The Madd Theologian

2009-12-10T15:00:00.000-08:00

Liberty’s Trail

Everyone wants liberty. The world seeks for it. The leaders of this world, in their pride, believe that they can provide it, however, it is only achieved as we become anactive part of God’s plan for this earth…

Liberty is a byproduct of peace

Peace is a byproduct of rest

Rest is a byproduct of an active faith

An active faith is a byproduct of the implanted Word of God in our hearts

The Implanted Word of God in our hearts is made possible by the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is here to shepherd us regarding righteousness as a result of the work of Jesus on the Cross.

Jesus’ work on the Cross and His burial and His resurrection are the beginning and the culmination of the plan of God the Father for this earth, the by-product of which is true liberty.

It seems that the God who created the earth and the universe and all that is in it just might know how to manage and maintain it. That includes our lives. We do best when we get out of His way and allow Him to work liberty in our hearts.

Liberty is a byproduct of peace

Peace is a byproduct of rest

Rest is a byproduct of an active faith… etc…

Larry Grizzle

12/10/2009

You Say God Must Go?!

2009-11-18T12:13:00.000-08:00

To those who are fighting so hard to keep Christian elements out of our society... This is pure conjecture, but, just consider... Some people are very concerned that God be dead and stay dead. I'm not saying anyone here, BUT, some are very concerned. Could it be that they might have something to fear? Could it be that they are engaged in activities that may not be approved by said Divine Being? Could it be that they want to get rid of Him because they want to create their own reality in which they would be god of their own paradigm? Could it be that they just might be writing themselves out of God's play book, thus, condemning themselves to exist outside of all that is created and all that is good, readying themselves to be hurled into oblivion? Could it be that, in so doing, they would be condemning themselves for eternity? Just food for thought...

By the way... you think that it is your right for me not to tell you this?
OK, then... tell God... He'll tell me... & I'll quit.

Larry Grizzle
05/08/09

2009-11-13T09:19:00.001-08:00

Barack Obama, King of the World?

Our President, Barack Obama has developed very deep convictions and is acting from the base of a firm personal belief system and purpose. The problem is that his visions and purposes are 180 degrees out of phase with those of our founding Fathers and our Christian Faith. There are those behind the curtain pulling the strings but only to the extent that Obama allows... i.e. - a statement that could very well have uttered by the wicked warlock of the west... "just more good ideas with which to further my fascist agenda my sweety!" I believe that his agenda includes the economic collapse of the United States and religious disaffection pointing toward a one world church and at some point he will realize his 'dream' of being the most powerful man in the world. Case in point... He has traveled to 20 countries in one year bolstering his popularity around the world and his first year isn't even over. He plans more trips before this year is over. As the belief that he IS made of the stuff of emperors past who fancied themselves to be God sinks in, Obama will become emboldened to shake loose his handlers and take his throne as King and ruler of the entire world.

Another concern is that there is ample evidence to conclude that Obama is a Muslim. I believe that one of the legs of the metallic man of Daniel's image is the eastern leg and one is the western leg. It is highly possible that the antitchrist will come out of the Iraqi region from which, according to the Shi'ites, their Maudi (messiah) will emerge riding a white horse. (sounds eerily like the white horse of the 6th chapter of The Revelation which the Antichrist will ride... Holy Bible) Many of the most prominent Muslim leaders in the Middle East own a white stallion just in case they are chosen as the Maudi. Many are campaigning openly for the job. If an Islamic leader is chosen as the Maudi (read: Antichrist) Obama may not become the Antichrist but the Antichrist's 'John the Baptist. As of the time of this writing a world religious conference has been planned for December that will have 10,000 representatives from 80 countries meeting in Melbourne, Australia. Among the religions represented there will be wicken, voodoo, etc.... I believe that they will be electing a leader of this one world religion. If he is a Western leader it will open up a pathway for both the East and the West to be represented in the "New World Order". Either way... we are living in pretty amazing times!!

Larry Grizzle
(11/13/2009)

It Melts Away

2009-06-26T08:22:00.000-07:00

It Melts Away

Fear and doubt attack us and there’s seemingly nowhere to turn
We seek the help of others… sometimes they care but don’t know how
Everyone ‘round us is whirring and whining as we scurry
And “what if”… attacks, as if we could somehow, by ourselves, discern

But… As we enter into His presence once again
As we begin to pour out our pain
As we stay and worship and linger…
It melts away.

It melts away… All the cares of this life… All the fears for fate…
It melts away, The past is dust before Him…
and the future and fear of what will come.
Right now, right here,
in my heart,
I know what is real…
I melt away.

There’s a place where we live way deep down inside
With cluttered rooms, cluttered halls and cluttered mind
We stumble on through the maze ‘cause we must we suppose
And we miss the peace, miss the calm, miss the mark

But when we steal away into the inner chamber
And when we are still before our Lord
As we humble ourselves before our Maker
And allow Him to tend to our wounds…

It melts away… All the cares of this life… All the fears for fate…
It melts away, The past is dust before Him…
and the future and fear of what will come.
Right now, right here,
in my heart,
I know what is real…
I melt away.

Fears of what we have done and what we haven’t
Fears of what we have and what we don’t
Crowd into our hearts like a bull into china
And destroy and kill and mangle and burn

So, once again we hear His voice and once again we draw near
Once again our hearts crumble and once again a fresh wind sweeps
O’r the dry, parched soil of who we are and who we aren’t
And almost subliminally…
Rain gently falls…
Rain sweetly calls…
Rain moistens our desire once again…
And…

It melts away… All the cares of this life… All the fears for fate…
It melts away, The past is dust before Him…
and the future and fear of what will come.
Right now, right here,
in my heart,
I know what is real…
I melt away.

Oh, would that we would never more falter
Would that we would stay on our Lord
Would that our hearts were forever faithful
Would that these sins and cares were shed by the way

Would that idolatry were cast as far as the east is from the west
Would that there were forgiveness for me
Would that God and I could forget
Would that I could lose myself in Him and be gone… and be free

Then, gently he comes to me in the deep dark night of my soul and Jesus whispers… Because of me…

It melts away… All the cares of this life… All the fears for fate…
It melts away... The past is dust before Me…
and the future and fear of what will come.
Right now, right here,
in your heart,
You know what is real…
Now…
Just relax into my arms my child.

And let it ALL just melt away.

Melt away into me my precious child,
just for a moment ‘til I take you in my arms and…
we fly away.

Larry Grizzle
06/26/2009

Discerning the Gifts

2009-06-19T07:55:00.000-07:00

God calls us to discern the gifts that He gives to all His children even if they aren't our own. Whether a wine-bibber (so to speak) or an austere, fasting prophet, or, I believe that the inference is... anything in between... Jesus says... "Wisdom is proven right by all her children". Honor should be shown and given to all whether small or great lest we find ourselves bidding others to recline under our footstool. And what business do we have judging another's servant? Even so, the narcissism in us speaks thunderously from the great "every man" alter-ego... "But, not everyone can be as brilliant as me". (-: )

God Bless You and may we all go out and love those that God puts in our path today in the way that He has uniquely gifted each one of us.

Larry Grizzle

06/19/2009

No Matter Where... No Matter What...

2009-05-30T20:40:00.000-07:00

No matter where we are in our journey in this life...

God Sees... In a way that we will never understand.

God Hears... Our heart's cry whether or not we understand it ourselves or not.

God Cares... beyond our human capacity to believe or perceive.

God Is Engaged With Us... with an unbreakable bond that is based on His faithfulness not our actions.

God Is Determined... to finish what He has started in us until the day that He has determined that we should end our journey here...

God Has a perfect plan... It begins with Jesus, continues with Jesus and culminates with Jesus.
When we receive Jesus as our Savior we become a part of the Divine Romance that is consummated at death... However, death is merely metamorphosis into His "Liquid Joy & Glory"... So why do we fear!?

God has engineered His Creation so that... There is always purpose... There is always hope... There will always be a will... His will, for our lives... His will for us is without repentance... it is sure... and it is always best... ALWAYS!!

God has ordained our existence so that... His mercies and blessings will not end at death nor will they be thwarted by anything or anyone! God has just begun with us no matter where we are in the process, therefore, every breath we take is meaningful, progressive and filled with hope!

God Has created us and all that there is... He will not abandon nor leave His creation without hope, without direction nor without an ultimate successful end.

Our praises to God never changes God's attitude toward us. His attitudes are always loving and kind towards us. Our sincere, faith-filled, heart felt praises to God attune our hearts to His heart, therefore unleashing His joy, peace, power, blessings and the full weight of His Glory into our lives.

So how do we respond to these truths? Let's Cooperate With Our Savior Beginning Right Now...
No Matter Where We Are In Our Journey In This Life. There Is Nothing To Fear So Let's Relax Into His Presence... Experience His peace... Experience The Breath of His Presence in The Person of The Holy Spirit! The Devil, Of Course, Will Try To Stop Us... He Will Breath The Fire of Hell Into Our Minds And Hearts To Try To Keep Us From Settling Into The Full Rest That God Has Provided For Us In Christ Jesus. Don't Fear!! The Fire Of Hell Being Breathed By Satan At A Christian Means That We Are Only Getting Extremely Close To The Truth That Will Set Us Free! We Must Continue On!!! At This Point We Are Very Near... Even At The Doorstep Of The Promised Land Of His REST!!

Would that we could rest in Him every day and in every moment, however, God knows that we are but flesh.

He has set it up so that His mercy precedes truth and both stand as beacons before the throne of God.

We need His mercies every morning and every minute of the day because every one of us continually fall short of obeying His Truth.

Jesus satisfies both of these, mercy and truth, so that we are able to approach God.

The Conclusion Of The Matter?

It is Finished... We Win... and now must simply get used to the idea and simply Rest In Him.

Larry Grizzle
05/29/2009

Let's Get Real

2009-05-29T12:31:00.000-07:00

Let's get real. We sometimes think that the Sabbath rest is only a day. Wrong. The Sabbath Day that the Jews celebrated was pointing to our genuine and lasting Sabbath Rest... Jesus Christ! We, as Christians, are told that our weekly day of worship may be whichever day that we are convinced in our hearts is appropriate. The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. We sometimes castigate other people and denominations for not going to worship just as we do at the same time that we do. This is wrong. If we are convinced in our hearts that we are worshipping on the correct day it should stop there. Why not allow others the same freedom that we reserve for ourselves or our denomination? Could it be that we may be just a wee bit prideful to tout our preference as Gospel truth? You think?!!

A.M. Meeting In Hell

2009-05-28T08:49:00.000-07:00

A.M. Meeting In Hell

Satan to Legions: "OK, guys... Here's what we do. We whisper this into the ears of the preachers and denominationalists: preach salvation and life change; then, while they are preaching life change through their god, we, through fear and lies, will help the leaders to build a system of control and manipulation, thereby not allowing the people to change. We will shepherd these denominational leaders and pastors down this path to contain the situation thereby not allowing the dreaded holy spirit to infiltrate the people's thinking and their lives. When change in individual lives starts to happen we will squash it with rules and regulations that have nothing to do with their bible nor the main tenets of their faith. We will parade preference as law and present individual application as absolute for all, allowing no differences for personality, skill sets or spiritual gifting. Sure, we will allow teaching of the spiritual gifts but just make sure that there is no allowance for them in actual practice in the church. If it does start to happen make sure that there is excess and weirdness associated with the practice of them. Never allow balance... oh, and never allow the denominations to work together, that way we will keep all the gifts separated and repressed and relatively powerless. Keep the strife going between the different denominations so they will end up majoring on the minor things, therefore curtailing their effectiveness. Remember, we have lost many of these except for the moles that we still control. Use these moles to dampen the enthusiasm for god and all of his ways. They and those seduced by them will keep others from entering in. We will use the very elect (I laugh at the term!!) to keep others out!! We will indoctrinate leaders into thinking that they must control and must inflict guilt and shame thereby making of no effect, whatsoever, the so called passion of the nazarene. Never... and again I say, never allow the leaders the luxury of the sentiment that the holy spirit can be trusted. The controls must remain tightly cemented into place or there will be hell to pay. The situation will become loose and unscripted and... and... this poison will become dispersed throughout the whole world! Now, go out and do my bidding. Here's a quick check list...

