Only One Thing

 There’s only one thing that cures the sick

Only one thing that strengthens the weak

One thing that soothes the upset child

There’s only one thing that helps the poor

Only one thing that shatters the vail of hate

One thing that uplifts the down trodden

There’s only one thing that lights the dark

Only one thing that guides your spirit

One thing that is here, there & everywhere

There’s only one thing that calms a savage beast 

Only one thing that shelters the homeless

One thing…& that thing…is Love.

Go in Peace & Love Will Follow.

Intervene or Interact

Two words…very similar, yet totally different in context.  Intervention & Interaction.

Intervention is an interruption.  A pause & change of direction or a split second of a timely intercedent. Divine intervention…the hand of God.  Minimal if any effort by mankind, the will of God.

Interaction is a carrying on.  An effort between two or more forces to bring about a desired result.  God helps, sometimes all thru our lives by trial & triumph, to bring you to that exact moment in time, to taste victory in whatever ails or challenges you.  The assist of God…mankind’s involvement & faith is crucial.

In my opinion, which is what this blog really is, many of the classic divine interventions in our history & even today, are actually divine interactions.  

Mankind working thru faith to utilize the timing & wisdom of God, often in conjunction with nature, cooperating & contributing together for a common individual, family, group, team, society, nation or even worldwide good.  Interacting with God, through your personal relationship with Him.

As in …. David & Goliath…divine intervention or divine interaction?  You already know my answer if you read a version of the David & Goliath story, I had one night while dreaming of classic battles.  

David had practiced & used his skill his whole life for that moment in time.  One of the greatest Bible stories ever recorded & told, yet it’s one chapter of 1,189 chapters in the Bible.  1st Samuel chapter 17, not even written by the prophet Samuel as his death is recorded towards the end of the book.  It is not God’s direct words, but a recording of events by an unknown historian or court official.  And as we all know, stories change over time based on perception & punctuality. 

Goliath had a weak spot in his battle dress.  Thru divine interaction David saw it, took the shot, & faiths persistence paid off.  It changed the course of history for two nations & the world for that matter.  

In your daily life seek, pray & practice for those special moments in time where divine interaction calls on you to perform.  You may be a doctor performing a lifesaving operation, a childcare provider consoling an upset child, a fireman rushing in to save a life or a soldier defending freedom & liberty.  Your faith, our faith will see us through…always has & always will.

Just as we have faith to interact with God & the good forces around us…He & His angels have faith in us.  Our Lord, like any parent, sibling or guardian, would rather you do for you, than do for you.  To glory in the achievement together is the ultimate test of faith in this ultimate game…of life or death.

But know this, that even if this world loses all faith in Him, He will never lose faith in Himself or His creations.  This world was created before mankind & will survive with or without our existence.  Let’s help create the Heaven on Earth we’ve all dreamed of.  It won’t take divine intervention; He has already done that...but divine interaction, God with His Faithful, together...to be reality.

Go in Peace & those that hate will fall on their own swords. 

Where Love shines, Faith sees no darkness.  ✨✝️🙏  🐝

Psalm 118...Romans 15: 1-13    AMEN 

The Battle

 Demons…do they exist?  Well you can define demons in many ways, but my definition is an evil force, either real or made up in our minds, that persuades folks to act contrary to the laws & Love of God.  

Demons and their wretched leader satan are who you should be mad at for the chaos in this world…not God. 

God created a paradise for us and gave us choice.  That choice is the root of all evil, for without it, we would never know hate, jealousy, greed, pain, anxiety, fear, vanity, lust & evil.  Think about it…we are all born innocent, but soon learn the ways of guilt.  As the story goes deception convinced us to eat the forbidden fruit, but we did it of our own free will….our own choice.

So, the deed is done & we live with the consequences.  Consequences that have resulted in the chaotic & sinful world that we live in today.  I am not free of sin, none of us are, but I do not deceive others to live a godlesss life, that is satans mission & he has lots of demons, both real & imaginary, to help in his diabolical plans.

