Love, Can You Define It?



A Special Edition of What Were You Thinking

      There are three words for “Love” in the Greek language.  They are: Agape, Eros and Philia.  Agape is the type of love used frequently in the Bible and especially in what is known as the Love Chapter, (1Cor: 13). The kind of love that is sacrificial and all encompassing.  It is also the kind of love God has for His children, actually shown by God to His children by example.  Keyword: Charity. 

     Then there is “Eros”.  Eros is the Greek word for a desirable affection.  The type one would have for a spouse in love making.  The most famous ancient work on this subject would be that of Plato’s Symposium which speaks to the students of Socrates on the subject of Eros.  Plato also thought that Eros did not have to be a sexual kind of love but still passionate.  In otherwords, a sexual relationship is not necessary but aside from it has all the passion of love that married people have, but not the only love they have.  Keyword: Passionate.

      Finally, we have the Greek, “Philia”.  Developed by Aristotle and meaning a friendship type of love (Modern day Greek), it includes loyalty to friends, family and community.  It’s also, a very virtuous type of love.  And now that we have defined love, let’s take a look at what is inside us.  Keyword: Platonic.

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       If one has to choose but one kind of love, it should be Agape love.  This is the love that all others should be based on.  So now that we have the definitions, can we spot the love in our own lives?  If you are in a relationship, how many of you can say honestly that you have all three types of love?  For your children, can you honestly profess that you give them all three types of love?  Is it the sacrificial type?  Do you put your needs and wants above your children’s?  Would you lay down your life for your spouse, your child, a friend or even a neighbor?  How about someone you don’t even know?  Who loves us this deeply; our parents or a brother or sister?  Don’t you know that we cannot love like this unless God shows us how?

     Since we are talking right now about the Agape love, the love that is actually God given to the world at large, we must include what the Bible says about this kind of love.  It actually speaks volumes to the subject, most by example.  In John 3:16 it tells us that “God SO loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that whoever believes in Him would not perish but have eternal life”.  God didn’t kill His Son, He gave Him up on the cross and Jesus went willingly to save us from our sins for all time.  Why would Jesus do that?  Simply, after the fall in the Garden, we have all taken a walk on the wild side and are now born with sin in us.  The wages (payment) for sin is death (of the body and the spirit)!   It requires a sinless blood sacrifice to take away our sin (which I’m sure a lot of you will not understand) but, animals could not provide this.  So What Were They Thinking?

     Again, I advise you to read 1 Corinthians, Chap. 13 and find out what God has to say about true Agape love.  This is the type of love we are told, that comes from God, Himself.   If you haven’t already read what is commonly referred to as the “love chapter”, you will find that it gives the best definitions of what love is and what it is not than anything I have ever read, by far.

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     Now let’s talk about Eros.  This is the passionate, sensual kind of love one would have for their spouse.  A desire to be united with the person you have a wonderful affection for.  Generally speaking, the desire is in us to procreate, to make life after ourselves and to essentially prolong our existence through another.  It is the original desire of the world.  This desire is in our genes.  It has been with us since mankind first appeared on the world scene.  Yet, this is the only sense in which it lasts.  The love of Eros being a physical love, does not last.  It changes in intensity and frequency according to the will of the mind and body.

      However, in some cases, it looks nothing like what it started out to be.  What interests me is how someone can be so passionately in love with another and in a short time later, become disrespectful and hateful to the same person they avowed their undying love to,  resorting to name calling, emotional and physical abuses.   Why…?  For whose sake do they do these things to one another?  It certainly does not make the other person feel better about their self nor is it of any benefit to either party.  In a sense, there almost seems to be some kind of vengeance thing going on.  What kind of hatred wells up inside a person to make him or her do this to another person?  What Were They Thinking?

     If people enjoin in a relationship basing that relationship on this kind of love, there is no reason to believe it could last.  Because it is a temporal and physical love, it’s easy to turn sour.  People need to base a lasting relationship whether it’s marriage, or friendship on something more substantive.  Not doing so is perhaps why the divorce rate in this country is between 50 and 60% at any given time (sometimes higher).

