The Lost Little Lamb. A short story. Part I

Written and posted by Jean-Louis 
http://thelightseed.blogspot.com 

To read Part II click Here

John 15:10-13 (NIV) 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

Luke 15:4-6 (NIV) 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he 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.’

Baa… baa… baa! This heart wrenching bleating sound startled the young shepherd half asleep on the grassy knoll from which he used to keep a watchful eye on the sheep and the goats at his older brother´s farm. Still immersed in his usual day dreams, he sat up straight with a disquieted glance toward the bottom of the fenced pastures that separated the sheep from the goats. The  flock of  sheep gathered in small clusters, some resting peacefully on the grass, others swallowing the last mouthful of grass before joining the rest to ruminate. He could not exactly pinpoint the spot where the bleating came from, but he perceived that the distress call emanated from the outer edge of the farmland adjoining the forest.

While running towards the unceasing cries, gathering to a pitch level of harrowing intensity, his thoughts traveled back to the dawn of the preceding summer when around 6:00 AM, he was awakened, startled by a dreadful concert of distress calls that could signify only one thing. The goats which spent the warm summer nights outside the barn were in danger. He had yet to ascertain the origin and the gravity of their predicament.

Once he had raised the gate, he discovered several goats with a bleeding throat not far from the protective cover of the stable that they were trying to reach, stumbling because of their weakness on the path full of scattered pools of blood. He could not believe his eyes, his favorite goats each of them known by their names and personalities were climbing the hill out of breath, apparently trying to escape a still unknown sinister danger. From looking at the throat of his animals, he concluded that it could only be the result of one thing. This was the indisputable signature of a wolf or a wild dog that jumped the fence and spread panic among the flock. The ones that had no wounds were those with horns strong and sharp enough that they used as a successful defense.

Alas, as he approached the gate left half open by the ensuing stampede , he had a hard time stemming the backed up flow of tears when he understood the reason for this carnage. Three dogs among which was his own mixed German shepherd were still running after the poor defenseless goats that were running in circles around the perimeter of the enclosure without finding the exit. In a state of disorientation, fright and exhaustion, they were falling one right after the other under the sharp teeth of two Rottweilers, as the blood coming out of their torn throats was splattered all over the green arena in the fresh morning breeze.

A sudden surge of anger took hold of him and without thinking, he had started gathering stones. As a sharp shot trained in his native country to zero in on bottles and tin cans, he was throwing them at the hungry dogs that turned around with an ugly snarl and menacing growl. He decided to drive back the predators with his faithful shepherd walking stick. Finally, seeing that the survivors had escaped, the two dogs had jumped the fence and disappeared. A total of seven goats died and many others were wounded. Later in the day, in order to stop it from happening again, he placed a wolf trap with fresh meat to attract and capture alive the Rottweilers that had escaped from their owner´s house and were running around the country side for three days looking for food. 

I hope to meet you again soon for the second and final part of the story of our young shepherd and his lost lamb.

Jean-Louis.

The New age Movement - Beginning in the Garden of Eden

Post written and posted by Jean-Louis. 4/2011

What is the New Age Movement (NAM for short)? What are its beliefs?
The NAM does not consist of a single group of people and is not identified by a single set of beliefs or source book like the Bible. Rather, it is a network of organizations that are independent and yet bound together by anti-Biblical religious beliefs. Some of these beliefs are:
1. Monism: the belief that everything flows out from one divine energy. All is one.
2. Pantheism: the belief that God is all and all is God, including nature and mankind.
3. Reincarnation and Karma: explaining good and evil.
4. Universal religion: all religions are just alternate paths to the same goal.
5. Personal transformation: a mystic or psychic experience that will usually result in a shift from an “old world” belief system to the realization of the “New Age” belief system.
6. Planetary vision: the belief that the earth possesses a life in and of itself. New Agers are attempting to realize the notion of a “mother earth” or “Gaia” whose children are assimilated into a religio-socio-political consciousness. They believe that a shift of political power that emphasizes the environment (pollution, acid rain, etc.) will help bring about this planetary consciousness.
7. New Age eschatology: the belief that a coming world leader or avatar will usher in the New Age. (For a more thorough study , see Dictionary of Cults, Sects, Religions and the Occult, George A. Mather and Larry A. Nichols)

In Eccl. 1:9 Solomon stated that, “ There is nothing new under the sun.” The New Age ideas are old, but repackaged in a deceiving look of updated and more sophisticated vocabulary.
With New Age philosophy, Satan is using the same temptation that he used in the Garden of Eden: the promise of “hidden knowledge” that will make people be “like God”.

PRINCIPLE: DO NOT ENTER INTO A DIALOGUE WITH SATAN.
• What does God say? In Gen 2:16, “ The Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” It means that they were alive and immortal before eating of the fruit.

• What does Satan say? In Gen 3:1, first, Satan plants a seed of doubt in Eve’s mind by hissing sweetly, “ Did God really say, “ You must not eat from any tree in the garden.” Eve should have stopped him right there, rebuked him with the Word of God like Jesus and run away like Joseph. Then, openly contradicting the word of God, he asserts in verse 4, ” You will not surely die… for God knows that when you eat of it, your eyes will be opened.”
• Were their eyes closed before? Certainly not.

