Why I hate Halloween

Disclaimer:
I write this not to condemn anyone or even change the minds of those who are inclined
to celebrate this "holiday" ... these are my own thoughts and beliefs, you may share them,
or not. If you don't agree with me, that is perfectly fine. That is your choice. I just had to 
describe why I feel the way I do. Again, no condemnation if you disagree.  TONY. 

I have several reasons why I and my family do not celebrate "Halloscream" (as I call it),
and many reasons why I feel the way I do about this so-called "holiday". There is a whole
entire history that I could delve into, the origins of Halloween, Samhain, etc. But other writers have already gone there. I'm just going to share my feelings and beliefs, and well,
Here I Go.

SCARE FACTOR

I was raised up in Christ to believe that God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power/love/sound mind. That my thoughts should line up with Phillipians 4, the "think on these things" passage. I don't have the time or desire to clutter up my brain and soul with fear, howbeit be generated by media or by people or other stimuli. I have also watched little children be actually TRAUMATIZED by experiencing real fear, by entering into this or that spook house. I have watched parents laugh about the episode, while the child was visibly shaken up. FOR REALS. I don't think it's funny. I think any child, between the ages of 0 and 7 should never be exposed to such an ordeal.
We as a society have desensitized our children, and ourselves to evil. We have called "good, evil" and "evil, good". We create images of monsters and other creatures, with blood and gore and guts, and then present it to our children, as if it is NORMAL. Oh, it's OK, it's only once a year. Yeah, right. When I was growing up, "trick or treat" was usually harmless (except for the warning stories we heard about razor blades some whackos would place in apples) . . . but there was not a penchant for ultra-scary or horrific costumes and the like.
Also, notice how all the horror flicks/slasher films start to come out of the woodwork in October. Great genre, right? I know some peeps who just watch this junk and then laugh about it. Man, I was bothered when they had Alice Cooper in one of these films, and he was plunging a spear into somebody's body. That bothered me. I mean, I like Alice. I never thought of him as that macabre. I knew his shows were all an act.
Churches like to bring out their haunted films to scare kids to accept Christ. They drag in their productions of "Heaven's Gates/Hell's Flames" or even "Judgment House", and it all just glorifies the devil. All of this is crap and isn't even necessary.

GLORIFYING THE DARKNESS

So, once a year it is AOK to worship or, er, I mean publicize and focus on the powers of darkness. Ghouls, goblins, witches, demons, zombies, dead people, tombstones and cemeteries, blood and gore and guts galore. Hey, it's ok, its just ENTERTAINMENT, right??
I refer you back to the Phillipians 4 passage:

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."

It's like this folks:
There was this big to-do about backward-masking, once upon a time.
Petra had the best response to it. They recorded a short message on the beginning of one of their tunes, Judas Kiss. It was a message recorded backwards.  You had to play the vinyl backwards to get the 'forward' meaning:
 "Why are you looking for the devil when you should be looking for the Lord??"
 Brilliant. The question makes the point. Why are good people, good christian people focusing on and spending any time on the powers of darkness?? Unless it is to expose them and to defeat them?? There's already enough darkness in the world, without having to drag it back into our own lives.

DRESS-UP, PARTY AND CANDY

These traditions of Halloween, I've discovered, came over here mainly with the Irish.
Certainly things have evolved since the days of Samhain, and the actual horrendous
traditions that has come to be known as "trick or treat".  But hey, there's nothing wrong with having some FUN ... dressing up, and binging on candy and sweets etc. Nothing wrong with an occasional sugar-rush, right?? Except for those who are watching their quota of dental caries. But I'm always up for a good party. Bring it on. It's just . . . we can do this any day of the year. Why "that day"?? Why October 31?? Why during the biggest feast day and heyday of many groups of WITCHES, who yes, actually do engage in evil, debauchery, blood sacrifices and the cursing of church groups?? Yeah, that really goes on. I for one would NOT line myself up with them.
I have dressed up before. I was Moses one time. The Apostle Paul on another occasion. So, what's the big deal??? We don't do what those folks of ancient times have done, and we certainly don't believe like they do.
Answer: I sum it all up by saying, if you're going to celebrate something, let it have some meaning. Halloween is really a stupid, meaningless holiday, that has actually done more harm than good. And the majority of the world isn't commemorating a bunch of dead saints. Although, the Latinos have their own version, "The Day of the Dead". I don't care much for that "holiday" either. I saw some really bad fruit coming from that. No offense to my fellow Latinos, I love ya'all anyway.

