Okay, I know this is nothing to do with "Truth Matters" but being the animal lover I am I just couldn't resist posting it. Notice also how the other little cub tries to help - soooooo sweet! :)
June 24, 2010
June 23, 2010
The Well from Hell
USCG
Fire boat response crews battle the blazing remnants of the off shore oil rig Deepwater Horizon, off Louisiana, in this handout photograph taken on April 21, 2010 and obtained on April 22, 2010.
By Christian A. DeHaemer
The Dwarves dug too greedily and too deep. You know what they awoke in the darkness of Khazad-dum... shadow and flame.
— Saruman, The Lord of the Rings
There is something primordial about BP's quest for oil in the Gulf of Mexico. It's an Icarus-like story of super-ambition; of reaching too far, delving too deep.
I don't know if you've stopped to contemplate what BP was trying to do...
The well itself started 5,000 feet below the surface. That's the depth of the Grand Canyon from the rim.
And then the company attempted to drill more than 30,000 feet below that — Mt. Everest would give 972 feet to spare.
Furthermore, the company sought oil in a dangerous area of the seabed.
It was unstable and many think BP sought it out because seismic data showed huge pools of methane gas — the very gas that blew the top off Deepwater Horizon and killed 11 people.
More than a year ago, geologists criticized Transocean for putting their exploratory rig directly over a massive underground reservoir of methane.
According to the New York Times , BP's internal "documents show that in March, after several weeks of problems on the rig, BP was struggling with a loss of 'well control.' And as far back as 11 months ago, it was concerned about the well casing and the blowout preventer.”
The problem is that this methane, located deep in the bowels of the earth, is under tremendous pressure...
Some speculate as much as 100,000 psi — far too much for current technology to contain. The shutoff vales and safety measures were built for only 1,000 psi.
It was an accident waiting to happen... And there are many that say it could get worse — much worse.
Geologists are pointing to other fissures and cracks that are appearing on the ocean floor around the damaged wellhead.
According to CNN:
The University of South Florida recently discovered a second oil plume in the northeastern Gulf. The first plume was found by Mississippi universities in early May.
And there have been other plumes discovered by submersibles...
Some geologists say that BP's arrogance has set off a series of events that may be irreversible. There are some that think that BP has drilled into an deep-core oil volcano that cannot be stopped, regardless of the horizontal drills the company claims will stop the oil plume in August.
Need the mudlogs
Geologist, Chris Landau, for instance, has called for a showing of the mudlogs. A mudlog is a schematic cross sectional drawing of the lithology (rock type) of the well that has been bored.
So far, no one has seen them... BP keeps them hidden.
Mr. Landau claims:
It is a dangerous game drilling into high pressure oil and gas zones because you risk having a blowout if your mud weight is not heavy enough. If you weight up your mud with barium sulfate to a very high level, you risk BLOWING OUT THE FORMATION.
What does that mean? It means you crack the rock deep underground; as the mudweight is now denser than the rock, it escapes into the rock in the pore spaces and the fractures. The well empties of mud. If you have not hit high pressure oil or gas at this stage, you are lucky.
But if you have, the oil and gas come flying up the well and you have a blowout, because you have no mud in the well to suppress the oil and gas. You shut down the well with the blowout preventer. If you do not have a blowout preventer, you are in trouble as we have all seen and you can only hope that the oil and gas pressure will naturally fall off with time, otherwise you have to try and put a new blowout preventer in place with oil and gas coming out as you work.
Obviously, the oil and gas pressure hasn't fallen off
In fact... it's increased.
The problem is that BP may not only have hit the mother of high-pressure wells, but there is also a vast amount of methane down there that could come exploding out like an underwater volcano.
I recently heard a recording of Richard Hoagland who was interviewed on Coast to Coast AM.
Mr. Hoagland has suggested that there are cracks in the ocean floor, and that pressure at the base of the wellhead is approximately 100,000 psi.
Furthermore, geologists believe there are another 4-5 cracks or fissions in the well. Upon using a GPS and Depth finder system, experts have discovered a large gas bubble, 15-20 miles across and tens of feet high, under the ocean floor.
These bubbles are common. Many believe they have caused the sinking of ships and planes in the Bermuda Triangle.
That said, a bubble this large — if able to escape from under the ocean floor through a crack — would cause a gas explosion that Mr. Hoagland likens to Mt. St. Helens... only under water.
The BP well is 50 miles from Louisiana. Its release would send a toxic cloud over populated areas. The explosion would also sink any ships and oil structures in the vicinity and create a tsunami which would head toward Florida at 600 mph.
Now, many people have called Hoagland a fringe thinker and a conspiracy theorist. And they may be right... But that doesn't mean he isn't on to something.
EPA finds high concentrations of gases in the area
The escape of other poison gases associated with an underground methane bubble (such as hydrogen sulfide, benzene, and methylene chloride) have been found.
Last Thursday, the EPA measured hydrogen sulfide at 1,000 parts per billion — well above the normal 5 to 10 ppb. Some benzene levels were measured near the Gulf of Mexico in the range of 3,000 – 4,000 ppb — up from the normal 0-4 ppb.
More speculation of doom
The Oil Drum , an industry sheet, recently ran an article about the sequence of events that tried to stop the oil spill.
The upshot of industry insiders was that after trying a number of ways to close off the leak, the well was compromised, creating other leaks due to the high pressure. BP then cut the well open and tried to capture the oil.
In other words: BP shifted from stopping the gusher to opening it up and catching what oil it could.
The only reason sane oil men would do this is if they wanted to relieve pressure at the leak hidden down below the seabed... And that sort of leak — known as a “down hole” leak — is one of the most dangerous kind.
No stopping it
It means that BP can't stop if from above; it can only relieve the pressure.
So, more oil is leaking out while BP hopes it can drill new wells before the current one completely erodes.
BP is in a race against time... It just won't admit this fact.
According to the Oil Drum:
There are abrasives still present, a swirling flow will create hot spots of wear and this erosion is relentless and will always be present until eventually it wears away enough material to break it's way out. It will slowly eat the bop away especially at the now pinched off riser head and it will flow more and more. Perhaps BP can outrun or keep up with that out flow with various suckage methods for a period of time, but eventually the well will win that race, just how long that race will be?
... No one really knows...
Which leads us back to Mr. Landau's point about the mudlogs and why BP won't release them.
I don't know... Maybe I'm wearing my tinfoil hat too tight this morning... But this stuff seems possible — if it's only a worst case scenario.
What strikes me as odd is the way the leadership of BP and the Obama administration is acting.
BP is running around apologizing to everyone they can find. Obama says give us $20 billion in escrow and $100 million for the people Obama put out of work on the oil rigs due to his six month ban — and BP says, "Sure thing mate, no problem."
And all of this in a 20-minute meeting?
I've been dealing with oil companies for a long time and it just doesn't add up...
Contrast it, for instance, with the Exxon situation in Alaska or the Union Carbide disaster in India.
Exxon fought tooth and nail for its shareholders; it appealed court rulings for 19 years. Union Carbide wasn't settled for 25 years.
BP is rolling over like a simpering dog. Why?
The only reason I can think of is that the company knows — better if not as well as the Obama administration does — that it will get worse.
Much worse.
I've put together a list of oil cleanup stocks for the readers of my Crisis & Opportunity . Many are running, and one has pulled back into a solid buy range. Three more are on my buy list.
All I know is that this spill isn't even half over.
Oil in the Gulf will lead the news-cycle for the foreseeable future.
And the companies that make products that stop, absorb, or disperse oil have an endless supply of work.
Their share prices have nowhere to go but up.
Christian DeHaemer is the Editor of Energy and Capital . Petroleumworld does not necessarily share these views.
Editor's Note: This commentary was originally published in Energy and Capital, on June 18, 2010. Petroleumworld reprint this article in the interest of our readers .
All comments posted and published on Petroleumworld, do not reflect either for or against the opinion expressed in the comment as an endorsement of Petroleumworld. All comments expressed are private comments and do not necessary reflect the view of this website. All comments are posted and published without liability to Petroleumworld. Fair use Notice: This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of issues of environmental and humanitarian significance. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml.
All works published by Petroleumworld are in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. Petroleumworld has no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of this article nor is Petroleumworld endorsed or sponsored by the originator. Petroleumworld encourages persons to reproduce, reprint, or broadcast Petroleumworld articles provided that any such reproduction identify the original source, http://www.petroleumworld.com or else and it is done within the fair use as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. Internet web links to http://www.petroleumworld.com are appreciated Petroleumworld welcomes your feedback and comments, share your thoughts on this article, your feedback is important to us! We invite all our readers to share with us their views and comments about this article. Write to editor@petroleumworld.com By using this link, you agree to allow PW to publish your comments on our letters page.
Petroleumworld News 06/20/10
Internet web links to http://www.petroleumworld.com are appreciated
Petroleumworld welcomes your feedback and comments,
share your thoughts on this article, your feedback is important to us!