All my life I have fought temptations as you have.  Temptations that erode your faithful logic & try to persuade you into doing or saying something using human logic rather than spiritual knowledge.  It is these thoughts & emotions of human nature we must fight, sometimes on a constant basis, to keep our faith strong & the the urges of evil weak inside of us.  We all have our weak spots & our weak moments, but if in faith you are strong & if your lives are rooted in the foundations of Gods Words & teachings, your weak spots will be covered & your moments of doubt will be minimal.

Since the age of 5, my earliest memories, I have sought the comforts of Nature.  Too young & not raised in an outward religious or spiritual family, I had no knowledge of anything, other than what I was taught in school & at my grandparents dining room table.  But I had a release, I had another source of knowledge nobody personally showed or told me about, just pictures & words in a book.  So, I had to search & find it for myself….in the real world, even at 5 years old.

Fortunately, unlike so many young folks today, I found myself surrounded by nature.  My earliest memories are of my grandparents 80 acre vineyard, with a forest line at the far end of the sandy vineyard road.  That was my safe spot, my comfort zone, my trees…of knowledge.

From those early days of searching for harmony & peace I found it in only one place…the arms of nature.  Over the years I have realized my fellow human inhabitants of this planet constantly make bad individual choices that affect us as a whole.  Whereas with nature & most all things non-human, decisions are based on survival of the group.  That’s the mentality of a strong society…not individual choice, but what’s best for all of us.  And what’s best for all us is to get back to the Words & teachings of a living God as we battle the forces of evil, both real & imaginary, individually & as a society.  A society once prospering in these words & teachings, now choosing to follow down the path of deceit, deception, darkness, destruction & death.

For me, I fight the battle against evil in many ways.  As I write this a heavy fog is rolling in.  I pray Lord that when it lifts, some of this evil is gone with it.  🙏

Since I was 16, leaving home at an early age, I have seen & fought evil, both real & imaginary.  In my dreams I have waged battles against all sorts of bad entities & I always win.  In my daily actions over the years I have drawn evil out of people, only to watch them cherish the victory, or fall back into despair.  It is often a lonely fight.  I have shared some on this blog…perhaps one of the best being “Whispers Before the Thunder” which is every bit a true factual story.  

Today, I find myself longing for that sandy vineyard road more & more.  The chaos of human ridiculousness in this world astounds me.  But Nature, Nature has welcomed me into her group & that is a comfort no one can take from me.  She outnumbers her human destructors in might & patience.  She recognizes & helps protect those who respect her.  She is always there & always will be.  She is in this battle against evil with us & with the timing of God, the love of our Lord, the knowledge of the Spirit & the forces of Nature, we will never lose, because we never have.

Even if all is lost & this planet perishes into a vast wasteland of forgotten dreams, grey ash & dark death, we know the battle rages on & in the arms of God & the wings of Nature we will rise above & conquer.  For  our wages have been paid & in the Light we live…forever.  

Nothing in this physical realm can come close to the powers of the spiritual realm.  You may or may not believe that, but I have seen & felt this power & with it & the forces of nature I battle evil everyday & it’s not imaginary…it’s real.  Just ask the alligator I peppered with my slingshot yesterday.  Have a great Sunday 🐝

Reflections:  Bible Book of Luke Chapter 8 

David & Goliath

 I wrote this a year ago & at the end I hit the wrong button & lost it.  Guess it wasn’t the right time.  So I’ll try again, as I always do, & see how it flows.

At the end of the Bible, in Revelations, there’s an instruction not to add or take away anything from this Book or the plaques & wraths described throughout will be cast upon you.

But there have been 1000’s of interpretations, rewrites if you will, of God’s story & words.  Do these qualify?

I think one has to look at intent.  If it is your intent to make the Word in a more modern translation given the flow of language & the 1000’s of dialects out there, or if it is to clarify & enlighten based on faith, then I would say your intentions are pure & not regarded negatively in this instruction.  

However, if your intent is to confuse, change Gods spoken words (you know those in red ink), or otherwise complicate the simple truths of the Word, then you are subject to the disciplines of the instruction.

All that being clarified, you no doubt like myself, have read parts of the Bible & had your own thoughts & interpretations.  Since I was 14, baptized at the Wisconsin Dells, almost 48 years ago, I have had biblical questions & wonders.  

