Friday, November 28, 2008

MITN VI

1. “Be careful not to fall into the trap of doing good deeds publicly, just so you can be seen by the people whose applause and approval you crave. If public opinion is that important to you, you’re inevitably going to forfeit the promise of receiving a reward from your Father Who is in the heavenly realm.

2. “So whenever you give to the poor, don’t make a lot of noise about it; don’t blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites in the synagogues and in the streets like to do so that they may be recognized and honored by the public. In all honesty, the accolades and pats on the back that they will receive for their supposed generosity is all the reward that they will get.

3. “But when you give to charity, your motives should be so pure that you will be happy to be absolutely discreet about it. In fact, your low-profile acts of kindness ought to make it seem as though your left hand doesn’t even know what your right hand is doing,

4. so that your deeds of charity may be done quietly and your love offerings may be given in secret…even in anonymity. And then your Father Who sees in secret and knows the hidden things of the heart will reward you openly.

5. “Also when you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets that they may be seen and heard by the people around them. Again, I tell you in all honesty, they have their reward in full, already.

6. “But when you pray – I mean when you really want to talk to God about what’s going on in your personal life – do it privately. Find a place where you can be alone…where you can close the door to the world and pray in confidence to your Father, Who dwells in the secret place. And your Father, Who sees into the hidden rooms of the heart, will reward you out in the open light of day. Then, when you emerge strengthened from your private place of individual prayer, you can move into a place of real, effective public prayer.

7. “And when you pray, do not mindlessly and mechanically mutter maxims and mottos; do not routinely and ritualistically repeat rote religious rhetoric as the Gentile heathen do, for they think they will be heard for their much speaking.

8. “Do not be like them. Really communicate with God, because the thing about prayer is this: your Father already knows what you need even before you ask Him! So prayer is more about building relationship with the one to whom you pray, for whom you pray, and with whom you pray, than it is about just getting your physical needs met. In other words, it is communication that not only creates a connection in heaven, but also creates a community on the earth.

























9. “So pray like this: Our Father – not My Father…not your Father…but Our Father Who is in the heavenly realm – may Your name be hallowed by us and always kept holy in our collective consciousness.

10. “May Your kingdom continue to come to us and in us and through us. May Your will be done on earth…in the physical realm…as it is in heaven…in the spiritual realm.

11. Give us – not Me, not you, but us – give us this day, our daily bread…just the provision that we need in the now…no more…no less.

12. “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

13. “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil…even the evil that we may find within ourselves. For Yours is the kingdom, the reign, the power and the glory forever. Amen.

14. “For if you readily forgive the people in your life their thoughtless mistakes and human failures, your heavenly Father will also freely forgive you.

15. “But if you do not forgive others their mistakes and failures, you prevent the Father’s forgiveness from flowing into your life, and so you end up going through life having unfinished business with God.

16. “And whenever you are fasting, don’t walk around looking sullen, intense and morose like the hypocrites do, for they play into religious stereotypes with their dramatics, that their fasting may be apparent to and seen by people. I tell you, honestly, that the attention they get from their audience is their full and complete reward.

17. “But when you fast, see to it that you smell good and look good through the whole process

18. so that your fasting may not be noticed by people, but by your Father (Who sees the secret motives of the heart); and your Father (Who sees what no one else can see), will reward you out in the open where everyone can see.

19. “Do not just accumulate and amass wealth in earthly places where your treasure may be vulnerable to the natural elements. Keep it away from moths and rust…anything that might consume and destroy it…and hold it in a dimension where thieves can never break through and steal it.

20. “But gather your wealth up and deposit it into the heavenly realm, where neither moth (anything that might eat it up) nor rust (anything that might cause it to disintegrate) may consume and destroy and where thieves are not able to break through and steal what you have;

21. for where your treasure or wealth is, there will your heart and mind and attention be also.

22. “Your perception ultimately becomes your reality. It’s as if the eye is the lamp of the body, because your vision (or the way that you see things) is the light that continually shines on your life-path and determines its direction. Perception is everything. So if your eye is healthy through singleness of vision – or if your perspective on life is positive and progressive – then your entire body will be full of light…your entire being will be progressively enlightened.

23. “But if your eye is diseased (if your perception is warped), your whole body or self will be full of darkness. And you can’t imagine how much darkness you can bring on yourself just by seeing things the wrong way and how dark that darkness can ultimately become if left unchecked!

