Respect.

                                                         

I give you

Love

with all my heart.

I respect

your wishes

and your vows.

And I pray

that God

your pardon

allows.


Photo Credit: Alexey Lesukov.

Resurrection.

From the darkness

of Calvary.

And the finality

of death.

We rise

with Jesus

into

the Light of Life.


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False God.

                            

Those who have rejected God and turned to Satan will be exonerated because God's representatives on earth - His priesthood - told them that God was a vindictive judge and a punitive dictator.

They have rejected a false image of God.

God is neither judgemental nor punitive.

God judges no one.

God punishes no one.

These errors come from human beings projecting the traits of human authority figures - fathers and kings - onto God.

The fear of punishment has been handed down from generation to generation.

So those who have rejected this false image of God will be exonerated and their debts will be written off. 


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Light.

                            

The light that comes from God enables us to see the truth.

The illusions and lies which fill the darkness are swept away.

No longer do we believe their backwards lies: devils in heaven and saints in hell.

But we see the beauty of God:

Forgiveness. Mercy. Goodness. Love.

We experience Love.

And spontaneous Joy.

We are touched by Peace.

And glimpse Heaven.


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Saved!

I pray.

That I may

touch

your heart.

And

turn

your head.

To

God,

Heaven,

and

Home!


Photo Credit: Pinterest.

Remnant.

                                      

"But now I will not deal with the remnant of this people as in former days, says the Lord of hosts.  For there shall be a sowing of peace; the vine shall yield its fruit, the ground shall give its produce, and the skies shall give their dew; I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things."  Zechariah 8:11,12 (NRSV)

There is always a remnant.

Even now, as the Christian Churches of the West decline, there is still a remnant, small as it is.

Let us hope that there will be a sowing of peace and that the dove will be seen once again in the earth.


[Scripture quotations (marked NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.]

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Power.

                            

True power, which comes from self-empowerment, is generous, gracious, constructive, and creative.

It is related to self-love - the capacity to love oneself.

Such a person does not try to dominate others, nor does he retaliate, or use power destructively.

These things are essentially the result of deep fears and insecurities - the person must prove to others that he is strong and powerful precisely because he doubts in himself that he is and fears being dominated or hurt.

In effect he fears his own vulnerability.

But an open heart is always vulnerable.
We cannot open ourselves to others without exposing our vulnerability.

This requires trust.
 
If we close our hearts and protect ourselves with ramparts and towers we can never be close to another, whether we are married or not.

Trust is an essential component of faith.

God is trustworthy.

If we open our hearts to God He will return our love.

In this way God heals our broken hearts.

Our experiences in the world cause us to defend our vulnerable selves.
But by doing so we shut ourselves in a prison of our own making.

Love can set us free.

If we overcome our fears and open ourselves to God and to others our love is liberated and we are free to love.

This is true power.


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