Getting a bit too busy with my Christmas shopping, so…

What Do Angels Look Like?

Three angels visiting Abraham via Wikipedia

by: Bruce Bussell

Since angels are spirits rather than physical beings, they don’t have to be visible at all (Colossians 1:16). Elisha once prayed that his servant would see the armies of angels surrounding the city, and the young man discovered that he had overlooked a lot of invisible beings (2 Kings 6:17)!

When angels do appear, they generally appear in the form of men. In Genesis 18, Abraham welcomed three angelic guests who appeared at first to be nothing more than some travellers. In the following chapter, two angels went to Sodom where they were assumed to be simply a pair of human visitors.

With the possible exception of one debatable passage in Zechariah 5:9, angels always appear as males rather than females (Mark 16:5).

Sometimes an angel appears to be a man with unusual features. Daniel saw an angel with arms and legs resembling polished metal and precious stones, and a face like lightning (Daniel 10:5-6). The angel that rolled back the stone from Christ’s tomb was radiating dazzling light (Matthew 28:3; Luke 24:4). The book of Revelation describes some highly unusual beings who may be a variety of angel in Revelation 4:6-8.

Angels in the Bible never appear as cute, chubby infants! They are always full-grown adults. When people in the Bible saw an angel, their typical response was to fall on their faces in fear and awe, not to reach out and tickle an adorable baby.

Some Bible passages picture angels with wings (Isaiah 6:2,6). Other verses talk about angels flying, and we assume that the wings would be useful for that flight (Daniel 9:21). However, I suspect that angels can move around without having to depend on wings. Most references to angels in the Bible say nothing about wings, and in passages like Genesis 18-19, it is certain that no wings were visible.

About The Author

Bruce Bussell is the founder of Hearts Fod God Christian Ministry which is designed to bring people closer to God through the study of His angels. A free newsletter all about angels is offered. You can check out Hearts For God at www.heartsforgod.com.

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Half of All U.S. Adults Are Unmarried

Image: Jennifer Pahlka via Wikipedia and Flickr

Special to Earthpages.org

Half of all adults in the United States—a record low—are currently married, and the median age at first marriage has never been higher for brides (26.5 years) and grooms (28.7), according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Census data released 12/14/11. In 1960, 72% of all adults ages 18 and older were married; today just 51% are.

The Pew Research analysis also found that the number of new marriages in the U.S. declined by 5% between 2009 and 2010, a sharp one-year drop that may be related in part to the sour economy. The United States is by no means the only nation where marriage has been losing “market share” for the past half century. The same trend has taken hold in most other advanced post-industrial societies, and these long-term declines appear to be largely unrelated to the business cycle. The declines have persisted through good economic times and bad.

Although half of the adult population is married now, a much higher share— 72%—have been married at least once. However, this “ever married” share is down 15% from the 85% share of the population in 1960.

The percentage of divorced American adults has almost tripled in the last five decades from 5% in 1960 to 14% in 2010. Almost all of that increase occurred in the two decades following 1967, and divorce rates have been fairly stable over the last two decades. Rabbi Allen S. Maller, who has published several studies of marriage and divorce rates for Catholics, Protestants and Jews, says, “part of the increase in divorce rates in the two decades following 1967 was due to the increase in interfaith mixed marriages. Catholics and Jews who marry out have divorce rates almost twice as high as those who do not marry out.”

Rabbi Maller adds that, “Unifying the family through conversion by one partner to the religion of the other does reduce the divorce rate substantially (but not entirely) for Catholics and Jews, but not for most Protestant denominations because they  have higher divorce rates than Catholics and Jews to begin with.”

The rise in the percentage of unmarried is caused by several factors, First, is the rise in the age of people getting married. Second, is the rise in the percentage of divorced people in the pool of the unmarried from 5% to 14%.

Previous marriage experience plays a big role in whether people want to get married (again) or not. A majority of adults who have never been married say that they want to get married (61%), compared with only 26% of adults who have ever been married but are now unmarried.

Rabbi Maller’s Website:  www.rabbimaller.com

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Holy Matrimony and Spiritual Sexuality

Shabbat Candles by Olaf.herfurthvia Wikipedia

by Rabbi Allen S. Maller

Most Jews know that sexual activities between a husband and wife are a Mitsvah. This is because in Jewish thought kiddushin-holy matrimony, is a reenactment by two Jewish individuals of the holy covenant first entered into by God and Israel at Sinai. At that time God and Israel first chose each other. God chose Israel saying, “You shall be a special treasure for me,,, a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:4-5). The Jewish people chose God by answering with the traditional ‘I do”, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do” (Ex 19:8)

In this traditional metaphor Torah is the ketubah-marriage contract, between two covenanted partners. Mitsvot are their daily loving interactions. Torah Study and worship are the pillow talk between God and Israel. Tikunim- Kabbalistic mystical exercises, meditations and sexuality are  the intimacies of married life.

