitive verb
: to feel joy or great delight.

Joy comes in the morning?? Whaaa.

R.O.I. A Kingdom Principle.

Return on investment.

Multiplication is the expectation.

Matthew 25:14-30

14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them.

15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.

16 The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more.

17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more.

18 But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.

20 The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’

21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

22 “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’

23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

24 “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed.

25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’

26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed?

27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

28 “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags.

29 For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

What are we to make of this?

Doldrums?

In seamen's speech the zone is referred as the "doldrums" because of it's erratic weather patterns with stagnant calms and sporatic violent thunderstorms. (Wikipedia)

Some may eqivocate the idea of an existence of turmoil. They reference their own experience and say "It's been smooth sailing". If this is the case, I would say you are no threat to the enemy of your soul and he has you where he wants you.

Existence? A sea of turmoil.

tur·moil –noun 1.a state of great commotion, confusion, or disturbance; tumult; agitation; disquiet: mental turmoil caused by difficult decisions.

We exist in a sea of turmoil. Why? Because our existence is flummoxed by the enemy of our soul.

No amount of insight, anticipation and organization can overcome the turmoil the enemy is able to produce from his lies and deceptions.

What are we to do? Trust in our own understanding or trust in the Lover of our soul with all our heart?

Fecundity, Foibles, and flummoxed turmoil? All can be overcome by Grace.

Fecundity, Foibles, Grace!

Curious words, the depth of meaning should be plumbed.

Fecundity. Foibles?

We reproduce what we are. That's fecundity. Foibles? They are the reason for what we reproduce.

An acknowledgement of our foibles is the first step in the process that creates a humble man. Humility is the first step a wise man takes. He concludes, "it is not within me to overcome my foibles".

The creature is not independent of the Creator.

Identity, Self-conception, interpretation, unique perspective.

Patterns of behavior are a result of who we perceive ourselves to be, our identity. Our conception of self is derived from how we interpret our unique perspective that exists in the now but...

A natural man, yes I am, that broke free from the "cycle" of deception. Ill-equipped to face the challenge of condemnation or exaltation, how do I train up a son in the way that he should go.

The truth shall set you free!

Deception is the norm. Make-believe is entertainment's offering of "distraction" to all our perspectives. How can I discern the truth in what I perceive?

Conception: an abstract or general idea inferred or derived from specific instances.

Self-conception: who you think you are derived from past instances that formed an identity.

What is a "fact"? Is it a statement of action or observance of state? The statement, "The earth is the third rock from the sun" is true for now. So is a "fact" something that is an observed truth at a given moment? Or is "Observed State" a recognition of the fact of determinism?

• Is our interpretation of our unique perspective a reliable foundation to base all our choices and decisions on?
• Do we have a clear understanding of how, what we decide, will propagate forward?
• Do we have it in our capacity to comprehend reality's nature and the influence our free will has on the circumstance made available to others that experience that influence? 

The answer to these questions makes me think, "Oh crap!".

But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day.

One day exists in the "Now" of God's presence. What is "Now"?

It is the dynamic interaction of all that exists. Reality? Incomprehensible!

We see a fraction and can only comprehend an infinitesimal and in our pride we proclaim understanding.

The question is, "Do we understand how lost we are?"

Fecundity? Such a curious word with many meanings.

Fecundity? Let me explain what I mean. Each of us is not able to escape our Fecundity. We propagate what we are, and it is the evidence that either condemns or becomes the first step in a process of justification, sanctification and glorification.

Adoption allows one to escape the facts our choices have created. Adoption is the grafting into the stock that builds instead of destroys. Grace bids all. The humble say yes. Their challenge is allowing God to show them the way. Humility is the first step a wise man will make.

Cycles create the illusion of repeatability.

Cycles are all around us. Clock time, the spin of the earth, the revolution around the sun, it all makes us think we've done this before, we've been here before. Not!

In reality, every moment is unique because your relationship with the continuum is constantly changing.

When the decision is made it becomes an unalterable fact, no redo! The facts of your past, the enemy will use to condemn you. You are without excuse. The enemy of your soul is hoping you'll believe that you have an opportunity to make things right tomorrow. But Now is all there is.

Today is the day of salvation. Choice is all you have to break the cycle that has you trapped. Today say "Yes" to the lover of your soul and He will give you rest.

Fecundity?

Each of us live in the now. The Now is where we make our choices. Choices have ramifications.

Choices. The distraction is pride.

Memory and reason are the foundation of an observer's ability to choose. It presupposses a comprehension of tensed facts created by previous choices. The truth condemns and choice proves to be my down fall. Why? I was not designed to rely only on my memory.

Two things make it more complicated. The accuser,  and the tense facts that "I" created. The result is condemnation.

It seems my choice alone is unable to foresee and comprehend the ramification of its effect on the continuum. Thus the destructive result.

Fecundity has its foundation in the Now. As I trust in the Lord and not my own understanding, He directs my path to fruitfulness.

