"Christian Consolation For Those Affected By The Journal News Gun Map Controversy" By Rev. Barbara Sexton Dear Ones Healing Ministry

CHRISTIAN CONSOLATION FOR THOSE AFFECTED BY THE JOURNAL NEWS GUN MAP CONTROVERSY

by Rev. Barbara Sexton

Stamford, CT

Dear Ones Healing Ministry

www.DearOnesHealingMinistry.blogspot.com

Jan. 5, 2013

 Dear Ones:
     The next time someone asks if you, a Christian, are a gun-owner, I want you to repeat after me and say:
     "YOU BET I AM ARMED!"
     And say this 'loud and proud'...because you ARE!
     In this day and age, where pundits think nothing of pejoratively taunting Christians with 'well-what-would-'your'-Jesus-do?' queries falling off their tongues, we need to pay heed to old advice which is as valid today as it was over 2000 years ago.
      Make no mistake about it; when Jesus sent out the twelve, he warned them that it would be no picnic.
     In fact, what he said shocked and astonished them with his dire predictions!
 ³⁴ “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. ³⁵ For I have come to turn
“‘a man against his father,
    a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—
³⁶     a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’^[c]                                                                                                Matthew 10:34-36  (NIV)
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+10&version=NIV

     Yes, certainly we gasp at the thought of Christian believers being told that their Lord and Savior promises them not 'peace', but quite the opposite.  The going was rough and it's going to be rough, for us.
     So Christian brothers and sisters reading this today, take heed!:

Jesus continued (to his disciples):
     ¹⁶ “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. ¹⁷ Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. ¹⁸ On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. ¹⁹ But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, ²⁰ for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you."
                                                                                  Matthew 10:16-20  (NIV)
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+10&version=NIV  

     The above is sometimes misinterpreted by those who seek to justify 'violence-in-Christ'.  We look to the Crusades as an example of this.
     The fact is that while there may be times when 'violence' IS justified' for a Christian in/from the United States today (such as for those in law enforcement, the military, etc.), this is not commonly the case for civilian Christian Americans living stateside.
     Unless they have the misfortune of encountering a mentally ill, drug-crazed, criminally-oriented violent individual of some kind, that is.
     Jesus clearly did not send out a bunch of 'wimps'.  And he is quite clear that when violence is 'necessary', such as when a defenseless person is being attacked, it is never to be 'glorified'.
     In fact, when read in the context of other Scripture, Jesus's tough words above clearly emphasize that 'the sword' (or, more appropriately today, 'the firearm') is to be used sparingly and only in the most dire of circumstances in self-defense.
     He even counseled his disciples to flee rather than face potentially threatening people, advice which holds its wisdom today.

^"12 As you enter the home, give it your greeting. ¹³ If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. ¹⁴ If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet."                                           Matthew 10:12-14  (NIV)
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+10&version=NIV 

     Tragically, we cannot always 'flee' when we must.  Nancy Lanza could not and was killed by her son.  And the blessed little Sandy Hook Elementary precious children and their teachers and protectors could not escape that very same madman.
     Yet...we were 'generically warned': 

²¹ “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. ²² You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. ²³ When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another.
                                                                               Matthew 10:21-23  (NIV)
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+10&version=NIV
     Every so often in the modern U.S., Christians attempt to use some passage in the Bible to justify their own violence.
     But we have the beautiful and fiercely-worded advice from Jesus himself to his disciples whom he loved so much, just as he does us!
     Christ prepared them, as he prepares us, for what they and we will undoubtedly encounter.  He was 'hardening' them verbally, guiding them and emboldening them.  This much is certain--we will suffer, but (and this is a big one) true Believers will be fortified, protected and filled with the Holy Spirit.
     In a word, we will be 'armed', yes, with a 'sword' (or a gun in today's parlance), but also with much more.
     Challenges about 'gun control' vs. gun/Second Amendment rights and opportunists seeking to take advantage of a progressive liberal newspaper's indiscretions are not the only 'challenges' we have.
     We have a challenge not to 'hate' Peter Lanza.  We have a challenge to not hate 'journalists'.  We have a challenge to not 'hate' those who paint with a 'broad brush'--be they liberal or conservative.