24. “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stand by and be devoted to the one and despise and be opposed to the other. In a word, you cannot simultaneously serve God and Mammon (the god that people create in their lives through their illusions and delusions about money and possessions).

25. “Therefore, I tell you, stop being perpetually worried and unnecessarily stressed about your quality of life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink. Don’t be preoccupied by your body-image and by what you’ll have to put on. In the big picture, isn’t life greater and more important than food and the body more than clothing?

26. “Just take some time and look at the birds of the air. Haven’t you noticed that they aren’t preoccupied with the business of sowing and reaping and gathering their harvest into barns? And yet your heavenly Father keeps faithfully feeding them. Don’t you think that you are worth much more than they?

27. “And who of you by worrying and being anxious can add any height to his or her frame, or any years, or even minutes for that matter, onto his or her life-span?

28. “And why should you be anxious about clothes? Consider the lilies of the field and learn how they grow; they don’t strive with trying to be beautifully adorned, and they don’t wear themselves out by staying in a constant spin.

29. “And yet I tell you, even Solomon in all of his magnificent excellence was not arrayed like one of these beauties.

30. “So think about it…if God personally designs the wardrobe and so elegantly clothes the grass of the field (which today is alive and green and tomorrow is tossed into the furnace) will He not much more surely clothe you, O you whose faith needs to be enlarged?

31. “In other words, it’s just pointless to worry and be anxious, saying, ‘What are we going to have to eat?’ or ‘What are we going to have to drink?’ or ‘What are we going to have to wear?’

32. “For the nations are obsessed with these kinds of things, yet the fact remains that your heavenly Father already knows full well that you need them all.

33. “But seek out and search for a revelation of the kingdom of God in and through every circumstance, and in every situation. And seek it first (or first thing)...before you strive with the circumstance... before you start to worry about the situation…before you fret over it…before you allow yourself to become overwhelmed by it or let it become exaggerated in your mind. And along with your primary search, look diligently for His righteousness, (or His rightness) to be revealed somewhere in the thing, as well. When you prioritize the kingdom in this way, then you can be sure that everything in your personal world will come into order, and that all you need for your daily provision will just automatically flow into your life and will be added to you as a result of your quest.

34. “So don’t worry or be anxious about what may or may not happen tomorrow. Live in the now, because the kingdom is always revealed in the now. Deal with tomorrow and what it may bring when it gets here, knowing that tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own. As you live each day as it comes, God will enable you to successfully handle each day’s trouble, whatever it may be.


43 comments:

SCRIBE said...

I- Jehovah God encourage thee, dearly beloved, to always be about MY business and then leave the rest to me, as I provide for thee. Look not to the left or to the right, but only to Me- the Awesome Jehovah God from which comes your promotion and everything needed. SELAH… I have not brought you thus far to leave you and I have never seen the righteous forsaken or my humble Sons and Daughters whom worship Me in spirit and truth out begging for bread. I am with thee always, even unto the ends of the earth and time. My people, whom I have called according to My Holy Name, are to guard their hearts from malice, envy, and anger; for anger that is dwelled upon in the mind and heart produces roots of bitterness and strife, declares the Lord of Hosts. When having done all that you can, just stand on my unchanging, infallible word, for my word will never return void! Rest assured that I shall not withhold any necessary thing from thee. I am the Author and Finisher of your faith and My Faithfulness unto thee. Let all that are the righteousness of GOD stand up and profess it as so, lift up your hands to be counted, while presenting yourselves unto me- the Lord thy GOD as living epistles and Holy Sacrifices in my sight. I shall carefully examine thee by way of the Holy Spirit so that I may purge out every impure motive and unclean thing stemming from wretched roots of evil. My First Begotten Son- Emmanuel Jesus Christ was sent to serve as the ultimate example that all should follow, declares GOD. Never shall I leave or forsake thee, for I alone am the same GOD yesterday, today, and forever more. Not only am I the GOD of Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham- who have long been passed away from the earth, I am also your GOD and my grace and mercy are still more than sufficient for thee. Let all of they who walk by faith, not by sight, while leaning not to their own understanding, and have chosen to walk upright before me to be deemed worthy and faithful by way of the Holy Spirit, expect insurmountable overflow, abundance, and outpouring of My Spirit, whereas never to be led astray! The just / righteousness of GOD shall live by unwavering faith in me, declares the Lord God Almighty. Hallelujah!

