Saints and Aints

 Hello everyone, here is a real theology post. It is about the first and second greatest commandments. I jsut heard it read at my church.  The first most important commandment is to love the lord your God with all your heart, mind, and strength.  And the second is to love your neighbor as yourself.  In the old testament what precedes this is the statement that the Lord your God is one, Israel.

So okay, here is a little question:  Where is family in this structure? Are they a type of neighbor? Because usually it is seen as differently than that.  I would say maybe they are part of the one-ness with God. When God says he is one (even though we now know he is a trinity), and says to love him with all your self, then maybe there is something about family that is part of either your love or the one-ness of God.  

So then later we can see that the concept of family can be extended to the church.  What I am saying is that the whole church universal and of all time might be part of that first commandment, when you love God with all your heart mind and strength, you are doing so with all of God's people.

I am now suggesting that the "neighbors" might be the reprobate and receive only justice. So it is either mercy or justice.

In other blogs I have said that mercy, justice, and grace are a trio of blessings that have to do with what is deserved and not deserved.  But here I am suggesting that the presbyterian heaven and hell theology might be contained in just these two verses.  It also makes me wonder about the geography of heaven and hell.  If you conclude that it is the church in the first verse and all others in the second verse, then why are they listed as neighbors? I just wonder what the proximity will always be, and if there is some way it already plays out in the purgatory of earth.

This could also be a caution about justice. This is an extreme view that I have never heard before, but I believe it is there if people want to consider it. 

 Hello everyone, this is Refried. It is Sunday morning. I woke up feeling good. I slept well. I am thankful for good sleep. I am drinking coffee now at my computer. A lot of people have nice times like this and are blessed even though bad things happen a lot now.

I am okay that my query got rejected. I mean what do I want out of it, a publishing deal? And then my books aren't consistent?  What really needs to happen are book sales from my amazon page.

I just now was thinking of writing a letter to an agent, maybe a christian agent, telling them how I feel. I feel a certain way about my books as resources not being used. But it is not that bitter or anything, I just really question it and think people don't see the opportunity and I do not know why.

Anyway it is not a big deal.  However I did not see a lot of additional query options in the book I looked at last night. But there might be a few more.

Today maybe I will read more from my journal or a different book. Maybe some of the second thin book series and Bronx Combos. I mean was I supposed to stay strong until the end more? I do not know. Why weren't the book publishing people supposed to start strong with me? I think that is more of a question.

Anyway I sent the balloon blob to brian allain in an email. It was for his birthday.  Was that a bit much, well I do not know.

My churches start at 11:30. Will I try to go to middlechurch online today? Maybe.  I mean should I have gone in person? I do not know. I just thought of a possible meme.

Well have a good day everyone.

 Well everyone, I might not get this post right, but I just watched a Sept 11 video and saw how people near the explosion in the building knew they had to get out, and people who felt safe in other parts of the building sometimes stayed in their office so they didn't get out when the building collapsed.

I don't know if it is bad to use that as an illustration and this is a theology blog not a sermon and talk blog. But that actually is a key theological revelation is that people need to realize they have a sin problem and the building is going to explode.  And salvation is when you know to take the way out which is Jesus Christ. So anyway, does this or does this not match the way people can be deceived by mostly good lives.  Well I do not know.  Because if it requires revelation either way, then maybe the issue isn't the amount or degree of sin anyway.  But I think possibly that is why God lets people have problems sometimes, so they pray a general prayer asking for help, and he can deliver them from a lot of stuff.  It is kind of like that "plagues as cures" idea.

Anyway, that is a post, have a good day everyone.

Philosophers and Theologians

 Hello everyone, here is a simple, unexpected worldly monk post.  It is about apologetics, and strategies that work.  And last night I was thinking about something and came across this idea.  Often there is an argument between atheism and christianity, or a discussion that lists christianity among worldviews, and it sometimes comes across as seeming lesser, like it took less philosophical strength to conclude it.  But think about the word "theologian." It is very appealing, and who wouldn't want to be a theologian?  So here is my new idea, when talking with the lost college students, young adults, or academic drifters of any sort.  The idea is to sell "being a theologian," instead of arguing christianity against whatever worldly belief is popular.  Possibly some people already figured this out.  But I never thought of it until yesterday, and I think it could be more of a call to the heart than whatever arguments might actually make people defend their mistakes even more.

