Faithful Writers

If it walks like power and talks like control, it ain’t Jesus. Canva Pro “Empires always want to use religion to legitimize their power. Jesus never plays along. He’s not the chaplain of empire — he’s the challenger of it.” — Brian Zahnd In a comment I recently read by Jane Isley , I’d like to expand a bit upon her thoughts: Way back when, kings ruled with crosses in one hand and a sword in the other. They didn’t lead like Jesus. They ruled like Caesar. And that’s what it feels like again. They didn’t lead like Jesus. They ruled like Caesar. They slapped religion on their thrones, not because they loved God, but because it kept the people in line. Faith became their favorite leash. And sadly, America is still repeating it. As a marketing brand and campaign slogan Look around. You’ll see Christianity being marketed like a brand. Used like a campaign slogan. Wielded like a badge of purity while the lives behind it? They reek of corruption, greed, and power-hunger. Some politician slaps a Bible on the table or holds it upside down in a photo op and then pushes policies that stomp on the faces of the poor, the immigrant, and the marginalized. Jesus talked about setting captives free. These folks seem more interested in locking people up. Leading by example? And let’s be real. They’re not even leading by example. They’re not living the Sermon on the Mount while at the same time enforcing posting the Ten Commandments on classroom walls. They’re not turning the other cheek. They’re not loving their enemies. They’re not serving the least of these. They’re just repeating the name of Jesus like it’s a magic password. And hoping you won’t notice what’s actually going on. Here’s the thing that bothers me most. It’s not just the misuse of faith. It’s what gets lost in the shuffle. The actual stories. The context. The grace. The struggle. The real people. The sweat and tears that fill the pages of the Bible. All brushed under the rug. Gone. Because they don’t serve the PR narrative. Because they might make you think .Might make you ask questions .Might wake something up in you that doesn’t fall in line. Religion as control When you use religion to control people, you have to kill curiosity. You have to flatten the text. You have to simplify Jesus into a bumper sticker. A campaign poster. A corporate logo. But Jesus wasn’t controllable. He didn’t play nice with power. He didn’t kiss up to the religious elite. What did He do? He flipped tables and spoke in riddles. He told the truth with his whole body. Even when it got him killed. I keep thinking… what would Jesus do if he walked into one of these rallies where faith and politics are tangled up like a bad extension cord? Would he sit quietly and smile? Or would he make another whip? I don’t know. But I do know this: Jesus never needed a PR team. He wasn’t worried about appearances. He never built a platform. He poured himself out. He loved people with nothing to offer him in return. It’s not just about “getting back to God.” It’s about getting back to the way of God. Dirt under the fingernails living it Back to living it.Not selling it. Back to serving.Not spinning. Back to wrestling with Scripture, instead of cherry-picking it to win an argument or justify some crooked agenda. I feel it in my gut. An ache. This frustration. A burning disappointment when you hear Jesus’ name tossed around by people who don’t seem to care at all about what he actually said ? When Christianity becomes a performance, a press release, or a way to win elections and secure donors , then it’s no longer Christianity. It’s marketing. It’s ugly empire. It’s power dressed in a Sunday goin’ to church suit. And maybe that’s why some folks walk away. In fact, I’m sure of it. They’re not rejecting Jesus. Maybe they’re just exhausted by the fake versions of him. I know I am. That was the total reason I started down a path of (dare I say) deconstruction. I didn’t begin my unique journey because I wanted to ‘sin it up’ or because this path was ‘sexy’ as we’re sometimes accused. I didn’t leave Christ. I found Him in ways more authentic than I could imagine. So what do we do now? We stop chasing image and start seeking truth. We stop playing church and start being the church. We open the Bible — not to find ammo — but to find healing. To remember the stories. The context. The heartbeat behind the commands. We stop letting people at the top define our faith. They don’t get to. They never did. We follow Jesus without wearing a costume or hide behind a mask. We can love like him without shouting his name on a megaphone. As Jane said, we don’t need to turn Christianity into a PR stunt.We just need to live it. Quietly. Boldly. Humbly.In our families and coworkers. On our streets. With our friends and neighbors. And yes, as hard as it may be, even with our enemies. Because way back when, Jesus didn’t come to endorse a system.He came to set us free from one. And I think many have forgotten that. © Gary L Ellis

unsplash.com Anyone who has some form of connection to the outside world knows that every day, there is more and more terrifying news. Car accidents, deaths from natural disasters, wars, school shootings, the list goes on and on. And recently, I’ve seen numerous posts and comments about how we are at the end of the world.  Now, before you click off this article, I just want to let you know that I’m not writing about whether or not we are moments away from the tribulation, the rapture, or Jesus’ second coming.  I don’t know the answer to those things, and honestly, I think we as Christians are focusing too much on whether or not these things are happening. I’m not trying to minimize the significance of these topics, but lately, I’ve seen Christians  (myself included)  get so focused on these topics that we are losing sight of what we are called to do.  In Matthew 28:19, Jesus says, “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations.”  The truth is that we are so focused on the dark things happening in the world that we forget that we are children of God! We can be the lanterns in this dark world if we turn our attention to what truly matters most, which is how great and mighty our God is!  God has made every one of us in His image, and we all are different! God wants to use the uniqueness of us as individuals to help glorify Him and His mission. As children of God, this should be the thing that we should be focusing on.  How can we be the light in the darkness?  How can we show God’s love today? I used to struggle with those questions until a few weeks ago. I was at a gas station and I held the door open for a man who was probably in his fifties. The man stopped walking for a split second, flabbergasted that some woman was holding the door open for him. Then the biggest smile came onto his face. I grew up holding doors for people; that’s what I was taught to do, but it made me realize that this world is a lot darker and desperate for help than I realized.  God showed me that day that I don’t need to be perfect or great at something to be able to be a blessing to someone.  Today, you can be a blessing to someone just by holding the door open for them. You can be a blessing by tipping your barista a little extra money or by buying a sandwich for that homeless person on the sidewalk. The possibilities are endless. And it’s not just strangers you can bless, it’s your family members and fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Does someone you know need help cleaning their house? Do it even if that selfish part of you doesn’t want to. You never know how much of an impact that’s going to make on their day, month, year, or even life.  I know that sounds a bit dramatic, and I love a good flare of drama, but it’s true. Blessing someone can plant a seed in their heart, and you never know what God might do with that seed that was planted.  As the world continues to get darker, it’s easy to get scared, to want to stay confined to the safety of our bubbles, and to be selfish with our time, effort, and money. But that’s not what we are called to do. In fact, seeing all of these dark things should be a reminder that people are looking for something good, something bright.  And we just happen to be tiny lanterns who have the opportunity to show them who the brightest light of the world is, our savior Jesus Christ.  “And without question, the person who has the power to give a blessing is greater than the one who is blessed.” — Hebrews 7:7 © Sierra Loew

