July 27, 2006

tell me ... how does it feel?

how does it feel to support war?

even as a child watching the vietnam war on the macneil/lehrer hour with my dad, it was wrong. i didn't know the issues. i didn't know the why's. i didn't understand. but i knew it felt wrong. my dad once told me ... 'if there was another way. but there is not. we have to go to war.' well, my dad was wrong.

there is another way.

jesus taught that way.

so, the next time you are watching something on the television news, or reading a newspaper article, or talking with your cousin because her husband was just killed in iraq ... and you say 'i wish there was another way' ... you know its wrong too. you may not know what to do different or how it can be different, but you know it is wrong. well, have faith, there is another way.

jesus taught the other way.

we don't need to kill. we don't need to be violent. that we need to be these things that we are not ... that is a lie.

'i give you not a spirit of fear, but one of love and of sound mind ...' so, if you are afraid, which is why you think we need to be at war ... god did not give you that spirit, someone else did. if you cannot use your mind to find another way out, get with other people who can help you use your sound mind to figure alternatives to war and killing.

and if your pastor at your church with 10,000 people in their seats are telling you that war is godly, remember, that jesus said the path is narrow and few will travel it.

the bigger your church, the wider the path. i'm a narrow path girl, are you?

we can do it, i know we can.

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

July 26, 2006

noble wife ring

someone posted something and i clicked on their profile and went to their site ... their site was on this "noble wife ring" of christian sites ... i thought ... cool, more women writing about god, spirituality, jesus and the bible ...

i wonder if they will accept me?

before i signed in i did not read their 'requirements' which included a statement of belief that i HAD to agree with ... well, obviously since i don't EVER agree with EVERYTHING ... i didn't. although i don't think that what i disagreed with that important, we will see. so, 'they' are probably going to check out my blog and 'judge' it to see if it complies with their dogma or statement of faith. i came from a born again evangelical family, i was raised in the church, went to christian schools until i was in high school. i was, by conscious choice, baptised at the age of 12. i was divinely healed of a physical ailment through a word of faith at the age of 14. i have always been 'the student' in my family ...

i am a student of god. this is my statement of faith, until more truth is revealed to me.

i believe in the bible as being the INSPIRED word of god ... written by men and compiled by the council of nicea under the direction and exclusive authority of the emperor constantine ... therefore, i believe the INTENT behind the compilation of scriptures for the bible was of human design and not of god. i believe it to be a scripture that one could use exclusively to find the truth and god.

BUT because paul in his letter to the thessalonians ... which had to be written well before the bible was even an idea ... referenced that his scriptures (in fact said "all scriptures") too were inspired by god, i must at least read and consider other scriptures as being inspired by god and look for the truth that i find within them. because if god inspired the bible, god inspired other scriptures to help me to figure out this human journey. i know that the torah is not the first five books of the bible, and i study the jewish scriptures and other scriptures that existed before the bible, and even some that were written after the bible was published by the council of nicea and emperor constantine. i am a student of martin luther and his 95 thesis in opposition to the roman church and the bible and how it was designed and used as a tool to undermine the spiritual development of people.

i believe jesus is the son of god. i believe all humans, as we are the creation of god, are children of god. i believe jesus when he said that those who follow him will do greater things than him ... including being able to heal, raise the dead, ascend and transfigure from earth, even ressurect. i do not know if i believe in the virgin birth, but i believe such births do happen. AND, i do believe that salvation can be found in following jesus and his teachings. i do believe in the trinity of god, spirit and man.

i believe that most people will never forgive themselves of the things they have done, but god always does.

i believe that i live in this moment with god, and that this moment in time is not separated from eternity or god by any design of my own unless i make that choice. my choice is to be with god every moment of my life and for all of eternity. i believe that is what jesus taught.

i believe in the truth as revealed only to me through the life experiences and knowledge i have received and continue to receive. i have an intimate relationship with god and pray, meditate and read the bible or scripture every day. i do not listen to any other human being to tell me what the truth is more than i listen to the still voice of god within myself.

i do not believe you can excuse any disobedience of the 10 commandments and claim to follow the ways of jesus christ. i understand that 'sabbath' does not mean 'sunday' or even a day of rest, but is a complete system of economics that is very well advanced to any current economic system on the planet and can be the platform for peaceful co-existence on planet earth. i follow the greatest commandment of jesus with all my being ... that i love god; and i follow his similar commandment of 'loving my neighbor as myself.' which means, i must learn to love myself more each day as i grow in love for me and god, my actions will be reflective of that love.

i believe there are other things in the 'statement of faith' that i still do not know yet, but my journey is to discover the truth for myself.

and, i am an astrologer ... which usually loses most christians (at least modern christians who do not know their history) ... but like the wise men of the east, i was given a love for the nighttime heavens and the puzzle of one of god's most incredible masterpieces and study the kabbalah and astrology as the ancient people of both the jewish faith and early christians. i believe it is an expression of gods love, beauty and mystery.

so, by your definition, am i a "noble wife" ... i know i am by any other definition a noble wife.