As I said most Jews know that sexual activities between a husband and wife are a Mitsvah. Many Jews know that lovemaking on Shabbat is a double Mitsvah. Some Jews know that the Kabbalah (the Jewish mystical tradition) teaches that the Shekinah (the feminine presence of God) rests on a Jewish man when he makes love to his Jewish wife on Shabbat. Indeed some Kabbalists believed that any act of marital intercourse done with the right spiritual mindset was a Divine activity. The Zohar, the most influential Kabbalah book asks, “When is Shekinah ingrained in him? When he is married, and his sign (circumcised penis) enters the site (his wife’s vagina)”. Zohar I:94a  And Rabbi Elijah de Vidas, in his Kabbalistic book entitled Reshit Hokhmah (The Beginning of Wisdom) published in Venice in 1579 teaches “A man would not delay making love to his wife when he feels passion for her, even if he were given all the money in the world. Similarly he should feel passionate about doing Mitsvot since by doing Mitsvot he makes love to the King’s daughter, that is the Shekhinah, for every wife is her husband’s (Godlike) daughter.”

However, very few Jews know that the holy Kabbalist, Rabbi Isaac Luria, developed several Tikunim to enable spiritually aware Jewish couples to repair fractured hopes and intentions in those around them, to elevate broken spirits both near and far, and to re-energize efforts to make life holy through a couple’s own lovemaking at night. These Tikunim are among those referred to as Tikunay Hatzot-mid night spiritual exercises. Exactly how personal private Tikunim are able to effect other people and situations is inexplicable,  yet with patience, hope and trust many impossible situations get resolved.

Every Jewish wife partakes of some aspects of Leah and some aspects of Rachel. Like Leah, every woman is potentially very fruitful, both emotionally and physically. Like Rachel, every woman is potentially spellbinding and enthralling.  When her husband regards his wife as a gift from God and loves her totally, faithfully and submissively (egolessly), his lovemaking and partnership being more to give her pleasure than for his own pleasure, he realizes and actualizes her blessings and God’s blessings. This is especially important when duress makes her weep openly or inside. All forms of Tikun Hatzot stress this.

Sexual activity prior to midnight increases the aspect of Leah. Sexual activity after midnight and in the pre-dawn or early morning hours increases the aspect of Rachel. Sexual intercourse with Leah, better known in Lurianic Kabbalah as the face of Imma, the great mother Goddess, helps to reduce negative actions and situations in family and personal affairs. Sexual intercourse during the second part of the night is with Rachel who ascends in the morning as Matronita, the ruling presence of Shekinah. Elevating Matronita helps avoid the worst case public scenarios we fear and helps increases the number of small but important contributions to the improvement of Jewish and world society. One who regards his wife as a gift from God will pray in her intimate presence. As Rabbi Yitzkhak  Saphrin, a great Hassidic scholar, taught; “The Divine Spirit does not rest on an unmarried man, because Holy Inspiration is derived from one’s wife.”

These Tikunim should be done every Shabbat for as Rabbi Judah ben Yakar (C.1200) said, “Our Mitsvah of marital coupling is derived from what the Holy One said to  Shabbat, -the community of Israel will be your mate-” Thus Israel sanctifies the Shabbat and a Jewish Husband sanctifies his Jewish wife. If they desire he should also adore his wife once or twice during the weekdays. These Tikunim are not magic but if done faithfully they always have a positive impact over time. A Hassidic mystic, Rabbi Nathan Hanover, adds, “After you perform Tikun Hatzot, prepare yourself and unify the Holy One with Shekinah by making your body, each and every limb, a chariot for Shekinah.”-Thus sexual activity should end with the wife above, feeling she is Shekinah-the ruling Matronita blessing her husband and rising to heaven, with her husband below her feeling that he serves as a mystical Merkavah-chariot (as did the Holy Temple in Jerusalem) elevating her to the heavens. This helps actualize their thoughts and desires and promotes remedies, rectifications, and blessings for those around them and throughout the world.

Even if you have difficulty believing in the outcome of these concepts, you can only gain personally by practicing the Mitsvah of spiritual intercourse. In time, the effective of Tikunim may become apparent. You have nothing to lose but your secular ego. Rabbi Yitzkhak  Saphrin, a great Hassidic scholar, taught; “The Divine Spirit does not rest on an unmarried man, because Holy Inspiration is derived from one’s wife.” If you are not yet ready for this level of inspiration then remember the Talmudic (Berachot 57b)  statement, “Three (things) adumbrate heaven: Shabbat, sunshine, and sexual union.’

Rabbi Maller’s web site is: rabbimaller.com

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Stop Patching Yourself Together

Giotto - The Seven Virtues - Faith via Wikipedia

 by: Arthur Levine

Have there been times in your life when you have resorted to quick fixes like chemical patches or pills to help you stop overeating, smoking, or other similar addictions that are ruining your health?

