DUAL BLOG POST TODAY!!

THE TONY BLOG

Strikes Again!! LOL

It's been a while since I posted anything here,so today, to celebrate the 50th blog I've written(thus far), I'm sending out a "Double Blog"package. For all you "DoubleMint" fans LOLEnjoy.  Mmm-mmm good!!
 THE MAKING OF A SUPERHERO

WELL, If you missed the two=hour Finale of Smallville, friends,
you missed an EPIC episode of Epic proportions!
Watching Kal-El/Clark fully come into his destiny
was just plain EPIC!!!
(ok, I think I got that outta my system lol)
Of course, we, as a family, have been watching
the show for the whole entire TEN seasons.In this final episode, Clark finally learns how to Fly. Most of the fans were thinking "It's about time!"
 One of the things I liked about Smallville, is
how you take this young boy from another planet,
plant him in a rural community on earth,
he discovers that he has all these amazing talents
under our yellow sun ...
then you mix the human element in his raising(the love & compassion from an earthly mom & dad),
the making and losing of friends,
the guarded secret of his true identity,
the struggles AND mistakes he makes along the way,the various trials and tests he endured, the challenges of meeting new enemies and howhe decides to take them on, whether to destroythem or convert them to the "good side",learning to understand and get along with Jor-El(his Kryptonian father); and couple all this with his journey to understand and accept
his ultimate destiny as 'savior' of mankind ... at least
on a small scale. Clark/Kal-El had to learn to work
with other "heroes" as they manifest,
had to learn how to hold on to his 'human upbringing'
while embracing his Kryptonian heritage,had to learn how to control his great powers, how to stay level-headed though becoming more and more powerful.
He had to learn to rely upon the humans to 'have his back',
realizing that, although immortal, he could not 'do it all'
and he needed help from time to time.
All Heroes do.
There is a quote by Aunt May in Spiderman 2 that
always impressed me:

Too few characters out there, flying around like that, saving old girls like me. And Lord knows, kids like Henry need a hero. Courageous, self-sacrificing people. Setting examples for all of us. Everybody loves a hero. People line up for them, cheer them, scream their names. And years later, they'll tell how they stood in the rain for hours just to get a glimpse of the one who taught them how to hold on a second longer. I believe there's a hero in all of us, that keeps us honest, gives us strength, makes us noble, and finally allows us to die with pride, even though sometimes we have to be steady, and give up the thing we want the most. Even our dreams.
 Well. Back to our 1st story.
Clark was changing from "The Blur" to  . . . Superman.He was getting closer and closer to his true calling, and NAME.I can't help it. I remember how I felt when I watched him,
he flew UP from the Fortress and sped-changed
into his super-suit . . . you see, he never donned
it before, and didn't fly before (much, except for
a few isolated incidents, which could have been
labelled "leaping" or "falling with style").
When he discovered "the power has always been inside"
of him, he not only was able to FLY but vanquish 3 bad foes!
All in one episode!
I know, it all sounds silly . . . it's just a myth,
a fable, a story created by 2 guys to depict . . . ummm
hmmmm . . . there are  some parallels here.
But I'll just leave it with Aunt May's comments
(I know, different universe)
-- but she says it best.
Heroes inspire us.  There's a hero inside of us all.
If I want things to change in this world,
then I need to change my world first.
Amazing.
What could happen if everybody thought that way?
Up, up and away!





Christians Judging???

I originally did not plan to finish my 3-part
blog on "Judging" (anybody remember that?)
but this is a good place to insert it.
After all, I can then segue into the subject
of "darkness", next time.  Like the subject at hand,
this is also a misunderstood thing.

