Good Morning Gloucester

John 1:1-3

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.

Genesis 1:1-2

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters.

Genesis 1:26

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.”

John 10:30

“I and the Father are one.” (said by Jesus)

For those who view Jesus as a prophet, a holy man, an historical figure, but just a man, the Bible clearly tells us that He is the Word (one of his many names), who was with God, and one with God, since before the beginning of creation. The Spirit of God or Breath of God, also one with God, is the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost. Hence the Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit/Ghost which has always existed as one.

Mankind is distinct from all the rest of creation in that we are made in the image of God. Just as God is made up of three parts — Father, Son and Holy Spirit, so man is made up of three parts — temporal body, soul (seat of the senses, desires, affections, appetites, intellect, will, emotions, conscience, etc.) and spirit (that part of us that connects, or refuses to connect, to God). As with a fellow human being, you can never completely know another until you personally connect with the physical man or woman (can recognize the person walking down the street because of how they look, their walk, etc.), and come to know the soul and spirit of the person. Those are your true friends in life, the ones you connect with on all levels (whether you agree with them all the time or not) and would trust with your deepest secret; all others are acquaintances, maybe buddies, maybe siblings or parents, lovers or spouses, but not true friends.  Since we are made up of three parts, we cannot truly know ourselves, never mind anyone else, if we don’t connect with all three.  So it is with God; to truly know Him and be His friend, we must connect with all of Him.

Like people throughout time have done, I made God kind of look like me, but with a beard and blue eyes, rather than hazel. Unfortunately, throughout time people have made God to be in their physical or soul likeness, and therefore anyone who doesn’t look or think like them obviously isn’t of God and should be discounted, discriminated against, or worse, obliterated from the face of earth (think ethnic cleansing – American Indian, Nazi Germany, Yugoslavia, Rwanda, Chechnya, Darfur, Syria, and the Islamic State to name a few). God created us, loves us and wants relationship with us no matter what we look like, where we come from, or what we think or believe. And it is not because a single one of us is perfect, worthy or deserving.

Isaiah 55:8-9: “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.”

E.J. Lefavour

http://hobbithousestudio.com

https://instagram.com/p/BCYSJ3wA14s/

Hi Joey

Thanks for all the great work you put into your blog..I read it just about  every day.  It really makes me feel part of what is going on in our town.

My name is Dave Lemont and I  live in Magnolia.  I am launching a new blog called Cape Ann Passion (http://thirdwindphotography.com/blog) that talks about my photo trips to the area we all love.  I was hoping there is a way I can contribute some of my photography to your site from time to time.  Please let me know if that would be possible.

thanks

Dave

From w2wendy

For many, it is directly connected to experiences they have or have had with a specific organized Church.  Whether that experience was good or bad for them tends to color how they view the word.  Someone recently told me that they hated Sunday School when they were young, and so have had nothing to do with any of it since.  Unfortunately, if someone teaches that God is angry, vengeful and something to fear, a child probably would not want to have anything to do with Him.  But like a person who is bitten by a dog at a young age and goes through life always afraid of dogs, they miss out on the wonderful unconditional love and joy a dog (and God) can bring to your life.

I personally do not belong to any particular organized Church or denomination. I enjoy going to Church.  I love the music, enjoy the people, and can be inspired by a well-prepared and delivered sermon.  Over my lifetime, I have attended Catholic Church, every Protestant denomination Church, non-denominational Churches, Jewish Synagogue, Baha’i meetings, Pentecostal Church (an experience), UU Church, Episcopalian Church, Kingdom Hall, Russian Orthodox (where I was invited by a monk to experience their beautiful icon paintings), mega churches and little tiny out in the middle of nowhere churches.  I have studied Rastafarianism, Buddhism, the Kabbalah, A Course in Miracles, Christian Science, Unity, read more spiritual practice and belief books than I could possibly list, have investigated the occult, astrology, numerology, scientology, Obeah, and have read and studied the Bible.   I have gleaned knowledge from all.  In the end however, it is my personal relationship with God and His word in the Bible that has proven to provide all the truth and wisdom necessary to live a loving, joyful, peace-filled life; not religion, which can get all muddled up by man with their creed and dogma, and has a tendency to push people away from God and each other.  As the Apostle Paul said: “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”

That is what that book causes you to do. It also causes you to connect on a personal level with God, and to hear what He has to say to all of us.  Call me crazy if you want, but it was He who told me to paint and share this series, and so I am.  It is for His purpose, not mine.  It was He who told me to get myself and my mother out of here and down to Florida in January last year.  Listening to Him saved us from experiencing the dreadful winter that none of us knew was coming, and which would have made it unbearable for me to care for Mom, not to mention miserable and dangerous for her during her recovery from major femur repair surgery, on top of her dementia, which had been made much worse by the anesthesia.  But He knew, and I listened, even though I really did not want to deal with the challenge of transporting her to Florida in her condition and state.  Do people consider that “religion”, or is it the wisdom of listening in faith to the source of all knowledge so that we might be blessed.

Here are a few definitions of the word “Religion”. There are many definitions, because it is such a hard word to define, but I thought these three were good (from http://www.religioustolerance.org/rel_defn1.htm):

Definition from an unknown dictionary:

Religion (ri-lij'[uh]n) n.

The beliefs, attitudes, emotions, behavior, etc., constituting man’s relationship with the powers and principles of the universe, especially with a deity or deities; also, any particular system of such beliefs, attitudes, etc.

An essential part or a practical test of the spiritual life.

An object of conscientious devotion or scrupulous care: e.g. His work is a religion to him.

The Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry (CARM)’s definition is more flexible and may involve a deity, multiple deities, or no deities:

“An organized system of belief that generally seeks to understand purpose, meaning, goals, and methods of spiritual things. These spiritual things can be God, people in relation to God, salvation, after life, purpose of life, order of the cosmos, etc.”

Wikipedia defines religion as:

“… a system of social coherence based on a common group of beliefs or attitudes concerning an object, person, unseen being, or system of thought considered to be supernatural, sacred, divine or highest truth, and the moral codes, practices, values, institutions, traditions, and rituals associated with such belief or system of thought.”

This painting, called Under His Wings, is from Psalm 91:1-7:

He/she who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, who abides in the shadow of the Almighty, will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.” For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence; he will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge;

E.J. Lefavour

http://www.hobbithousestudio.com