Then, Satan further states in the same verse, ” You will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

• Weren’t they like God already? In which way? Gen 1:27 declares, "So God created man in his own image.”
• Didn´t they already know good? Absolutely! They knew God as Creator, Father, Provider, Teacher, Master Gardener, to name a few of the ways God related to them. They knew Him whose “ Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights.” James I: 16.
• Did they know evil? No. They had not yet met the father of lies.

So, before the fall, they saw and knew only the good there was, God their father, their creator, the person whose nature and character are absolute, pure and eternal goodness and the source of all that is good according to Gen 1:31 which says that, “God saw all that he had made and it was very good.” Consequently, the only knowledge that they could gain or acquire was that of a deadly and confusing mixture of good and evil. They fell from the free state of God-consciousness to the state of enslavement that is Self-consciousness which carried to its extreme logical conclusion leads to Self-Realization, the state of having and experiencing the fullness of self in all its ugly rebellion and defiant independence from God and being like its original, perfect model and example, Satan himself. “The acorn doesn´t fall far from the tree”!

It doesn´t get any clearer than this. 
Examine the following statements about the nature and practice of Kriya Yoga and see if you can find any similarity between the first temptation in the garden of Eden. 
These define the primary meaning of Kriya. The involuntary movements caused by the repeated practice of this technique are just the symptoms and results of a deeper involvement with things forbidden by God.  

Kriya Technique Source http://kriya-yoga.com/english/what_is.htm "The teaching of Kriya Yoga is done gradually. It is sectioned into six stages referred to as First Kriya, Second Kriya and so on. The beginner starts with First Kriya. First Kriya is the root, the very foundation which allows for progress through the spiritual path for followers of any religion. It gives access to knowledge of the body, of the Soul and the chakras. It allows for comprehension of the gross body, the astral body and the causal body. Later, after having practized regularly over a period of time and achieved the necessary demanding level of mastery, one can receive second Kriya, and thus progress towards the higher Kriya levels. Describing Kriya Yoga in words has little meaning. A person may truly understand only through practice. If you wish to know what an apple is, a simple description is not enough. Take the fruit, touch it, taste it, then you will really and immediately understand what an apple is. The same goes for Kriya Yoga." (Blogger note: Sounds pretty convincing, doesn´t it? This is precisely the point at which most people get taken in. In my own case, this is exactly the same salesman  spiel that tilted the balance in the favor of the knowledge of godhood and perfect bliss on earth and eternity, contrasted with a life of constant struggle and doubts and the search for the divine reality that they told me already existed inside of me. Although the guru (teacher) was different, the exact same words were used expect that it was an orange instead of an apple. To make it more appealing, The recruiters were offering free weekly lessons for serious seekers who were commited.)   The Ultimate Goal. continued The constant practice of iswara pranidhana (practice of breath control in every moment) gives the siddhi (perfection) of samadhi. The incoming breath is î - power, outgoing breath is ra - light, sva - yourself, is between these two. isvara gives life and will fill yourself.  Iswara pranidhana  means that by constantly observing the breath which enters and leaves the body, through practice one will come to the formless state. Then you remain in the divine light enabling yourself to achieve constant nirvana or liberation in your life time. As Jesus Christ said in the Bible: "You can’t see, feel or realize God, but you can be". To learn more about Kriya yoga click on the link below:
See more

  
Notice that Satan says: Not if you eat, but when you eat. As if it were understood that they were going to do it, that it was only a matter of time. Satan always presents an alluring picture to us, the undeniable pleasure of sin before we discover the very high price we have to pay later for disobeying God.

• Was the fruit really good or did it appear pleasing to Eve’s eyes? Gen 3:6.
• How did she know that it was desirable for gaining wisdom? Satan told her.
All she knew about the fruit is what Satan told her, and what she could see with her own eyes. Satan could not give them anything that they didn’t have before the fall, except the knowledge of evil, the disease of sin, the curse of the ensuing fall of all mankind and his destructive, demonic wisdom.

He lied to them - but was it a total lie?
• What truth was mixed with the lie?
• Was it true that they were going to know evil? Yes.

Eccl 10:8 states: “He who digs a pit shall fall into it; and whoever breaks a hedge, a snake shall bite him.” (NKJV)
If we are on Satan’s territory, he defines the terms, the rules. We don’t. When he says “you will know”, he doesn’t mean “you will have information about evil, some data to store in your computer memory so that when you see evil you’ll run away from it.”.
Knowing evil on Satan’s terms involves participation, just as knowing God involves participation in His life, His works and the lives of His people.
Satan meant you will know or experience evil in your mind, soul, and body. And in that he was right and true.
• What does God say about wisdom? Prov 2:6 declares: “It is He who gives wisdom.” Wisdom is not just having knowledge of evil, as Satan said.
Isaiah 11:2 -3 says this about the Lord Jesus: “And the Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. And He will delight in the fear of the LORD, And He will not judge by what His eyes see, nor make a decision by what His ears hear.” (NAS)

PRINCIPLE: WHEN YOU ARE NOT SURE OF AN IDEA, AN ACTIVITY, STRETCH THE POSSIBILITY OF INVOLVEMENT TO ITS CONCLUSION.
There are 2 trees in the beginning: the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
• 2 kinds of fruits. One gives life, the other death.
• 2 kinds of choices - one right, one wrong
• 2 persons:
1. God, our Father who loves us, wants the best for our lives.
2. Satan, who is a liar from the beginning, and who seeks to steal, kill and destroy. He wants to take us away from God and His blessings, he wants to take us out of commission instead of being a part of the Great Commission.