ChatGPT To read Part 1, click here . This article is really a supplement to part 1. The reason for part 2. There are so many posts from women who have had bad experiences with misogyny, and many, not all, deduce that the Bible teaches that the girl child , whatever her age, is a second-rate Creation in God’s eyes. There is no doubt that violence against women and children is not a new phenomenon. In my immediate family, there have been prolonged periods of violence against my mother and my sister. As well as my brother-in-law, who married my sister. The good old days were not so good for some people. But there are other stories for another time. My goal here, if I manage it, is to show further Biblical evidence of where God stands on the issue of women. I’m not ashamed to appeal to the Written Word of God as my ultimate Authority. There are professing C hristians, even on this Medium platform, who say, “ We know more now. ” Non-believers may be able to use that argument, but professing believers have no leg to stand on. Sexuality at birth is not the same as race. There are different societies and cultures in the world, but only one human race, consisting of different groups having different amounts of melanin. Humans are created in God’s Image, so by default, they must be shown dignity. (Genesis 1:26–28) How many sexes are there? There are two sexes, male and female, based on genetics (X- and Y- chromosomes) and Genesis 1:26–28, where it is written: "Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So, God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” There is mention of different sexes here, but no mention of different races. There is mention of subduing the Earth, but no mention of raping it. Let’s get down to tin-tax. Does God place a higher value on Males than He does on females? Women walk with Highly Esteemed Company Old Testament example (Dead Sea Scrolls) It is written in Genesis 2:18 " And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper " (H5828 — `ezer, עֵזֶר ) comparable to him (H5048 — neḡeḏ) H5828 — `ezer = helping carry the load. H5048 — neḡeḏ = what is in front of, corresponding to, opposite , and before, parallel to. NOT INFERIOR! (Septuagint) Genesis 2:18 " And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper (G998 — boēthos, βοηθός) comparable to him.” The Greek has the same flavour but not the grunt of the Hebrew because it doesn’t include the comparison, but read on. New Testament example It is written in Hebrews 13:6 " So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper (G998 — boēthos, βοηθός); I will not fear. What can man do to me?” Jesus is our Helper, βοηθὸς boēthos , as shown in Figure 1. Eve was Adam’s boēthos . In the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, God gave Adam a helper, βοηθὸς boēthos in Genesis 2:20, shown in Figure 2. This is the same word as in Hebrews 13:6! Obviously, the task given to women is no trivial thing. Does a boy child have more value to God than a girl child? No. The offering demanded by YHVH is identical for both the girl and the boy. It is written in Leviticus 12:6–8 “When the days of her purification for a son or daughter are over, she is to bring to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting a year-old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a dove for a sin offering. He shall offer them before the Lord to make atonement for her, and then she will be ceremonially clean from her flow of blood. “‘ These are the regulations for the woman who gives birth to a boy or a girl. But if she cannot afford a lamb, she is to bring two doves or two young pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’” Using the Leviticus 12:6–8 perspective to review the apparent Divine Edicts against women in Scripture shows that they are protections for women in a misogynistic society. The women are protected from husbands who try to rush them into sex after a girl child in order to get a boy child as quickly as possible. Having this insight, it is well worth re-visiting Divine Ordinances, which appear to show that women are unclean humans. In a God-fearing Society, the tiniest female is protected from the biggest bruiser, randy male, by the phrase, “It is against God’s Law.” From which sex was the Messiah intended to come? Not the male. YHVH informed the Shining One, as is written in Genesis 3:15 "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." This is a Prophecy of a spectacular miracle because, in nature, the male provides the seed and the female the egg. When the Messiah came, the Holy Spirit supernaturally eliminated the need for the man. In Genesis 3:15 the promise is made about the “Seed of the Woman.” In Matthew 1 and Luke 3 , the promise is kept with the “Woman of the Seed,” as shown in Figure 3. The thread of Scripture from there shows that Satan planned to eliminate the Bloodline of the Messiah right up to the Cross. Part of the process was the subjugation of women because one of them would be the one through whom the Messiah would come. So why does Satan keep trying when he’s been defeated? After the Triumph of the Cross, Paul uses the prophetic term “ Fullness of the Gentiles ” (God’s predetermined number of Gentile Christians) as the trigger for the beginning of the Final Judgement. (Romans 11:25) There is another Prophecy (Hosea 3:4–5), which states that the Children of Israel will return to the Land and seek the Lord their God and David their king. Then He will come. For both of these to come to pass, there must be children born. If Gentiles could be obstructed from breeding and converting, Satan thinks he still has a chance. The same if Jews can be wiped off the map. This is covered in much more detail in part 1. Does God have favourites in the Ecclesia? No. It is written in Galatians 3:28 " There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." This verse actually elevates the status of women in the culture of the Acts Church — before that time, their value had been stolen by the misogynists under the influence of Satan. Why could a Hebrew wife not divorce her husband, but vice versa was allowed? Examination of the Scriptures shows that, in God’s eyes, marriage is a type of the Christ and His Church. ( Ephesians 5:31–33 ) The names given to the Church are “Bride” and “Body.” These melt into the “Bone of my Bone and Flesh of my Flesh,” of Genesis 2:23. She can’t divorce Him and He won’t divorce her, i.e., a model of Eternal Security. Satan has been causing trouble since Genesis 3. Why all the fuss about sex and adultery? In the spiritual realm, God’s abhorrence of profane sexual activity is concerned with worshipping other gods . Man and wife — Adam and Eve — Israel as the wife of YHVH — the Church as the Bride of Christ — are all models of the relationship between God and mortals. Our Lord is a El Kanna , a Jealous God. He is jealous of what is His. He will share our affection with no one. He knows that no one can love each of us like He can. Ancient Hebrew Teachings [Unfortunately, I have lost the reference for the next three paragraphs. They were told to me by someone who had studied in Israel.] The original concept of the Bride Price WAS NOT, as some say, to pay the father of the bride for maintaining a valueless person, a daughter, until a husband would take her out of his hands. It was potential alimony paid by the husband in advance. He paid the money to his bride (not her parents), and it was not refundable. She would lease/buy a field to generate income that was disposed of at her discretion — and hers alone. It