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

July 25, 2006

a wanna be TBN partner

'i want to be a member, take PAT off the air'

... a letter of mine to jan and paul crouch, founders of not just the largest "christian" television network in the world, but the largest television network in the world, period ... and while there is one show i will watch on TBN, "Davey & Goliath" ... that animated childrens series created in the 60s or 70s ... there's not too much else i can stomach for more than 10 minutes. BUT, every now and then, i find myself channel surfing and i catch glimmers of love and hope on that station ... this is my attempt to encourage that which is good that i see on the station and silence pat robertson all at the same time.

and, yes it was really, really difficult to write this letter without lying ... and the 'i want to become a member' was the hardest sentence to leave in and have it be the truth. then i realized this ... IF TBN started sharing a message of love and peace and non-violence, i would love to be a member of that! so, i found truth in that statement.

and, i really will become a member if they get rid of pat!

Paul and Jan Crouch, Founders
Trinity Christian City International
3150 Bear Street
Costa Mesa, CA  92626

Dear Paul and Jan:

I am a Christian from the born again evangelical tradition. My parents have supported TBN as long as I can remember. I want to support Christian broadcasting and I believe that the teachings and message of Jesus are needed now more than ever on our planet. There are many shows on your station I appreciate but there none that I can let my daughter watch. I so appreciate the growing diversity of your presentation of the Christian faiths and beliefs, and would like to encourage that more. I would like to become a member.

But I cannot.

Pat Robertson and The 700 Club are aired on your network Monday through Friday. I cannot support a "Christian" station who includes a daily dose of teaching that are in opposition to Jesus' simple commandment of loving one another.

On his show, Mr. Robertson has called for preemptive wars against nations and the murder through assignation of the leader of another neighboring nation. I think, from the programming I do see on TBN, you will agree with me that this leadership is in opposite of the teachings of Jesus and the ten commandments given by God.

I urge you to remove The 700 Club from your programming. I have not received a response to my several emails to TBN on this subject. I would like to become a member but as a steward of the money God has entrusted to me, I cannot do so with programming that is contrary to God's explicit commandments.

Thank you. I look forward to becoming a member of the largest, truly Christian, network on planet earth.

God bless,



peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

July 13, 2006

what would jesus do?

in response to the israeli attack on palestine and lebanon?

would he call them terrorist?

would he stand against them?

likely he would.

israel and the united states are terrorist ...

they sow the seeds of terror and fear and hate and death with every word coming from the "leaders" ... and our gardeners are the young men and women on the ground shooting the guns, launching the grenades, dropping the bombs on the homes, businesses and governmental buildings of the people of sovereign nations. the water is the silent people of god just watching it happen without doing anything to stop it.

jesus ... jesus would be fasting in front of the capitol building in washington d.c. to end the war of terror we are perpetrating on the world.

we are a nation very lost in the web of the lies of the deceiver.

you cannot envision, organize, fund a military and train human beings on how to use weapons with the only purpose being to kill and murder people and be 'righteous' ... you just cannot.

if you do not feel that ... you are lost too.

if you do feel it ... you better start doing what jesus would do, and DO SOMETHING.

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

July 03, 2006

spreading the good news

on a day when israel builds and builds towards war and the killing and terror of more people, and as we escalate the 'strong arm' of force against iran and their sovereignty to do what other nations can freely do without recourse or reprimand ... there is good news ... from, of all things, our medical community ....

US Anesthesiologists Asked Not to Help Execute Death Sentences
" In a letter addressed to some 37,000 members, association president Orin Guidry recalled the American Medical Association's code of ethics, which says: 'A physician, as a member of a profession dedicated to preserving life when there is hope of doing so, should not be a participant in a legally authorized execution.'"

if you support life in any way and are encouraged as i am by this news, send an email to support the American Society of Anesthesiologist and send president Orin Guidry an email to support their announcement affirming the life of all of us. as jesus said, 'what you do to the least of these, you do to me.' when we murder, via capital punishment, any one person, we do it to all of us.

support and share the good news wherever you find it!

peace & harmony,
elaine
'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'