We invite all our readers to share with us
their views and comments about this article.
Write to editor@petroleumworld.com
By using this link, you agree to allow E&P
to publish your comments on our letters page.
Copyright© 1999-2009 the respective author or news agency. All rights reserved.We welcome the use of Petroleumworld™ stories by anyone provided it mentions Petroleumworld.com as the source. Other stories you have to get authorization by its authors.
Send this story to a friend Any question or suggestions,
please write to: editor@petroleumworld.com
Fire boat response crews battle the blazing remnants of the off shore oil rig Deepwater Horizon, off Louisiana, in this handout photograph taken on April 21, 2010 and obtained on April 22, 2010.
By Christian A. DeHaemer
The Dwarves dug too greedily and too deep. You know what they awoke in the darkness of Khazad-dum... shadow and flame.
— Saruman, The Lord of the Rings
There is something primordial about BP's quest for oil in the Gulf of Mexico. It's an Icarus-like story of super-ambition; of reaching too far, delving too deep.
I don't know if you've stopped to contemplate what BP was trying to do...
The well itself started 5,000 feet below the surface. That's the depth of the Grand Canyon from the rim.
And then the company attempted to drill more than 30,000 feet below that — Mt. Everest would give 972 feet to spare.
Furthermore, the company sought oil in a dangerous area of the seabed.
It was unstable and many think BP sought it out because seismic data showed huge pools of methane gas — the very gas that blew the top off Deepwater Horizon and killed 11 people.
More than a year ago, geologists criticized Transocean for putting their exploratory rig directly over a massive underground reservoir of methane.
According to the New York Times , BP's internal "documents show that in March, after several weeks of problems on the rig, BP was struggling with a loss of 'well control.' And as far back as 11 months ago, it was concerned about the well casing and the blowout preventer.”
The problem is that this methane, located deep in the bowels of the earth, is under tremendous pressure...
Some speculate as much as 100,000 psi — far too much for current technology to contain. The shutoff vales and safety measures were built for only 1,000 psi.
It was an accident waiting to happen... And there are many that say it could get worse — much worse.
Geologists are pointing to other fissures and cracks that are appearing on the ocean floor around the damaged wellhead.
According to CNN:
The University of South Florida recently discovered a second oil plume in the northeastern Gulf. The first plume was found by Mississippi universities in early May.
And there have been other plumes discovered by submersibles...
Some geologists say that BP's arrogance has set off a series of events that may be irreversible. There are some that think that BP has drilled into an deep-core oil volcano that cannot be stopped, regardless of the horizontal drills the company claims will stop the oil plume in August.
Need the mudlogs
Geologist, Chris Landau, for instance, has called for a showing of the mudlogs. A mudlog is a schematic cross sectional drawing of the lithology (rock type) of the well that has been bored.
So far, no one has seen them... BP keeps them hidden.
Mr. Landau claims:
It is a dangerous game drilling into high pressure oil and gas zones because you risk having a blowout if your mud weight is not heavy enough. If you weight up your mud with barium sulfate to a very high level, you risk BLOWING OUT THE FORMATION.
What does that mean? It means you crack the rock deep underground; as the mudweight is now denser than the rock, it escapes into the rock in the pore spaces and the fractures. The well empties of mud. If you have not hit high pressure oil or gas at this stage, you are lucky.
But if you have, the oil and gas come flying up the well and you have a blowout, because you have no mud in the well to suppress the oil and gas. You shut down the well with the blowout preventer. If you do not have a blowout preventer, you are in trouble as we have all seen and you can only hope that the oil and gas pressure will naturally fall off with time, otherwise you have to try and put a new blowout preventer in place with oil and gas coming out as you work.
Obviously, the oil and gas pressure hasn't fallen off
In fact... it's increased.
The problem is that BP may not only have hit the mother of high-pressure wells, but there is also a vast amount of methane down there that could come exploding out like an underwater volcano.
I recently heard a recording of Richard Hoagland who was interviewed on Coast to Coast AM.
Mr. Hoagland has suggested that there are cracks in the ocean floor, and that pressure at the base of the wellhead is approximately 100,000 psi.
Furthermore, geologists believe there are another 4-5 cracks or fissions in the well. Upon using a GPS and Depth finder system, experts have discovered a large gas bubble, 15-20 miles across and tens of feet high, under the ocean floor.
These bubbles are common. Many believe they have caused the sinking of ships and planes in the Bermuda Triangle.
That said, a bubble this large — if able to escape from under the ocean floor through a crack — would cause a gas explosion that Mr. Hoagland likens to Mt. St. Helens... only under water.
The BP well is 50 miles from Louisiana. Its release would send a toxic cloud over populated areas. The explosion would also sink any ships and oil structures in the vicinity and create a tsunami which would head toward Florida at 600 mph.
Now, many people have called Hoagland a fringe thinker and a conspiracy theorist. And they may be right... But that doesn't mean he isn't on to something.
EPA finds high concentrations of gases in the area
The escape of other poison gases associated with an underground methane bubble (such as hydrogen sulfide, benzene, and methylene chloride) have been found.
Last Thursday, the EPA measured hydrogen sulfide at 1,000 parts per billion — well above the normal 5 to 10 ppb. Some benzene levels were measured near the Gulf of Mexico in the range of 3,000 – 4,000 ppb — up from the normal 0-4 ppb.
More speculation of doom
The Oil Drum , an industry sheet, recently ran an article about the sequence of events that tried to stop the oil spill.
The upshot of industry insiders was that after trying a number of ways to close off the leak, the well was compromised, creating other leaks due to the high pressure. BP then cut the well open and tried to capture the oil.
In other words: BP shifted from stopping the gusher to opening it up and catching what oil it could.
The only reason sane oil men would do this is if they wanted to relieve pressure at the leak hidden down below the seabed... And that sort of leak — known as a “down hole” leak — is one of the most dangerous kind.
No stopping it
It means that BP can't stop if from above; it can only relieve the pressure.
So, more oil is leaking out while BP hopes it can drill new wells before the current one completely erodes.
BP is in a race against time... It just won't admit this fact.
According to the Oil Drum:
There are abrasives still present, a swirling flow will create hot spots of wear and this erosion is relentless and will always be present until eventually it wears away enough material to break it's way out. It will slowly eat the bop away especially at the now pinched off riser head and it will flow more and more. Perhaps BP can outrun or keep up with that out flow with various suckage methods for a period of time, but eventually the well will win that race, just how long that race will be?
... No one really knows...
Which leads us back to Mr. Landau's point about the mudlogs and why BP won't release them.
I don't know... Maybe I'm wearing my tinfoil hat too tight this morning... But this stuff seems possible — if it's only a worst case scenario.
What strikes me as odd is the way the leadership of BP and the Obama administration is acting.
BP is running around apologizing to everyone they can find. Obama says give us $20 billion in escrow and $100 million for the people Obama put out of work on the oil rigs due to his six month ban — and BP says, "Sure thing mate, no problem."
And all of this in a 20-minute meeting?
I've been dealing with oil companies for a long time and it just doesn't add up...
Contrast it, for instance, with the Exxon situation in Alaska or the Union Carbide disaster in India.
Exxon fought tooth and nail for its shareholders; it appealed court rulings for 19 years. Union Carbide wasn't settled for 25 years.
BP is rolling over like a simpering dog. Why?
The only reason I can think of is that the company knows — better if not as well as the Obama administration does — that it will get worse.
Much worse.
I've put together a list of oil cleanup stocks for the readers of my Crisis & Opportunity . Many are running, and one has pulled back into a solid buy range. Three more are on my buy list.
All I know is that this spill isn't even half over.
Oil in the Gulf will lead the news-cycle for the foreseeable future.
And the companies that make products that stop, absorb, or disperse oil have an endless supply of work.
Their share prices have nowhere to go but up.
Christian DeHaemer is the Editor of Energy and Capital . Petroleumworld does not necessarily share these views.
Editor's Note: This commentary was originally published in Energy and Capital, on June 18, 2010. Petroleumworld reprint this article in the interest of our readers .
All comments posted and published on Petroleumworld, do not reflect either for or against the opinion expressed in the comment as an endorsement of Petroleumworld. All comments expressed are private comments and do not necessary reflect the view of this website. All comments are posted and published without liability to Petroleumworld. Fair use Notice: This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of issues of environmental and humanitarian significance. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml.
All works published by Petroleumworld are in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. Petroleumworld has no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of this article nor is Petroleumworld endorsed or sponsored by the originator. Petroleumworld encourages persons to reproduce, reprint, or broadcast Petroleumworld articles provided that any such reproduction identify the original source, http://www.petroleumworld.com or else and it is done within the fair use as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. Internet web links to http://www.petroleumworld.com are appreciated Petroleumworld welcomes your feedback and comments, share your thoughts on this article, your feedback is important to us! We invite all our readers to share with us their views and comments about this article. Write to editor@petroleumworld.com By using this link, you agree to allow PW to publish your comments on our letters page.