Cash money

 Ok I remembered the other topic I thought of. It is not that deep and accurate but I think it is a good thing to ponder. I was on the subway thinking about trying to eat a lobster dinner more often, and I found myself wishing everyone in New York City could have a lobster dinner. And I thought about asking for that in prayer, and wondered if there could be such thing as earning that kind of blessing for people.  And that is where it starts to get out of bounds, but it is a fun thing to think about.  Because I can't really imagine anything I could do to earn 9 million lobster dinners from God.  Like if there was a system like that, what could I do? Nothing I can think of seems like it be that great as to earn that from God. Like working for many years, or forgiving people, or praying a lot, or inventing something valuable.  I mean this is where some people would remind me of the more apparent financial economy and point to rich people being that valuable in real life. In other words, earn a living and start buying people good meals. But that is not what I am talking about.  I am just saying for thought's sake, what behavior would achieve that level of blessing for people as a gift from God?  And then I turn to think that Jesus Christ earned eternal life for billions of people.  I mean the righteousness in question is like nothing anyone can comprehend.  And yet it was recorded. It had to do with healing people, feeding them, and forgiving them, and pleasing God.

I actually do believe in Catholic systems like that and think some people who weren't taught better might be participating in some of those systems when they erroneously and maybe innocently dabble in things like polytheism. And protestants might be beneath it and not above it when bypassing certain spiritual practices. Really I think of course avoid the idols and especially the Satanic deceptions, but there is such thing as spiritual work and prayers that avail. What kind of accounts are people sitting on after years of suffering and prayer? I mean I don't know.  The main teaching is to declare bankruptcy and accept the salvation that Jesus earned.  But how does it work?  Frankly I do think it is worth it to consider.

 Hello everyone, I can't remember one topic I thought of but this one that I do remember is a good one.  It is about feeling guilty for systemic participation. I used to feel it a lot because of insurance that overlapped with abortion policies, and working in a bookstore that sold questionable merchandise.  Then, at social work school, I learned that they want to teach everyone about unconscious bias and systemic oppression so some people can feel bad about everything they do.  Talk about satanic guilt manipulation, that will be a depressing thing for many people. 

But today I thought of an interesting twist on system sins, which are a real thing, especially in a land with 40 percent taxation. And the thing I thought of has to do with Romans 8:28, the famous bible verse that says all things work together for the good of those who love Jesus and are called according to his purpose.

Well are we going to accept blessings from that system that includes all the problems in the world?  Wow that is a tainted payoff, and yet it isn't.  And if that can be holy then any harvest can be. 

I just wanted to say that because I have never thought of it that way, and have only thought about immunity from Jesus's blood.  I mean it might be the same thing and that is why it works, but I just haven't ever thought of how much sin and suffering is in the whole world that will eventually work in our favor entirely.

Well, that is all. I think other people have come across these insights before, but for me this blog has what was relevant to me in my life of challenges.  

Have a good day everyone.

"Praying the Psalms"

 Hello everyone, I have an idea for a worldly monk post that is a little different than usual.  Instead of a theological pondering or a "christian living" insight, this is truly more of a devotional idea.  The idea is a variation on "praying the psalms." I have heard that suggestion before, and I have also heard people, especially young people, question why the psalms have so many pleas for bad things happening to people. The psalms often ask for deliverance from enemies and literal vengeance of all sorts. 

So here is my idea that I have literally only tried one time but it was great.  The idea is to read the psalms in a skimming way and pray for the enemies depicted in the psalms.  To join with suffering people and people being bothered at all levels and ask God for mercy on the wicked scoffers described by psalmists like David who were constantly pursued by enemies.  It is a way of praying for all the enemies in one's own life, forgiven and unforgiven, and it is a way of using team work as the whole church obeys God together in blessing those who persecute us.

