Month: June 2006

Spitting Image

Last night i was reminded of a photograph I saw in a magazine, of Micheal Douglas and his father. It was put side by side, with a caption “Spitting Image”. It was obvious what they meant. The two faces in the photo, albeit different, were exact. It was not just a look-alike. The two men had identical faces – in shape, in size, in texture, in appearance, in carraige. It was a complete carbon copy.

The particular incident that triggered this recollection was my meditation session where I stumbled on this one verse of scripture I had read more than a dozen times before. Suddenly, it was new all over again.

“And God said, Let us make man in our image; after our likeness…” Gen 1:26.

Stop press! I mean, burn all the bibles; tear down all the churches. But just leave me that one incomplete phrase of the scriptures. And I would win all over again. For the first time in a very long time, I came to a very close understanding of what that scripture meant. I mean, they never really did it justice in Sunday school. We never really got the feel of it in Sunday service either. I think there is a place in the scriptures that says something about God revealing His secrets to his anointed ones. For me, this was an eye-opener.

If English means anything, an image is in actual fact a reflection, right? The mirror would be a good illustartion in this case. Looking in the mirror, what we see is more than a look alike. It’s our image – exact, complete, total. Or looking at your high school photograph. It’s not a look alike. It’s your image in print – exact, complete, total. So when God talks about making man in his image…hello…are we on the same thought pattern here? I mean, what does God see when he looks in the mirror? A tall, muscular dude? A fine, dive queen? A cuddly little baby? I think not. Remember, God is Spirit? John 4: 24. I mean, back in Genesis, man was created first before his body was formed, right? Hello….do I have a different version of Genesis 1 and 2? Ok, so when a Spirit looks in the mirror, what does he see? Don’t ask me to prove this but am believing the image that shows up is also a spirit. So if we put it all together, God’s image is Spirit, and if man was made in God’s image, man is Spirit. That’s wow!

But then, if that were all that would be just great. But this is the part that really bowls me over. I mean, look at it all over again. “Let us make man in our image; after our likeness…” At this point am doing a song and dance all over my little crib.

Because again, if all those years in English class paid off any, then to be “like something” means…..well like something. So when God talks about making man “after his likeness”, or in modern English, “just like me”, does that in even the slightest way insinuate that I am like God? In appearance(the image thing), in character, in thought, in action, in ability, in….it is at this point that the thought gets stageering. I mean, that would mean, I’m a mini-God; a kiddy-God; smaller version, but same stuff. Like the King and Queen of England, with their Prince. Same royalty. Same authority.

But wait, wait a minute….all of this was just a thought. I mean, that was an idea on God’s mind. He was just thinking aloud, right. he wouldn’t actually create something that would look just like him and be just like him, would he?

That’s when my song and dance turned into a crazy break dance when my eyes fell upon Genesis 1:27. Y’all gotta check this one out for yourself, cos at this point….i gotta do me a run!!!!!!

E.T. – the Original

It’s been around for about twenty years or so. Recently, in a friend’s house, I saw the promo for the twentieth anniversary of the blockbuster old time movie: E.T. I have never seen it, but I have heard much about it. And I think I know the concept. It’s the same thing we see in Superman, Batman, X-men and a bunch of men with prefixes; men with costumes and masks; men with unusual powers doing unusual stuff; men who most often are from outer space, extra-terrestrial, or for short, E.T. And the world looks up to them so much to avert disaster – the heroes of the world, the delight of humans.

I remember my younger years; I always wanted to be a hero, and I have been blessed with a very rich imagination that sometimes runs wild on me. There was always a damsel in distress, and there was always the superhero- yours truly– to the rescue. I am sure there is that streak of heroism in most of us .

Something strikes me though from all of this, and I want to trade my thoughts with you – for more than a penny, of course. The world has for a long time needed superheroes, folks who are more than human and folks who can do more than the ordinary, folks who would keep the bad guys away, and make life a more pleasant experience. And all along man has discovered the mutants of varying names, and varying degrees of appearance, and power and they have graced our screens, and colored our comic books and cultivated our imaginations., and surfaced in our moments alone. But the world has not become any safer. The bad guys and goblins still resurface and they get meaner, and wreck more havoc, and our superheroes have their hands full keeping the balance. And so we have X-Men, and X-Men 2. And the cycle goes on and on. Perhaps, because for so long man has missed the real McCoy. We have all missed it. And they have always been around, since way back and even until now. And they are right here in the midst of us; the aliens are in town, E.T. is YOU. And I.

