It's me, mike hillebrecht

Duality. The bane of human culture. Either/or rules the day of an ego which must have its just fruits at the expense of the those who fall below the demarcation line of being relevant. Fights. Mental anguish. Projection of past traumas onto present realities. Life is a freaking mess. (I wrote a book with this title now that I recall.)

Every single one of us 7 billion plus, on this speck in the universe, want our cake and expect to eat it too. Those starving from a lack of food want it, while those lacking from attention, or from the lack of the expression of love, or of community, want “it”, the nutrition of being, in an entirely different manner. Hell, we all want “it,” but we just don’t know what “it” is half the time!

Warning: I’m about to use the Bible to make a point.

According to the bible, we, that’s you and me and the person next to you – yes, them too – were all in the divine purpose and plan of God (His logos) before the world even existed. If we could just remember this. There we were, me and you, and of course them too, there together, side by side (whatever that means), privy to the entire plans of a Divine Creator. As mythical as it might seem, the possibility that we were all in agreement about what reality was to be like permeated all of us. Strangely, differences didn’t exist as a point of contention more than as a means to describe an alternative location. Obviously, being a nose rather than a small toe in the cosmic scheme of things is pretty different.

Non-duality. The surprise of potentiality in living. Both/and eliminates the opportunity for one-upmanship in every discourse. Neither viewpoint is invalid but vital to the whole outcome of possibility. Two opposing forces seem to create a third opportunity for advancing in this realm. This perspective is so seldom considered that it seems at first glance as a waste of effort. After all, territory must be preserved. Yet, new territory is never discovered and captured while entrenched in the stream of familiarity.

Let’s face it folks. People, of all sorts, are…

Right or wrong is not the issue. We all came from the same source (whether you understand that or not doesn’t make you better than another), yet we feel compelled to exert an authority, which none of us possess in the greater scheme of things, upon our equals. Yes, equals.

There is the rub, right? This world glorifies distinction. If you are not with me then obviously you are against me. However, in the same vein, we seek harmony and peace. Whatever happened to the notion of unity?

Unity is not about agreement as much as it about respecting diversity towards a common goal. I will be the first to admit that I don’t often agree with some people on many issues. That, according to the nature of this writing, is how things frequently function in this world. However, trying to live in this society, with all of the selective paradigms being offered, can be not only daunting, but more often confusing. Unity never seems to be an option to consider when the opinion of the public is involved.

So, what then is a soul to do? Either/Or versus Both /And are the only choices we have. Express a thought so that it might incur the wrath of those who hold a perspective contrary to it is an example of Either/Or discourse which we are all too familiar with and often are willing to forego. We all recognize that a single degree of an angle off the center of prevalent understanding will create conflict across the board of human dialogue.

Regrettably, Both/And gets no play. People, like groups, have egos to protect. Allowing anyone to be viewed as an equal with a different viewpoint is like saying that both Republicans and Democrats know what’s best for the nation. (Your response to this statement will prove my claim that unity is about respecting diversity.)

Having gotten this far, you’re probably wondering what in the hell does all of this mean? Haven’t you figured it out yet? It’s all about grace.

Look at the writings I’ve offered here. Grace seems to be the common denominator. I can pretty much turn anything onto this wide avenue of God’s love. There is not a single person throughout the entire scope of human history who hasn’t been in the divine plan of God. Sure, we’ve made mistakes, harmed more people than we’ve imagined, even regretted a few incursions, yet grace, the nature of a kingdom which reside over all of creation, acts as the healing balm to our foibles into assured stupidity. Frankly, right or wrong is not the issue about anything. It is more about how we recognize those we know stood beside us in Him before creation.

A nose is as important as a toe. One purpose from different vantage points.

