Jonathots Daily Blog
(3949)
The producers of jonathots would humbly request a yearly donation for this inspirational opportunity
Jonathots Daily Blog
(3886)
Bad inflow, stinky outflow.
The human race has been given lots of bad information.
Thus the stink in the air.
The collaborators are at work. They have gotten together and either lined up in one brigade or clumped in another–those camps being the secular notion that all human beings are basically good, just needing to be left alone to prosper within their own consciousness, or the religious assertion that we are rotten, and if God doesn’t save us and constantly monitor our activities, we are fodder for hell.
It’s spooky.
And trying to find a real life out of these warring armies of philosophy makes the common person like me wish for some peace. The problem is, I end up less productive than I wish to be.
Human beings are probably one of the simpler forms of life.
We are not creatures in the jungle, struggling for survival. We are not bees, frantically trying to make honey, and we also are not cockroaches, scurrying across the floor to escape being squashed by grossed-out adults.
We have two buttons. Yes, just two: LESS and MORE. Should we press LESS or press MORE?
The conflict arises when our ego tells us to press MORE when LESS is needed, or our fear demands we press LESS when it’s time to hunker down on the MORE button.
The entire Gospel of Jesus was a less and more proposal. Don’t take my word for it–you read it and you’ll see the principle. He came to guide us into what should be done less, what should be thought less and what should be felt less, and what requires a good dose of more.
You don’t have to go any further than the Beatitudes to find this in full application:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit.”
In other words, less ego about being spiritual because you really aren’t, and God doesn’t expect you to be anything but human.
“Blessed are they that mourn.”
More compassion is needed for others if we expect to feel the compassion coming back our way.
“Blessed are the meek.”
Less struggling, fighting, arguing, back-biting and cursing will give us a chance to buy time for a shift in society’s thinking or a change of scenery.
“Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness.”
We all need more energy in trying to learn to achieve our goals by using the most common sense we can possibly muster.
“Blessed are the merciful.”
It’s made clear that the more merciful we are to others, the more we receive in return.
“Blessed are the pure in heart.”
The less we inundate our emotions with unnecessary arguments, the easier it is to see God working in our lives.
“Blessed are the peacemakers.”
The more we stay out of the fracas of politics and religious intolerance, the more we will be viewed as individuals who make things happen–good things.
“Blessed are those which are persecuted for righteousness sake.”
Yes, less worry about whether we will come out on top. We should stop being concerned about goodness going out of style.
And the culmination: “Rejoice and be exceedingly glad.”
Bluntly, less fretting about whether things are going to turn out well for us here on Earth and in the kingdom beyond.
Step into your day with your two buttons: LESS and MORE.
Then take the time, all the good things you’ve learned, and choose which one to press when it is the moment to render an excellent decision.
We are delighted to announce that every afternoon from now until Christmas we will be posting sittings from the story, “Jubilators,” for your enjoyment. Good reading and Merry Christmas!
The producers of jonathots would humbly request a yearly subscription donation of $10 for this inspirational opportunity
Click the elephant to see what he’s reading!
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Jonathots Daily Blog
(2788)
Into a world filled with religious intolerance, promoted by souls who deemed themselves exceptional, Jesus arrived as a contrarian.
The Jews disrespected women, hated the Samaritans and despised the Romans. Not only did Jesus refuse to participate in this national pastime, but he actually propagated the notion that women were to be treated as equals, Samaritans deserved a revival and that Caesar was to be honored for what Caesar accomplished.
For this piece of insight, the Jews gave him a cross response.
Meanwhile, in the midst of our determining whether we have the impetus to stop judging other folks, a more serious situation has settled in on the children of the Kingdom.
At times we find ourselves uncomfortably linked with religious extremists who seem to share some of our batch of prejudice. After all, ISIS does not like women, ISIS has great fear and condemnation for sexual expression of almost any kind.