No, I haven’t lost it, stay with me for a few more seconds. It’s real simple, and that’s why for so long we have all missed it. We have been looking out, instead of looking in. We have been waiting for One to come save the world, instead of saving the world. We are all guilty. We have all been waiting for us.

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature:…” (2 Corth. 5: 17)
Have you ever wondered about this? Have you ever stayed longer on that verse of scripture than the seconds it takes to read it? Have you ever given your little grey cells the opportunity to ponder on those twelve profound words? Because indeed, they are profound. They bespeak a mystery far beyond the comprehension of our human senses, a metamorphoses far beyond the theories of science; a storyline far beyond man’s richest imagination; a work of art far beyond any Leonardo ever produced. A Masterpiece. Of the Creator. The Original—E.T. Extra-terrestrial Beings. The New Superman. The Improved Batman. The Born-Again Christian. The Supreme Godman.

The born again Christian is a brand NEW CREATION, one of a kind that never existed before, a new breed of being; a new species; a new superman, recreated in the image of God and made to be a partaker of God’s divine nature. Do you realize what this means? You are one with God; you can do what God can do, talk like God talks, act like God acts; you are god like God. Divinity is resident in you. You are a Superhero. You are the one the world has been waiting for. (Rms. 8:19)

Too Good To Not Be Shared…

This is not an original, but it’s too good to not be shared…

AWESOME…This is almost overwhelming when you think about it. Moses and the people were in the desert, but what was he going to do with them? They had to be fed, and feeding 2 or 3 million people requires a lot of food.

According to the Quartermaster General in the Army, it i!s reported that Moses would have to have had 1500 tons of food each day. Do you know that to bring that much food each day, two freight trains, each at least a mile long, would be required! Besides you must remember, they were out in the desert, so they would have to have firewood to use in cooking the food. This would take 4000 tons of wood and a few more freight trains, each a mile long, just for one day.

And just think, they were forty years in transit. And Oh yes! They would have to have water. If they only had enough to drink and wash a few dishes, it would take 11,000,000 gallons each day
and a freight train with tank cars, 1800 miles long, just to bring water!

And then another thing! They had to get across the Red Sea at night. Now, if they went on a
narrow path, double file, the line would be 800 miles long and would require 35 days and nights to get through. So there had to be a space in the Red Sea, 3 miles wide so that they could walk 5000 abreast to get over in one night.

But then, there is another problem……………each time they camped at the end of the day, a campground two-thirds the size of the state of Rhode Island was required, or a total of 750 square miles long…….. think of it! This much space for camping.

Do you think Moses figured all this out before he left Egypt? I think not! You see, Moses believed in God. God took care of these things for him. Now do you think God has any problem taking care of all your needs?

Our God is an Awesome God!! So when the road you’re traveling on seems difficult at best, just
remember I’m praying and God will do the rest.

So We Keep Writing…

There comes a point when life fails you; life hands you a raw deal. All of the world turns against you and you seem to be standing on the edge of a cliff, ready to fall headlong. Everything around you begins to disintegrate, and no one is able to help you anyway. The darkness descends and you know not which way leads out of the tunnel; the noose begins to tighten and you catch yourself fighting against the odds; the floods overflow you and you find yourself sinking in deep mire. Do you feel me? Have you ever come to that point? It is that point where you need so badly to lean on something, on someone. Someone bigger, someone stronger. The psalmist, David, came to that point once when he found himself in the valley of the shadow of death;. Death was creeping up on him; things were falling apart around him; fear was closing in on him. But in the midst of it he tells us of his comfort, the comfort of the Shepherd’s rod and staff. Perhaps we need to stop and take a good look at this Shepherd. He uses a rod and a staff; a rod to control and direct the sheep; a rod that speaks of authority; a rod that commands action (Exo.4:20b) – the power of God. The Holy Spirit. Then there is his staff, on which he leans on, which supports him; which finds the path for him that he might take; his staff is his walking stick that keeps him upright and stable; the word of God that lights up his path and illuminates his feet. Need I make the connection? For those of us who have found ourselves in the valley; in that place where everything you believe in is on the line; at that point where God doesn’t make sense anymore, perhaps we need to see that the comfort we so desperately need is by the Spirit, through the word (Rom. 15:4).