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     Finally, what about Philia love, the fraternal, brotherly type love that we give, or do we?  If we are to consider what the Bible says about who is our brother or neighbor in these instances, we must also consider whether or not we are responding as we should.  I believe this is one of the most difficult kinds of love to achieve.  The Bible again states plainly these words, “He who hates his brother, has murdered him in his heart”.  These are fairly strong words.  Just who is your brother or your neighbor?  The Bible also speaks of the Golden Rule…”Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”.  How many of us can say we can abide by this 100% of the time?  “To love those who love you is easy, the hard part is to love those who curse you (Matt. 5:43-46, Luke 6: 27-35)”.  This is truly tough love!

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     Now that you are a little more informed as to what love is and what it isn’t, What Were You Thinking it was?  Do your ideas and beliefs line up with what is shared here today with you?  Do you love others as you love yourself?  Do you love yourself (and I don’t mean pamper yourself or take pride of yourself) I mean really and truly for your benefit, love yourself?  Do you think of what is beneficial for you rather than, demanding the things you think you want?   I don’t ask these questions because I have a need to know, I ask because YOU should know how and why you love and are loved.

     It isn’t an easy thing at times, to love yourself or others.  In fact, it’s probably the hardest thing you can do but is it worth the effort?  You bet it is!  “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach” (Elizabeth Barrett Browning).  And this is the way I love people, myself and my God.  If everyone would strive to love this way, do you think we would have a better world or a world that is worse than we have now?

     Please feel free as always to comment on what is written here.  Be assured, I will return to you the most thoughtful, kind, truthful and loving answer I can.

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End

What Were YOU Thinking?



 (An ongoing series of true life events)

As I sit here typing, deep in my thoughts, I consider how many people have wondered at one time or another in their colorful, happy, sad, inventive, mysterious, incoherent, impossible or expressive Living Out Loud lives (I may have left out an adjective or two, ya think?), they have thought to themselves…”What were YOU thinking?”

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Today’s installment is entitled: Terrorism, What is it and what can we do about it?

Osama Bin Laden, the world’s number one terrorist is DEAD.  Yet, there are many more to step up and take his place.  Terror thrives in the Middle East and it spreads from there to every nook and cranny of the world.

An ongoing, all out war of morality, religion, superiority and politics continues to rage there.  It’s extremist Muslims against the infidel.  Mainly, it’s against Israel but also, anyone who takes the Jewish part in all this.  This war goes back millennia and frankly, I don’t see any end in sight until the Second Coming.

One has to ask the question however, of the terrorist, “WWYT/What Were You Thinking”?  Do you really think that strapping bombs to little children or young men and women, with the promised reward of heavenly virgins and blowing up civilians will garner world support for your cause?  Do you actually think that hijacking jets and flying them into buildings where thousands of people (who have nothing to do with you or your cause) get killed is going to get support for your way of life?  What are you thinking…or are you?

Then there is the racially motivated terrorism.  This is the kind of terror that begins at home.  The killing fields in Africa where tribes war against each other.  Women being raped, their husbands killed or worse, taken away never to be seen or heard from again.  In Ireland, much like the Middle East, it’s Protestant against Catholic, a free Republic against the Crown of England.  In the US, it’s Crips and Bloods, the Almighty Black P Stone nation, the Triad/Yakuza, Asian Boyz, the infamous Hell’s Angels, the Latin Kings and the 18^th Street gang, just to name a few.  All of the above traffic in violence and terror. 

Gangs originally began in the US to protect ones family and possessions or localities.  Of course, these gangs now operate on a much more feral level.  Murder for hire, theft, rape and the oh, so enticing “jumping in” ceremonies are but a few of the ways these people terrorize their communities.

Do all these horrific acts make them think that they will be seen as endearing to those around them?  No!  It’s all done to make others submit out of fear.  But it also does something equally unseemly, it perpetuates stereotypes.  How you might ask?  To begin with, when some see radical Muslims on the news or their group being the ones who take credit for bombing a school bus or some grocery store; what faces do you think they associate in the future with these horrific crimes?  

