1 Thing You Can Do This Week to Chase Your Fear Away

Speak it out loud

Fears prefer silence.

Fears love to hide out and pretend they don’t exist.

Fears love to control our internal hope and choke out the faith we require.

Just speak it out loud.

You will be astounded how many people share the same apprehensions that you do. You will be equally amazed at how many allies you rally to your side simply by making it clear that the fear that once ruled you is now being exposed and “ratted out.”

Some fabulous things happen:

First, hearing your fear actually builds your faith because faith comes by hearing. It is the silent terror inside us that keeps us from believing.

Secondly, there is the fear that inhabits us and the fear that controls us. Once fear is brought to the forefront, it may hang around for a while, but it no longer has the key to your choices.

And finally, without sharing your fear, you never really have fellowship with anyone else—because simply trying to disguise your nervous energy prevents you from offering your true heart. And because you are never known, you cannot truly know.

It’s up to you–but if you’d like to chase your fear away, speak it aloud.

It’s always beneficial for a fresh cleansing of your soul, and many times a good hearty laugh.

The producers of jonathots would humbly request a yearly donation for this inspirational opportunity

 

Dear Man/Dear Woman: A Noteworthy Conversation … June 25th, 2016

 Jonathots Daily Blog

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Dear Man: So are you a Martian?

 

Dear Woman: What?

 

Dear Man: John Gray, in his book back in 1992, claimed that men were from Mars and women were from Venus. So I guess that would make you a Martian.

 

Dear Woman: And you a Venetian.

 

Dear Man: Isn’t that a set of blinds?

 

Dear Woman: Yes. Can the blinds lead the blinds?

 

Dear Man: You didn’t go there, did you?

 

Dear Woman: I did.

 

Dear Man: I think it’s dangerous to think that the two genders of one species are from two different planets, with no plan to build a space ship.

 

Dear Woman: It’s a cop-out. I’m sure this Gray fellow was nice and all, but he didn’t realize that fostering the ignorance of an ongoing farce is not realism–it’s pandering.

 

Dear Man: Yeah. I guess it would just be easier for me to think you were nuts and I was fruitful.

 

Dear Woman: And easier for me to believe that you are incapable of understanding me.

 

Dear Man: Here’s the truth–we both have landed on Earth. We can’t escape to another sphere of living without jeopardizing our relationship and probably even the balance of life itself.

 

Dear Woman: So rather than making up a conflict or feeding a present disagreement, I think it’s contingent on both you and me to try to get along on Earth.

 

Dear Man: Well said. Let me start off by telling you that the first thing all Earthlings have to realize in order to survive here–whether they’re male or female–is that truth gives you freedom. If you lie, you’re bound to spend all your time covering up the lie. The only way to get freedom–whether you have a vagina or a penis–is to tell the truth. Otherwise, you’re in bondage.

Dear Woman: Can I offer a second? Commonality creates allies. I will tell you–Mars and Venus thinking is just a clever way to cover the nastiness of gender bias, just as the pursuit of “culture” is the new Jim Crow.

 

Dear Man: What do you mean by that?

 

Dear Woman: I mean, commonality creates allies. When we insist we’re different, it separates us into camps, which invites bigotry.

 

Dear Man: I get that. So the more we find in common, the more we become allies. As allies, we don’t need to fight anymore just to prove we’re uniquely male or female. So can I give a third one?

 

Dear Woman: Fire away.

 

Dear Man: Respect preserves love. Once we convince ourselves there’s some sort of quiet mutual disrespect going on, love rots. Love cannot survive disrespect.

 

Dear Woman: Boy, is that true. If I think that you think I’m kind of stupid, I will find it difficult to love you.

 

Dear Man: And if I think you think I’m lesser, I won’t have any motivation to give you my love.

 

Dear Woman: So let me make a bold statement–John Gray and those who followed him may have felt they were being contemporary with their observations, but what they ended up doing was driving a wedge between the only forces that can unite to make the world better–men and women.

 

Dear Man: We live on Earth, not Venus or Mars. We are not separated by outer space. Truth gives us freedom, commonality creates allies and respect preserves our love.

 

The producers of jonathots would humbly request a yearly subscription donation of $10 for this wonderful, inspirational opportunity

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Jonathan’s Latest Book Release!

PoHymn: A Rustling in the Stagnant

Click here to get your copy now!

