Saturday, March 1, 2008

Nothing Can Stop...THE BLOG!


“INDESCRIBABLE…
INDESTRUCTABLE…
NOTHING CAN STOP IT!...THE BLOG!”

The text on the icon to the left may be a little too small for you to read, but it’s a shot of the original marquee poster for the classic 1958 SciFi/thriller THE BLOB, only here the “B” has been replaced with a “G” so that it says…NOTHING CAN STOP THE BLOG!

I want to thank everyone for not skipping a beat yesterday, and picking right back up with the new format. This cyber-community is really very cool. But my reasons for re-tooling it were not just about all the obnoxious religious stuff (if you don’t know what I’m talking about, don’t worry about it). I can deal with Pharisees…I’ve been doing that throughout my entire ministry…it’s just that so many people were suddenly logging on and completely missing the point, that I realized I needed to communicate a little differently.

But the other reason is really about something else, entirely. If you recall, in the previous incarnation of BLOGINTHENOW I talked about the whole thing with Barack Obama defending himself concerning the Muslim accusations (since then someone from Hilary Clinton’s campaign has even posted pictures of him in Arabic garb)…but the point was that I was inspired by his effective self-defense, and, as a result, decided to become proactive, and aggressively deal with falsehoods that had been written about me on-line (particularly the ones that immediately appear when you type my name into search engines).

But here’s the thing…I don’t know what has happened to me in the last three weeks, but for some reason I just genuinely don’t care about all that stuff any more. Perhaps I just got it all out of my system by having my say about each accusation and/or rumor…or maybe it was enough that my posts were on the internet for the days that they were, and nothing more needs to be said about it…who knows?...but I’m just really, really over it…so much so, that I don’t even want any of that compost stinking up the place here at this wonderful site!

Since I started this blog, some of the other blogs that have discussed me have disappeared, (one of them continued to talk about me, but the blog host changed the spelling of my name after reading what I wrote here to avoid being picked up by Google or Yahoo)…but none of that even matters to me any more.

But it’s not even just about that kind of stuff. You know, there has been so much public scandal (all documented on-line) involving my extended family over the last several years, that I can’t even feel embarrassed by it anymore. I’ve felt all the shame and humiliation over it that I can possibly feel, so I have to just let it go and be free of it now. I have no control over any of that drama, so there's nothing more for me to say about it. And there’s been so much written about my oldest son’s outrageous band, some (if not most) of which is true, that I can’t worry about that anymore, either. He’s my son, and I love him unconditionally. In the same way...nothing more to say about that. And whatever labels religious people may have attached to me and then have written about, I’ve basically asked for…you can’t be intentionally provocative, and then be upset when people are provoked by you! So…“sticks and stones”…or “no weapon formed against me will prosper”…or “whatever”…it doesn’t matter, and it’s all good! There's just nothing more that I can or need to say about any of that, regardless of how it may have affected me up until now.

I’m still going to keep this site going in a certain direction just to avoid the hassle of having so many imperceptive people feeling obliged to put their two cent’s worth in about unnecessary stuff…but there’s really a bigger picture, and that is that this blog needs to be positive and joyful and full of light, and abundant with fruit from the Tree of Life!

For some reason today I was thinking about how the cross looks like the “plus” sign (+), and it occurred to me how few people there are who present Jesus to the world in a positive light. But my Jesus isn’t the Christ of the “Thou shalt nots”…He’s the Lord of the SHALLS (You SHALL love the Lord, your God…you SHALL love your neighbor as you love yourself). So for everyone who has ever written or said something unkind or uninformed about me, I say, through the power of the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do!” and I also forgive them and I bless them, because I am not overcome with evil, but I overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21). This blog is a table spread for me in the presence of my enemies, where my head is anointed with oil, and my cup runs over!

Today Robyn started posting some big crowd shots on the CITN site (www.churchinthenow.org), and as I was looking at them a little while ago I just thought about how blessed I am, and how much I have for which to be thankful, and how much I have for which to look forward.

Life is good…really good…so that’s what BLOGINTHENOW will be about from now on…and that is why NOTHING CAN STOP…THE BLOG!!!

Have a great day!

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

Isn't it great to be set free.
No more worry.
No more shame.
In Him we are alive again.
No matter what the religious world thinks.
Follow Him.
We can't control what others do.
We can only control our own lives.
We only need to find where the river runs free.
I have never stayed in a church as long as I have with our church.
I usually stay at max. 2 years.
The River runs strong in you (Bishop).
I have not heard you say anything bad about another church.
It is refreshing to be in a family of believers who follow the One True Savior.
Thank you for letting us be who we
are & letting us express ourselves to the Father with the talents He gave us.
Who cares what others think.
We are followers of Jesus.
Full of Love & Grace

Anonymous said...

Whoo hoo! Hallelujah! Amen! It is truly ALL good!

Donald said...

Well just go on with your bad self then!

Lise said...

YEA! I love indestructible! In honor of last evening, all I can say is "DON'T WORRY, BE HAPPY!"
Saw Bobby McFerrin & his Voicestra at the Peace Center last night.
INSANE! Oh my! Makes this middle aged white woman want to don dreds :) He and his company are just too cool. It's total vocal improv. No instruments... the voices are the instruments. Truly amazing!
Have a great day!

Unknown said...

