We will be back as soon as the Almighty directs us to write post again.

We will be maintaining the two other sites that we publish, they are listed in the BLOGROLL section–it may be fun for some of you to try to determine what two sites are ours–hint; they are nothing like Cepher. Feel free to contact us if you think you have found either or both sites.

Again, Thank You so much for the company and fellowship in this journey we call life.

How is your French? I have been attempting to learn, and have discovered that had I learned it in high school when I had the chance it may be just a little simpler for me now. However, like everything else in my life I chose the High-Road–never went to more than two French classes in high school, which was one more than any math class. Apparently, I went to high school to play football, which cost me my left ankle, right knee, and my gut/pancreas; all that just to ultimately turn down every scholarship that was offered me–that will show them! All my life–”That will show them!”. The irony to it all is that after all the times I “cut my nose off to spite my face”, my nose is gigantic! Scar tissue?

In all the ups and downs while writing this blog during the past year I have had a great time, and I wish to thank you all for accompanying  me on this little journey. I have no idea what the future holds, and I am not sure if I will be back here again, but if I am not I would like to leave you with this little bit of wisdom; wisdom, because I learned it from someone else.

How strange is the lot of us mortals! Each of us is here for a brief sojourn; for what purpose he knows not, though he sometimes thinks he senses it. But without deeper reflection one knows from daily life that one exists for other people — first of all for those upon whose smiles and well-being our own happiness is wholly dependent, and then for the many, unknown to us, to whose destinies we are bound by the ties of sympathy. A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving…

“I have never looked upon ease and happiness as ends in themselves — this critical basis I call the ideal of a pigsty. The ideals that have lighted my way, and time after time have given me new courage to face life cheerfully, have been Kindness, Beauty, and Truth. Without the sense of kinship with men of like mind, without the occupation with the objective world, the eternally unattainable in the field of art and scientific endeavors, life would have seemed empty to me. The trite objects of human efforts — possessions, outward success, luxury — have always seemed to me contemptible.

“My passionate sense of social justice and social responsibility has always contrasted oddly with my pronounced lack of need for direct contact with other human beings and human communities. I am truly a ‘lone traveler’ and have never belonged to my country, my home, my friends, or even my immediate family, with my whole heart; in the face of all these ties, I have never lost a sense of distance and a need for solitude…”

“My political ideal is democracy. Let every man be respected as an individual and no man idolized. It is an irony of fate that I myself have been the recipient of excessive admiration and reverence from my fellow-beings, through no fault, and no merit, of my own. The cause of this may well be the desire, unattainable for many, to understand the few ideas to which I have with my feeble powers attained through ceaseless struggle. I am quite aware that for any organization to reach its goals, one man must do the thinking and directing and generally bear the responsibility. But the led must not be coerced, they must be able to choose their leader. In my opinion, an autocratic system of coercion soon degenerates; force attracts men of low morality… The really valuable thing in the pageant of human life seems to me not the political state, but the creative, sentient individual, the personality; it alone creates the noble and the sublime, while the herd as such remains dull in thought and dull in feeling.

“This topic brings me to that worst outcrop of herd life, the military system, which I abhor… This plague-spot of civilization ought to be abolished with all possible speed. Heroism on command, senseless violence, and all the loathsome nonsense that goes by the name of patriotism — how passionately I hate them!

“The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of true art and true science. Whoever does not know it and can no longer wonder, no longer marvel, is as good as dead, and his eyes are dimmed. It was the experience of mystery — even if mixed with fear — that engendered religion. A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, our perceptions of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty, which only in their most primitive forms are accessible to our minds: it is this knowledge and this emotion that constitute true religiosity. In this sense, and only this sense, I am a deeply religious man… I am satisfied with the mystery of life’s eternity and with a knowledge, a sense, of the marvelous structure of existence — as well as the humble attempt to understand even a tiny portion of the Reason that manifests itself in nature.”

       A.Einstein

That saddest thing of all is that no matter how many times I went the wrong way in my younger years, my children refuse to believe that just maybe I have already been there and know what is waiting for them there. It was after watching my children and talking to hundreds of other parents that have done and watched the same, that I finally learned the reason the Tower of Babel failed. It is the same reason why human beings cannot learn through the mistake of history. If we do not experience personally the pains of defeat we will not completely understand or appreciate the Victory of our Creator.