 

Ask Jonathots … March 24th, 2016

 Jonathots Daily Blog

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What type of government would Jesus have preferred? Wasn’t the early church basically a communist organization? Is there one form of government that represents Christian principles more than another?

Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world.”

He continued by saying that if his kingdom were of this world, then his disciples would need to fight.

Government, politics and nationalism always establish a foundation with a flag flying–which then needs to be preserved and protected. This creates natural allies, and of course, enemies.

Jesus’ premise was simple: Wherever you place your devotion is where you will be devoted.

Makes sense, right?

So if the teachings of Jesus only worked in a democracy, with a capitalistic style of commerce, then nearly 70% of the world would be left out.

On the other hand, if Jesus had favored socialism and an even-handed distribution of funds to the masses, then the initiative to excel and do better for oneself would have been discouraged.

So Jesus promoted a lifestyle which excels under every form of government, because it does not need a particular climate.

Christianity has survived everything–from revolution, to renovation, to renaissance, to reformation–even to the threat of annihilation. Why?

Because Jesus said the kingdom of God is within us.

Each believer is a self-motivating, self-governing and self-aware “nation.” So we make our own decisions without having to express loyalty to politics or society.

To pull this off, there are three laws by which we maintain the “congress” inside ourselves:

1. No one is better than anyone else.

We don’t need a government to tell us what is acceptable or forbidden. It can be lived out through our actions.

2. Don’t worry.

The elimination of the fear of the future gives us the energy to shape our tomorrow.

3. Go the second mile.

The worst enemy of any culture is mediocrity. It’s when we begin to believe that our lesser efforts are sufficient.

You can take these three principles and live them out in any culture.

So Jesus is not a Republican, a Democrat, a socialist or a capitalist.

He is of the belief that meekness (adaptability) enables us to inherit the Earth.

The producers of Jonathots would humbly request a yearly subscription donation of $10 for this wonderful, inspirational opportunity

 

Boy and Dad… October 5, 2012

(1,659)

Live from October 1st filming

He was a musician. I’m not talking about one of those prissy choral directors who sit around shuffling papers and complaining about off-pitch altos. He was a songwriter who loved to rock out and was willing to dance to the beat of exhilarating music.

He was passionate. But you must understand that passion is not a barn where you store up good notions to use on intelligent occasions. Passion is a wide-open plain filled with thorns, thistles, cacti, poisonous snakes, adventure and mountains. Passion refuses to be restricted by either temperance or the rules of the day.

So even though he was a man of God, he was also a man of the flesh. He loved women. He loved to be enthralled and overtaken by circumstance.

He loved the fight. Yes, he was a warrior–a gentle, romantic barbarian. He viewed the world in black and white and saw enemies instead of potential allies. He embraced those who embraced him and fought off those who rejected the simplicity of his common sense.

At one time in his youth, he trusted, only to be chased down by his mentor and relegated to the status of a slave. He rebelled against control but often found himself in authority over those who were less likely to achieve success than he was.

His mouth was filled with praise but his heart was filled with rage. He spent his whole life trying to balance the two forces, allowing repentance to be the buffer–a healing balm.

He had children, but did not know how to father them, and when he did parent them, he was either too gentle or too confused. You see, he possessed the nature of a lion, the energy of a king and the attributes of a rabble-rouser. In the midst of his marriage, he was tempted by a woman so beautiful, so significant and so needful that he acquired her and killed for her.

Through their union a son was born. The angry musician who loved God but did not understand earth wanted better for his offspring. So he taught the boy to learn instead of fight. He instructed him in poetry and prose instead of swords and spears. He asked the young lad to believe in the power of conversation instead of the marching of troops. He tried to instill passion into his son, but a bridled version, which was not subject to mere whim or appetite.

The father died. It was the son’s turn to rule.

The young man only asked for one thing: wisdom.

He wanted to understand instead of being constantly frustrated by what he beheld. He was given wisdom, and with wisdom, to his surprise, came all the other blessings and gifts of earthly treasure.

He was healthy, he was wealthy and he was wise.

Yet with all his wisdom, he failed to acquire true relationship with the God who had granted him this perception, so even though he rejected the notorious fierceness of his father, he still saw the futility of human effort and obtained his own form of resentment. He became a cynic.