Why is it that terror is the first action these people resort to?   Why not try the news or peaceful demonstrations first?  Other people deal with their plights in such ways.  So how can these things be good things?  How can they be more expedient for their lifestyles?  Do they not see that this behavior disenfranchises them from the rest of the world?

 “What Were You Thinking”?  It seems there are only three logical options for this type of lifestyle behavior.  They can get out…maybe, they can go to prison (and most do) or they can die and early violent death.  Great choices, are they not?

I said earlier in this segment and I will say it again, “Terror begins at HOME.  Whether it is the bully in school or the street gang or international terrorists, the psychology is the same.  Gangs are growing all over the world, whether they are Middle Eastern gangs, Russian, Irish, street thugs or prison gangs, they are exponentially flourishing.  Is there any way that we can turn the tide of this runaway problem or will it be a slow, case by case endeavor as it was with Osama bin Laden, with no real permanent outcome?

Because of terrorists (no matter what the type) there are people who will lose their lives.  The ongoing dilemma is that it costs those who live through terror their freedoms.  We are the ones who become insecure or locked up behind our walls while they roam free.  And we are the ones who cross the street when we see someone of a different race coming toward us with a brief case or a rough looking appearance.  This is not good for the human race or the ability for us to move forward with peace and love.

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I welcome all comments and suggestions to every installment of WWYT that is produced.  I also encourage you to give me your comments on possible ideas for each segment as I will be happy to credit your name for your thought.  Finally, I would like to thank everyone who participates here in advance and for those who have already participated in making WWYT the success that it is.

"Her Father's Eyes"



Our story begins about a half a century ago in the backyard of a little girl named Catelee. A sweet girl with an enchanting personality, Catelee made it a habit to venture into her backyard to play and explore on a daily basis; she was 4 years old. 

Her mother was a young woman who had recently celebrated her 28^th birthday.  Frances was a stay at home mom who longed to get back to her career as a telephone operator.  Staying at home all day with a precocious child didn’t seem to fulfill all of her desires and dreams that were yet to come, for her relatively new family.  She wanted to contribute more, especially financially.

When Frances gave birth to Catelee, 12 months after her wedding, she was not a typical mom.  She had worked most of her life since she was 14, for her mother and father, in whatever business they were established in and she was quite independent.  Motherhood was not instantaneous to her, but she found that she loved her little girl with all her heart; but was not equipped to handle babies for lack of experience.  Frances’ mother helped her familiarize herself with motherhood and as a byproduct of that relationship, Catelee had a profound love for her loving grandmother as well.  Grandma, found herself doting on her grandchild as Francis was an only child; as is Catelee, at least until she is nine years old.

Then, there was Richard, Catelee’s father.  Richard worked for a prominent airline of that day as a mechanic.  He was quite the harsh taskmaster of his home but was a bright light to Catelee when she was young.  In her eyes, her dad could do no wrong and as she claimed quite often; every time they drove past where her father worked, “That’s where my daddy works, he can fix ANYthing”! 

Her father was a tall man with a dramatic frame.  To the little towhead, bright blue-eyed girl, daddy was a giant of a man with stern, steel-blue eyes.  There was however, always room in his over- sized lap for her to curl up in.  She loved the smell of daddy’s Old Spice and to this day, that scent reminds her of a life that was warm and decent.  It was remarked by others at the time, that she looked just like her daddy, but that even though her eyes were the same steely blue color, there was something different about them.  They were bluer, deeper perhaps.  Maybe they were even more infinite, compassionate and loving.  No matter what the consensus was, she definitely had “her Father’s eyes”!

It was a warm, late spring afternoon that found our little champion in the backyard of her home, smelling another familiar and cherished scent, that of the pink oleander bush in the corner of her yard.  It too, was mildly sweet.  Almost like a take on maple syrup but softer…not spicy either, more like; caramel sweet.