Cause and Effect (As in "Swept along in the Now")

Cause and effect creates a flow within an inertial frame. Have you ever felt like you were in a rut? This flow tends to take the same path if free will does not exert a choice. The choice is hidden by a lie that presents unworthiness and concludes condemnation. And rightly so if we accept the flow.

Hope presents a promise and says, “you choose” 1 Corinthians 10:13 The choice is simple but most difficult. We can stay in the flow and trust in our own understanding or we can choose to trust the Lover of our soul and begin to see who He created us to be. The truth sets us free as we trust in the Lord with all our hearts.

Cause and effect appeals to self-interest. There the tension is manifest. The enemy clouds the truth that self-interest is ultimately fulfilled in giving.

Cause and effect if left alone ultimately will result in degradation, the second law. Life can overcome that degradation by accepting the truth that Hope offers. Choose the author of life and be an overcomer.

Have you ever thought, I just wish someone would tell me what to do? Have you ever wished someone would show you the way you should go?

“I am the way, the truth, and the light”
Jesus Christ

Most likely you’ve believed, as I did, that you have it within you to succeed. The problem is what you define as success.

Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on retentiveness. When change is absolute there remains no being to improve and no direction is set for possible improvement: and when experience is not retained, as among savages, infancy is perpetual. Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. 

~ George Santayana ~ 

Remember the past? Each of us has a history. We reminisce with those we shared the past with. Remember when we say. Progress is not found there.

Our history viewed with clarity reveals the struggle. A struggle that gives us insight. The insight brings us to the realization that it is not within us to progress.

Come to an end of yourself. Humility is the fertile ground of a teachable heart. Allow the Lover of your soul to blast the light of truth into the darkness of your history to reveal the plan He has had for you from the beginning. He has one goal, to share himself with you.

Patterns of behavior.

Identity, Self conception, interpretation, unique perspective.

Patterns of behavior are a result of who we perceive ourselves to be, our identity. Our conception of self is derived from how we interpret our unique perspective which exists in the now, but it also is greatly affected by our remembered history. Memory does not serve us well.

Patterns of behavior are evident in the cycles we experience in the now. Free will gives us the potential to break free of the pattern and experience the cycle with a new perspective. Are you going to trust your interpretation?

Reality's Nature?

Is our interpretation of our unique perspective a reliable foundation to base all our choices and decisions?

Do we have a clear understanding of how, what we decide, will propagate forward?

Do we have it in our capacity to comprehend reality's nature and the influence our free will has on the circumstance made available to others that experience that influence?

The answer to these questions make me think, "Oh crap!".

.

Perspective.

The state of one's ideas, the facts known to one, etc., having a meaningful interrelationship:

a. The relationship of aspects of a subject to each other and to a whole: 

b. Subjective evaluation of relative significance; a point of view:

c. The ability to perceive things in their actual interrelations or comparative importance:

perspective: (noun) a) A specific point of view in understanding or judging things or events, especially one that shows them in their true relations to one another; b) the ability to see things in a true relationship. - Webster's Dictionary

We all have "our" perspective.

There are no two of us with the same perspective. I am unique and so is my perspective.

Insight? It starts with my perspective. Understanding? It starts with my perspective. But wisdom is not acquired in my perspective.

Then where?

Strength of Character.

Not discovered in the solitude of study, but in the day to day trials of the familiar. Not in situations of strength but in vulnerability and humility is character's strength revealed.

Not just "Present" but "Awake"!

My "present" location is in the "Now". Here I am. This "here" is in a constant state of change as the interaction of mass and energy changes and transforms my now.

My "now", how to describe it?

Cycles of perceived repeatability. This is why we think "today was just like all the others". We lose sight of he fact that we are not able to understand the moment in the infinite complexity of Now. Cycles make us think "I have been here before". NOT!

If I know the "Here and Now" is where I am "present" and it is unique, then I know I can't trust in my own understanding for my current circumstance, then I will be much more likely to pay attention to the lover of my soul and seek His insight as to the way I should walk.

Are you awake?

There are no coincidences.

Continuity is an attribute of God.

If He holds all things together by the power of His word. Hebrews 1:3 KJV, then He choreographs all things that happen.

To hold all things together, does not mean He approves all things that happen. What ever your choice is, He takes what you have given Him by your choices, and makes a plan to bring "Beauty from Ashes" Isaiah 61:1-3 (King James Version)

There is a continuity to our life. Your history provides insight to the "Now" of where you are at.

Only God understands your "Now" in it's continuity with the past. He has left clues all along the way. Want to understand how you got to where you are at? Find the clues.

Choices we make, as we are swept along. So why are we going in circles?

We can't stop making choices. Most of our choices we are oblivious to. We make them with little thought and they sweep us along a familiar path, mostly in circles. Ever feel that way,  doing the same old thing over and over again and you wonder why things aren't different?

Life is pointless without God. With God,... what's the point?

Life is pointless without God. I don't have a problem with that. Just read Ecclesiastes, but it falls short in telling me... With God, what's the point?