was her guarantee against being cast aside. Unfortunately, this concept was hijacked by man. The Bride Price was not the same as the Dowry. The purpose of the latter was that the parents of the Bride gave seed money to the son-in-law so that he could generate income to maintain their daughter adequately. This was also allowed to be hijacked by Satan. When a Hebrew couple was newly married ( Deuteronomy 24:5 ), the husband was exempt from military and other duties for a year so that he could establish a relationship with his new bride. Early Talmudic writings mentioned that sex was forbidden while a woman was menstruating. This was a protection from God that prevented the husband from forcing himself on his wife when she did not feel comfortable. The rituals were that, at the end of the flow, the woman would cleanse herself by bathing in pure flowing water. She was then regarded as being a virgin bride, and her husband was expected to treat her as such. So, while he was no longer exempt from external responsibilities, the husband was expected to treat his wife as a virgin bride for a year. But the process was repeated every month, so the husband was expected to treat his wife as a virgin bride, and the wife was expected to act as a virgin bride until death do them part. That is God’s plan for keeping a marriage spicy. It is common knowledge that the marriage between man and woman is the shadow model for the relationship between Jesus and His Church. The Song of Solomon shows that Jesus desires primitive passion from His Spotless Bride. Conclusion It is clear from Scripture, at least to me, that husband and wife are synergistic (i.e., the whole is greater than the sum of the parts), but someone must take responsibility. In Genesis 3, it is Eve who initiated the Fall, but Romans 5:12–19 makes it clear that Adam is the one upon whom the weight of responsibility lies. Satan has done a good job of getting each of the spouses to snarl at each other, but that was not God’s Plan. There is an old management proverb, “It is surprising what can be accomplished when it doesn’t matter who gets the credit.” It is obvious that most men, though not all, do not treat women well. Christian men misinterpret the Scripture because of poor teaching. It is not so obvious that women mistreat men in a more subtle way by undermining the authority of men and demanding what the ‘culture’ says is their right. Because of these corruptions, both sexes of Christians will lose rewards at the Bema Seat before Christ. The Pulpit has much to answer for in the Church. Good teaching would protect many women and children from needless suffering. Where are the Teaching Priests? (I feel the love.) What sort of Marriage would it be if each side made a habit of trying to out-bless the other? HOWEVER, THE BIG QUESTION Why did/does God allow it to happen?! Why doesn’t He just do a better job!!!!? A perfectly valid question about many things. I have to admit that I don’t know the answer. The only thing I know is that it must be the best way because His Redemption Plan has cost Him so much. You may think that is a piss-willy answer, but it’s the best I can do. The foregoing evidence has not been presented to convince any reader but to allow a personal decision to be made. There is much more to know about this subject. Perhaps you’ll pay another visit, sometime. All Glory to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. (We all have a plank in our eye. It’s bigger than we think.) © ネ Brad Banardict First published in The Dove on Medium. Revised and edited by Jane Isley.

Look harder. There is a lot happening in that Book. If you have already read a Holy Hormones article you know what to expect. If this is your first visit, it is advised that you read HERE before proceeding. However, if you like what you read, there is more to be found in this LIBRARY . Introduction The silence on some key issues in the Book of Esther is deafening. • No mention of the Name of God; • No mention of worship or faith; • No mention of the Messiah; • No mention of anything “religious” at all. There have been a number of articles on this Medium platform postulating on why this is so. The basis of these has been commentaries and modern scholarship. Obviously I can’t claim to have read all of them because I haven’t discovered them all. So if you happen to read this and see that you have been missed, please contact me because you may have corroborating or refuting information. Both would be welcome so the matter could be settled. This Book is truly an enigma. It is the only biblical book not found among the Dead Sea Scrolls — at least, not in any confirmed form. It is in the Septuagint (285–246 BCE) → disappeared from the Essene culture → reappeared in the Masoretic Text. The oldest complete manuscript, The Leningrad Codex, is dated to 1009 CE so it was in the shadows for a long time. Some evidence may have been discovered in the Qumran Caves. It is a wine stained fragment which could not be read until recently and mentions Purim. Perhaps the wine is evidence in itself of a raucous Purim celebration. It may mean that all those PhD’s about why the Book was not at Qumran are now a bit shaky. Work is going on. Her Hebrew name was Hadassah, meaning “myrtle” — a beautiful tree. But the Jewish scholars interpret the Persian name, Esther, as meaning “something hidden.” The Jewish Orthodox Chabad.org views of the “hiddenness” in the Book of Esther is that she was the personification of the hidden inner beauty of The Wife of Noble Character , Proverbs 31:10–31, but it will be seen that there is much more information hidden in the text for those who seek it. It is written in Proverbs 25:2 || It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter. The Holy Spirit is not a boring person. If you seek Him you will find Him. The intention of this post is to let the content of the Book speak for itself. The following information is not mine. However, I did confirm it by counting the letters (that will become clear soon) and using various Hebrew translation sites to confirm translations. It is conceded that the Machine Learning of the different sites lean toward modern vernacular but it will be seen that the method gives acceptable results. It will also be seen that sometimes it is necessary to translate backward. I’M SPEAKING ABOUT MESSAGES CONTAINED WITHIN THE TEXT — CODES. These are not hidden but are there to be found. The Reference There are a number of references online which deal with this matter — many are good, many are not. My experience has shown that Cosmic Codes: Hidden Messages from the Edge of Eternity Volume 2: Microcodes, Chuck Missler, © 1998 Koinonia House Inc is the most informative (but you may disagree). It is currently (August 2025) available for free download at the Khouse store . Do you really expect me to believe this stuff? I admit it’s unbelievable but don’t forget we are dealing with the Holy Spirit. I fervently hope you do see what is there and the penny drops. I can only show you. If you continue reading you can decide where you stand. The Book of proverbs divides people into four groups:- THE WISE: They are Theists and know the Lord Jesus Christ. They will relish this information (if they don’t already know it.) THE FOOL: They don’t bother themselves with anything about Christ. In my part of town they are Apatheists. THE SCEPTIC: They are Atheists but are prepared to be convinced. THE CYNIC: They are Atheists who refuse to be convinced by anything. When you have finished with this article (whether you have decided to read it or not) you will be able to categorize yourself. There are a number of types of codes in the Bible The Book of Esther uses only two with regard to the Divine Name. ° Acrostic, 5. ° Equidistant Letter Sequence (ELS), 3. The workings of the ELS has been explained and used in the post QUEEN ESTHER AT NUREMBERG so it will not be expanded on here. You will have to read that post if you require more information. Note: In the following examples the