Turtle-Dove

Get Up - Go Out - Be a Blessing!

2010-05-22T23:43:00.000-07:00

I heard somewhere that we have to make a decision that our life is going to count. But that it's also okay to be a regular person.

What do we need to experience to pick up the Cross?

Church in Second Life - Christians

2010-04-20T16:26:00.000-07:00

After a few weeks getting my Second Life legs, I'm a little more comfortable talking about the experience. SL is a very amped up sensual world. But just like real life (RL), we have choices. Do we look for sex (you don't have to look too far), or for the Lord (this takes more work)?

Yes, the Lord is present in Second Life. Every religion seems to be represented, including a large occult base. So far, I've been to the wailing wall, a large Jewish community, a Muslim region replete with a book store loaded on the "Real Jesus." These are free and downloadable. I stumbled into a vampire's lair, and was nicely asked if I'd like to join...for the price of being a "blood bride" for the night. No thanks.

The very first thing I did when I joined SL was find a good Bible-based church. There's a wide selection of choices, but Calvary is the most known to me.

This is me in Calvary Chapel in SL. There is no dress code I'm aware of, by the way. People attend in many styles, some that seem really inappropriate for church.

This church is a fully staffed and operational. They have Sunday services and Bible studies. Included in the church are "praise animations" so you can get into the spirit.

Here's another view. As you can see in this photo there are other avatars talking after the service. I've heard many say that they do not attend church in RL, but come to worship in-world (in SL).

You might think church would be a lonely spot in a fantasy land filled to the brim with sexual offerings, but it's not. Sunday services are pretty crowded, and there's nearly always someone on the site. The first time I went, there were about six people appearing to be praying or meditating. I spoke to one of the women and she'd come to unburden her sexual activities in SL. Apparently, she'd been having regular sex with another avatar and felt this was conflicting with her beliefs in RL. But most of the people I've met in-world feel SL is a fantasy and it's okay to do anything, including marry each other.

Upon entering the church they give you a note card with their core beliefs, the history of the church and it's objectives. If you join the group, you'll get emails reminding you of Bible studies and services. Generally, on Sunday, the services repeat throughout the day, with a minister avatar giving the talk.

They give away free Jesus T-Shirts, crosses and Bibles. The Bibles are fully animated and can be read just like a real Bible. You can also carry it around with you.

The Slurl is: Calvary In SL

What is a Slurl?

Not Living Life to the Fullest

2010-04-15T11:54:00.000-07:00

For years I've noticed a flock of pigeons that gather on a traffic light post stationed on an off ramp that intersects with the 5 Interstate freeway. There are four lanes of traffic on that street, along with the off ramp and below the bridge, the freeway. The noise and air pollution must be abhorrent, but these birds sit there day and night oblivious to the congestion, noise and smell. Just to their left is a patch of pine trees, which might give them some respite, but they don't seem to notice. With their wings they might go anywhere, maybe a few miles south to the Pacific Ocean, a few miles north to the mountains, but they never move. Whenever I see these birds I'm reminded of human self imposed limitations and how we don't move far from our perches. We get up and do the same thing day in and day out, even though the environment might be noisy, polluted and the route congested.

It's really hard to get up and out of ourselves, and not just physically, but mentally and emotionally, to try flying to the left, the right, north or south. Instead, we watch the sun rise and set on our lives without ever expanding our wings to our full potential.

Christians in Second Life

2010-04-14T13:00:00.000-07:00

I am an avatar in Second Life. I'm also a Christian.

For those who are not familiar with Second Life, it's a role playing virtual reality.

Whatever you're looking for, like real life (or what is called RL in SL), you'll find.

Clubs of all kinds, from strippers to Bible groups. Friends and affairs. Well kept suburban neighborhoods and the wrong side of town. Angles and demons.

There is a different mind set in Second Life because the thinking is you can "try" anything once, and no harm no foul...and no sin? Can an avatar sin? My quest over the next few posts is to answer that question as I go "underground" as a Christian in Second Life. I'll be interviewing Christians, as well as other faiths and those of no faith.

Let's get acquainted with life in virtual realities. First, you can live there for free, but this means you've no home, and all your things are in inventory and not visible to anyone but yourself. Part of the experiences is to show off your creative skills. Without a home of some kind, to change clothing or avatars, you'll have to find a secluded spot where they allow changing of clothing. Usually this is done in an area that allows "rezzing" or opening up objects. Changing of clothing can be done if the object you want to wear is in your inventory, but if you, say, just buy it, it's likely in a "box" that requires you "open it" into your inventory. To do this you must find a "sand box" that is, an open area that all homeless (and those who want to build things too big to do so at home), come. First thing you learn is these places are not very safe, though some are safer than others and it's important to read the content information before flying off into the land of lunatic asylums.