After playing and exploring her own kingdom for about an hour, our young girl, intoxicated by the oleander, was a bit fatigued and decided to lie down on, the velvety green lawn that carpeted her world.  Catelee began looking up at the sky and at the fluffy clouds, creating different images in her mind.  They were the kind of images that children create when their minds slow down and they begin to focus on their originality and ingenuity.  As all young people do, she began to see things in the clouds that were familiar to her…a pony, a turtle, a rabbit and so on.  This little exercise took about 20 minutes or so, which is an eternity in the imagination of a child.  She began to wonder just how it was that those images got up there in the sky for her to enjoy.  As soon as the thought entered her head, as if she were being awoke from a day dream by a parent, she heard a voice kindly and tenderly telling her…”It was I who put those in the sky for your enjoyment and benefit”.

Knowing that her daddy had gone to work already, Catelee called to her mother.  Looking around, she saw nothing; nothing but the yard and the trees, bushes and the sky surrounding her.  In her soul, something of which she knew nothing about, she knew the voice talking to her but couldn’t place it.  Finally, she asked out loud, “Who are YOU”?

The answer came from inside her ear but was not from her head or imagined.  It came to her in a “still small voice” that was so soft and filled with compassion. “I am your Father, called God”.  She answered the voice, informing HIM that, her daddy was at work.  To this, HE gave her the news that HE was her Father, which is in Heaven.

Being a little unsettled by all of this, Catelee ran from the yard to her mother inside the house.  Her young but brilliant mind was working at a fevered pitch.  Finding Mama in the kitchen, she first asked for something cool to drink.  Francis reached into the refrigerator to get a pitcher of ice cold sweet tea.  After Catelee drank her refreshment, she felt her body and mind calm from the earlier excitement she had felt and began to slowly quiz her mother.

Mom was not terribly prepared for what her daughter was about to lay onto her, but looking back, Catelee realized, that she gave the best answers she could at the time.  Answers, unbeknownst to either one of them at the time, were given to her mother by God, Himself.

Catelee began…”Mama, who is God”?

Frances, at first startled by the abruptness of the topic said, “God is the Father of everyone”.

“Everyone… then who is God’s daddy”, inquired Catelee, continuing to quiz her mother?”

Mom was taken aback again, but answered as best she could, remembering all the Sunday school and Catechism classes she attended when she was a girl; courtesy of her mother and grandmother.  She searched her memory and came up with…”God has no daddy, HE is the Father of everything and everyone in the world and the skies.”

“But where did HE come from” pressed Catelee?

Frances once again, came up with the answer, “HE has ALWAYS been and always will be”.

Not really understanding what it was her mother was saying at this point, Catelee commented that, “God must be really, really big, huh?”

Becoming a little un-nerved by the Q & A, Frances intimated that perhaps Catelee should go back outside and enjoy the weather a little longer, as it would soon be suppertime and time for her to come in for the day.

The little white-headed girl bounced off of the bar-stool at the counter of the kitchen and joyfully carried on outside with her conversation to God.  Getting back into the same spot she left, lying down on the cool lawn, looking upwards to the sky, she returned to her spiritual Friend and Father to involve HIM in more Q & A.  Now, she was closing her eyes, trying to see God in her mind… but she couldn’t imagine HIM.

 She curtly asked HIM, “Well, what do you look like, do I know you”?

God was happy to answer her still and told her that, “You cannot see me now, and you know me but not as well as I would like, but you will later”.

“Do my Mama and Daddy know you too”?

“Not as much as they used too, which makes me sad”.

“Why are you sad”?

“I want everyone in the world to KNOW ME”.

“Why, God”?

“Because, I love all of MY Creation and all of MY People…will you Love ME”?

“Yes…I love YOU”!

Before HE left, HE whispered in a soft, still voice…”I will always Love you and when others ask you, ‘whose eyes you have’, you can tell them, that you have your Father’s Eyes”.

Catelee is a grown, middle-aged woman now.  She looks back on that day in her backyard and remembers all that has come and gone from that day to this with great fondness and joy.  Even though all through her life there were incidents of tragedy and loss, and times when she felt as though she didn’t know which way was up; she counts them all as gladness now because she can see God now.