Petroleumworld News 06/20/10
Internet web links to http://www.petroleumworld.com are appreciated
Petroleumworld welcomes your feedback and comments,
share your thoughts on this article, your feedback is important to us!
We invite all our readers to share with us
their views and comments about this article.
Write to editor@petroleumworld.com
By using this link, you agree to allow E&P
to publish your comments on our letters page.
Copyright© 1999-2009 the respective author or news agency. All rights reserved.We welcome the use of Petroleumworld™ stories by anyone provided it mentions Petroleumworld.com as the source. Other stories you have to get authorization by its authors.
Send this story to a friend Any question or suggestions,
please write to: editor@petroleumworld.com
June 20, 2010
The Loneliness of the True Believer
This is an awesome word by A.W. Tozer that I can surely relate to! How about you? All comments welcome.
The Saint Must Walk Alone
A.W.Tozer
MOST OF THE WORLD'S GREAT SOULS have been lonely. Loneliness seems to be one price the saint must pay for his saintliness.
In the morning of the world (or should we say, in that strange darkness that came soon after the dawn of man's creation) that pious soul, Enoch, walked with God and was not, for God took him; and while it is not stated in so many words, a fair inference is that Enoch walked a path quite apart from his contemporaries.
Another lonely man was Noah who, of all the antediluvians, found grace in the sight of God; and every shred of evidence points to the aloneness of his life even while surrounded by his people.
Again, Abraham had Sarah and Lot, as well as many servants and herdmen, but who can read his story and the apostolic comment upon it without sensing instantly that he was a man "whose soul was alike a star and dwelt apart"? As far as we know not one word did God ever speak to him in the company of men. Face down he communed with his God, and the innate dignity of the man forbade that he assume this posture in the presence of others. How sweet and solemn was the scene that night of the sacrifice when he saw the lamps of fire moving between the pieces of offering. There alone with a horror of great darkness upon him he heard the voice of God and knew that he was a man marked for divine favor.
Moses also was a man apart. While yet attached to the court of Pharaoh he took long walks alone, and during one of these walks while far removed from the crowds he saw an Egyptian and a Hebrew fighting and came to the rescue of his countryman. After the resultant break with Egypt he dwelt in almost complete seclusion in the desert. There while he watched his sheep alone the wonder of the burning bush appeared to him, and later on the peak of Sinai he crouched alone to gaze in fascinated awe at the Presence, partly hidden, partly disclosed, within the cloud and fire.
The prophets of pre-Christian times differed widely from each other, but one mark they bore in common was their enforced loneliness. They loved their people and gloried in the religion of the fathers, but their loyalty to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and their zeal for the welfare of the nation of Israel drove them away from the crowd and into long periods of heaviness. "I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother's children," cried one and unwittingly spoke for all the rest.
Most revealing of all is the sight of that One of whom Moses and all the prophets did write treading His lonely way to the cross, His deep loneliness unrelieved by the presence of the multitudes.
'Tis midnight, and on Olive's brow
The star is dimmed that lately shone;
'Tis midnight; in the garden now,
The suffering Saviour prays alone.
'Tis midnight, and from all removed
The Saviour wrestles lone with fears,
E'en the disciple whom He loved
Heeds not his Master's grief and tears.
-WILLIAM B. TAPPAN
He died alone in the darkness hidden from the sight of mortal man and no one saw Him when He arose triumphant and walked out of the tomb, though many saw Him afterward and bore witness to what they saw.
There are some things too sacred for any eye but God's to look upon. The curiosity, the clamor, the well-meant but blundering effort to help can only hinder the waiting soul and make unlikely if not impossible the communication of the secret message of God to the worshiping heart.
Sometimes we react by a kind of religious reflex and repeat dutifully the proper words and phrases even though they fail to express our real feelings and lack the authenticity of personal experience. Right now is such a time. A certain conventional loyalty may lead some who hear this unfamiliar truth expressed for the first time to say brightly, "Oh, I am never lonely. Christ said, `I will never leave you nor forsake you,' and, `Lo, I am with you alway.' How can I be lonely when Jesus is with me?"
Now I do not want to reflect on the sincerity of any Christian soul, but this stock testimony is too neat to be real. It is obviously what the speaker thinks should be true rather than what he has proved to be true by the test of experience. This cheerful denial of loneliness proves only that the speaker has never walked with God without the support and encouragement afforded him by society. The sense of companionship which he mistakenly attributes to the presence of Christ may and probably does arise from the presence of friendly people. Always remember: you cannot carry a cross in company. Though a man were surrounded by a vast crowd, his cross is his alone and his carrying of it marks him as a man apart. Society has turned against him; otherwise he would have no cross. No one is a friend to the man with a cross. "They all forsook him, and fled."
The pain of loneliness arises from the constitution of our nature. God made us for each other. The desire for human companionship is completely natural and right. The loneliness of the Christian results from his walk with God in an ungodly world, a walk that must often take him away from the fellowship of good Christians as well as from that of the unregenerate world. His God given instincts cry out for companionship with others of his kind, others who can understand his longings, his aspirations, his absorption in the love of Christ; and because within his circle of friends there are so few who share his inner experiences he is forced to walk alone. The unsatisfied longings of the prophets for human understanding caused them to cry out in their complaint, and even our Lord Himself suffered in the same way.
The man who has passed on into the divine Presence in actual inner experience will not find many who understand him. A certain amount of social fellowship will of course be his as he mingles with religious persons in the regular activities of the church, but true spiritual fellowship will be hard to find. But he should not expect things to be otherwise. After all, he is a stranger and a pilgrim, and the journey he takes is not on his feet but in his heart. He walks with God in the garden of his own soul and who but God can walk there with him? He is of another spirit from the multitudes that tread the courts of the Lord's house. He has seen that of which they have only heard, and he walks among them somewhat as Zacharias walked after his return from the altar when the people whispered, "He has seen a vision."
The truly spiritual man is indeed something of an oddity. He lives not for himself but to promote the interests of Another. He seeks to persuade people to give all to his Lord and asks no portion or share for himself. He delights not to be honored but to see his Saviour glorified in the eyes of men. His joy is to see his Lord promoted and himself neglected. He finds few who care to talk about that which is the supreme object of his interest, so he is often silent and preoccupied in the midst of noisy religious shoptalk. For this he earns the reputation of being dull and over serious, so he is avoided and the gulf between him and society widens. He searches for friends upon whose garments he can detect the smell of myrrh and aloes and cassia out of the ivory palaces, and finding few or none he, like Mary of old, keeps these things in his heart.
It is this very loneliness that throws him back upon God. "When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up." His inability to find human companionship drives him to seek in God what he can find nowhere else. He learns in inner solitude what he could not have learned in the crowd that Christ is All in All, that He is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption, that in Him we have and possess life's summum bonum.
Two things remain to be said. One, that the lonely man of whom we speak is not a haughty man, nor is he the holier-than-thou, austere saint so bitterly satirized in popular literature. He is likely to feel that he is the least of all men and is sure to blame himself for his very loneliness. He wants to share his feelings with others and to open his heart to some like-minded soul who will understand him, but the spiritual climate around him does not encourage it, so he remains silent and tells his griefs to God alone.
The second thing is that the lonely saint is not the withdrawn man who hardens himself against human suffering and spends his days contemplating the heavens. Just the opposite is true. His loneliness makes him sympathetic to the approach of the broken-hearted and the fallen and the sin-bruised. Because he is detached from the world he is all the more able to help it. Meister Eckhart taught his followers that if they should find themselves in prayer as it were caught up to the third heavens and happen to remember that a poor widow needed food, they should break off the prayer instantly and go care for the widow. "God will not suffer you to lose anything by it," he told them. "You can take up again in prayer where you left off and the Lord will make it up to you." This is typical of the great masters of the interior life from Paul to the present day.
The weakness of so many modern Christians is that they feel too much at home in the world. In their effort to achieve restful "adjustment" to unregenerate society they have lost their pilgrim character and become an essential part of the very moral order against which they are sent to protest. The world recognizes them and accepts them for what they are. And this is the saddest thing that can be said about them. They are not lonely, but neither are they saints.
The Saint Must Walk Alone
A.W.Tozer
MOST OF THE WORLD'S GREAT SOULS have been lonely. Loneliness seems to be one price the saint must pay for his saintliness.
In the morning of the world (or should we say, in that strange darkness that came soon after the dawn of man's creation) that pious soul, Enoch, walked with God and was not, for God took him; and while it is not stated in so many words, a fair inference is that Enoch walked a path quite apart from his contemporaries.
Another lonely man was Noah who, of all the antediluvians, found grace in the sight of God; and every shred of evidence points to the aloneness of his life even while surrounded by his people.