Make them seek religious things.

Instill denominational pride... (they really eat this one up!)

Make them fearful. (this one's easy, just keep them from prayer!)

Make them become filled with shame. (Anyone mentions freedom in christ - ATTACK THEM)

Make them envious of each other... Never let them discern the gifts given to the body.

Make the leaders and pastors to become locked in to the system and it's hierarchy and 'necessary' accouterments. Ladder climbing is one of my favorite lies, especially with these guys. At all cost keep them locked in and away from this hated nazarene. He will be our undoing!! If they see the power in doing this, it will spread to others and they will all change. We can never let that happen!!

Dismissed... Now, Go Raise Hell!!!"

Larry Grizzle

05/28/2009

2009-05-26T18:04:00.000-07:00

Rest Our Hearts In Him

Rest our hearts in Him.
Rest forever in Him.
Starting now, even then,
we could have seen..
we could have been.

Rest our hearts in Him,
forever and ever in Him...
starting right now, and yet...
again...
our wand'ring thoughts led on...
to places that we would not,
should not have seen...
places that we dare not have breeched
Sorrow, lead on, o'r the long road of pain
Anxious midst the thoughts of living yet lost... again

The path once led upward, now plunges earthward
Dreams dashed down,
Falling down;
Broken down;
Broken......
ground

The path once light and cheery has turned to a self made hell...
Rest is forgotten,
life's joys spilled out to languish in a pit of bitter despair...

But He bids us...
Rest our lonely hearts in Him
Rest our wand'ring hearts in Him
"It is for you, expressly you, that I died"
you hear the whispered thought.
Dare I hear?
Dare I believe?
Dare I look up?
Dare the light, to my eye, illumine?
Where folly of hope... foolishness of my hope...
lay bare?

Still He bids us...
Rest our lonely hearts in Him
“Let it go and rest” we hear the voice in our hearts
“You can... Rest your lonely hearts in Me.
It’s not your thought. It’s not your way. Your ways are death... It’s Me!
Rest your lonely hearts in me.
Dare to rest.
Relax to find...
Your rest in Me.
For I am able...
...and you meet ALL my qualifications”...

"Come to me all ye that are weary and heavy laden and...
...I will give you rest"

“Come now, my beloved and... Rest your lonely hearts...
...in Me.”

Larry Grizzle
05/26/2009

Let's Get Real...

2009-05-26T17:40:00.000-07:00

Let's get real. We sometimes think of God as an Old Testament meany! Wrong. His revelation to us didn't stop at Malachi. His final revelation to us is Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God. We need only to look to Jesus who is the Author and Finisher to see who God really is. He is tender, compassionate, forgiving; chastens us when we stray; able and willing to abundantly pardon; Remembers, with empathy, that we are just flesh; feels the feelings of our infirmities; listens and responds to our prayers; defends the disenfranchised and the powerless; helps us up when we've been knocked down or when we have fallen of our own devices; helps us to forgive when we don't feel like it as we trust Him; restores our faith when we have all but lost it; replaces our bitterness with His joy when we bring our bitterness to Him; is faithful to rescue us from our own pride and haughtiness; cleanses us when we come to him having been overtaken by our own flesh and sin; comforts us when we are separated from those we love through the last enemy, death; will gather us to Himself immediately following our last breath on this earth; sings over us with songs of rejoicing; loves us with an everlasting love; is willing to allow us, even as inept as we are spiritually to take part in His plan... And having, ourselves, become interwoven with it, He empowers us to reach out to others; He will rightfully judge us with the wisdom that He created and that He breaths life into; covered by His blood the judgment has already been sealed... Not Guilty! He will reward us according to our deeds; He will not enumerate our sins before a Holy God and the Holy congregation in Heaven! How could one who has already cast them as far as the East is from the West do such a thing!? He will allow the absence of potential good deeds to speak; He will wipe away every tear from our eyes and we will be with Him in eternity forever and forever! Who knows how many millenia this will take? There will be a lot of tears to wipe and He will wipe them ALL away individually and tenderly. We sometimes think of God as an Old Testament meany! Wrong. Flat Wrong!! We do not approach God as those who died in the wilderness... who were afraid to even approach the mountain, fearful that they would die. We, on the other hand, enter into the blessed fellowship of Jesus Christ, who, Himself, is God and who bids others through us... "Be ye reconciled to God". Why would we bid others to come if we served a 'mean' God? Why would we do that if the light of life that was placed within us was darkness and dread?! The Lord, is our joy and our strength and we will sing praises to Him in our hearts all day long and through any lonely night that may come our way knowing that the Light will dawn with perfect timing Therefore we purpose to always be ready to give an account to other men of the hope that lies within us just Because... Because that's who we are... and that's who we are, Because... Because that's who He IS! Let's get real, my friend... If you have a mean God, you have the wrong god.
Larry Grizzle
05/26/2009

Legalism

2009-05-26T12:55:00.000-07:00

Legalism oft deprives discovery in the journey

denuding character birthing pressure

From which our Savior’s hand dost desire attain

The fabric and weave

Created from lesser flax and stubble

To form…

A garment fit

For His Firey Pressence!

Larry Grizzle

05/26/2009

Let's Get Real

2009-05-26T10:58:00.000-07:00

Let's get real... We sometimes think that we must be fearful of God. Wrong. The only real place of peace and contentment is in the presence of the Father. If we have seen the Son, we have seen the Father. If we know the Son we also know the Father. The Father and the Son are one and we are one with the Father therefore we are one with Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Where is the fear in that?! We need only fear to the extent that we fall short of entering into the full rest that is found in our relationship with Him. When we sin and we hear Him calling to us in the garden, there is no need for us to hide... Just turn and ask forgiveness. God is not a man that He should lie. He said that it is finished... It IS finished! Why, then, by our incomplete view of salvation, do we put Him to an open shame once again by begging outside the Father's house with a VIP invitation in our hands?

Larry Grizzle

05/26/2009

Ordinary Yet Unique

2009-05-22T13:50:00.001-07:00

Ordinary Yet Unique
(by Luci Swindoll)

Sometimes we have the mistaken idea that God loves and blesses us more if we look, live, or behave a certain way. If our lives are tidier, he's happier. If we are "successful" in the world's eyes, he's relieved. If we become cultured or erudite, he feels better about us. We assume God prefers designer clothes and custom homes. We presume he's pleased with fancy careers and technological advances. But in God's economy, grace doesn't work like that. God places no emphasis on externals. he looks at our hearts, and he blesses us from the inside out. His goodness is available to all.

God's grace is limitless. It's not dependent on anything we've done--or have. God gives us himself, in the person of Jesus Christ, and he does it whether we live in a New York City penthouse or under a thatched roof at the foot of a volcano. He loves us infinitely, with extravagant grace!

Isaiah 3

2009-05-22T12:22:00.000-07:00

This one comes from Breitbart also. From 'kmichaels'. Very insightful!

Isaiah chapter 3 sure seems to apply to today's events. It results from disobedience to God's basic commandments. When people turn self-centered, we get these results ...

4 And I will give children (Obama) to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.

5 And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour: the child (MTV generation) shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable.

9 The shew of their countenance (gay pride parades) doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom (gays out of the closet), they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves.

12 As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women (Pelosi) rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee (Obama, Pelosi, Reid) cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.

New Rules of Engagement

2009-05-22T12:16:00.000-07:00

Can't take credit for this one but... LOL. (Almost too true to be funny!)

This comes from Breitbart. The author is 'nberlanga'

New rules of engagement for our troops in the field.

1.) When you see a bloodthirsty terrorist, bend over and grab your ankles.

2.) Offer him your lunch.

3.) Remind him that you have great values.

4.) Remind him how much Obama loves him.

5.) Remind him how much you love him.

6.) Offer to cut your own head off, so as to not get blood on his mandress.

Why I Voted Democrat

2009-05-14T11:06:00.000-07:00

I voted Democrat because
I love the fact that I can now marry whatever I want.
I've decided to marry my garden gnome.

I voted Democrat because
I believe oil companies' profits of 4% on a gallon of gas are obscene but the government taxing the same gallon of gas at 15% isn't.

I voted Democrat because
I believe the government will do a better job of
Spending the money I earn than I would.

I voted Democrat because
Freedom of speech is fine as long as nobody is offended by it.

I voted Democrat because
When we pull out of Iraq I trust that the bad guys will stop what they are doing because they now think we are good people.

I voted Democrat because
I'm way too irresponsible to own a gun, and I know that my local police are all I need to protect me from murderers and thieves who all have guns.

I voted Democrat because
I believe that people who can't tell us if it will rain on Friday can tell us that the polar ice caps will melt away in ten years if I don't start driving a Prius.

I voted Democrat because
I'm not concerned about the slaughter of millions of babies so long as we keep all death row inmates alive.

I voted Democrat because
I think illegal aliens and people that are able bodied enough to have a job have a right to free health care, Education, and Social Security benefits.

I voted Democrat because
I believe that business should not be allowed to make profits for themselves. They need to break even and give the rest away to the government for redistribution as the democrats see fit.

I voted Democrat because
I believe liberal judges need to rewrite The Constitution every few days to suit some fringe kooks who would never get their agendas past the voters or Congress.

I voted Democrat because
My head is so firmly planted up my butt that it is unlikely that I'll ever have another point of view or intelligent, logic supported thought.

(Not original with me, but sobering... Larry G.)

Where Do You Hide?

2009-05-14T09:35:00.000-07:00

Where Do You Hide?

Where do you hide? In case you think this is a cowardly question or an invitation to cowardice, let me quote God’s Word on the subject…

Psalms 32:7 - Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.
Psalms 119:114 - Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word.
Isaiah 28:17 - Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.
Isaiah 32:2 - And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.

God also talks about a “Secret Place”…

Psalms 18:11 - He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
Psalms 81:7 - Thou calledst in trouble, and I delivered thee; I answered thee in the secret place of thunder: I proved thee at the waters of Meribah. Selah.
Psalms 91:1 - He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
Song of Solomon 2:14 - O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.
Isaiah 45:3 - And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.
Jeremiah 13:17 - But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the LORD's flock is carried away captive.
Jeremiah 23:24 - Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.
Jeremiah 49:10 - But I have made Esau bare, I have uncovered his secret places, and he shall not be able to hide himself: his seed is spoiled, and his brethren, and his neighbors, and he is not.
Lamentations 3:10 - He was unto me as a bear lying in wait, and as a lion in secret places.
Ezekiel 7:22 - My face will I turn also from them, and they shall pollute my secret place: for the robbers shall enter into it, and defile it.
Luke 11:33 - No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light.

So, I would say that God knows much better than we do that we DO need a hiding place.

Notice that even the wicked have their secret hiding places. God will uncover these hiding places in His own time but the wicked resort to them all the same. They, in their pride, seem to think that their sins will forever remain secret. Are we, as Christians, any better than they are? Sometimes not. We too, have our secret hiding places that have nothing to do with God. Of course no peace can be found in these secret places… no real fellowship… no real joy. God will uncover those also. But, these secret places seem to provide cover for the busyness, the stress and the battles of life.   We hide ourselves in our own cloaks of pride and arrogance believing that, just by our sheer will power and intelligence we can weather the storms of this life. We use entertainment, accumulation of wealth, accumulation of the adulation of others, the bolstering of our own self worth by various means and many other techniques. One of the most common of “hiding places” tends to be in religion. We use the cloak of religion to hide us.    We gather knowledge or we try to use our talents or gifts that were meant to bless others to bolster our own standing. We try to enlarge our following and we garner praise. This praise and acknowledgement, by and from men, provides a warm cloak from our otherwise cold existence, does it not? Yes… for a time… only until you fall out of favor with man or you are no longer the “hot” thing.   Even our “friends” will look other places for their warmth when our ember grows cold…. and it will.