You have people running around today
predicting 'the end of the world'
(as if Nostradamus and Tim LaHaye needed
any help with this)
and you have folks labelling other folks
and telling them where they will spend eternity,
like they know. And if it's not enough, then
we have 'self-appointed' judges ... "fruit-inspectors"
they call themselves, who go around blasting anyone
who doesn't 'live like they do' and live different
lifestyles and such.
My good friend and renowned evangelist,
Bernie Cull, who is now with Jesus upstairs,
calls these folks "fruit-bruisers", because
they do NOT walk in the Love of God!
One thing I can say about Bernie:
He always walked in the love of God!
And THAT really is the crux here, I believe.
'Christians' running around judging others,
exhibiting hate, really believe in a god of hate.
Missing Ingredient: The Love of God.
They take some isolated scriptures, out of context,
and out of "audience relevance" and try to
apply them to people without fully knowing the motives of said peoples.

God knows the heart.
I remember a preacher once saying that "Yes, God looks upon
the heart . . . but He also looks upon the clothes and the hair and the ..."
Whoa. Lift the needle off that Vinyl!
I'll cut that off right there. Whew!
Man, talk about "adding to" the Word!
The apostle Paul said once that he doesn't even
judge himself ... perhaps he was leaving all judgment
to His Master Jesus, who I'm sure does a whole heck of a better
job than we ever can.
"Don't you know that we are to judge angels?"
Paul also wrote that, to the Corinthians.
But notice: It is all in the context of examining our own hearts 1st.
 Once again, I refer to a song:
"I'm starting out with the Man in the Mirror".
Oh, I know, some could have a heyday just rippin' ol MJ
left and right, for supposed 'acts' he did.
Man. They were doing that when he died!
I said: Leave him alone! After all, he was exonerated,
and he is being honored for his life and his works and
his message, his music, the gift that he was.
See what I mean???
To some people, all I have to do is mention just the
right name, the right thing or event and something
in them goes OFF like a triggered time-bomb!
BOOM!

Jesus did not call us to be judges.
And that ain't one of our jobs!
(unless you work for the government as one of those type dudes in the black robe)
Jesus is the Judge.
And His judgment is done.
Read about it in John.
Read it about in Acts.
What is the judgment??  John 3:19
"This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.

And before Jesus was crucified:
John 12:31
" Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.
1 Corinthians 4:5
Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men's hearts; and then each man's praise will come to him from God.

Acts 17:31
"He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead."

Revelation 14:7 and 16:7
And he said with a loud voice, " Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters."And I heard the altar saying, "Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments."
 Many places where believers are encouraged to engage
in "judging", the term in the original should be
more properly thought of as "discerning" or "deciding"
not a final proclamation of doom or negativity.
Likewise, many places where it speaks of God's judging
it is a corrective, refining and punitive course of action,
not resulting in utter destruction. Revelation expounds upon it, denoting that the 'judgment'
was near and close at hand, i.e. within the specified timeframe
of the writings, to whom John was writing to.Of course, if one wants to know the truth, he'll study it out. Right?  James 2:13
For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy;
mercy triumphs over judgment.
AMEN!
***
That concludes my dual blog for this week.
This was a special "one-off" exclusive, brought to you by   The Tony Blog.
I have "judged" that I am now tired, and need to take a break.
You all have a great week, ya hear?

TONY ;)

Q & A Session

Today's bloggie is the written part of an audio

sermon I'm doing on the network in a day or so,

entitled

"Q and A Session"

"Q and A" meaning "Questions & Answers" of course.

Not that I'm God's "Bible Answer Man"

or some sorta stodgy moniker like that.

I just thot it would be very cool if I could

answer some of the questions that have

been sent my way, the past several weeks.

And that is what lies 'down undah' this line:

(TONY'S) Q and A Session

We will start our session out with 10 questions, and try

to answer each as briefly and sensibly as possible.

*Note: These answers are the results of years

of study, prayer and research. I myself having to

ask "the hard questions" behind the questions,

and meditate and pray and consult God and even others

for TRUE answers, not from the mind of men,

but from the Holy Spirit. Thus I will proceed now.

Q1.   Why do women never get enough credit for

     being just as powerful in their beliefs?

