CAUSATION, CONFLUENCE, COMPLICITY, AND RESULTS continued

 CAUSATION, CONFLUENCE, COMPLICITY, AND RESULTS

When people post that "Conservatives," or "Progressives," or "Anarchists," or "Communists," or "Fascists," or the "Wealthy," or what ever "undesirable group" is to be blamed for this or that trouble in our nation (world), I cringe--because statements like that imply a single and "direct causation" between one group and whatever unhappiness the post-er is citing.

However . . .
I see life as more layered, subtle and complex than that. Wouldn't it be great if blaming others so simplistically would work every time. But it doesn't. Many factors are at play, and just voting out the "evil-doers," or "draining the swamp," doesn't work. Never did. Never will.

In the realm of "causation" there is often an unexpected relationship between confluence of influences/events, coupled with complicity in wrong-doing among a variety of players/groups -- a perfect storm, as they say. Everyone's hands are dirty, and that cannot be denied.

No single person, group, party or persuasion of people could possibly be responsible for all the problems of America, or the world. Many sins and evils cause these things. Evils often subtle, tasteless, odorless, and colorless continually combine to create the ills of our world. The hungry are so not because there is not enough food to feed them, but because of greed and laziness, lack of motivation to create adequate distribution systems and forces to suppress the thieves who steal resources for personal profit, and so forth and so on. This is not a political problem. It is a problem of corruption.

If we want to stop evil we need to look no farther than the corruption and arrogance of our own hearts. No one can force, buy, vote, protest, imprison, or kill their way into a utopian ideal. Only a personal change from within will move us in that direction. That - is why I am a servant of Christ, that, through me and others, He might make the world a better place . . . beginning with "my own" repentance and reclamation. Betterment of the world cannot happen via the masses. It's always one person, one heart, at a time.

By Daniel Rice
January 19, 2022

THE WAY OF JESUS - as posted on FB

Page 1

Let me make this easy for the reader.
I will state the principles Jesus worked from and the reader can either walk away or dig in deeper. It’s just that fast and easy. No one need wade through a ton of research and jargon before they decide whether they even want to have this conversation. However, if you do want to have this conversation, an open-minded conversation, then I will really do my best to speak clearly and succinctly.

I could have titled this treaties as, The Way of Christ, but not everyone regards Jesus as the Christ, but anyone who believes that Jesus of Nazareth is a “real” historical figure in space and time may be able to see and appreciate the points I am trying to make here.
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THE WAY OF JESUS - page 2

First and foremost, The Way of Jesus, is about “doing the will of his Father.”

According to his own words, Jesus' entire focus in life was the surrender to—the performing of—and the accomplishing of—the will of his Father.

Sounds amazing, but in doing “this” will he was, by default, rejecting his own. Jesus had no separate will from the Father. That does not mean he did not have free will. Rather it establishes that his had free will, because he "chose" the will of the Father over his own. He was not an automaton.

Choosing the will of the Father is the repudiation of taking any reputation or power to himself. 

Taking any kind of power to himself would have been the opposite of doing his Father’s will.

He gives up himself and his own plans for this world. He receives and embraces the will and vision of another. This is huge. Why? Because in this voluntary act of surrender Jesus shows us his WAY.

The WAY OF JESUS begins with the unreserved and complete embracing of the will of his Father. If we are to begin walking the WAY of Jesus, then we must follow the path of the surrender of our own will -- the choice to yield to and embrace the will of God.

Jesus said about himself, “I have come down from heaven to do my Father’s will.” (John 6:38) And then he tells us that our calling is the same as his, "“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 7:21)

To be a Christian, to be a true child of God, is not predicated on what one “believes” but on what one “does.” This idea sounds like it flies in the face of much of Christian practices these days, and it does, but it is, nonetheless, at the very core of the gospel Jesus preached. Jesus was no "revolutionary" or "political" personality. He wasn't even a "religious" man in the way people usually think of religion. Jesus was the Son of God, sent into this world to do one thing — to accomplish the will of his Father.

People lose out with God because they say to Him, “My will be done.” And they cannot enter the kingdom of heaven because God grants them their desire — to have their own way — to be the god of their own life — to shape their world in their own way.

They cannot enter heaven because heaven is where the will of God is done — without any resistance.

No one is allowed to merely add God onto their life and then go on living as though God is with them in order to help them succeed at getting their own way. No. We are all called to the same orientation to the will of God as was Jesus - to surrender to, to embrace, and to “do” the will of God. Let’s talk about what that looked like in his life. It is pretty shocking on a number of levels. 

NEXT INSTALLMENT - pretty soon

LIFE IS SHORT

Just a reminder that life is short, so get out there and live it with expectancy and joy.

When it comes time to check-out of this crazy planet, be sure your heart is free from the entanglements of this world and is ready to meet your Maker without hostility toward any person . . . and with clean hands. Nothing is worth our losing the opportunity to receive the finer things. Don't go out of this world with the poison of unforgiveness in you inner being. Forgive.

So, today, take a deep breath and let it go. As you do, simply choose to expel all things that can bind or poison your spirit; anything that diminishes the radiance of your own soul. You can do this. You really can, but YOU must make the choice to let it go. So, loosen your grip on the offenses life has thrown at you and turn them loose. Send them away.