In retrospect, she sees her life, and each time she felt alone and in suffering, she saw where God was there, guiding her and putting things to right.  The little enjoyable conversation that took place those many years ago, was now, put into a greater perspective.  Not knowing then, exactly what God would mean to her in the future (immediate or otherwise), the one thing she understood then and now, was that she was listening to truth, love and compassion.

Up to that moment of her life, she had been too young to understand the concept of God.  She had never even heard HIM mentioned among household conversations, as Frances and Richard had ceased ever going to church of any kind.  Catelee had no foreknowledge of anything spiritual but always, there was God, leading her down paths that would give her the wisdom and knowledge she sought.  For awhile too, her Grandma and Great-Grandmother became part of those paths.  They taught Catelee the same way they taught her mother.  Was it all correct and true?  Well, not everything, but God gave HIS daughter the gift of discernment.  As she has learned over the many years, God has promised her many gifts which have come to pass.  Among these have been the “greatest” of gifts which are Faith, Hope and Love, the greatest of these being Love.

There have been a great many conversations with God since that first one, all those years ago.  A lot of people have even claimed the woman is crazy but by the actions of her life, shown on a daily basis to others, those people have been proven to be liars.  Her children adore her with the same love she has shown to them, the same love, that God showed to her.  Her friends admire her with the same admiration that she shows God.  She’s never met a stranger and helps the helpless out of her abundance.  When people see her, they know who she looks like…why.  Because people see that HE is IN her and she does the things her Father does.  Catelee belongs to God, the Father…

 She sees the hope and fears of all of us and the Love and Truth and Compassion in HIS eyes.  When she looks in the mirror, she knows there is one certainty...and that certainty is that she has her Father’s Eyes!

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Author’s Final Comments

The story you have just read is true as they were recalled to the author.  The names have been changed to protect an innocent.

"The Decalogue"



 (A Special Edition of WWYT)                                     

     The Decalogue is commonly referred to as the “Ten Commandments”.  We’ve all read them but do we really know them and what they represent?  Do you remember how the story goes?  God is represented to Moses by a “burning bush” on Mt. Sinai, where He relates Ten Commandments to Moses.  Why would God feel it necessary to do this?  Well, there are a couple of good reasons why it was necessary.  After the first three commands, let’s leave God out of the equation, shall we?

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     The first part of the “Ten” (as I will refer to them), speaks directly to the personality and how His people (the Israelites) should relate to Him.  These are the first three commandments.  They are how the Creator indicates how He is and how He requires His followers to respect Him.  Every Commandment in the OT is backed by Jesus explaining its purpose in the NT.

     For example: Ex. 20: 3 “Do not worship any other gods before me.”  Jesus says in Matt. 4: 10, “You must worship the Lord your God and serve ONLY Him”. 

     Jesus also explains this in Luke 16: 13 as He does in the following command.  Here God is conveying that HE is the one and only Creator of the Universe and all that is in it.  If it were not so, HE would have no right to make such a claim on us.  Those that understand this, have no issue following this command even though it can encompass many things.  This command and the third command are very closely tied together.  It doesn’t say so in the Bible per se, but any reasonable person would have to consider that God, talking to us through HIS word, does not want to leave HIS personality up to misinterpretation.  To be pragmatic, they would also have to consider that, if you believe God is the Creator of the Universe, then it follows that you must need to know what HE is like and what HE wants from us. 

     The presupposition here is, Science vs. Intelligent Design or God.  The Big Bang vs. who made the Big Bang?

                            Ex. 20:4 says “Do not make idols of any kind”.  Jesus says in Luke 16:13, “No one can serve two masters…” 

     Why does God say this?  He explains that “I am a jealous God and will not share YOUR affection and love with any other god.”  You may ask why HE is jealous and I would ask you this; if you were to make everything in the universe, would it be right or considered kosher, if a certain portion of that creation went around giving credit of that creation, to someone else?  Also, you will notice that in the Bible, when God speaks to us, He uses phrases and words that we can plainly understand, or that were understood during the time it was written which spans about 2,000 to 2,500 years (give or take). 

