Merging Souls

Part Three – Saul and the witch of Endor

“The Wizard of Oz” remains one of my favorite movies. It is the amazing journey of an orphan girl named Dorothy. In this movie there is a wicked witch of the west. As a child, she and her flying monkeys would send me into my mother’s protective arms. I loved it! But she was just a fake character in a classic movie.

In the Bible there is a real witch of the east living in Endor, which may or may not have had real powers.

Read the story from 1 Samuel 28:7-20:

“Saul then said to his attendants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, so I may go and inquire of her.” “There is one in Endor,” they said. So Saul disguised himself, putting on other clothes, and at night he and two men went to the woman. “Consult a spirit for me,” he said, “and bring up for me the one I name.” But the woman said to him, “Surely you know what Saul has done. He has cut off the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why have you set a trap for my life to bring about my death?”

OK stop here for a moment. If this witch has the ability to contact the dead, does it make any sense that a disguise would fool her? Just read Saul’s deceptive mind witchie-poo, unless of course you are a fake! Read on:

“Saul swore to her by the LORD, “As surely as the LORD lives, you will not be punished for this.”

Why on earth is Saul swearing by the Lord? Isn’t he doing something totally against the Lord. Don’t worry God is about to freak everyone out. Read on.

“Then the woman asked, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” “Bring up Samuel,” he said. When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out at the top of her voice and said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!”

I must say this moment was a shock for everyone, even the so-called “witch”. Saul some how lost his disguise, the woman acts like this is the first time this has ever happened, which it most likely was. She calls Saul a deceiver and I say it takes one to know one. But God still has something to say. Read on.

“ The king said to her, “Don’t be afraid. What do you see?” The woman said, “I see a spirit coming up out of the ground.” “What does he look like?” he asked. “An old man wearing a robe is coming up,” she said. Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground. Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?”

Wait a minute. Why is this witch so afraid? Why didn’t Samuel refer to the witch as the one who brought her up instead of Saul? Perhaps Samuel arrived despite the woman’s counterfeit life, because she didn’t know who it was. I think it was God sending a message to Saul through the request of Saul. Perhaps God was the first to use “instant messenger”. Samuel does not need to hear what is on Saul’s mind because he seems to already have a message ready from God. Read on.

“I am in great distress,” Saul said. “The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has turned away from me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what to do.” Samuel said, “Why do you consult me, now that the LORD has turned away from you and become your enemy? The LORD has done what he predicted through me. The LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors—to David. Because you did not obey the LORD or carry out his fierce wrath against the Amalekites, the LORD has done this to you today. The LORD will hand over both Israel and you to the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The LORD will also hand over the army of Israel to the Philistines.”

Seven times Samuel speaks about the LORD. This passage isn’t about a witch, a deceptive king or a dead prophet speaking, it is about the LORD and his final message to Saul. Is that your final answer? YES! I must say Saul would have felt better to not get this message. I am most amazed that God would allow Samuel to be disturbed, and surprise everyone with this freak moment in time. No one expected it except God, the sender of the messenger and message. I love the fact, that Samuel says, see you tomorrow.

“Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, filled with fear because of Samuel’s words. His strength was gone, for he had eaten nothing all that day and night”.

So is she a witch? I doesn’t seem that see is able to actually talk to the dead, but she has deceived many to believe she could. This time see surprises herself. I believe she will be more careful next time. It is just not good for business if you let all your clients know that they are going to die the next day. No return customers . . . word gets around you know.

God has to get credit for this one I believe. If this was “myth-busters”, the witch myth would be BUSTED!

Dorothy in the “Land of Oz,” faces a supernatural wizard. She is standing next to a scarecrow with no brain, a tin man with no heart and a lion with no courage. There is fire and smoke, then the all-knowing and all-powerful appears. But he was just a little man hidden behind a curtain. To see him took no brains, heart or courage, just the desire to pull back the curtain of deception.

Living in a world of wonder with eyes wide open,

Dan Potter

PART TWO – Moses and the Magicians

Imagine me walking up to you with three random coins from around the world. They lay in my open hand. I ask you to place your finger upon one coin. You think hard and drop your finger upon the coin of your choice. I open the displayed paper in which I wrote my prediction and it matches your free choice . . . impossible!