A. Whoa. I believe in "powerful women" lol.

No, really I do! And I think it's important to mention

that in the "olden days" amongst the Jews, women

were regarded as a "lower species" as it were.

As a matter of fact, there is this fable that Jewish men

prayed this way (often): "God I thank you, that You did not

make me a dog, a gentile, or a woman!"

Jesus Christ came, and He totally elevated the status of

women, everywhere! Just read the gospel accounts!

And, in the book of Acts, it mentions some "leading women"

of the city ... sounds like there were some "high-powered"

business babes back then!

Jesus boasted about the woman who anointed his feet.

Jesus commended the foreign lady who wanted her child to be healed.

Jesus praised the woman who practically crawled up to Him,

just to grab a corner of his dangling prayer shawl, to obtain her healing!

So ... Know This, Jesus notices!!

Q2. How come God was mean in the Old Testament? 

He had people slaughtered including babies.

A. Thanks for this one. Just discussed this the other night

with a family member. God's character cannot be "wrapped

up" or explained by a few random acts of vengeance in

the OT. One has to see the "bigger picture", and God

always does that before the rest of us!

Let's look at it this way.

You have invested a LOT of time in your family.

A lot of money, time, love, teaching, instruction

training, etc etc etc.

Along comes this enemy to threaten your family,

not physically, mind you, but to "poison" their beliefs,

their inner core beliefs.

What would you do? You would get rid of those

enemies and make sure your family was safe.

God saw that those rascals would

never change and He eliminated them. He also knew

that even their very babies were gonna "carry on the tradition"

of wickedness, and  spread their poison abroad.  They're all dead,

that's all. Probably had to go through some "remedial purging"

of being stupid dummy-head idiots, but just the same.

GOD PROTECTS HIS OWN.

After all, God had to have a "pure" nation, through

which to bring forth the Messiah.

And The Rebels???

He knows how to take care of them too.

So don't get too hung up on it, God knows what

He's doing ... "His judgments are true and righteous altogether".

Q3.    God knows the beginning from the end.  So how come he created satan and the garden of Eden, really because of his temptation was gone and now we have so many trials and hardships and have to work with the sweat on our brow or 
something like that?

A. Long question. OK. One point at a time.

Yes, God knows all. He created "the evil one" for the day of evil,

and I believe that God knew full well that man would sin and

everything He did according to plan and was never caught off guard.

Some say man was "a perfect being", but he most likely would not

have sinned if he was perfect! So the potential was there, and

God already had planned the Savior to come, before the foundation

of the world. Now trials, suffering and hardships is almost a different

subject. SIN caused a LOT of pain and suffering, but Jesus took

care of ALL SIN on the cross!

"Eating your bread by the sweat of your brow" was part of the CURSE,

but we are freed from The Curse of the Law, when we accept Jesus

as our Lord and come into the Kingdom of God, and stop living under the Law!!

Q4. Can satan be forgiven?

A. Oooooh, good question. Most of religion out there will tell you emphatically,

NO. But the question should really be this:

Did not Jesus destroy the evil one? Yes.

But ... if he does still exist, is anything too hard for God?

There are many in the body of Christ today that believe

that "satan" is not a title or a name of a person, but

a description ... i.e. the word means "adversary".

And thus, it could refer to a lot of people, or entities.

Let's just remember this:

If you believe that satan is a 'real person', that

Jesus says that he was "the father of lies, a murderer, a thief"

from THE BEGINNING.

He wasn't some fallen angel who had a magic mirror.

Don't call him Lucifer ... he does not deserve that title!

So ... answer? God has already forgiven the jerk.

Q5. Since Jesus had to die was Judas predestined to do that job of betrayal?

A. God foreknew what was gonna go down, and He had the OT prophets write about it and all, and Judas didn't have to die, he chose to. Jesus was constantly reaching out to the Dude, but Judas was preoccupied with his Zionist Mindset. He just couldn't make the puzzle pieces fit. So he decided to off himself instead.

