My Paradigm Shift

I am relatively new to the blogging experience and in my last post I said I would continue the next post with relation to defining the Kingdom. I have decided to change my approach. My wife and I have read so many good books lately with our reading to one another. However I am solo-reading a book that I would like to share with you.

To start, I would like to let you know a little about my philosophy of approaching the critical issues of life. I have always, even before becoming a Christian, been one to want to know the "bottom line" in almost everything to do with learning. When in school I was always wanting the teacher to be as practical as possible so that it would minimalize effort and difficulty in understanding whatever was being taught. I guess, in other words, though I wasn't lazy, I considered it a facilitation to make life easier now that I look back on it.

This process paid off in the latter years making life a little simpler and allowing me to focus better on things. Now the "bottom line" has become my mantra.

In this blog post I want to begin to share what I consider serious significant issues that not many people, and especially ministers and laypeople aren't discussing. If they aren't discussing these things then they can't be living them and if they aren't living them then they are continuously falling short of the mark which happens to be the definition of sin.

I am not accusing anyone of blatant personal sin with any sort of malice. I long to only help with one's  understanding of the potential of realizing the Abundant Life of which we are all called to partake. I don't know of anyone that doesn't want a better life. Always remember though, Abundant Life does not preclude any negative circumstances happening in one's life it only helps us overcome or deal with those circumstances with the proper attitude, thereby rising above them.

The book that I will share excerpts from is a book by Dr. Michael Wells. Mike came to Yvonne and me shortly after we got married over 20 years ago. He headed up an organization called "Abiding Life Ministries". (www.abidinglifeministries.com) This was a global outreach to many nations until his untimely death, of natural causes, last year at the age of 59. It took his death and memorial service to wake me up to what he was doing and sharing. His untimely death became a sort of paradigm shift for me in understanding the basics or "bottom line" of the "Christian" walk. He reveals the simple/practical truths of scripture in a very plain language. I told my wife that Mike is making more sense than most I've heard in quite a while.

The title of his book is Heavenly Discipleship. Here's an excerpt: "Satan likes the tree of the knowledge of good and evil with its extremes. Eating from it, disciples miss the mark. If Satan's attempt to make the disciples stingy fails, he will lure them to give away all resources so that their families go without. If Satan cannot get us to lie, he induces us to say nothing at all. If we refuse to lust, he tempts with the thought of killing all sexual desire. If we refuse to slander a brother, he will encourage cartoonish spouting of how wonderful everyone is. The world eats from this tree and continually defines what is negative or what is positive, and uses peer pressure to move man from one to the other. The solution to being Up and Out is not to become Down and Out, or vice versa. The solution is to move to a completely different tree, the Tree of Life. Jesus is that tree, and believers have been grafted int it, with His life our life! Believers are not down and out or up and out, but rather, positioned in Him. Study His life to discover what we are! Avoid the long-reaching arms of the tree of knowledge of good and evil."


Next time I will reveal more of this powerful life changing book and not as much commentary.

The Thoughts of a Baby Bird

I am a baby bird in a nest with my mouth opened wide unknowingly ever waiting for my next worm, instinctively sensing that it is coming yet not knowing exactly what is happening. I wait in anticipation with what I don't know as hunger.

I'm just here oblivious to my existence. I don't really know anything. I'm just here.

In my innocence I await the appearance of what I'm unaware is the source of my sustenance. I don't know who or even what is feeding me. Even though I'm hungry, I don't know what hunger is. It appears to be a world of sensation without description. I have feelings of hunger and suddenly a source appears and I get filled. I certainly don't know where what I am being fed is going after it is put in my mouth.

I have no apparent worry or anxiety over anything that is taking place so far. I have no knowledge of purpose and am not aware that it is even in my distant future. I have no sense of being and have a long way to go to any knowledge of identity. I'm just here.

I haven't realized my helplessness and vulnerability. I don't know what worry or fear is. I see, hear, smell, taste and feel, but at this point it's all so confusing with my limited perspective.

I'm just here. If  I'm just here and I have little knowledge or experience, then mostly, I just am.



I would like to interject a truly practical definition of the phrase "I AM". Scripture points to God as being the "Great I Am." The definition of the phrase "I Am" is "The Source". When we take a look at the "baby bird" we'll notice in it's infant-like innocence it easily receives from it's source whatever the mamma' or daddy have to offer; the key being "infant-like innocence." In this situation the baby bird is not only open to receive the food offered but the necessary life lessons for future endeavors.

God humbled Himself enough to become a man, enter the earth in the form of an infant child, and still retain all of  His power. Then who are we to limit or neglect the potential of this child.

Henceforth, I relate man's current dilemma with entering the Kingdom of God. Matthew 18:3 says, "verily I say unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little children ye shall not enter in to the Kingdom of God." The word "be", preceding the the word "converted" in the Greek is a state of being verb indicating "I am." It is first person, singular, present indicative. The word "converted" here is synonymous to the word "repent" or change one's thinking; thus "be converted" becomes "I am changed in my thinking." The phrase "I am" points back to becoming childlike, Or more specifically, infant-like.

Instead of having childlike faith we must stand forth with infant-like faith which has a wholly different meaning considering, once again, the aforementioned "Baby Bird". We must, by infant-like faith rely, in total innocence, on our Source being God, who is willing to come to earth whether as our Source or as a child. He is well able to "perfect that which concerneth us."

Next, in the verse that says we must "become as little children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven", the word "become" means to cause to be (to generate), come into being infant-like, come into being humble, yet never humiliated. Even though we may suffer physically, mentally, or emotionally we will never be humiliated if we remain infant-like in our humility. "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." (We will discuss, suffering and problems in a later blog)

The touch-point for entering the Kingdom will always be infant-like humility in faith. Man's total dependence upon God.



Now, "What is the Kingdom of Heaven?" We will discuss that in the next Blog.