Our most important and only truly reliable hiding place is in the Secret Place of the Most High, under the shadow of His Wings. But God, I am convinced, has provided other hiding places for us in this life while we still have skin on. Please don’t get me wrong. This statement is in no way meant to help us feel relief from the responsibility of walking with God, but most Christian men are looking for true friends… (Ladies, I don’t mean to leave you out here but I am speaking from a man’s perspective. This may apply to women, too. If so, then your are entitled to my brilliant opinions also... (-:  It's a JOKE!... Read on…) Most Christian men are looking for true comrades in the pilgrimage… Some other fellow traveler that can share burdens and help occupy until things are made whole. No, I don’t believe this is idolatry or “Jesus Plus…”.   Now listen… Most men are looking for True Friends!... One more time just to make sure that you heard me… Most Men are looking for TRUE FRIENDS!!! Sorry, I got a little carried away there but my motivations were honorable... Just trying to make the point that most men crave for masculine acceptance and camaraderie. You know, the kind that does not compete but upholds; the kind that does not “one up” but stands behind in full support; One who understands who he is and whom God is and doesn’t get the two mixed up; One who becomes that hiding place from the storm when you need it most; You know, the kind of friend that will not condemn or try to have all the answers when you share a hurt or problem; One who knows that he is in deep need of God’s Mercy and Grace every second of every day and dispenses that same Mercy & Grace because of it; The kind of friend that will admit his own faults and sins and allows us to stand with them as well; That last one, let me tell you, is the real kicker! There are quite a few people out there that are more than willing to “be there” but not really willing to “BE THERE” with transparency and presence.   The Word of God tells us that if we are to have friends that we must show ourselves to be friendly (paraphrase). How many of you men out there have approached a man or men in the church seeking friendship only to be left feeling beat up and worthless? Now, how many of you out there have had this happen so many times that you have given up and fallen into the status quo ditch of “fellowship as usual” which, in many ways, is the wolf of the world’s version of fellowship in sheep’s clothing? With this being the only option many of us have known there wells up within our flesh a strong urge to just give up on it and go it alone. The challenge to me and to you, I believe, is to seek to become the kind of friend that was just described. Our tendency, however, is to develop a bunker mentality which draws us away from fellowship with other Christian men and with God. How many of you out there can identify with this? Can I see a show of hands? Yes, I see that hand. Are there others? Oops. That was my hand (both of them!).

I have good news for us all… or not (depending upon what we do with it). My Bible says that we shall reap in due season if we faint not. My aspiration (which at this point goes way against the way I am feeling)… Don’t faint! *Good advice. I think I’ll try it… You know, take the pro-active approach. I think I’ll try to be a friend again. What prosperity!... to come to the end of life here on earth with many TRUE FRIENDS!!   There are going to be bumps and bruises along the way but you know what? By faith, I’m betting that it’s worth it.   Even if we extend our hand of friendship and the hand of the other is not extended, we must not quit. In due time we will reap if we do not lose heart and quit. So, now, by God’s Grace, and with the help of The Holy Spirit, let’s take charge of some of that often misused testosterone and put it to good use becoming friends to other men. The results will be that we will be hidden as we become a hiding place for others. Talk about ambitious!

Now where did I put that pith helmet?!... Charrrge!!... And to (almost) quote a famous American: Full Speed Ahead and Damn Satan’s Torpedoes!!

I love you guys. Let’s pray for each other!

*Note: My advice (without support from God’s Word) and $5.00 buys you a Cup of Coffee at most any Starbucks (if you can find one still open)… so here’s the verse:

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Galations 6:9

Larry Grizzle, 01/25/07

A Man In Whom There Is No Guile

2009-05-13T18:54:00.000-07:00

A Man In Whom There Is No Guile

Psalms 32: 7-11
“You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. Do not be like the horse or like the mule, Which have no understanding, Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, Else they will not come near you. Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; But he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him. Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous; And shout for joy, all you upright in heart!”

The “upright in heart” are not always those who appear to have it altogether or those who occupy a place of esteem. They are those “in whose spirit there is no deceit”. Jesus recognized Nathan under the fig tree before Phillip ever went to retrieve him. When Jesus saw him coming He said to Nathanael: “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!”. Nathan understood that about himself. He replied to Jesus’ comment: “Whence knowest thou me?”. Jesus, then, went on to explain that he knew Nathanael even before Phillip called him to come to Him while he was under the fig tree. I can only imagine what Nathan was doing under that fig tree. He was probably contemplating the deep mysteries of life. I see Nathan as a man that was probably somewhat introspective and had spent much time in his life trying to understand himself and how he was to relate to God and the world. He was somewhat brutally honest about himself and about others. He must have been heavily burdened down with the care of it all and the judgment of it all. Jesus saw him; called him through Phillip; Jesus validated the authenticity of Nathan’s search by His Word, brought him to repentance, and then Jesus unconditionally received him. Nathan was primed for repentance before he even met Jesus because of the truthfulness with which he approached life. Nathan’s next words are very telling: “Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel”. Nathan recognized in his mind and in his spirit that Jesus Himself was the answer to his queries and hopes and dreams. Even with his limited understanding Nathaniel knew The Truth when he finally found Him.

Is this the beginning of the search for Nathan or the end? Does his quest end here? Did Nathan receive all of the answers to his questions and have all of the longings of his searching heart satisfied at this one meeting? We tend to want it this way, do we not? “I need to get this thing resolved so I can get on with my life” we may hear our own inner voice whisper. Yet, a meeting of this sort with Jesus causes such a radical transformation in our life that we cannot return to the old patterns of our life comfortably. We may try our old life back on but we are so radically transformed that it won’t fit any more. We may try to mix the old and the new but just like oil and water we become divided and ineffectual in either paradigm. Everything has changed so, almost as in a dream we view our old methods of relating (to ourselves, God and to the world) spilled upon the ground, lost and ruined, by the brittle, ruptured wine skin of self realization.
We are told in, Jeremiah 17:7, that our hearts are desperately wicked, who can know them?

What, then, is our greatest quest as people of no guile: To know our own heart, to know how we relate to God; To know how we should relate to God, To gain an understanding of how to have our heart changed and thus make our actions and works pleasing to God? No, these are among some of the things that we tend to set up almost as images of God in order to mask the worship of our own intellect and efforts. No, our greatest quest should be to know the Heart of God and to: Seek to be changed from Glory to Glory by His overwhelming and overcoming presence and power; Seek to let Him search our heart; Seek to spend time in His presence and learn to walk in the light of His presence. The things of this life that crowd in around us are one of the greatest enemies of the mystery of this miraculous process. Paul warns us about these enemies, (both permitted things and absolutely disapproved things), in I Corinthians 6:12...”All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any”.....What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?”. Earlier, in the same context, Paul mentions these things: “Know ye not that unrighteousness shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God”. If the good things of this life or the things mentioned above in I Corinthians 6 crowd out this special inward sanctification process we become like ships without a rudder; we become like dogs returning to vomit; we become like those around us that live as if they have no hope. Thus, we choose to be ruled again by the law, unable to approach even the base of the Holy mountain lest we be consumed by a Holy God and die. In effect, it is only within the Holy sanctification process of relationship (relationship, not perfection, I say) that there is no law. Only here can we experience the “wide places” or true joy that is our birthright as born again Christians... Or, we can choose the “tight places” of sin and the constant gnawing of the law wherein is constant looking to of judgment or chastisement. (that is if we are God’s own true children) As His children, if God did not treat us in this manner, the very Blood of Christ would be crying out from the ground and if God did not treat us in this manner the truth that dwells within us, would be echoing Jesus’ Words: “Yes, Father, why did You forsake Him?” God forsook Jesus so that He would not have to forsake us. He pursues us to perfect us and He has promised to do so until the day of Christ Jesus.
So, in our quest to be that person that God calls “Nathan”, let us lay aside the weight that so easily besets us...idolatry...the sin of hiding behind our mask of nathanielesc musings and mental panderings as an attempt to cover up our own darkness. God owns the darkness. He retains the right to enlighten and cleanse our hidden dark places. The darkness is His secret place. We walk in denial, not knowing that neither God nor man are phased by the projections of ourselves that we attempt to “shine” into the heavenlies, into our self and into our relationships. These projections are like a spotlight shining up into the night sky as we advertise the great event of who we are...only to be swallowed up by the blackness and the darkness of night.

There is Good News, though. The Father retains the deed to His property in spite of our slothful neglect and shameful idolatry. But, He is a gentleman. He is waiting for our heart’s cry before He will come running. His heart aches for that moment of time when reality strikes, when truth comes caving into our vacuum crushing all that we think we are. He is waiting for us to realize that, just because we have wasted the resources that He has given to us up to this point, He is not stymied in any way. There are no ends to any of His resources. Neither the passing of time, repeated failings, public opinion, nor principalities nor powers, nor things present, nor life nor death nor principalities nor powers nor any other creation have depleted any of His capacity to heal and restore. The locusts cannot eat enough, fast enough, to keep up with the flow of His mercy to those who call out to Him with a true heart of repentance. Because of the Precious Blood that he poured out willingly on the Cross, we can reveal who we are to Him. He will not cast us aside, be disappointed in us, or ask why we did not come to Him sooner. Will the God that tells us to “draw close to me and I will draw close to you” turn His face away even as we are responding? No, instead there will be rejoicing and the killing of the fatted calf and a new ring placed on our finger and we will be restored to full sonship and to first love.

Wow, I don’t really know all that it means even as I write it, but, this is where I want to live...in His presence! In His presence there is fullness of joy. In His presence we learn who He has recreated us to be. In His presence we are free from the strife of tongues; those nagging, wagging, demonic darts and self talk that we allow to torment us and the attacks of Satan himself . We are free from the curses of the past because of the Blood of Jesus and the Cross, but, it is in His presence that we become free to walk in the reality of that liberty. In His presence, God calls us by our real name, a name that only He has known and an identity which we can only come to a knowledge of...in His presence. That is why I relate so readily to Nathan. When Jesus called, he was honest enough to realize who he was and realistic enough to realize that the ability to obtain the truth was beyond himself. No denial here. I can imagine that, more than once he had been called and more than once he had been disappointed by those who “had all the answers”. But still he searched. When He called, Nathan got up from where he was and went to Jesus.

Years ago God called me Nathan. I heard it in my spirit just as loudly and clearly as a train whistle or a trumpet blast yet it was quiet and still. I didn’t know what to do with it. I had no idea that God spoke in such intimate terms to someone like me, so, this Word laid dormant within me for many years. Then, I heard Jesus calling once again...”come and see”. I said yes, Lord. And as I turned I sensed the Lord running; I heard Him calling my name and I was overwhelmed by His presence... that began baptizing and cleansing and recreating. As I listened ravenously to His words I was awash in the liquid Love of His presence. I am reminded of a Dennis Jernigan song, “I don’t want to move, from this Holy, Holy place”. And so it is. There is nothing else that can satisfy. I am ruined to the world and the world to me. It’s tough to be a perpetual pilgrim in a distant land, but so it is and so I will be until my Savior comes and takes me to himself. By death or by rapture... no matter.

Here is my one attempt at evangelism in this piece...Come and see!

Larry Grizzle
02/12/03

As a post script: The Lord has also called me Caleb. I can’t wait to see what He does with that... What is God calling you? Not... what is He calling you to do?... What is His special name for You? It’s worth a ‘look see’.