If you are like me, you have discovered that these temporary measures don’t work. You probably need something stronger. How about a patch of faith?

Faith is not the type of thing you can buy over-the-counter at a drug store. It is something you have to find within yourself.

In order to find your faith, you need to strip away your inhibitions and unlock your imagination. You have to start listening to your inner self.

Sometimes you have to use your imagination to invent a symbol of the newfound faith that you have created – your own personal faith patch – something that can identify you as a Person of Faith.

Every time that you feel yourself about to give in to a weakness, think about your faith patch. Think about the strength you can draw from your faith in God to help you overcome your weaknesses and addictions.

Start by admitting to yourself that you do have faith. Start by listening for the words of God. Start by speaking to God. He may be waiting to hear from you.

Are you ready to get closer to God? Are you ready for him to answer your prayers? Start to believe. Become a person of faith.

You are basically a good and worthwhile person, and you are entitled to have faith in God anyway you chose. You are entitled to be a Person of Faith.

Try to strip away the inhibitions that have kept you from admitting that you are a Person of Faith. Use your imagination to help you reveal to yourself that you do have strong feelings of faith.

Don’t be shy about admitting that you are a Person of Faith. Express your feelings of faith. Make yourself and your loved ones happy by acknowledging that you do have faith.

Have you ever said to yourself that you wish you could be a Person of Faith like Johnny or Linda? You can if you start to listen to your imagination and realize that you do have feelings of faith.

Think of all the wonderful things you could do with the strength that comes from believing in God. Think how great it would be to be able to cope with the troubles of our time without fear.

Imagine how great you will feel when you are free from the addictions that plague you. Imagine how wonderful and secure you will feel when you have used your faith to conquer your weaknesses.

Are you ready to stop patching yourself together? Are you ready to become a Person of Faith? Are you ready to find the strength through faith to overcome your weaknesses? God may be waiting to see what you will do. Are you ready to take action and find your faith?

About The Author

Arthur Levine, Faith Builder Imaginest, is the author of the Faith Patch Manual. Discover how to find more faith and stop patching yourself together at: http://www.faith-patch.com/stp/patching

Copyright Arthur Levine 2005

This is not a medical nor legal document.Those with mental or physical health issues are advised to consult an appropriate and licensed health professional.

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Wake up! The social construction of sleep

Sleeping by soylentgreen23 via Flickr

If you can’t sleep, then get up and do something instead of lying there worrying.
It’s the worry that gets you, not the lack of sleep.

—Dale Carnegie

It’s 2:42 a.m. Two cats howling outside my window woke me up. Unable to get back to sleep, it seemed like a good time to reflect on some of the cultural assumptions that modern, technological societies have about the idea of “a good night sleep.” ¹

Don’t get me wrong. I’m the first to agree that sleep is a great restorative. The ancient Greeks extolled it as a sacred salve that releases mankind from the pain and worry of daytime reality. And the father of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud, spoke favorably of dreams as the “royal road to the unconscious.”

Freud’s brightest student, Carl G. Jung, was also interested in dreams. Jung felt that our nighttime productions compensate for what we’re missing in daytime. Jungians also maintain that dreams guide us toward a greater, integrated sense of meaning.

Sleep Deprivation

In a National Geographic article a Harvard neuroscientist claims that US society is “tremendously sleep deprived.” If we don’t sleep well during the night, it’s usually recommended to try to nap, rest or meditate sometime during the day.

The controversial mystic Sri Aurobindo had a completely different view about sleep, one not supported by contemporary medical science. Aurobindo saw sleep as a sluggish, inferior form of consciousness that’s best overcome through intense meditation. In fact, Aurobindo claimed to have conquered the need for sleep. Christian monks also get less sleep than the average layperson but, arguably, for different reasons than Aurobindo’s.

Medical science tells us that sleep is important. The body synthesizes proteins faster in the retina and cerebral cortex during sleep hours, enhancing growth and restoration.² Sleep deprivation actually impairs cerebral cortex functioning, this being the newest part of the brain to appear over the course of human evolution.

Sleep deprivation also has harmful effects on memory and contributes to anxiety and even paranoia. Keeping people sleepy is a great way to brainwash, manipulate or indoctrinate. No wonder cult leaders and political interrogators use sleep deprivation to get subjects to comply with their wishes (at the risk of offending some, one could argue that a similar dynamic exists in some monasteries).

Snake Oils

insomnia by Jonathan Jacobsen via Flickr

Over the counter sleep medications tend to have deleterious side effects and don’t really engender sound sleep. No wonder so many online marketers are peddling the latest sleep-inducing herbs and alleged wonder-drugs.

Clearly, this is a case of buyer beware. Scam artists more interested in profit than helping people often have a crafty sales pitch, one which postmodern deconstructionists would have a field day with.