Okay, I am here in the now, where God is. I understand "now" is what exists and it is where I make all my choices and decisions. I also understand that my choices are unalterable once made. I understand that I am unable to comprehend the infinite complexity of Now and my relationship to it, here where I am.

So what's the point? With God, I have the one who is everywhere (Omnipresence) and therefore knows everything (Omniscient) that is happening. As my counselor, He Knows exactly how I should respond in any given situation I might find myself in because He is able to anticipate every possible contingency I might be faced with, in the now of my existence. So that in that very hour I will be given what to say.

So when you hear "pay attention" I pray you will be awake and not distracted.

Are you awake or asleep?

Check out time 1:38... Rodney you are the man.

God's Now is not limited to my "Here"

I exist in the "Here and Now". If I trust in what my 5 senses tell me I am trusting in the limited perspective my 5 senses provide.

My "Here" in the "Now" limits my acquisition of information because there is a delay between the event and my perception of the event. God doesn't have that problem. He experiences every event as it happens. He is connected to every "Here" in the "Now" without delay.

God's "Here and Now" Is where we exist. "Now" is where we reside in our uniqueness of "here"

Are we awake to His presence in our "Here"?

Awake in Reality?

Do you trust In the perspective of your five senses or trust in God's present guidance in the "Now"?

Proverbs 3:5-6 KJV  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding.

 6. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Corinthians 6:2 KJV   For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

We are all present in the "Here and Now"

You have no choice, you cannot be anywhere other then the "Here and Now." "Now" is the same for everybody except God. "Here" is unique for each of us.

I exist in a uniqueness of presence and I can relate to others and their presence in my "Now". Their "Now" is my "Now" because we all exist in the Synchronicity of Now.

I have no choice to be Here and Now. Yet Here and Now is filled with choices. Where do these choices come from? Are we aware of the multitude of decisions we make every day? You cannot be aware if you are not awake.

Are you present? I am present, Here and Now.

My inertial frame is always present in my now. My now is limited to a horizon of relationship that is restricted to what or who is present in my "here". My here and now's horizon has been expanded by technology that allows me to communicate beyond geographic locals and synchronicity becomes evident.

My now is synchronised with everyone else's now because communication extends beyond my "here" and expands my "now".

This expansion of now reveals Synchronization and is proof that the present is all that exists. You are never not present in the now! No matter where you are.

The "Specious Present"?

Others have tried to explain "Now" in terms defined by clock time. Google "Specious Present" and see what I mean. They think time exists and they talk about duration. They speculate about Specious Present as a temporal equivalent of a sensory datum.

It's not complicated "Now" is where we reside.

I'm "Here" in the "Now".

"Here" is where my memory operates and my reason anticipates. My "here" is limited in the "Now" by the nature of the physical realm and I know very little.

Here you are. Now!, is the time.

When we believe time exists we think that the future is something that gives us the opportunity to put off the need to change. The need to change is presented to us by our current situation and the memory of how we got here. Here is "Here" and it changes according to deterministic laws outside our control, except for our ability to choose "this and not that".

You exist in the "Here and Now". The reality of your existence is brought into focus by your ability to remember how things were different and anticipate change before it happens.

The problem is your insight into the "Now' is limited to your inertial frame and what you can infer from your experience in it.

"Now" is all that exists. "Here", is your position in the now in relation to everything else.

Here is the dynamic. You are in a constant state of change. The change is incomprehensible to one restricted by their inertial frame.

Here you are and Now is the time. Tomorrow may never come.

However you define "Present" God is in the "Here and Now"

Jehovah Shammah: God is Present... The "present" is the time that is associated with the events perceived directly, not as a recollection of the past (memory) or a speculation of the future (reason). It is often called now.

Live in His presence! Live in the now.

Presence –noun  1. the state or fact of being present, as with others or in a place.

Jehovah Shammah: God is "Present"

The "present" is the time that is associated with the events perceived directly, not as a recollection of the past (memory) or a speculation of the future (reason). It is often called "NOW".

Moments in the Now!

I had a moment tonight to talk with Hudson (he's 14). He wanted to tell me about a word he had come across that started with "N". He explained if I did a search on Google for "emptiness, Wikipedia" that was where he found the word that started with "N".  I asked "you did a search for "emptiness"? He said, "I think that is why I'm lazy, I just think what's the point"?

The word he found was "Nihilism" which means life is without objective meaning. 

Hudson's favorite book of the Bible is Ecclesiastes because it expresses so much of how he feels. 

I tried to remind him that the questions he is asking are important and that God is giving him the answer. Life is pointless without God. With God, what's the point? Then Harrison came in and wanted his DS connected to the wi-fi.

After I tucked Hudson in for the night, I asked God to help me understand what Hudson was struggling with. I googled "emptiness" and began to click on search results. I came across this. A video that answers the question...

WITH GOD, WHAT IS THE POINT? 

Synchronization? We see through a glass darkly.