bold font English is the part of the Hebrew that is analyzed. The bold font Hebrew letters are those that are the extracted code. The Acrostic An Acrostic is a composition in which sets of letters (such as the initial or final letters of the lines or words) are taken in order to form a word or phrase or a regular sequence of letters of the alphabet. In Psalm 119, for instance, each successive chapter is devoted to a successive letter in the Hebrew alphabet, and each successive line in that chapter begins with that letter. Try it. Other examples of these in the Tanakh are Psalms 25; 34; 37; 111; 145; Proverbs 31:10–31, and Lamentations 1–4 . An extremely important one is written in John 19:19–22 19 Now Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross. And the writing was: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.20 Then many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin.21 Therefore the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘He said, “I am the King of the Jews.” ’ ”22 Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.” The Chief Priests and the Jews were perplexed because they were well versed with acrostics. The Hebrew for JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS is ישוע הנצרי ומלך היהודים And is translated, The acrostic is yod-hey-vav-hey , Yehoveh. PILATE WAS PUBLICLY DECLARING THAT JESUS WAS YEHOVAH, THE GOD OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. Acrostics in the Book of Esther Note : The Hebrew for this part of the exercise is sourced from Blue Letter Bible which separates the Hebrew into individual words as opposed to the usual practice of having no word spacing. Obviously, this helps those who are illiterate in Hebrew. Remember . Hebrew runs right ← to ← left so when I say, “Running forward,” the flow applies to Hebrew, right ← to ← left. The reverse applies for, “In reverse.” So what? You will see. It is written in Esther 1:20 || And when the king’s decree which he shall make shall be published throughout all his empire, (for it is great,) all the wives shall give to their husbands honour, both to great and small The acrostic is the initial letters of the words which spells out YHVH, Yehoveh, in reverse. It is written in Esther 5:13 || Yet all this avails me nothing , so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate The acrostic is the final letters of the words which spells out YHVH, Yehoveh, in reverse. It is written in Esther 5:4 || And Esther answered, If it seem good unto the king, let the king and Haman come this day unto the banquet that I have prepared for him. The acrostic is the initial letters of the words which spell out YHVH, Yehoveh, running forward. It is written in Esther 7:7|| And the king arising from the banquet of wine in his wrath went into the palace garden: and Haman stood up to make request for his life to Esther the queen; for he saw that there was evil determined against him by the king The acrostic is the final letters of the words which spell out YHVH, Yehoveh, running forward. It is written in Esther 7:5. || Then the king Ahasuerus answered and said unto Esther the queen, Who is he, and where is he, that durst presume in his heart to do so? The acrostic is in the final letters of the words which spell out, I WILL BE (a.k.a. I AM), in reverse. Flow of the letters You have noticed that some of these flows are forward and some in reverse. 1) Menucan 1:20 (Gentile)(Reverse) 2) Haman 5:13 (Gentile)(Reverse) 3) Xerxes 7:5 (Gentile)(Reverse) 4) Esther 5:4 (Jew)(Forward) 5) Scribe 7:7 (Jew)(Forward) The pattern looks obvious to me. Equidistant Letter Sequence (ELS) As mentioned earlier, the workings of the ELS has been explained and used in the post QUEEN ESTHER AT NUREMBERG so will not be expanded on here. You will have to read that post if you require more information. It may be that there is a flow pattern with the ELS as with the acrostic but it is not obvious to me so I won’t speculate. It is written in Esther 1:3 In the third year of his reign, he made a feast unto all his princes and his servants ; the power of Persia and Media, the nobles and princes of the provinces, being before him: An ELS spacing of 8 to the Hebrew results in the pattern for Messiah. It is written in Esther 4:2–3 And came even before the king’s gate: for none might enter into the king’s gate clothed with sackcloth. And in every province, whithersoever the king’s commandment and his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes. An ELS spacing of 8 to the Hebrew results in the pattern for El Shaddai, The Almighty. It is written in Esther 4:17 So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him. An ELS spacing of -8 to the Hebrew results in the pattern for Yeshua , running left-to-right. Conclusions So there it is. The Name of God is contained in the Book of Esther. Expositors who have consistently shown they have grunt postulate that Israel was in disobedience at the time because only a smidgen of them returned from Babylon but He had made Promises that he couldn’t renege. He couldn’t condone their disobedience so had to keep undercover while protecting them. They didn’t actually return until June, 1967 — but that’s another story. Please feel free if you want to contest this conclusion. But come with evidence and not just opinion or you won’t get a response. The amount of LORE masquerading as LAW on this site is depressing. The forgoing evidence has not been presented to convince any reader but to allow a personal decision to be made. There is much more to know about this subject. Perhaps you’ll pay another visit, sometime. If you have seen something you like, I encourage plagiarism. So, always check everything I say first, then please re-cycle, re-brand, re-structure, re-issue, re-label, or regurgitate in any manner you please. No need to acknowledge me because it is the Holy Spirit Who holds the Intellectual Rights. All Glory to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. (We all have a plank in our eye. It’s bigger than we think.) ネ © Brad Banardict

Gemini 2.5 flash In France, in the senior year of high school, all students are required to learn philosophy. So does my daughter. The funny thing is that even with a 30-year distance, the curriculum didn’t really change since my time. Recently, they were studying this question: What sets humans apart from animals? Classic topic. The correct answer is our ability to speak. To pronounce words. Although animals can develop communication languages of their own, they can’t speak (cf. Aristotle: man is a political animal). Where does our ability to speak originate from? Our philosophy classes in the French public school system won’t even mention it, but in a Christian worldview, speaking is constantly presented from Genesis first chapter onwards as one of the abilities of our Creator: “By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible” Hebrews 11:3 And guess what? That ability was shared with us, humans. We were also enabled to speak. Then why is speaking such a mystery? In the case of our Creator, word and creation are intimately intertwined (speaking = creating): “And God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light” (Genesis 1:3). As human beings, we don’t have the full knowledge of how far our words are impacting reality (= “creating”), although there are clear signs in the Bible that indeed our words (=immaterial) could impact our physical realm. However, for a different set of (good) reasons, Christians who want to give of themselves a consolidated image usually downplay the creative powers of words. Good reasons are: we do not want to be associated with any kind of belief system that could be seen as esoteric or New Age-style wishful thinking (= magics). Nor do we want to identify ourselves with (the excesses of the) so-called Word of Faith movement, a modern Christian movement born in the XXth century based on speaking out prosperity, health, success in our life by “declaring” specific biblical truths (=magics) -. I personally