Again, Abraham had Sarah and Lot, as well as many servants and herdmen, but who can read his story and the apostolic comment upon it without sensing instantly that he was a man "whose soul was alike a star and dwelt apart"? As far as we know not one word did God ever speak to him in the company of men. Face down he communed with his God, and the innate dignity of the man forbade that he assume this posture in the presence of others. How sweet and solemn was the scene that night of the sacrifice when he saw the lamps of fire moving between the pieces of offering. There alone with a horror of great darkness upon him he heard the voice of God and knew that he was a man marked for divine favor.
Moses also was a man apart. While yet attached to the court of Pharaoh he took long walks alone, and during one of these walks while far removed from the crowds he saw an Egyptian and a Hebrew fighting and came to the rescue of his countryman. After the resultant break with Egypt he dwelt in almost complete seclusion in the desert. There while he watched his sheep alone the wonder of the burning bush appeared to him, and later on the peak of Sinai he crouched alone to gaze in fascinated awe at the Presence, partly hidden, partly disclosed, within the cloud and fire.
The prophets of pre-Christian times differed widely from each other, but one mark they bore in common was their enforced loneliness. They loved their people and gloried in the religion of the fathers, but their loyalty to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and their zeal for the welfare of the nation of Israel drove them away from the crowd and into long periods of heaviness. "I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother's children," cried one and unwittingly spoke for all the rest.
Most revealing of all is the sight of that One of whom Moses and all the prophets did write treading His lonely way to the cross, His deep loneliness unrelieved by the presence of the multitudes.
'Tis midnight, and on Olive's brow
The star is dimmed that lately shone;
'Tis midnight; in the garden now,
The suffering Saviour prays alone.
'Tis midnight, and from all removed
The Saviour wrestles lone with fears,
E'en the disciple whom He loved
Heeds not his Master's grief and tears.
-WILLIAM B. TAPPAN
He died alone in the darkness hidden from the sight of mortal man and no one saw Him when He arose triumphant and walked out of the tomb, though many saw Him afterward and bore witness to what they saw.
There are some things too sacred for any eye but God's to look upon. The curiosity, the clamor, the well-meant but blundering effort to help can only hinder the waiting soul and make unlikely if not impossible the communication of the secret message of God to the worshiping heart.
Sometimes we react by a kind of religious reflex and repeat dutifully the proper words and phrases even though they fail to express our real feelings and lack the authenticity of personal experience. Right now is such a time. A certain conventional loyalty may lead some who hear this unfamiliar truth expressed for the first time to say brightly, "Oh, I am never lonely. Christ said, `I will never leave you nor forsake you,' and, `Lo, I am with you alway.' How can I be lonely when Jesus is with me?"
Now I do not want to reflect on the sincerity of any Christian soul, but this stock testimony is too neat to be real. It is obviously what the speaker thinks should be true rather than what he has proved to be true by the test of experience. This cheerful denial of loneliness proves only that the speaker has never walked with God without the support and encouragement afforded him by society. The sense of companionship which he mistakenly attributes to the presence of Christ may and probably does arise from the presence of friendly people. Always remember: you cannot carry a cross in company. Though a man were surrounded by a vast crowd, his cross is his alone and his carrying of it marks him as a man apart. Society has turned against him; otherwise he would have no cross. No one is a friend to the man with a cross. "They all forsook him, and fled."
The pain of loneliness arises from the constitution of our nature. God made us for each other. The desire for human companionship is completely natural and right. The loneliness of the Christian results from his walk with God in an ungodly world, a walk that must often take him away from the fellowship of good Christians as well as from that of the unregenerate world. His God given instincts cry out for companionship with others of his kind, others who can understand his longings, his aspirations, his absorption in the love of Christ; and because within his circle of friends there are so few who share his inner experiences he is forced to walk alone. The unsatisfied longings of the prophets for human understanding caused them to cry out in their complaint, and even our Lord Himself suffered in the same way.
The man who has passed on into the divine Presence in actual inner experience will not find many who understand him. A certain amount of social fellowship will of course be his as he mingles with religious persons in the regular activities of the church, but true spiritual fellowship will be hard to find. But he should not expect things to be otherwise. After all, he is a stranger and a pilgrim, and the journey he takes is not on his feet but in his heart. He walks with God in the garden of his own soul and who but God can walk there with him? He is of another spirit from the multitudes that tread the courts of the Lord's house. He has seen that of which they have only heard, and he walks among them somewhat as Zacharias walked after his return from the altar when the people whispered, "He has seen a vision."
The truly spiritual man is indeed something of an oddity. He lives not for himself but to promote the interests of Another. He seeks to persuade people to give all to his Lord and asks no portion or share for himself. He delights not to be honored but to see his Saviour glorified in the eyes of men. His joy is to see his Lord promoted and himself neglected. He finds few who care to talk about that which is the supreme object of his interest, so he is often silent and preoccupied in the midst of noisy religious shoptalk. For this he earns the reputation of being dull and over serious, so he is avoided and the gulf between him and society widens. He searches for friends upon whose garments he can detect the smell of myrrh and aloes and cassia out of the ivory palaces, and finding few or none he, like Mary of old, keeps these things in his heart.
It is this very loneliness that throws him back upon God. "When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up." His inability to find human companionship drives him to seek in God what he can find nowhere else. He learns in inner solitude what he could not have learned in the crowd that Christ is All in All, that He is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption, that in Him we have and possess life's summum bonum.
Two things remain to be said. One, that the lonely man of whom we speak is not a haughty man, nor is he the holier-than-thou, austere saint so bitterly satirized in popular literature. He is likely to feel that he is the least of all men and is sure to blame himself for his very loneliness. He wants to share his feelings with others and to open his heart to some like-minded soul who will understand him, but the spiritual climate around him does not encourage it, so he remains silent and tells his griefs to God alone.
The second thing is that the lonely saint is not the withdrawn man who hardens himself against human suffering and spends his days contemplating the heavens. Just the opposite is true. His loneliness makes him sympathetic to the approach of the broken-hearted and the fallen and the sin-bruised. Because he is detached from the world he is all the more able to help it. Meister Eckhart taught his followers that if they should find themselves in prayer as it were caught up to the third heavens and happen to remember that a poor widow needed food, they should break off the prayer instantly and go care for the widow. "God will not suffer you to lose anything by it," he told them. "You can take up again in prayer where you left off and the Lord will make it up to you." This is typical of the great masters of the interior life from Paul to the present day.
The weakness of so many modern Christians is that they feel too much at home in the world. In their effort to achieve restful "adjustment" to unregenerate society they have lost their pilgrim character and become an essential part of the very moral order against which they are sent to protest. The world recognizes them and accepts them for what they are. And this is the saddest thing that can be said about them. They are not lonely, but neither are they saints.
Place of Refuge in the Storm
A timely encouraging word for the true Believer...
A Place Of Refuge In The Storm
Olivia Long
"God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear ...." Psalm 46:1
"The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress." Psalm 46:11
Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken." Luke 21:25
"If My people, who are called by My Name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 2 Chron 7:14
My Beloved, America is a country known as a 'land of refuge', where people from every type of background, from every nationality, from every religion - have come to for safety, shelter, freedom and security.
But you have seen great tragedy befalling your land and you see that more troublesome times are to come. You ask now "Where is our safety, our shelter and our security? What is to become of us?"
Haven't I said that I would have a place of refuge for My Faithful Ones? Those who have been forged in the furnace and even in the midst of a world that will be violently shaken, that you will know safety AND security. I have always had a place of refuge for My own.... The ark for Noah's family; Lot being hidden from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah; and even My Son - who was taken to a place of safety when a jealous king sought to destroy him.
When the great troubles come upon the world's scene, people will not be concerned with credentials, with prestige, with education, wealth, or the importance of their name.
Some are already feeling hopeless, helpless, bewildered and defenseless - with pressures upon them that sometimes seem insurmountable.
So many in pain, even yourself... BUT ... if you never felt pain - how could you feel joy?
Troubles are to come upon the world that will threaten human safety. Events of such magnitude and upheaval that the whole world will appear to be coming apart.
You will continue to see the forcefulness of "nature" and you will continue to see "enemies" who are set against you.
Adversity, suffering, devastation, destruction and even death are appearing on the horizon.
But even so, haven't I said IF MY PEOPLE? Beloved, it always begins WITH MY PEOPLE ... turning from their wicked ways and humbling themselves and coming to Me in prayer, THEN I will forgive their sin and heal their land.
Some of you say, "but what about the others?" No, My Beloved, it always begins with YOU!!!!
MY hand can be staid just a bit longer, IF MY PEOPLE .....
Nevertheless, the time is approaching ... but ... As you see all that is coming upon the world, know that I have provided A PLACE OF REFUGE IN THE STORM ..
A place of peace and confidence for you, regardless of what is going on around you and a place where you will give refuge to others that I will bring to you.
