Tweets - December 31st - So Close

I've been thinking about those spacecrafts I saw a few nights ago since I woke up this morning.

With the exception of the ones I mentioned, I don't recall any of them being markedly bright - some of them weren't bright at all - but there were several spacecrafts that flew (more than I've seen in one night in quite some time).

And the ones that did become bright weren't super-high beams bright, not even close. This has made me think that my understanding of this idea (leaps of faith) is SO VERY CLOSE, but is still lacking in some way.

And I see this "lack" because of the hundreds of questions, scenarios, and answers that keep popping up in my mind. Is the lack in my understanding? Is the lack in my faith? Is it both? Is it neither (and simply a misinterpretation on my part regarding the lights of spacecrafts)?

It is interesting - always interesting. I won't have these questions for too much longer (because of mercy and effort). Even when taking a step back to observe, we continually move forward. So, forward we walk, and never alone.

Tweets - December 28th - Lazarus

I find myself like that Lazarus character in the Gospel of Luke, where I am resting comfortably in Abraham's bosom while those across the gulf are roasting in the fires.

An important difference I'm finding between myself and Lazarus, one that I am coming to terms with, is that I can cross the gulf as freely and as often as I choose. I am able to walk as I would normally walk; I am able to care as I would normally care.

What happens is that when people see me in the midst of the fire, with a face unmoved by the flames, they think I am iron-willed and able to endure the burning pains like a strong man with a "very stoic face" (as someone said of my appearance).

But the reality is that I am not strong and I am very soft - what they see instead is me not being burned at all. And as I was told (or think I was told) a few nights ago from above, "it would take years" before some of those burning in the flames realize this.

Though this liberty is God's power and free gift, I will neither announce nor boast in my liberty in hell - traversing the flames while being unburned - crossing the gulf as often as I please.

We are as we are made to be - Lazarus and all - and if I boast in this liberty, then that stubbornness and bitterness caused by hell's fire may motivate those in pain to pick up their red-hot iron rods and strike my flesh with it until they see the weakness on my face.

Now, I am at liberty. I can continue to rest comfortably in Abraham's bosom far away from those in the flames (and it surely crosses my mind), but in doing so, I may prevent myself from being a light for God to turn on the super-high beams in hell's darkness.

Tweets - December 26th - Justice

I'm failing to see the difference between kindness and justice.

Justice, justice is building what needs to be built, destroying what needs to be destroyed, improving what needs to be improved, restoring what needs to be restored, repairing what needs to be repaired. (Justice does not ignore nor forget anyone, otherwise injustice abounds.)

Love, love is both the deeply empathetic motivation and the perpetual act of justice. (Love is not jealous nor does it boast, for both are destructive by way of deceit.)

Mercy, mercy is the act of creating conditions for justice to exist. (Mercy does not require one to pray and beg for it, it is given freely without request.)

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Several spacecrafts flew overhead tonight, and I'm not entirely sure why, but I do think I have an idea. As I pondered this idea, a spacecraft flew and slowly became brighter and brighter; and as I was informed this could mean, "it would take years".

But later another spacecraft flew and did the same thing, which makes me unsure, as I wasn't speaking about anything that time. But several angels flew tonight in what I would assume is general affirmation.

As for my idea, it really just boils down to leaps of faith. No matter how reasonable things are, there's still that loom of the deep dark pit of death and despair that you know doesn't exist for you. So I leapt, I thought about things, and I will leap again and again and again.

Tweets - December 24th - Christmas

Gospel of John 7:40-43 ~ "Some of the people therefore, when they heard these words, were saying, 'This certainly is the Prophet.' Others were saying, 'This is the Christ.' Still others were saying, 'Surely the Christ is not going to come from Galilee, is He? Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the descendants of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?' So a division occurred in the crowd because of Him. Some of them wanted to seize Him, but no one laid hands on Him."

There appear to have been first century debates over whether or not Jesus was the Christ.

According to the tradition of the priests at that time, the Christ would be born in Bethlehem (this appears to have been based on a specific interpretation of Micah chapter 5). So if Jesus is indeed the Christ, he would have be born in Bethlehem.

But Jesus was not born in Bethlehem, and this complaint is made known to us in the story of John 7:40-43 (which is only a story to illustrate the realities of the contentions and debates that occurred at the time).

According to the understanding of the authors of John, the first century Jews, and the very early Church, Jesus was born and raised in Galilee (Nazareth of Galilee, Jesus of Nazareth).

This issue of the Christ being born in Bethlehem was a controversial issue among first century Jews, and there were some who refused to believe that Jesus was the Christ because he was not born in Bethlehem.

If Jesus had been born in Bethlehem, there would never have been any divisions among them (for this reason) and John 7:40-43 would not exist.

Well the scriptures do not lie, do they? Jesus must have been born in Bethlehem; and all it takes is for one person to spark this idea and for a lot of careless hearers to not seek out what is true (not that there was any way to disprove the idea after enough time had passed).

So stories add on to stories, from desire to mouth to ear to mouth.

Though it does not appear the intention of the birth narratives found in the Gospels of Luke and Matthew were written to convince Jews of the birth location of Jesus, the author of Luke and the editor of Matthew did end all disputes for all time for Jews and Christians alike.

By the time their narratives were written, hearsay regarding "Jesus of Bethlehem" had already become Christian faith and understanding. There would be no more challenges and no more debates about the birthplace of Jesus or the fulfillment of prophecy.