I found several that were rated "moderate" (meaning no visual nudity but possible sexiness) to begin my life as a SL shopper--that is, trying on all the things I bought. But these places "are not" Macy's dressing rooms, though I would like to note there are dressing rooms, you just have to find them, which I found harder than just transporting to a local sand box.

Each time I went to a sandbox (and I tried a few) to change, I would find myself in serious situations. Once I "rezzed" under a jet plane, with full sounds. I did not know I was under a jet because it was so huge! I ran, and eventually spun around to see what I had the misfortune to appear underneath!

And just like the real sand at your local "beach," even though there is plenty of "room" for everyone, someone will "stand on your head," or right next to you, forcing you to move to complete your wardrobe. The sandboxes are interesting places, though, as you can see the creative process that makes Second Life so amazingly different than other virtual realities, say "Yoville" on Facebook, where you can only buy items, but not make changes to them. In fact, Second Life and Yoville are like Earth and Mars. You can't compare them, other than to say they are both virtual worlds. There are many virtual worlds but Linden Labs (creator) sets the standards in allows participants to own the intellectual property rights to the in world content they create.

Once you get your Second Life "legs" you'll want to change your avatar from the "free" one to a more "natural" looking body. There are plenty of free full avatars in the stores but they are last years (or older) models. I broke down and used real money converted into "Linden dollars" to buy a hot looking babe. The everyday people you see in "moderate" locations are extremely youthful and beautiful. Most women are dressed like hookers at a Sunset Strip nightclub. They hang around the local "hubs" using animations that suggest they're bored and horny at the same time.

I try to dress somewhat appealing but not like a slut--in SL there's a very fine line, which I'll get into later.

Many people join and never change their avatars or there clothing. I, myself, went on a shopping spree. I also bought into their premium account so I could have a small house in a controlled community to "learn" the ropes of SL in private.

The first thing I did was find a church. I'll write more about that later.

Born Again

2010-04-06T12:29:00.000-07:00

I think we’ve all known someone who became born-again and changed so much that we never saw them again.

Our rational is, “well, he thinks he’s too good for me now.” But that maybe isn’t what he’s thinking at all. His eyes have been opened to a better life, and perhaps…ouch…we weren't good for him. There's a difference.

Or, how about those Christians we knew who didn't seem so “Christian,” or those who were hog-wild on a mission to convert everyone in their path, or those that reverted back to their old ways, which were usually quite bad. Aren't we very cynical about the Christian walk of others when don't know Christ?

I didn’t know anything about transformation, and judged other Christians harshly when it was really impossible to know their hearts.

I just didn’t put it all together that accepting Jesus into my life was far more than my interpretation of other Christians. I honestly didn’t think having a relationship with Jesus would matter either way, that things were going to happen regardless. I never considered that I would change if I became one of his disciples.

And I did.

Too Busy Meditating?

2010-03-24T00:41:00.000-07:00

How Should Christians Respond to Yoga?

2010-03-21T02:02:00.000-07:00

How Should Christians Respond to Yoga? (This will take you to Christian Research Institute)

I said the same thing in my article about practicing yoga. Are you Worshiping the Son or the Sun?
Also of note in this article Kundalini-fashion or Foe?

Don't be Fooled

Make Bible Reading a Priority!

2010-03-21T00:23:00.000-07:00

I just stumbled on this article and wanted to add that if you have a reading partner it helps to be accountable. I have a few friends who have joined me this year, and it's pretty amazing how I now put my Bible Reading higher up on the priority list.

Make Bible Reading a Priority!

Blogger Next Button ~ In Search of Blog Readers

2010-03-20T16:37:00.000-07:00

Why do we hit “next” on a blog bar when it’s a Christian blog? I do it too. I guess there are a few obvious reasons. 1), you’re a Christian looking for something else on the web (hope not porn), 2), you’re not a Christian and that explains that. 3), the blog isn’t well written.

Wait, this phenomena isn't just a Christian problem. We all flip through blogs like a Sear's Catalog (for those who remember them). I have a program that tracks how long people stay on my site. If this is indicative of my ability to interest the blogger community, I better give this up now. I've kept this blog for five years just because I hate to quit anything. Obviously if I stayed in a toxic religion for over 30 years. Okay, that was more like ignoring the warning signs, but still, if something doesn't work it doesn't work, and we have to hit the next button.

How do bloggers get followers if they’re not a news blog, a computer help blog, a porn site, or recommended byTechnorati?

I don't know. But I suspect it helps to follow other blogs, and make it around the blogger community, which is what I'm doing these days. I'm really impressed by the creativity in blog sphere.