have been witnessing firsthand the disastrous consequences of that kind of theology. It all starts with good intentions since biblical truths are wonderful to proclaim, but ends with the strong belief that we can influence reality by our words (so that we’ll get what we ask for in prayer — healing, money,… and guess what: political power ). However, living in self-denial about the potential creative power of words, even for all the above-mentioned good reasons, doesn’t mean this creative power doesn’t exist and could play a role in shaping our destiny. However, the Bible makes it clear on many instances that many of our words are no more than empty chatter (2 Timothy 2:16) — of course, not everything we say should be considered as impactful (part of this creative power). Are words truly shaping our destiny? The creative power of our words is as real as the law of gravity and will impact us, for good or bad, whether we are aware of it or “believe in it.” “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits” Proverbs 18:21 Our tongue here means the words we speak and is also compared to the small rudder by which a pilot is steering a ship and making it go “ where ever the pilot wants to go” James 3:3–6 But how could words unleash a creative power able to shape our destiny? Our words are setting in motion spiritual content : in Jesus’ own words: „ A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him .” And what is “stored up in him” originates from our heart, which is connecting us to the spiritual realms (either good or evil). Also in Jesus’ own words: “You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of ” -Matthew 12:34 By the way, no esoterism, no wishful thinking, no New Age, only mere Christianity. 😊 Get over it. Of course, many factors are shaping our destiny, but recurring patterns in someone’s life could be potentially the result of that power unleashed by our words. And recurring patterns could shape destiny. Recurring patterns are methodologically classified in Deuteronomy 28 in a lengthy catalogue as either belonging to “benedictions” or to “maledictions.” Both are connected to our obedience to God, aka whether you keep His commandments or not. Not specifically mentioned in Deuteronomy 28, but our words, connected to our hearts, demonstrate whether we do obey God’s commandments or not. Aligned with our actions, our words are therefore key to either unleashing the power of life or the power of death in our lives: “ I place before you Life and Death, Blessing and Curse. Choose life… ” Deuteronomy 30:19 Do we choose Life? “The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.” Proverbs 15:4 All authors of the Bible are constantly witnessing the positive impacts of blessing words: from God blessing Abraham, Jacob blessing his children, to Jesus inspiring his followers to bless their enemies. All, absolutely all, Christian denominations practice blessings (saying blessings to each other, either spontaneously or as part of a liturgy). So we’re supposedly quite good at it? Provided we’ve got our words aligned to our heart, and our heart is aligned to the will of God (as per Jesus’s prayer, let Thy will be done…). Do we understand that being able to bless others through our words is truly unique? Even angels can’t do it; you need to be created in the image of God to be able to. It is definitely the coolest thing in the universe. But what about the flip side? It is way more controversial. Follow for Part 2! © Caliméro77

Today, we will begin to explore the mysteries of Genesis Chapter 6. For the Complete Jewish Bible, click here. For the King James version, click here. Right from the get-go in chapter 6, we are introduced to the following strange verse: “the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were attractive; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose” -Genesis 6:2 The first question is who or what in the world are these so-called “sons of God” ? The original Hebrew here is “ Benei Elohim ." First, contrary to popular understanding, these beings are NOT angels. However, they are high-ranking spiritual beings. The Scriptures tell us that the Benei Elohim have been given charge over all the nations of the earth. For instance, in the Book of Daniel, we read how the archangel Michael had to contend with a supernatural figure described as the Prince of Persia. This Prince of Persia is also called a “Benei Elohim." We are also told these Benei Elohim mated with the daughters of men and gave birth to a race of people known as the N’filim. N’filim stems from the root word “Nephal” which means “fallen” or “cast down” as in descending from a state of goodness to wickedness. These N’filim were a supernatural people who seemed to possess extraordinary powers above and beyond normal human beings. However, the source of their power came from a evil source. Many Bible scholars have taken the position that these beings were fallen angels who mated with regular human women. Given that the offspring from these “sons of God” called N’filim means “fallen” or “cast down” , this conclusion is understandable. However, the ancient Hebrew sages had a different take. They believed that the “Sons of God” were the Godly and faithful line of Seth and the “Daughters of Men” were the line of Cain. Up until this time, in accordance with God’s will, these two lines stayed separate. But, as time passed, men from the line of Seth began to lust after the beautiful women from the line of Cain, resulting in a polluted race that the Lord could not and would not tolerate. This resulted in God sending the great flood to destroy this unholy offspring. The truth is we cannot know for sure exactly who or what these Benei Elohim are. However, one foundational biblical principle is brought to the forefront here. God desires His chosen people to NOT intimately mix with the people of the world. Our God is a god of separation, NOT assimilation! I should note that this is not a diatribe against interracial marriage. Interracial marriage is fine, as long as both of the parties are followers of the one true God of Israel. If you were to visit modern Israel today, you would encounter Israelis of many different complexions and races. I am talking about perfect spiritual unity. While it is important to be a witness to an unbelieving world perishing in their sins, one should NOT intimately connect with a God-denier, even if that person is your father or mother. From personal experience, I would also highly advise you to NOT take advice on life from an unbeliever. That would be a true recipe for disaster. Stick to the pure, undiluted truth of God’s word, and you will not stumble in this life or the next. Never forget that God has called the believer to a life of separation in both thought, diet, word, and lifestyle. CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT Do not yoke yourselves together in a team with unbelievers . For how can righteousness and lawlessness be partners? What fellowship does light have with darkness? -2 Corinthians 6:14 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father, his mother, his wife, his children, his brothers and his sisters, yes, and his own life besides, he cannot be my disciples.”-Luke 14:26 To another he said, “Follow me!” but the man replied, “Sir, first let me go away and bury my father.” Yeshua said, “ Let the dead bury their own dead; you, go and proclaim the Kingdom of God!” Yet another said, “I will follow you, sir, but first let me say goodbye to the people at home.” To him, Yeshua said, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and keeps looking back is fit to serve in the Kingdom of God.”-Luke 9:59–62 So, every one of you who doesn’t renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.- Luke 14:33 © Richoka