IN CONCLUSION, if you can celebrate this time, this day with a clear conscience, then by all means, do so. Just do me a favor. Don't hurt anybody in the process. Have fun, be cool and don't be a ghoul.

TONY

Dysfunction=Junction

I would like to keep this blog writing short … and to the point.
I don't know. I can sure try. But there is so much to say.

I have seen this scenario play out more times than I wish to enumerate.  Whole families have fallen into this one huge rut . . . DYSFUNCTION.  The biggest downfall of it all, is that usually, the family members don't/can't see it. They are too busy conducting their affairs, their "family life", too busy with the cares of this world, jobs, etc. The problem lies, of course, in THE MIND. It is a host of mind=sets, attitudes and very bad habits. I have come to believe that in most cases, dysfunction is generational, i.e. genetic. As in "blood-line curses". Yeah.  Just like that. I said it.

CURSINGS AND WORDS A=FLYING

Let's start out with the greatest tell-tale sign:
Curses. As in  "word cursings".  This usually starts with the parents, who are just following suit the way that they were trained, saying stuff over their kids like, "You're so stupid. You can't do anything right. You won't amount to anything. You'll probably end up in jail before you're 18."  And ETC.  It gets worse. Siblings start in, saying all manner of evil and dark and negative things over each other, not thinking a thing of it, as if it's just OKAY. Later in life, when approached about this behavior, many times they justify it by saying, "We were only kidding, poking fun … why, can't you take a joke??"
SHEEEEESH.
Anybody want to exit this family now??

MEMBERS JUST AIN'T THERE FOR YA

Maybe you come from this type of family. Maybe you have gone through some kind of crisis, a real hard one, and your family's reaction?  "Man I can't believe you let that happen to you … I can't believe you let that person into your life … If it was me, that would have never happened to me … What? You expect me to sympathize and coddle you? Suck it up, baby!"  That's just an example. Some of you have heard much worse. You have become the "family scape-goat", and you get blamed for ALL.
It doesn't matter what happens to anyone else … especially if you are the "lone christian" in the family.  "Just sit over there in the corner and DON'T TALK … we don't want to hear from you!"  Now Jesus said that he didn't come to bring peace but a sword … but he was talking about HIMSELF being the main burning & dividing ISSUE of Life. Jesus doesn't have to bring a sword to these families, they have already fashioned their own!
"Why, do you think you are better than us??? Are you a holier-than-thou person??? Why do you have to be so DIFFERENT???"  And if you are a TRUE BELIEVER, just trying to reach out to your family with the real love of God, well, watch out. In a dysfunctional family, this truth rings true more than anywhere else:
"A prophet is not welcome in his home town."
They just aren't listening.
So, don't plan on going through any personal crises, because even though they may "act" like they care, they won't. They won't be there for you.

WHERE IS THE LOVE?

Paul the Apostle warned that some would fall away from the faith, and some would let their love "grow cold".  So, if you see a hardened heart, and try to appeal to them to "soften up", good luck. The only way that is going to happen is if they have a
Damascus Road=type experience and Jesus bursts through their darkness and stubborn minds. It could happen. You could pray for it. But don't hold your breath, know when to pack-up and dust your feet off. The Lord has plenty of others in this world for you to reach, and you shouldn't spend your whole entire life going back & forth to family, just to repeatedly get your daily dose of light-socket treatment. One can only take so much "shocking". Trust me on this. You can learn to love from a distance … and God didn't call you to pain and strife and suffering. No he didn't.