My Faithful ones have been forged in the furnace and even in the midst of a violently shaking world, you will know that your safety and security is In Me, for only I AM your helper, your rescuer, your deliverer, your Savior, your fortress, your shelter and present help in times of trouble and upon you shall rest My Mercy, My Grace and My Favor !!!
I AM gathering My Faithful Ones together.
THIS IS THE TIME FOR YOU TO BELIEVE ME FOR THE GREATER THINGS, FOR I HAVE CALLED YOU TO A GREATER TASK !!!
To prepare for the battle but also to get ready for the Victory.
The stage is set for a Mighty Move and demonstration of My power.
THE TIME FOR LUKE WARMNESS IS OVER!
FOR THIS IS THE HOUR TO TOTALLY "BELIEVE ME", THE GREAT I AM !!!
My Beloved, My consecrated ones, WILL become who I intended you to be ....
Though many wonder where I AM at the present, I say unto you, even now in a seeming time of crisis, a great spiritual offense is in the making.
It is time to stop looking at your circumstances and what you are enduring but to look only at ME!
Beloved, There is no situation on earth where I will not reign supreme.
I WILL NOT ALLOW MINE TO BE PUT TO SHAME!
You will continue to see Satan and his forces intensifying their efforts.
But remember when Satan brought forth Pharaoh, I brought forth Moses.
When he brought forth Aham and Jezebel, I brought forth Elijah.
As Satan, even now, is planning his future moves, I AM gathering you together !!!
And as My people arise, you are going to meet the God of signs, wonders and miracles and ALL WILL SEE THAT THE GOD OF ELIJAH STILL LIVES!!
Yes, satanic influences and forces will intensify but everytime he acts, My people will counteract for the I AM will be on the scene and for every intensification of evil, you will see a corresponding "greater manifestation of My power."
When the world is teeming from the gathering madness, they will need My Zion people, those forged in the fiery furnace of affliction and coming out as pure gold.
Those who have been hidden In Me.
Those, to others standards, are a rag-tag bunch of misfits, who the world does not know.
Those who I will shortly gather together and send forth.
Those 'who will not seek what is in it for them,' for the only self that remains in you is for ME and what I have for you to do -
Those going out into the highways and byways, proclaiming My Son and bringing countless numbers into My Kingdom.
Those who will be healing the sick, raising the dead and proclaiming My "pure gospel" to the world.
Those who will show them ME.
Because at that moment there will be only one thing that will matter and it's not who you are, what you are, or how much you have ... No, what will matter is faith IN and relationship with ME.
Love for ME, family and brethren. THIS is where your wilderness training comes in, THIS is where all the heartaches and pain along your path will bear much fruit.
My Faithful Ones, who have been walking by faith while enduring all the persecutions and rejections that came with your walk.
My Glorious Beloved, who will not follow the signs, wonders and miracles ... BUT .... the signs, wonders and miracles will follow them !!!
I am bringing forth, "A People," who know their God and who shall do great exploits In My Name...
My Faithful Ones who will move in obedience and there will be an unprecedented release of finances, to those who have put their "TOTAL" trust and dependence IN ME.
The world will see My Blessings upon My Own, those who are completely sold out to Me and in the midst of a world shaking, I WILL supply their every need.
The time is coming shortly, My Beloved, when man's empire WILL fall .. but .. Mine, MINE will just be beginning !!!
REJOICE, LOOK UP, for REDEMPTION DRAWETH NIGH!!!!
I have said that I had a plan for you and now you will see it coming to pass.
For not only will you be secure in a place of refuge, under My wings, but I will use you to provide "A PLACE OF REFUGE IN THE STORM."
A Place Of Refuge In The Storm
Olivia Long
"God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear ...." Psalm 46:1
"The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress." Psalm 46:11
Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken." Luke 21:25
"If My people, who are called by My Name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 2 Chron 7:14
My Beloved, America is a country known as a 'land of refuge', where people from every type of background, from every nationality, from every religion - have come to for safety, shelter, freedom and security.
But you have seen great tragedy befalling your land and you see that more troublesome times are to come. You ask now "Where is our safety, our shelter and our security? What is to become of us?"
Haven't I said that I would have a place of refuge for My Faithful Ones? Those who have been forged in the furnace and even in the midst of a world that will be violently shaken, that you will know safety AND security. I have always had a place of refuge for My own.... The ark for Noah's family; Lot being hidden from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah; and even My Son - who was taken to a place of safety when a jealous king sought to destroy him.
When the great troubles come upon the world's scene, people will not be concerned with credentials, with prestige, with education, wealth, or the importance of their name.
Some are already feeling hopeless, helpless, bewildered and defenseless - with pressures upon them that sometimes seem insurmountable.
So many in pain, even yourself... BUT ... if you never felt pain - how could you feel joy?
Troubles are to come upon the world that will threaten human safety. Events of such magnitude and upheaval that the whole world will appear to be coming apart.
You will continue to see the forcefulness of "nature" and you will continue to see "enemies" who are set against you.
Adversity, suffering, devastation, destruction and even death are appearing on the horizon.
But even so, haven't I said IF MY PEOPLE? Beloved, it always begins WITH MY PEOPLE ... turning from their wicked ways and humbling themselves and coming to Me in prayer, THEN I will forgive their sin and heal their land.
Some of you say, "but what about the others?" No, My Beloved, it always begins with YOU!!!!
MY hand can be staid just a bit longer, IF MY PEOPLE .....
Nevertheless, the time is approaching ... but ... As you see all that is coming upon the world, know that I have provided A PLACE OF REFUGE IN THE STORM ..
A place of peace and confidence for you, regardless of what is going on around you and a place where you will give refuge to others that I will bring to you.
My Faithful ones have been forged in the furnace and even in the midst of a violently shaking world, you will know that your safety and security is In Me, for only I AM your helper, your rescuer, your deliverer, your Savior, your fortress, your shelter and present help in times of trouble and upon you shall rest My Mercy, My Grace and My Favor !!!
I AM gathering My Faithful Ones together.
THIS IS THE TIME FOR YOU TO BELIEVE ME FOR THE GREATER THINGS, FOR I HAVE CALLED YOU TO A GREATER TASK !!!
To prepare for the battle but also to get ready for the Victory.
The stage is set for a Mighty Move and demonstration of My power.
THE TIME FOR LUKE WARMNESS IS OVER!
FOR THIS IS THE HOUR TO TOTALLY "BELIEVE ME", THE GREAT I AM !!!
My Beloved, My consecrated ones, WILL become who I intended you to be ....
Though many wonder where I AM at the present, I say unto you, even now in a seeming time of crisis, a great spiritual offense is in the making.
It is time to stop looking at your circumstances and what you are enduring but to look only at ME!
Beloved, There is no situation on earth where I will not reign supreme.
I WILL NOT ALLOW MINE TO BE PUT TO SHAME!
You will continue to see Satan and his forces intensifying their efforts.
But remember when Satan brought forth Pharaoh, I brought forth Moses.
When he brought forth Aham and Jezebel, I brought forth Elijah.
As Satan, even now, is planning his future moves, I AM gathering you together !!!
And as My people arise, you are going to meet the God of signs, wonders and miracles and ALL WILL SEE THAT THE GOD OF ELIJAH STILL LIVES!!
Yes, satanic influences and forces will intensify but everytime he acts, My people will counteract for the I AM will be on the scene and for every intensification of evil, you will see a corresponding "greater manifestation of My power."
When the world is teeming from the gathering madness, they will need My Zion people, those forged in the fiery furnace of affliction and coming out as pure gold.
Those who have been hidden In Me.
Those, to others standards, are a rag-tag bunch of misfits, who the world does not know.
Those who I will shortly gather together and send forth.
Those 'who will not seek what is in it for them,' for the only self that remains in you is for ME and what I have for you to do -
Those going out into the highways and byways, proclaiming My Son and bringing countless numbers into My Kingdom.
Those who will be healing the sick, raising the dead and proclaiming My "pure gospel" to the world.
Those who will show them ME.
Because at that moment there will be only one thing that will matter and it's not who you are, what you are, or how much you have ... No, what will matter is faith IN and relationship with ME.
Love for ME, family and brethren. THIS is where your wilderness training comes in, THIS is where all the heartaches and pain along your path will bear much fruit.
My Faithful Ones, who have been walking by faith while enduring all the persecutions and rejections that came with your walk.
My Glorious Beloved, who will not follow the signs, wonders and miracles ... BUT .... the signs, wonders and miracles will follow them !!!
I am bringing forth, "A People," who know their God and who shall do great exploits In My Name...
My Faithful Ones who will move in obedience and there will be an unprecedented release of finances, to those who have put their "TOTAL" trust and dependence IN ME.
The world will see My Blessings upon My Own, those who are completely sold out to Me and in the midst of a world shaking, I WILL supply their every need.
The time is coming shortly, My Beloved, when man's empire WILL fall .. but .. Mine, MINE will just be beginning !!!