The New Age fruit that is so desirable is a change in consciousness through various methods, means, techniques that will cause one to look at God, the universe and oneself, in a different way.
Look at Psalm 1., this psalm gives us the general principle of the progression in involvement with sin: walking, standing, sitting. In the case of drugs, it also includes lying down and flying out of one’s mind.

New Age techniques produce the same effect without the help of drugs and deceives people into believing that they have had a spiritual encounter with the source of life. It produces in the adept or devotee a sense of superior self-righteousness due to a false sense of their own purity as they compare themselves to the drug addict or drug user. 

However, they have fallen into the bigger trap of Satan which has them bound in their pride which is the first step to anybody’s downfall and destruction.
Look at Gal 6:7: “ Do not be deceived; God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”

If you are asked to accept a new idea or participate in a questionable activity and have any doubt in your heart that it is right remember Romans 14:23 which says: “But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith and everything that does not come from faith is sin.”

As Christians, if we want to know, we can study, meditate on and apply the words of life, the Holy scriptures. Deuteronomy 29:29 says: “The secret things belong to the LORD but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.”

In the beginning there were 2 trees: the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. At the end in Rev 22:2: “on each side of the river stood the tree of life.” In the end there is only one tree, the tree of Life. Only one God, only truth, only the righteous.

When it comes to something seemingly new, we have to ask ourselves 2 questions:
1. Where does this come from, what is the source of the information? (The seed, the root)
2. Where does it lead? (the branches and the fruit)

• FIRST STEP: Be informed. Ask your parents, your youth group leader, your Pastor, an older Christian or anybody spiritually mature enough in this area who can answer your questions or direct your inquiry to someone knowledgeable. If you want information, don’t read directly from the New Age authors. There is plenty of material written on the New Age and cults by people that have been involved, have come out and given their testimonies. You can trust the word of a burnt person who tells you that fire burns.
Don’t assume that you are different, that you know better, that you are smarter than the next person. Here is a warning to us from Israel’s history. I Cor 10:1. “(Do not be idolaters…be careful that you don’t fall.)”

• SECOND STEP: Look at the fruit. This is the hardest test of all, because a lot of New Age people seem to be very calm, peace loving, well organized, caring individuals who use their personal resources and energy to promote what they believe are positive changes in themselves, their environment, and society. These may seem good, but they are done in ignorance and rebellion against our Creator, who has His own good plans for bringing peace and light to the world. And they don’t address the real problem with our world - sin.

Remember, these persons however well intentioned and highly motivated are deceived. They have allowed themselves to believe the lie of Satan that “wisdom” is a tool to acquire “god-power”, when such hidden wisdom is really a trap. Unfortunately, in the eyes of God they are like Eve and Adam, as responsible for their sin as is their leader or teacher.

In Matt 7:15-20, Jesus warns his disciples with these words: “Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. You shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? Even so every good tree brings forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruits, nor [can] a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that does not bring forth good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you shall know them.” (NKJV)

John 16:1. Right after chapter 14 and 15 about the coming of the Holy Spirit of truth, abiding in the vine, the inability to do anything without Him, the command to love each other and to bear fruit, our Lord Jesus warns: "all this I have told you so that you will not go astray".

Then, there is the temptation to “be open-minded”, rather than “intolerant” of these “alternative religions”. Aren’t we supposed to explore and discover? Here is a good analogy: 
"Let’s say you live in a house and it’s summertime. You want to breathe fresh air, so you open the window. What happens? You get fresh air, but along with it, you get dust, pollen, and bugs. The proper thing to do is to put a screen on the window." ( Source: heard in a talk given by Greg Laurie)

The word of God acts as a screen that rejects all the impurities, corrupt thoughts, lies, and false teaching that invade our minds, but for that screen to be effective in our lives, we have to study, understand, believe, know and practice what the Word of God says in obedience to our Lord´s command. Psalm 119:9,11: “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I have hidden your word in my heart that I may not sin against you.”

Finally, It is my prayer that, “Your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus-Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” Phil. 1:9-11.

Jean-Louis

Winter 1989. Shared at The St.Giles Presbyterian Church’s Youth Group.
Revised and shared in Hendersonville, N.C. Winter 1997 for the 1st. Baptist Church Youth Group.

The Joshua Tree - Final episode - Meeting the Master

Written and posted by Jean-Louis. 7/2011

To read the preceding chapters,starting with chapter I 

click Here

Jesus said: "Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” Luke 18:25

"He must become greater; I must become less." John the Baptist. John 3:30

John 10

The True Guide - The Good Shepherd and his sheep - The True Gate.

“Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them. 7 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. (or kept safe)[a] They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

Do you remember the Scripture passage mentioning Joshua in the very first chapter? Joshua represents a type of Jesus in the Old Testament. The similarity between these verses attests to the fact. We have here a true prophecy announcing the coming and ministry of the Lord Jesus. 

In Numbers 27:15,18 Moses told the people: “May the LORD, the God who gives breath to all living things, appoint someone over this community to go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so the LORD’s people will not be like sheep without a shepherd”. So the LORD said to Moses, "Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him;

Meeting the Master

Fifth and Final Episode

The Dream
Next morning early, after breakfast, Theophilus took leave of his new found friend, thanking him for his kind hospitality.
Thus, day after day, he encountered Joshua’s brothers who helped him recover from his ordeal. His sight was improving and his hope to finally get out of the desert gave him an increase in courage and a new direction towards a definite goal. He was eager to meet this Master who caused the blind to see and healed the hardened hearts.