You will look up at my eyes, step back, shake your head and laugh. I know because I have done it a thousand times. You will not think I have any supernatural abilities, but you will be amazed at the unexplainable moment.

Now let me take you into a jungle area, where it is murky and we sit around a fire. A dark man in feathers and bells steps forward with three eggs of different colors. He stares at you and thrusts his hand into your face. People around you scream and shout. You are to reach out and grab one of the eggs. As you extend your arm, the people go silent. You pick up the red one. He quickly crushes the other two in his grip, rubs his hands together and only red drips from his hands. It is your chosen color. The crowd explodes in excitement as the man places his dripping red hands upon your head . . . impossible!

You freak out. You refuse to look into his eyes. You look to someone for some kind of help. Fear replaces amazement and you write home about this supernatural event.

Same trick . . . but a different atmosphere!

The coins and eggs were in the hands of people skilled in the art of illusion. I entertained and you laughed. The other, through natural means, manipulated your mind and emotions. Fear and mystery caused you see it as paranormal and you chose to believe the person had supernatural abilities. You even retold the story several times.

The impossible . . . fooled twice, but lied to you once. The lie grew and was retold by many, as a supernatural fact.

I have heard so many people do this even with Bible stories. Take a look at a man called Moses. God had him perform several miracles, not illusions. The magicians of the time were asked to create the same effects, but they could only reproduce three. So people, even followers of Jesus, spread the lie that these magicians had supernatural abilities. But if people were to read on and use their brains they would see that they did not have supernatural abilities, only secrets.

Read the following verses and see how Moses refers to these events.

1. In Exodus 7:10-12 we are given the record of when God, through Aaron, and the magicians made snakes. I think rabbits or poodles would have been a better choice, but they make terrible sticks. Besides God, for some reason, likes using snakes. “So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the LORD commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake. Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts: Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs”. It wasn’t as if the magicians were standing there. They had time to get ready. I wonder what was slithering up their sleeves or what secret science project made their snakes paralyzed. I think it was drugs because they were so high that they didn’t even move away when one snake ate them all. I think God won this match. To bad for those magicians who had trained those snake to act like a stick for several years. Well they are now unemployed . . . actually dead!

1. Exodus 7:22 comes right after God, not Moses, turned the water in the Nile into blood. Oh why not cookies and cream ice cream? “But the Egyptian magicians did the same things by their secret arts, and Pharaoh’s heart became hard; he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said”. To this I say, easy, easy, easy! If everything is blood just go with it man. I think the miracle would have been to find water that was not blood. It is not too difficult for a crafty deceiver to make this happen.

1. Next we have frogs of God everywhere. Imagine the amount of tadpoles God needed to pull this off, and where did He keep them until their grand entrance? That is a supernatural occurrence. Exodus 8:7 “But the magicians did the same things by their secret arts; they also made frogs come up on the land of Egypt”. Now if I get this right God makes several million frogs, so that they are everywhere. I love frog legs, they taste like little chickens. So if you open a jar one jumps out. If I reach in my pocket out comes another. Just kick a bunch of dirt upon the shore and say, “Abra-come-invertabrae” and those frogs are going to stick their heads up because they are stepping upon their mother-in-law. Buy the instructions for this trick at the dollar store.

1. Finally the magicians meet their match. God created gnats, those nasty winged bugs that go right up the nose. The magicians could not stop sneezing long enough to catch a few thousand for a really good trick. You try it, go try to catch 10 (and they did not even have vacuums back then). Exodus 8:18-19 states,“But when the magicians tried to produce gnats by their secret arts, they could not. And the gnats were on men and animals. The magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he would not listen, just as the LORD had said”. The finger of God! If it is just the finger imagine what He could do with his whole hand. What the magicians were saying is that there is more paranormal in one finger of God than all the magicians of Egypt. And for once I agree with them.

1. But God was not done with this deceptive lot of Charlatans. Exodus 9:11 makes it very clear, “The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils that were on them and on all the Egyptians”. OK boys what’s up your sleeve now? Perhaps it is the same thing that is up your pant leg? Boils are terrible, I can’t even imagine trying to multiply them. Happy scratching!