Most blogs seem more arty, than composition. I've tried to adjust. My earlier posts are too long.

They look like this:

Instead of this:

I remember learning that when opening a book, small print and exposition, as opposed to larger print and "dialog" effects how long someone will stay on your page.

I heard that Twitter was taking over blogs. I'm all about less words to make a point, and I publish on Espresso Stories--a story in less than 25 words. Try it sometimes.

Are Bible Quotes a turn off for the blog browser? Let's find out:

"He who rejects You, Rejects Me…” Luke 10:16

Are you still here?

How can Jesus help us with a healthy attitude about rejection in any aspect of our creative lives?

Creativity is God’s Gift. It’s a talent. God doesn't want us to squander his gifts, and even if he's the only one reading our work, he delights in us.

Thanks for making it to the end of the page. I hope you follow this blog.

Complainers

2010-03-19T23:48:00.000-07:00

Someone is complaining about my blog. Don't you wonder why they'd be so offended? I mean, if what I write about didn't happen, or isn't true, why worry? Why go to all this trouble to bother Blogger with complaints? Then the poor Google people, who happen to be the most amazing Internet experience in the world, have to come here and find out if what I'm doing goes against their rules, and all that jazz, then make a decision. Usually they don't do anything, except remove copyrighted pictures.

Tho some blogs have disappeared mysteriously, so if mine goes dark, you know why, and you'll find me elsewhere as I own this domain name. Basically, I can go to Word Press. So, if it gets that nasty, then that's what will happen. But I don't think Blogger cares about this kind of thing. If they did, there wouldn't be much blogging, other than scrapbooks of families.

The thing is, this blog has been here for like, uh, five years, or more. I think they got mad about the picture of the church falling into the ocean, though that is public record, and maybe my snarly comments about fantasy land. Okay, that was nasty, I admit, but sometimes I get annoyed, knowing what I know...

Well, anyways, I feel sorry for the Guru lovers. I loved him once, too. It sucks to find out your guru isn't a God.

Anyways, settle down, I'll be off on another subject before you know it.

I am temporarily making it harder for the Yogi police to track my blog.

Who Died for Our Sins?

2010-03-19T22:38:00.000-07:00

Jesus

- noun

Jesus of Nazareth, held by Christians to be the fulfillment of prophecies in the Old Testament regarding the eventual coming of a Messiah.

Christian

–adjective

of, pertaining to, or derived from Jesus Christ or His teachings: a Christian faith.

Only Jesus died for our sins.

Not this guy.

Not these Guys

Our Lord

"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12 NIV

Any questions?

Why I Change my Mind and Sometimes Do...

2010-03-19T00:42:00.000-07:00

The hardest aspect of blogging for me is rewriting. I am a re-write Queen. I'll think about something I've written, and go back and make a change, here there, whatever... I wonder how other bloggers handle this?

Especially when dealing with some topics. I would never have made a good reporter.

One good thing, I only have four readers so I am not likely to confuse anyone.

Any one else have trouble leaving their blog alone?

Fantasy Land routs Surfing Competition

2010-03-17T01:03:00.000-07:00

Out of Respect for Self-Realization Fellowship, Benson Will Not
Pursue Event Permit | SURFLINE.COM

"Self-Realization Fellowship thanks Linda Benson for her thoughtful, generous decision."

For whatever reason, Linda Benson fell for their belief that the SRF Hermitage is in someway a beacon to God. Is she aware the original temple fell off the cliff and into the ocean? Maybe God isn't so keen on them claiming he resides there.

""Linda Benson got the OK earlier this month from Encinitas for a special events permit to use Swami's Beach for the women's longboarding competition, the North County Times reported. Council members stressed, though, that Benson may have a tough time actually obtaining the permit she needed to host her proposed Women's World Longboard Championship in October.""

Source: Longboard Championship Plan Sinks -- Report | NBC San Diego

** revised 3/17/10

Joshua and Our God's Promises

2010-03-16T15:07:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading Joshua and began to reflect upon his life. True, it's one battle after another, but I asked God to show me how this applied to our lives. How can I make this relevant in 2010? It's such a valid question, and it's used as a weapon against our God.

I was tempted to find someone else's thoughts on Joshua and re-frame them, not trusting the Lord to reveal it to me. Aren't we like that? Thinking surely "so and so" seems to have a personal relationship with God, but I can't trust what I think I'm hearing? Often we put so much value on the big name preachers, giving them all the glory. Don't we often crave what they're hearing? Wait! We can hear it, too, the beautiful voice of God.

No, it's not the Om sound. God talks to our hearts.

