God Blog

We’re born knowing bupkis. In time, via our senses and situation, once clean slates begin to fill with information demanding interpretation. As more stimuli is stored, by necessity its assimilation and consideration produces an individual’s sense of self or plot. Over time, interaction with the cares of life and the storylines of others augment and amend our own.

This has never been more true than today. Life within developed nations is not only overflowing with input, but trillions of dollars are spent to manipulate mankind as a marketable audience. Sadly, many of modern media’s most lucrative works are heavily laced with immorality and worse. Synergized by the 1960’s sexual revolution, such a strategy has revised the internal and external dramas of billions. In a single generation all but dissolving traditional bonds of family and friends. Too often in favor of the original sin of entitlement and Me-ism.

While the Bible is by far the all time best seller, an ever growing segment of the population has lost interest. Even among the rank and file of modern Christianity, a shrinking percentage can recall, much less accurately interpret, large portions of Scripture. Such Biblical illiteracy, combined with a plague of prayerlessness, creates a vacuum both being filled and enlarged with the concerns and diversions, temptations and deceptions of modern Life.

While this trend is understandable, the net effect has been a secularization of Christianity into Churchianity. This, in turn, has created a many headed hydra of religious belief, with various forms of the gospel and many Christs all claiming to have the true story. In the fading light, opportunistic darkness has left humanity groping and guessing. Synergistic, shadowy sins multiply, staining the plots of our personal and collective chronicles. Even as “a little leaven leavens the whole lump” so billions have developed a sweet tooth for hi carb drama. All but loosing the taste for the solid meat of truth.

Perception Quotes

The following are some perceptive quotes as compiled by WiseOldSayings.com:

• There are things known and there are things unknown, and in between are the doors of perception.  - Aldous Huxley

• Perception is created and twisted so quickly. - Louis C.K.

• What you see and hear depends a good deal on where you are standing; it also depends on what sort of person you are.   - C.S. Lewis

• No two people see the external world in exactly the same way. To every separate person a thing is what he thinks it is -- in other words, not a thing, but a think. - Penelope Fitzgerald

• People only see what they are prepared to see. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

• Many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our point of view. - Obi-Wan Kenobi

• If you can change your perception, you can change your emotion and this can lead to new ideas.    - Edward de Bono

• Heightened perception is the goal: becoming more aware of how you see, not just what you see.   - Michael Kimmelman

• Perception is demonstrably an active rather than a passive process; it constructs rather than records 'reality'.   - Michael Michalko

• Some people see the cup as half empty. Some people see the cup as half full. I see the cup as too large. - George Carlin

• Perception is merely reality filtered through the prism of your soul.   - Christopher A. Ray

• Knowledge is love and light and vision. - Helen Keller

• “Heaven can be entered only through the narrow gate! The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide enough for all the multitudes who choose its easy way. But the Gateway to Life is small, and the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it. Matthew 7:13-14 TLB

• “Don’t look for shortcuts to God. The market is flooded with surefire, easygoing formulas for a successful life that can be practiced in your spare time. Don’t fall for that stuff, even though crowds of people do. The way to life—to God!—is vigorous and requires total attention. Matthew 7:13-14 MSG

• Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.” Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” John 3:1-8 NIV

• Willingness to grow accustomed to the glare of modern life and the glory of Biblical light.

• Honesty concerning what we see and don't see. Commitment to the process of perception, from expanding our field of view to growing in awareness of the importance of both the visible and invisible.

• Identifying and categorizing life's needs vs desires, lessons vs distractions, opportunities vs dangers.

• Growing insight and ability to discern right from wrong, good from evil, truth from lies.

• Discerning between healthy and unhealthy, helpful and unhelpful, temporal and eternal thoughts and words, attitudes and actions, habits and lifestyles.

• Honest and insightful appraisal of perilous and mortal human condition.

• Accurate assessment of the role of evil and an evil One in the affairs of men including:

• The full context of Scripture's revelation of God, angels and man.

• Human history regarding selfishness, violence and war,

• Exponential growth of ubiquitous levels temptation, deception and sin.

• Development of ever increasing levels of spiritual discernment.

• Choosing from among poor and good, better and best fields of interest and areas of study.

• Recall and analysis of narrative and objective, Scriptural and spiritual discernment, positive and negative experiments and outcomes.

• Developing the art of contemplating and interpreting, explaining and discussing, discovering and uncovering truth.

• Recruit, Train, Deploy, Monitor and Nurture (RTDMN) skill set necessary to teach and inspire, train and disciple.

• Willingness to embrace the cost of personal and corporate holiness (issues/sins of commission) and sanctification (issues/sins of omission) to forward mission and Great Commission).

• Growing ability to see and more fully appreciate our place in God's for the ages.

• Willingness and desire to embrace the privilege and responsibility to follow Christ by daily denial, carrying our cross and "filling up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church."

• Text: "By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible." (Hebrews 11:24-27 NIV)

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