Yes, you will have to renew that decision many times, so just renew it each time. Over the course of time you will find that you have become free from those negative thoughts, and your emotions will eventually follow suit. I have discovered this to be true in my own life. Forgiveness comes first. It is a choice. Feelings come later. Many of one's feelings are the results of their choices. Choose to feel good. Let all that icky stuff go.

You might want to read and ponder the wise and comforting words of Psalm 23. There is a lot more there than what one might see at first glance. Reflect on each line, each word and each idea. You will be lifted up as you read it, study it, and embrace the ideas in this timeless proclamation.

There is someone who cares about you very deeply. Direct your thoughts his way today. You will be glad you did. Embrace forgiveness, and extend forgiveness to others too. Reach for goodness and light. With virtue you will not only live longer, you will live well. PEACE TO YOU TODAY & ALWAYS!
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By the way, visit my China Blog at http://perceptions21.blogspot.com/ -

HONG KONG

GO HERE FOR THE REST OF THE BLOGS ABOUT OUR TOUR OF CHINA:
http://perceptions21.blogspot.com

Our first two days in Hong Kong were an eye-opener. It is both an island and a peninsula. We have spent some time on the island, but our hotel is on the peninsula. The city is full of color and movement, and the aroma of food wafting through the air. The sights of colorful advertisements of so many businesses, and giant advertisements that cover half the size of a tall building are surprising. There are people everywhere and the city is alive all day and all night.

We have had many new experiences. Hong Kong is large and beautiful and busy and warm. Being from Seattle, where the temperature stays moderate all year long, experiencing intense humidity and eighty-something temperatures was a bit of a shift for us, but there is so much air conditioning everywhere, even in some open-to-the-outside businesses. funny.

Wonderful people have become our new friends. Lori, our guide is amazing and lots of fun. Today she takes us to the mainland on the ferry, to meet a lady named Pat, who will take us to Shenzhen university where we will be teaching art, literature and writing English. It seems like everyone here wants to learn English. It has given me new insight into the power of language and the desire for people everywhere to communicate with each other across cultures.

Here is a picture I took from a high point above the city on Saturday night. It is a huge business center, kind of like a fancy mall, but more commercial and recreational. Believe it or not, we ate dinner at Bubba Gumps! How weird that was. But fear not, we are eating LOTS of Chinese food, and things I am not sure I should ask about its contents. All of it is delicious, and Connie is bravely trying to learn to eat with chopsticks. HA!

Oh yes, we were told that the government may block people from posting to blogs, but I hope we can find a way to keep you all on our tour with us.

More later.

HAVING FUN!

Our flight out of Seattle was delayed three hours, so we missed our first connecting flight in Tokyo for Hong Kong and had to stay in Japan for the night. It was all good, and we had fun seeing a little of the Narita airport.

Northwest Airlines put us up in the Radisson and everyone treated us very well.

On Saturday morning, Connie and I caught a Cathay Pacific flight to Hong Kong at 10 AM, and now we are in HK - safe and sound, and excited about what lays before us.

Here, Connie is having fun with a poster in the Narita airport that makes sport of travelers who through fits over not being able to carry certain forbidden items onto the air craft - like lighters in their suitcase - duh. We are having fun. :-)

Next, pictures of Hong Kong and updates.

PORTALS & WORLDS

Today we step through a new doorway into a bright world; China! The dragon is awakening.

Though itineraries have been set and refined, what awaits in these next five cities and universities is still a mystery in many ways. In the next three weeks that mystery will unfold.

In addition to universities, we will also be visiting an International School to explore the "Arts and the Imagination" with children from Kindergarten through High School. This is going to be delightful!

In every place, from Hong Kong to Shenzhen, from Xian to Nanchang, people are excited about inviting us into their worlds. Yes, we go as teachers with much to share, but more than that, we go as students with even more to learn. That sounds like a cliche', but it is truer than truth itself.

This journey will be wondrous in many ways, and we are so grateful to all of our friends who have made this journey possible. Thank you! - thank you for participating with us in this adventure. We are so full of appreciation for special friends like you. You know who you are - and we do too :-) Your generosity will not be forgotten.

C'mon along! Stay with us to see what unfolds. Visit The Illuminatrium often.

My next blog will be from China!!!

COMPLETE PAINTINGS IN AN HOUR

Some of you know that I paint in churches during worship and sermons. It is fun and people seem to enjoy it, plus, ironically enough, God seems to use it to inspire both artists and non-artists. The comments people make always give me joyous insights into how God ignites the creative process in us, and how he uses us to do that for each other.

If you, or someone you know would like for me to come paint in a public event, go ahead, give me a shout. Let's make some notable art together.

No two paintings are alike. I do something unique for each and every service and group. There are no canned images, no formula-paintings. Each creation is fresh and special. Every painting is a "one-off" work of art done specifically for that group experience in that moment of time.

Sometimes groups auction off my paintings for various fundraisers, and sometimes they frame them immediately and display the art in their churches, schools, or group gathering places on the spot.

Paintings are brought to to various degree of finish, depending on what people want. Some paintings I take back with me to my studio and spend a few more hours tidying up and bringing the artwork to higher refinement, and some paintings go right on the wall after the public painting session.

To see more of these paintings, you can find them on my website at http://www.danielriceart.net/ and click on the GALLERY link. You will find more of these panels as well as other interesting things to look at. I do hope you enjoy it.