REJOICE, LOOK UP, for REDEMPTION DRAWETH NIGH!!!!
I have said that I had a plan for you and now you will see it coming to pass.
For not only will you be secure in a place of refuge, under My wings, but I will use you to provide "A PLACE OF REFUGE IN THE STORM."
June 12, 2010
June 11, 2010
Whatever Happened to 'Full Surrender'?
A very true and timely message, boy do I miss the old days! :(
ARE You HOLDING ON... or LETTING GO?
-by J. Lee Grady.
It's time to check your posture: Are your hands in the air? True worship requires surrender.
Christians used to talk a lot about surrender. They called it the consecrated life, and they sang about it in hymns such as "I Surrender All," "Have Thine Own Way" or "Wherever He Leads, I'll Go." These songs fueled the missionary movements of the past.
Today? Not so much.
In many American churches, "altars" are a strange concept. They are referred to as "stages," and they are used only for fog machines or music performances. "Altar calls" no longer fit in the time constraints of our trendy 80-minute services. Meanwhile, talk of surrender has been replaced by messages about self-empowerment and self-motivation.
The Good Life has replaced The God Life. The Path to Prosperity has become more popular than The Calvary Road. We are more interested in getting a breakthrough than brokenness.
Yet God is calling us back to consecration. Genuine worship, according to Romans 12:1, involves a wholehearted abandonment of self. Paul wrote: "Therefore I urge you, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship" (NASB).
When priests were set apart for God's service in the Old Covenant, they were "consecrated" in a solemn ceremony. The word for consecration in Exodus 28:41 means "to fill the hand." The word is a picture of an empty hand receiving God's blessings and then giving them back to the Lord in unconditional surrender.
My question to you: Are your hands open and raised to God? Or are you making a fist? Have you given back to the Lord what He has given you? Or are your hands tightly clenched? It might be a good idea to examine how you are holding every aspect of your life:
Your time. Does God have your life 24/7? Does He have your weekends? Have you made room in your life to spend time with Him? Or has prayer been crowded out by your favorite TV shows, time with friends or the demands of work?
Your talents. Are you using your natural and spiritual gifts to reach others for Christ? Or did you hide your talents, like the unwise steward in Jesus' parable? Have you assumed that, because others seemed more gifted, you should be a spectator while they serve?
Your money. The only way to know if you are truly surrendered to God's will is if your wallet is open. A lack of generosity toward God's work reveals a much deeper problem.
Your future. Are you driving your career plans—or have you allowed God to take the steering wheel? Ambition can take you a long way — but it must be yielded to His will or it will lead to tragedy. You must agree with what Jesus prayed at Gethsemane: "Not my will, but Yours be done" (Luke 22:42).
Your relationships. Do you allow friends, or romantic relationships, to lead you away from purity, integrity and spiritual faithfulness? The Bible says friendship with the world is hostility toward God (James 4:4). As painful as it may be, true surrender will involve cutting some ties.
Your sexuality. Many Christians believe they can be faithful believers while practicing immorality. Don't buy that lie. Living the consecrated life means repenting of all known sin daily—and fleeing from fornication, adultery, pornography and all forms of lust.
Your children. While we have been commanded to raise our kids for God, we also must entrust them to His care. After all, they are really His children, not ours. Once you've done your part, give them back to Him.
This week my youngest daughter—our so-called "baby"—is graduating from high school and headed to college in Georgia. Meanwhile my third daughter is leaving this week to minister on a foreign mission field for two months—in a place where women are not exactly safe or respected. I've had to consciously put my girls on the altar whenever I've doubted that God will take care of them.
It's one thing to give your own life to Christ. It's another thing to surrender those you love to His will and purpose. It requires a whole new level of trust. But it is the path that Abraham, the father of our faith, was required to walk when he put his son Isaac on the altar.
True faith always involves gut-wrenching surrender. I urge you to take the right posture: Get your hands open, lift them up to heaven and say with all your heart: "Lord, I'm all yours."
ARE You HOLDING ON... or LETTING GO?
-by J. Lee Grady.
It's time to check your posture: Are your hands in the air? True worship requires surrender.
Christians used to talk a lot about surrender. They called it the consecrated life, and they sang about it in hymns such as "I Surrender All," "Have Thine Own Way" or "Wherever He Leads, I'll Go." These songs fueled the missionary movements of the past.
Today? Not so much.
In many American churches, "altars" are a strange concept. They are referred to as "stages," and they are used only for fog machines or music performances. "Altar calls" no longer fit in the time constraints of our trendy 80-minute services. Meanwhile, talk of surrender has been replaced by messages about self-empowerment and self-motivation.
The Good Life has replaced The God Life. The Path to Prosperity has become more popular than The Calvary Road. We are more interested in getting a breakthrough than brokenness.
Yet God is calling us back to consecration. Genuine worship, according to Romans 12:1, involves a wholehearted abandonment of self. Paul wrote: "Therefore I urge you, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship" (NASB).
When priests were set apart for God's service in the Old Covenant, they were "consecrated" in a solemn ceremony. The word for consecration in Exodus 28:41 means "to fill the hand." The word is a picture of an empty hand receiving God's blessings and then giving them back to the Lord in unconditional surrender.
My question to you: Are your hands open and raised to God? Or are you making a fist? Have you given back to the Lord what He has given you? Or are your hands tightly clenched? It might be a good idea to examine how you are holding every aspect of your life:
Your time. Does God have your life 24/7? Does He have your weekends? Have you made room in your life to spend time with Him? Or has prayer been crowded out by your favorite TV shows, time with friends or the demands of work?
Your talents. Are you using your natural and spiritual gifts to reach others for Christ? Or did you hide your talents, like the unwise steward in Jesus' parable? Have you assumed that, because others seemed more gifted, you should be a spectator while they serve?
Your money. The only way to know if you are truly surrendered to God's will is if your wallet is open. A lack of generosity toward God's work reveals a much deeper problem.
Your future. Are you driving your career plans—or have you allowed God to take the steering wheel? Ambition can take you a long way — but it must be yielded to His will or it will lead to tragedy. You must agree with what Jesus prayed at Gethsemane: "Not my will, but Yours be done" (Luke 22:42).
Your relationships. Do you allow friends, or romantic relationships, to lead you away from purity, integrity and spiritual faithfulness? The Bible says friendship with the world is hostility toward God (James 4:4). As painful as it may be, true surrender will involve cutting some ties.
Your sexuality. Many Christians believe they can be faithful believers while practicing immorality. Don't buy that lie. Living the consecrated life means repenting of all known sin daily—and fleeing from fornication, adultery, pornography and all forms of lust.
Your children. While we have been commanded to raise our kids for God, we also must entrust them to His care. After all, they are really His children, not ours. Once you've done your part, give them back to Him.
This week my youngest daughter—our so-called "baby"—is graduating from high school and headed to college in Georgia. Meanwhile my third daughter is leaving this week to minister on a foreign mission field for two months—in a place where women are not exactly safe or respected. I've had to consciously put my girls on the altar whenever I've doubted that God will take care of them.
It's one thing to give your own life to Christ. It's another thing to surrender those you love to His will and purpose. It requires a whole new level of trust. But it is the path that Abraham, the father of our faith, was required to walk when he put his son Isaac on the altar.
True faith always involves gut-wrenching surrender. I urge you to take the right posture: Get your hands open, lift them up to heaven and say with all your heart: "Lord, I'm all yours."
June 10, 2010
Social Justice and the New Morality
Berit Kjos
Kjos Ministries
"I am certain that nothing has done so much to destroy the [legal] safeguards of individual freedom as the striving after this mirage of social justice." Fredrich August von Hayek [1]
"In this book [Rules for Radicals] we are concerned with how to create mass organizations to seize power and give it to the people; to realize the democratic dream of equality, justice, peace.... This means revolution.'"[2] Saul Alinsky
“'To be a leader means to be able to move the masses.' Hitler’s aim was first to move the masses and then, having pried them loose from their traditional loyalties and moralities, to impose upon them (with the hypnotized consent of the majority) a new authoritarian order of his own devising."[3] Aldous Huxley, Brave New World Revisited
"...do not be conformed to this world...." Romans 12:2
During the turbulent sixties, I finished nursing school, married Andy, traveled around the world with him for eight months (about $7 a day), and had two babies. Wanting to use my training, I offered to help at a "well-baby clinic" in a nearby black community. With my infant in a basket, I took my place at the examining table. Some months later, I attended a community meeting important enough to merit the protective presence of the revolutionary Black Panthers. In awe, I watched its well armed warriors for "social justice" line up on each side of the hall. We, the white volunteers, listened to the organizer's angry words about capitalism, racism, social injustice and radical change. They didn't want our presence any more, so we were told to stay home and raise support for them in our white communities.