You just ask for love and mercy and repentance, and read a few psalms with any amount of depth, and imagine a little bit all the people out there who ruin our lives in big and small ways.  Try it, I think this is a good idea, and there is no need to judge me for whatever other lacking bible reading it takes the place of.

In fact, I'll just say it, this is genius and corrects centuries of fumbled interpretations from many leaders.

Giving it all so He can give it all

Today I was thinking about my brain vs AI and started wondering how much ability God had provided for mankind, and if he had to withhold some gifts and mental power or something in order to maintain control of His creation.  And this puzzle led me to a realization that I believe is accurate and a great clue about how and why people are included in God's life forever.

Basically I concluded that God really gave it all when he created humans, I mean in general, not in a garden chapter sense, and all of his creative power was spent infinitely on our life and existence as people, with literally nothing withheld.  And his ongoing power and genius that in any way was "saved for later," includes us in that "later" so is still not withheld. So if he creates another world after heaven, his people will still be around to worship him for it.

Pretty quickly, this suspicion had to include Jesus and the cross as the main means that God kept us safe from any potential attempts at domination and rogue escape or disobedience, hostile takeovers, or any other foolish thing that beings have in fact tried to do.

God provided humanity with an all powerful loving king, himself, who died on the cross to finish a system where each of us is dependent on him for forgiveness and a restored status as obedient good people. We will glorify him and treat each other according to heaven's happy standards, and outside of that, people will be in outer darkness and prohibited from ever ruining anything for anyone else again.  The dear cost of love involved and the fact that the sacrifice was his son who is also God, is part of the non-negotionability of it.

So I really think this is a new spin on "nothing withheld." The bible says God did not spare his own son.  But I just want to say that is intrinsically connected to another way that God did not spare himself as a creator.  What else does this mean.  It means predestination.

Three Will

 Ok everyone, today in a writing presentation, we discussed a common theme of free will vs predestination, and I suddenly remembered the third thing in a trio that I thought about a while back.  I was trying to figure out if when you look for a third thing, the conflict goes away, and I do in fact have an idea for a third thing with free will and predestination.  And that third thing would be obedience.  So the idea is that there could be someone freely doing someone else's will. And then the next step would be to see if that trio lines up with the Trinity, and possibly it does.  The Holy Spirit goes where it pleases, God the Father ordains the world, and the son obeyed unto death.  I mean the problem with that is that all three persons are God so God does all three things and there is no need to divide it.  Like the son and spirit also helped create the world etc.  But anyway I look for the correspondence because it helps to see the actual construction of life and the way numbers line up.  And a lot of times, when you have a thing vs another thing, there might be a different way of looking at it and a third middle ground element being overlooked.  Well have a nice day everyone, personally I think I am onto something. They are saying to add this: It does kind of align with Presbyterian, Baptist, and Methodist theological emphasis.

Jonah and the Whale

 Hello everyone, this is a new worldly monk post about the book of Jonah.  Recently I was thinking about gradual memory loss and wondered if I would ever accidentally talk about “Jonah’s Ark.”  Well that would be embarrassing, but today at a discussion on rest, the speaker compared the Jonah story to a story of Jesus in the boat in Matthew.  Well I thought for a while and reflected on Noah’s ark being a boat story, too, and I discovered something so sweet.  If you think about boat stories, all the animals in the world got included in the story of Noah’s ark.  But what about whales?  They weren’t in that boat because they were in the water.  So God made another story that included a giant fish.  The fish is like a representative for all ocean animals.  And in the story, when it talks about Jonah praying, you can imagine the whale praying and being thankful for its salvation too.  So now I wonder who the new testament boat story included. I will have to go back and look at it.  I think there are a few boat stories.  I mean maybe it is a retelling of the other boat stories.  Well that is all, I believe this is a real biblical teaching of justice.