I am not a sinless man & I have shelved the good Book for many of those 48 years, but I always come back to it.  It is my comfort, my safe space when I’m troubled.  Between the Word of God, the stories of the prophets, the life of Jesus & the acts of the apostles, along with personal meditation, prayer & walks with nature, I stay occupied & happy, even in times of lonesomeness & especially in the special times of spirituality.  

We live in very confusing times.  Mainly because so many have strayed so far from the truth of the Word they are wrapped up in the lies of men & women.

So when I get tired of human distractions, I turn to the Words of deliverance & in those moments I have questions.  Questions like… how did David really kill Goliath?

Goliath was a giant who wore battle garb including a metal helmet that covered his forehead & temples but yet we’re told David’s stone hit him in the forehead.  Well, in addition to the helmet, Goliath was almost 10’ tall, a giant, one of the last of his kind, with a skull three times thicker than yours…& a helmet.  Now that’s one divinely delivered death blow.

But perhaps further logic should be applied here.  I have prayed about this & asked for answers, this is what faith has provided.  Goliath was in battle armament…helmet, shield, sword, breast plate, boots & leg guards, etc..  But, there was a weak spot.  The sides of the helmet covered the sides of his face & neck, the breast plate covered his chest up to his neck.  The only flesh visible was the adams apple area, a small area uncovered  & exposed & David saw it.

It wasn’t a shot in the dark with the force of a hurricane to pierce helmet & skull.  It was with the Light of God whose placement & timing thru David was perfect & unquestioned…that’s where the stone hit, the only place it could.

Goliath, his adams apple & wind pipe crushed took his last half breath, gasping as he fell to his knees, then his face as he lay there choking on his own spit & blood, the breath of life leaving him, never to return.  🐝

1st Samuel Chp. 17, Hebrews Chp. 2

Proverbs 16:33  ✨

Looking for a Hero

Everyone’s looking for a hero. Cuz we’re conditioned to it.  Superman, Spider-Man, Rambo, E.T., Mr. T, Godzilla, Iron Man, Ant Man, Snow White, Cinderella, Wonder Woman, Charlie’s Angels, Maverick, The Lone Ranger, Geronimo, John Wick, Neo, MLK, JFK, etc..

We live in a fantasy world of entertainment, sprinkled with reality, that is often someone’s dream, someone’s reality…if it were only possible.

In many ways it is possible to rise above & be a hero.  It’s not hard, just gotta try a bit.

To that lonely person you say hello to.

To that sick person you say get well soon too.

To that sad person you give a smile to.

To that abused person you give a hug to.

Being a hero isn’t hard, what’s hard is finding your own heroes.  What’s hard is having your dreams become reality.  What’s hard is looking around seeing all the Glory of God & Mother Nature& just wanting a piece of it.  Not to have, but to hold, cherish & appreciate for a moment of time, knowing you have to give it back.  But even so just for that fleeting moment, you held a piece of Heaven.  

If you’ve ever done that…as myself & others have…then share it, give back…& be someone’s hero. 🐝

The Gospel of Brother John. Chapter One

Field & Stream…Total Outdoorsman 2013 Manual Skills # 197- 200  (F&S Photo Credit) 🎥🦌🏹📡

New International Version - Student Bible - pg. 1121  Zondervan Publishers Grand Rapids, Michigan 2006

Post Edits…Sunday June 18, 2023 6:20 AM EST 

✨✝️🕊. 😎🇺🇸🦅. ⌛️⚖️✨

Living Waters

 

Those who know me better than just thru this blog, know this:

I listen to the Lutheran Hour Radio broadcast streamed on 95.7 FM The Ride out of Charlotte, North Carolina. It was my favorite station when I lived there.  Totally independent, classic rock, with the Lutheran Hour on from 6:30-7 AM on Sunday mornings.  Today’s message was on the Life Giving Water theme throughout the Bible Book of John.

  I do not think it’s just coincidence that the local Church I attend, Spark Church in Wesley Chapel, has been studying & messaging the Book of John & the stories of Jesus.  I’m late getting there this morning, but it’s just time.

They also know that I’m pretty good with a sling shot or wrist rocket.  My first sling shot filled my hands before I was 8 years old.  My best friend Chris & I would walk alley, path & trail ways looking for opportunities.   These would usually take the form of cans, bottles, trash etc. we’d see on our walk.  Occasionally a live target would venture out & fortunately always escape our projectiles.