1. Finally we understand why God had this supernatural contest with the un-supernatural magicians. Exodus 9:16 “But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth”. In Exodus 14:31 after crossing the red sea this is recorded, “And when the Israelites saw the great power the LORD displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant”.

So if these “wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians” are the best of the best, they are in the same league as the jungle man. They all have secret arts, but not supernatural abilities. We shall continue our search, but thus far God leaves them all in the gnats . . . literally.

Living in a world of wonder with eyes wide open,

Dan Potter

I was in the car today listing to an older CD by the Newsboys and song number seven was playing and I could not stop listening to it. It was saying so many of the things running through my head. The song is “Your love is better than life”. Here are the lyrics, video and you can down load it on iTUNES. enjoy!

I dunno nothing that I haven’t been taught,
I dunno why I was born into the family I’ve got,
I dunno if I ever had an original thought,
maybe not, maybe so, maybe later, I dunno
I dunno how I can end a prayer, then turn on a friend,
I dunno what I was thinking when I just pressed send,
I dunno why I still criticize the things I dunno
I dunno, I dunno, I dunno, but this one thing I know

YOUR LOVE IS BETTER THAN LIFE
Without your love, I’m just a broken machine
YOUR LOVE IS BETTER THAN LIFE
Without your love, it’s all a mindless routine
YOUR LOVE IS BETTER THAN LIFE
Without your love, I’m in another free fall
YOUR LOVE IS BETTER THAN LIFE
Without your love, I’ve got nothing at all

I dunno what goes down the moment we die
Do we get halos & harps? Do we sleep? Do we fly? I dunno
how, when and why this world will finally end,
Speculation’s gonna grow, who knows best, I dunno
I dunno if I should push ahead or stop and grieve,
I lie awake and wonder how to make a city believe,
Your Love Is Better Than Life Lyrics
I dunno when it’s a ministry and when it’s a show
maybe neither, maybe both, I dunno, but this one thing I know

YOUR LOVE IS BETTER THAN LIFE
Without your love, I’m just a broken machine
YOUR LOVE IS BETTER THAN LIFE
Without your touch I’m not a full human being
YOUR LOVE IS BETTER THAN LIFE
If I should ever leave, where would I go?
YOUR LOVE IS BETTER THAN LIFE
I look to you ‘cause you’re the lover of my soul

HERE’S TO THE LOVER OF MY SOUL
HERE’S TO THE LOVER OF MY SOUL

I dunno when to walk away or stand and fight
just when I’ve got it wrong, I’m sure I heard you right
and when my arguments are watertight you expose every hole with a flash and a flood and I know
I hear you call in the eye of the storm and I know you’ve had my back since the day I was born still
stoking my heart
still stirring my head
you’re my pillar of fire
you’re the wine, you’re the bread, and

YOUR LOVE IS BETTER THAN LIFE
Without your love, I’m just a broken machine
YOUR LOVE IS BETTER THAN LIFE
Without your love, it’s all a mindless routine
YOUR LOVE IS BETTER THAN LIFE
Without your love, I’m in another free fall
YOUR LOVE IS BETTER THAN LIFE
Without your love, I’ve got nothing at all

YOUR LOVE IS BETTER THAN LIFE
I dunno nothing that I haven’t been taught, I dunno why I was born into the family I’ve got,
YOUR LOVE IS BETTER THAN LIFE
I dunno if I ever had an original thought, maybe not, maybe so, maybe soon, maybe later, I dunno
YOUR LOVE IS BETTER THAN LIFE
I dunno when I’ve got it right or wrong, I dunno how I can wrap it in a four minute song, but I know
YOUR LOVE IS BETTER THAN LIFE
My grip is better when I’m not hanging on, your love is making us strong (all along)
Your love is better than life

Today we began the bonding process of getting to know our Journey of what brought us together to this point. We shared our hearts, where we have been, what we have been involved in, and how God made a way to bring us all together.

imagiNations ARTISTree 09 is a 6 week course from Oct 1 to Nov 15, 2009 in Marlette, MI . . . based out of our home! It is a mentoring based conneXellence training focused on NEXT GENERATIONAL ministry and the ARTS.