The Dark Times

2009-05-13T18:25:00.001-07:00

The Dark Times

The dark times. How can one explain the feelings of futility and nihilistic pain? How can one live successfully with great patches of darkness obliterating the inner landscape? What great thing can we do to compensate? Better yet, how can we live the next minut... the next second? How can we survive the blackness of night where our enemies lurk; where they lie in wait to destroy... the very faith that supplies our strength? From where did this darkness come? Was not the Light so warm and so comforting? Were not the intimacies shared so pungently sweet? Didn’t we walk with the Light in the coolness of the evening and relax in the sanctuary of His presence? Where did it go? Is it possible to have dreamed such a thing? Where did I go? What obscures my pathway back? What presence lurks beyond the shadows to disassociate me from my Peace? Is it even useful for me to pursue this knowledge? Were there not promises made?! Were there not covenants cut?! Are not You, Oh Lord, trustworthy to keep me from this pain and confusion?! I cry out to You, Oh Lord! Fly to my swift defense and put to flight my enemies. Lord, they are stronger than I. Then I remember a faint hope within me. It is stirring...I faintly recall. I read once in a book, no... not a book... His Book: “He made darkness His secret place.” Could it be that I am hidden away with Him in the darkness so that I would cry to Him? Could it be that the Lord, Himself has hidden me even from my own strength so that I would not be destroyed?

“He heard my voice from His temple, And my cry came before Him, even to His ears. Then the earth shook and trembled; The foundations of the hills also quaked and were shaken, Because He was angry. Smoke went up from His nostrils, And devouring fire from His mouth; Coals were kindled by it. He bowed the heavens also, and came down With darkness under His feet. And He rode upon a cherub, and flew; He flew upon the wings of the wind. He made darkness His secret place; His canopy around Him was dark waters And thick clouds of the skies. From the brightness before Him, His thick clouds passed with hailstones and coals of fire. The Lord thundered from heaven, And the Most High uttered His voice, Hailstones and coals of fire. He sent out His arrows and scattered the foe, Lightnings in abundance, and He vanquished them. Then the channels of the sea were seen, The foundations of the world were uncovered At Your rebuke, O Lord, At the blast of the breath of Your nostrils. He sent from above, He took me; He drew me out of many waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy, From those who hated me, For they were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my calamity, But the Lord was my support. He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me.” ..... For You will save the humble people, But will bring down haughty looks. For You will light my lamp; The Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.....”

I am reminded of Your creation, Lord. In the very beginning there was darkness without form & void, yet You used it even then...to create. In Your secret place You spread out Your blueprints and crafted great mysteries too marvelous for the thoughts and the words of man, so Your Word speaks. Lord, I will not seek to define the darkness, I will cry out to You! I will rest in the middle of the darkness because You are there. I will wait for Your salvation and Your revelation. I will wait for you to bare the foundations and to set me in a large place. You do delight in me. There was no deceit in the garden; our sweet caress was not a lover’s lie. You have not forgotten nor forsaken me, Your beloved. The Light that I sought in Your presence has not been extinguished, it will grow more brilliant as I emerge. You have enlightened my darkness. I purpose in my heart, Lord, not to be afraid of the darkness again. Lord, remind me that You have made the darkness, that seeks to destroy. You have made it to serve You. I wait for You once more in Your Secret Place... ... ... ... ... ... I will not be disappointed.

Larry Grizzle
05/13/2009

Psalms 18
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David the servant of the Lord, who spoke to the Lord the words of this song on the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. And he said: I will love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies. The pangs of death surrounded me, And the floods of ungodliness made me afraid. The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called upon the Lord, And cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, And my cry came before Him, even to His ears. Then the earth shook and trembled; The foundations of the hills also quaked and were shaken, Because He was angry. Smoke went up from His nostrils, And devouring fire from His mouth; Coals were kindled by it. He bowed the heavens also, and came down With darkness under His feet. And He rode upon a cherub, and flew; He flew upon the wings of the wind. He made darkness His secret place; His canopy around Him was dark waters And thick clouds of the skies. From the brightness before Him, His thick clouds passed with hailstones and coals of fire. The Lord thundered from heaven, And the Most High uttered His voice, Hailstones and coals of fire. He sent out His arrows and scattered the foe, Lightnings in abundance, and He vanquished them. Then the channels of the sea were seen, The foundations of the world were uncovered At Your rebuke, O Lord, At the blast of the breath of Your nostrils. He sent from above, He took me; He drew me out of many waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy, From those who hated me, For they were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my calamity, But the Lord was my support. He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me.
The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me. For I have kept the ways of the Lord, And have not wickedly departed from my God. For all His judgments were before me, And I did not put away His statutes from me. I was also blameless before Him, And I kept myself from my iniquity. Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands in His sight. With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful; With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless; With the pure You will show Yourself pure; And with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd. For You will save the humble people, But will bring down haughty looks. For You will light my lamp; The Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.
For by You I can run against a troop, By my God I can leap over a wall. As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him. For who is God, except the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God? It is God who arms me with strength, And makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of deer, And sets me on my high places. He teaches my hands to make war, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You have also given me the shield of Your salvation; Your right hand has held me up, Your gentleness has made me great. You enlarged my path under me, So my feet did not slip. I have pursued my enemies and overtaken them; Neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed. I have wounded them, So that they could not rise; They have fallen under my feet. For You have armed me with strength for the battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me. You have also given me the necks of my enemies, So that I destroyed those who hated me. They cried out, but there was none to save; Even to the Lord, but He did not answer them. Then I beat them as fine as the dust before the wind; I cast them out like dirt in the streets. You have delivered me from the strivings of the people; You have made me the head of the nations; A people I have not known shall serve me. As soon as they hear of me they obey me; The foreigners submit to me. The foreigners fade away, And come frightened from their hideouts. The Lord lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let the God of my salvation be exalted. It is God who avenges me, And subdues the peoples under me; He delivers me from my enemies. You also lift me up above those who rise against me; You have delivered me from the violent man. Therefore I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the Gentiles, And sing praises to Your name. Great deliverance He gives to His king, And shows mercy to His anointed, To David and his descendants forevermore.

Forgiven Much!

2009-05-13T13:49:00.000-07:00

Forgiven Much!

I will just start out with this seed thought that has been rattling around in my brain for the last few days: “He who has not been forgiven much... has not been forgiven much”. It might be hard to wrap your thoughts around this one at first. You kind of have to walk around it, kick the tires, check for dings and take it for a test drive. I believe that you will find that it handles pretty well and it definitely has low mileage.

To start with, let’s look at the scripture that precipitated the thought to begin with:

Luke 7:46-48
“My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment
Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but
whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.”

The Pharisees and Publicans were throwing a party. They had invited Jesus as the guest of
honor. In reality he was not to be honored but grilled and served up as the entree. They were going to inspect Him. They were going to expose Him. They had no intention of showing any
honor whatsoever. Enter, the woman. Jesus was struck by the love and adoration pouring out of the heart of this woman. Who was she? Why was she so moved to pour out the ointment of her own burial upon the feet of Jesus? Why here? Why now? Let’s widen the lens:

Luke 7:37-50
"And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus
sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, And stood
at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe
them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the oint-
ment. Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself,
saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of
woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner. And Jesus answering said unto
him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on. There
was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and
the other fifty. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both.
Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? Simon answered and said, I sup-
pose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judg-
ed. And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I en-
tered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my
feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. Thou gavest me no kiss:
but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with
oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. Where-
fore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to
whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. And he said unto her, Thy sins are for-
given. And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this
that forgiveth sins also? And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in
peace."

Now, the spotlight is turned from the “immoral woman” to the “righteous men” that had invited Jesus in. Can you see where we are going with this? Ouch!! The lens, that the little boys were using to fry the ant, has now been turned back onto themselves. The 'Son' is now focusing on them. This is the moment of decision for these men. They could responded in a few different ways. They could have questioned Jesus in their hearts; They could have bowed before Him in repentance; They could have gone away ambivalently; They could have faced Him down and argued the point; They could have been offended and become determined in their hearts to get back at him at a later date... let's say... crucify Him? The "immoral woman" made her choice, and in so doing, she forced the spotlight back onto the hearts of these 'learned' and 'holy' men. They had not been forgiven much, in their mind's eye, and therefore were in no position to be forgiven much. We must make the same choice.

Have we, who are the righteous; those who have invited Jesus in, really loved Jesus? Have we even offered to hear Him with a true heart of discernment? Have we even offered Him the slimmest of common courtesies? In many ways we sometimes tend to be like these men. We tend to hide behind cloaks of religious zeal while beginning to speak in our hearts “Who is this that forgiveth sins also?” In our prosperity we begin to say within our hearts “God has chosen to bless us.” “We are just a slight cut above all those others” While some of those others are returning to anoint His head and to kiss His feet, we stand piously by, questioning Jesus; and we love little. We love Him little and we love others even less. Even in our efforts at loving others, our motives tend toward the narcissistic. We project love while all the time struggling because we have not allowed Him to love us much nor have we loved Him much. Many of us want out of this “Self Trap” but are unable to work our way out. We want to see others enter in but we are helpless and powerless because we have failed, first, to be loved by Him; we have,then, failed to love Him...and in the process have failed to allow Him to love us. You can see how deadly this whole process can be to the lost in our individual worlds!

Why have we failed to allow Him, first, to love us? I have a theory. It goes something like this: “He who has not been forgiven much... has not been forgiven much”. In other words, we don’t see our great need for forgiveness. We don’t see the depths of our sinfulness. In our prosperity we don’t understand the expansiveness of our need. We walk in the light of fires built by our own hands, which, if not tended to night and day, will die out as the embers of a campfire 'the morning after'. We toil in the fields of our own desire, whether religious or secular (not that there really is a distinction in God’s eyes). And Jesus sits, waiting patiently to be tended to. He is waiting for us to come to Him again. He is waiting for us to cry out in awe at His presence. He is waiting for us to come in such a needy state that we must have Him or die. He is waiting to love us the way that we desire and need to be loved. But, we cannot come empty handed. We must place everything that is precious to us, as if in an alabaster box of ointment, and break it open to be poured out at the feet of Jesus. All that we are must be placed in that box. If we hold back... He cannot.

So, He cannot forgive us much because we will not admit that we need to be forgiven much. Jesus died on Calvary. He did it all there. That is true, but why then, return to our reliance upon the beggerly elements of the law, which foster self reliance, self righteousness, self determination, separation from God and pride?! Is it because that, in all reality, this is where we really think that our needs will be met? Our hearts cry out to ourselves. We want to be our own savior. We want to be lauded as the one who has done it. Self, our god, is invoked and out of our religious cauldron spews forth every evil thing. Our incantations and mutterings that pass for praise and teaching are a stench in the nostrils of a Holy God... Who sits patiently waiting. He sits... waiting to commune with us. He sits... waiting to forgive us much... if we will only come. You can almost hear Jesus crying out to these men and to us: “Come, let us reason together. Though your pride is great and your sins many, they can be as white as snow. Look at this woman here, pouring out her whole life before me. Are you willing to come to me in this same way? Will you be guilty of much also so that you can be forgiven much?"

As we turn to break our precious box of ointment over the feet of Jesus, there is a fearful hush in the heavenlies. Demons are holding their collective breath, their environs and very dominion teetering in the balance. As the ointment flows a mighty river of God’s love, forgiveness, and joy flood the spiritual realm. Magic and dark things flee away and we are saved. It is as if we have received forgiveness for the first time again. First love reigns in our hearts and we go away in peace.

“And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.”

It is at this point that we realize that the only things that were precious in our alabaster box have been retained and made sure eternally. All else was dross and was burned up in the firestorm of His presence. We have come to the startling revelation that... 'letting go' was the only way we could have ever kept... anything... ... ... ... Halleluja!!

Now, in light of the things that we have just discussed, let me restate my theory with a twist:

“He who realizes that he has been forgiven much... has been forgiven much”.
(the operative word here is ‘much’)

Will you agree in prayer with me?