Thank you all for accompanying me on this fantastic journey! Good-by for now, and may the Lord help us all.

                      1Corinthians 1:18

One last bit before we go:

I have often wondered why the Bible placed such grave interest in the act of lying, and eventually I believe the Blessed Holy Spirit revealed to me the reason. It is because there is a difference between lying and physical acts of emotion. The difference is intent, specific intent to deceive. Our Creator has always placed far more credence in our intentions than in our actions. Look at David, the Lord’s ‘Beloved’, he (much like me) committed just about every crime/sin on the books, and yet, he was considered (unlike me) by the Lord–”A man after the Lord’s own heart”.

In my five and one half decades on this planet it has become obvious to me that why we do what we do is far more important than what we do.

Thirteen-hundred years after the introduction of the Blessed Holy Spirit onto humankind the bulk of those professing to know King Y’shua Messiah had nothing in common with our Lord but His name. The Reformation did nothing to change that fact except to bring it to light, and after the passing of seven more centuries there is still but a remnant that holds to the original teachings of our Creator as provided to us from the Blessed Holy Spirit.

Today few truly know what the Creator did when He became human two-thousand years ago. Some think He eliminated all physical, worldly suffering for those who believe in Him. Others believe they are under oath to make as many followers of the Lord as they can while making it an all out us or them commitment. Still others are certain that the wealth of the wicked is to be handed over to them as they prove themselves to their Lord by delivering souls to their God any way they can. And yet, it is very clear that King Y’shua Messiah did not heal everyone when He walked this earth, He did not save everyone, He did not provide great wealth to any of His followers while He walked on this earth–or after He left. No, the only thing our Lord did when He became a human being is simply show us exactly what the Creator desires from us; and what the Creator wants, is the exact thing He is and gives–Love.

If love is the biggest motivator in your life, if love is why you do what you do, if love is the basis of everything you are, then and only then have you truly found the reason to be alive–The Way. King Y’shua Messiah specifically warns us not to stumble over Him. He did not come down to earth to start a social club, but He did intend that if one loves Him one will follow after Him living as He did while on this earth. Not as an itinerant preacher, but by loving all of humanity. They are not necessarily mutually inclusive.

Child-like, Not Childish

The Bible is chock-a-block full of analogies and metaphors using children themes, and for very good reason–every child is born innocent and unmarked by the world it has been born into. Yet, in all the references of children in the Bible nowhere is it found that states God’s people should be childish. Even so, most people today who believe in God are far more childish than they are the biblical preference, child-like. Today more than ever before this condition needs to change immediately or we are looking at returning to zero, going back to square one and beginning all over again.

As this is my “soapbox” I must say that in all my travels, studies, and experiences, I have become a strong believer that we are placed on this planet to learn. The sixty-four thousand dollar question of course is, what is it that we are to learn? And that is just it, we are given the opportunity to choose what we want to learn, as well as whether or not we wish to learn at all. There should be no doubt that since we were created with the most complex large brain on the planet our Creator intended on us learning something with that brain. And considering that today we have only managed to use less than twenty percent of our brains, which according to the Bible we will not be bringing with us to the Afterlife, it only makes sense that we use every bit of our brains that the Good Lord provided us with.

When King Y’shua Messiah was once asked what was the most important commandment of God, and His answer makes it very clear what we should be learning and what our brains should be used for. Mark 12:29-31; King Y’shua Messiah’s answer was crystal clear that the number one rule, law, commandment, or desire that God placed before humankind was to understand that God is the only God, and that each of His people must love God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, to love God with every molecule of our being. If that does not clearly explain what our brains must be filled with and used for, then …

So now you understand how important it is for all followers of God to immerse our brains with the Blessed Holy Spirit. In my life I have found that the more you know about a subject the better decisions you can make concerning that subject. Even though the Bible speaks on knowing too much and reading too much can be problematic, the Bible also states that a very big, common problem with God’s people is the lack of knowledge–         Like everything in life even learning and knowledge must be considered and done in moderation.  Can Science and Faith ever be reconciled?