For this journey together we have:
Dan & Suzie Potter . . . also known as . .. DUZIE (facilators)
Lisa Bruder - from Germany
Giovana Chaves - from Uruguay
Facundo Luzardo - from Uruguay
Roland Reimer - from Uruguay

Our orientation today included sharing our journeys, prayer, worship, eating, and ended with a car tour of Marlette (because of the rain). We popped into various stores and businesses to “show off” the group, let them meet “real Marlettians” and get the feel of our community. We ended at Clarks for ice cream, even though it was a cold & wet day.

We are excited at how well we connected today, and thankful to God for the group He has put together. Our prayer is that we will be able to give and receive (all of us) during this season God has put us together!

I am back to the title iTRUST, because to trust or not is always my choice. It is good to hear all the “WE” stories of a great God, but I still need to be the one that trusts. No one can trust God for me.

As a child my father had verses hanging all over his truck. Sometimes they covered almost everything except his view forward. One verse he seemed to always have hanging was Proverbs 3:5-6:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.

I read this and wonder how possible that is? All my heart is a lot! It is easy to trust God with my salvation and to get me to heaven, and even when everything is going great, but what about the other stuff. Relationships, money, struggles, a friend gets hurt or dies my dream comes crashing in around me . . . my heart is huge. Can I or will I trust the LORD with all my heart?

My heart is my desire. In who’s hands do I place my desires? Usually my own. But what if all of that was in the LORD or master of my life’s hands?

Then it hits my understanding. This takes trust from my heart to my head. I like to figure everything out. I like to think, solve problems, know what’s up with me and others. I often lean very much on what I know. But doesn’t that rob God of leading us? What if I still thought a lot, but the lean of my life, choices, speech, plans were upon the LORD. If I really trusted him would he forget to show up or lead?

“All my ways” is a whole bunch of ways. When I get up, what I eat, who I talk to or pass by, the way I talk, the places I go, the stories I tell, what I put into my mind . . . everything I do make up “All my ways.” SO what if I trusted the LORD enough to say, lead me. Wake me, Take me, Turn me, Stop me and Start me. I acknowledge you as important in every area. Wow would that change life.

Then the closer . . . He will make your paths straight. DO I WANT THAT MUCH CONNECTION TO GOD? That He makes my paths instead of me, He becomes LORD?

So back to trust . . . do I?

Over the last few months I have become more aware of my need to trust God. One of the main reasons for this growing reality is because many of the “trustworthy” foundations have become less dependable and unsure.

Can I really trust Jesus? Even in times when I cannot trust the world I have made?

I have begun a journey into Trust. I began the search with the title “trust or rust” but thought it best to launch with a simple declaration – iTRUST.

I will start with the first verse I find about trust:

Psalms 20:7

Some trust in chariots and some in horses,

but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.

I love the word “some,” it is so . . . them! But I often have trusted in the wonderful things I have bought like “Chariots” and embraced my strengths “horses”. They are great for moments, but they do not last. Every chariot is replaced and every horse dies . . . BUT. Oh I love it when the Bible says BUT. It is like the TV commercial that is about to get better. “But Wait” there is more . . . more trust to consider.

We trust in the Name. This is a community thing. Trust is not I, but we – wee! I am together in this trust thing!

We trust in the “name”. What’s in a name? It is the character, the past track record, the reputation of the Lord or master of we. What does the “Name” represent?

Lets take it to a different level. The name of a bridge “Golden Gate” or an airline “Delta” or automaker “BMW” or a drink “Coca-cola.” The name is everything. If the bridge is known to have holes, the airline is known to crash, the auto is known to not start and the drink is known to make you sick. It cannot be trusted. But what if the NAME has a record of excellence? What if “WE” have not found any fault in the past record and what if the past trust has proven best?

Then “WE’ continue to TRUST in the one who’s NAME describes our LORD, and this Lord is a shared GOD.

So I think “iTRUST” is too limited because I am only 45 and the “WE” who trusts in this LORD has thousands of years with millions of WE.