Q6. Can we fellowship with gays, etc. and does God

condemn them for being ‘strange’ the way they

are (different sexual orientation)?

A. Wow. I'm so glad this one came up, and I'm not afraid to take it on.

So glad you brought it. Jesus ate with "sinners and tax collectors"

and sometimes it seems he did things to literally piss off the religious

characters of his day. We are in the world. We are ambassadors.

All kinds of people need love. Gays are people.

Oh yes, they are. Their main need is LOVE.

If you don't realize that, you need your spiritual heart checked.

We are NOT to condemn them, Jesus does not.

Jesus did NOT curse the gay population with AIDS or HIV.

That's cruel and ludicrous.

There's a whole lot I can say ... remember the lepers??

How did people treat them?

Didn't Jesus "touch" them?

Hmmmm. Have you ever prayed for one who did have

the plague, and he or she got healed??

If the thought of all this repulses you or makes you uncomfortable,

then pray for the Love of God to overwhelm you. Pray for

the wisdom of God to know how to handle it, er I mean, THEM.

Q7. How should we conduct ourselves around people who are gay, etc.??

A. Like the answer above, with THE LOVE OF GOD.

We should never be phony, hypocritical or pretend to be something we ain't.

Gays will see right through you, because many of them have fine-tuned

senses and can smell a fake a mile away. So, my advice?

Just be yourself. IN Christ. And be loving.

Who knows? They might even listen to you.

Q8. Creatures such as Gargoyles have adorned many churches...

why is this and where did they come from? Are they ‘Alien’ too ??

A. Being an artist myself, I have to appreciate many types of art and artforms.

Now that doesn't mean I "like it all" and have some in my house!

The Gargoyles were depictions of early demonic beasts or entities

that represent dark forces that many true believers had to fight,

resist, endure or stave off in some way. Yes, they look fierce

and mean, but so do "religious spirits". So in that sense,

I'm not surprised that they're on the tops of church buildings ;)

Aliens? Maybe ... been told that there are friendly ones and scary ones ... ;)

Q9. Was Japan being judged by God??

A. I actually blogged about this recently, and my answer is a resounding NO.

God doesn't judge the innocent for just being there. The USA and other

countries have bombed 'the innocents' before in the past, until we discovered

'smart bomb' technology, and we are a little less haphazard about it.

But God ... who is RICH in mercy ... He doesn't have a beef with Japan.

The fact that He allowed the earthquake and tsunami does NOT mean

He sent it!! It means that the earth is still groaning, and the sons of

God have not all yet been revealed to the point that the groaning

can stop. Maybe the worldwide "bitching" that goes on between

nations can stop, and that would help a lot. But that's my opinion ;)

***And Lastly, those of you who don't like controversy, you
can skip this next  and last question***



Q10.   Is Jesus really coming back the 2nd time?

A. This is and has been a very difficult question to

answer, as much of the church believes that Jesus said

He was coming back, and "angels" said He was coming back,

and people say they have plenty of scriptures to support their view.

IT IS THE VIEW of this writer that Jesus has indeed come back already,

just as He predicted ... but one must follow the Greek languages

discovering that the word we translate as "coming" is really

"presence"; and that Jesus did come back to do exactly

what He said would be done in Matthew 24. Students of the

scriptures should realize the concept of "audience relevance"

and much that Jesus said in those days applied only to

those people standing there and listening. Also, in the book

of Revelation, the writer stresses repeatedly the concepts

of "what shortly must take place" or "soon to happen"

or "very soon" and other words to that effect. If

the events that were prophesied were 1st and foremost

dictated to these first listeners and recipients, but the

same words would not be fulfilled for many centuries later,

then the prophecies make little sense.

Also, one must also know, that in apocalyptic literature,

"clouds" almost always refer to judgment. Jesus returned

through the judgment of God, and the old temple was destroyed,

the priesthood and sacrifices were ended, and the whole OLD

system was abolished and done away with.