Each of us perceives reality from our own perspective. We judge what we perceive with the limited insight inherent in our inertial frame. Is that what we should trust in? At best, such trust will provide temporal success.

(Temporal: pertaining to or concerned with the present life or this world)

If we understand that all of creation is a symphony that God orchestrates on the fly, how foolish we would be to think we can understand the intricacies of all the relationships between everyone we will ever meet and the ongoing choreography we are a part of.

His plan for you? Don't trust in your own understanding.

Clues. They are all around.

The alone time, you know when you are by yourself. It doesn't matter your situation. Rich man or poor man, there are clues everywhere. Technology?, we are interconnected big time. But we see through a less then perfect lens.

The One who sees clearly, gives all of us clues.  They are right in front of you. Do you see? Knowledge of good and evil, do we make excuses and accept our complacency as the excuse?

Or do we think about our thoughts and become aware of the battle for our mind? Well, probably not. We just don't question enough.

Wake up, see the evidence all around, start asking the honest questions. Read the Bible, it will start to speak out to you. Listen to the voice of His Word

Faith, Hope, and Love, He offers this to those who will believe what He did on the cross is sufficient.

That is the easy part.

If you are called, yeah, we all are. If you respond "here I am" then God will choose to lead you in the way, then the question is... will you be faithful? Will He be Lord of the real you.

Synchronization is not planned, it is choreographed. A symphony. 2

A symphony! All of it is connected. Synchronization? Not of exact copies walking in "lockstep", very impressive, but synchronization in diversity, a multitude of expressions, revealing His glory.

He holds it all together, every choice we make, he desires to show us His commitment to our highest good. He is hopeful, he is determined to show us the way. Are we willing to listen to the the one who choreographs the universe?

JEHOVAH SHAMMAH.

Current events in North Africa and the Middle East have caused me some concern. What to do when the economic upheaval arrives here.

10:45 PM   I noticed my son Harrison’s reading light on in his room. Upon investigating, he was writing something. I asked, "what are you doing"? He explained, “I wasn’t able to sleep so I thought maybe God wanted to tell me something so I prayed, God if you want to tell me something that it might be in the scripture, so then I opened my bible and it was Jer. 17 and I started reading. The verses 5-10 really stood out to me and I thought it was important, so I'm writing it down".

Jeremiah 17:5-10

5 This is what the LORD says:

  “Cursed is the one who trusts in man,

  who draws strength from mere flesh

  and whose heart turns away from the LORD.

6 That person will be like a bush in the wastelands;

  they will not see prosperity when it comes.

They will dwell in the parched places of the desert,

  in a salt land where no one lives.

7 “But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD,

  whose confidence is in him.

8 They will be like a tree planted by the water

  that sends out its roots by the stream.

It does not fear when heat comes;

  its leaves are always green.

It has no worries in a year of drought

  and never fails to bear fruit.”

9 The heart is deceitful above all things

  and beyond cure.

  Who can understand it?

10 “I the LORD search the heart

  and examine the mind,

to reward each person according to their conduct,

  according to what their deeds deserve.”

Momentum, the moment and the Bigger picture.

Is there anything more important then the moment? It is where we exist. It is where we experience the momentum. It is where we remember the past and anticipate the future. It is where we understand our existence and where we make our choices.

If we trust in our own understanding we will most likely see the momentum as a positive thing, something to participate in, something to be proud of. If we question our understanding, if we realize our perspective falls short, then we are finally in a place to see the Bigger picture.

Lockstep Marching, very impressive.

Momentum! Sweeps us along.

Impetus of a nonphysical process, such as an idea or a course of event.
An idea effecting a course of events. Unity, principle, common goals, who can argue against such? Lockstep marching, very impressive.

Unified Field Theory. (I googled it.)

"A theory of everything (TOE) is a "putative" theory of theoretical physics that fully explains and links together all known physical phenomena, and predicts the outcome of any experiment that could be carried out in principle."

The science of Physics stands on experimentation and the idea of repeatability.  Repeatability is a myth, held on to by those who believe that time exists and that it is not a figment of their consciousness. Everything is connected and synchronized. To understand the quantum you have to see all as one, connected and synchronized. 

A "A theory of everything" will explain human nature.

The Tower of Babel

What??? How does the Tower of Babel relate to lockstep marching.

Man's potential is illustrated in the Tower of Babel. When we work together we are able to do impressive things. Pride makes us believe that our potential is an intrinsic attribute inherent in us alone. Yet the truth is something different.

God guides, man responds, and is blessed. Pride says, "oh, now I understand". Man takes the lesson and thinks he knows how to apply it. He labels it. Packages it. And tries to convince everyone he has the answer. This is where the idea of "Biblical Principles" comes from. This is why the "Self Help Christianity" industry exists.

Lockstep Marching? Stay tuned.

Lockstep

"Lockstep marching or simply lockstep refers to marching, in the USA, in a very close single file in such a way that the leg of each person in the file moves in the same way and at the same time as the corresponding leg of the person immediately in front of him, so that their legs stay very close all the time."... Google it!... "indoor marching band classic 2010 ohio"

Synchronization is not planned, it is choreographed. A symphony.