So until we wake up and realize that we not only need to cease judging the world, but also need to set in motion a path to “unjudge” what has already been done, we just may find ourselves irrelevant to the next generation of searchers.
I have never owned a slave but my ancestors did.
I do not treat women as weaker vessels, but I grew up in a church and a society where females were relegated to lesser positions.
I have never personally lobbied against homosexuals and their rights as American citizens, but I lived through a time when the Moral Majority was insulting and even threatening to these brothers and sisters.
So it falls my lot, mission and joy to repent for the stupidity of the past.
Yes–I get to unjudge the world.
It is a reasonable thing–the necessary step to becoming Jesonian.
Not only do we stop judging those around us, but we allow ourselves a season of sackcloth and ashes, to admit the evil that has occurred in our history, which has forbidden racial inclusion, female equivalency with males and social liberty for all Americans.
So I apologize for my brother Paul, who one day made some sideways comments about women which ended up in a holy book, producing hurtful results.
I’m sorry for Jerry Falwell and Anita Bryant, who used the Gospel to isolate people instead of including them in the fold.
And I’m sorry that we seem to be so afraid of the world around us that we cannot allow the mercy in our souls to realize that evil does have life, but a very short span.
It is time to unjudge the world.
If we do so, we have a message for the next generation, filled with promise.
If we don’t, our religion is the dinosaur that must die so people can walk in peace on the earth.
The producers of jonathots would humbly request a yearly subscription donation of $10 for this wonderful, inspirational opportunity
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Jonathots Daily Blog
(2094)
“Behold, the handmaiden of the Lord…”
These were the words uttered by the Virgin Mary of Nazareth upon hearing that she was to be the human incubator of the Messiah. Of course, she had no idea what the project entailed, nor exactly how God works with people to perform greatness.
The problem with our comprehension of the Divine is that we believe the “idea person” should jump in and do all the work. It doesn’t happen that way.
Actually, if you study the story carefully and put it into the context of Mary’s lifespan, it is a tale of unfulfillment, punctuated by obedience and highlighted by very brief moments of encouragement.
For after all, getting pregnant in a small town when you’re not married is not pleasant whatsoever–especially among people who consider stoning. Being a teenage girl going through morning sickness, swollen legs and a growing belly leaves little time for reflections on angels and promises.
And then to discover that your family is about to be taxed and you will have to leave town during your third trimester to journey over a hundred miles away–only to have your water break right outside the town of your destination, while your husband is unable to find any kind of lodging without situating you next to an animal–well, it certainly takes the glimmer off the original statement of acceptance and willingness.
But it didn’t stop there.
She was chased out of Israel, lived for at least five years in a foreign land, returned home to renewed gossip from non-forgiving-nor-forgetting townsfolk, and settled into what seemed to be a quiet life with a normal family, with no signs of her “miracle son” being particularly special, except for the one time when he was twelve years old and disobeyed her by hanging out in the temple.
When he was grown, she watched his erratic behavior as he lived among wild beasts and fasted, preached against religious intolerance and was rejected by his home town and nearly killed.
Shortly after that, his execution was completed on a hill–hung between two thieves and thrown into a tomb, where to her amazement, he was resurrected. But even at the point of her death, his movement and words had not traveled much beyond the borders of Judea. Hardly confirmation for a world-wide savior.
All of this was initiated by an angel’s proclamation and the only further confirmation she received to give strength to the original promise was an occasional dream, which she had to choose to believe was significant.
The Christmas story is a beautiful insight into the mind of God. It reminds us that everything which is eventually deemed heavenly is brought to pass … through earthly sacrifice.
The producers of jonathots would humbly request a yearly subscription donation of $10 for this wonderful, inspirational opportunity
Click for details on the SpirTed 2014 presentation
Please contact Jonathan’s agent, Jackie Barnett, at (615) 481-1474, for information about scheduling SpiriTed in 2014.
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A voice writing in the wilderness
Jonathots Daily Blog 