But I remember one afternoon a squirrel was crossing a power line across the alley.  I took the shot, hit him hard right behind the front shoulder & down he came.  He didn’t move as we looked at our prize.  However, guilt soon set in as I realized my first kill, was an innocent squirrel or chicken of the forest in some areas.

What purpose did my kill provide other than verifying my good aim….none…wasn’t gonna eat it.  I could have accomplished the same thing shooting at a glass bottle with better sound effects & no guilt.

Life is like that lesson in many ways.  We often seek & work for an opportunity, a goal, a dream that often once realized brings us disappointment & regret for reasons out of our ability to control.

That’s our physical world, so in all your endeavors, search your heart for direction…it will guide your mind which will ease your soul & strengthen your spirit, as you purify your own living water…giving life where there is death, encouragement where there is disappointment & clarity where there are distractions from the truth.

The Spirit flows in all our veins, do not pass in vain; find it, feel it & let it be food & freedom for your soul.

Bible Book of John Chapters 4-6. ✨✝️🕊

Bryan A. Stross 3/12/2023. 9:20 AM EST 

Entitled???

 A lot of the posts on this blog are of a spiritual nature.  But I do live in a country that has problems & potential.  

So, I am also very observant of the news, both fake & real.  But more importantly, observant of everyday opinions of those around me, in whatever situation.

So here’s a couple of observations of current news events I have opinions on:

The same folks who want a cashless society, think voter ID is racist.  Last I checked it was a lot harder to get a credit card than a voter ID card.

The same folks that want us to all drive electric cars, have absolutely no infrastructure plan to support it.  The same green energy folks are killing wildlife with their wind turbines & raping whole swaths of land for solar farms, never to be recovered to any natural state.

The same folks that are against the death penalty are for abortion.  Under that logic they’d rather a murderous hate filled criminal live, than an innocent loving child.

The same folks who think walls are ineffective, build them around their own property.  The same folks that think we can’t afford to secure our borders, think we can afford an invasion by millions.

The same folks that think they’re entitled to something,  haven’t worked an honest day in their life…& worse yet, don’t feel they should have to.  The same folks that think they’re due reparations, have been getting them for 60 years… while reparations are denied those who suffered the most & ask the least.

The same folks that judge without facts, that use rumor to cast guilt, have the loudest voices in the crowd.  Like squawking crows they have to shout over reasonable conversation & distract you with deeds of deception.

If I hurt your feelings with any of this, that doesn’t matter to anybody; what matters is that you speak, act & think respectfully, honestly & logically.  

That is what I just tried to do, if it offends you, tough cookies..it’s just my opinion, but my observations tell me…it’s shared by many.  Have a great day 🐝

Casting Lots

 Imagine having your fate decided by a roll of the dice. In many ways it is, but when your fellow man & people you thought as friends are casting lots deciding you &  your families fate…well that’s genocide.   

Today across the world in Jewish settlements the Festival of Purim is celebrated….it is also known as the Festival of Esther.   Esther is one of few prominent women in the Bible.  Her tale is in the Old Testament, it is only 10 short chapters & is before the Book of Job….for good reason.

I will not retell Esther’s Purim story, but I’ll recap it for you….it’s one more time God saved His people, directly or indirectly, in the history of this planet.

You think they’d be happy & humble, but as in life, many are not. Perhaps this is why….

If you read the Book of Esther it is a compelling tale with twists & turns, sex & murder, struggle & conquest.   All the things that make an epic film.  But to me it has a disturbing chapter that sums up mankind to date, so far.

The word purim in ancient text is the act of casting lots.   Due to jealousy & vanity lots were cast to kill all the Jews in King Xerxes realm, sound familiar?  Esther, the Queen, intercedes in consult with the King & saves her people.  It’s more tangled than that, but that’s the jist of it.  But what do the joyous Jewish people do???   