unsplash IF YOU DON’T THINK THIS IS OF UTMOST IMPORTANCE YOU HAVE NOT BEEN PAYING ATTENTION. I wonder if there are many other words in the Bible that have had so many column inches spent on them than the innocuous little “a” at the end of this verse? You may be aware that people at the east end of the Mediterranean Sea did not speak Elizabethan English in Biblical Times, and we rely on documents written in the dialect of Greek at that time. ( Just joshing ya. Of course you know. ) The startling thing is, there is no Greek equivalent of “a." SO, IT IS A CONUNDRUM OF GREEK GRAMMAR WHICH HAS BECOME A FESTERING SORE OF CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY. This is not a trivial subject Fortunately, there are short version and long version answers. The short answer. One of the contenders for World Champion Greek Geek, Dan Wallace , devotes 15 pages in his book, ‘Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics,’ to John 1:1. An article by him on his insights is presented in The Puritan Board . A précis is given here. In layman’s language he is saying that, “ and the Word was God ,” remains true. Wallace argues that in John 1:1c the Logos (“the Word”) is the subject (marked by the article on λόγος), while θεὸς (“God”), lacking the article and fronted for emphasis, functions as a qualitative anarthrous predicate nominative. This construction conveys “what God was, the Word was,” affirming the Word’s full divine essence without identifying Him as the Father. Hence, the proper translation remains “and the Word was God,” countering both Arian (“a god”) and Sabellian (“the God”) misreadings by distinguishing essence (qualitative θεὸς) from person (the distinct, articulated subject). The complete article is HERE . It is not very long. A lot of people write books and articles — but there is only one Professor Dan Wallace. So that’s it. You’ve got it directly from the mouth of the Top Gun. You can go on to more important things. Yet, a can of worms has been opened. The anthem of NT Saints is, “God is Love,” as is written in 1 John 4:16 || And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love , and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him . That can’t be denied! But if the logic and syntax of John 1:1 being “a god” is consistent, 1 John 4:16 should be translated, “God is a Love” because Agapē is a noun. This will become apparent in the long answer. However . . . Professor Wallace maybe Top Gun Geek but the movies tell us there is always a Young Gun who wants to take the title. Is there a Topper Gun? Yes, the Logos Himself. But first it is necessary to see what a dog’s breakfast there is. HOW DO WE SOLVE IT? The long answer. I’ve been interested in this situation for more years than I care to remember and have always ended up in the same place — someone’s opinion based on secular reasoning which actually turns out to be circular reasoning — with, “My theologian is better than your theologian. He wrote a book that is thicker than your theologian.” Opinion is not useless. However, it is the most democratic of all methods for transferring ideas in that everyone has equal opportunity to be wrong. “I believe ….” is of no use to me. “It is written ….” is what I’m after. He (Jesus) said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. To be honest, your theologian doesn’t impress me unless he can offer me Eternal Life. IF YOUR PRACTICE DOESN’T AGREE WITH YOUR THEORY — GO BACK AND CHECK YOUR THEORY. Perusing the miles of column inches on this topic it is obvious that there is a number of clever, plausible conclusions but plausible does not mean true. That there are an unspecified number of interpretations is true but incomplete. It does not specify, or even imply, that there are an unspecified number of VALID interpretations. Everyone has a bias. On what evidence does one establish that bias? There is just soooo much noise. Most of this muddies the water so, as the investigation proceeds, the fools’ errands will be eliminated in order to declutter. Firstly define the problem. The reference translations will be the New World Translation (NWT) of the Jehovah’s Witnesses (JW), and well known New King James Version (NKJV). The NWT has been chosen because the JWs are one of the most vociferous that Jesus is a created being. It can be seen that there is an “a” in the NWT that is not in the NKJV. But more about that soon. This is a Greek Grammar topic so the Greek things must be clarified for English readers. There are a number of New Testament (NT) Greek copies but these can be distilled down to two primary influences: The Textus Receptus, from Antioch, and the Morphological Greek New Testament from Alexandria. Both of these are presented here to prevent any arguments about different sources. Some differences do occur in the different editions but it can be seen that these texts are identical for this verse. It can be seen that there is potential confusion right from thee start because the order of the English wording is different to the direct translation of the Greek. This is of no consequence because, while word order in English and Hebrew is critical, the rules of syntax in Greek render the word order not very critical (long story) so the rearrangement of the words for English has no affect on the idea being conveyed. Examining the Greek text it will be seen that there are letters/words that appear in the table below. It is not necessary to remember these items. They are added just in case you are puzzled. Number: Sing = singular, Pl = plural. Case: Nom = nominative, Gen = genitive, Dat = dative, Acc = accusative. Gender: Masc = masculine, fem = Feminine, Neut = neuter. This is one of the strengths of Greek. They give precision in articulating nouns, pronouns and adjectives which are linked. As can be seen, there are 24. ALSO — THERE IS NO INDEFINITE ARTICLE IN GREEK. (The indefinite article will be explained soon.) I could tell you that no Greek noun/pronoun/adjective has an associated indefinite article and I would be telling the truth. I could tell you that every Greek noun/pronoun/adjective has an associated definite article (the definite is redundant because there is no indefinite ) but I’d be lying. All Greek nouns have a definite article . . . except the ones which don’t. For some reason (unknown to my Greek speaking friends) some nouns have no article at all. This is called an anarthrous substantive for short. (Refer to Professor Wallace above.) Which means nothing to me, either, except that anarthrous is a term in entomology which means an insect without joints, or having the joints indistinct. An apt description for what is happening here. A rough mathematical analogy to this linguistic occurrence would be having one equation with more than one unknowns. There would be numerous potential solutions depending on assumed values. If this . . . then that. Nothing would be definite → opinions based on assumptions, which is then presented as fact. Can the other Biblical languages be of assistance? (A quick Google will confirm these.) English has two articles — the definite article → “the/that/this” and the indefinite article → “a/an.” The definite article, the, is the most frequent word in English. It is used because there is specifically only one. The indefinite article, a or an , refer to non-specific or unknown nouns. (The a or an depends on the spelling of the noun, so there is essentially only one.) Hebrew has only one article , the definite article, הַ (ha), meaning “the.” It doesn’t have indefinite articles like “a” or “an” — context does the heavy lifting there. So no help can come from going down the Hebrew trail. The Hebrew/Greek interaction has a number of friction points (another story for another time) as does English/Greek. How does one mesh one definite and one indefinite with 24 definite articles? THE GREEK ARTICLE FUNCTIONS VERY DIFFERENTLY FROM THE ENGLISH “THE." • The Greek changes form to specify the gender, number and case of a noun/pronoun → specific. • The English doesn’t change form so is not so specific. • English has the indefinite article. Greek doesn’t. Be careful of injecting the English indefinite into Greek. [This has to be constantly repeated because it is happening constantly.] What about