²⁶ “So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. ²⁷ What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. ²⁸ Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
                                                                                              Matthew 10:26-28  (NIV)
     As Christians, we realize that the physical body is perishable and will not endure.  Morally and ethically, we are challenged to live the best lives that we can. So...
     We WILL have difficult times..
     We WILL have difficult decisions...
     We WILL be treated unfairly...and sometimes 'cruelly', if recent 'The Journal News' rhetoric is something to judge by.
     I know that my words here do not apply to those Christians--especially here in progressive-liberal Connecticut--who do not agree that the Second Amendment is worth fighting for.
     I understand that opinions vary, and that tempers may fly. But mark this:  If we Christians properly tow the line, we will see God.
     We will see God and then we can ask him 'why?' for the many sorrowful sorrows that we must witness.
     Until then, I pray that your days are wonderful, your nights restorative and that everything in your life be blessed and fully vetted to the Will of God, our Father through our Christ Jesus.

God Bless you,
Rev. Barbara Sexton
Dear Ones Healing Ministry
www.DearOnesHealingMinistry.blogspot.com

  

"A Shrove Tuesday Lesson & Blessing For You" By Reverend Barbara Sexton 'Dear Ones Healing Ministry'

courtesy Jessica http://showerofroses.blogspot.com/

A SHROVE TUESDAY LESSON & BLESSING FOR YOU 

By Rev. Barbara Sexton

Dear Ones:
     I've never been much of a cook, as family and friends will testify.   
     And this day, Shrove Tuesday, never fails to remind me of my shortcomings.
     My mouth waters at the thought of the traditional treats-pancake suppers and 'cakes' and such traditionally made and baked to use up the household's 'fats' as we enter the period of Lent.
      I've seen the most delicately and deliciously decorated Shrove Tuesday, Lenten and Easter treats and marvel at the skill of the women--and some men--who are capable of creating such masterpieces.
      There is no doubt that cooking, preparing, decorating, serving and offering hospitality are gifts of the Lord and ones not given to everyone.
     The Bible reminds us that we each, as members of the body of Christ, we each have different 'Gifts of the Spirit', to be used for the Glory of God and to be treasured by all.
      I don't know if being a good and appreciative 'eater' counts for anything, but it is a small way--along with this Shrove Tuesday Lesson--to let everyone know how thankful I am for my fellow Christians all around the globe.
     Please join me here for reflections as we enter our Lenten Season.
The Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 12-13:
LINK: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Corinthians%2012-13&version=NIV 

Concerning Spiritual Gifts
1 Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2 You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. 3 Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.
This means that it is impossible for the true believer to blaspheme against (speak and act against and usurp the authority of) the existence of 'God in us' which we call 'The Holy Spirit'
4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.
Christians are to be united in the use of their various 'gifts' for the good of God first, then for others and lastly for themselves.
7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
We are to 'work together'-sometimes easier 'said than done'-and to not be 'jealous' of each others gifts, for we are one Christian 'family' working towards the common goal of glorifying God through His Son Jesus Christ.
8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,[a] and to still another the interpretation of tongues.[b] 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.
Not everyone has the same gifts and these 'gifts' will manifest in different ways.  What do you believe are your 'Gifts of the Spirit'?  If you ever feel 'jealous' or resentful that someone appears to have 'better gifts' than you do, please do not fret.  The Holy Spirit knows what is best and we are to trust in the Lord.
 Unity and Diversity in the Body
12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by[c] one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.
No matter why Christians 'come together'...be it for scheduled worship or to prepare, serve and share a SHROVE TUESDAY PANCAKE DINNER, we are to do it in the spirit of unity, cooperation and most of all love.  Too often today we forget that our brothers and sisters are all around the world and that God unites us through our faith in Him.
15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
Though we may not understand God's 'Grand Design'...or even 'discern that there IS one...we trust in our Creator.  As science contributes more and more to our understanding of 'life', this passage reflects the 'awesomeness of God', be it in His collective plans for us, or in the genius of His design of our human bodies.
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
This is as true of the 'actual' human body, as it is of the body of people who make up 'The Body of Christ' here on earth, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in each of us.  Whether it's cleaning toilets for a church or social service function or preaching in a finely decorated church, the believer's contribution is invaluable in the eyes of the Lord.  Whatever we do for Christ's Community is precious and valuable and will be remembered when we stand before our Maker.
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 28 And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues[d]? Do all interpret? 31 Now eagerly desire the greater gifts.
It is not always easy to discern 'who is who' in Christ's Community here on earth.  There are many false prophets, false teachers and charlatans, no doubt about it.  And it can be difficult to determine just exactly WHAT special abilities various genuine Christians have, but with time and patience, God will let us know.  Be not 'jealous' of others' gifts, but, rather, strive to uncover those great gifts YOU may already possess without even knowing it.
Love Is Indispensable
And yet I will show you the most excellent way.
Paul sure DOES show us a most excellent way!  For now we 'enter' and 'receive' a passage in Scripture below which is familiar to almost everyone, Christian or not.  Indeed, 1 Corinthians 13 is a passage often quoted in marriage ceremonies all over the globe.
1 Corinthians 13
1 If I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing.
The bottom line is that all the gifts in the world and all the wonderful things that some Christians are capable of count for nothing without the manifestation of genuine love.  Imagine that!  A Christian can appear to be a total  success in the eyes of the world and even to his or her fellow Christian believers.  But every believer's heart is constantly and thoroughly being examined by our Heavenly Father and those who fall short will be 'outted' as phonies.  But do not lose hope, for those previously unidentified as 'mountain-movers' will be made known to Christians everywhere, serving as a source of hope and....of course...love...all in God's good time.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
These are high ideals, not easily attained by 'the common man' were it not for the Power of the Holy Spirit within!
8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.
Isn't it amazing that only 'love' endures?  How can something so 'ethereal' end up being the only 'thing' that is real and enduring in the end?  Surely this is yet another gift to us from God, if only we recognize it. 
11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
1 Corinthians 12-13  (NIV)
LINK: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Corinthians%2012-13&version=NIV
There is a reason why we refer to ourselves as 'Children of God' and wish to be recognized as such.  Yet what we 'glean' here on earth, working as God's 'eyes, hands, hearts and ears', is but a pale reflection of what awaits us in the Kingdom of Heaven.
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Christians understand these things with their hearts.   But 'the world', while understanding the 'etheral' concepts of hope and love, claims that 'faith' is just too arcane for them to 'believe in'.  Don't they see that these are all part of the same construct? 
Let this 'Shrove Tuesday' message be one of HOPE given in LOVE through the FAITH of the world's Christians--to all those who believe already...and to those who are 'seeking'.
Amen!
With Love in Christ
Reverend Barbara Sexton
"The Biblical Biochemist-Where Science Meets the Cross"
www.DearOnesHealingMinistry.blogspot.com