When I read about "The Parousia" (His Coming/Presence),

I see that there are many! He comes to all those who believe.

He makes His home inside of them through the Holy Spirit.

He promised in John 14-16 that we would not be as orphans,

He would "come to us". And He did. Pentecost.

Then, let's read the end of Revelation with the mind of the Spirit,

and KNOW that the Revelator is talking about "God dwelling

amongst men" ... and that WE are that Great City, the New Jerusalem.

Now ... I realize that many will disagree with this premise and have

a different view. But I would ask you to re-consider what the scriptures

actually say, and leave Schofield and other so-called commentators

out of the mix. There is a whole LOT more to expound upon, regarding 

this question. There is a whole LOT more to prove.

Get rid of the carnal reasoning, open up to the Spirit.

*************************

OK. I probably made someone mad just then, but

remember The Tony Blog isn't about getting everybody

to agree with me, or I with them. And not afraid to be radical

and different, and controversial.

So, for those who are still with me, love me and/or tolerate me (lol)

I will continue on. And hope to see you too!

*Next Time: Continued study on Judging & Judgment*
STAY TUNED.
OVER but NOT Out!
TONY ;)

Why Churches Suck: The Nasty New Taste of Funda-gelicalism.

Why Churches Suck: The Nasty New Taste of Funda-gelicalism.

HATE HELMETS

KNOW ANYBODY THAT JUST 'HATES' ???

PRAY FOR JAPAN.






OK.Probably NOT the usual way to start a blog.But this one, I feel very very passionately about
and it is very very serious.
We have all seen the news.We have watched the horrific pictures and videos.The devastation.Tsunami rolling in, almost in real time.Ships being run aground.Cars, Vans, Trucks and other vehiclesfloating away like they are toy boats.Houses dislodged from their foundationsand floating away.And ... worst of all ...LOSS of Lives.
THIS is a message to all the people in this countryand throughout the world that just "hate".And like to spew out words of judgmentall the time. Every chance they get.Targeting certain people=groups or ethnic groups.Or ... ranting their racist rhetoric.Today, I, Tony, begin a series on hate and judging.This is the 1st blog in the series.Thus the Title:

TAKE OFF YOUR HATE HELMETS!!!

GOD did NOT send the disasters upon Japan!No ... on the contrary.I have yet another theory.There is still evil in the world, many timesmanifesting itself through words.Many people voicing and repeating certainkinds of words, negative words, spoken with malice ... it has an effect upon the atmosphere. The words do not go away,they eventually LAND, and target the innocents.
Like JAPAN.Here's a nation of people who are, for the most part,gentle, hard=working, and offer many things tothe rest of the world. They have been responsiblefor technologies and products that you & I useon a daily basis.Yet ... there are some people in this world, whohave 'no use' for the Japanese, or who may havenever forgiven them for 'Pearl Harbor' ... andyet we incinerated two of their cities.Yes, we are a far more civilized nation indeed. People say that 'they' are heathens or worshipother gods, and they 'deserve' this.We are too quick to pass judgment(s) anddon't know what we are doing. We don't realizethat our very words can have a catastrophic effectupon human lives, upon the very earth.
Anyway, here you have a 9.0 earthquake hit Japan last week.The result of such a tremendous force shook the very wavesthat they sit upon (for Japan is surrounded by waters,like an Island) ... and then BOOM! Tsunami!!
Through all of their suffering, all of the damage,all of the wreckage and LOSS,there has been NO LOOTING and NO CRIME ...just patient people awaiting word of loved ones found ...dead or alive.
We had a natural disaster in this country (USA) recently,called 'Katrina' ... what did our citizenry do?Loot ... crime ... destroy a stadium used for shelter ...and other atrocities.Wow. Big Difference.And yet some folks have the audacity(or is it 'stupidity'?)to lambast, accuse and judgeand picket with placards ...signs of HATEsigns of JUDGMENTas IF these type peoplereally really know the true character and nature of The Almighty??