Back to Joshua. Here's what God shared:

Think about it--you're going to succeed Moses. Now, that might be nice if he'd lived in a palace, with a bunch of beautiful women and a cache of military men to protect him. But, Joshua got "nothing" as the saying goes, but a bunch of difficult grumbling Israelites who incited Mosses to sin, costing him the Promised Land. But it gets worse. They've been roaming the desert for forty years and now, here was the shinning moment: The Promised Land--but wait, it's not being handed over on a silver platter, instead Joshua must lead a military campaign and fight for it. Let's go back to the promise God made to Moses: "So, I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and bring them up out of the land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey." Exodus 3:8

Expectation

Reality

Does any of this sound familiar?

There's a lot of Christians out there who have lost their jobs. Isn't being a Christian enough?

There's a lot of Christians who's marriages are failing? Isn't being a Christian enough?

There's a lot of Christians who are losing their homes in the housing crises. Isn't being a Christian enough?

There's no promises of a life of Milk and Honey without sacrifice. God expects us to put on armor in this life and do battle. It's that simple and that complicated.
Joshua wasn't going to do battle against nomad tent people, he was going against warriors who lived behind the thirteen feet thick walls of Gezer and double brick walls, one six feet, the inner one twelve feet thick of Jericho. Joshua lacked the military resources to scale the walls, or to breach them with battering rams, or to tunnel underneath them, or to starve the inhabiants into submission by a lengthy siege! Joshua had to compensate. What he lacked in numbers he made up with resourceful generalship and obedience to God.

I know you're thinking Joshua had a commander in God who told him what to do, but he didn't tell him to just march on over the Jordan and take Jericho, he told him to first have all the male Israelites circumcised. Imagine that meeting, and all that it entailed. God wasn't going to help them until they obeyed him. God then came to Joshua in the form of a warrior angel, and the plans were set to take over Jericho.

Few can say they have the responsibilities of so many men, women and children, God's people, who, on the outside looking in seemed doomed to die in the desert. But our problems hurt and hinder just the same, and God will give us direction just the same.

Joshua went on to lead many more military campaigns, and took the task appointed to him by God to allocate the districts of settlements to each of the tribes. The work was never done, was it? Joshua had deep trust in the Lord, and because of that he lived a remarkable life filled with excitement, variety, success and honor.

No matter what troubles come our way, God has made this promise to us the same as he did for Joshua:

"No one will be able to stand up against you, all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you." Joshua 1:5

My Goofy Spiritual Life ~6~ Church of Beatles

2010-03-12T15:55:00.000-08:00

I was eleven years old when I first saw the Beatles on Ed Sullivan. I hadn't started my period yet, hated my friend, Pam, because she had. I cherished my collection of Barbies and still played with them. Enjoyed a fine collection of Archie comics and Bazooka Bubble Gum wrappers, owned a Mickey Mouse phonograph and listened to Tale Spinners.

My hair was long and blond and full of split-ends. I'd never had it professionally cut or styled. Nobody I knew went to beauty-parlors but old ladies. I had curly hair in an era when straight hair was just around the corner from being the rage.

I wore rag-tag clothing, other than the three 'dresses' for school; never wore shoes, accept the loafers with lacy white socks for school. Tooled around town on a pink Schwinn bicycle and roller skated everyday.

Womanhood was still a long way off, but the Beatles made me become impatient to become one. I clearly remember thinking childhood was now an inconvenience.

The day after their premier on Ed Sullivan I joined a Beatle Fan Club and started writing letters to George once a week. I used words like “Gear and Mod,” told him how much I loved him, how I wanted to have his children, and that I could leave home in just a few years...and wouldn’t he please wait for me to grow up?

George replaced my dreams of owning a horse. Instead praying that Jesus would "produce" a horse in the backyard, I prayed to meet George.

I collected Beatles memorabilia. Including bubble gum cards and teen magazines. I taped pictures of George all over my bedroom. I slept with my transistor radio waiting for music or news on the Beatles. I was completely out of my mind about the Beatles and George Harrison.

I counted the days that A Hard Day’s Night would play at the Buena Park Theater. And I dreaded the rumors that during the filming of the movie my beloved George had hooked up with one of the actresses. Her name was Pattie Boyd and she was beautiful—a model! I didn't know George had already moved Pattie into his house. Had I knowm that I think my head would have exploded.

Everyday I tuned into KFWB radio station for movie sightings. It opened in LA before Orange County and that was hard to swallow. Even though L.A. was 30 miles away, it may have been a 1000. It seemed like years before the movie finally came to Buena Park and its little box theater, which was located across the street from the Hollywood Wax Museum (now called Movieland Wax). But it finally arrived and I, with roughly two hundred other Beatle fans waited impatiently for the doors to open in a line that snaked around the building. I dressed for the occasion, felt as if I was going to really meet George. I wore an over-sized orange angora sweater with a blue dress.