The now synchronized, is a symphony created on the fly, by what He is provided with.  Our choices give Him the basis of His arrangement which He takes to reflect His personality and His composition stays true.   A  Symphony of hope meant to set us free from the lies and distraction of the enemy of our souls. Who are you? Listen to the Conductor. Discover your voice that was created to express harmony and dissonance in an ever expanding choreography of creation.

Evidence presented.

As I strap on the ApneaLink monitor and get ready for bed, I am presented with some evidence. What comes to mind is the word "corruption" and the second law of thermodynamics.

The evidence presents itself and the conclusion is obvious. It is appointed unto man once to die and then the judgement.

The tide sweeps us along, you will give an answer to the choices you are making.

The Moment is "Now" recognized.

Now is eternal. Now contains everything that exists. Now is constantly changing. The "moment" is recognized by the observer. It is limited by the inertial frame of the observer and it bears witness to the evidence presented.

The moment can only be made sense of in context to the memory of the observer and their experience of the "Now" they exist in. The moment remembered gives the illusion of time its meaning.

Synchronicity of Now proves its unrepeatability.

Synchronization, purpose and breadcrumbs.

Now is where we exist and have our being. Now is Synchronized with purpose, everything!  Doesn't seem like you have a purpose? Seem like you are lost in a sea of circumstance, confused and ready to give in to the tide?

Remember everything has a purpose. Even your mistakes can be a stepping stone that leads you to the truth that God loves you and has a plan for your life.

Evidence? It's everywhere. Little breadcrumbs synchronized in the now to show you the plan God has for you. Look for them.

Negative Capability Is A Profound Therapy

RICHARD FOREMAN

Playwright & Director; Founder, The Ontological-Hysteric Theater

Mistakes, errors, false starts ― accept them all. The basis of creativity.

My reference point (as a playwright, not a scientist) was Keat's notion of negative capability (from his letters). Being able to exist with lucidity and calm amidst uncertainty, mystery and doubt, without "irritable (and always premature) reaching out" after fact and reason.

This toolkit notion of negative capability is a profound therapy for all manner of ills ― intellectual, psychological, spiritual and political. I reflect it (amplify it) with Emerson's notion that "Art (any intellectual activity?) is (best thought of as but) the path of the creator to his work."

Swept Along 2

There is no stopping it. The cause and effect interaction of mass and energy, that changes and transforms our now, against our will. It seems choice cannot stop it. Change has two results for the observer. Good or bad, build up or destroy. Choice does not stop the change but it can determine a result. Somethings are predetermined by mass and energy's interaction. Somethings are open to choice and the result the choice brings. The creative ability of choice to destroy or build up is what presents each of us with our GIST.

Swept Along.

Determinism sweeps us along. This quality of existence that permeates reality and is only overcome by choice. Determinism is an overwhelming flux in the continuum of what exists. All around cause and effect spits out the facts that are created, and our choices add to the "Sum" of our "Now". Every choice is an unalterable fact that we are doomed to reap the results of (I mean that we are not able to escape). The tide never wanes, it sweeps us along in a synchronicity of complexity only God understands. Thus we are swept along by change.

The interaction of mass and energy results in a cause and effect, that creates an inertial flow that exerts a tendency to bring about a similar outcome. Commonly called a "rut" or habit.

But choice can trump determinism. True choice is made evident in the light of truth. It is the power to overcome the inertial flow of your history and to become all that God created you to be. No need to be blown along with every wind of doctrine. Ephesians 4:14

Hmm... Have you ever noticed advertising?

Jehovah Shammah: God is "Present"

The "present" is the time that is associated with the events perceived directly, not as a recollection of the past (memory) or a speculation of the future (reason). It is often called now.

Free will.

Free will has no meaning if we don't understand the consequence of our choices.

Satan is a liar. That is the truth I knew as I began my quest to discover what time was.

Truth is simple once discovered. But the quest for truth is nothing but complicated. The father of lies doesn't want us to know the truth.

The simple truth is found in Christ. He reveals creation as it was intended. Complication is the work of the enemy of our soul.

Our choices create tensed facts that build up or destroy. Distraction is meant to blind us to the truth of our choices. Pride keeps us in the fantasy.

Fantasy and Distraction.

You can't define fantasy correctly without using distraction. Fantasy is fundamental distraction that replaces the truth with a pseudo reality that allows you to ignore the consequence or your choice.

Blame, excuse, doubt, fear, fun and pride distraction will use to keep you occupied as the interaction of mass and energy continues to create the tensed facts of the choices you cannot but make.

Gist, Now and Distraction.

So now is here, where you are. The sum of your past, call it Gist, is the place for your next choice. But memory equips you with perspective that helps you see distraction for what it is.

Will you continue to be distracted by story lines of fantasy. They are all around, ready to take up your attention and distract you from the facts that are being created by your choices.