Woke up so full of joy this morning! Then found out the blog lives! What a cool redemption of a funny-fear memory from the past (the 60's? It can't be can it?)

Anonymous said...

Wouldn't the world be a much better place if we all just practiced giving each other the benefit of the doubt and knowing each other by the spirit. Glad to see all is alive and well on the blog and looking forward to positive flow. We too are in a practice positive place. It will take practice....but we can handle it!

Anonymous said...

Hey Bishop,
I am with you, the "frozen chosen" ingraved in stone has always disliked the "Living Letters" of the heart. I commend you for opening this new media for personal expression. This is an avenue for freedom, to be who we are in the public eye without dressing up the flesh to suit anothers tast (pardon the word play) is uncomfortable for many. Well as you have said "nothing can stop the blog" they just as well get used to it. And I will say to those that dislike my personal beliefs "Im sorry honey" if I dont fit your mold (another play on words. What is the Lord saying)I am moving on to higher ground where the view is panoramic. Where I can see "all" the trees; not just the one in front of my nose.
By the way I LOVE the music. I need to find out how to do that and put it on mine.
Iconoclast

Erik said...

The chains burned away by the noisy fire, only thing burned are the chains. The beauty of living spirit that infuses us all, consumes us as we are willing – perfecting us individually in our image, and in His image in the mystery of foundational love. It is the fruit, the seed of the Tree of Life that grows within us. It nourishes us and grafts into each cell (physical and spiritual) so we are both, us and Elohim, unique, connected, each especially known, none discarded. The fruit of the other tree is empty of nutrition.

We willingly go into the consuming fire, the chains burn off freely, seems much better than trying to hold onto each link, no matter how hot the fire is. Maybe that is why those that cling to their chains make so much noise, their hands are burning?!

Still, in the end, we all come through whole, without the smell of smoke on our clothes, maybe part of the variation is the different time for each to ‘come through’ and some focusing on the fire, rather than the consuming part – that wonderful communion (Us consuming Him, Him consuming Us) . Yum !!!!

pdt said...

Okay, so I told myself I was just going to be an onlooker and read without comment but today's blog inspired me to participate.

Bishop, I love it that you have that 'I am not going to let it bother me anymore' kind of attitude. Just this week I have
released everything to God and I refuse to let what my children do or anything negative come between me and what I know needs to be done in order to make my life a positive life.

I am glad that the blog continues and on a positive note. It is so good to dwell in places where everyone can speak well of each other and the issues of life.

Love the music. It brings back such happy and warm feelings. I love it that you have included all types of music.

Until next time...no longer do I just see, I participate, pdt

Bishop Jim Swilley said...

Hey...thanks everyone for the great comments! I really enjoy having you all here...

Ebony said...

Good to see the blog is back. Like I said before, shake the haters off, ignore the chicken heads, mount up with Eagle's wings and soar.(Maybe you should add "fly like an eagle" to the playlist too, (my personal recommendation being Seal's verion over Steve Miller band). You know, I was listening to the song "Land of Confusion" the other night, and there's one lyric in that song which to me describes "religious people" in a nutshell, heck, religion is a "land of confusion". I won't post the whole song, but here are a few verses to prove my point

""Land Of Confusion"

[Originally by Genesis]

I must have dreamed a thousand dreams
Been haunted by a million screams
But I can hear the marching feet
They're moving into the street

Now, did you read the news today?
They say the danger has gone away
But I can see the fire's still alight
They're burning into the night

There's too many men, too many people
Making too many problems
And there's not much love to go around
Can't you see this is a land of confusion?

This is the world we live in
And these are the hands we're given
Use them and let's start trying
To make it a place worth living in

This is the time, this is the place
So we look for the future
But there's not much love to go around
Tell me why this is a land of confusion

This is the world we live in
And these are the hands we're given
Use them and let's start trying
To make it a place worth living in


I won't be coming home tonight
My generation will put it right
We're not just making promises
That we know we'll never keep

There's too many men, too many people
Making too many problems
And there's not much love to go round
Can't you see this is a land of confusion?

Now, this is the world we live in
And these are the hands we're given
Use them and let's start trying
To make it a place worth fighting for

This is the world we live in
And these are the names we're given
Stand up and let's start showing
Just where our lives are going to"

See you tomorrow ITB!

Unknown said...

I think the only word we're not authorized to say at 50 is "whippersnapper".

Bishop Jim Swilley said...

Fly Like an Eagle is already on there...

Bishop Jim Swilley said...

That last one was addressed to Ebony...

Avatar, is that coming from an expert?

Bishop Jim Swilley said...

And you were responding to my question under the previous article (for those who just logged on)

Ebony said...

Lol I sit corrected. See you tomorrow

Unknown said...

I sent an answer to this, but it may have been lost in transit, which makes my post on Glass Half Full a bit strange. I will resend separately, so this doesn't have to post.

Unknown said...

Expert? Could be. Could be not. (smile).

My apologies to Blog Admin for posting on the wrong article. Using a 2-inch screen to blog can get confusing. Obviously.

Bishop Jim Swilley said...

It's all good, Avatar...

Bishop Jim Swilley said...

...and Izumi left you a message under "Happy Leap Year"...

Unknown said...

Thanks. I've been pondering an answer since I read it. Considered posting to that effect, but got sidetracked. Full day at work, blah, blah, blah.