Retaliate and kill thousands of their oppressors.   Saved by the master plan of God, they react by delivering murder, agony & heartache to others, after being saved their own death.  The book details how the Jewish people simply killed while celebrating & feasting the deliverance from  their enemies, they did not loot or plunder, just killed for killings sake.  Hardly a godly reaction to His Grace & timing.  Long before He purposely put Esther in that spot to save the Jews, once again, & they thank the Heavens with the death & misery of others.  Guess they forgot to turn the other cheek.

Nine of the ten chapters of Esther & the celebration of purim are wonderful examples of grace, timing & salvation.  The other chapter is a horrid tale of revenge & suffering which is better left on the editors cutting floor.  But that’s life isn’t it, eye for eye & tooth for tooth….not me & it shouldn’t be you either.

If someone blackens your eye or knocks out your tooth, just be glad you can still see & eat.  They’ll get theirs, your hands need not get bloody or dirty.

Genocide, the worst word & calamity to bear on any race of humble people.  It’s happened there & it’s happened here.  But stories & memories remain for all of us to learn by.

Do not let your good fortune, be at the sake of others.  

As a Christian Gentile, I acknowledge Esther’s role in delivering God’s Grace, but I will not celebrate a holiday that involves the murder of innocent people.  One man was responsible for casting lots against the Jewish people…his name was Haman the most trusted & high ranking leader in the Kings court.  His jealousy, vanity & hate influenced others.  Haman & his entire family were executed for his genocidal decree against the Jewish people.

Sound familiar?  

The tale of Xerxes & Esther is recorded in “The Book  of  the History of the Kings of Media & Persia.” It’s not just a biblical tale…for you sceptics out there. 

The Bible is rooted in spiritual symbolism, but the Book of Esther & the celebration of purim is not symbolic…it is as real as real gets.  Enjoy your feast. 🐝

I want to be happy

I want to be happy, but it’s hard when surrounded by misery.  To sit by the shore of a calm sea, but floods of pain scream out their pleas. 

 I want to be happy, but all around me is poverty. To feel the wind thru my hair, but so many claim life’s not fair.  

I want to be happy, but it’s hard when you feel the stress.  To feel the touch of your sweet caress, but so many are in distress.  

I want to be happy, but I soon realized it’s impossible….unless you’re happy too.

I want to be happy, but all around are those who do not see.  To be with you is my dream, when all this agony is washed out to an unforgiving sea.

I want to be happy, as our life is intended to be. But others are so sad & others are plain mad.  It’s wonderful to see kindness & grace make them feel glad.

I want to be happy, as I was when first born.  Not of flesh but of spirit.  I want to be happy & it took years to realize my happiness, depends on yours.  

Everyday I meet people, some have the gift of the Spirit, others think they do & others still don’t see it, cause they’re not looking for it.

I am most happy, as you are, when with people who make us comfortable with ourselves.  Too many folks nowadays live fake, materialistic, artificial & plastic lives,  they have no concern for the deeper senses of life. It’s not their fault…they’ve been conditioned to it.  Their minds have been clouded with so many minor distractions, there’s no room for the major reason their life exists in the first place.  

I want to be happy, but I’ll never be….until all the pain & suffering of this world….is finally washed out to sea.

I want to be happy, I long for the love this world can provide.  I’ve known her before & I’ll know her again.  But while my heart rests on a lonesome shelf, I’m not sad.  For I have God & His Holy Spirit to guide & comfort me.  You see, in reality, I am happy.  Happy to walk with my Lord thru the ages of time, with Nature & all Her wonders, as He helps me learn what needs to be taught & this makes me happy.

If you want to experience true happiness, be born again in spirit.  Forget the past & climb the mountain of your destiny.  It’s what you were created to do.  Expand your mind past the details of this world & into a realm of all things are possible, in Gods chosen moments. This He taught me, so I pass it on to you.

I want to be happy & look to the Heavens, knowing the struggles had lessons, taught by Father Time & Mother Nature, with the Son & the Spirit to help guide & protect us & those we love along the way.

If you want guidance & protection, seek & you will find.  If you want pain & destruction keep on the blind path you’re on.  Trust me, the path of salvation leads to a hi-way of love & understanding, you’ll be happy you’re on roads that lead to Heaven.  You will be happy & so will I.  Stay happy, be fierce,  but stay humble.      🐝  3/5/2023  8 AM