DYSFUNCTION=JUNCTION, WHAT'S YOUR FUNCTION??

The "function" of dysfunction is to set everything in a family at odds with itself, for things to get twisted and not operate according to God's design. Some people have it all topsy-turvy, and for them it's "normal".  If you don't like it, then "tough!"
When you are a part of something dark like this, for so long, after a while you'll start to wonder if you slipped into  The Munsters  or  The Addams Family!
Unfortunately, we see dysfunction in many other settings … on the job in companies, in government etc.  Dating relationships.
Marriages. A man at the local Circle K yelling at his daughter while she is trying to decide which drink she wants from the fountain. A parent berating a child, who has long grown up, and has "gone his/her own way" and that same parent ridiculing that child/grown-up in public, in their presence or behind their back.  The major dynamic in dysfunctional families is the role-playing of the diplomat, the aloof Dad, the overbearing mother, the "parenting sister" and the family "secret" or the family scape=goat. There are other scenarios, this is just one example. What is the end goal?? That this plays out everyday of the year, for years, until it is passed down as the "family way" or tradition, and the whole thing just starts over again … unless someone rises up and BREAKS THE CHAINS.

THEY GOT TO PUT AWAY THE MASKS!

In order for this madness to stop, to change, those who are "responsible" must wake up and take off the masks. Stop pretending that everything is normal or okay. It's not. Someone is going to get hurt, and chances are, it is too late. They are already VERY HURT. If they love Jesus, then they can get help, they can get therapy.
But what about you???
Are you causing someone pain?
Do you act like a "weapon" because you were "trained" that way? True families are supposed to be there for each other, to share the load, to cry together, rejoice together and cheer each other on. Get rid of your stupid jealousy and hate. Stop pretending that you have such a great family, you've got the whole public fooled, but it all falls apart the next day you get back home. Take off the dark shades, take off the masks and get real … get the Love of God in your hearts. Stop persecuting your own flesh and blood … get behind them, and support their successes, or their attempts at that. Act like you care … and really do care!! Do something to show your love, and not just a bunch of words. Words mean nothing if they are not backed up with real genuine "I feel ya" LOVE.   Love is often an ACTION VERB, that manifests itself in awesome life-changing ways.
The MIRROR is pointing at YOU … take a good long stare at it,
and make a change in your life. For the good of someone you should love.

The Heart of CAIN

This blog topic is different … different than I usually write.
That's may sound peculiar as I am always writing things that could be construed as "different", as far as point of view goes. I have been dubbed "The Radical Pastor" for years, since about 2011.  My blogs represent the fact that I approach topics and spiritual things with the finesse of "radical view", simply because I'm all about exposing LIES and spongy thinking regarding doctrines, etc.
So, I'm in the OT tonight. Don't usually spend a lot of time there, except for maybe Proverbs and Psalms and The Prophets.  Then there's the whole "character-study" thing, where we take someone's life (like Abraham, King Saul or David, e.g.) and dissect that under a microscope.

I believe that most everyone is familiar with the story of CAIN.
He was a son of Adam & Eve … and he had a brother ABEL. Cain was jealous of his brother, his relationship with God, the favor on his life so . . . he killed him.
Now every Bible teacher out there has preached on Cain's sin. But I have only heard a few sermons on "the spirit of Cain". And I'm taking that a little further by talking about The Heart of Cain.
The Heart of Cain is selfish. It is rebellious towards God Almighty. It gets jealous. It likes being "religious" because it thinks that's what makes one "look good".  The Heart of Cain really has the "warm-water-spirit" that we have wrote about. That "lukewarm" thing that is actually quite PHONY. Oh sure it acts all pious and "good" and covers its deeds with "good works" . . . and engages in "sacrifices" to absolve itself from guilt and escape conviction. It may act like it's FOR YOU, but in reality is truly against you. It is the "Benedict Arnold" spirit, through and through. Yes, it will betray you, when you least expect it. The Apostle Paul wrote about "false brethren" -- well, there you go. Need I illustrate anymore?