     Sometimes, to be able to understand the full or correct meaning of what God has intended, we must either have in us the Holy Spirit (which leads us into ALL truth, John 16: 13) or be fluent in Hebrew dialects, Aramaic dialects, Greek and Roman and English (old and new) of the day.  Which seems more efficient, to have everyone know all these different languages or tongues, or to have God’s Spirit within us?  We can barely communicate efficiently within our own languages, let alone, several different ones.

     Of course, you already know that, the Bible is the leading seller of books since the written word began, to date and comes in all languages and tongues?

                            Ex. 20:7 “Do not take the name of the Lord in vain (misuse the name of the Lord, in the NLT). 

     The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse His name.  Jesus makes sure to refer to this in this way in Matt. 5:34, “But I say, don’t make any vows!  If you say ‘By heaven!’ it is a sacred vow because Heaven is God’s Throne”.  If you think this just refers to G-D Dam-n, think again.  If you misquote God’s word (by intent) or if you say, the Lord told me to give me your belongings or give me money etc. is a violation.  Claiming to be one of HIS chosen and you are not, or proclaiming to come in HIS name is a misuse of the Name of the Lord.  Why is it wrong or bad for us to take the name of the Lord in vain, besides the consequences from God?  Think over the years and centuries past, how many have come proclaiming the name of the Lord and murdering, raping and doing all sorts of foul things to humanity.  Does it help you to see more clearly what God intended for us by knowing what HE means when HE requires these things of us?

     Any and all of these things can cause you grief and not just from the Lord either.  Is this a command designed to hurt you intentionally?  No.  It is designed to make you think before you act and give credit where credit is due.  You are even allowed to speak against The Father and Jesus but know that the “unforgivable sin” (if you will) is to denounce God’s Holy Spirit.  Why you ask?  This is why.  Turning your back on and denying the power and existence of God’s Holy Spirit is the same as saying you are giving up ALL hope; because, the Holy Spirit of God IS, the hope of the world in every way.  This is why Catholics declare that suicide is an unpardonable sin, because those who commit it have given up all hope that they can be saved by Christ.  You will find what Jesus has to say about this is Matt. 12: 31 & 32.

                             Ex. 20:8 “Remember to observe the Sabbath Day by keeping it Holy”.

      In      Mark 2:27, 28 Jesus says this, “The Sabbath was made to benefit people and not people to benefit the Sabbath and I, son of Man, am the master of the Sabbath!”  This was clearly established by the priests of the day (Sadducees and Pharisees) as blasphemy and heresy simply because they did not understand what God had meant and the priests then used the Sabbath to control the Israelites.  Anyone who taught differently, even though they were right to do so was considered a heretic.

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     The fifth Commandment is the first command with promise.

                             Ex. 20: 12 “Honor your Mother and Father so, that your days may be long on

 the Earth”. 

     In Matt. 10:37, Jesus tells us, “If you love your father or mother more than me you are not worthy of being mine”.  This sounds quite harsh however, in obeying Jesus and the Father in all things; you automatically honor your Mother and Father.

     How does that translate?  First of all, to understand and follow God’s purpose in your life would encompass what most parents hope and dream of for their children, so in doing this, you honor them.  His first and best purpose for you is to love God with all your heart and mind and soul and breath.  It is the command that Christ himself gave (Mark 12: 29-31).  Then Christ gave the second most important command, love your neighbor as yourself, commonly called the Golden Rule.  Secondly, in obeying God’s commands, you take on His righteousness and this honors your mother and father, as you’re also obeying their wishes for you.  One must hope that the mother and father are worthy of such devotion but alas, that is not always the case.  But in doing these first two things, one cannot help but honor their mother or father.  Obeying God out of love and respect is His purpose for all His children.

     Punishment for disobeying this command; the tribe that contained the offending person or juvenile would take them and stone them to death.  Some people still think this is an answer to unruly and disobedient children but remember, as they were only people trying to follow God, they were certainly imperfect, as are we.  Bottom line here, is that we must be so careful in how we interperet scripture.  Again, we must refer to the Holy Spirit within us, as trying to make these interpretations on our own can have disasterous results.

