Thursday, February 22, 2018

Rainbows and Lightning Bolts



My heart is saddened today.  Although he lived a long and spirit filled life it is never easy when as a nation we lose one of our rocks, one of our corner stones that brought us together and lifted souls to salvation.  Billy Graham will certainly be missed, but his gifts are shared with many others who will bear the torch here, while he rests up there.  The word Evangelical is often mis used.   We’ve all seen the screaming and jumping evangelical services that to be honest due little for me but make me want to seek the silent majesty of our God.  I do not like to be yelled at and I have walked out of services where I felt I was being abused aurally.  There is also no doubt that some souls need this type of deliverance for the message to be heard.  I am not one of those souls. 

I can worship and be with my Lord all by myself in the surroundings of nature or with a large group of individuals at a service to learn and grow in the Spirit of our Lord.  We are created in His likeness physically, but need to be shaped into His likeness mentally.  Along the way we make choices and some stray from the path of His likeness, while others gain knowledge and understanding that keeps us searching for more.  And thru this dedication and faith we become more and more like Him.  Loving and caring and slow to anger, but when angered…well we’ve all seen the results of that.

We all have our moments…some bad, but hopefully most are good.  A friend of mine yesterday said that when I walk in a room rainbows fly out my ass.  I laughed and said yeah buddy I do try to lighten up the place…just don’t piss me off or those rainbows will turn to lightning bolts.  I have never claimed to be any ones savior, but I do my best to walk in His likeness, to think in His likeness, and to pray that this world has more of the likeness that it had when first established.  Notice the word established…I did not say created.  Our world has been here for millions of years, but it was not established as a planet until He blew life into the dust, moved the tides of the water, and touched the light of the skies.

Once established our world and the fate of mankind as we know started a journey that is filled with tragedy and magnificent accomplishments and usually finishes in glory.  That is the path we are on as a world body.  Filled with tragedies but surrounded by the glory of His creation.  As individuals we must strive to maintain the innocence and faith we had when He blew breath into our nostrils.  Our hearts beat because of His generosity… we owe pay back to that generosity by continuing to deliver a message of love, peace and understanding.  In this effort we gain knowledge and understanding.  Created in His likeness physically we can do wondrous things, just look at what they’re doing at the Winter Olympics.  Created with the challenge to seek wisdom…wisdom that will meld the heart, mind, body, spirit and soul into a complete vessel; a vessel that contains the breath of life, the water of salvation and the dreams held in the skies.  This is our destiny as mankind, what our legacy tells, is up to us individually. 

We lost a soldier yesterday, but Heaven gained in wisdom.  That is a hard accomplishment, but one Billy Graham accomplished in his life and teachings.  His movement was and is more than a church….it is an association.  An association dedicated to helping us in our tormented bodies reach a peaceful relationship with God.  A God Billy new better than most any of us, but a God that is welcoming a messenger of His Grace into His open arms.  What would Billy say?  Well I don’t know for sure but I think in his own special Carolina way he’d simply ask…”what is the next assignment Your Majesty desires?”  You see Billy was more than an Evangelical; he was one of God’s angels, sent here to deliver a simple message of deliverance.  Thank you Billy for delivering so many souls to His Grace.  Habakkuk 1,2,3. 

(c) Bryan A. Stross  2/22/2018  5:30 AM EST 

 

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