courtesy of Jessica  http://showerofroses.blogspot.com/ 

DEAR ONES HEALING MINISTRY FOLLOW-UP TO MY FEB 20, 2010 POCKET SERMON 10: "A SOLAR EVENT TUTORIAL-NOAA 11049 FROM ALPHA TO OMEGA" By REVEREND BARBARA SEXTON FEB 26, 2010

from: http://www.iris.edu/seismon/

Dear Ones:

     Check this link: http://www.iris.edu/seismon/ for real-time, updating views of recent earthquakes and 'aftershocks'.  The activity today is the result of solar discharge of energy towards earth over the last weeks.  Of course, earth-bound factors are in play, also, though I don't know to what extent.

     My thesis is and has been that solar energy in the form of x-rays, electrons, protons, plasma, etc. is causing all our recent earthquakes.

  

Above is an image of solar events today, 2/26/10 (7.0 Japan EQ)

Above is the same type of image from 2/12/10...14 days ago... 

 

Above is the same type of image from 2/8/10...18 days ago...

Can you guess where some of this solar energy is directed?  Yes, towards earth. 
     If you are curious as to how solar energy manifests on earth as earthquakes and other 'natural disasters', please see my Tutorial: POCKET SERMON 10: "A SOLAR EVENT TUTORIAL-NOAA 11049 FROM ALPHA TO OMEGA"

http://dearoneshealingministry.blogspot.com/2010/02/pocket-sermon-10-solar-event-tutorial.html  from 2/20/10...6 days ago...
     We're now monitoring solar areas 11050 and 11051 and 11048.  What do you suppose happened to all the solar energy discharged towards earth from the solar area 11049 I referred to in my POCKET SERMON 10?  (Hint: Read the Japan Earthquake & Tsunami news today and for the next week.)
GIVEN TO YOU WITH LOVE FOR CHRIST,
Reverend Barb Sexton
"The Biblical Biochemist-Where Science Meets the Cross"
www.DearOnesHealingMinistry.blogspot.com

POCKET SERMON 5:"TROUBLING WORDS LIKE MARY HEARD" BY Reverend Barbara Sexton

                               POCKET SERMON 5:
"TROUBLING WORDS LIKE MARY HEARD"    
                     by Reverend Barbara Sexton
              Take this Sermonette, print it and share it!
Luke 1:26-38 NIV
The Birth of Jesus Foretold
26In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."
29Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."
34"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"
35The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called[a] the Son of God. 36Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. 37For nothing is impossible with God."
38"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her. Luke 1:26-38 (NIV)