     The six, seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth commands all have to do with the intent of the heart. 

                             Ex. 20: 13 “Do not commit murder”. 

     Jesus backs this up by saying the following: Matt 15: 16-20 NT and Matt 5: 21 & 22NT.

                             Ex. 20: 14 “Do not commit adultery”. 

     Again Jesus speaks about these commands in Matt 5: 27-32 NT.

                             Ex. 20: 15 “Do not steal”. 

    

     Not a lot is written about this command but I will tell you about the few things that are.  Jesus says that “if you are ordered to court and your shirt is taken, give your coat too (Matt 5: 40-42).”  Verse 42 explains it this way; “Give to those who ask and don’t turn away from those who borrow.”  In essence what this accomplishes is to curb or try to eliminate stealing altogether.  In those days of Christ and before, it was a law (both secular and religious) that anyone who was hungry could come into your garden, orchard or field, and eat their fill without condemnation or breaking of any laws.  Those who begged on the street would usually, if not always, beg for money, not food.

                               Ex. 20: 16 “Do not testify falsely against your neighbor”. 

    

     In some versions of the bible, this says simply, “Do not lie”.  Jesus put this very simply when He said, “On Judgement Day, you must give an account of every idle word you speak” (Matt 12: 36).  Lying hurts everyone, especially you.  However remember, that putting the best spin on something is not lying.  For example, let’s say you had a favorite uncle who was executed in the electric chair for his crimes.  You could say that even up to his death, he was electrifying, or he had an electric personality, and then leave it at that.  Your wife or girlfriend asks you how her new dress looks on her.  You could say that it looks terrible and hurt her feelings even though it’s the truth, or you could say something like… as long as you like it sweetheart, it looks beautiful.  You get the idea.  Don’t lie.

     Most people realize that there are so many ways to detect liars now besides the polygraph machine that they don’t even bother anymore.  Some people, like myself, realize that they aren’t very good at lying so they have decided that it is better to tell the truth and much easier.

                               Ex. 20: 17 “Do not covet your neighbor’s house. Do not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that is your neighbor’s.

    

     This brings us to the last and final commandment, the one I like to refer to as the “Gateway” sin commandment.  Why gateway sin?  Well, because in the coveting or desiring of anything that does not belong to you, it will lead you to commit every single sin listed above.  This was even Lucifer’s downfall.  Lucifer was considered a god (as the bible says we all are, Ps. 82:6 OT and John 10: 34 NT, but wanted to become The GOD).  In John 10: 34-36, Jesus refers to the OT and Ps. 82:6 where the Israelite rulers and judges are called “gods” (see also, Ex. 4:16, & 7:1).  If God called the Israelite leaders gods because they were agents of God’s revelation and will, how could it be blasphemy for Jesus to call himself the Son of God?  He was rebuking the religious leaders, because he is the Son of God in a unique and unparalleled relationship of oneness with the Father.

     God see his children as reflections of His own self, and in that sense, we are deemed “gods”.  How curious is it then, that we would want to behave contrary to this declaration?  But we do.  In our fallen nature it is our desire, quest or hope that we become more by acquiring more.  This is why this particular sin is SO dangerous and undermining.  It is what caused Cain to kill his brother, Abel. 

    

     Sometimes however, the thing you think you desire most is something you already have.  Cain wanted God’s love and though he had it already, didn’t realize it because God was disappointed in his offering, unlike Abel’s.  Disappointment in someone, does of course, not mean you do not love them.  Of course not only did Cain murder his brother, but then he lied to God about knowing where his brother was.

     In summation, I can assuredly tell you this; that where we let ourselves down the most, is when we don’t look at our lives in retrospect or with a critical eye.  How many of us can say that we truly examine our motives for doing things, without trying to justify them to our favor?  A famous secular man named, Aristole once said, “The unexamined life, is NO life”. 