Lord, work in our hearts today. Lord, it is not enough that You bring revival and first love to our hearts tomorrow. Bring it today. Lord, we bow before You right now with precious ointment and we are pouring it out before you. We have been guilty of much pride and unforgiveness which opens the door to bitterness and every evil thing. We cannot see clearly enough through the religious fog in order to figure any of this out. Just as you have said, the testimony of this precious woman has spoken down through the ages to our hearts and we cry out “Lord, God Almighty, we are undone. We are men and women of unclean lips. We cry out for Your mercy and we yield to Your tender loving Spirit. We have sinned and we are submitting all that we are to You.” It is Your work in the Spiritual realm that we seek, not another self help remedy, not more knowledge, but Your abiding and empowering presence. Thank You, Jesus. We will now go in peace as we know that You continue to indwell, to speak and to empower. Amen

Larry Grizzle (03/05/03)

"Damn it Captain, I'm a humorist not a political hack"

2009-05-11T10:53:00.001-07:00

Reference Quote...
Feherty...
"Despite how the conflict has been portrayed by our glorious media, if you gave any U.S. soldier a gun with two bullets in it, and he found himself in an elevator with Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and Osama bin Laden, there's a good chance that Nancy Pelosi would get shot twice, and Harry Reid and bin Laden would be strangled to death."

LOL... Feherty to PC Elitists... "Damn it Captain, I'm a humorist not a political hack" Have these people ever heard of hyperbole as a comedic technique? What morons and complete idiots these liberals are! No sense of humor whatsoever.

LISTEN TO THIS CAREFULLY. IT OUTLINES A BASIC MISTAKE THAT WE ALMOST ALWAYS MAKE AS CONSERVATIVES...
What their total lack of balance and extreme fanaticism does is... it lures us into the "I'm offended" battle just to make the opposite point. We should never allow ourselves to enter in to that un-winnable battle. No one, and I mean NO ONE, can "out-victim" a liberal! I am, however, offended by the double standard. No hyperbole could go far enough to describe the disparity!

On the other hand, I'm not offended by the Liberal's joke about Rush Limbaugh's kidney's either. It was hyperbole. Grin, bear it... (:-)~ THEN... STRIKE BACK! Stay on the offensive. Don't play their games... Like this... Hey, Nancy, You're using so much Botox, your face is looking more like your Buttox!... You get the point? (Oh... I forgot to use hyperbole!) (:-)~:::::::: (and what a disgusting thought... viewing either one, I mean)

Quiz: What Religious System Are You... (involved in)?

2009-05-11T06:15:00.000-07:00

Just a quick gut check for self examination only in order to make sure you are not trapped in a cult style religious system. Remember this is just a test. The FCC will not show up at your door. The PC or RC police will not come calling. Yo Mamma may slap you about your head and shoulders, however. If this happens you have way more to deal with than this issue... I'm just saying!

Let's start with a dictionary analysis of the word fascism... (now, aren't you excited? We get to look up words in the dictionary!! Wheeee!)

fas⋅cism
/ˈfæʃɪzəm/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [fash-iz-uhm] Show IPA
–noun
1. (sometimes initial capital letter) a governmental system led by a dictator having complete power, forcibly suppressing opposition and criticism, regimenting all industry, commerce, etc., and emphasizing an aggressive nationalism and often racism.
2. (sometimes initial capital letter) the philosophy, principles, or methods of fascism.
3. (initial capital letter) a fascist movement, esp. the one established by Mussolini in Italy 1922–43.
Origin:
1915–20; < It fascismo, equiv. to fasc(io) bundle, political group (see fasces ) + -ismo -ism
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.

Now, let's play a little game... Let's rewrite the definition like this...

fas⋅cism
/ˈfæʃɪzəm/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [fash-iz-uhm] Show IPA
–noun
1. (sometimes initial capital letter) a religious system led by a dictatorial leader that has reserved for himself or a controlling body dictatorial power, forcibly suppressing opposition and criticism through various means including, but not limited to, guilt and shame projection, the regimentation of all activity, relationship, etc., and emphasizing an aggressive church or spiritual pride and often voicing or tacitly projecting the idea of the superiority of "our system" or "our organization" over others.
2. (sometimes initial capital letter) the philosophy, principles, or methods of religious fascism.
3. (initial capital letter) a religious fascist movement, esp. the one established by in . (supply your "favorite" cult leader and location here)
Origin:
1915–20; < It fascismo, equiv. to fasc(io) bundle, religious group (see fasces ) + -ismo -ism
Based on the My Random But Accurate & Sometimes Discordant Opinions , © Random Pad, Inc. 2009.

Back away from the exercise for a few seconds, collect your thoughts, pray about it, put your truth detector cap on, (I think this is the one with a bill in front and back, printed all over with question marks and exclamation points in step and repeat fashion. I could be wrong) then, re-read.

Great exercise. Now, don't do anything rash. Pray and pray again and meditate and pray some more and apply the Scriptures and ask God about it. Whatever you do, allow God to rule in your heart, mind and spirit. But... no matter which way your exercise turns out, it can never hurt to know the truth. Some even say, and I won't mention any names (Paul) that it just might set you free!!

Larry Grizzle
05/07/2009

No White Roses Please

2009-05-11T06:11:00.000-07:00

No white roses please for tea
on this day that honors our mothers
No white roses, please, for me
Not for Christians... maybe for others

My grandma still lives, your grandma too...
Our mother's still live and with us in their sight
We'll live and work and play... for days but a few
Until it's time for our heavenly flight...

No white roses please. No white roses for me... or for you!

Larry Grizzle
05/10/2009

Obama the messiah?

2009-04-28T07:57:00.000-07:00

Check this out. You won't believe it. Well, given what we have already been through with this spiritually and mentally ill individual, you probably will believe it. Can you imagine what would happen if GWB were portrayed in this fashion? The inmates are running the asylum!! Grab your Bible and your weapon of choice... hold onto your wallet and prepare for the worst. Pray that it will be postponed but prepare for it.

www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=81073560823&h=RRDTF&u=mRbxr&ref=nf

HOW TO BE SAVED...

2009-04-28T06:29:00.000-07:00

THINGS TO KNOW...

1. God Loves You!...

John 3:16 - For God so loved the world (you and me) that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever (you and me) believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

2. God Cares What Happens To You!...
2 Peter 3:9 - The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count
slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish
but that all should come to repentance.
Hebrews 4:15,16 - For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let
us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

3. We should all come to repentance because we have all sinned. If we have done just one thing wrong or thought one single evil thought or left any good deed undone we have fallen short of God’s perfection. We are ALL guilty before God and the penalty for falling short is death.
Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned, and fallen short of the glory of God
Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal
life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

4. God has had Mercy on us and Has Bridged The Insurmountable Gap between us and Him. He has made the same way for all of us No Matter What We Have Done Or Who We Have Hurt. He has not waited for us to make the first move. He did not bypass His own standards of justice, which is death. He did it all for us before we even knew that we needed it...
Romans 5:8 - But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Hebrews 9:22b - without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin.
Galatians 3:13 - Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.

5. Our only response... The Only Way that we can enter into fellowship with God is through Jesus Christ. If you feel God tugging at your heart right now, this is the time that you must respond. There may be no other time... Now is the only time that we are assured of!
“2 Corinthians 6:2 - behold, now is the accepted time, behold, now is the day of salvation.”

NOW, HERE IS WHAT YOU NEED TO DO...

Romans 10:9,10 - That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be
saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

6. Just ask Him to come in and take control of Your life and He will. If you are serious He will be serious with you. If you just take what you know and honestly ask Him to save you, He will. There is still plenty to live out and to learn but you don’t have to know it all at this point, just fall upon His Mercy and He will never let you down! Jesus says:
John 10:9 - I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out , and find pasture
i.e. - You will never experience any greater freedom than in Jesus! He soothes your whole spirit, mind & body.
John 10: 27,28,29 - My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man
pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.

i.e. - You will never experience any greater security than in Jesus! It lasts for eternity.
John 10:10 - The thief (Satan) cometh not but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they (me and you in Him) might have life, and that they might have it
more abundantly.

i.e. - You will never experience any greater quality of life than in Jesus! It is fully satisfying with plenty left over for others. God will replace your stony heart with His heart of love and it will overflow to others.

If you have truly asked Christ to be the Lord of your life (i.e. the boss of you) He will never stop working with you to make you the man or woman that you know in your New Heart that you want to be (even if you screw it up). His goodness is now encoded into your spiritual DNA. This does not mean that you will never sin again but it does mean that you will never be able to stay in sin and enjoy it. He will convict and convince you of your continued need for Him and draw you back to Himself:

Philippians 1:6 - Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ

God Bless You and if you have any questions about this or need to know how to proceed from here, please comment here and I will bed glad to respond. Remember, no one has all the answers, and I surely don’t, but I know WHO to go to in order to find them if I can’t give an immediate answer. God Bless You! Also, please feel free to comment if you receive Christ, too. It could be an encouragement to others... (and I know it will be to me!)

You Can Have It All!

2009-04-28T06:15:00.001-07:00

Here is some very good news for you 60’s survivors (and everyone else for that matter)...

You Can Have It All!!

Matthew 20:1-16
1 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 and said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.' So they went. 5 Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, 'Why have you been standing here idle all day?' 7 They said to him, 'Because no one hired us.' He said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.' 8 So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, 'Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.' 9 And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius. 10 But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius. 11 And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, 12 saying, 'These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.' 13 But he answered one of them and said, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. 15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?' 16 So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen."

For those of us who were caught up and/or swept away in the 60’s as young people, here is some very good news... You can come to Jesus at any time and not lose out on a thing. You get it all! When you receive Christ, you experience Salvation. The Holy Spirit will dwell within you to help. You receive Spiritual Gifts. You are presented Eternal Life as a free gift. You can enjoy Intimacy With The Father. You gain the right to enter into God’s Presence Into The Holy of Holies! You are given the opportunity to be able to experience the Peace that Passes All Understanding. You get it all! So, don’t let anyone tell you it’s too late. Don’t allow yourself to reason that it is too late. Don’t allow Satan to paint God in your thinking as a man or as one who thinks and acts like men. DO allow yourself to believe and enter in. Depend on the goodness of God. Depend on the one who came to earth, lived a perfect life then gave that life as a sacrifice for your sins and mine. “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32) Your wages will be the same as those who entered in at the first hour. You get it all! Some who are still carnal and still think like men; those who do not really discern the goodness of God and who expect to gain salvation, blessings or intimacy by their own efforts, will not look favorably upon this truth. However, don’t let that derail you. Look to God alone. Men have not saved you up to this point. What makes you think any of their systems of personality cults will be able to save you in the future? Furthermore, men couldn’t save you if they would and they wouldn’t save you if they could. How’s that for tellin’ it like it really is? Here is how John states it in the book of the Revelation...

Revelation 5:1-5
1 And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2 Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?" 3 And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, OR LOOK AT IT. 4 So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it. 5 But one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals."

Did you catch that?! No one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll OR TO LOOK AT IT. I don’t think it can be stated any more definitively than that! Those who might trouble you as you are entering into the Kingdom of God, themselves, cannot even look at the scroll wherein is locked the disposition of the secrets of all the ages. No room for the old “one up” game here. Only the ONE who has paid the price is worthy and able. The ONE who has paid the price gets to make all the rules. Jesus says, come, and by the way, you get the full benefit. You get it all!

I don’t know what song you have been singing up to this point in your life. Whatever your life song has been or wherever the melody has taken you up ‘til now, you are invited by the ONE who makes all the rules to take up a New Song in your mouth: “And they sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation”. Then, as amazing and as unfathomable as it may seem and as impossible as it sounds... YOU GET IT ALL! We are on the precipice of the culmination of history. The scroll is about to be opened. The stakes are ALL or NOTHING. I am praying that you will choose ALL!! All barriers have been lifted. It's your choice alone. Drop the pride. Drop the self sufficiency. The weight will be lifted. The fire in your belly will be quenched. The Peace that passes all understanding will flood your heart and soul. The ability to Love will be restored. The ability to see and live life beyond yourself and your own interests will be granted.