For instance, if you don’t get your eight hours every night some of these unscrupulous marketers will declare that you’re suffering from an illness.³ You’re then informed that substance X (which they happen to sell at their website) is the just thing for you. This idea is then backed up or, I should say, apparently backed up, by quasi-scientific truth claims. Your wonder-drug may be an extract, a herb or perhaps some other expensive snake oil—all to make you healthier, happier and a more productive member of society.⁴

Admittedly, this is an extreme scenario, one facilitated by cheesy internet and TV ads. There is solid scientific support for the responsible use of some herbs and extracts. Healing with herbs is also advocated in the Old Testament (Sirach 38: 1-15).

However, a recent CBC Marketplace documentary notes that we normally don’t know the long-term side effects of many herbs. It’s also good to remember that the phrase ‘side effects’ is a medical and pharmacological euphemism for unhealthy effects.

To take herbs and oils on the reassuring word of a total stranger seems unwise. Hopefully herb and wonder-drug companies will soon be integrated with reliable health officials to prevent the possibility of harmful side effects. A definite step in the right direction seems to be the Adverse Drug Reaction Database.

Allopathic sleep medications may also have unhealthy side effects and are often addictive. But sometimes their use can be more positive than negative, providing they’re taken responsibly and with professional supervision.

A red flag should go up, however, whenever anyone tries to make a religion out of any kind of treatment. Both allopathic and homeopathic practitioners can cling to their respective paradigms while closing their minds to new possibilities.

New Age Fancies

An artist's rendition of Neanderthals via Wikipedia

Some New Age figures like Deepak Chopra say the electric lights and general hubbub of modern society have disrupted our natural biorhythms, often called the Circadian rhythm. These pundits of the soul lament that we’ve severed some kind of sacred connection with the natural environment and with our distant ancestors.

This calls to mind romantic myths of the natural man, or as some put it, the noble savage. But who can really say what’s natural and what’s not?⁵

Anthropological research suggests that Cro-Magnons and Neanderthals weren’t so different from contemporary mankind. Our distant friends probably awoke in the dead of night just as we do in the 21st century. Instead of worrying about money or health, our ancestors — if that’s what they were — probably suffered anxiety over hunger, hostile animals, ambushes, storms and seasonal weather changes.⁶ Indeed, a BBC article about Neanderthal violence indicates that life in prehistoric times was anything but idyllic.

So to say that primitives lived in some kind of stress-free, golden age replete with tranquil nights seems more like fanciful fiction than reality.

Transpersonal Connections

As to why we awake in the night, this is often attributed to personal stress or some kind of medical disorder. But in some cases, perhaps many, sleep disturbances could be caused by transpersonal connections.

By transpersonal I mean essentially spiritual connections among souls. Not everyone believes in this idea. But almost all saints and mystics do. (Mind you, Buddhists don’t really believe in souls, but they do believe in spiritual attributes that can migrate from one being to another).

One great figure who definitely believes in an individual soul is the Catholic saint, Faustina Kowalska. And her Divine Mercy Diary, makes frequent mention of transpersonal connections.

For instance, Saint Kowalska writes that she once awoke in the middle of the night in response to a distressed soul in need of prayerful intercession.

During the night, I was suddenly awakened and knew that some soul was asking me for prayer, and that it was in much need of prayer. Briefly, but with all my soul, I asked the Lord for grace for her.⁷

Like a lightning rod for other people’s anxiety, Faustina rarely got a solid eight hours sleep.

Polski: Fotografia św. Faustyny Kowalskiej via Wikipedia

For some, this kind of scenario is hard to understand. Perhaps one could imagine an intern who’s always on call. There’s a 3 a.m. emergency and the intern is awakened by her pager. And so it is, one could say, with the spiritual work of the sensitive soul or contemplative saint—but unlike the medical doctor, the saint doesn’t need a pager to sense what’s going on.

Again, most people just can’t imagine, let alone appreciate, this kind of dynamic. It’s far too subtle for the average person, mired in conventional wisdom and their historically informed conception of the universe and beyond.

For many, saints like Sister Faustina would appear to be an oddball, flake or, perhaps, mentally ill. And the tormented souls for whom she intercedes are just figments of her imagination or, worse, pathological hallucinations.

Sadly, this kind of materialist bias has crept into some corners of the contemporary Catholic Church, a place where a bona fide mystic like St. Faustina could, at one time, be recognized for what God called her to be—namely, a contemplative saint.⁸

Of course, most people aren’t called to be contemplative saints and must hold down 9 to 5 jobs to maintain a desired standard of living and to provide for their families. These folks are obviously necessary to society and it’s probably in their best interest to do everything possible to maintain a predictable nighttime sleep pattern. But let’s not suppose that this is a natural way for everyone. There are always important exceptions to the rule.

Sometimes these exceptions are built-in to an entire culture. Consider, for instance, India or South America. In these cultures a daytime nap is a normal and expected part of living. During the afternoon stores close, windows are shuttered and most everybody sleeps.