The facts being created by your choices! Unalterable. Choice, the power to build up or tear down. Correct a wise man and he becomes wiser still.

NOW. IS THE "SUM'. The Gist! part 2

The "Gist" of our now is the sum of our past. Our past is a collection of tensed facts that are unalterable. Now presents us with our "Gist" and we make a choice. Now is about choice. In the now choice becomes evident in the information presented to us. We accept or reject the information. There are just two sources available to us for information. One is the truth, the other is lies.

The "Gist" of our now is the sum of our past and the source of information we have put our trust in. Truth and lies, one source is the lover of our soul the other is dedicated to our destruction. Now presents our "Gist", now also presents a choice. It is yours to make. He died for all, yet narrow is the way and few be that find it.

Choices. The distraction.

Choices. The distraction.

Memory and reason are the foundation of an observer's ability to choose. It presupposses a comprehension of tensed facts created by previous choices. The truth condemns and choice proves to be my down fall. Why? I was not designed to rely only on my memory and ability to reason.

Two things make it more complicated. The accuser,  and the tense facts that I created.

It seems I am unable to foresee and comprehend the ramification of my choice and it's effect on the continuum.

"Now" is where I become.

Now is where I am. Where I am changes and that change is beyond my control, mostly. Try to stop the moment from passing by. Can you? It is just like your choices. Can you stop making choices? Try it...

See what I mean, you've just experienced the determinism created by the interaction of mass and energy.

Tensed facts are created in the the continuum of reality that I call "Now". In their creation they become unalterable. They are created by the temporal, dynamic cause and effect interaction of mass and energy.

The observer, you and me, are confronted by reason and memory. We remember the way things were and we anticipate how things could be. I say "could" because memory and reason give us the ability to make a choice. This, not that. It is the power to over-ride the determinism of the continuum.

All of us are becoming... what? It's up to us to choose. We can't stop making choices but we can decide what we will choose.

We can't stop making choices but our choices determine who we become. The dynamic cause and effect interaction of mass and energy can be overcome by choice. Our choices determine our destiny... or do they?

Choice.

The interaction of mass and energy results in a cause and effect, that creates an inertial flow that tends to create a tendency to repeat the interaction. Commonly called a "Rut" that we cycle around in.

Choice frees us from the interaction of mass and energy that results in a cause and effect determinism. The "Rut" is overcome by the truth that we have the ability to choose a different path.

NOW. IS THE "SUM'. The Gist!

Now is the sum of adding your past together. The "gist" that reveals the ground of a legal action. And yet He died for all. How can that be? When He died for all, He died for all in the now. The now is eternal, the now is not defined by anything but reality. Reality gives you a choice, turn from your gist, and recieve forgiveness and eternal life. You have now to decide. The choice is yours.

Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on retentiveness. When change is absolute there remains no being to improve and no direction is set for possible improvement: and when experience is not retained, as among savages, infancy is perpetual. Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

  George Santayana 

Cycles and Synchronization

Synchronization is "timekeeping" which requires the coordination of events to operate a system in unison. The familiar conductor of an orchestra serves to keep the orchestra in time. Systems operating with all their parts in synchrony are said to be synchronous or in sync.

As I watch the sun go past me overhead, as I watch the moon pass overhead each night, how can I say time does not exist.

Cycles are not the same as Synchronicity, but both reflect a conductor that keeps creation in time or in synchronization.

It all happens in the now. It all has a purpose. Do you understand yours?

Be the Dad.

As I began to capture the moments, digital cameras are good at it, I realized the moment has no explanation in itself. Valid??, "now" only has meaning with its history. Explanation is no excuse. Yes, Now has a history, what i've learnt has consequence for the future. Excuse the past it will be repeated. Repentance can only be valid when you turn from your past. "Now" is the acceptable day of salvation. Now is all we have, what will you do with it?

The moment captured.

Have you notice that the moment can be captured? A freeze frame of exactitiude, that validates the purity of the moment. Once by silver oxide, but now by 0's and 1's

Not an exact science, the artist's eye communicates the truth intrinsic in the moment. The interpretation is evident to those who have the mind to see. Valid? Eternity will tell.

The Moment.

The moment is what exists. The moment is reality. All that is valid exists in the moment. In the moment I see clearly if I understand that the future is nothing but speculation. Prime ground for the enemy to whisper lies. This unknown, who should I commit it too? The lover of my soul. There is no other.

Though I am weak, I have the one who sustains me. Though I am in the dark, I have the one who shines the lamp unto my path.

Do not trust in a sharp axe. Trust in the axe sharpener.

My Boys

I love Hudson. How he struggles with his inner conflicts. It shows me the Holy Spirit is active and engaged in his life. His struggle is my struggle. How do we overcome the natural man? I trust in God to give me the victory. I pray Hudson will too.

I love Harrison. How he has insight and understanding and comprehends truth presented to him. He is a pragmatist. He evaluates the moment with a sense of the bigger picture. It's easy for him and there lies the danger. I pray he will trust in God instead of his own understanding.