MATTHEW 7:7

Ask, Seek, Knock

As I stated in the beginning of this book, I am in the second half of my century and feel as though I have learned far more in the past two decades then the first three decades. That is not at all surprising because the human animal has the ability to continue to learn in the second half of life providing that human maintains both the desire and the open mind to learn. In my case, I began life as a “Six Day Creationist”, and now I am completely convinced that not only is an evolutionary creation by the Lord possible, it is far more likely due to the irrelevance of time in the Creator’s realm. Considering how long it takes human beings to even begin to truly understand our Creator it is entirely possible that some degree of evolution is involved within the creation process. How much evolution involvement is the real question. I still find it very difficult to accept that we came from the monkey, and yet, if you study the actions of the Chimpanzee in the wild it is not that far of a step to see one’s self in the fray. Also, the resemblance between the human being and the lower primates in appearance and activities should humble us if for no other reason than because we are so similar. The most compelling aspect of evolving from lesser primates is the humility it instantly infuses in one’s character.

However offensive this thought may be for many, again, if one keeps an open mind you can see the excellence in the possibility that we came from a more primitive species. In fact, I think there is very much to the possibility that Cro-magnon was a descendant of Cain! Why not? The primary difference was in the skull, especially the forehead being the most notable. The entire design of the Cro-magnon was for hunting and more Cain-like abilities. It is just a thought that comes with keeping an open mind. I am not going to provide a complete thesis on this topic just to try to prove a theory because that is not what this book/post is about, so let’s get back to evolution–just food for thought.

My point here with evolutionary creation is not to say that the Lord created a singled cell life form and let it grow from the abyss. That is a bit too far for me to go, however, I assure you that I am open to that possibility only because the Word of the Lord does not absolutely and clearly describe exactly how life began, and the Creator could easily have done just that; stated in the Bible exactly how life began with zero ambiguities, but He did not! That should tell anyone with an open mind that the Lord had no intention to clearly describe how He created life. Therefore, I will not take one side or another, but I will continue to keep an open mind. And I would suggest if anyone takes umbrage of such they should simply read the first two chapters of the Book of Genesis   (with the Blessed Holy Spirit)!

Hopefully, we can all agree that human beings are created from star-dust (Genesis 2:7).

I do not have a single view on an evolutionary creation simply because the possibilities are so vast. All I can say is the earth is absolutely older than me, and our Lord created both! Although, how the Lord created it is possibly pertinent in the way He interacts with His people in regards to time. As the Bible clearly states the Lord’s time is not our time and that Divine Measurement of Time is as different from ours as one day is to one thousand years. With all of these matters I can only speak to my own experiences and learnings that lead me to believe that our Creator is an extremely patient being, by human standards, and rightfully so as one considers the mind bending elemental truths of eternity.

Few, if any, can fathom the endurable immensity of infinity, and far, far less can even begin to comprehend eternity. Therefore, considering that our Creator is an infinitely eternal Being, one can see how the Lord could easily use billions of years to create life and explain it to us in terms of time as a matter of days. Why not? Is it any more absurd than thinking that an Infinite Being spent a matter of earth hours to create everything–we are talking about a Being that could make everything within less than the shortest nano-second known. Of course, our Creator made everything in seven days to coincide with our week–a week that does not run true to any combination of patterns in sequence to the earth’s solar orbit!

PART ONE

The middle of my fifth decade on this planet is becoming the most challenging that I have faced thus far, and there does not seem to be any sign of it letting up any time soon. So with that in mind I feel that the timing is right to begin work on my “pi`ece de re’sistance”, which basically amounts to me babbling on and on and on about whatever I think needs be said. And yet, who knows, there may be a small jewel here or there with a resemblance of possible wisdom and wit. God only knows, but it will certainly be a journey–for me and you.

Had I only known then what I don’t know now. –My epitaph.

Have you been to Rome?  If you have or you have seen in-depth videos of Rome you would quickly see the remnants of a nation that once ruled the world. However, if you look deep enough you will see what is left of a society that was ruled from the top down, with all the bells and whistles any society at that time could possibly have. A society that was the military leader, an Empire feared by all, that led by force as it drained the minion dry. The USA has been compared to the Roman Empire numerous times for numerous reasons, but the most illuminating similarity between the USA and the Roman Empire is how the rich ruled the masses and the spirit of Rome as with the USA just died of starvation.