One shared his light, the other the coolness of his shade. Another listened to him patiently and attentively. All gave of what they had received with gladness and unselfishness. The peace that ruled in their hearts, the words of wisdom and encouragement , the fidelity to their beloved Master went beyond any human value that he had know in his world.
He learned that his name meant “friend of God”. What a contrast with the life that he had lived until now!

One night after an interesting conversation, he had a very different dream from those that usually haunted his conscience. He found himself, unconscious, almost dead in an operating room surrounded by a team of nurses in white coats.

Next to him, another man about thirty years old was lying on another table just beside him with an intravenous needle in his arm. A tube connected another needle inserted in his arm. The blood in the man’s arm was turning into a liquid light when going into his vein, washing his heart that started beating again. His brain became filled with the light that was spreading throughout all the parts of his being through the system of arteries and veins irrigating his lifeless body. A breath filled his chest and he opened his eyes.

The Tree of Life
Theophilus woke up, with tears of joy flowing from his eyes. He was watching an unforgettable scene.
There in front of him, stood up a Joshua tree, majestic and radiant that bore an uncanny resemblance with the man from his dream whose blood had saved his life. He fell down, prostrate on his face against the hot desert sand. He knew without the shadow of a doubt that he was in the presence of the Master of the Joshua Trees. He didn’t dare move from his position such was the power emanating from the glorious appearance. An indescribable ripple of fear coursed through his being.

-- Rise, Theophilus and look at me. The imperious tone of voice was enough to make him obey. He was reluctant at first to lift his gaze directly into the eyes of the Master. Lifting his head up slowly, he saw the pierced feet, then, the pierced wrists. He gathered enough courage to focus on the chest where a scarlet wound in the shape of the tip of a lance or the eye of a needle remained from a cruel wound.
  
-- Don’t be afraid, look at me. I am Yeshua, the Master of the Joshua Trees. What is your quest? Why do you want to meet me?
While the Master was asking these questions, his eyes whispered softly words Theophilus never heard before, words of love that penetrated deep in his heart.

-- Master, I am looking for the desert exit door. Your trees told me that you possess the keys and that a word from you can set the captives free, can give sight to the blind, make a poor man rich, and heal the afflicted. You can also give knowledge to the ignorant who think they are wise, and you can clothe with your pardon and righteousness the nakedness which I try to cover with my religion and good deeds.

-- It’s true. But you have too big a notion of yourself to be able to go through this door. First, you must answer a few questions.

-- Yes, master, as you wish.
-- What is your name? Who are you?
-- Well, before, they called me Theophilus, but I will accept whatever name you wish to call me.
-- Where do you come from?
-- From the land of deadly illusions and appearances, a world filled with violence and deception.
-- Good, are you rich, or do you intend to be?
-- Well, before now, I had credit cards, bank accounts, a good and profitable business, cars, a beautiful house, but all that didn’t help me very much. To tell you the truth, I will accept whatever you want to give me.

After these answers, Theophilus was feeling his body shrink little by little. What a strange sensation!

The Master continued:
-- What about your reputation?
-- Alas, people looked at the appearances. But I can see that you know me and I desire to become what you want me to be.
-- What do you hope to gain from me?
-- Freedom from the chains that keep me tied up and hinder my walk, understanding truth and knowing which way to go.
-- Good, I can do that for you. But what will do once you are free if I give you the key to the door?
-- Master, I want to belong to you and serve you, for you are the one who healed me.

Each of Theophilus’ responses was followed by a change in his size until at last, the Master's stature appeared gigantic in comparison without overwhelming him. Then, the Master bent forward and catching him tenderly in the palm of his right hand, he lifted Theophilus up to his chest and hugged him close against the wound shaped like the tip of a lance or like the eye of a big needle.

On his way up, Theophilus was helplessly watching on the screen of his memory the video from his first meeting with the touchstone at the crossroad of his destiny, the first step of stairway which led to the royal capital of the heavenly kingdom, illumined by the eternal light. He possessed a law of gravity defying lightness, with no desire to resist the attraction propelling him towards a universe of unconditional freedom. Being transported on this celestial stairway, this bridge between two worlds without any effort on his part, he was about to enter a territory invisible to the human eye and yet so real.

Instantly, going through the open door at a breathtaking speed, Theophilus found himself standing on the desert floor that he had just left.
-- Welcome to the kingdom, announced the master in a warm tone of voice. Open your eyes and look at yourself.

His eyes opened by the voice of his Master, Theophilus looked at his legs, his trunk, his arms and discovered that he had turned into a Joshua tree with soft scars in the place of the usual armor of thorns . Yeshua spoke to him solemnly:
-- From now on your name will be Joshua Theophilus O’Call because I called you to my service and you responded with good will.

Tears of joy mixed with gratitude flowing from his eyes, Theophilus answered:
-- Master, where do you want me to serve you?
-- Right here in the desert to guide those who have lost their way or those who have wandered from the way of truth and need help in finding me.
-- Yes, Master. But I have a question. How do your trees find food and drink? There is nothing but sand in the desert.