> And the Lord had regard for Abel and for his offering;  but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?  If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.”  Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.  Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” And he said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”  He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to Me from the ground.  Now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you cultivate the ground, it will no longer yield its strength to you; you will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth.” Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is too great to bear!  Behold, You have driven me this day from the face of the ground; and from Your face I will be hidden, and I will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”  So the Lord said to him, “Therefore whoever kills Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord appointed a sign for Cain, so that no one finding him would slay him.  (Genesis ch. 4)

From the narrative we can see just how flippant Cain's attitude was, toward his brother, and toward God.  As we read this, we can tell that Cain never really "repented" of his deed (godly sorrow), but God Almighty dealt with Cain where he was at. He even strongly urged Cain to RESIST sin … God knew what he was going to do, of course. And that was the first time that murder came on the scene.

> For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another;  not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous.  
(I John 3:11,12)
I have spent a lot of time in this little epistle, I John. It is beautiful and simple, even though the truths contained within are profound and strong. We see verses like, "By this we may know …"  and  "If you say you love God, but hate your brother, how can the love of God be in you?"  And so, with the Heart of Cain. His heart was evil. He hated his brother.

I have been around many so-called "christians" who were nothing more than the devil's "plants", pretending to be saved, pretending to be on my side, but they were the ones who were ready to stab me in the back, when I turned around. Maybe they didn't like my words … maybe they didn't like my "walk" … or maybe I ended up exposing them, because sometimes, that's what I do, whether I know it or not.  Beware. True Blue Believers have "got your back", and won't use your info as a gossip tool to undermine you. This is particularly difficult to deal with if it is a "family member" who turns out this way. It is in our God-given redeemed nature to love them regardless. But "false brethren" cannot receive the love of God, and no matter how hard you try, sometimes, you won't break through their defenses. You have to cover yourself. You have to be on your guard. And in some cases, you may have to walk away, and be rid of the "poison" that some people bring. Some people are just plain TOXIC, and God Almighty never called you to taking in poison, nor did he call you to strife.

I first was made aware of "false brethren" and warm-water-spirit folk by reading Proverbs. Actually, I was commanded by The Spirit of God to study Proverbs, because of the people I was going to be dealing with. I had no idea how much pride and folly they were into. And … That word … those WORDS from Proverbs saved my life, and saved the day on numerous occasions. You might say that the wisdom from that book just "kicked in".

Finally, the heart of Cain has no real concern for the Family of God. No concern for community. No grasp or appreciation of  The Kingdom of God, nor for The People of God. It is only focused and geared toward SELF. If it has to defiantly rise above and step on all the rest, that is what it will do. The heart is murderous … i.e. with WORDS and evil thoughts and scheming against those in its sphere, those in its path.

I could write much more on this topic, but for now, that's all I got to say. I hope and trust that you will study the places I mentioned, read the Apostle Paul's life, and Proverbs, so that you too may be prepared, and not deceived.

GOD BLESS YOU.

Re=Invention!

There's this TV commercial about a 70 year-old man who's getting ready to retire from a car racing and restoration business.  He's been at it for most of his life.  As he's departing the business another 70 year-old man enters in.  He's about to begin a new career, the racing and car restoration business.  I love that commercial, as it depicts the old guard leaving, while a new man comes in to find a new re-invented LIFE.

I thought about this as the Lord has actually led me through a couple of times in my life of reinvention.  As a matter of fact, I'm finding myself there, now.  Again.
How many times have you heard about people saying, "I need to reinvent myself."  It's a need.  It's something that some people need to do.  It's a good thing.  Perhaps, you're one person who has lived your life through a mundane, boring and otherwise, uneventful career/life.  You want and need a challenge.  You want excitement.  You want fulfillment.  Or maybe, you just mucked up your whole life and you want to start over.  I'm telling you, right now, YES it's OK to want to start a new life.  It's OK to reinvent yourself. 