I didn't question their values that day. But a few years later, as a "born-again" Christian, I began to wonder. By then, I had been thoroughly exposed to the spiritual bleakness of liberal theology, its transformational agenda, and its hostility toward Biblical Christianity.
I had learned that the vision of "social justice" is infused with deceptive dreams. Promising economic equality, its well-trained "organizers" would destroy personal incentive, undermine family values, twist God's Word, and breed dependence and poverty for all but its elite leaders! There wouldn't be much wealth left to spread. Yet the lie survives -- even in today's churches.
A major advocate for this agenda is Jim Wallis, a member of the President's Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. He founded the left-leaning magazine, Sojourners, which promotes an idealistic view of "social justice." Its February 2007 issue gave us a glimpse of its position:
"The goal of social charity and social justice is furthering the common good. Social charity addresses the effects of social sin, while social justice addresses the causes of such sins [inequality, capitalism, etc.]. Brazilian Catholic Archbishop Hélder Câmara famously said, 'When I feed the poor, they call me a saint; when I ask why they are poor, they call me a communist.'”
"Social charity... doesn’t fundamentally change or challenge the unjust structure. The principle of social justice...requires the individual Christian to act in an organized manner with others to hold social institutions accountable... to the common good."[4]
Do you wonder what they mean by "common good"? What can we learn from Venezuela? Or Greece?
The Roots and Results of Social Justice
Neither Karl Marx nor Friedrich Engels, the leading change agents behind communism and contemporary socialism, showed compassion for the poor masses that supposedly justified their agenda. Their form of "social justice" was simply their excuse for tyranny. In letters to Marx, Engels referred to peasants as "bumpkins," "a barbaric race," "frightfully stupid," etc. Marx described them as "degenerate rabble."[5] Both despised Christianity and its moral values.
How, then, did socialism survive? Why is it spreading?
Dr. Thomas Sowell gives us a glimpse of its roots. In his article "Race and Resentment," he wisely connects this phenomena to a universal condition: our corruptible human nature:
"Recent stories out of both Philadelphia and San Francisco tell of black students beating up Asian American students. This is especially painful for those who expected that the election of Barack Obama would mark the beginning of a post-racial America....
"Many of our educators, our intelligentsia and our media -- not to mention our politicians-- promote an attitude that other people's achievements are grievances, rather than examples. When black school children who are working hard in school and succeeding academically are attacked and beaten up by black classmates for 'acting white,' why is it surprising that similar hostility is turned against Asian Americans, who are often achieving academically more so than whites?...
"The same phenomenon is found among lower-class whites in Britain, where academically achieving white students have been beaten up badly enough by their white classmates to require hospital treatment.
"These are poisonous and self-destructive consequences of a steady drumbeat of ideological hype about differences that are translated into 'disparities' and 'inequities,' provoking envy and resentments under their more prettied-up name of 'social justice.'"[6]
Perhaps you remember Kurt Vonnegut's short story, "Harrison Bergeron." It magnifies the destructive leveling needed to create a collective society of equals whose achievements offend no one:
"The year was 2081, and everybody was finally equal.... Nobody was smarter... [or] better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else. All this equality was due to the 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments to the Constitution, and to the unceasing vigilance of agents of the United States Handicapper General [H-G].
"... the H-G men took George and Hazel Bergeron's fourteen-year-old son, Harrison, away. It was tragic, all right, but George and Hazel couldn't think about it very hard. Hazel had a perfectly average intelligence, which meant she couldn't think about anything except in short bursts. And George, while his intelligence was way above normal, had a little mental handicap radio in his ear. He was required by law to wear it at all times.... Every twenty seconds or so, the transmitter would send out some sharp noise to keep people like George from taking unfair advantage of their brains."[7]
Hate and envy serve as driving forces behind socialism. By idolizing the leader (Hitler forced churches to hang his picture over their altars), popularizing solidarity, and inciting rage toward dissenters, socialist dictators have gained unthinkable power. Learning from Soviet triumphs, Hitler wrote in Mein Kampf,
"The first task of propaganda is to win people for subsequent organization.... The second task of propaganda is the disruption of the existing state of affairs and the permeation of this state of affairs with the new doctrine..."[8, see note]
That new doctrine would free the masses from all Biblical morality. Depravity would replace modesty, honesty and integrity. As an angry young revolutionary, Marx admitted that his aim was not to improve the world but to enjoy its corruption:
"With disdain I will throw my gauntlet full in the face of the world,
And see the collapse of this pygmy giant whose fall will not stifle my ardor.
Then will I wander godlike and victorious through the ruins of the world
And, giving my words an active force, I will feel equal to the Creator." [9]
The Marxist Meaning of Social Justice
Having endured the terrors of the Soviet gulag (prison) system, author Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn tried to warn the West. In his Foreword for a Russian book by Igor Shafarevich titled, The Socialist Phenomenon, he explained that,
"...socialism (at least at first sight) turns out to be a glaring contradiction. Proceeding from a critique of a given society, accusing it of injustice, inequality and lack of freedom, socialism proclaims [and produces]... a far greater injustice, inequality and slavery!...
"In the most popular work of Marxism, the Communist Manifesto, one of the first measures of the new socialist system to be proposed is the introduction of compulsory labor."[10]
Igor Shafarevich's book includes a section titled "Socialism is the expression of the quest for social justice." It highlights the conflict between the alluring myth and the harsh reality of social justice:
"Since it is unquestionably true that appeals to justice and the condemnation of the defects of contemporary life occupy a central place in socialist ideology, this question must be formulated more precisely: Is the aspiration for social justice the goal and the driving force of socialism or is the appeal to this aspiration only a means to achieve some other goals?
"...in the socialist doctrines themselves, at least, we should uncover compassion for the sufferings of the victims of injustice and the impulse to lighten their burden. Yet this is precisely what is lacking!...
"At a time when 'bourgeois philanthropists' such as Dickens and Carlyle were fighting against child labor, the... [Communist] First International adopted a resolution composed by Marx: '...In a rationally organized society, each child from the age of nine ought to be a productive worker.'"[11]
What kind of social justice is that?
Shafarevich lists four basic socialist principles that show the stark contrast between American freedom and socialist tyranny:
1. The Abolition of Private Property.
2. The Abolition of the Family.
3. The Abolition of Religion.
4. Communality or Equality.
Freedom: The Opposite of Social Justice
In contrast to socialism, the authors of America's Constitution sought genuine freedom for all. It was incomplete, but by 1865, countless thousands had given their lives to free the slaves. By law, all would share the benefits of the First Amendment in our Bill of Rights:[13]
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
Yet, unless God intervenes, we may soon lose those legal rights. The hollow hope of a more perfect world -- in this case, a tyrannical collective -- has captured the hearts of idealistic Americans as well as revolutionary change agents.
Our children and youth are especially vulnerable. Public schools are training them to think collectively through the mandatory use of the dialectic process. Subjective opinions and feelings replace objective facts and certainties, and compromise becomes a habit. Few children are prepared to stand firm on God's "offensive" moral values.
In other words, America is trading her moral foundation for a changeable set of amoral values that can be twisted in any which way by today's trained facilitators and capricious leaders. Please remember this warning:
"... if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God....[He] will cause you to be defeated before your enemies.... He shall lend to you, but you shall not lend to him..... Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and gladness of heart for the abundance of everything, therefore you shall serve your enemies." Deuteronomy 28:15, 44, 47-48
"Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition...." 1 Corinthians 10:11
God tells us to live by His standard for justice. He has given us clear guidelines to follow them: help the needy, share our resources, and comfort those who hurt with His wonderful promises. The Old Testament prophet Micah summarized it well:
"He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?" Micah 6:8
That's a far cry from trusting a socialist government to rule our families, assign our activities, monitor our choices, prescribe our beliefs, and redistribute our possessions.
We live in an imperfect world, and a spiritual war is raging all around us. America may never be the same, but those who know God have a place of refuge. And in the midst of it all, we will -- by His grace -- continue to share His joy, comfort, mercy and resources.
"Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another...patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. Bless those who persecute you.... Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep." Romans 12:9-15
Kjos Ministries
"I am certain that nothing has done so much to destroy the [legal] safeguards of individual freedom as the striving after this mirage of social justice." Fredrich August von Hayek [1]
"In this book [Rules for Radicals] we are concerned with how to create mass organizations to seize power and give it to the people; to realize the democratic dream of equality, justice, peace.... This means revolution.'"[2] Saul Alinsky
“'To be a leader means to be able to move the masses.' Hitler’s aim was first to move the masses and then, having pried them loose from their traditional loyalties and moralities, to impose upon them (with the hypnotized consent of the majority) a new authoritarian order of his own devising."[3] Aldous Huxley, Brave New World Revisited
"...do not be conformed to this world...." Romans 12:2
During the turbulent sixties, I finished nursing school, married Andy, traveled around the world with him for eight months (about $7 a day), and had two babies. Wanting to use my training, I offered to help at a "well-baby clinic" in a nearby black community. With my infant in a basket, I took my place at the examining table. Some months later, I attended a community meeting important enough to merit the protective presence of the revolutionary Black Panthers. In awe, I watched its well armed warriors for "social justice" line up on each side of the hall. We, the white volunteers, listened to the organizer's angry words about capitalism, racism, social injustice and radical change. They didn't want our presence any more, so we were told to stay home and raise support for them in our white communities.