     I pray these days leading up to Christmas Day are ones of excitement, hope and happiness for you. Don't let the busy-ness overtake you, and take time for yourselves, dear ones. Eat well, be moderate in your frivolity and try to get enough sleep.
     Give freely and joyfully...but only if you can. Do this and that at the suggestion of others...but only if you really want to! Tell them Reverend Barb said, "It's okay to say NO! God wants us to be wise and practical with our resources."
     As importantly, don't let anyone, but anyone put the squeeze on you--be it your church, your clergyperson, a non-profit organization, a political group or anyone else. Just do good and do it your way, as you believe the Lord would have you do it. Tell anyone trying to 'shake you down' and/or intimidate you 'to give' that Reverend Barb said, "I'm doing it differently this year!   I'm going 'hands-on'! I'm giving what I want to give, to whom I want to give and I'm 'saying yes' as Mary did....as Joseph did...so many years ago."
     Tell them the greatest thing we can do here on earth is to do God's work through His Holy Spirit, especially at Christmas.
     That means volunteering time, elbow-grease, grunt work, technical help, works of charity, companionship, and all the things money simply cannot buy.
     Adopt a senior or at-risk youth for the holidays. Drive someone to doctors' offices or to shop. Visit shut-ins. Ring a bell (be sure to bundle up well first).  Take the more difficult route, the more challenging route this year. You'll still probably spend more money than you'd like, but you will have a closer walk with Jesus and his parents. You are putting 'the Word to work' and will have a gift-giving season in a class by itself.
     Try it. Dare to be bold in your convictions and inspire others, especially your children, to do the same.
     Then you will see what wonders God lays before you, so prepare to be amazed.
With Hope & Love that you will be like Mary and have no trouble saying 'YES'!--
Reverend Barbara Sexton December 9, 2009Chr

Aunt Irene's Memorial Wreath 8/09 Dear Ones Healing Ministry Pocket Sermon 2: "GOODNIGHT IRENE"

This is Aunt Irene's beautiful memorial wreath (see Pocket Sermon 2: "Goodnight Irene") Many thanks to our family florist-- Johanna Macaig of http://www.progersflorists.com/ for this spectacular wreath.  After all these years of sending and receiving flowers from P. Rogers--through good times and bad--I can say these folks have a rare, true "flower ministry"...Always compassionate and consoling, uplifting and pragmatic, as need be during people's difficult times.  Thanks & God Bless!  Rev.  Barbara Sexton

POCKET SERMON 2:"GOODNIGHT IRENE" Rev.Barbara Sexton

  POCKET SERMON 2:       "GOODNIGHT, IRENE"


Take this little sermonette, print it and share it! Ever so carefully, I bent to lift the cardboard shipping box up off the floor where it had first been placed on delivery day. It had been sitting there long enough, I felt, at the foot of the family ‘memorial table’. But that day, something didn’t feel right. Aunt Irene led a fascinating, busy and often glamorous life and here she was—what remained of her, anyway—just dumped and forgotten like any old package.

“Well, HELLO IRENE”, I spoke out loud as I carried her over to the dining room table. Did I just really SAY THAT? “I know that you are in a much better place now, but I have to…I have to”….and the emotion welled up in me as I blubbered, “I have to fix you up...”.
Dang, am I CRAZY talking to the air? Even the cats looked up at me with their kitty eyes as if trying to figure out what I was up to, and if food was involved, of course, but--

Distraction aside, I persevered.

Steak knife in hand, I slit open the shipper, suddenly apologizing under my breath to Irene for the assault! Then, just as suddenly, I felt the awesome presence of the Holy Spirit, oh did I ever. I saw that this was now clearly a devotional undertaking and I would treat it as such. The earthly remains of this vivacious red-haired may be in a plain green-black plastic box container, not so very dignified or beautiful at all. But God was being good enough to assure me that I was on the right track fixing things up for the boys, Irene’s nephews. But what could be done to improve this container, I wondered?