I want to give you some examples of how God reinvented some lives.  Take Moses, for instance.  Moses started out being a Hebrew baby, who then was adopted by the Egyptians and then became a Prince.  One day he discovered his true identity.  He killed a man, rather by accident.  He fled the scene.  He left Egypt.  He ended up with Jethro and the Midianites.  So here's Moses becoming a shepherd, a far cry from what he was before.  Soon he has the encounter with the burning bush.  God speaks to him and tells him that he's going to turn him into a Deliverer.  God sends Moses back to Egypt to confront Pharaoh, and tells him, "Let my People go."  In short, you can say that Moses became more than he ever thought he would be, certainly more than he was, a Hebrew.  But today, we look at him as a hero. 
Then, there's the story of Abram.  Abram was hand-picked by God.  God asked him to leave his country and he did.  God began to make all these great and wonderful promises to Abram, told him he would have a son even at a ripe old age.  And God told him he would be, "the father of many nations."  El Shaddai forced Abram into a position of supernatural faith.  How?  He changed his name to Abraham, meaning 'Father of a multitude' or 'Father of many nations'.  So, every time he greeted somebody, he would say, "Hi, I'm the father of many nations." Even though still child-less, he would tell his name to everybody, and hear it from everybody!  In this way, Abraham heard every day the meaning of his name, every single time he spoke his name to somebody.  That powerful concept went down into his spirit and helped build his inner faith.  The "new image" was working on the inside of him, to create his new "self".  This went on for almost a year, the end result being his faith kicked in, amazingly.  Before you knew it, bingo, his wife had a son whom they called, "Laughter" (Isaac). 
Now, let's not forget Simon-Peter, the old salty fisherman that Jesus chose to be one of his disciples and an apostle.  Simon's name means  "he has heard" . . . but Jesus insisted on calling him Peter, instead.  Peter, "The Rock."  Why did Jesus do this?  Well, Peter wasn't exactly what you would call, a super-committed guy.  Jesus knew that he vascillated on things.  By Jesus calling Peter, "the rock," he introduced the character trait of stability into Peter's life, not to mention that he ended up being quite an outstanding apostle as well.

Now back to me!
Jesus saved me in 1974. That's when he came into my life! Pow! It was powerful. I was on fire for Jesus, and wanted to tell the whole world about him.  But through time, religion came to mess with my head and life, and it wasn't so rosy. In 1985, God came to me and spoke to me saying, "I'm sending you far away and starting all over with you."  I ended up going to California. That's about 1987 then . . . the year that "God overhauled my heart". The Lord had to get rid of all the "doctrine-head" I had, and teach me LOVE.  I got filled with the Spirit again, and I had the "divine triangle" fixed in my heart -- I was a changed man.
In 2006, the Lord came to me again and said, "I'm returning you to your 'rock roots'".  I spent years in ministry, including music ministry, and He was trying to show me that I wasn't being 'true to myself', in essence, not really "me". Oh I loved CCM and christian rock, but there was more. Hey, I like Pink Floyd and Deep Purple and Yes and Jethro Tull, and prog rock music too!  That was the time that we developed, with God's help "The Music of DLivahh". Music that Delivers. I wanted to produce real music that also had the element of deliverance in it. I wanted to express the artistry that God had already put in me, that was formerly squelched by others. I also had a prophecy saying that God was going to use me in "the industry".
Lastly, but not final or least, I sense that The Lord Jesus and His Spirit are on the move again, in my life to re=invent me into something ... something I hope is greater than what I have experienced before. To do all that he has laid upon my heart to do, and to utilize ALL the talents that he has bestowed upon me . . . and to operate "outside of the box" as a "radical pastor", teacher, blogger, author, musician, deliverance minister, humorist, voice=over guy, as well as just being plain ol' me … The Eccentric Tony that is a husband and father and friend and lover of Jesus, not limited by opinions or religion or anyone that can't understand this:
I can't just focus on doing ONE THING only!
 I Like doing many things!  I have been blessed with several talents.