Ready for George!

VERY READY FOR GEORGE!

The tension was high outside the theater. The owner didn’t know what to do with so many kids. We were pushing and shoving, and one kid landed on his chin on the asphalt, spewing blood everywhere. He wailed while everyone else chanted, “Beatles! Beatles!”

I don’t know what the seat count of the Buena Park Theater was, and it’s gone now, so there’s no way to find out, but I know for a fact that they over sold and kids were forced to sit in the isles. I wasn’t one of them..

The lights went down and there was a strange hush that floated through the theater. This was the calm before the storm. For the first time the theater forfeited the cartoon and went right to the movie. Pure, sheer pandemonium broke out. Everyone stood up and started screaming, sobbing, clawing at each other like some kind of drunken pagan brawl. We were behaving exactly like the girls on the wide screen.

“George!” I screamed. “George!”

I didn’t hear one line of dialogue. Barely heard the songs. But it didn’t matter. I was elevated to a new dimension—I’d seen George right before my eyes, a moving, living, talking, breathing human being. No longer just a photograph. The emotion I felt towards him wasn’t anything like I’d ever experienced.

And, other than getting hit in the eyeball with an Atomic Fireball, I had one of the best moments in my life.

George Harrison played a pivotal roll in my switching from Christianity to Eastern Religion. It really started around the time of the Maharishi Yogi. I was very interested in George's religion, and wanted to understand meditation and sitars. When the Beatles went to Rishikesh, India to study mysticism in February of 1968, I was only 14 years old and in the ninth grade (which was middle school). Given that I lived in a small farming town, and there wasn't access to much information, other than through magazines and radio news, I hadn't a clear picture on what this this trip he'd taken meant to the Beatles. But I began to change, like most of the youth of my time. It didn't matter where we lived, we all wanted into the counter culture and a larger world-view.

At that time, I had a knock-out body, a Coppertone tan, and Sgt. Peppers playing in my head.

Bikini, Bible and Butts!

When All Things Must Pass was released in January of 1971, I was in a vulnerable spot with my Christian walk. I'd left the Jesus People group and was on my own, still trying to make sense of the God of the King James Bible. But "My Sweet Lord," spun me around in another direction. As soon as I heard the album, I really wanted to understand what George Harrison was singing about.

Hm, my lord (hare krishna)
My, my, my lord (hare krishna)
Oh hm, my sweet lord (krishna, krishna)
Oh-uuh-uh (hare hare)

Now, I really want to see you (hare rama)
Really want to be with you (hare rama)
Really want to see you lord (aaah)
But it takes so long, my lord (hallelujah)

Hm, my lord (hallelujah)
My, my, my lord (hare krishna)
My sweet lord (hare krishna)
My sweet lord (krishna krishna)
My lord (hare hare)

I remember talking to one of my Christian friends about the lyrics to this song, but he said it was devil worship. That was a radical explanation and I rejected it. What would become my signature in later years--research, I went to the Buena Park library and asked them for anything they had about eastern religion. I left with a copy of the Upanishads and The Vedas. I remember the librarian looking at me like I was nuts, but that suited me just fine. I took the books, home, made an altar, lit some incense and tried to meditate.

If I thought the Bible was difficult to understand, I had a huge theological awakening when I started reading the core teachings of Hinduism: The Vedas.

Athiests Lose Big Round!

2010-03-12T11:32:00.001-08:00

The devil opposes the will and work of God. He tries to destroy all that is good.

clipped from www.latimes.com

Pledge of Allegiance's God reference now upheld by court

In 2002, the U.S. 9th Circuit of Appeals had ruled that the pledge's use of 'One nation under God' made it unconstitutional. The panel now says no federal law requires students to recite it.

The Pledge of Allegiance to "one nation under God" doesn't violate a citizen's right to be free of state-mandated religion, a divided federal appeals court ruled Thursday in reversing one of its most controversial decisions.

Atheists Meet to Celebrate Lack of Faith!

2010-03-11T22:55:00.000-08:00

Atheists meet in Melbourne to celebrate lack of faith

Melbourne attracted more believers to a convention last year

More than 2,000 atheists from around the world are gathering in Melbourne, Australia, to celebrate their lack of religious belief.

It is thought to be the world's largest gathering of atheist thinkers.

They plan to issue a statement on what they say are the negative effects of religion on society.

BBC News - Atheists meet in Melbourne to celebrate lack of faith

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is ridiculous. Celebrating what they don't believe in? They have created their own "religion." But they've been warned not to show any "zeal," least they be confused with their religious counterparts.

Atheism and The Cross
This is a previous article about atheism.