Please just do this one thing... Ask Jesus to come into your life and He will start to teach you about ALL of the things that become yours. You will never regret it! It will be hard at times but always worth it. Just take the little bit of faith that you have and hold it out in your hand to Jesus. Yes, right now, if you feel led to do it... Visualize placing all the faith that you have into your palms and stretch your hands out to Jesus. Let Him come to you and take it. In His hands, it will become all that you need. In return for your faith, no matter how small, you get it ALL!

If you need to know more about how to accept Christ as Savior please go to my blog, www.themaddtheologian.com.

You will find a post that will step you through the process, but, please, don’t get bogged down in the details. Keep it simple. Just, with a sincere heart, cry out to Him and He will be there and He will be all that you need. He will teach you all that you need to know from that point on. Remember, you get it all including the indwelling Holy Spirit Whom God has sent to teach you ALL things. God Bless! You!

Revelation 5:6-12
6 And I looked, and behold, F38 in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. 8 Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, 10 And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth." 11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice: "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!"

Larry Grizzle
02/12/2008

Naked and Unashamed

2009-04-27T05:36:00.000-07:00

Naked and Unashamed

God wants to bring us to a place wherein is practiced a form of openness and
transparency that is without fear or shame; a place where we feel welcomed into His
presence; a place where we not only feel welcomed into His presence, but to a place of
intimacy that reaches beyond our mind. In fact our imagination is the enemy of this
purest form of intimacy because of it’s inability to comprehend and its tendency towards
idolatry. This place can only be described, in the Edenic sense, as psychological and
spiritual nudity. True intimacy with God can only happen when we decide to doff the
clothing that we are now wearing: robes of self righteousness; cloaks of judgment; many
colored coats of our own pious reckonings. When we allow ourselves to be drawn by the
Holy Spirit into a place of intimacy such that we are willing and able to discern these
things, then, and only then, will we be ready to become naked before the Lover of our
Souls. As we reach that place of total vulnerability before God, He begins the process of
clothing us with His Glory. We turn to God, not that we desire to be unclothed, but that
we desire to be clothed with His Glory, the indestructible nature of God, Himself! Oh, how we
long to be one with Him!!

He, too, desires our presence more than we can fathom. His heart aches to touch and caress us. He does not require perfection. He does not require that we have all things stripped away
before we stand before Him. He only requires that we recognize our need and turn. As
we approach, drawing near to Him, He draws near to us. As Eye meets eye, desire
overcomes our Bridegroom. He tenderly and lovingly begins to kiss and caress us. At
some point the clothing falls away, clear of the lover‚s embrace. As waves of Glory sweep
over us we cry out: “Holy, Lord God; Holy, Merciful and Full of Sweetness and Ecstasy
are You!! It is beyond our heart to contain Your Love. We are overcome by Your
Presence! We exalt in the Aromas of the Sweetness of the Master Perfumer’s art. We
are clay in the arms of the Potter. Our heart is malleable, laid bare to the reshaping of
Your strong, gentle hands. We are clothed upon of Your Glory, our clothing forgotten,
we are unashamed!”

Larry Grizzle (02/24/03)

Song of Solomon 1
The song of songs, which is Solomon's. Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine. Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee. Draw me, we will run after thee: the king hath brought me into his chambers: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, we will remember thy love more than wine: the upright love thee.

Hebrews 12: 18-24
You have not come to a physical mountain, to a place of flaming fire, darkness, gloom, and whirlwind, as the Israelites did at Mount Sinai when God gave them his laws. For they heard an awesome trumpet blast and a voice with a message so terrible that they begged God to stop speaking. They staggered back under God's command: "If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death." Moses himself was so frightened at the sight that he said, "I am terrified and trembling." No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to thousands of angels in joyful assembly. You have come to the assembly of God's firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God himself, who is the judge of all people. And you have come to the spirits of the redeemed in heaven who have now been made perfect. You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which graciously forgives instead of crying out for vengeance as the blood of Abel did.

Guard That Turf!

2009-04-27T05:34:00.000-07:00

Guard That Turf!

It’s almost as if we should have our own cadre of cheerleaders on the sidelines. It’s almost as if we were defending the goal line at the end of a championship football game. The stands are jam-packed and we can barely hear ourselves bark out the signals. It’s almost as if the whole game depended on this one play. In this next moment, this one point in time, our performance will mark eternal defeat and damnation or eternal victory and bliss. This one moment we must defend our turf with the weight of eternity hanging around our shoulders like brass shoulder pads. We are defending honor itself! We must not lose this one. If we do, we will have given up the first line of defense and will have fallen down the slippery slope of the pit of demotion and regression and we will have swallowed the bitter pill of defeat. We will have fallen from the principled stance upon which rock we have carved out a cleft wherein to stand. Therefore, our stance is solidified, our practiced, huddled plans ready, not only in our conscience thoughts but so well engrained as to have become part of who we are. We are ready, not only to defend but to become offensive in our defense. It’s quite simple… We must win!

What must we win? You know, we must guard our own turf. We have carved it out. It’s our specialty. No one else can have it. Didn’t we claim it early on? Weren’t we aggressive in attaching our flag to the pinnacle of the mountaintop? (See Note A) Now, it’s “King of the Mountain” time. No one… and I mean No One is going to knock me off my eagle’s perch at the summit! And what have I discovered is the best way to prevent such an incursion into MY territory, you ask? Don’t let “them” set foot on the foothills! Keep guard. Keep close watch. Know the turf. Live the turf. Be the turf! No encouragement allowed. It might place them on the path! It’s my path and my mountain! Isn’t this what we are taught as we grow up, if not in word, in deed? Isn’t this the fabric of our society? Isn’t this who I am?

All things, then, must fit into this paradigm. This is my life. Know it. Live it. Love it!.. (Stuck With It!)

Luke 18: 9-17
9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable:
10 "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
11 The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men--robbers, evildoers, adulterers--or even like this tax collector.
12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'
13 "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'
14 "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
15 People were also bringing babies to Jesus to have him touch them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them.
16 But Jesus called the children to him and said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
17 I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."

Proverbs 14:12
12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.

We do have a choice. Jesus died to make sure that we do. The "Religious" want us to believe that we don't, but we do! All we need to do is step outside the paradigm… Decide that we no longer want to play the Religious World’s or the World's game… Depend on The Holy Spirit for the courage and the strength to withstand the pressures both within and without and having done all… STAND! This doesn’t mean that there will be no battles nor does it mean that there will be no defeats in battle, however, a battle does not a war make. We must stand in the knowledge that God’s love and acceptance is unconditional both in victory and in defeat. As we go on renewing our mind in the truth it will set us free. God will interpret for us as we go, in the light of eternity, by the light of the Holy Spirit, therefore we will be set free from the oppressions of the present, even while in the midst of them.

So, what do we need to do to get started? Loosen the grip on our paradigm. God wants us to let go entirely but I believe that He understands that we are just flesh. By faith when we loosen our grip God begins to take it from us and replace our paradigm with His own. Remember the prodigal son? All he did was turn and walk toward the Father. What did the Father do? He RAN to meet His son! Just loosen your grip and God will meet you there. You ready for some fatted calf? Man, that sounds good to me! Let’s eat!!
… But beware of the older brother!!!

Note A:
"Now, it’s “King of the Mountain” time. No one… and I mean No One is going to knock me off my eagle’s perch at the summit! And what have I discovered is the best way to prevent such an incursion into MY territory, you ask? Don’t let “them” set foot on the foothills! Keep guard. Keep close watch. Know the turf. Live the turf. Be the turf!"

The only one qualified to play "king of the mountain" is God Himself. All others who try are placing themselves in God's place... The mountain that we are tempted to build to stand upon is one constructed out of fire and darkness and judgment but, God, because of the work of Christ on the Cross, has offered us Mount Zion, God's mountain of light and joy and hope. The one caveat? The fear of refusing to enter into the rest, joy and hope of our salvation and deciding to play king of our own mountain. This, we are warned, will bring down the fire of heaven. Yes, you may fear this. We may be very afraid of this!... For our God is a consuming fire!

Hebrews 12:18-29
18 You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; 19 to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, 20 because they could not bear what was commanded: "If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned." 21 The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, "I am trembling with fear." 22 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, 23 to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, 24 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. 25 See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? 26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, "Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens." 27 The words "once more" indicate the removing of what can be shaken--that is, created things--so that what cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29 for our "God is a consuming fire."

Larry Grizzle
(01/20/2009)

Crucify Again? Enter In Instead!!

2009-04-24T09:12:00.000-07:00

Crucify Again? Enter In Instead!!

Hebrews 6:1-6... 1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, 2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 3 And this will we do, if God permit. 4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

We are told repeatedly in the scripture by angels and Jesus to "Fear Not'... However, there is one place in the scripture where we are told TO fear... (except for the reverential trust of God type of fear which we are not discussing at this time) Here it is...

Hebrews 4:1 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.

We are to fear NOT ENTERING IN TO HIS REST. The book of Hebrews was written to the Jews of Jesus' day who were firmly planted in legalism, so, we can assume that the same remedies for the legalists of Jesus' day are applicable to legalists of our day. What is the remedy? Give it up. Enter in... & Rest. Our only fear should be and our only 'REAL' fear IS the prospect of not entering into His rest. If we do not enter in at the *proper time in our spiritual development then we are committing ourselves to another trip around that God forsaken rock of a mountain in the wilderness one more time...

So, this is one of the ways that legalists (me, at one point in time also) end up trying to crucify Christ anew... By not entering into His Rest!! His rest is available to you today. Unlike the children of Israel in the desert, if you decide to enter in today, you may. You don't have to Pass Go without collecting Two Hundred Dollars and go straight to legalist prison. Just, by faith, agree with God about where you are and ask Him to help you enter in... but stand back... One HUGE MOUNTAIN is getting ready to be hurled into the sea! Hallelujah!!! He is Risen... He is Risen Indeed and we are totally free! Hallelujah!!!

Food for thought... You do not Crucify Afresh, Christ by sinning... You Crucify Christ Afresh by not fully availing yourself of His forgiveness and transformative abilities by entering into and operating from His Rest!! This includes a lifestyle of repentance, etc. so don't get all exercised here, legalists. Just consider the possibility that you, as a Christian, can live 100% free in Christ. FOR, IT IS FOR LIBERTY THAT HE HAS SET US FREE!! AMEN & HALLELUJAH!!!

*(you know, after the School Master of the Law has done it's work in us. Some Christians enter in immediately. Some believe the evil reports of the majority of the spies who came back out of the land and concluded that "we can never defeat the giants")

Larry Grizzle 04/24/2009

The Unthought and The Unspoken

2009-04-22T20:33:00.000-07:00

The Unthought and The Unspoken

This subject is going to be a little bit hard to wrap our minds around. How do you even begin to write about the Unthought or speak about the Unspoken? Let me explain...

There are ghosts of thought that haunt us throughout our lifetime that remain unspoken because they are Unthinkable. Let me explain...

There are Unthinkable things that we think but don’t think because they are so ingrained that we, although we haven’t thought them are, nonetheless there and have been with us from almost the very beginning... They are part of who we are and they are too scary to actually think so they remain Unthinkable and, in turn, remain Unspoken. Let me explain...

These are eery and odd thoughts, suggestions and feelings that stir fear and cause stress. They produce underlying baseline anxiety that flies under our radar. Some of them cause physical pain and some cause psychological pain and even panic. Others just cause a prevailing sense of unease, distrust and paranoia. Let me explain...

I know that you know what I am talking about because the Bible tells us that...

“No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”
1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV

OK, so we are all on the same page, right? Everyone up to speed? You might want to stop and meditate at this point because this is pretty intense stuff.