Let not your hearts be troubled, for I have come by way of my spirit to liberate the bound and set the captives free. My people are to simply be obedient and diligent unto my works and purposes, while abiding in right relationship and communion with me in the steadfast pursuit of my kingdom and all righteousness. Then, I shall open up windows and floodgates of heaven, emptying out my blessings that you shall not have space or place enough to receive it all, declares GOD.

Rejoice! For those who are eager and hungry for my presence and in doing my works despite all of their trials and dilemmas, no need shall go unmet, as I pour out upon thee bountiful harvests for every hardship endured. The races are not won by the swift, nor the battles given to the strong, but they who have endured and been faithful overcomes victoriously in the end. Whatever is asked for in my name, according to my purposes, I shall grant without hesitation, unto those who desire to please me in all that they do. AMEN.

Behold! It is NOW RESTORATION TIME, and immeasurable wealth and unprecedented favor is poured out by the boatloads. Shout Hallelujah, declares God Almighty, for supernatural outpouring is arriving to thee shortly and provision galore suddenly and immediately!

HALLELUJAH!
SELAH…AMEN.

SCRIBE said...

Bishop:
Your gifting to translate the scriptures into modern, practical words of LIFE for TODAY really speaks to people in the the places that they are in their lives and in languages that they can easily understand / comprehend. Most people can recite and regurgitate scripture yet have no revelation or insight of how to apply it to their everyday lives. THANKS for being a voice to the nations and being able to reach those in the wilderness- even if their own personal wilderness happens to be false doctrine, religion,fear or lack of understanding. Faith comes by / through HEARING and Hearing through the word of GOD. How can they HEAR except they really Listen and desire to comprehend, and how can they comprehend and be taught without the true Preachers and Teachers of the Word who bring NEW LIFE, New Perceptions, and Paradigm Shifts through the tearing down of Mental Strongholds? Most Excellent and Inspiring. Thanks for pouring the Life Blood into the dying, deceived, and confused. We are truly blessed to not only have the gift that God presented to us in you, but even more so that we are open to RECEIVE the gifts that God has so graciously bestowed upon us. I cannot speak for anyone else, but I for one am grateful that you are a TRUTH SEEKER and Revelatory Warrior who is not afraid to Impart the truth- the Divine TRUTH even though it may shake some things and people up. In the spirit of Christ you Comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable- those whom are comfortable in doing what they've always done and rehearsing only what they've always known and said. Isn't it all so WONDERFUL!!!! Hallelujah!

Anonymous said...

I was spending my days with my demons, yeah
They had taken up inside of my heart
They were trying to keep me entertained
They were tearing me apart

Well my memory, she was packing, yeah
And I knew that she would never come back
She handed me a letter and
Then she vanished in the black
And the letter said:

Things are what you make of them
Things are what you make of them, baby
And you know what I mean
Yeah, you know what I mean

Well I met up with my common sense
And I knew her by the rose in her hair
She said: Son, if you don't make a noise
God will never know you're there

So I purchased me a ticket, yeah
For a meeting with Jesus Christ
He shook my hand and offered me
Just this thimble of advice
He was telling me:

Things are what you make of them . . .

peacemaker said...

Another translational masterpiece being manifested. Paraphrased in the same "being there-ness" as JITN.
I agree with Erik a few comments back. John is also my favorite. It was written in a more metaphysical vein to a larger spectrum of readers. Matthew, to me, being the more "Jewish" of the four, tries to pigeon hole Jesus into most all of the Messanic prophesies spoken in the Old Testament.
Your style of writing, though, transcends any "scholarly" debate and takes us to a place, especially on the Mount of Beatitudes, where you are right there listening to the greatest Teacher who ever lived utter words of life to the crowds so needing hope in such troubled times.
Then there's todays. Within it, probably the most relatable(if that's a word)version of the Lord's Prayer ever written. I read in those few verses Jesus, condensing his whole message in that prayer, restoring Man's mind to the fact that God is still accessable simply by uttering a simple prayer of recognition and gratitude.
Beautiful! I'm really looking forward to the rest.

Peace,
PM

tracy said...

Ahhhh-to be blessed by such a great day yesterday and then to be all snuggled in my warm bed this morning and log onto the blog! To wake up to a Rhema word...., beautiful Bishop. Scribe loved what you said about most people regurgitating scripture- it reminds me of the mama bird chewing up the food and spitting it in the babies mouth. I think I will seek out my own and chew it for myself. Yessir no recycled reggurgitated religion for me!

tracy said...

baby's mouth or babies mouths....reGurgitated-sorry

NTL said...