Yeshua touched his eyes and now he could very clearly watch a fantastic scene through the desert floor as if it was made of transparent crystal. From the feet of the Master, roots full of a sap that resembled light amber honey extended all the way under the feet of the Joshua trees and fed them constantly night and day.
-- Please, Master, what do you want me to call you?
-- Call me Lord Jesus, for I am both Savior and King.
-- Lord, I can see the trees, the roots, the leaves and the cactus flowers, but where are the fruits?

-- Every time one of my servants extended to you love, kindness, goodness, patience, they shared their fruits with you. When you enjoyed their light, their protective and refreshing shade, their peace, their wise words of counsel, comfort or encouragement, those are the fruits that grow from the source of life that I give each one of them.


Eden Restored
1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. Revelation 22:1-5
 

This is what the LORD says:

“Cursed is the one who trusts in man,

who draws strength from mere flesh

and whose heart turns away from the LORD.

6 That person will be like a bush in the wastelands;

they will not see prosperity when it comes.

They will dwell in the parched places of the desert,

in a salt land where no one lives.

7 “But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD,

whose confidence is in him.

8 They will be like a tree planted by the water

that sends out its roots by the stream.

It does not fear when heat comes;

its leaves are always green.

It has no worries in a year of drought

and never fails to bear fruit.”

9 The heart is deceitful above all things

and beyond cure.

Who can understand it?

10 “I the LORD search the heart

and examine the mind,

to reward each person according to their conduct,

according to what their deeds deserve.” Jeremiah 17:5-10

Dear reader, if you have been touched by this parable and can identify in some way with Theophilus, I invite you to meet the Lord Jesus, the Savior of fallen humanity, the One who has the keys to the Kingdom of God, the One who is the Door that leads to true freedom, to the knowledge of the Truth, to Life abundant and eternal and the only Way to the Heavenly Father. Without Truth we cannot know the Way to the Door of the kingdom and to the Life in Jesus without whom we are reduced to a mere existence without hope.

To discover how you can be born again of the Spirit, Click Here: http://thelightseed.blogspot.com/2011/04/how-can-i-be-born-again-spiritually.html

Thank you for your visit. Have a good and safe journey.
Jean-Louis.

The Joshua Tree - Fourth episode - The Joshua Brothers

Written and posted by Jean-Louis. 3/2011

 

Photo found on a Facebook page. Origin unknown

ENCOUNTERS ON THE PATH
Fourth Episode

To read the preceding chapter,

click: http://thelightseed.blogspot.com.br/2011/07/joshua-tree-desert-parable_06.html

Make sure there is no man or woman, clan or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the LORD our God to go and worship the gods of those nations; make sure there is no root among you that produces such bitter poison.
 When such a person hears the words of this oath and they invoke a blessing on themselves, thinking, “I will be safe, even though I persist in going my own way,” they will bring disaster on the watered land as well as the dry. Deuteronomy 29:18,19

See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God

and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.

Hebrews 12:15

After having spent a few hours under the shade of the Joshua tree in a sleep free of nightmares to which he was used, Theophilus felt invigorated.

-- Are you hungry or thirsty? This question from Joshua who had watched kindly over his sleep brought him back to reality.

-- What do you think? Of course, I am hungry and thirsty. But I don’t see any Starbuck or McDonald around here, retorted Theophilus who, in spite of the desperate situation he was facing, was indulging in sarcasm.

-- Yes, you are right, answered Joshua without any defensive tone in his voice. This is why I am a guide; I have all the resources needed to help castaways like you survive in the desert.

-- Oh yes, and how so?

-- It’s simple. Put your hand over the scar in the middle of my chest and press hard enough to make a syrup with the taste of honey come out. It will satisfy your hunger and quench your thirst. Thus you will be able to be on your way until you find one of my brothers who will help you to pursue your goal.

-- Thank you, answered Theophilus who found this cactus more and more peculiar, because as he got closer to Joshua, his barely opened eyes could make out a soft scar where usually cacti have long and dangerous needles.

-- Tell me, Joshua why all cacti have thorns, but you have scars instead?

-- Well, my friend it’s obvious. How could you get close to me enough to feed yourself? And besides, those are the marks of my Master.

Satisfied with this response for now, Theophilus followed Joshua’s instructions and felt his strength coming back. However, he still had a pressing question.

-- I know that some people remove cat’s claws or genetically produce thorn less roses, but I think it‘s against nature. How do you defend yourself against attacks that you didn’t even provoke?

-- Well, it’s a little difficult to understand. It’s my Master’s handi work, He is a very good surgeon, you will discover. But don’t worry, my brothers will explain everything to you. Have a good trip.

Still wondering about his conversation with Joshua, Theophilus continued on his way with difficulty, but with a growing glimmer of hope. The sweet tasting syrup had calmed his worries and a strange feeling invaded his being in spite of the many questions bouncing off the walls of his skull.

He was regaining a little of the lucidity he had experienced as a child when life used to be simple, pleasant and without worries. Without even realizing how much of his journey he had accomplished, since his mind was so absorbed in his new adventure, Theophilus arrived at his next touristic stop bathed in the light of a sunset as can be watched only in the desert.

Once the fire ball cursed by the desert Bedouins had ceased lighting his path, he was able to distinguish a luminous shape strangely similar to the first Joshua tree. This discovery filled his mind with the reassurance that he hadn’t lost his way. Nevertheless, he was wondering how he could have not deviated from it in this unknown immensity.

-- Good evening and welcome.