I tried "focusing on one thing".  Doesn't work for me.
I have to do ALL the stuff, and I think I do several things "pretty good" … I work at it really hard and I've seen some successes. And so, even while it looks like I'm "all over the map", I'm really just expressing myself the best way I know how, wearing many hats, but enjoying the ride just the same!

How about you? Do you need to "re=invent your self"?
(What's wrong with a little "new improved you", huh?)
Let God Almighty do it … He's really good at it!

Jesus IS King!

"The Kingdom of God is AT HAND."

*and*

"The Kingdom of God is in your midst."

He was called 'King of the Jews'.

"My kingdom is NOT of this world."
Ahhh.  THERE IT IS.

Jesus is not coming back to set up some "earthly kingdom".
He DID come back, through the coming and sending of the
Holy Spirit, who filled the apostles and disciples on earth.
"Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven."  

Right now, not sometime in the future.

(Oh, and by the way, The Holy Spirit is still here on the earth!).

"The kingdoms of this world have become
the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ,
and He shall reign forever and ever!”

King of kings, and Lord of Lords.
JESUS IS KING, right NOW, not in the future someday. 

He's already there! He's already been coronated. Crowned. King!
You don't have to wait for his return,
you can fellowship with him NOW,

you can be close to him NOW,
you can get to know him NOW.

He is the King of Hearts.
He "rules" inside the hearts of men.
He IS The Reigning and Benevolent King AND 

He is The Prince of Peace!

IS HE YOUR KING???

MY DECLARATION

This blog . . . is personal. I have to do it. I cannot go on, and keep writing about this doctrine or that topic, without stating what I believe ABOUT MYSELF! And Here We Go . . .

The Christian singer Carman does a song called "Slam" … in it he lists all the evil attacks that have been hurled at him by the devil. He says stuff like,

"You said that I would stumble
You said I wouldn't last
But you was wrong

You said that I would crumble
From all that's in my past
But you was wrong

You tried to break me, tried to shake me
Tried to take me with your lies
You tried to drop me, tried to stop me
Tried to chop me down to size

You tried to crush me, tried to hush me
Tried to rush me and attack
But Jesus Christ is in my life
And now I'm comin' back 'cause I can

Slam temptation with the Word
I can slam each lie that I have heard
I can slam the devil on his back
The rod of God will stop the attack
…………………………………………….
You tried to drug me, tried to slug me
Tried to plug me up with guilt
You tried to shoot me, tried to loot me
Tried to boot my mind on tilt

You tried to kill me, tried to still me
Tried to bill me for my sin
But the blood has washed me clean"
(From the album Mission 3:16, by Carman)

NOW I must start "My Declaration",
with the above song as inspiration:

YOU TRIED to suppress me, and silence me for years.  You did not understand me, so you rejected me instead. You pretended to love me, but after a while I could feel your hate and disdain. When I won a parade, you brought the rain. When I was going through pain, you were nowhere to be found. When I thought you were behind me, you were plotting against me just like a Benedict Arnold.
You witches, you evil ones, you know who you are! I declare to you THIS DAY . . . that after a long siege of you robbing from me, and ridiculing me, and persecuting me and trying to put on me all kinds of guilt trips and accusations of supposed sins, your attacks against my health and prosperity … I DECLARE TO YOU THIS DAY … THIS DAY … that you will NO LONGER oppress me, rob from me, belittle me, LIE about me and put your guilt and mental mess on me! I rise above all your trickery and evil ways … and I will continue to FOLLOW JESUS and go where he leads, and if I do make mistakes, he will pick me up, brush me off and raise me up again!

You didn't like the pathways I chose . . . you didn't like my "independence" from you, not following your ways and not obeying your programs and family mantras. You wanted just to "rein me in" and control me, like you do with everybody else around you. I ain't playing your games, I ain't succumbing to your curses and I ain't coming back into your fold, because YOU ARE POISON.
I have to follow my heart. I have to follow Jesus, not man. And I most certainly will NOT engage in your witchcraft, be it "charismatic" or "secret" or whatever. You try to manipulate for an advantage and I simply will not go there.