Bowing to the collective sensibilities of Aunt Irene’s survivors, this plain plastic box had been chosen, rather than something more expensive. I got that. I agreed with it, for as Paul tells up in 1 Corinthians, “42So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.” 1Co 15:42-44 (NIV)

This description of the Resurrection Body is sufficient for me to have been able to complete the task at hand, which was to do what all dyed-in-the-wool artistic types and crafters do. You’re probably seeing where this is going, but if not, here’s a hint: As my daughter walked by the dining room table, she stopped, rolled her eyes, and said, “Mom….you’re NOT!” “Not what, dear? Well, yes I am going to decorate Aunt Irene’s container”. That prompted a suitably sarcastic retort from my girl to the effect that she wondered if there was ANYTHING I wouldn’t paint and glitz up, etc and I thanked her for the valuable input and formulated a design.

I decided on a ‘masculine motif’, for my husband and his brothers would be conducting Irene’s service at sea. Being mindful of the fact that Irene was as feminine as she was strong (and I mean this literally, for she continued to wear her beloved high heels way into old age), I also went for ‘elegant’.

Thus with paint, decals and gold netting I completed a fair rendition of “lapis lazuli gift box tied in a gold tulle bow”. Things were barely dry before the boys whisked her off. I was pleased with the job, praying that the paint on plastic would 'hold' long with all the boat motion...All crafters know how difficult it is to paint on and glue plastic.."Please let it dry and hold", I prayed. "Please let it dry and hold!"

Yes, I know my efforts were appreciated and yes I do believe that the Lord was letting Irene peek in on us, just a bit, as she made her final transition. I certainly felt her. We believers in the family were comforted to know by our faith that she was rid of her worn-out physical body and now had a new and improved spiritual one, thanks be to God.

This said, we realize that some do not believe there is such a thing as a spirit body. They might want, then, to talk to an amputee experiencing ‘phantom limb pain’, an acknowledged medical condition. Though the physical limb is removed, it may yet feel as if it is there! It may hurt and itch and can be very disconcerting to some people. It occurs because the person is sensing his spiritual limb, where his physical one had also been. A vexation and curiosity to some, but also potent assurance that our physical vessels have a very real spiritual coexistent substrate.

So, "Goodnight, Irene". Live well in your new life in the Lord.
Amen.
Reverend Barbara Sexton October 20, 2009

www.dearoneshealingministry.blogspot.com

POCKET SERMON 1: IS OUR FORGIVENESS UNFAIR? By Rev Barbara Sexton

POCKET SERMON 1: IS OUR FORGIVENESS UNFAIR???

Take this little sermonette, print it and share it!  Is our concept of Christian forgiveness 'unfair' in a sense?  I've been asked this question several times and have had to defend the very concept of the forgiveness of the Lord.  This may sound incredible, but some resent the very fact that we, as Christians, can--in theory at least--wait up until the very last minute of our earthly life, having a grand old time and doing bad--and then BAM!!!  We can get on our knees and pray for forgiveness and all's well and that's THAT!  And we end up in HEAVEN! with ALL the people who struggled their whole lives to behave as God would have them!

That doesn't sound....RIGHT...does it?

Well...it is, in theory, anyway.  Yes, it is possible to lead a life not so pleasing to God and then at the last minute on our deathbeds to repent and be forgiven and to go to Heaven.  This is the truth.  Implicit in this is the concept that one does, indeed, consider Jesus to be his/her personal Savior ....that one does truly desire change (even at the last minute)....that one is truly repentent (that is, is really, really, sorry)....and that one can withstand God's scrutiny.  But, is this such a good idea and way to go?

What if you are UNABLE to repent at the last minute due to...I don't know...a COMA or something???  And what if there is a glitch of some sort, as in an inability to pass the sniff test of TRUTH at that last minute?  Then, finally, what about the concept the world knows as 'karma'?  What about all that built-up 'bad karma' surrounding last-minute repentent types?  How is the whole of the existence to be balanced out in a case like this, I ask you?

My answers for those who care to read them are:

1)  Truly repentent last-minute Christians are a true blessing to all when they are forgiven by the Lord.  Now, since we can never really completely know the mind of God....nor the intentions of the sorry one....it is best to assume the best in others and worry about our own states of grace and leave it at that.  God is very smart and He makes all things right!

2)  We must not forget that God desires that ALL be saved, and we as Christians are supposed to help with that.  There are many ways to help and cheering on a new Christian certainly is one of them.  I am reminded of the Scripture verses known as 'The Parable of the Lost Sheep'.  JESUS SAYS:  “4 Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. (Luke 15:4-7  NIV)

I hope this Pocket Sermon helps you on your spiritual journey.  We'll revisit forgiveness and other Christian wonderments in future issues.

With Love in Christ,

Reverend Barb