Seeking a ‘Christian Alternative’ to Yoga

2010-03-02T22:00:00.000-08:00

I've mentioned this ministry before, but it's worth mentioning again. This is an older article, but she's still pressing this message.

“We don’t often think of other religions having missionaries, but the philosophy and practice of yoga have been primary tools of Hindu ‘missionaries’ to America since ‘Indian priest and mystic’ Swami Vivekananda introduced yoga to the West at the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago,” Willis writes.

“Another Hindu missionary welcomed into elite circles was ***** who started the **** in Los Angeles. He cleverly chose to demonstrate that yoga was completely compatible with Christianity.

“Wearing a cross, he came to America in the 1920s with the Hindu Bhagvad Gita in one hand and the Bible in the other. He reasoned that yoga was the binding force that could connect all religions,” she says.

Read article here: Seeking a ‘Christian alternative’ to yoga
Visit Praise Move's Here

My Goofy Spiritual Life ~5~ One Way

2010-03-02T17:19:00.000-08:00

So, the Jesus People were beautiful, and I wanted in. All I had to do was accept Jesus. So I did, which wasn't hard because I'd been talking to Him for a long time. So now I was part of something kinda cool. In the late 60's early 70's, there were no real in crowds in Buena Park. Though L.A. was just a freeway drive, it may as well been on the moon.

That "seeking" fame mentality which teenagers go through took off with the Boomers. In dad's day, everyone was part of the wheel: "get over your individual needs, already." Anyways, feeling special resonated with me, and the Jesus People filled the hole.

I gave up pot, cigarettes and began my official spiritual life. I was ready for instruction. What do I need to to, now?

Our first job was to witness to nonbelievers. I started with my family. This didn't go over well. My brother told me to stay away from him, and showed me a fist. Mom said Christians were hypocritical do-gooders, and dad said they were teetotalers; both warned me God wasn't welcome in their house. I'm not sure where they got their information about Christians because they didn't know any, but after dad backhanded me over my zeal, I stopped trying to Save them. Suddenly, I'd become something unacceptable to my family through apparent preconceived notions, so I sought out the unsaved amongst my friends.

This was pretty easy. I just invited them, and they came. I don't remember my pitch, but most likely it wasn't entirely honest. The idea was to just get them to the meeting, and the group would do the rest.

The meetings were at one of the youth leader's parent's houses. All of us would meet and sing praise songs. Then, we'd present our recruited victims, put them in the middle of the room and start converting them. Usually by means of making them cry--wail, actually, and roll around. By the end of it, they'd accept Jesus. Maybe they just wanted to escape and said whatever it took. Then we'd all cry, feel pretty refreshed afterwards, and go home exhausted.

But it didn't last. There were a couple of problems.

I was mooning over another girls' boyfriend in the group. The surfer preacher, dude, our leader of sorts. He was committed to a beautiful Jesus-People-girl. My chances were nil. He took took me home, once, in his VW Bug, and being so close to him was unbearable, so was the fact that he was so "nice" and worried about my soul. He took my hands to pray for me before I exited his car. I just wanted to kiss him.

Being in love with another girl's boyfriend (and they were planning to marry), was a sin. So, right there, I was in trouble. I prayed every night for God to forgive my coveting, adulterous heart. I never missed a meeting because it was where I'd see my love.

The second problem was the cracks. I started seeing them right away, but I ignored them for as long as I could. I didn't want to believe there was anything wrong with the Jesus People. I had put them pretty high on the pedestal and fiercely defended them to my family. But some were doing things that did not seem consistent with what I thought a Jesus group should be doing. Someone was selling marijuana. I wouldn't have believed it, but someone I trusted told me.

About that time, I was struggling with cigarettes, so one afternoon while at a park having a Jesus picnic, I squirred off to have a secret smoke. I discovered several of the others doing the same thing. I asked them, "why are we hiding this?" and they really really know.

After that, it went down hill. I realized there was two kinds of Christians in the group. These guys:

and these guys:

Then, out of the blue, both groups told me Jesus Christ Superstar, was sacrilegious to own and listen to, and I had to choose between vinyl and the cross.

Just like anything else I'd left, no one noticed....

...but Jesus.

~This will continue, next up ~

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Chile Quake - Megathrust

2010-03-01T10:37:00.000-08:00

Chile quake in 'elite class' like 2004 Asian quake - Yahoo! News

Matthew 24:7 (New International Version)

⁷Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

My Goofy Spiritual Life ~5~ More on The Jesus People at School

2010-02-28T17:04:00.000-08:00

When we left off, I was saying that the Jesus People really attracted me. I'm sorry to admit, I especially was attracted to one of the leader's of the group, a cute boy who had a girl friend, so I don't know what I was thinking. He was a surfer dude, with blond hair and shy blue eyes, but a powerful motivational speaker for the Lord. Mostly, I would look at him, rather than my Bible.