The comforting voice reminded him of his first encounter with the Joshua tree. Though this time, it had lost a little bit of the surprise effect, all the more since the voice was coming from a figure strangely resembling the other Joshua.

He felt at ease and sat down surrounded by the only light emanating from the cactus. It spread all around them and provided a heat that felt welcome against the night’s cold settling as a companion to the surrounding darkness. That night, he met Joshua’s brother, himself named Joshua who offered him food, drink, light and heat. However his morning query that was left unanswered was still bothering him. So before falling asleep against the Joshua tree’s thornless trunk, he asked him this question:

-- Tell me Joshua, this morning your brother told me that you would reveal to me the mystery of the absence of thorns and of the soft scars. Also, he vaguely insinuated that there was something wrong with my heart. I don’t see how.

-- Well, actually a lot of people have this problem. Do you remember when you were young and felt abandoned, confused and lost in a merciless world without understanding why? Then growing up, the injustices, abuses and deep wounds that left their marks on you, the thorns bushes that you encountered at the turning point in your family, professional or social life that you didn’t know how to deal with? It’s normal, people defend themselves as they can.

 -- The sad part about it is that these thorns find their way to their heart and become incrusted producing a poisonous infection without a chance of healing. These thorns appear on the surface and multiply each time another thorn thrown at us penetrate the sensitive skin of our fragile ego and with time form a stone-hard and cold callous building a self-inflicted protective prison. The only antidote to this poison is a radical change of heart that only the Master of the Joshua Trees can provide with his power. He is the only one who can help you and change your life so that you do not have to keep those ugly thorns that harden your heart, darken your vision and poison your life and that of the people around you.

-- Yes, I begin to understand, answered Theophilus who remembered that the first Joshua had mentioned a horned viper whose poisonous bite weakened its victims and rendered them blind and incapable of recognizing their true spiritual condition. So, that explains the absence of thorns on your skin, doesn’t it?

-- Exactly, my Master teaches us how to reject the thorns and to not let them penetrate our hearts. He will reveal it to you when you meet him soon. Your made a lot of progress. Tomorrow, after a good night’s rest , you will be on your way. Keep hoping because you are about to meet the Master.

My friends, I shall see you soon for the next and last episode of our desert adventure.

To read the next and final episode  click: Here
 http://thelightseed.blogspot.com.br/2011/07/joshua-tree-desert-parable_15.html    

The Joshua Tree - Third Episode - Welcome to the Home of Mirages and the Horned Viper

Written and posted by Jean-Louis

WELCOME TO THE HOME OF MIRAGES AND THE HORNED VIPER

To read the preceding chapter,

click:  Here

 Whoever digs a pit may fall into it;

whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.

If a snake bites before it is charmed,

the charmer receives no fee.

Eccl 10: 8-11

To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.
Revelation 3:14: 17, 18.

AN UNUSUAL CONVERSATION Third Episode

Early in the morning Theophilus wakes up grumpy. After a night of disturbing dreams, he gets up and through his barely opened eyelids, he is able to make out the fuzzy silhouetteof a strange vision cut out on the background of an intense blue sky. Refusing to believe his weakened eye sight, he rubs his eyes trying to get a better focus on the scene.

“Good morning Theophilus. I hope you had a good night sleep”.

Now, he couldn’t believe what he heard. There at only a few feet distance, planted in the desert sand what appeared to be a tree or more exactly a cactus stood up, resembling the ones he had seen in the science books of his childhood.

Completely taken aback, his first reaction is to think: It is not happening. If I told my family and my friends, they would lock me up in a psychiatric ward. I must be hallucinating or I am seeing a mirage”.

-- Calm down, reassured Joshua who had read his thoughts, you are not going crazy. You can tell that I am real, can’t you? Are you bothered by my talking? Of course, it is a bit unnerving; your world is different and I can understand your reaction.

Relieved that after all he was not crazy -- who wants to look for lost marbles in the middle of the sandy desert floor without help from anyone? — Theophilus replied:

-- Are you kidding? As if it were natural to accept that a Joshua tree has the gift of speech, that he could care about a man and discuss things about which he does not have the slightest idea. Then, he remembered the preceding night’s conversation and blushed in shame at the thought that he had carried a conversation with a cactus in the desert. He had a furtive glance around to make sure that nobody had been a witness to this absurdly surreal scene.

Josh: -- You are right. I like to kid around. Well, then. Tell me the story of your life. I see you are passionate about adventure travels trying to find yourself. And how are you going to know if you finally found yourself if in the first place you don’t know who you are and what you look like?

Theo: -- Hey, watch it! You start annoying me. What about you? What do you look like? You can be proud of yourself, you found yourself, indeed, didn’t you? What a beautiful place to spend the rest of your life! Congratulations! Your master must be very proud of you. Tell me again, why can’t you speak clearly like everyone else?

-- Because you don’t have enough wisdom to understand the words of my master. But you are right. He is the one who gave me this responsibility which I am handling in the best way and also keeping his word. One day, when you meet him, you will understand.

-- I knew it! It is you who are incapable of intelligent reasoning. You are hiding behind someone else teaching. You cannot even have an original thought.

-- Ouch, Touché! But I forgive you. You have lost your way, you are not seeing clearly because your center of vision comes from Lao d’Sé. You believed in their remedies for your illness, didn’t you? Well, you can see the result. Now you see double!

-- It’s not true! I didn’t drink anything, I assure you.