Bish,
I love the latest, especially verse 33.

When will we be able to get the CD?

NTL said...

And yes I know you have to finish the book first, I'm just saying...

NTL said...

Almost forgot, the new picture.

The revalator,revalating,revelation.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful Bishop! I'm still meditating on chapter 5 vs 1...

I was reading in Isaiah 2- in The Message-WE ARE THE MOUNTAIN!!! (which also pertains to your Korea trip)

Climb God's Mountain

There's a day coming when the mountain of God's House Will be The Mountain-
solid, towering over all mountains.
All nations will river toward it, people from all over set out for it. They'll say, "Come, let's clim GOD's Mountain, He'll show us the way he works so we can live the way we're made." Zion's the source of the revelation
GOD's Message comes from Jerusalem. He'll settle things fairly between nations. He'll make things right between many peoples. They'll turn their swords into shovels, ther spears into hoes. No more will nation fight nation, they won't play war anymore.
Come, family o Jacob
Let's live in the light of GOD.

AMEN!

Anonymous said...

climb.....

every mountain, ford every stream, follow every rainbow

til you find your dream!!

peacemaker said...

Verse 22.
“Your perception ultimately becomes your reality. It’s as if the eye is the lamp of the body, because your vision (or the way that you see things) is the light that continually shines on your life-path and determines its direction. Perception is everything. So if your eye is healthy through singleness of vision – or if your perspective on life is positive and progressive – then your entire body will be full of light…your entire being will be progressively enlightened.

That one verse is the crux of consciousness transformation. Transformation, though most times created by external happenings, both positive and negative, happens internally changing the way we perceive things in and about our life. Transformation continually happens. Most times gradual over time, but sometimes suddenly in an instant. However it comes, it increases the health of our "inner" eye allowing more light to enter limiting light-blindness that sometimes occurs with revelation. This increase wholeness of sight then focuses onto our "outer" world changing our worldview and conscious perception.
Then as you wrote; "progressive enlightment" is the outcome.

Beautiful man...Beautiful
PM

Anonymous said...

turkey sandwiches for lunch.

whooo hooo!!!

Anonymous said...

Turkey Sandwich Recipe

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
2 slices multigrain bread
1 tablespoon hot pepper jelly
3 slices thinly sliced deli or cooked turkey
Directions:
Spread cream cheese on both slices of bread; spread jelly over cream cheese. Place turkey on one slice; cover with remaining slice. Yield: 1 sandwich.

Anonymous said...

The verses about giving was highly taught by my parent's. I feel that giving in secret is the best way to give. The reward is when you know they are blessed. The Lord will reward you in His time. Man is not the reward but you can give which is in aspects is being a reward to others.
Live to Give

Anonymous said...

Yes! In the Kingdom, Perception is Reality and Believing is Seeing.

And consider the following...
Kingdom Cause & Effect...
Today I am thankful for Being God's Effect as I unite in His Cause

Lesson 326 - ACIM

I am forever an Effect of God
Father, I was created in Your Mind, a holy Thought that never left its home I am forever Your Effect, and You forever and forever are my Cause. As You created me I have remained. Where You established me I still abide. And all Your attributes abide in me, because it is Your Will to have a Son so like his Cause that Cause and Its Effect are indistinguishable. Let me know that I am an Effect of God, and so I have the power to create like You. And as it is in Heaven, so on earth. Your plan I follow here, and at the end I know that You will gather Your effects into the tranquil Heaven of Your Love, where earth will vanish, and all separate thoughts unite in glory as the Son of God.
Let us today behold earth disappear, at first transformed, and then, forgiven, fade entirely into God's holy Will

tracy said...

Where is the rest of the blog fam? That sure has been a looooong
nap!

Linda Luke said...

It has been a wonderful, cozy and one of the best thanksgivngs ever! I hope it was the same for all my blog family!

I am truly loving the book of Matthew more than ever previously! I think lives are truly going to be changed as they read these words and give heed to them! They pretty much sum up most of the motivational teachings in the business and sales world today~straight from the BIBLE! =)These 3 verses for me,is what I am seeking to guide me thru the coming New Year!

Vs 33...regarding seeking 1st the Kingdom of God has always been one of my very favorites and now your translation Bishop has just expanded my paradigm and revelation of what it truly means! Powerful!!! As children of God we can't help but be the head and not the tail, above and not beneath...VICTORIOUS!