Photo courtesy of Times Magazine

One Sunday afternoon he'd organized a trip to downtown L.A., to a Baptist church. I can't remember the name of it, or why were were going, or much, other than the church was predominately Black and the building in dire need of repairs. The architecture was amazing--I'd never been in such an old masonic building.

Led by the cute surfer, we all hustled backstage, put on gold and red choir gowns, and came out to sing during the service. There wasn't a large congregation but what they lacked in numbers, they made up in spirit. For me, it was uplifting and "eye-opening" as I'd not been around any Black people, and only had assumptions based on my parents prejudices. In those days, Orange County was not diverse. My parents were very prejudice. I didn't know this until I was old enough to put the puzzle together. That's the thing about generational hate--it gets passed on without explanation. Dad was fearful of Blacks, and when we drove to my grandmother's house in Long Beach, he'd carry a Billy Club under the seat, "just in case."

Needless to say, I loved the experience at the church and was enriched by all those I met that day. My parents weren't as enthusiastic and made it clear I could not go to the Black church again. But I wanted what they had--that exuberant spirit for the Lord.

Now, shortly after our adventure, our praise singing became a hot bed topic with the school. They wanted to put an end to this worshiping, and suddenly forbade it on campus.

A New Yoga Cult = Self Hate and Deprevation

2010-02-28T15:04:00.000-08:00

If you looked at it from a certain perspective, the exercises Amy Shipley did in Dahn Yoga were perfectly normal. Take what she was doing right now. It was near midnight. Amy and seven other devotees of Dahn Yoga — nearly all in their 20s, clad in blue tracksuits and barely functioning on three hours of sleep — were standing in a waist-deep fountain in the desert of Sedona, Arizona. On command from their Korean trainer, all eight would plunge their heads underwater and hold their breath until their lungs strained, finally rocketing to the surface gasping and shouting a devotional song to their Grand Master — a middle-aged Korean man called Ilchi Lee — and weeping to prove their sincerity. Then they'd be ordered to do it again, and properly this time. In this way, Amy and the others were saving their souls and rescuing the world from annihilation.

Another Cult Rolling into Town <---read the entire article here!

Just thought I'd add this link, taking a break from my spiritual life story. It breaks my heart that yet another guru is making money and stealing souls.

Like the one where they'd turn off the lights and everyone would dance and scream for hours, until they collapsed in a sobbing heap. Or just earlier today, when Amy had been ordered to mash her face in the dirt as a lesson in humility.

When I really thought I'd heard it all. "Mash her face in dirt?" Oh, Lord have Mercy.

"...she and a dozen others had begun each morning by punching themselves in the stomach while hollering things like "I am stupid!" For that privilege, Amy had paid $8,500.

Living Well According to Movie Stars

2010-02-28T14:03:00.000-08:00

So I picked up a magazine the other day and lo and behold, an actress who's had her entire body reshaped by plastic surgery is "advising" women how to be happy. Oh, really?

She got the cover, and apparently her way of life is the happiness route, and she's in fine position to tell us. That being, divorced twice, living with men off and on, and marrying a guy 16 years her junior. Nothing, and I mean, nothing in the article gave any credit to God getting her through an abusive childhood, failed marriages, or the birth of her children--any God, but by her sheer ability to make her "realty" a happy one. By the way, the last I heard she was in Kabbalah . Yet again another lie propagated by a well respected women's magazine that happiness is somehow achieved by ... self.

I know there are bunch of readers who don't want to read this stuff, but it's God's truth, not mine, that He gets all the credit for our lives and we'll never be happy outside of having a relationship with Him. But Hollywood will never give God His due. Now, what's the name of her surgeon?

My Goofy Spiritual Life ~4~ The Jesus People

2010-02-27T22:47:00.000-08:00

Between 1969-1970 I was not seeking anything spiritual. My parents moved me to Seattle for dad’s job (from Southern California). Seattle was rock and roll and experimenting with drugs,and there I was introduced to both. I don’t recall seeking God in any way, shape or form.

When I returned to California in the summer of 1970, something happened, though I don’t know what, but I got into a Jesus group at school. Thinking back, the probability was I had been gone long enough in "teenage years" to have extrapolated myself from old friendships. So, fate linked me up with the Jesus people. I saw them around the flag pole singing praise songs before school, and they were friendly and accepting and their kind of worship resonated with me.

They sang and spoke in tongues and cried in huddles, filled with the spirit. I wasn't sure what I was joining, but one thing was for sure: their God was hip and happening and so were their boys.