God gave me a directive in 2001:
"Get ALL witches out of your Life!!"
At that time, I didn't even know what witches were, let alone "in my life" … but when he showed me, it all made sense. All the attacks, all the failures, all the pain and heartache, I pin it on all of you WITCHES.  That's right. I am no longer your scape=goat. You are goats.

I HEREBY DECLARE MYSELF IMMUNE to any of your further or possible attacks and curses. I will walk in the grace and love of God, preaching the glorious gospel of The Lord Jesus Christ, whether you like it or not. Whether what I do lines up with your agenda or not. I will not be controlled, by you or your mind-control programming nor any of your words, which are all LIES. I will continue to minister deliverance to folks, who have been under your power, to set them free from the powers of darkness, and your type of kingdom!
I will continue to do my music, inspired by Jesus and The Holy Spirit, for I know that he has anointed to me for JOY and I see how he can use me, and I love to see folks get that joy, and get set free!!!

In the spirit of the song:
"You tried to make me sick
You tried to 'take me out'
You tried to punish me
For every turn-about
You sent your fear & torment
You sent your pain & guilt
But now that I'm onto your works
Your operations will go "on tilt"
Because I CAN SLAM ... "

I will expose the evil deeds of darkness, because that is what I'm called to do!
I refuse to apologize for my actions, as I am not that poor outcast child you once knew.
I am a child/son of the most High God, brother of Jesus, Friend of God, and I intend to see my purpose fulfilled on the earth, and I'm NOT going to let you stand in my way or block me ANYMORE. The Lord God & I are a majority.

I belong to Jesus. I am His Property. NOT yours!
I know you can't stand my creativity, my humor, my joy, my love, but that is TOUGH …  I am not changing for you, to please you or compromise who I am, what God Almighty made me to be. And I will grow stronger and be MORE what he made me to be, and I will excel and be successful, PERIOD.

AND THAT . . . is  My Declaration.

-- TONY PRINCE.

I HAVE A DREAM!

Last week, I posted a "commercial" blog about our ministry.
This week, I'm expanding and expounding on the topic of "ministry",
to include a vision/dream I had about that . . .

ALL = ENCOMPASSING

I want to share with you, my readers, a DREAM. A dream in my mind and heart.  It is about The Churches of America. I see them totally revamped. There are many, many changes, all good. The main thing is, IS that there is a true and powerful dynamic that did not exist before. There are transformed lives and communities. It is like nothing we have seen yet or before.

First, the churches have "walked away" from the OT construct of The Levite ministry, or "the ways of the Temple". No more cajoling or begging or teaching of "the tithe". That has been a real corrupted teaching in many places. People rather, are GIVING from their hearts, and are never coaxed or forced or embarrassed or battered into giving. Money, food, clothing, and other resources just POUR IN. No need is left unmet. No worries about the ministers, your needs are being met too!
No more guilt-tripping people to come "to church", get involved or sit on this or that committee. People are finding their place, and connecting as the Spirit of God leads. Pastors and leaders are sensitive to The Spirit and can "see" differing callings on folks, and encourage the same to follow their heart, their call and gifts.
The "love of money" which has been a stronghold in many churches is a thing of the past. Money is seen as a "tool" and an effective asset to help people. Money in the church takes on a whole new meaning, as the selfishness and hoarding spirits are all gone. The goal is no longer "how big a building we can build", but "How does God Almighty want us to use this surplus of money?" And "How can we be a blessing to our city?"

Next, the pulpit is GONE. Instead, there sits a high-back chair,
like a padded stool, along with boom-mic and possibly a side lectern for a Bible or tablet. The teacher/preacher may also be wearing a wireless, so he can roam whilst teaching/preaching. The "audience" feels more of a connection with the minister up front "on stage", as that big hunk of furniture is gone. Instead of standing "over" the congregation, the leader is "sitting" while he teaches. The need for standing and pacing and theatrics in the pulpit area are no longer "a thing". The leader is free to express himself in God, in his gifts, without the traditions of men limiting him or her to a "pulpit".