In most, if not all civilizations they began with hope, that special little feeling that can bring down giants, make friends from enemies, and alas at times fuel the desire for empire. That latter trait is not always present within a society, there are societies–tribes–in South America, Southeast Asia, Africa, and throughout the South Pacific that are living as they have for centuries. There are fine countries throughout the world that have no desire or ability to take over the world any time soon. Unfortunately, for those societies that do fall victim to that spirit eating monster masquerading in the spirit of hope as “Heaven on earth” while disguising its real agenda of world domination–EMPIRE, it ultimately leads all those who follow into the pits of hell. Welcome to the United States of America!

Please do not mistake this bluntness with dejection or negativism, I cannot change what I see on earth, I can only control how it affects me. If I let this plethora of destruction we call the USA bring me down, that would be my choice of which I would have no place to complain. On the other hand, if I continue believing that the only real concern is to lose my Faith then no matter what happens, it will all work for the good of life. Today in American society any condemnation is looked at as either: politically incorrect, anti-semitic, or conspiratorial minded, whether the condemnation be right or wrong, true or false has no bearing once the comment has been labeled. It becomes the same response as an ostrich burying its head in the sand. Hear no evil, see no evil, speak… .

All this is fair and good until it affects your children, when one of your children hurt, you as the parent hurt. Yet, the Word of God has all the answers for you if you would just believe. To love God more than everyone else, to absolutely believe that God will take care of all those you love, to completely know that God loves you more than anyone else could ever love you and God will take the best care of you, this is Faith. Unfortunately, the only way you can live with that degree of Faith in God is to know God. The more one knows God, the stronger, deeper, and richer one’s faith in God becomes. Today most of us know of God without really knowing God.

How does one get to know God? Knock, ask, and search. How ever much one desires to know God, one will. There is a direct correlation between one’s desire to know God and one’s knowledge of God. The Truth does set one free.

These next three post will be the last for now…

I hate to discuss this topic for the possibility of sounding judgmental, however I find so many wolves leading the sheep today that my spirit is extremely vexed upon seeing so many horrible statements and actions being blamed on our Creator through these misled masses. Most are simply too preoccupied to look for the Truth on their own. Others are content with hearing the words that tickle their ears. At any case, Rick Perry is the latest in the field of wolves along with Pat Robertson and John Hagee. The reason so many are led astray is due to the lack of individual Bible reading, because it is all there in the Word of God that explains how men will pray in public arenas to show their faith, and yet behind closed doors to do the deeds of their true leader.

I used the article on Mr. Perry only after I researched to determine that to the best of my abilities the article is over 80% correct. When you have even 3 out of every ten accusations of that fashion correct the accused is not walking, just talking. Unfortunately, most people today that are the talking heads type do very little walking.

(SIDEBAR)- If there is one thing you can take from this post let it be that you take nothing for granted and you do your own research. I never accept the first thing I read as gospel–not even in the Bible–I check and double-check everything because everything today has a human connection that can go wrong for a million different reasons. Please, no matter where you get the information, confirm its authenticity before you accept it or pass it on!

The Gettysburg Address

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow, this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember, what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us – that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion – that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain – that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

Please, do not let the wolves take this nation! Stand up, quit following, and take the lead!

Remember: God is Love – period!

I wish we could bring some lighthearted writings on board like I read on so many other blogs, but there is far too much lighthearted messages being used as an attempt to bring up our spirits at a time when it would be better for all if our spirits were allowed to feel the pain that is decimating society today. For far too long I have attempted to keep up the spirits of those around me in the belief that a good attitude was most important. I have finally come to the realization that one cannot have an endless good attitude without loosing sight of reality. Today, the reality is we are at a crossroads in life and most people are suffering. Crossroads in life usually involve anxiety, pain, and confusion; it is at these crossroads where you need the Truth more than at any other time in life.

I have a very different way of living the Way, I believe that it is important to live in balance with our Creator while on this planet. That type of lifestyle requires a selfless outlook completely dependent on my Lord for every breath I take–His Grace must be sufficient, never leaning on my own understanding. It is so different because it is almost Deist in approach. Where I differ from the common Deist is in the basic understanding of what our Creator created, and why.