The Jesus Revolution came on like a flood of spiritual awareness in 1970-71. Time Magazine wrote an article in June of 1971, stating, “There is uncommon morning freshness to this movement, a buoyant atmosphere of hope and love along with the usual rebel zeal.” We weren’t getting high on drugs, but high on God. There’s truth to that, because drugs were rejected in the Christian groups I attended, or so I thought...

Images Time Magazine

These were my new spiritual educators. Fellow students sharing God’s word from the King James Bible. None had any formal Christian training, they were just filled with the spirit and preaching what they felt. Some were part of Calvary Chapel, some Campus Crusade for Christ, but many, like me, were just following, without any clear sense of what we was following.

My family went ballistic on me, especially my dad. He laid down the “no God talk” rule. My brothers teased me endlessly, saying I was duped. It was exceedingly painful to be a new Christian, filled with all that love and spirit, and not be able to share any of it with my family. Like everything else I’d been involved in, they were waiting for me to fail, to move on and get over it. On a side note, there was no protest, nothing, not a word of protest when I joined an Eastern guru church.

Stay tuned!

~to be continued~

My Goofy Spiritual Life ~ 3 ~ Jesus at the Farm

2010-02-26T20:08:00.000-08:00

The Little Chapel by the Lake, Knott's Berry Farm

The Little Adobe Chapel by the Lake housed Knott's second oldest remaining amusement, the "Transfiguration of Christ." It captured the family values and atmosphere that the Knott family wanted to spread. The chapel was designed by artist Paul von Klieben in 1940. This attraction included a short audio story and musical interlude concluding with automatic doors opening to reveal a glowing image of Jesus. It was demolished in 2003.
History from Lottaliving.com

The Transfiguration

This is the only picture I can find of the painting that opened in the chapel, and it's not very good. I am looking for a decent picture.

Because we lived a few miles from Knott's, I walked there often. There were no fences, no tickets, nothing at all from stopping us from going to the park. The nicest people worked there, and I actually knew some by name. How I ended up in the chapel, I can't recall, because it was kind of hidden. Even though the picture I shared appears to be out in the open, the chapel actually became swallowed up by other buildings. I may have gone into it the first time with my parents, or wandered in alone, but once I did, I went back everytime I went to Knott's Berry Farm. This was the only place I knew I could find Him.

I knew what Jesus looked like before I found the chapel, because I had the above picture on Egermeier's Bible Story Book. He was handsome, really beautiful for a man and I became immediately attracted to the picture. He was kind of like my first Rock Star infatuation--what with that hair. Mind you this was in the late 50's early 60's (pre-Beatles). All the men wore crew cuts.

As I wrote about before, I didn't know the Jesus story, just that some people (not my family), believed he was the Son of God. My best friend was a Christian but I got a lot of erroneous advice on Jesus and her God didn't sound like the God I wanted to find.

The chapel had rough oak pews, maybe five that would seat about ten across. Very intimate inside, and dark, with a few flickering lights on either side. Two huge oak doors at the front of the stage drew your attention. I would always sit in the front row. Slowly the lights would dim to total darkness and Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata would begin to play...

And there would be a life-size, oil painting of Jesus, his eyes closed, but--wait! they slowly would open, staring down at us with piercing blue eyes. Dubbed over the music was a voice telling the story of our Savior. I remember the feeling that would come over me as I stared, rapt, at this life-size image of Christ. I wish I could find the transcript. I so wanted to know this Jesus, but where was he? There was something mysterious about him, something that drew me to Him. I would imagine him holding me and being my best friend. Once, I held out my hand in the darkened bedroom and asked him to take my hand, and I felt "something" and began to sob. I had no where to take these feelings or experiences. I was left on my own to find and understand God.

For an extra .25 you could bring home a cardboard glowing Jesus. I would hold it to a light, then squirrel the glowing Jesus under the covers and ask him for things. Usually horses. But I would pray every night, and say the only prayer I knew: "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep...if I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take." A rather scary prayer, but I honestly knew nothing else. This came from a wall plaque. I think mom gave it to me, but come to think of it, why? Anyways, then, I'd ask Him to help me pass a test, or make some boy like me. For the longest time, I thought Jesus was like Santa Claus, and like Santa Claus, I never saw him, but unlike Santa Claus, He never gave me gifts.

There was something "mystical" about the experience at Knott's Berry Farm's Chapel by the Lake that never left me and watered a thirst to have mystical experiences with God, but I couldn't find them at austere local Christian churches. It wasn't until I attended a Catholic church, with all the pageantry, and mystery, that I felt close to that goal.

My mother was mortified. She didn't want me going there, in fact, she told me that if I went, I'd marry a Greaser and be barefoot and pregnant all of my life.

~ to continue ~
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