By The Way, A judge ruled in a court case (that was against what these guys do)that they are protected in what they do by the 1st amendment, blah blah blah.Double standard though. We have people who want to enact 'hate crimes' andarrest those who speak against certain groups, and yet these 'Baptists' areallowed to spew out their venomous hate and judgment.What the worst thing about all this IS folks ain't gettin' the truth!!GOD ALMIGHTY does NOT hate people!! Period!!!His Judgments, although for the most part are OVER,those that are IN the Earth, are "righteous altogether".
{ I will be writing upon this subject further.There is a lot to say, and the record must be set ... STRAIGHT.}
HELMETS are something people wear upon their heads, to protect their heads from HARM.They also represent MINDSETS, and STRONGHOLDS of thinking, that peoplewant others to think HATE and JUDGMENT and thoughts that are WICKED.The HELMETS have got to come off!!Quick! If someone has placed one upon your head,THROW IT OFF!!TO THE LAKE OF FIRE!!TO BURN AND NEVER RETURN!!!
You might think this is crazy, but it is TRUE.
DO YOU really think that God 'hates':
*Fags*America*Soldiers*Muslims*Jews*Japanese*Other Races*'Your Tears'???
I hope that your answer is a resounding  NO.
Next week I will be discussing more on the subject of JUDGING.BE THERE. ALOHA.
peace be with youTONY ;)

---

A Lesson From BOROMIR

THERE ARE JUST CERTAIN WEEKS  that one finds himself

so entirely busy, so bogged down with a workload, bogged down

with news from this front and that front, so feeling bombarded

on all sides ... like you're Boromir in Lord of The Rings, taking

arrow shot after arrow shot ...

Ever had one of those weeks? 
Well, I've had several! 
And when you have "news" hit you, like a wave, 
"news" that may be a 
'heavy revvy' ... an enlightening but shocking truth ... 
or you just found out

that your best friend or favorite relative 
has been lying about you ...

It can be devastating.

No. I am not going to tell you what I have been 
through the past several months. 
Not yet.

Perhaps when I collect it all, 
sift through it all, "digest" and analyze

it all with the proper words, in the proper setting, then. 
Perhaps.

In the meantime, 
I will forge on.

I will continue to do the music that God gives me, do the video

work that I'm assigned, produce the artistic endeavors and assist

up and coming talent, write amazing and thought-provoking blogs

and still love my family and raise my kids and receive love from my

wife and be used by God to be a LIGHT to people all around me,

I trust ... continue to TRUST My God, the one and only True Living

God, and preach the Gospel of Grace, that God does NOT live or

dwell in edifices made by human hands but IN HIS PEOPLE.

We ARE the Temples ... We are the CHURCH, we don't "go to it".

I WILL CONTINUE to tell people that GOD IS LOVE, in spite

of wars and rumors of wars, in spite of the economy up and downs,

in spite of the price of gasoline, in spite of who is in the Oval Office,

in spite of some wicked despot ruler's activities across the pond,

and in spite of tons of religious, so-called "well-meaning" christians

who want to send the majority of the earth's population to judgment

and wrath for all eternity!

LOOK.  JESUS has NEVER, 
No, NEVER ever, ever, ever FAILED ME.

Nope.

I may have failed Him, but never He to me!

Sooooo, some believe that God and Jesus failed, somehow.

I can soundly say that THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD

DID NOT FAIL when He reconciled ALL MANKIND and set them ALL FREE

from SIN.  Yes. That's what I said. FREED ALL from SIN.

You see, the religious world wants you to believe that God tried ... He just didn't

quite succeed in getting all reconciled, and sadly, "all won't be saved". Puh-leeeze.

Folks need to read their Bibles again, and reading in context.

Romans.  2 Corinthians.  First John.  That's just for starters.

Folks start saying junk like, "Well then, everyone is going to have a license

to do as they please and just keep sinning and then go to heaven, right?"

They say it like it's some kind of joke.