After the message is through, the whole gang is adjourned to the "sitting area", where all may discuss and ASK QUESTIONS about the message = and where there can be training of individuals who are eventually being raised up for various ministries. This is a place where there are many ministers, teachers, preachers, helpers, giftings, services, administrators, and various talents.
I see the churches raising up fresh and radical musicians for the Glory of God. Rock bands are being raised up and sent forth. Jazz bands are being trained and raised up. Ministries are being birthed, trained and raised up and SENT FORTH. No more of this, "Well this is your church, and you are part of it, and you have to stay put. Bloom where  you are planted." No more latching upon people who are proven to be effective ministers of the Gospel, and Jesus is raising them up and about to send them Himself.
Church is no longer just about "the pastor" or one man, one woman. Gifts of the Spirit are functioning in order, and there are many who could be "pastors", many who are doing the work of the ministry, the works of Jesus. With -- no jealousy.

The poor, working-poor and homeless are being fed, clothed, and housed. They were being counseled, delivered, taught and brought into their right minds, with the help of The Spirit and proper nutrition/supplements  and cleansing and healthy diet.
There are FREE STORES popping up, where goods are provided to families with very little "red tape". Resources are just pouring in, people are donating their time and talents and treasures to the benefit of all. Similar to the NT model of The Church … The Ekklesia, The Called Out Ones.

I realize that "church" is not the building, not the facility, but THE PEOPLE. These people are going forth with the Love of God and The Glory of Jesus; they're out there in the world, "church without walls", shining with the Light of Jesus.

MY VISION

But I also had … a dream. A dream I woke up from yesterday morning. It was very vivid. And memorable. With the dream came a definite directive from The Spirit of God. I was starting a church!  Now, I have pastored a few churches before, and started and conducted Bible Studies, but never really "started a church" (except for our House Church, which is really a work of the Holy Spirit). 
In this dream, I found a building, a facility for a "meeting house". People started to come. The pulpit there was also moved. There was a high-back padded stool/chair on which I sat, where I did a bulk of teaching. I had a boom-mic on the side. I had a small lectern/stand (lucite, I think) that could hold a Bible or tablet. We had a "sitting room" with nice furniture, where we would "adjourn" and go there for refreshments and Q & A's.  Nobody felt threatened but more at ease in the fact that questions were OK! I told the people that nobody has to take my word for anything, they can come to truth on their own, with the help of the Holy Spirit. I was like a "guide", a teacher, YES, but more than that. A Friend. One who was there also to help, to stand beside and encourage. The prophetic gifts were being utilized and in operation.
A lot of the things I listed above were happening in this new work. I suppose the 2 "dreams" are one, ONE VISION.
From this place, the Glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ was being proclaimed.
The faces & countenances of all were glowing.
Revelation Truth & Knowledge was coming out, and all were
benefitting from the teaching.

I also made it clear, that at no time, would I ever allow any guest speaker to come and unload a message with manipulation, condemnation, hell-fire/brimstone and the like.
Our thrust in this body is GRACE. And there were many revelations in teaching coming forth to destroy the traditions of men and false teaching that has been so rampant in the churches. There has been way too much division.
And … The ministry of deliverance is being brought forth, out of the shadows, back rooms and tents! We desire to have weekly or monthly meetings with real deliverances and healings taking place.

SO NOW … I'm looking for a building. Because . . . it's important to a lot of folks to have a "center" or headquarters of operations, to get a lot of kingdom work going, and done.
It's something we got to believe in, believe for and also believe that God's people want to "come with". I think they will.
I think many will catch my vision, and want to be a part.
Key word: WANT TO.
So I'm okay with having a building. The most important thing here is … all the people we can help, all the transformations that can happen, and The Glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ going forth!!