In the Western world, geniuses like Mozart, Winston Churchill, Elvis Presley and James Joyce took advantage of late night hours. Likewise, Jesus Christ, arguably the best man of all, stayed up to pray through the night.

It’s hard to imagine what kind of world we’d have if these outstanding individuals hadn’t surpassed cultural conventions and expectations. By the same token, not everyone is a born artist, politician or spiritual leader. And it seems only a relative few can stand aside and see beyond their immediate society. Indeed, getting a solid eight hours sleep can be quite pleasant. It’s reassuring to “fit in” with the real or imagined status quo, as most of us did in childhood.

But when childhood’s over, we must consider alternatives, especially if our “good night sleep” doesn’t come as easily as before. Waking up in the middle of the night — or perhaps keeping late hours — could be an opportunity for enhanced creativity and productivity.

For all we know, making the most out of unpredictable sleep patterns might be essential to the new global order, where one person’s day is another’s night.

Notes

1. I’m alluding to the idea of the ‘social construction of reality,’ outlined by the sociologists Berger and Luckman.

2. It’s conceivable that Sri Aurobindo managed to activate these metabolic conditions while meditating, but on this we can’t be sure.

3. Readers interested in the notion of the ‘medical gaze’ are referred to Michel Foucault’s The Birth of the Clinic.

4. An internal FDA study suggests that about 2/3 of FDA scientists have lost confidence in that agency’s ability to protect the public from potentially harmful substances. See “Inside the FDA,” CBS.news.com, December 16, 2004:  http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/08/26/health/main638721.shtml?CMP=ILC-SearchStories

5. The idea of the natural can be critiqued from sociological, philosophical and theological perspectives. Meanwhile, some maintain that the natural is qualitatively different from the volitional and the spiritual.

6. Ronald Wright’s discussion in A Short History of Progress is worthwhile, available on iTunes.

7. Divine Mercy in My Soul, p. 319. While the transfer of anxiety may not always be as clear and distinct as with this example of a recognized saint, it seems reasonable to suggest that everyone may be open, in varying degrees, to the ebb and flow of collective emotions and other psycho-spiritual qualities and experiences. In Indian philosophy, this points toward the idea of karma transfer, as noted by Indologist Wendy Doniger O’Flaherty in The Origins of Evil In Hindu Mythology. Also, C. G Jung and other transpersonal psychiatrists such as S. Grof similarly speak of syntonic countertransference.

8. (a) Not to ignore the possibility of spiritual deception. Please see ETs, UFOs and the Psychology of Belief and related articles at earthpages.org and earthpages.ca dealing with the idea of discernment. (b) The Church’s organizational structure stresses that the clergy conform (and to some degree laypersons) to a relatively fixed mode of worship and service. And perhaps in an attempt to be ‘modern’ and receptive to the scientific establishment, the Church seems to uncritically embrace some of the more spurious scientific ideas that are circulating today. This is no abstract point. In keeping with Michel Foucault’s thinking, giving credence to questionable discourses may have potentially harmful effects on individuals and society.

Wake up! The Social Construction of Sleep copyright © Michael Clark. All rights reserved.

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Tears in a Bottle: The Uniquely Human Phenomenon of Crying

Woman crying, scene from the Via Sacra, by Aleijadinho. Congonhas do Campo, Brazil via Wikipedia

by: Lisa J. Lehr

Crying—the shedding of tears—has physiological, anthropological, and psychological components. It also has a spiritual component. Read on to find out why the ability to cry is a precious gift from God.

The physiology of tears

Tears are produced by the lachrymal gland. The salt they contain acts as a lubricant; without the moisture provided by tears, our eyeballs would scrape painfully on the insides of our eyelids. (The labels of eye drop and contact lens products show that they usually contain salt.) Tears also contain a mild germicide, lysozyme, which kills bacteria and other potentially harmful microbes.

Most higher animals—those that live in an aerobic (oxygen-containing) environment—produce tears to keep their eyes moist. Constant tears are produced to lubricate the eye at all times; reflex tears arise in response to irritation or injury.

The psychology of tears

Emotional tears are stimulated by happy, sad, or other strong feelings. They eliminate a stress hormone.

While most animals cry tears of physical cause, human beings are the only creatures that cry emotional tears. Charles Darwin said that weeping is “one of the special expressions of man.” (Please see endnote.)

Interestingly, children do not cry at happy endings; the understanding of the fleeting, fragile nature of human happiness comes only with a degree of emotional maturity.

Ancient thoughts about tears

Long ago, in the Eastern part of the world, it was customary for mourners to catch their tears in bottles and place them at the tombs of their loved ones as a visual measure of their grief. Ancient Greeks buried their dead with lacrimatories, vials full of mourners’ tears.

The ancient Greek doctors thought tears originated directly from the brain.