-- It’s not a question of drinking. On your way, did you meet a sand viper with two horns that lies in wait for its victims and poisons them surreptitiously? The poison weakens their vision until they become incapable of telling the difference between reality and their own erroneous perceptions. For example, they are poor but believe that are rich, they think that darkness is light and are convinced that evil is good. The worst part is that they don’t realize that they are deceived because of the serpent’s power in his subtlety and his many disguises.

-- Rubbish! All this is philosophy! As for me, I have more pressing needs. I want to get out of this blasted desert to go back to my world where the cacti don’t talk nonsense about spells to people in dire need of help.

-- Well, then, I am ready to help you. Where are you going? What are you looking for?

-- Come on, it’s obvious! I want to go back where I come from and I am looking for the exit door.

-- Yes, of course, they all say the same thing. But there is a slight hitch; here as you know, we are in the desert. This is a very different place. People that are lost need a guide. But there is no way back and to get out of the desert, one has to go not through an exit door, for no such door exists, but through an entrance doorway. This is why my Master placed me on your path.

-- Not again, please. You are not going to bother me with your master. What can he do for me? Sell me a camel or a flying carpet? Or offer me a lamp with a genie inside? Does he live in an oasis nearby where he sells maps of the desert?

-- None of it. And by the way, the camel is too big, for the entrance door is very small. And He is the one who has the keys. He does not sell anything, but He alone can satisfy your thirst and your hunger, and give you new clothes that do not wear out. Moreover, he can heal you of your disease and restore your sight so that you will not lose your way again.

-- Stop making fun of me. Nobody is that generous a giver. There is no freebie in this world. Everything has a price, that’s the law. I simply need to gain my strength back, and find a pharmacy where I can buy some salve for my eyes that are irritated by this blasted sand.

-- I am afraid that your condition is a little more serious than you think. But you are not well enough yet to meet my Master. Get some rest in my shade and later, I will take care of your heart which right now is your most urgent concern. We will continue our chat once you feel better. Tomorrow, you will meet my brother who will help you find the Master of the Joshua trees.

My friends, take care until our next encounter.

Jean-Louis

To  continue reading the next episode click:  http://thelightseed.blogspot.com.br/2011/07/the-joshua-tree-desert-parable.html

The Joshua Tree - Second Episode - The Encounter

Written and posted by Jean-Louis 

THE ENCOUNTER 

Second Episode
To read the preceding chapter 
click  Here

Just when the desired goal of shutting out all external stimuli has been achieved or so he thought, a warm voice shook him out of his altered state of consciousness. In spite of its gentle tone, the voice triggered a reflex that rippled throughout his body caused by the unexpectedness of his breaking the silence barrier.
“Welcome to the desert, I was waiting for you and here you are just on time”. These words gripped his heart with an uncontrollable anxiety.

-- That’s it , our lost traveler spoke to himself, thinking he was alone. Either I am waking up from a terrible nightmare, or I am in the throes of delirium just before dying of thirst, of a heatstroke and madness. First, dementia sets in indicating the decrease in blood circulation to the brain.

But then, what if this were real? continuing his monologue, arguing with all the motivation of his survival instinct. After all nobody enjoys dying alone. What if? In a desperate attempt to maintain a grasp on reality, he squinted with his deficient eyes to focus on the fuzzy image standing in front of him.

-- No, you are not going to die, I assure you. As long as there is life there is hope.

-- Easy for you to say. You should try being in my place. He uttered these words without realizing the weirdness of the situation.

-- Yes I understand, but I was in your situation before. This is why I am here with you. Perhaps one day you will be in my place after you meet my Master.

-- No thanks. Me, submit to a master. It’s been a long time since I have been out of school. Who do you see in front of you? A child who needs to be taught? Have you ever heard of pulling yourself by your own boot straps? And God helps those who help themselves?

-- Indeed, those are wonderful comforting words. But let me introduce myself: Joshua, guardian and desert guide. How about you?

-- Mine is Theophilus McCall.

-- What a beautiful name! Do you know its meaning?

-- No, my parents named me at my baptism. -- Nice to meet you, Theophilus. Well, It’s getting late. Why not continue our conversation tomorrow? You really need some sleep. Good night.

To continue reading the next episode click: Here http://thelightseed.blogspot.com.br/2011/07/joshua-tree-desert-parable_06.html
Jean-Louis

"The Joshua Tree" - First Episode - Near the Desert Gate

Written and posted by Jean-Louis Mondon

 

Near the Desert Gate First episode
 To go back to the previous chapter click: Here

Some years have gone by. Still wearing his self-imposed blindfold, our lonely pilgrim, in spite of his condition, has traveled quite a distance to a remote and desolate place where even with the best eye-sight, experienced men have some difficulty finding their way. But now, he is not only blind and ignorant, but hungry, thirsty and exhausted. His only desire is to find a place of rest, an oasis that his weary soul has dreamed of and longed for, ever since his journey began. However, he despairs of finding such a place because, as he looks at himself and his surroundings, that haven seems to recede further in the hopelessness of his situation.

Thinking that the end was near, he had just resigned himself to accept his fate. After all, what could he do? Years ago, during the turbulent years of his adolescence and his early manhood enough vigor and idealism filled his heart to fight against real or perceived enemies. Little did he realize that the causes that he so wholeheartedly embraced were only detours in his life. Neither did he know that the weapons he used in the battle, securing short-lived victories, would eventually be the very means of his defeat. Now years later, all his resources spent, the overwhelming dread of an impending doom coursed through his weary body and soul.