Cool new pic Bishop!

Thank you for the powerful word Scribe!


...this is from a Joel Osteen devotional today and I thought went along with the vs 22.

Have a cozy evening! Smiles~


It's Time to Believe Again

Anytime God is about to take you to a new level you’re going to face opposition. There will be new battles to fight and new obstacles to overcome. It’s easy to get discouraged and think, “Why is this happening?” But we have to change our thinking and focus on the fact that on the other side of those challenges is a new level of victory—a new level of success. David would only be known as a shepherd boy if it weren’t for Goliath. David’s enemy became the tool that God used to promote him. And God will do the same in your life today. He’ll use those challenges and difficulties in your life to catapult you towards success! If you are going through a hard time today, if things look impossible, don’t give up now.

Change your perspective and believe that God is working behind the scenes. Put a smile on your face and stand in confidence knowing that you are a child of the Most High God. When all is said and done, you’re not just going to come out of that difficulty, but you’re coming out stronger, wiser, and better than you were before! That problem is going to be the catalyst for God to open supernatural doors of opportunity for you! Stand strong in the Lord today and trust that what the enemy meant for your harm, God will turn around and use to your advantage. He’ll take you places you never dreamed and cause you to rise higher and higher in every area of your life!




22. “Your perception ultimately becomes your reality. It’s as if the eye is the lamp of the body, because your vision (or the way that you see things) is the light that continually shines on your life-path and determines its direction. Perception is everything. So if your eye is healthy through singleness of vision – or if your perspective on life is positive and progressive – then your entire body will be full of light…your entire being will be progressively enlightened.

23. “But if your eye is diseased (if your perception is warped), your whole body or self will be full of darkness. And you can’t imagine how much darkness you can bring on yourself just by seeing things the wrong way and how dark that darkness can ultimately become if left unchecked!

Bishop Jim Swilley said...

Thanks so much, Scribe!

Bishop Jim Swilley said...

Peacemaker, thanks for the affirmation (both comments)...I was about to send out a posse looking for you! Glad to have you back...

Bishop Jim Swilley said...

Thanks, Tracy...and I've been wondering where everyone else is, as well...

Bishop Jim Swilley said...

Thanks, NTL...I don't know if we'll do a Matthew CD...could be...could be not...

Bishop Jim Swilley said...

Thanks, P. Nancy...great reference from The Message...

Bishop Jim Swilley said...

Amen, Laura...

Bishop Jim Swilley said...

Thanks, Anon @ 1:09...

Bishop Jim Swilley said...

I appreciate it, Crownjewel...

Unknown said...

Izumi, from MITN V...correction received re: closed scriptures, especially here! I must be more precise with my words--smile. Like you, I keep going back to the previous chapters. I started thinkings this morning, though, how cool it is to connect with a translation that is SO alive and inviting to plumbing its depths.

tracy said...

Watching Fred Claus- stupid movie but when Fred (Santa's brother) marks all kids as "NICE" and not naughty---is that not what Jesus did? Just wonderin, word ver delved-I delved right in didn't I?

tracy said...

Stupid movie redeemed itself...

Anonymous said...

AMEN, Tracy!

peacemaker said...

Thanks for missing me. I've been in the Big Apple for a much needed mini-vacation with my WHOLE family. That is a rare occurance these days so I closed myself off to everything and took advantage of every precious moment with them.

See you ITB Sunday.



Peace
PM

NTL said...

Bish,
Actually I was thinking, the whole New Testamentont on CD, one book at a time, as you completed them. Then there would be the translating it all into the many differfent languages, then...

I guess I'm just having an out of the box moment.

Bishop Jim Swilley said...

All things are possible, NTL...

NTL said...

Bish,
I know. Isn't it wonderful.

Miracles, peace, love and the ability to dream, to us all.

Anonymous said...

Another five star…. I like the way you brought out the NOW in the Lords Prayer, and also illuminated the “communal flavor “ of the prayer; if I may coin a phrase.

I really like the message bible in many instances for a paraphrase; it obviously has become very popular among many others also. But I must say, If the Lord gives you strength and days to complete a New Testament; it will set that same sector of the bible market on fire for this bible. While setting a fire under many others as well……..:)

My favorites for this chapter were………

8. “Do not be like them. Really communicate with God, because the thing about prayer is this: your Father already knows what you need even before you ask Him! So prayer is more about building relationship with the one to whom you pray, for whom you pray, and with whom you pray, than it is about just getting your physical needs met. In other words, it is communication that not only creates a connection in heaven, but also creates a community on the earth.