Seven blunders of the world that lead to violence: Wealth w/out work, Pleasure w/out conscience, Knowledge w/out character, Commerce w/out morality, Science w/out humanity, Worship w/out sacrifice, Politics w/out principle.   –  M. Gandhi

Shortly after learning about Mohandas K. Gandhi I realized that he was one of the greatest people to have walked this earth, and that list is extremely short. This above statement of his made decades ago is prophetic as we look at society today. Our society has managed to complete the list of seven blunders with ease and today we are now the grateful owners of one of the most violent societies to date! And yet, as great as this man was… where is his country today? If we can’t listen to the advice of a man like Gandhi, who do we listen to?

The USA today is not that far from Germany 1932.

The gap that we must be careful with is the one between us and the filthy rich. In today’s political arrangement that the High Court has just authorized; recognizing corporations as people means that the filthy rich have just bought what was left of our vote–one person one vote.

]]> http://cepher.wordpress.com/2011/08/19/redaction/feed/ 0 Jacob Boanerges http://cepher.wordpress.com/2011/08/15/can-you-see/ http://cepher.wordpress.com/2011/08/15/can-you-see/#comments Mon, 15 Aug 2011 18:22:17 +0000 Jacob Boanerges http://cepher.wordpress.com/?p=1798 ]]> Hopefully, you have noticed that you are of a very small group here at Cepher, and as I sit here tonight listening to one of my favorite song of all time I am reminded of how important being a member of a small group has always been in my life as well as throughout history. I will assure you that the most important group in the history of this earth began with the Words of one Man as He spoke them to two brothers. These words He spoke had nothing to do with their acceptance of Him, it was something far deeper inside of them that they were listening too. Just as we listen to that same almost silent voice that NEVER lets us go or down.

There will not be a great movement in my life time, it will come in most of yours though. All of you under Thirty-ish will, if you stay the course, see the movement of a life time; one that will bring down the walls of class separation, bigotry, hatred, and most of all division. It will be a movement that will shake the pillars of Heaven and Earth with the quiet power of Agape Love. That is all we are missing at this time, and it cannot come just because you want it to, it can only manifest when all who have been seen breathing have arrived, so be patient. It will come, and you will see it!

Patience is the key, but patience is impossible without Faith. The Tower of Babel shows us that motivation, commitment, and unity fall short of the mark without the manifestation of Agape Love. King Y’shua Messiah certainly had it while on earth, Peter, John and others had it, but not when King Y’shua Messiah walked with them. It comes via the Blessed Holy Spirit at times of great need. Have Faith to know, have Faith to know that our Creator has a Plan. We are in it. It will be played out to the fullest, and all we have to do is wait in Faith.

1 Thessalonians 5:17

Have you ever followed a debate on the existence of our Creator? If you have at some point in the discussions the question is raised on whether or not people can be good for no other reason than goodness itself. I always find it interesting that even with the majority of the world believing in a Creator we still seem to have a rather large absence of goodness. Therefore it only goes to show that without even the smallest belief in a Creator this planet would be toast within minutes. I know that for myself and 90% of those that I have associated with–my family excluded–over the past five and a half decades, we would tear this planet apart without our Lord in our lives. If that makes me a product of Cain or just terribly ignorant I do not know, but I do know that there are a great deal of my kind of people on this planet.

The shear fact that humanity is still here proves to me the existence of our Creator.

The question is: How much longer can we continue on the planet living as we do? I actually believe that there is a large portion of the populace in the USA that would be willing to reduce their carbon footprint by reducing their usage and slowing their lives down. However, most of what we read today on new technologies is how to maintain our standard of living while reducing our carbon footprint. I would think that might be possible in the future, but right now we need to be willing to just slow down by changing how we live; Reduce our travel, drive in slower electric vehicles, reduce the amount of electrical items we use thereby allowing solar, wave, hydro, and wind to suffice our power needs.

Whether we like it or not, jobs in the numbers we have had in the USA before will never return unless we start retrofitting and restructuring our nation’s infrastructure. Otherwise, any jobs that enter our shores with any number sufficient to improve the economy will be mostly done by robots. The rich will not save this country; dirt cheap labor is abundant throughout the globe, robots are becoming cheaper to make and maintain, and the rich already have their safety parachute in any number of other countries they have estates in.

We have no need of relying on any other source than our Creator.