The Devil likes to operate in darkness. He (don’t you hate to use Satan’s personal pronoun at the front of a sentence and have to capitalize it?!) starts with us early, even before we know what is happening to us... in childhood. He plants these thoughts, feelings, suggestions and forebodings into our mental and psychological makeup so that we are fooled into thinking that they are part of us. Satan is very intelligent. He was the most intelligent being next to God himself before the fall and may still be. (I’m unsure about the other angels like Gabriel, Michael, etc... Since they are still with God and have His power available to them 24/7, I tend to believe that they are more powerful than Satan at this time) But what we do know is that we, as human beings, are no match for him in our own strength. We also know, or should know as Christians, that we can literally “do all things through Christ who strengthens us”. Knowing this helps, however, where he (Satan) is still operating in darkness, our hands are tied. These ‘dark’ things remain The Unknown and The Unspoken things of our lives that haunt and torture us daily or periodically.

So, how do we handle these things? Well, I believe that the best way to handle them is to drag them all out into the light! But (and I can almost hear the tension in your inner thoughts as I write this) how can we do this if these things are the Unknown and the Unspoken?! Well, you aren’t going to like this answer... Know them and Speak them! I told you that you weren’t going to like it.

5.This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.
6.If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.
7.But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
8.If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
9.If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
10.If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.
I John 1: 5-10

So, how do we get rid of darkness in the shadowlands (the real world)? Well, we turn on the light. That’s all, but, If there is a closet in the room and we don’t open the door to the closet then no light can penetrate into that area. What we need to do is to realize that the closet exists and then open the door. As we clean out the closet more light permeates until the closet is perfectly clean and light permeates every part.

For the word of God is quick , and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Hebrews 4:12 KJV
Where this analogy breaks down is that a man made light bulb can never permeate every part. God can...

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
James 1:17 KJV

Given that all this is true (and it is), what stops us from following through? There are different things that stop us. The obvious answer is that these things are Unknown so they remain Unspoken, even in our hearts. So, how do we come to know them? Two ways... The Living Written Word of God and The Living God, The Holy Spirit.

For the word of God is quick , and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Hebrews 4:12 KJV

OK, let’s suppose that we are willing to open our eyes to know these Unknown, Unspoken things and we depend on the Living Written Word of God to tell us about them and we are relying on The Living God, The Holy Spirit to bring spiritual revelation to our knowledge. Why do we, sometimes, balk and fail to verbalize or to speak the truth from our mouths into our lives?
That’s a good question and there are at least a few good answers to it.

One, Pride. Our flesh, that sin nature that dwells within, the Devils favorite beach head in our lives will hang on to these things until the cords that bind are severed. This is an operation for the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. Too often we try to “handle it” by ourselves. The enemy loves it when we do this. He will just go deeper and veil himself as a “holy attitude” or a “religious conviction” or a “quirk of our personality”, etc... because our flesh is powerless to even perceive him and his work much less able to uproot him. If we sic the “holy” flesh on Satan these things will remain Unknown and Unspoken.

The Second reason that we, at times, don’t carry through with the process is Fear of Rejection or Peer Pressure. I’m going to make a statement here and I want you to mull it over before you decide to fire bomb my car or home... One of the worst places to ever bring something out of the dark into the light is at (are you ready for this?) Church! Many of you have experienced this. You are desperate to repent and the Holy Spirit has a hold of you and you need to ‘get it all out’ and ‘speak it’. You do. Somehow you get passed over the next time the Music Director chooses ‘saints’ to perform the special music. Maybe that Deacon appointment that was imminent just fades away without explanation. Maybe you are asked to be Youth Director and you start making plans knowing that God is in it and you are sitting in the congregation to hear someone else announced as the Your Director. You have just unknowingly pushed someone’s “holy flesh button” and they have effectively shut you out. I understand. I really do, It’s painful to be rejected just because you want to be transparent and learn to know and be like God, but it’s worth it! We are talking eternity here! Too often the Laodicean church of today tends to operate solely on a social/political level devoid of the Spirit and blind to spiritual things, relying not on the Holy Spirit but man’s fleshly religious/bureaucratic whim. That doesn’t mean that we have to look through these same spiritual glasses. Jesus says that He is standing at the door knocking and that if ‘any man’ opens the door that He will come in and sup with him and he with Him. What a wonderful promise! So, then, we don’t have to depend on man to define who we are. We can relax and let Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit define who we are. No one else has the right. No one else has the power (unless we give it to them). No one else has the wisdom, revelation knowledge or the intimate relational knowledge of our heart! In fact, we are not even capable of defining who we are. A committee of three, ONLY, have the right to define us! When we live in the light of this truth, darkness flees and we literally “Live in the Light as He is in the Light”. Hallelujah!!!

The Third way that I can think of that causes us to miss out on the wonderful blessings of Thinking the Unthinkable and Speaking the Unspeakable is Spiritual Bitterness. Remember the things that we just discussed regarding the Church? Many times we relate what happens at Church to our relationship with God. Just because God’s people do not treat us with love and respect does not mean that God thinks of us the same way. God accepts us and receives us unconditionally! He will not ever leave us, forsake us or shut us out. He is the one knocking! Jesus experienced all of these things in relationship to the “church” of his day, the Jewish Religious System and the Sanhedrin. Tradition, religious attitudes and ‘square peg in round hole-ism’ were all present in His day. In fact all of these things combined to kill Him. You know what? Maybe we ought to quit whining and move on, you think? Read this...

1.Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
2.fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
3.For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
4.You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin ;
Hebrews 12:1-4 KJV

Jesus endured all these things and much more. Paul, through these verses in Hebrews, is exhorting us to move on. In the light of eternity, he is exhorting us to keep our eyes on the ball so that we may achieve our main objective... to win the game. Not man’s game but the race that has been set before us by God Himself! Remember the movie “War Games” with Matthew Broderick? He, and his computer, ended up playing a computer game with the main defense computer of the DOD. He, at one point, asked the computer what its objective was. The computer answered... To win the game. Finally at the end of the movie he convinced WOPPER (the name of the computer) to play a game of Tic Tac Toe. The conclusion? The game is unwinnable! This one conclusion saved the whole world from nuclear annihilation. This is a great analogy for the religious games that man plays... They are truly unwinnable!! To come to this conclusion may just save you/me from spiritual deadness, ineffectiveness and for some spiritual annihilation!! So let’s run the race with patience, as Paul told us and... “Don’t become bitter at the religious folk”, Job might tell us. Just fix your eyes on Jesus; Paul chimes in. See who He really is and know Him so that you can pray for those who have religiously and spiritually abused you. Your fortunes will be restored, and, you know what? I’m not buyin’ it! The computer told a huge WOPPER! The game is winnable... in Him! “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!”

A Fourth thing that keeps us from recognizing and shedding the darkness is our Past History. As human beings we develop patterns in our lives. We do things a certain way because that’s just how we do them or we operate out of unique personalities. Sometimes these things are good and sometimes, bad. Many times they are morally neutral and it is what we think about the things we do that makes them good or bad.

19.Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.
20.Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble.
21.It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall.
22.So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves.
23.But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.
Romans 14:19-23 NIV

So, if we are brought up to believe certain things are wrong and we do them anyway, we are condemned in our own hearts which has the effect of keeping us in bondage. The only way to combat this is to know, believe and become doers of the truth...

31B. Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.
32.Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
John 8:31B-32 NIV

When we know and believe the truth it allows the dark things to be dragged into the light where they become Knowable and Speakable. When the truth is spoken into our lives to replace them, they are rendered ineffective. (even if some externally are still trying to jam our round soul into their square hole!) Here, again, NEVER let anyone define who you are except the Holy Trinity!
Listen to man; compare what he or she says to the scriptures; submit them to the Holy Spirit; Hear what He says and then go away from that Mirror knowing what sort of man or woman you are. No one has the right to define who you are except God! Got it?! Good.

The Fifth and final thing that I will mention that keeps us locked up inside is the enemy’s technique of Branding. Branding has been developed as a science in today’s society to sell more product, make more money and project “The Brand” as a ‘must have”. In a Branding campaign, the advertising agency focuses all of it’s resources that are given to the project on projecting the product to be superior in quality, therefore, causing other products, services or ideas to pale by comparison. Satan loves to Brand Christianity to Christians. He loves to hammer the message home to us time and again that we are what we have done, therefore, it has the effect of forcing us into a corner where there is never any relief, never any forgiveness and never any real release. One of the most effective Branding techniques is to pound the same message home time and time again. The ‘commercial’ may change but the tag line, jingle, and logo remains the same and what is job #1? Stay on message! Satan follows the script like a real advertising executive. Every failure that you have ever had will come at you and you will be internally Branded! How do we change this cycle of destruction? Just as in the ad biz... Rewrite the scripts, change the tag lines, create a new logo, compose a new jingle and stay on message!...

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Romans 12:2 NIV

There is another kind of branding that occurs. We have really already touched on it. The religious folk love to rewrite your script, change your tag line, re-create your logo, force a new jingle upon you and boy do they stay on message!. The world will do this, too, but we expect that from them but when we are wounded by “friendly fire” the wounds are most painful!!

David experienced this...

1.Listen to my prayer, O God, do not ignore my plea;
2.hear me and answer me. My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught
3.at the voice of the enemy, at the stares of the wicked; for they bring down suffering upon me and revile me in their anger.
4.My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death assail me.
5.Fear and trembling have beset me; horror has overwhelmed me.
6.I said, "Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest--
7.I would flee far away and stay in the desert; "Selah"
8.I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm."
9.Confuse the wicked, O Lord, confound their speech, for I see violence and strife in the city.
10.Day and night they prowl about on its walls; malice and abuse are within it.
11.Destructive forces are at work in the city; threats and lies never leave its streets.
12.If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were raising himself against me, I could hide from him.
13.But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend,
14.with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship as we walked with the throng at the house of God.
Psalms 55:1-14 NIV

Bottom line about branding... If you don’t allow God to Brand you, someone else will.

Just some examples of the inner attack of inner darkness...
Life isn’t worth living. We are just going to die.
The things that I do don’t matter, really.
All this is temporal anyway. Why put that much effort into this? No one will appreciate it.
God can’t love me. I’m just not good enough.
God never really meant for us to enjoy life, just to endure it.
I can’t go to Africa or to India to share the Gospel so my life isn’t important to God.
I don’t have the gift of evangelism and I can’t preach or sing so I’m useless.
People in my church don’t value me so, really, I am value-less.
No one would miss me if I were dead. What’s the use.

Here is a great passage of scripture, but, here is a warning... Do Not... and I repeat... DO NOT, allow any of these scriptures to become an indictment against you. If you haven’t experienced using any of these pieces of armor in the past, just read this scripture as a little child. Just admit to Father that you don’t understand. Admit to him that without Him you don’t stand a chance of understanding how to appropriate these defenses and weapons! He will come to you and He will interpret. Throw out ALL of the lists of ‘by the numbers’ approaches. Totally throw yourself upon the mercy of Father!! Relationship with Him is all we really have anyway. He will NOT let you down!!!

The Armor of God

10.Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
11.Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's
schemes.
12.For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
13.Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
14.Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate
of righteousness in place,
15.and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
16.In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
17.Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18.And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
19.Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel,
20.for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

In closing please allow me to mention again, what I perceive to be, the one point that I want you to go away with after having read this... NEVER let anyone define who you are except the Holy Trinity! Listen to man; compare what he or she says to the scriptures; submit them to the Holy Spirit; Hear what He says and then go away from that Mirror knowing what sort of man or woman you are. No one has the right to define who you are except God! Got it?! Good.

Larry Grizzle
04/22/2009

KOOK!!

2009-04-22T17:13:00.000-07:00

It's Earth Day... Time to worship Mother Gaia who was Born of CHAOS, and gave birth to PONTUS, the sea, and URANUS...

What A KROC-Of-Odiferant-KRAP!!! (KOOK)

Clean earth? We can agree on this and discuss.

This K.O.O.K?

Go sell Krazy Somewhere Else!!

A Christian Without Joy Is Like...