I didn't question their values that day. But a few years later, as a "born-again" Christian, I began to wonder. By then, I had been thoroughly exposed to the spiritual bleakness of liberal theology, its transformational agenda, and its hostility toward Biblical Christianity.
I had learned that the vision of "social justice" is infused with deceptive dreams. Promising economic equality, its well-trained "organizers" would destroy personal incentive, undermine family values, twist God's Word, and breed dependence and poverty for all but its elite leaders! There wouldn't be much wealth left to spread. Yet the lie survives -- even in today's churches.
A major advocate for this agenda is Jim Wallis, a member of the President's Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. He founded the left-leaning magazine, Sojourners, which promotes an idealistic view of "social justice." Its February 2007 issue gave us a glimpse of its position:
"The goal of social charity and social justice is furthering the common good. Social charity addresses the effects of social sin, while social justice addresses the causes of such sins [inequality, capitalism, etc.]. Brazilian Catholic Archbishop Hélder Câmara famously said, 'When I feed the poor, they call me a saint; when I ask why they are poor, they call me a communist.'”
"Social charity... doesn’t fundamentally change or challenge the unjust structure. The principle of social justice...requires the individual Christian to act in an organized manner with others to hold social institutions accountable... to the common good."[4]
Do you wonder what they mean by "common good"? What can we learn from Venezuela? Or Greece?
The Roots and Results of Social Justice
Neither Karl Marx nor Friedrich Engels, the leading change agents behind communism and contemporary socialism, showed compassion for the poor masses that supposedly justified their agenda. Their form of "social justice" was simply their excuse for tyranny. In letters to Marx, Engels referred to peasants as "bumpkins," "a barbaric race," "frightfully stupid," etc. Marx described them as "degenerate rabble."[5] Both despised Christianity and its moral values.
How, then, did socialism survive? Why is it spreading?
Dr. Thomas Sowell gives us a glimpse of its roots. In his article "Race and Resentment," he wisely connects this phenomena to a universal condition: our corruptible human nature:
"Recent stories out of both Philadelphia and San Francisco tell of black students beating up Asian American students. This is especially painful for those who expected that the election of Barack Obama would mark the beginning of a post-racial America....
"Many of our educators, our intelligentsia and our media -- not to mention our politicians-- promote an attitude that other people's achievements are grievances, rather than examples. When black school children who are working hard in school and succeeding academically are attacked and beaten up by black classmates for 'acting white,' why is it surprising that similar hostility is turned against Asian Americans, who are often achieving academically more so than whites?...
"The same phenomenon is found among lower-class whites in Britain, where academically achieving white students have been beaten up badly enough by their white classmates to require hospital treatment.
"These are poisonous and self-destructive consequences of a steady drumbeat of ideological hype about differences that are translated into 'disparities' and 'inequities,' provoking envy and resentments under their more prettied-up name of 'social justice.'"[6]
Perhaps you remember Kurt Vonnegut's short story, "Harrison Bergeron." It magnifies the destructive leveling needed to create a collective society of equals whose achievements offend no one:
"The year was 2081, and everybody was finally equal.... Nobody was smarter... [or] better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else. All this equality was due to the 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments to the Constitution, and to the unceasing vigilance of agents of the United States Handicapper General [H-G].
"... the H-G men took George and Hazel Bergeron's fourteen-year-old son, Harrison, away. It was tragic, all right, but George and Hazel couldn't think about it very hard. Hazel had a perfectly average intelligence, which meant she couldn't think about anything except in short bursts. And George, while his intelligence was way above normal, had a little mental handicap radio in his ear. He was required by law to wear it at all times.... Every twenty seconds or so, the transmitter would send out some sharp noise to keep people like George from taking unfair advantage of their brains."[7]
Hate and envy serve as driving forces behind socialism. By idolizing the leader (Hitler forced churches to hang his picture over their altars), popularizing solidarity, and inciting rage toward dissenters, socialist dictators have gained unthinkable power. Learning from Soviet triumphs, Hitler wrote in Mein Kampf,
"The first task of propaganda is to win people for subsequent organization.... The second task of propaganda is the disruption of the existing state of affairs and the permeation of this state of affairs with the new doctrine..."[8, see note]
That new doctrine would free the masses from all Biblical morality. Depravity would replace modesty, honesty and integrity. As an angry young revolutionary, Marx admitted that his aim was not to improve the world but to enjoy its corruption:
"With disdain I will throw my gauntlet full in the face of the world,
And see the collapse of this pygmy giant whose fall will not stifle my ardor.
Then will I wander godlike and victorious through the ruins of the world
And, giving my words an active force, I will feel equal to the Creator." [9]
The Marxist Meaning of Social Justice
Having endured the terrors of the Soviet gulag (prison) system, author Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn tried to warn the West. In his Foreword for a Russian book by Igor Shafarevich titled, The Socialist Phenomenon, he explained that,
"...socialism (at least at first sight) turns out to be a glaring contradiction. Proceeding from a critique of a given society, accusing it of injustice, inequality and lack of freedom, socialism proclaims [and produces]... a far greater injustice, inequality and slavery!...
"In the most popular work of Marxism, the Communist Manifesto, one of the first measures of the new socialist system to be proposed is the introduction of compulsory labor."[10]
Igor Shafarevich's book includes a section titled "Socialism is the expression of the quest for social justice." It highlights the conflict between the alluring myth and the harsh reality of social justice:
"Since it is unquestionably true that appeals to justice and the condemnation of the defects of contemporary life occupy a central place in socialist ideology, this question must be formulated more precisely: Is the aspiration for social justice the goal and the driving force of socialism or is the appeal to this aspiration only a means to achieve some other goals?
"...in the socialist doctrines themselves, at least, we should uncover compassion for the sufferings of the victims of injustice and the impulse to lighten their burden. Yet this is precisely what is lacking!...
"At a time when 'bourgeois philanthropists' such as Dickens and Carlyle were fighting against child labor, the... [Communist] First International adopted a resolution composed by Marx: '...In a rationally organized society, each child from the age of nine ought to be a productive worker.'"[11]
What kind of social justice is that?
Shafarevich lists four basic socialist principles that show the stark contrast between American freedom and socialist tyranny:
1. The Abolition of Private Property.
2. The Abolition of the Family.
3. The Abolition of Religion.
4. Communality or Equality.
Freedom: The Opposite of Social Justice
In contrast to socialism, the authors of America's Constitution sought genuine freedom for all. It was incomplete, but by 1865, countless thousands had given their lives to free the slaves. By law, all would share the benefits of the First Amendment in our Bill of Rights:[13]
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
Yet, unless God intervenes, we may soon lose those legal rights. The hollow hope of a more perfect world -- in this case, a tyrannical collective -- has captured the hearts of idealistic Americans as well as revolutionary change agents.
Our children and youth are especially vulnerable. Public schools are training them to think collectively through the mandatory use of the dialectic process. Subjective opinions and feelings replace objective facts and certainties, and compromise becomes a habit. Few children are prepared to stand firm on God's "offensive" moral values.
In other words, America is trading her moral foundation for a changeable set of amoral values that can be twisted in any which way by today's trained facilitators and capricious leaders. Please remember this warning:
"... if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God....[He] will cause you to be defeated before your enemies.... He shall lend to you, but you shall not lend to him..... Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and gladness of heart for the abundance of everything, therefore you shall serve your enemies." Deuteronomy 28:15, 44, 47-48
"Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition...." 1 Corinthians 10:11
God tells us to live by His standard for justice. He has given us clear guidelines to follow them: help the needy, share our resources, and comfort those who hurt with His wonderful promises. The Old Testament prophet Micah summarized it well:
"He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?" Micah 6:8
That's a far cry from trusting a socialist government to rule our families, assign our activities, monitor our choices, prescribe our beliefs, and redistribute our possessions.
We live in an imperfect world, and a spiritual war is raging all around us. America may never be the same, but those who know God have a place of refuge. And in the midst of it all, we will -- by His grace -- continue to share His joy, comfort, mercy and resources.
"Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another...patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. Bless those who persecute you.... Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep." Romans 12:9-15
When You'd Rather Die Than Live
With all that's going on in the day we live, if you've come to a place where you truly are despairing of going on and living one more day on this earth - listen to this encouraging message, and know you are NOT alone!
Look for Carter Conlon's message on April 11th...
http://www.tscnyc.org/media_center.php?pg=sermons#top
Look for Carter Conlon's message on April 11th...
http://www.tscnyc.org/media_center.php?pg=sermons#top
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