I love Randy jr. He is a humble guy, looking for his place. I pray for his forgiveness. His place is as my son, the one of my youth. We have much to learn from each other.

I pray that I don't pass on a sharp axe. I ask God's grace to introduce to my boys the axe sharpener. 

What is valid?

There are so many truths that seem to be valid. What context should they be placed? Truth has its foundation in reality. Reality has its source in the beginning. Connect to the source and all truth makes sense. Misinformation is abundant, why is that? There is one who doesn't want you to understand the truth.

Valid

1 having legal efficacy or force; especially : executed with the proper legal authority and formalities
2 a : well-grounded or justifiable : being at once relevant and meaningful b : logically correct

All of us are becoming.

We can't stop making choices but our choices determine who we become. The dynamic cause and effect interaction of mass and energy can be overcome by choice. Our choices determine our destiny... or do they?

Yale, MIT, Open Courseware

Wow,

You have got to google this. Access to most of what is being taught.

Let's get back to the start.

Satan is a liar.

That is the truth I knew as I began my quest to discover what time was.

Truth is simple once discovered. But the quest for truth is nothing but complicated. The father of lies doesn't want us to know the truth.

The simple truth is found in Christ. He reveals creation as it was intended. Complication is the work of the enemy of our soul.

All of us are becoming.

Now is where I am. Where I am changes and that change is beyond my control, mostly. Try to stop the moment from passing by. Can you? It is just like your choices. Can you stop making choices?

Tensed facts are created in the now of the continuum of reality. In their creation they become unalterable. They are created by the temporal, dynamic cause and effect interaction of mass and energy.

The observer, you and me, are confronted by reason and memory. We remember the way things were and we anticipate how things could be. I say "could" because memory and reason give us the ability to make a choice. This, not that. It is the power to over-ride the determinism of the continuum.

All of us are becoming... what? It's up to us to choose. We can't stop making choices but we can decide what we will choose.

Presentism vs Eternalism

What exists resides in the now. What exists is temporal because it is dynamic and constantly changes and the change is tensed because cause and effect produces the change.

What exists in the now creates tensed facts that are unalterable.

The change is deterministic outside of the observer's ability to choose. The ability to choose comes from the capacity to remember what things were like and the ability to anticipate what things will be like. Memory and reason.

Choice creates the potential to break the bonds of determinism.

Once the choice is made it becomes unalterable.

The now is eternal. Divide infinity in half, what do you have? Calculate how many moments eternity holds?....

The truth is always simple.

Consistency.

Google it’s meaning… hmmmm.

OK, what does consistency mean to me?

In video production we use one camera. To get the appearance of using multiple cameras we re-shoot the same scene from different angles using the same camera. “Continuity” then becomes critical. Say we shoot an actor sitting down on a chair and he crosses his legs as he gets comfortable. The one in charge of “continuity” better notice that he crossed his left leg over his right and not the other way around. It’s all about the illusion, keeping things consistent with the previous shot.

What has this to do with time or consistency? It’s natural to tie the past, present and future together. But how are they connected? How are they connected?? There is only one connection and that is in the now, the present, is what exists. Their consistency, their continuity is a result of their presence in the now and the power that enables them to create the tensed fact of their existence. It is unalterable. Tensed facts are being created constantly. Cause and effect define their continuity and consistency. Choice, allows them to be productive or destructive.

When you realize the moment is absolutely unique and therefore priceless you begin to pay much more attention to the now.

Time? What I know.

“The true currency of life is time, not money, and we’ve all got a limited stock of that.” 

– Robert Harris

Time, a cruel master. Wait a moment and you have one less to work with. Time, the older you get the faster it passes. At some point you realize it's going to run out for you. But... why is that an issue? Why would you care? Maybe you think I need more time? Time for what? Change? Why do I think I need to change? Something about time makes me think... now is the time. Now is the time to be what I should be.

If you think time is real then you think you have a future. Our mind can anticipate what we call the future and we put our hope in it. Hope in the future gives us an excuse to put off the truth of the now.

If you know "Now" is all that exists, you'll pay much more attention to it. You'll cherish the moment because it is unique, priceless and then gone. You can now take full advantage of the opportunity the moment is providing you.

“Time is free, but it’s priceless. You can’t own it, but you can use it. You can’t keep it, but you can spend it. Once you’ve lost it you can never get it back.”

– Harvey Mackay

Chaos Theory, Choices, Decisions and Actions.

Who we will become is determined by our choices, decisions and actions. The choices, decisions and actions that we take in the now create facts that cannot be altered.

In chaos theory, the idea that a butterfly's wings might create tiny changes in the atmosphere that may ultimately alter the path of a tornado or delay, accelerate or even prevent the occurrence of a tornado in a certain location, reveals that even a small action has the potential for an extraordinary consequence.