You see, there is something about the word of God that takes us from the point of despair to the point of dependence on El-Shaddai. There is something about the words of God that brings to a halt our rollercoaster ride of anxiety; that brings us out of the abyss of uncertainty into the depths and riches of divine providence; that cuddles and whispers to us in our moment of loneliness; that revitalizes our bodies as we lay helpless in a sick bed; that enlightens us with understanding even more than our teachers (Ps. 119:99); that keeps our head above water when the turbulent waves crash down all around us.

There is something about the word of God that goes beyond black ink on white paper, and until scripture comes alive to us, until the words we read in the bible and hear from the pulpit literally leap out at us, we miss the best that the father has for us. Because “the fullness and the grace” (John 1:16) isn’t merely in the written or spoken words. It’s in the Spirit of the words. You see, God’s word was never meant for our senses. It’s not meant for our mind or our head. God’s word is meant for our spirit. Perhaps it’s time we lock the door of our senses and shut out the world and the pressures, the activities and the people, and sit down for a moment and pull out our spiritual antenna and tune in to God’s frequency. And oh, how carefully we need to listen, because most times God doesn’t talk over the loud speakers; his voice won’t boom and crash down into our world like that day on the way to Damascus. No, not any more. God’s word comes in that whisper just behind your ears, in that unintended meaning in a classroom chat, in that paragraph in a one-page newsletter. And oh, the power in God’s words. (Heb.4:12)
Hope. Pure and simple. The intent of God’s word (Rom. 15:4). The purpose of our writing. From the tongue of the learned (Isa. 50:4)

The Reason Why We Write…

You know there is something about words. It could make the difference between a good day and a bad day. Have you noticed? You wake up one morning and someone comes up to you and begins to scold and accuse you, and that just like throws a blanket over your day; it kills the sun in your day; but when you wake up one morning and someone comes up to you and tells you what a great person you are and how you have been a life saver, you suddenly grow a few feet taller, your shoulders square up and your chest shoots out. You feel good about you. There is something about words that goes beyond our eardrums and gets past our heart right down to the core of us—our spirit. And it makes us or breaks us. So you wonder about this great potency of words. But Jesus threw some light on that when he said his words were spirit; and the truth is words are spirit (Jo. 6:63); they have spiritual potency and that’s why they can affect our spirit; for better or for worse. Because there aren’t all nice and friendly spirits. So each time we speak, and we release words, we send out a spirit, and the effect of our words is a function of the type of spirit we have released. The spirit that builds up or the spirit that tears down. Its one or the other; there is no middle ground.

Back in my high school days I did debates, and on one occasion I met a girl that impressed me. There was something about her that got to me. Her carriage, her speech, the content and presentation. I figured she had a good head on her; that she was smart. So I made friends with her, and found out she was very smart. My point is this: I figured her intelligence quotient from the words she spoke. So there is something about our words that present us as smart or dumb. Our words depict the level of our wisdom.

There is something about God that just blows the mind. Do you feel me? I mean, he’s not just the bom; he’s bigger than the bom. And Paul says it this way: there is something about God’s wisdom that is so deep and so rich it just astounds the human mind (Rms. 11:33). And I figure there is consequently something about his words that is so rich and so deep. Right? Its like a treasure box worth digging for. There is something about what God says that enriches and enlightens us. Better yet, it releases the Spirit of faith, which sustains us, keeps us alive. You know, food feeds you; it grows you. Your physique is partly a result of what you have eaten; and Jesus said just as food keeps you alive by growing you, the words of God keep you alive also by growing you (Lk 4:4). Hear me: Gods words feed you; they grow you! Believe me when I say this: one word from God could change your life forever. Oh please believe this. If you don’t, take a look around you. All you can see was not, never existed, until God said. Then there was! (Gen 1:3). When God says, there is! Lets take time out and listen to what God has to say, to you, for today!