Leonardo daVinci (1452-1519)—famous even in his own time as a master painter, sculptor, architect, musician, engineer, scientist, and inventor—created drawings of the inner workings of the human body that are accurate down to the smallest detail. Yet in one of his drawings he shows a tube going from the tear ducts…to the heart.

These old “anatomically incorrect” depictions of the human crying mechanism, however unscientific, reveal something of the mystical nature of tears attributed to them by societies’ most educated individuals.

The Bible on tears

Consider the psalmist David’s prayer in time of distress: “I am weary with my groaning; all night I make my bed swim; I drench my couch with my tears. My eye wastes away because of grief; It grows old because of all my enemies.” Now compare that (Psalm 6:6), with Psalm 56:8—“You…[p]ut my tears in Your bottle; Are they not in Your book?”

David believed that God was keeping track of each individual teardrop in the rivers he cried.

Scientific corroboration of the special properties of human tears

Science has discovered that each tear—just as every snowflake and every fingerprint—is unique. That is, unique in the pure sense of the word—one of a kind.

Put this discovery together with the psalmist’s thoughts. All the suffering billions of people currently populating the earth, and those already departed, multiplied by the countless tears one can cry in a lifetime…gives us a virtually infinite number of tears, each unique, each saved in a bottle, not one unnoticed by God.

That’s because when we cry, God hears. He may not give us answers; we may not even feel His presence. But there He is, collecting each of our tears in a bottle. That’s a vivid illustration of the special—yes, unique—place of humankind in the realm of living things.

Endnote

Incidentally, Charles Darwin is not the villain as traditionally portrayed in the ongoing battle between evolutionists and creationists. Most of the humanistic, Godless ideas attributed to his belief system were added by others who came later.

About The Author

Lisa J. Lehr is a freelance writer with a specialty in business and marketing communications. She holds a biology degree and has worked in a variety of fields, including the pharmaceutical industry and teaching, and has a particular interest in both science and Biblical tradition. She is also a graduate of American Writers and Artists Institute (AWAI), America’s leading course on copywriting. Contact Lisa J. Lehr Copywriting www.ljlcopywriting.com, Lisa@ljlcopywriting.com for help with your business writing needs.

This article ©Lisa J. Lehr 2005.

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The Meaning Behind The Ankh

Anch and Sunwheel from a book of the dead, originally created by the egyptian writer Ani via Wikipedia

by: Reverend Brenda Hoffman

The Ankh (aka the crux aitsata, or the ‘ansate’ or ‘handled cross’) was sacred to the ancient Egyptians (this is actually the land of Ancient Kemet – “the land of the blacks” – which the Greeks later renamed Egypt) and is known as the original cross. This symbol stands for life or living, and forms part of the Egyptian words such as ‘health’ and ‘happiness.’ (This is why it’s often referred to as the Key of Life which would unlock the gates of death, aka the cross of life.) It is linked with the Egyptian God Osiris and the Goddess Isis (the eternal mother and High Priestess who carries the Ankh in Her hand).

Kings and Pharoahs are also oftentimes shown with an Ankh to distinguish them from “mere mortals.” The loop of the Ankh (which represents the womb, the feminine discipline) is considered to be the feminine, and the “T” shape is considered to be the masculine (the masculine discipline or the Penis). Together, these symbols create life and reflect a continued existence. It is sometimes called the Key of the Nile (the river that provided water for Egypt to survive – the Ankh is often associated with water, air, and the sun rising over the horizon) which further reinforces the image of fertility and reproduction.

Of course, the Ankh can be further taken to symbolize the power to give and sustain life. With its deep Egyptian roots, it is no wonder that it is widely used within the Christian Coptic Orthodox Church Of Egypt.

Today the Ankh is usually worn as an amulet (a protector, or something which is considered to bring good luck to the wearer – coming from the Latin word ‘amuletum’ which is defined as a ‘means of defence’) to extend the life of the living here on Earth. It is believed that the Ankh will bestow immortality on anyone who possesses it. It is believed that life energy emanating from the Ankh can be absorbed by anyone within a certain proximity. An Ankh serves as an antenna or conduit for the divine power of life that permeates the universe. The amulet also provides the wearer with protection from the evil forces of decay and degeneration. Many people are also buried with the Ankh in order to ensure their ‘life to come’ in the afterworld.

About The Author

Reverend Brenda Hoffman, is ordained by the Unitarian Life Church, and has been delivering holistic health and wellness advice for over 7 years since receiving a BA in psychology. As a home-based professional and mother of 1, she operates a holistic wellness network. She invites you over to http://www.yourhealthyfamilyhome.com/ to learn how to improve you and your family’s health.

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On Finding Our Way

Traffic congestion, Sao Paulo, Brazil via Wikipedia

 by: Cory L. Kemp

Maps are funny things.