The "Now" is what exists. Reality is the cosmological temporality of tensed facts that are created in the "Now". A fact cannot be altered. Change is a constant in the "Now". The illusion of time is created by this observance of change brought about by movement. The movement is deterministic outside of our ability to choose. Choice is what gives us the ability to be creative. But it is also the ability to destroy.

Who we can be is not yet determined because we still have the ability to choose. Past facts cannot be altered yet potential still exists. We can choose to tear down or to buildup. There is no other choice before us.

On our deck again

The night was beautiful. The moon, a few days from full, still lit up the cloudless night. I recalled similar nights in northern British Columbia and how the blanket of snow made the night luminous. Hudson, my son, echoed this image as he told how one early morning in winter he came out on the deck and was amazed at how bright and glowing everything was because the moon was shining bright. His regret, "I didn't stay longer".

It was a "stop and smell the roses" moment. I shared about how we'll never be here again. How when we miss seeing the blessing of the moment, the moment is gone.

We sat there watching the embers of the fire glow as it burnt down. I was compelled to reminisce back to the time, as a young boy, I had a miniature deck of cards that I had got from a bubblegum machine. How I had worked hard at separating each card. How I had demanded my Mom come and play with me. How I had threatened her with the destruction of the deck if she didn't come and play, now! She was busy cooking supper. Another moment, but not so Rosey.

I made a choice. As I ripped up the deck of cards, she came into the living room and said: "OK, lets play cards".

The sense of loss was magnified by the realization there was nothing I could do, the deck of cards was gone. Then the realization... It was my fault. Another moment, yes. But oh, the regret, the sense of loss!

Well, what has that to do with our study of time? Hmmm?

I exist. I exist in a continuity. The continuity of the continuum is big. There is incomprehensible complexity in the continuity that exists in the totality of the now. Now is dynamic, it changes with every moment. "Now" is tensed, its change is in one direction. This moment exists in the temporality of God. What was, will never come again.

What is a 6-year-old to do? The moment is gone, never to be recovered. My own choice brought upon me an unanticipated consequence. A sense of loss beyond compare. Is there a lesson to be learned?

Well, of course there is.

A conversation with my son.

As we sat on the deck, enjoying the fire we were watching in the fire pit, I asked Harrison, my son, what words he would use to describe everything that was happening in the universe at this particular moment. He seemed confused, my question held no context.

 I said look at the fire, what is happening there?

We started talking about oxidization and chemical reactions inherent in the fire. How would you describe the fire? We realized there is a lot of information generated by a fire and how to describe it accurately.

I asked him, as we watched the fire burn, what do you think is happening now to the stars in a galaxy on the other side of the universe? He said, "they are moving".

Now think about all the galaxies right now, what words would you use to describe everything that was happening in the universe at this particular moment. He said "overwhelming".

It was then I began to tap his knee. Every few seconds I would tap his knee. I said it looks like I am touching your knee repeatedly. He said yeh, you keep touching my knee over and over again. I said look at the fire, I'll touch your knee again. Was that the same as when I touched your knee earlier? Harrison said no, the fire was different. So each time I touch your knee it's different? Yes, each time you touch my knee it's unique.

I asked Harrison, "What does it mean that something is unique"? He said, "it's one of a kind." I asked him "if it's one of a kind, does that make it valuable"? We considered such...

Harrison is 11 and a half.

Every moment is unique, it will never be repeated. Its value is incomprehensible.

All that exists in the Now.

The interaction of all that exists. How do we describe this interaction? Do we see it in its totality? No. Is any part separate from any other part? No.

The interaction of mass and energy going on in my brain as I write this is correspondent to the movement of stars in a far off galaxy. Any moment in the continuum of our Universe when viewed as a whole is unrepeatable and completely unique.

Unrepeatability. Nothing is repeatable. Nothing is repeatable. Nothing is repeatable. Everything happens in context to everything else. Everything, as a whole, is dynamic and temporal, Because God is dynamic and temporal. Our experience dynamically exists in the eternal temporality of God.

The eternal temporality exists in an uniqueness of tensed facts. These facts have causality that is determinate outside of the creative ability of life to choose. Choice can over-ride determinate causality. This choice creates the realm of "possibilities" for creative innovation.

As we see the uniqueness of each moment, as we understand this moment will never happen again, we can begin to fully appreciate the great value of the moment we are in.

Now we can take full advantage of the opportunity the moment is providing us.

The speed of light. Space?

It is very hard to see the now. In fact, none of us can see it in its totality. Why is this? Because the facts of now are only accessed by us through the the delay that is inherent in the speed of light that slows the acquistion of facts. This delay that comes from the limitation of light's speed creates the illusion of time.

This constant; the speed of information transmittal, creates the illusion of space. Space, what is it? How can galaxy's be moving away from us faster then the speed of light?

If information of events reached me instantaneously would I perceive space? Would it have any meaning to me?

If light where faster would things seem closer to me?

Here's an idea. Before the big bang, light reached everywhere instantaneously. After the big bang light began to slow down. As light slowed down space was created. Distance became real.