2009-04-22T16:47:00.001-07:00

A Christian without joy is like a milk cow without milk.
A Christian without joy is like a sow's ear without silk.
A Christian without joy is like a Brad Paisley concert without Mud.
A Christian without joy is like gold without glitter.
A Christian without joy is like a storm without wind.
A Christian without joy is like a gospel quartet without the bass singer. (LOL)
A Christian without joy is like day without the sun.
A Christian without joy is like the strong man at the circus without strength.
A Christian without joy is like Elvis without vibrato.
A Christian without joy is like a movie on a 13" TV with no surround sound.
A Christian without joy is like the roaring tide without surfers.
A Christian without joy is like life without anyone to live it.
A Christian without joy is like an archaeologist without antiquities.
A Christian without joy is like legalism on steroids.
A Christian without joy is like Wonder Bread... It helps builds anxiety 12 ways.
A Christian without joy is like a customer relations officer with no clients.
A Christian without joy is like a free falling sky diver without a parachute. (or prayer)
A Christian without joy is like fear of your father... he feels paralyzed with fear and alienated.
A Christian without joy is like a church service with no laughter.
A Christian without joy is like a funeral with no hope.
A Christian without joy is like hope without a funeral, burial and resurrection!

"Can't Touch This!"

2009-04-22T16:26:00.000-07:00

Praise Night Miracle

As I was sitting, playing my bass on our most recent praise night, a wonderful revelation swept over me with the force of a Mighty Rushing Wind. It was a simple thought. How blessed you are Larry Grizzle to be sitting together with your family (ALL OF IT)... Wife, Children, Grandchildren... Praising the Lord together with all our mights in the total freedom that the Holy Spirit gives... Free to allow God to be Himself in our midst... Free to express ourselves in whatever way the Holy Spirit prompts... Freedom for my granddaughter, Kali, to ask (and I paraphrase) "What happens to people that die and don't know Jesus?" And after she had it explained to her in a non-explicit way, focusing on separation from Jesus instead of the punishment which explanaion
was mete for a little girl, she asked... "Can I pray for them"? A grandpa's heart nearly burst out of his chest at that point. My granddaughter is not saved yet (in that I don't think that she has reached the age of accountability yet, having not reached even the tender age of seven)... However, She is already in the process of being saved. Our praise sessions involve the children and allow for their short of attention spans by our tolerance and love which is one of the great benefits of worshiping as a family and close friends. What an out of this world, other-worldly blessing and miracle this was! Deb has another story to tell about this night and I will let her tell it. When she does I will post it here. IT DOESN'T GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS!! I feel like MC Hammer... "Can't Touch This"! God Bless You!!

Madd Musings

2009-04-22T12:15:00.000-07:00

Madd Musings

Just a sittin' here a'ruminatin'...

Was it being disrespectful to the office of Chancellor if you called Hitler a monster?

Is it being disrespectful to the office of President of the United States when I call Obama
a satanically inspired fascist set up man for the anti-christ?

And, if I really pray for him really, really hard can I tell the truth about OBummer even if it isn't pretty or RC? (Religiously Correct)

And, when I pray for him can I pray that God would straighten the guy out or take him out seeing that one of my mandates as a Christian is to help protect the children, older people, widows and the helpless?

And is it wrong to make a difference between people, discerning that some, as Jude has told us, are beyond help?...

1.Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, To those who have been called, Jesus Christ: who are loved by God the Father and kept by
2. Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance. The Sin and Doom of Godless Men
3. Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints
4. For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.
5. Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe.
6. And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home--these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.
7. In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.
8. In the very same way, these dreamers pollute their own bodies, reject authority and slander celestial beings.
9. But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!"
10. Yet these men speak abusively against whatever they do not understand; and what things they do understand by instinct, like unreasoning animals--these are the very things that destroy them.
11. Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam's error; they have been destroyed in Korah's rebellion.
12. These men are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm--shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted--twice dead.
13. They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.
14. Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: "See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones
15. to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him."
16. These men are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.
17. But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold.
18. They said to you, "In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires."
19. These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.
20. But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.
21. Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.
22. Be merciful to those who doubt;
23. snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear--hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.
24. To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy--
25. to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

The Holy Spirit gives us the ability to 'Make a difference' between men. Some, having been given the gift of discernment and prophesy, will, in many ways appear to overly self indulged Christians, to be judgmental instead of discerning. We can obey the laws of the land and, as a Christian, I will... However, don't ask me to respect anything about Obummer or his ruling coalition... And, when I pray I will pray this way... that the Lord: 1. changes his heart OR 2. directs his actions even if it is against his own will OR 3. takes him off the scene altogether (quickly!... This having nothing to do with elections) OR 4. that the Lord will come back quickly to deliver us out of the coming holocaust which must, necessarily ( if they are not in some way thwarted or mitigated) follow this man's demonic policies.

I'm just saying...

If you disagree with this opinion, I invite your comments, but, please don't base it on your religious bent or solely on the bent of your gifting. Base it on what the Scripture and the Holy Spirit ARE saying. Thanx!

OBummer-ism & Journal-ism

2009-04-22T10:53:00.000-07:00

The political class and "journalists" (these don't exist any more, but just using the title here for discussion's sake) have tried to destroy every conservative President. By doing so and supporting Radical Liberal Presidents, they are signing their own death warrant as a profession. Fascism is the only logical end to OBummer-ism. When we reach that point the press will be told what to report, when to report it and what color of lace panties to wear while doing so.

On the other hand, Conservatives or Conservative journalists are not as vindictive as Liberal Fascists. Sure they kick up a fuss, but most identify themselves as 'commentators' and not journalists if they decide that they need to become activists. If the political shoe were on the other foot there would be some investigating, but, no prosecution and more of a statesmanlike 'let's get on with making this country great again' attitude. Case in point, the transition between Clinton and GWB... There was a little squawking but, after a short time, there was a 'let's get on with it' mode that kicked in. Problem with Liberal Fascists is that they think that others are like themselves. They don't understand justice, mercy, forgiveness or the concepts of Liberty. (No matter what color of panties they wear nor how much lace is on them)

2009-04-22T07:48:00.000-07:00

Q: Why did God not burn the Tower of Babel?

A: Silly! God doesn't 'smoke' ziggurats!!

I'm here all week. <[(-:)

Larry Grizzle (09/15/1985)

.......

.

2009-04-22T07:37:00.000-07:00

KOOK!!

It's Earth Day... Time to worship Mother Gaia who was Born of CHAOS, and gave birth to PONTUS, the sea, and URANUS... What A KROC-Of-Odiferant-KRAP!!! (KOOK)

Clean earth?... We can agree on and discuss.

This KOOK?

Go sell Krazy Somewhere Else!!

2009-04-20T19:14:00.000-07:00

Statement of Purpose & Blog Rules

I started this blog to be able to share my views on my Father, faith and politics. The politics are just an extension of my religious faith which is the case with everyone alive. Your god or God dictates your politics, so, they are inextricably intertwined.

One of the most critical things that I will blog about is our Super Ultra, Freedom in Christ and our Ironclad, Sure and Secure Relationship with Father, both of which are imparted to us through the presence of the Holy Spirit as He imparts His power, joy and peace. This is diametrically opposed to Churchianity, Legalism, Letterism, (Not David Letterism which is a whole different sin all to itself) Denominationalism, Gothardism, Casual Friday-ism or the last day at the State Fair when it always, always, ALWAYS rains!

I call the blog "The Madd Theologian" because I know that I must be Madd to think that I will be taken seriously having not been formally trained in the religious ideas of seminaries, Bible Schools, and other institutions of higher learning. In my mind this makes me (and you) uniquely qualified in that I just simply believe that the Holy Spirit is sufficient to teach us all things. This doesn't mean that I don't listen to the great minds of the faith. It just means that I don't listen to the little minds that are steeped in the "isms" mentioned above. (unless they have a valid Biblical, Spiritual point) I won't hold my breath and I suggest you do not either. The rules of this blog? Speak using Holy Spirit wisdom. No Kool Aid please. If I wanted to know which beats of a song were sinful I'd read Gothard. (I threw the red book out long ago with the fireplace ashes) Biblical truth, please, as validated by the Holy Spirit. I will trust you to do that just as you can trust me to challenge any point that I believe is steeped in Religion, Legalism, Letterism, Gothardism, Grumpy-ism... (what were the other two spiritual dwarf's names?) And I encourage bloggers here to do the same. Anyway, you get the point.

My tag line is: "What?... Me Worry?!!" Our freedom in Christ is so complete and our fate so secure that, there is literally NOTHING to worry about. Religious folk will try to draw you in to worship them. All they can do is force shame and guilt down your throat... and this, they will do.
Their agenda is based upon man's predisposition to make others worship them. It is up to us to refuse it and refute it. Jesus refused the sponge of vinegar held up for Him. I suggest that we refuse the "gall" that is offered up to us by the "Religious"!! (They sure do have a lot of gall!... I know, bad joke!... Get used to it) You will see it written here I am sure. Feel free to refute it! No, it is our responsibility to refute it! Many of them will hate us. No biggy. We allow the Father to define us, right? Not others, especially the religious. Did it ever occur to you that when Jesus was turned over to be crucified that he answered the religious "not a word", however, he answered the political authorities? What does that tell us about those who would distort the Gospel (Good News) about Jesus' purchase of our souls on the cross through legalism?! They have no authority over us! Absolutely not one iota of a jot or tittle of any authority over us. We are FREE, however, to refute ideas in order to make sure that the truth of our freedom remains intact for others. No, it is an absolute necessity!! So as your most gracious facilitator and total flake of a madd theologian, I grant you freedom to do just that, here.

Humor is not manditory but appreciated as the only thing life and death about this exercise is getting it right about our Freedom in Christ as an extension of our lives as lived in the real world. Don't talk religion here or you may not be well received, but, if you have a valid point, hang in there and state your case. If you don't have a valid point backed up by a good solid thought process led by the Holy Spirit, and Biblically based, then: "Don't sell crazy... We're all full up here!" (From "As Good As It Gets") God Bless You, and, let's have some fun!! <[-:)

You Could Be A Libneck!

2009-04-20T14:20:00.000-07:00

If you really think that spending more than you have is a really good way to get out of debt... You could be a Libneck!

If you believe that it takes a village to raise a child you may be a Libneck. (and probably the village idiot)

If you think that children in the public education system should attend school year round so that their indoctrination will be more completely invasive and more totally pervasive so that you can steal the children from their parents to indoctrinate them so that you will be enabled to institute your Frankensteinian social engineering strategies... you just may be an NEA card carrying Libneck!

If you really think that killing babies is better than clinging to a gun or a Bible... you ARE a Libneck!

If you believe that Christian beliefs should be confined to a person's own mind and heart and should never be shared in the public square and should never influence his or her political policies or beliefs... you are probably a Libneck (with grave fascist tendencies!)

If you think that the second amendment to the Constitution of the United States refers to the bearing of arms by militias only, then, you also systematically demonize all domestic militias, plan your own private domestic army, and, behind the scenes, plan for the confiscation of all firearms owned by private citizens while telling everyone the exact opposite... you are definitely a Libneck! (And have your sites set much higher than becoming emperor of the United States)

If you think that the borders of the United States of America should be left wide open for every Tom, Dick & Terrorist or Freeloader to enter as they please... You are a very serious Libneck (with a terminal predisposition to self destruction!)

If you believe that a one world government will be the answer to our problems and usher in utopia, you are a seriously deluded, mindlessly utopian and incurably Orwellian Libneck!!

If you float hair-brained leftist and destructive ideas just to see what the temperature of the political climate is while, all the while, intent upon imposing them on an unsuspecting U.S. citizenry at the very first convenient opportunity or in the next omnibus spending bill, you are a liar, cheat and a seriously subversive Libneck!!

If you believe that there is no objective moral law and that morality is a changeable concept governed only by the laws of evolution and contemporary moral consensus, you are just plain stupid... (If there is no God given, objective morality nor any God given objective laws, what are you basing even that theory on?!!) And a Blind, Moronic Libneck!!