New title . . . “WEtrust!”

It is the end of another season of the school year here. Many are coming into the “free” time of summer. Sometimes it means people vegging out . . . and doing nothing.  It could also be a time where we take a closer look and talk to God about things that are in the core of our heart.  Dale, a friend of ours challenged us with this story about blind Bartimaeus from Mark 10:46-52:

Blind Bartimaeus Receives His Sight

 ⁴⁶Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (that is, the Son of Timaeus), was sitting by the roadside begging. ⁴⁷When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

 ⁴⁸Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

 ⁴⁹Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” ⁵⁰Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.

 ⁵¹“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. 
      The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”

 ⁵²“Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

When I hear this story, I think that it is so obvious.  That blind man would want to see.  Don’t you think that was obvious to Jesus?  This man receiving his sight, also meant a total lifestyle change for him.  He would have to change everything (no more begging, a real job, and his eyes opened in many other ways.)

Read more…

By Dan of DUZIE

To whom it may concern:

Have you ever had poison ivy? Those little red spots that grow into big red spots, that itch so bad that you want to rip your skin off? Little red spots, that come from little green plants that you may have laid upon while playing a game in the woods? I have, and as I type this, my arms are covered with large red spots which are covered with white cream which does nothing except remind me of where I am not to itch!

For 12 days I have had one uncontrollable desire, and that is to ITCH. Everyone tells me “Don’t Itch,” but nothing feels better . . . for the moment.

“Poison Ivy” reminds me so much of Lust! You know, that stuff you got into your brain by playing a game. It may be “Lust of the Eye”, which is a desire to posses a skill, look or property of another, or “Lust of the Flesh”, which is a desire to posses a moment of personal pleasure.

It starts by lying upon a moment, being careless, exposing your skin to the poison of lust. The moment passes, and then a little red spot creates an itch that whispers, “I want”. The lust grows and begins shouting at you. You try to hide it, but your day begins to be one long fight to not itch. You finally talk to a close friend or go to the doctor. They give advice and perhaps a shot, but not one can take it away. You pray for your red spots to stop tormenting you, but nothing stops the poison.

A moment of time started the process and many moments of time will bring the itch to rest, so I’m told. I must now stay out of the woods, covered in white cream, getting support and advice from those who have been there and NO ITCHING! Oh they also say once I’ve been infected . . . I will always need to be careful in the woods!

So much like lust.

I think it’s easier to tell people not to itch their lust, rather than tell them to stay out of the woods where lust stings. We live surrounded by little “innocent” green plants. Perhaps this is why the first thing God said to man, in the first garden (Genesis 2:16-17) was, “YOU ARE FREE to eat from any tree . . . but YOU MUST NOT EAT” of one tree! For when you eat of it YOU WILL SURELY DIE!”

I am free to go into any woods and lay upon any little green leaf, I might find. But if I, or if you do, there is some kind of itch that leads to death that is birthed.

To whom it may concern:

Be wise, Be careful, Be ITCH-less and FREE!

Here I stand, two (or more) options are available.  Any of the directions could be good in my life as I see it.  All will affect my future in different ways.  This is really an important issue to me.  Oh no . . . my hands go to my head.  ”What am I to do?”  “Help, I want to DO THE RIGHT THING!”

Have you ever been in this situation, trying to DO THE RIGHT THING?  Sometimes it is easy and you say “I better not do that one”, so the best option is the non-wrong one.  How do I make choices in these situations?  This week we heard an excellent message by Doug Tindle on this very subject.  We want to share these ideas with you.

5 WAYS TO HELP YOU DO THE RIGHT THING WITH IMPORTANT ISSUES

1.    Consider WHAT SHAPES YOUR UNDERSTANDING of the issue. 

Paul got his inspiration from God (Galatians 1:1+).  What are your past experiences that makes you think like you do about it?  Who is influencing you in this issue?

2.    Take some time to THINK CAREFULLY about the issue.

Paul spent time alone to confirm it with God.  This is one that is hard for me.  I like to think quickly, weigh out the options and run with it.  But especially with important issues, give it time.  Think about all the aspects and outcomes connected to this issue.

Read more…