      The things I have written today are not an indictment on anyone who reads this, it is just an explanation of why they were written in the first place.  Written first, by the hand of God, then passed down from generation to generation to us; why?  So to be a benefit to us, not for others to control us but so that, we will have self control and assurance that we will do the right thing in all situations.

     How can we become better people by not examining ourselves?  The simple answer is, we cannot.  We cannot learn to adjust attitudes, learn real love or gain growth, when we don’t examine the way we live and act toward one another.  I know that Jesus said it perfectly when he told us how to examine our lives this way; “Take the beam out of your OWN eye, then you can see clearly enough to take the sliver out of your brother’s eye” (Matt 7: 3 & 5, Luke 6: 41 & 42 NT).

     In this writing, I have given you both the Old Testament and the New Testament to show the consistent and congruous nature of the Bible.  Spanning over millennia (approx. 4500 or so years to date, the Bible itself took approx. 2500 years to complete in its entirety), no book on earth could have this kind of consistency within all its pages, without divine help.  It is not reasonable or prudent to think that it could be possible.  One more thing to note, it is not in the translation that the meaning of the word is lost, only in the interpretation.  God and His divine wisdom has seen to it that His Word stands unaltered in its meaning forever. 

     So there you have it, “The Decalogue”, otherwise known as the Ten Commandments and my testimony of what benefits us, not what hinders us.  I pray that, as you read this, you’ll have questions that you’ll like answered.  Please feel free to ask and I will do my utmost to give you honest and beneficial answers.  Thanks for reading and I hope you have enjoyed it.

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Cate

"What Were YOU Thinking?" (Cults)



 (An ongoing series of true life events)

It could have been a nun regretting her decision to become such and leaving the convent.  It could be a fearless, young, teenage girl getting a ride from a stranger as she hitchhikes to NY or Hollywood, thinking of becoming a star or dancer perhaps.  These are but scant morsels of the true life topics we can explore in WWYT but today, I want to take you into the cults and their culture.

 Maybe it was one of hundreds, perhaps thousands who, for better or worse, wanted to start a new life.  A life they thought was worth living.  A life better than the one they already had.  This is the kind of life where self worth and harmony could be immediately attained, where they could just live their life without being hurt by someone or something.  Someone who one day just picked up a few personal belongings and headed out for this ranch where ALL were welcome and the living was free and easy.  Some place told to them by an acquaintance and off they went.

Maybe people come back from these places, maybe they don’t.  This is the story that will have you asking the question: “What Were You Thinking?

My story begins around the first of May 2007 where headlines and news channels began telling the tale of a self-proclaimed cult arriving in northeastern New Mexico.  Less than a month later they were reporting that three teenagers were taken from the compound and the cult leader, self-styled Messiah, Michael Travesser, was arrested on grounds of child molestation.  He is sixty-six years old.  His real name is Wayne Bent.

His victims were found with him lying naked next to him on his bed.  The entire congregation (if you will) believed that if Michael were to be prosecuted it would have dire consequences on the world, perhaps even ending it as we know it.

The girls, at the time fourteen and sixteen, were virgins and reported that they were willing to die for Michael whom they referred to as Messiah.

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What makes people follow a nut like this?  His only incentive was to have sex with all the female members and encourage his self proclaimed God Complex in order to control others, their money and their lives.  So, I ask you…What Were You Thinking, people?

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"Count the Cost" ( a poem by Cate Hatfield)

Count the Cost

“It broke my heart to see HIS stripes; it broke my will to know

 HE did...ALL that he did in 6 hours time,

HE did for the world and this spirit of mine.

Despised and broken HIS life HE gave...in 6 hours time,

My soul HE saved.

 When I count the cost...for this world of lost,

The price HE paid for the debt we made...

I think how great is this prize

How we must look through HIS eyes.

I count the time that HE spent there

On that cross, our shame to bear.

A single act so Great that it split time,

 It split the veil and this heart of mine.

So when you start to count the cost

 Be sure to add what HE found lost.

It only took 6 hours time to save a world and this life of mine."