GRACE is a power from God, it is the opposite of license!  Sheesh.

Some don't even understand GRACE, and want to keep you from

knowing about it and "wielding it." Me O My O.

The WHOLE WORLD is now dead to sin. Because Jesus took sin,

nailed the whole thing to the cross, took the rap sheet, took the

punishment, and satisfied Almighty God and satisfied wrath.

The whole world goes free ... because of Calvary.

"Dead to Sin" ... Alive in Christ. Only problem is, they all don't know it yet.

Did you know that "the free gift of righteousness" is available to all??

Go Back and read The Book again. Read it with the "glasses of Jesus".

++++++++++

IN THE END,  Boromir fought to protect Merry and Pippin, and indirectly, Frodo

and the Ring.  He once was tempted to take the Ring. He later said he

did not understand. He once rejected the idea of Gondor having a king,

and certainly rejecting Aragorn as that potential king. Now with "many arrows"

in his body, he did get over himself, having fought the good fight ... and he finally

recognized the True King (Aragorn).

I love his last words:

"I would have followed you my brother, my captain, my king!"

And with that, I'ma sayin' that Ima gonna keep following Jesus, my captain, my King ...

regardless of what the rest of the world does, regardless of preachers

denying his deity, regardless of folks telling people lies, or folks lying

on others or folks giving up and lying down! Doing nothing is not

the answer!  Giving in to discouragement or depression accomplishes

nothing! The LOVE OF GOD constrains me, motivates me, drives me

to fulfill "my density", er, I mean MY DESTINY and by that 
SAME GRACE 
(I mentioned earlier) 

I WILL reach my goal!

It's just ...

I like to travel that road with no arrows 
stickin' in me.

UNTIL NEXT TIME

I REMAIN

TONY ;)

God Is NOT a Control Freak

GOD IS NOT A CONTROL FREAK ...
BUT HE IS IN CONTROL!!!

I have been wanting to write about this subject
for a long, long time.
Ever since I got hooked up with certain dudes on Facebook,
who shall remain nameless here ...
They have been telling folks in no uncertain terms
just exactly what GOD is like.
I, for one, am not going to pretend that
I fully understand the Almighty,
so I was willing to learn.
But then, the more I read what these guys wrote,
the more confusing it all sounded.
These dudes seemed to have it all figured out,
and were happy with the outcome of what they believed.
I WAS NOT. 
"Sorry." >>> No, Not Really.
I wasn't buying all of it.
And I wasn't allowed to just accept
part of the doctrine, and reject the rest.
Nope. I wasn't swallowing it.
Now, let's see if I can put it all in a nutshell.
THEY SAY:
God is SOVEREIGN.
God controls all, knows all, and causes all things, period.
He created "evil for the day of evil"
and he also created the evil one.
{OK> I accept that last part about evil and the evil one.
And that God KNOWS ALL}.
To continue: They say that God
causes all the ugly and evil and catastrophic
things to happen on earth,
since "free will is a myth"
{I believe "free will" is overstated, yes}
and that satan is not a "rogue" being
who has free reign to do whatever he pleases.
{that true, he does not}
AND God does ALL these things for His own
higher purposes and we should never question
or doubt Him on these things, just accept
it as part of our life here on earth.

THERE. That pretty much sums up what 'they' believe.

NOW ... HERE'S WHERE I DIFFER FROM THEM:

I BELIEVE that GOD is a benevolent God,
who does not wreak havoc on the earth,
who does not send evil upon people
to "teach them a lesson"
{barring all judgment/punishing/chastising/purging for now}
-- especially upon His children.
God no more would send sickness, disaster, tragedy
or the like upon His child even as an earthly
parent would never do such!!
This "God" was then pictured to me as
a  confused and criminally insane or split (at best)
control freak, who cannot make up His mind
what He wants to send upon His children!
{It's no wonder insurance companies fashioned
the "acts of God" clauses!}

NO, NO,  A THOUSAND TIMES, NO!!!
What these philosophical postulators
don't talk about are the following:
THE GOODNESS OF GOD
THE GIFTS OF GOD
THE BLESSINGS OF GOD
THE PROMISES OF GOD
THE POWER OF GOD
manifest to all of His children!!!
Please allow me to quote some other brethren
from Facebook and then I will close.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Does God really micro-manage our lives????

by Noah Jefferson Cooke on Sunday, December 19, 2010

"This question is something I've been pondering for awhile now. 