22. “Your perception ultimately becomes your reality. It’s as if the eye is the lamp of the body, because your vision (or the way that you see things) is the light that continually shines on your life-path and determines its direction. Perception is everything. So if your eye is healthy through singleness of vision – or if your perspective on life is positive and progressive – then your entire body will be full of light…your entire being will be progressively enlightened.

33. “But seek out and search for a revelation of the kingdom of God in and through every circumstance, and in every situation. And seek it first (or first thing)...before you strive with the circumstance... before you start to worry about the situation…before you fret over it…before you allow yourself to become overwhelmed by it or let it become exaggerated in your mind.

34. “So don’t worry or be anxious about what may or may not happen tomorrow. Live in the now, because the kingdom is always revealed in the now. Deal with tomorrow and what it may bring when it gets here, knowing that tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own. As you live each day as it comes, God will enable you to successfully handle each day’s trouble, whatever it may be.


Just what I needed to end the day. Good night Y’all!

Sleep in heavenly peace,
Dennis

Unknown said...

Bishop, cool "tree and you" picture.

Mostly-a-blurker and I have been joyfully cleaning out closets and doing other long-ignored stuff today--which is typical for this time of year in our house. But this year we've JOYFULLY been cleaning out our budget [totally reinventing might be more precise] and old mindsets, too. It's been a great day. Feels like a "maximized potential" day--we flipflopped yesterday and today in AYITN.

Praise God, P.Dennis has posted which gives me an opportunity to totally agree before I share my personal challenge. Parts of Matt. 6 have been a challenge for me for quite a while. I end up arguing with it for some reason--yeah, but, the birds are hunting for food all the time...yeah, but, the lilies don't have to change clothes or do laundry. I waited till late to put this on here, didn't want to be a debbie d...but its my unvarnished thought and I would like it to be cleansed, so I'm confessing it. In a Avatar-like way, this sort of goes along with the picture question...HE said What?

I totally get the concepts He's presenting and MITN is way positive and full of light...Lord's Prayer [v.7 Bishop Alliteration, way cool] and verses 33-34, exceptional...but I've wondered a long time why the One who came to fulfill the "thou shalt nots" is quoted using so many of them.

Is it just me? Do I need an attitude/perception adjustment? Have I got some "not" issue?

If so, I speak light to my perception--and will keep reading this translation until I can deal with them, giving thanks, in the natural for MITN...and in faith, for being set free.

NTL said...

...

Bishop Jim Swilley said...

Avatar, I just posted Chapter VII and then noticed that you had added this under Chapter VI...

First of all, your points are well taken, and, if it's any consolation, doing this paraphrase has brought up as many new questions for me as it has answers...

Going word by word through it makes me look very closely at all of it, which causes me to wonder why He said so many things that He said...honestly, it's as destructive as it is consructive for me in a way...

You're not being a Debbie Downer...this journey of searching for all the truth is mysterious, to say the least, and revelation is a hurricane (blast) that tears down as much as it builds up (was that a redundant statement?)

And yet, as I said in the next post, the revelation keeps coming...and I love the searching, even though it causes great bewilderment...

I wonder as I wander...

We all just have to keep moving forward...

Sunday will be a great day...

Bishop Jim Swilley said...

consTructive...

Unknown said...

Yes, it IS consolation, Bishop--and I understand the destructive/constructive challenge--and the feeling beat up in the process. Funny, I've used a "tornado" analogy frequently along with sensing a need to keep my arms close in the calm center while everything whirled just inches away--but tornadoes don't have a calm center, hurricanes do. Hmmm--interesting.

Your comment soothes and lets me ease up on myself enough to remember a quote from "The Star of Bethlehem" author...goes something like "the scriptures can be pressed and pressed and still stand. Thank you and YES...Sunday will...

NTL, your pic choice is BOC cool.
See MITN VII.

Anonymous said...

Avatar - no correction; more like incredulity. CITN's a city set on a hill. So, I wrote for gates to lift & everlasting doors to open.

Anonymous said...

I reallllly like verse 6. My prayer closet used to be a set place; don't know when that changed.

Verse 17 is so funny! (so true, I mean)

The flying eyeball pic seems to illustrate verse 26.

Bishop Jim Swilley said...

Thanks and amen to all the above!