His wisdom changed into mere knowledge, and knowledge, when left to itself, produces a madness in the soul–an insanity without remedy. It makes us believe that there is “nothing new under the sun.”

But because he possessed wisdom, he survived his temporary bout with doubt and in the end, came out believing.

Two men–father and son.

A father who was engorged in human emotion and blemished by error, who loved life and God with all of his heart.

A son who sought wisdom, found knowledge, but for a season was trapped in his own cynicism–until the possibility of hope sprang eternally in the depths of his being.

The father was David. The son was Solomon.

Every man needs to understand that he will pass on to his son both his virtue and his failings. If the son gains wisdom through the father’s failings, then in the end, the message will survive and see a better day. But the son must remember not to lose the virtue of the father’s passion, or a sarcastic spirit will torment his soul.

Boy and dad. The miracle of life continues–hopefully progressing with passion and wisdom towards greater understanding.

The producers of jonathots would humbly request a yearly subscription donation of $10 for this wonderful, inspirational opportunity

Boy and Dad… October 5, 2012

(1,659)

Live from October 1st filming

He was a musician. I’m not talking about one of those prissy choral directors who sit around shuffling papers and complaining about off-pitch altos. He was a songwriter who loved to rock out and was willing to dance to the beat of exhilarating music.

He was passionate. But you must understand that passion is not a barn where you store up good notions to use on intelligent occasions. Passion is a wide-open plain filled with thorns, thistles, cacti, poisonous snakes, adventure and mountains. Passion refuses to be restricted by either temperance or the rules of the day.

So even though he was a man of God, he was also a man of the flesh. He loved women. He loved to be enthralled and overtaken by circumstance.

He loved the fight. Yes, he was a warrior–a gentle, romantic barbarian. He viewed the world in black and white and saw enemies instead of potential allies. He embraced those who embraced him and fought off those who rejected the simplicity of his common sense.

At one time in his youth, he trusted, only to be chased down by his mentor and relegated to the status of a slave. He rebelled against control but often found himself in authority over those who were less likely to achieve success than he was.

His mouth was filled with praise but his heart was filled with rage. He spent his whole life trying to balance the two forces, allowing repentance to be the buffer–a healing balm.

He had children, but did not know how to father them, and when he did parent them, he was either too gentle or too confused. You see, he possessed the nature of a lion, the energy of a king and the attributes of a rabble-rouser. In the midst of his marriage, he was tempted by a woman so beautiful, so significant and so needful that he acquired her and killed for her.

Through their union a son was born. The angry musician who loved God but did not understand earth wanted better for his offspring. So he taught the boy to learn instead of fight. He instructed him in poetry and prose instead of swords and spears. He asked the young lad to believe in the power of conversation instead of the marching of troops. He tried to instill passion into his son, but a bridled version, which was not subject to mere whim or appetite.

The father died. It was the son’s turn to rule.

The young man only asked for one thing: wisdom.

He wanted to understand instead of being constantly frustrated by what he beheld. He was given wisdom, and with wisdom, to his surprise, came all the other blessings and gifts of earthly treasure.

He was healthy, he was wealthy and he was wise.

Yet with all his wisdom, he failed to acquire true relationship with the God who had granted him this perception, so even though he rejected the notorious fierceness of his father, he still saw the futility of human effort and obtained his own form of resentment. He became a cynic.

His wisdom changed into mere knowledge, and knowledge, when left to itself, produces a madness in the soul–an insanity without remedy. It makes us believe that there is “nothing new under the sun.”

But because he possessed wisdom, he survived his temporary bout with doubt and in the end, came out believing.

Two men–father and son.

A father who was engorged in human emotion and blemished by error, who loved life and God with all of his heart.

A son who sought wisdom, found knowledge, but for a season was trapped in his own cynicism–until the possibility of hope sprang eternally in the depths of his being.

The father was David.

The son was Solomon.

Every man needs to understand that he will pass on to his son both his virtue and his failings. If the son gains wisdom through the father’s failings, then in the end, the message will survive and see a better day. But the son must remember not to lose the virtue of the father’s passion, or a sarcastic spirit will torment his soul.

Boy and dad.

The miracle of life continues–hopefully progressing with passion and wisdom towards greater understanding.

The producers of jonathots would humbly request a yearly subscription donation of $10 for this wonderful, inspirational opportunity