They are only good if you know how to use them. You have to know where you are, know what your destination is, and from that, apply your time frame to this representation of the larger reality into which you are about to embark.

But what if you possess an outdated map? Or, what about road construction, traffic congestion, flat tires, stops for food, rest rooms and general relief from the numbing ribbon of concrete and asphalt? What about missed exits, bad food and all the things that can go wrong to jostle us out of our plan, all the things that shouldn’t be, but are indeed? What happens when all the things that are going wrong become the journey itself?

Somewhere between moving into the map and moving onto the road we all have things go as we have not planned, and we must discover the ways that work best for us to continue our journey and get where we want to go. Sometimes the discovery process becomes another journey altogether. And, sometimes we step just far enough into the unknown that we feel the earth shift beneath us. How do you take another step forward, or in any direction, when you no longer know where you stand?

I guess the first bit of wisdom is to take a deep breath, and exhale. That is the crossroads at which the relaxation industry has amassed its wealth, and with good reason. It isn’t the journey, or the pitfalls we encounter along the way, or the side roads that, after the fact, we realize have rendered new opportunities, that upset our balance, but our anxious responses to these circumstances. We have a choice in how we can perceive the world and ourselves, and anxiety is only one of those choices. When the first step back to solid ground is a choice on top of an already overwhelming amount of choices, it doesn’t seem so simple and straightforward.

Having made it my mission to consider this aperture in our daily human travels, I was pleased to rekindle the memory that God, through a variety of Biblical references, clearly has no intention for us to be anxious or live our journeys as if anxiety is a tool, a weapon or a lifestyle choice. As fear can be the precursor to a mounting, crushing anxiety, Isaiah 43:1 reminds us: “Fear not, I have redeemed you, I have called you by name, you are mine.” Here we are offered the gentle connection and the opportune steps to allow ourselves back to sure footing, and the freedom to return to the full joy of our travels. Let go of the fear, remember to whom we belong, as well as who we are called to be, and the love by which we are called into being. And from this process, we will indeed find our way.

About The Author

Cory L. Kemp

As an ordained minister, I have worked in educational ministries in several congregations, as well as pastoring a church in the Midwest. My writing has focused on nonfiction essays, and I have recently submitted a theological memoir for publication. Creating Women Ministries is an adventure born of a blended love of God and writing, a website dedicated to encouraging theological dialogue, particularly among women, through workshops, journaling and personal spiritual development. Our site can be found at: www.creatingwomenministries.com. We can be reached by email at: creatingwomen@irun.com.

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Medjugore, Signs and Wonders

Virgin Mary © Raimond Spekking / CC-BY-SA-3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

by: Anthony Keith Whitehead

An article by Francis Frangipane has recently gone into circulation. It is a very balanced and well constructed article. The main purpose was to argue the need to put the word of the Bible before signs and wonders and to see the latter in the context of the former. He made a number of useful points and used some interesting concepts. It was of a quality one would expect from him no more than one would expect from him and it is not my purpose here to criticise this work.

However, there are some points which arise from what he said which do need attention. In pursuing his objective he, inevitably, made comments which were subservient to it and, not being of main concern, were not developed. But some of these do require further consideration.

Extra-biblical Phenomona

FP defines manifestations ‘which have no pattern in the Bible’ as extra-biblical. In these he includes the quaking of Quakers and the rolling of Holy Rollers. He then includes the claimed visitations of the mother of Jesus at Medjugore (in the former Yugoslavia) as belonging to the same category. This is surely a slip of thought.

Medjugore Patterns in the Bible?

A pattern consists of elements which can be regarded as representative of something and which are repeated in recognisable ways.

In fact, there are several well known instances in the Bible which constitute a pattern into which Medjugore fits very well. Visitations of angels abound, but there are other instances: Samuel appeared to Saul, albeit illegally (1 Samuel 28:8 – 20); Jacob had an encounter with a heavenly being (some would say divine) (Genesis 32. 23 – 33); there was a (probably divine) appearance to Joshua (Joshua 5. 13 – 15). Of course, we know of the appearance to Jesus himself of Moses and Elijah (Matthew 17. 1 – 8f) and there are many other examples one could quote.

Do these constitute a pattern into which the (claimed) appearances at Medjugore fit? Surely they do. The visions at Medjugore are different in only two respects: they concern a female rather than a male figure; and they have been repeated every night without fail over twenty-two years. Otherwise, and these are surely not grounds for exclusion, the Medjugore events fit into the biblical pattern extremely well.

True, as patterns go, are identical, but many have repetitions which include nonidentical elements. This is evident when we compare such biblical events as mentioned above. All have similarities of one kind or another but none can be said to be identical.

Medjugore, Quakers and Rollers.