We know that all of  God's will  for mankind will stand.

We also [know] that  Jesus will triumph in the end and that HE will save ALL mankind. These are HIS ultimate purposes.   BUT does GOD need to micro-manage our lives to accomplish
His ultimate purposes?

Is every event decision in our live preordained? 

Or consider this:

Perhaps it is possible that God will save all mankind in spite of itself.  God is powerful enough . . .

he doesn't have to micro-manage every event of our lives to do this. 

We all make good and bad decisions .

That's just it, they are our decisions.

  

Proverbs 16: 9.
A man's heart devises his way: but the LORD directs his steps.
Proverbs 19: 21.
There are many devices in a man's heart;
nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.

 But God will save us all despite our bad decisions.

 He doesn't have to micro-manage our lives  to do it.
 In other words
DON'T GIVE GOD THE CREDIT OR BLAME, IF YOU WILL,
for our own screw ups.

 **********

"If there is but one thing in the world that is not of God, then it does not require much proof that all things are not of God. If but one thing is not God's will,
then there may be other things which are likewise."

-- Rick Farwell

 ************

{The following excerpt is from Jerry Bowers}

"Who could handle being plastered with so many scriptures, and not just be overwhelmed into agreement? Only those who are unfamiliar with these, and so many other scriptures that at the very least prove that God does not God ordain, dictate, call for, command, cause, perform, and control, bring about every word, action, deed, thought, decision and/or response of man.

 [The following verses are mostly spoken by God Himself,and are not part of the 9 or 10 passages that False Sovereignty of God people use, which I have left OUT on purpose for article brevity].

Deuteronomy 17:3 “and hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded”

Deuteronomy 18:20 “But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die”

Jeremiah 14:15 “Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the prophets that prophesy in my name, and I sent them not, yet they say, 'Sword and famine shall not be in this land'; By sword and famine shall those prophets be consumed”

Jeremiah 19:5 “they have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spoke it, neither came it into my mind”

Jeremiah 23:21 “I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied”

Jeremiah 23:25 “I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed” 

Jeremiah 27:15 “For I have not sent them, saith the LORD, yet they prophesy a lie in my name; that I might drive you out, and that you might perish, you, and the prophets that prophesy 
unto you”

Jeremiah 29:9 “For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, 
says the LORD”

Jeremiah 29:23 “Because they have committed villainy in Israel, and have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives, and have spoken lying words in my name, which I have not commanded them; even I know, and am a witness, says the LORD” 

Ezekiel 13:6-7 “They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, The LORD said: and the LORD has not sent them: and they have made others to hope that they would confirm the word. Did you not seen a vain vision, and did you not speak a lying divination, whereas you say, The LORD said it; albeit I have not spoken?”

Micah 3:5 "Thus saith the LORD concerning the prophets that make my people err, that bite with their teeth, and cry, "Peace!"; and he that putteth not into their mouths, they even prepare war against him" 

Romans 8:7 “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be”

James 1:13 “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone."

 -- Jerry William Bowers Jr.

To read more from this author,and view the "other verses"

please visit his site:

http://1-revelation.com/FalseSovereigntyofGod.aspx

*****

OK. This is a deep, heavy subject and I

simply wrote a few paragraphs on it.

AND I didn't mention the passage

from Romans 8  that these FSOG dudes use.

But hopefully, I helped clear out some of the mud.

UNTIL NEXT TIME

BYE FOR NOW!

                                        TONY ;)