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.
11
May
“The Land of AWEs” . . . a way to understand a longing of this generation’s heart
Posted by: dan potter / Category: subMERGING
by Dan of DUZIE
In life there is a hallway. It is a passage filled with many open and closed doors. Behind each entrance is a room, perhaps large or small. Some rooms are public, while others are locked without a key.
To the left is an open door with the word “MEMORIES” hung for all to see. From here “memories” come and go as they please. Most are in the most light of the room yet there seems to be some in a far dark corner.
A little farther down the corridor past doors that read “FEELINGS”, “DREAMS”, and “PEOPLE TO KEEP AT A DISTANCE” is one with the sign, “SOUL.” It is closed and does not seem to have any handle. This room speaks through what is uncontrolled and without warning like laughter and tears.
Next is a big beautiful door. In gold and fine script is the word “WONDER.” In this space are all the amazing towers, works of art, unbelievable skills and inventions of man. You can stand at this door for a long time and wonder how people could create such wonderful works.
You pass an unknown number of doors and then you come to one in which you just cannot pass. It says, “The land of AWEs.” Through this door you find more than a room, for it is un-boxable and unending. It is the place of stars, canyons, forests and puppies. All those things that make you exhale, breathing out only one sound “AWE”. This is a “God space” listed as unexplainable. It is beyond wonder.
Join David in his AWE of God from Psalm 104
Praise the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty. He wraps himself in light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a tent and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters. He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind. He makes winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants. He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved. You covered it with the deep as with a garment the waters stood above the mountains. But at your rebuke the waters fled, at the sound of your thunder they took to flight; they flowed over the mountains, they went down into the valleys, to the place you assigned for them. You set a boundary they cannot cross; never again will they cover the earth. He makes springs pour water into the ravines; it flows between the mountains. They give water to all the beasts of the field; the wilddonkeys quench their thirst. The birds of the air nest by the waters; they sing among the branches. He waters the mountains from his upper chambers; the earth is satisfied by the fruit of his work. He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for man to cultivate— bringing forth food from the earth:wine that gladdens the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread that sustains his heart. Thetrees of the LORD are well watered, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted. There the birds make theirnests; the stork has its home in the pine trees. The high mountains belong to the wild goats; the cragsare a refuge for the coneys. The moon marks off the seasons, and the sun knows when to go down. You bring darkness, it becomes night, and all the beasts of the forest prowl. The lions roar for their preyand seek their food from God. The sun rises, and they steal away; they return and lie down in their dens. Then man goes out to his work, to his labor until evening. How many are your works, O LORD! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming withcreatures beyond number— living things both large and small. There the ships go to and fro, and theleviathan, which you formed to frolic there. These all look to you to give them their food at the proper time. When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things. When you hide your face, they are terrified; when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust. When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth. May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in his works— he who looks at the earth, and it trembles, who touches the mountains, and they smoke. I will sing to the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. May my meditation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the LORD. But may sinners vanish from the earth and the wicked be no more. Praise the LORD, O my soul. Praise the LORD.
05
May
DUZIE @ Kims Lake to edit “conneXellence” book
Posted by: DUZIE / Category: Uncategorized, Videos
By Dan of DUZIE
We live in a very interesting time of history. It is a time when going forward means going back. Returning to a time before “companies” ruled “culture”. Back when “community” was stronger than “country”.
We are returning to a time when “Christian” was a nickname only for people who followed a rabbi/martyr named Jesus the Christ. A time when preaching, was good news to the poor and the prisoners, the sick, the blind, and the oppressed got more than an invitation to a building and a message.
A time of RENDEZVOUS!
A RENDEZVOUS is a meeting point, a point ahead where two or more roads intersect. It is a safe place, a known place, a place of common ground. This generation has a RENDEZVOUS kind of faith!
In my life I was taught or at least I caught the art of inspection. To see where other people are different . . . where they are wrong . . . where I am right. I somehow believed that faith was based upon a list of beliefs and information. My church was a club where you fit in or you were unfit. I was not taught to be a friend of sinners. They were to be converted, not connected with.