other Middle Eastern languages? Coptic language which has a definite article (as in “the” in English) and an indefinite article (as in “a” or “an” in English) has been proposed but it obviously has the same snags as English. So that line is a fools errand and can be eliminated — the decluttering begins. What about the Church Fathers? This is an oft used refuge of (sic) modern scholarship but I look at the Letters to the Seven Churches which open The Revelation and see that the Boss was not overjoyed with everything that was going on then. More decluttering → less noise → now we can hear ourselves think. So it appears I’ve shot myself in the foot. There is nowhere else to go. Not so. God knows a lot more tricks than the Intellectual Glitterati give Him credit for. A Bible literate Communications Engineer, who knows the Narrative, recognises that the Bible has been designed in anticipation of hostile jamming. What has this got to do with Theology? Lots. Who hasn’t seen a World War 2 movie showing some resistance agent in Nazi Occupied Europe tuning in a radio to receive a message coming from London? The signal was always bad. That was not poor technology, it was deliberate. The signal was being broadcast over the entire available bandwidth. If the signal was bunched into a concentrated beam it would be clear but easily jammed. It is impossible to jam the entire bandwidth. It is intriguing to notice that the Biblical text evidences these same techniques. Here is an extract from a teaching by Koinonia Institute. "Where is the chapter on baptism? Or salvation? Or any specific critical doctrine? Every major theme is spread throughout the 66 books making up the total message. There is no concentration of any critical element in any single location. One can tear out a surprising number of pages and still not lose visibility of the essential message. (Some resolution or clarity would be lost, however.) This design intent of distributing the vital elements throughout the entire message system gives a new perspective to Isaiah 28:10 || For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little. 28:10 " כּי צו לצו צו לצו קו לקו קו לקו זעיר שׁם זעיר שׁם So what? Martin Luther is reported to have given the following advice about parts of the Bible that are hard to understand. Find the meaning of the parts of the difficult texts of the Bible with those that are easily understood . Where else is the topic of Christ’s divinity settled? JESUS IS CUTE BUT JEHOVAH’S A BRUTE? Did Jesus say He was God? Conclusion The best Scholar use as a reference to investigate the Bible is the Holy Spirit. Relying on what Man says is dicing with death. A lot of emotional energy has been needlessly spent over the years on a single, indeterminate situation which has been decided several places elsewhere. Could there be particular agendas at play? Surely not. There is an old Hebrew proverb, “Paying attention is more important than thinking.” I must admit, I got caught up in it myself. The forgoing evidence has not been presented to convince any reader but to allow a personal decision to be made. There is much more to know about this subject. Perhaps you’ll pay another visit, sometime. If you have seen something you like, I encourage plagiarism. So, always check everything I say first, then please re-cycle, re-brand, re-structure, re-issue, re-label, or regurgitate in any manner you please. No need to acknowledge me because it is the Holy Spirit Who holds the Intellectual Rights. All Glory to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. (We all have a plank in our eye. It’s bigger than we think.) ネ © Brad Banardict

ChatGPT Burnette, R.L. (2025) “All of Creation Groans” Another fiery sunset awaits me, yet I gently turn the page to more weighty matters. I love nights like this, but even Vegas, full of encapsulating beauty, fails to capture my greatest pondering. The passion burning deep within my chest can not be described in a picture, even a heavenly one; it needs words. Perhaps worth a 1,000, but how do I know it passes the test of authenticity, of creativity, and lasting joy, as opposed to some hyper-inflated, overly used, safe-sounding algorithm? I don’t, except to say, these eyes have crash landed on plenty of life’s finest depravities, and the contrast, furiously-feasting pain affords, creates incredulous landing pads. Through decades of hard-fought experience, I’ve come to glean, hope is greater. Can an actual sunset provoke resolve? Yes Can, these same moments, pausing and silently reflecting fully eliminate perplexing burdens of a soul? No Depression, stress, and pitted anxiety remain, yet the golden hues beckon me. Their nod is a refreshing pause, to distractions, I, otherwise, daily behold. As my emotions linger, my thoughts long for relief: What about my physical senses? Will they betray me? Why should they? Who drew a distinction to begin with? Why did someone demand my flesh become incomplete, my face so easily forgotten? If every sunrise and sunset differ, why can’t I be embraced for who I am, in my entirety? Is not the created image of God his greatest light bearer for all to see? Do we, as humans, somehow fail to reflect the very presence of God, and doesn’t our enemy already possess this knowledge? Men are deceived into thinking we can diminish our purpose or relieve our hope. We simply can not. It is as intrinsic a rhythm, and holy unto God, as the rise of my breathing chest, or the calming of my faithful, beating heart. Why, then, do we work so hard to deny hope’s reality? Is it to convince ourselves there is a part of us that can never be perfected, or made right before God? Have we bought the lie that there is to be a separate, shameful piece of who we are and how we reflect God’s hues doesn’t matter? Is our flesh simply to be enjoyed, then destroyed? Is our body not a temple, a sumptuous home to the very spirit of God? A sunset can say a lot. And much like itself, it seeks a marvelous audience. It evokes meaningful understanding, and, like its eventual setting, we too can dusk despair and rise in hope. Indeed, we can persist until its inevitable rise the next morning knowing there is a God in heaven, who intends to create a brand new one for you to gaze upon tonight, and, much like our lives, it will never be the same as yesterdays or tomorrows. Armed now, with that knowledge, we might as well stoke hope’s fire, fully assured hope’s object will arrive and satisfy the deepest hunger of our weary souls. Only hope, God is never late. Remain, and rejoicing will be yours. He promises, and what He says never returns void. Just like the breaking of the morning sun, death’s grip will lose its hold on you. Replaced by hope that leads each of us, heaven finally revealing to His ultimate, inevitable, and powerful reckoning. “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his lov e.” You Version Romans 5:3–5 NLT © Freshly Squeezed Chronicles