The events at Medjugore cannot, therefore, properly be compared with extra-biblical charismatic-type events relating to such as Quakers and Rollers. Of course, Francis Frangipane was simply looking for some examples, and unfortunately picked on Medjugore. But, since the latter can be seen quite clearly to fit within the biblical category, it does demand further attention. Clearly, this kind of categorisation is permissive rather than conclusive of its genuineness: everything that looks like something biblical is not necessarily genuine.

At least because of its influence on very large numbers of people, not to say that God may be ‘reaching to these people through this manifestation,’ the Medjugore phenomenon warrants some further consideration.

Divine Or Demonic Origin?

FP says ‘I personally do not believe that this was (is?) Mary’. He does not say why but, as we have noted, thinks that God may be using it. But that is not really enough. It is either of satanic or of divine origin. One or the other. Ought we not to make an assessment of which?

Is there a possibility of satanic origin? That is doubtful when one considers the messages, and I have read many of them, which have been coming out of Medjugore since 1981. Jesus once asked “How can Satan drive out Satan?” because a kingdom or house cannot stand if divided against itself. Moreover, he added, very significantly, that, if Satan were to oppose himself, his end would have come (Mark 3. 23 – 26f).

Now, it may well be that Satan’s end is near, but it has clearly not arrived at the moment. Moreover, the essence of the conflict between God and Satan is, to coin a phrase, a struggle for the hearts and minds of God’s people. In that conflict the major weapon is a composite of words, concepts and ideas – a major weapon on both sides.

So what are the words (and fruits) coming out of Medjugore? Principally, and repeatedly over the past twenty-two years: love, peace and prayer – and not just any prayer, but sustain, repeated, serious, two, three hours of prayer every day; the establishments of prayer groups and a renewal by thousands of their life in Christ. Now, does that sound like a message from Satan? Hardly. For as yet, his kingdom has not fallen. Certainly he is a crafty strategist, but he would hardly take the risk of repeating these messages every day for so long! And to what end?

So phenomena at Medjugore is unlikely to be satanic in origin. That leaves a divine source. FP doubts it is Mary. But who else, then? Has God sent some angelic spirit to give such words of truth, over so long a period, by deceiving his people with a spirit instructed to claim to be the mother of Jesus but which it is not? That seems implausible, to put it at its lowest.

Hence, whether we like it or not, (but why do we not?) Mary seems the likeliest probability.

Now, although a lifelong Catholic, (albeit with strong Pentecostal symptoms) I am not what Catholics would call a ‘Marianist’ i.e. someone with a special devotion to Mary. And I have always been somewhat shy of the idea of ‘to Jesus through Mary’ – not because it cannot happen, because it can and has for many people, but there is always the risk getting ‘stuck’ on or at Mary. But maybe that implies that I think God cannot look after those who sincerely seek him.

However, we also have to take a wider view than Medjugore itself. It has been argued here that the (claimed) appearances there are not extra-biblical and that is not surrendered. But suppose they were, for arguments sake. While the Bible contains only truth, not all truth is contained within the Bible.How could it be when John’s gospels says that the world could not contain even everything which the disciples knew of Jesus alone (John 21. 25)? Being extra-biblical, as WP acknowledges, is not in itself a cause for condemnation. So…?

In order to accept that the appearances at Medjugore are genuine, one has to consider them within the wider framework of Marian appearances. Medjugore is only the latest in a long cycle of (claimed) appearences of Mary. Most non-Catholics will not be aware of even those in the modern era, which amount to at least eight major visitations, from Guadalope in Mexico in 1531, through Bernadette Soubirous in1858 at Lourdes in France, andKnock in Ireland in 1879, to Fatima in Spain, in 1917 (which led Catholics world-wide to pray over decades for the downfall of communism and the USSR). Not one is identical to another but there is a very strong pattern of similarities (which space here does not permit of description).

In every instance there have been signs and wonders over succeeding decades or centuries of continuing evangelistic and healing associations. Far too many to delineate here, but far too many to pass-off as ‘bunkum’ and, for reasons similar to those given above, too marked by the work of the Spirit to judge satanic in origin.

I have never been to Medjugore. Perhaps I should have. But, in FP’s t erms, I could have been found ‘running after signs’ when the ‘Toronto Blessing’ hit the north east of England at Sunderland some years ago. I hope I did not do it at the expense of the God’s word. But I could not accept the condemnations which some other Christians were making of it of it without investigation. I did get the ‘shakes’ as a result, although I could never see any real spiritual growth as a consequence.

There is, perhaps, too much suspicion among Christians of Christians in sectors other than one’s own (not that Francis Frangipane is guilty of this). God is too big even for the Bible, and certainly for our limited minds to comprehend. And it is surely an irresponsible Christian who thinks he knows the limits to the ways in which God acts among his people, or who thinks he can impose such limits.

About The Author

Anthony Keith Whitehead
Web Site: http://www.christianword.co.uk
Experience: Over twenty years in Christian healing, teaching and writing.
Qualifications: B.A., M.Phil., Cambridge University Certificate in Religious Studies.

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