A Jew: According to the scriptures, the Christ will be born in Bethlehem.

A Christian: Jesus was born in Bethlehem.

A Jew: How do you know?

A Christian: Matthew 2 and Luke 2.

 - Christian drops mic

Tweets - December 21st - Condemnation and Restoration

God condemns according to God's purpose, and whatever God condemns, God restores (unlike this race whose people condemn daily and restore nothing).

Unlike mistakes, bad behavioral patterns do require condemnation - as correction does nothing for people who know the correct things to do and yet refuse to do them.

The condemnation of bad behavioral patterns, depending on the nature of the behavior, are either 1) the natural consequences of such actions, or 2) the enforced inability to continue such actions, or 3) both, until justice and restoration lead to decent behavior (if possible).

This is one of my disagreements with some of the Jewish prophets who both foresaw and witnessed God's devastation:

Israel rejected correction, and therefore, the Jewish prophets considered God's hand against Israel a "punishment" (in the sense of inflicting emotional and physical distress or death because of anger, jealousy and disappointment - from what I gathered in their writings); but ultimately, Israel was treated no differently by God than all the surrounding nations whose people were either slaughtered or dragged off into exile.

This was God's plain message to Israel: "you will receive no good or merciful thing; I have rejected you; you will be treated no differently than anyone else in this world; and I will make sure this message is clear as it is severe, and unmistakable as it is unforgettable."

This wasn't a message for anyone else in any other nation (to them, it was more of the same bad news - though far more personal). To view this as a punishment would be like whipping all 10 of your children with only 1 of them understanding why they were all being whipped.

Children who are often whipped will also have additional cognitive and emotional difficulties in their journey with God, as they will have much to learn and so much to unlearn (speaking from experience).

As for those of us being saved from death, there may be forgiveness, but when justice is required there is no restoration or healing without it (setting right what we set wrong; stopping the foul and harmful things we put in motion).

Tweets - December 19th - Competition and Healing

No, competition does not breed any of these things. Competition brings to light what is already there in us (even when hidden in our darkness).

In response to: https://www.sanctuaryforjustice.org/2020/12/tweets-december-19th-competition.html

Prophecy? I don't know. But it's interesting that this correction came to me today, exactly a year later.

As for how it came to me, well, even though it's simple enough to perceive in hindsight, it is the result of a few things.

I mentioned some time ago that I have dermatitis that presents itself on various areas of my skin, including my scalp. It's also present on my face, especially where there is hair, such as my beard and my eyebrows.

My skin looked and felt great for a good while, but a few weeks ago I noticed an uptick in itching on my scalp and a few days ago, I noticed that the skin around my beard and eyebrows were itching and "flaring up".

These things do occur with stress, I noticed some time ago. My body does not respond well to perpetual stress (I have a history stress-induced eye twitches, migraines, and dermatitis flare-ups).

I haven't had a migraine in many years, and haven't had stress-induced eye twitches in a few years as well, so I'd been wondering where this skin flare-up had been coming from.

My first thought was to think about what I had been eating, but I hadn't been eating anything out of the ordinary - certainly not for weeks at a time. My diet is primarily whole foods/grains, vegetables, and very little meat on some days (chicken, turkey, sometimes fish).

I take out the trash twice a month maybe. I drink tea and filtered water daily, a cup of coffee weekday mornings (I usually drink half and toss the rest - I only prefer it while it's hot or very cold or until I get tired of the taste), sometimes juice and soda if I have them.

I talk to God about everything, and this skin issue was one of the things I talked to God about. Then I understood again, "the salvation of the body is the salvation of the Garden, through and through".

A few weeks ago, I downloaded a Spades app on my tablet. I'd been playing that game almost everyday since. Though I didn't experience any "anger", "pride", or "aggression" - when I played with partners I did experience "expectation" (of my partners, and more deeply of myself).

I'm not talking about the agreed-upon expectations between myself and my partners (which we are bound by in a joint effort), but rather the expectation to not always be human (we sometimes make mistakes repeatedly, we're sometimes forgetful even when we're careful, we sometimes lack foresight even when see clearly).

I expected my partners to not always be human by rolling my eyes (condemning them) when I thought they played strangely or made a mistake. But more importantly, I agreed to not be human myself in order to ensure my partners were pleased with my performance; I thought it was what my partners expected of me (and a few of them made known to me that it's exactly what they expected by insulting me when I made a mistake or attempting to pressure me so I would avoid making them in the future).

Attempting to meet the lofty standards of others caused me undue stress, and my flesh cried out.

I'm requiring some specific adjustments of myself and this place.

Mistakes should bring about care through correction and justice, and never judgment and condemnation (not even of oneself). We all know how we hate to be treated.

I ask this to seedlings: Was I condemned when I ate undercooked pigeon peas or was I healed? Though these things may not seem like much of a big deal, they are truth, and therefore, important for our sakes (our understanding, a healthy mind, and our physical and ongoing healing).

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While outside a few moments ago, 2 spacecrafts became luminous and flew one behind the other. They flew at the same speed, in close proximity to one another (from my perspective), in a wide arc pattern (rather than straight). Then both went dim, one after the other.

Tweets - December 12th

Jupiter, Saturn, and Venus were all lined up tonight, positioned diagonally. While acknowledging this beautiful display, a spacecraft became luminous and flew as bright or almost as bright as Jupiter until it dimmed and flew out of sight.

Later, there was another spacecraft that flew and it shifted extremely fast, and pierced brightly and sharply.