And why I learned faith can flourish outside the fences Photo by Nagesh Badu on Unsplash I used to believe the church was the greenhouse where faith naturally flourished. Put a seed in the soil of Sunday services, water it with midweek Bible studies, shine a little worship music over it, and — presto — you’d grow. But then…sometimes the very greenhouse you depend on starts blocking the sun. I’m not saying there isn’t potential value in attending church. But, assembling yourselves together (Hebrews 10:23–25) can be much different than a typical structured church service. When the Walls Start Closing In I discovered, slowly and a bit painfully, that in some ways — many ways actually — the church can prevent you from growing. Not because everyone in it is bad, or because God has abandoned the place… …but because institutions have a way of drifting from their first love. Jesus warned the Pharisees about this, didn’t He? “You nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition” (Matthew 15:6). What begins as passion too often calcifies into habit. And habits, when unquestioned, become barriers. Before long, you find yourself measuring faith not by whether you love your neighbor, but by whether you checked off attendance and agreed with the doctrines. A grapevine doesn’t mature just because it sits inside a trellis. It needs air, light, and pruning. Finding Truth Outside the Gates Another discovery that rattled me: truth doesn’t only come wrapped in church bulletins. Okay…this is going to be too radical for some, but I believe truth is truth regardless of who says it. You can hear it from a Muslim neighbor, a Buddhist poet, an atheist scientist, or even the mechanic who says something ordinary yet piercing, almost prophetic. For years, I thought truth was locked inside the church’s filing cabinet. But Jesus never said that. He said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). Paul got this when he quoted pagan poets in Athens (Acts 17:28). Truth is truth, wherever it shows up, because all truth belongs to God — even if said by someone of another tradition…or even lack of belief in God. The freest day of my life was the day I let myself learn from anyone, without checking their doctrinal statement first. Wisdom in a Sufi mystic. Kindness in a secular humanist. Humility in a Buddhist monk. I couldn’t ignore the irony: some of these folks looked more like Jesus than half the church committees I’d sat through. Goodness Beyond the Walls Here’s another shocker: people outside the church can be just as decent and generous as those inside — sometimes more so. I once believed Christians “love better” because we have the Holy Spirit. Then life introduced me to neighbors who’d never set foot in a sanctuary, yet carried casseroles to the sick, welcomed strangers, and lived with integrity that humbled me. Meanwhile, I sat in meetings where folks with decades of “walking with the Lord” couldn’t muster basic decency toward each other. Jesus said we’d be known by our love (John 13:35). The irony was glaring. Sometimes the Spirit blows through surprising places. Like Jesus said, the wind goes where it pleases. Faith Without Outsourcing Here’s the heart of it: I once thought my faith rose and fell on my church membership. Miss a Sunday, and I felt God was disappointed. Skip small group, and suddenly I was “drifting.” But Jesus never said, “Abide in the church.” He said, “Abide in me” (John 15:4). That’s a different invitation. He wasn’t calling us to live off borrowed spirituality — sermons, programs, conferences — but to sink our roots deep into His love. When I loosened my grip on the institution, I was terrified. It felt like stepping off a cliff. But I discovered something unexpected — there’s solid ground when Christ Himself is the foundation. Faith isn’t the property of churches; it’s the gift of God. You don’t rent it weekly. You carry it in your bones. A Vineyard Without Fences Maybe the best picture is this: faith is a vineyard. The church can provide a fence, a trellis, some helpful tools. But confuse the fence for the vineyard, and you’ve missed the point. Grapes grow because of life flowing through the vine (John 15), not because of the posts holding it up. And sometimes, when the fence falls down, you realize the vine was stronger than you ever imagined. I don’t bash the church — I’m grateful for what it gave me: songs, Scriptures, friendships. But I’ve learned not to mistake the wrapping paper for the gift. The church can guide, but it can also stunt. It can nurture, but it can also smother. And when that happens, you have to remember: God isn’t bound by walls or bylaws. The Adventure of Growing Up in Christ Here’s where the adventure begins: stepping outside the greenhouse, blinking in the sunlight, and realizing growth is still possible — maybe even more possible — when you’re not under constant institutional supervision. You start to notice God in places you’d overlooked: In the laugh of a child. In the words of a poet who never claimed Christ. In the neighbor who brings soup when you’re sick. In the scientist who maps galaxies and somehow whispers of glory. And when you realize Jesus is bigger than the church, your faith doesn’t shrink — it expands. You see what Paul meant when he said God’s love is “wider and longer and higher and deeper than we can imagine” (Ephesians 3:18). That’s the point, isn’t it? To keep growing. Not to stay in spiritual kindergarten, repeating the same memory verses without ever learning to love better, think deeper, or live freer. Jesus didn’t come to build a gated community. He came to set captives free. And sometimes the captives are sitting in pews, unaware the doors are already unlocked. So What Now? Maybe faith is less about where you show up on Sunday and more about who you become on Monday. Maybe maturity is measured not by attendance charts but by how quickly you forgive, how freely you give, how deeply you love. Those are the questions that keep me growing. And ironically, it took stepping outside the church’s shadow to finally start answering them. Because the vineyard was always bigger than the fence. And the Spirit, thank God, has never been afraid of open skies. © Gary L Ellis

ChatGPT "But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” -Genesis 2:20–25 A question single believers often ask is “ how proactive should I be in trying to find my soul mate? ” Should I hit all the single bars? Should I attend every singles event that my place of worship sponsors? Should I register my profile on 20 billion matchmaking date sites? Well, I think Genesis has the answer to that question. We can see that God first appeared on the scene of human history as a matchmaker. Based on chapter 2, we can derive the following principles when it comes to marriage. 1) God Himself discerned Adam’s need and initiated marriage. Minus divine assistance man cannot understand nor make marriage a part of his experience. 2) The decision to marry proceeded from God, not man. 3) God knew the kind of partner man needed. Man did not. 4) Preparing the woman for man was 100% God’s responsibility 5) Introducing the woman to man was 100% God’s responsibility. Man did not have to make an effort to seek her out via internet dating or bar hopping etc. 6) God established the purpose of marriage which was to be a harmonious and perfectly reciprocal union between the man and woman. 7) Jesus upheld the pattern of marriage established in Genesis and maintained that it was binding on all who would be his disciples. Now am I saying that you should deliberately avoid all social situations or relationships with other singles? Of course not. What I’m saying is don’t be frantic and frazzled. Instead, be deliberate and methodical in going about your work for the Lord. I really think too many people get married because of stupid societal pressure period. I surmise that the over 50% divorce rate in our country ( I’m talking about the US ) is a reflection of this panicky “ I gotta get married now, so I don’t appear like a loser at social functions ” mentality. They’re afraid of being looked down on or being seen as a loser at parties or church gatherings. Seriously, how insecure can you get? What I can say on the authority of Scripture is that whenever man takes matters into his own hands, the results are less than pretty if not disastrous. For example, the whole problem in the Middle East today is due to one reason. Abraham and Sarah didn’t trust God that he would supernaturally provide a first-born son from Abraham’s own loins. Instead, they took matters into their own hands and now we got groups like ISIS running around cutting people’s heads off. Anyway, I’m getting ahead of myself. CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT He replied, “Haven’t you read that at the beginning the Creator made them male and female, and that he said, ‘ For this reason a man should leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, and the two are to become one flesh’? Thus they are no longer two, but one. So then, no one should split apart what God has joined together. ” -Matthew 19:4–6 © Richoka