He remembered the time when dreams and aspirations seemed so reachable. With concentrated effort, coupled with the unswerving tenacity that had been characteristic since his childhood, he had managed to accomplish a few challenging things in spite of disappointed scoffers, and other critical individuals that make it their business to see that nobody rise above the level of mediocrity that they have established as a standard for themselves. He didn’t quite yet understand the outworking of his life. Nevertheless a sense of destiny kept him going in spite of the past failures that slowed him down and had forced him to change course many times on his uncharted journey.

But this time, it was different. The surrounding landscape was so unfamiliar and his weary mind could not draw enough inner strength from one of the reassuring pictures that his fertile imagination would produce in time of crisis. No enemy in sight to slash with a quick turn of his sharp tongue, one of his favorite weapons to cut down to size any who threatened to make him look smaller than he already felt. Nothing to grasp, no helping hand, no end in sight, no sight to see but a sea of sand, solid waves of shifting shadows blown by a merciless wind. Looking back, he discovered that his tracks had been erased. No chance of ever going back.

A misty grey fog in his head overwhelmed the azure sky overhead and in spite of the strongest efforts of his will, he could not break through out of it. Until now, will power had been his best ally, the means by which he accomplished almost anything, whether it be the most menial tasks or the deep desires and dreams of his life.

Nevertheless, everything was now so totally new and different. The unexpected had taken on the form of the impossible. A slow giggle emerged from his cynic side as he remembered the old adage "where there is a will, there is a way”. In his present situation, the reverse would apply, “where there is no way, there is no will”.

For a moment he mused with a bit of his personal philosophy: "people should not throw empty words into the air or on pages of books where they are going to travel through the ages, carried by airwaves or copied endlessly by scrupulous scribes and maybe deceive countless generations raised on clichés and slogans spouted by unscrupulous demagogues. Even if one stumbles upon a truth worthy of being shared and embraced, it is too late to enlighten those who have gone before. There are also situations and attitudes that prevent the truth from being known and proclaimed on a large scale".

Such was his predicament. “How silly of me, he thought. Here I am thinking of a way to warn and save others from the tyrannical oppression of the mind and I can’t even save myself. Going back to his anti-cliché, it dawned on him that maybe, it is true; where there is no way, there is no will or at least no will that will provide a way. That the conditions which lead to the deepest despair are designed to force us to abandon any hope that we might place in our human resources, whether personal or collective. It is only when all the doors have been slammed shut in our face that we realize that the One who slammed them shut is the same One who can open the door specifically stamped with our name.

By this I mean that man basically is a poor chooser. He imagines that out of all the tempting opportunities presented to him, he is capable of selecting by and for himself the ones most suitable to him. All the while, there is a door with his name on it, but he cannot find it, so focused that he is on the other doors. The question is and remains: How does a man abrogate his will?"

Oddly enough, deciding to give up one’s own will is in itself an exercise of the will. Actually, it is more the recognizing of one’s proper place in the eternal scheme of things. I think there is a good reason why Adam and Eve were placed on earth in the garden of Eden and not on one of the stars. God is in His heaven and Man on planet earth which is his proper domain.

There is something to be said and certainly to be emulated about the humbleness of the old farmer or gardener bowing his tired frame down to the earth to plant the seed after preparing its womb to bring it to germinate new life. His bowing down is the best expression of worship, of total dependence upon the One who provided the seed, the nutrients in the earth, the rain water and the sun shine to make the seed grow. The One who provided the intelligence to develop the skills to create the farming implements and the methods. The Creator and Father of the spirits and hearts of all mankind created the first Man to be an earth dweller and a farmer, not an astronaut".

While thinking about his helplessness and the present failure of his predilection for escaping reality, a salient idea emerged from the forefront of his consciousness. He needed a point of focus to gather his ever fleeting thoughts as a pinpointed laser ray to reach its target.

He picked up a handful of hot sand. Making a fist and placing it on top of his other hand also formed as a fist, he slowly and deliberately let the sand pass through this improvised funnel in the shape of an hourglass and let the grains escape through the lower fist instead of gathering them as a real hourglass would. The sand cascaded in a continuous stream onto a growing mound on the desert floor.

“Tempus fugit” (time passes), he ironically thought to himself as he tirelessly placed one hand on top of the other in an endless circular motion. This simple concentration exercise turned into a Sisyphean task but provided a physical, reassuring point of contact against the vastness of the desert and the limitless amount of sand and the inevitability of the passing of time. 

"Well, he said to himself, finding the courage to cling to a positive thought as a life buoy in the middle of this vast ocean of sand extending as far as the eye could see, everything begins with a zero, then comes one...from zero to one the distance is very short and if I continue counting everytime I take a step, at least I will be making progress."

Believe me, in the desert, things get reduced to the simplicity of zeros and ones equations out of sheer necessity. What lies between zero and one is a little like asking what came before God. Who wants to be number zero? Men want to be number One, women hope that men will tell them they are a 10. Even on a pain scale, I don't think that there exits a zero, I have never seen anyone without pain, visible or hidden.
The choice is clear. I said choice, not answer.

On this hopeful note, the story continues with a surprise new episode.

To continue to the next chapter click: Here
http://thelightseed.blogspot.com.br/2011/07/joshua-tree-desert-parable.html
Jean-Louis.