I’m borrowing a lot today. The title is from a description I heard several years ago of the “new” believers rising up in the church. Yes, it is an oxymoron, but isn’t life? The impetus of this writing is from a recent discussion I had with a few friends on the book written by Cynthia Bourgeault entitled “The Wisdom Jesus.” I wrote previously how a passage out of this book has rocked and transformed my entire theological perspective. Our discussion was a further refinement of just how we have slumbered through a life full of descriptions in the divine nature.

In this book, Cynthia teaches on the term “metanoia” which has been interpreted as “repentance” in the Greek biblical writings. She offers a much more relevant clarification to this word as, “…entering into the larger mind.” Humanity functions for the most part out of the small egoic mind. We are focused on our holy trinity, me, myself and I, more than those around us. The “larger mind” is stepping up or out into the consciousness of the universe.

In the discussion we were having the metaphor or image which was brought forward was the biblical representation of the lion and the lamb. The book of Isaiah declares that in the final days the lion will lay down with the lamb in harmony. This image became a backdrop of the small/large mind description we were encountering.

When you consider the image of a lion, we immediately visualize a bold, roaring beast, king of the savannah, chasing down and devouring its prey. Lions are violent, reactive predatory beasts. Lambs, in contrast, are docile domesticated animals. The term “lamb” actually describes a sheep less than one year old. So, to see a lion reclining next to baby lamb is pretty alarming! You expect any moment for the lion to turn its head and swallow the lamb whole!

Now it was brought up how many believe this image means that in the final days the lion becomes a vegetarian, no longer having the desire to consume other animals. Somehow this thought makes God’s original purpose for the lion to be errant. Why didn’t God just make the lion a vegetarian to begin with? No, a lion is designed to kill, to thin the herds of the weakest, the sick, and the slowest. The survival of the fittest is a direct result of the proper design and function of the lion.

Cynthia relates a particular story from the Little Prince to move us into our next level of refinement.

Remember that wonderful passage from The Little Prince when the fox asks, “To tame something: what does that mean?” The prince replies, “It means to form bonds. If I tame you, I become responsible for you, and you depend on me because I have tamed you.”

The Wisdom Jesus: Transforming Heart and Mind–A New Perspective on Christ and His Message (p. 43). Shambhala. Kindle Edition.

Did the lamb tame the lion? Does the large mind tame the small mind?

Humans are wild beasts. Rough and rugged, we enter this world concerned with only one thing: Me. We fight and devour one another; we kill our weakest; we roar loudly so other will pay attention to us. Our small egoic mind is very animalistic. Yes, we do make inroads towards domesticating the beast, however, most often it is merely one beast battling the impulses from another beast vying for hierarchal dominance. Sometimes, in hindsight, we even recognize within us the destructive path taken to satisfy the lustful cravings consuming the beast who we are and promise ourselves, and those who have encountered the gnashing, tearing maul of our insecurity that we will never cross that path again. Yet we know, deep inside, our territory will be protected at all costs no matter what animal ventures into it.

Lambs are lovable and cuddly. Humans aren’t, except when they are babies; but only until they begin crying at two in the morning, then they awaken the beast within. Lambs don’t bring the beast out. They make you feel all warm and good inside, even when they are whining for food. Lambs have the inherent nature it seems to tame us and form a bond.

When the human is born into this world, the animal is occupied by a soul, an eternal soul, who when the human dies, will return back into the eternal realm while the flesh, the mortal tent of the soul, will return back into the ground of its being. The wonder of humanity is the amalgamation of a beast concerned with its survival and the divine living eternal. Rarely does the small mind of the beast ever acknowledge the existence of the larger mind which resides within. Rarely does our ego consider that a realm of love is merely a breath within. Rarely does the roar stop to listen to the silent bond of dependence.

We clamor for change. Yet we are unwilling to be silent, to be present and acknowledge presence of a larger mind within and around. We refuse to be tamed and therefore miss the bond which responsibility yearns for and dependence craves. Are we ready to move into the big mind? Are we willing to be tamed by love? Can the love of a sheep kill us so creation can rejoice at our sonship?

Ever had a hand grenade go off in your theology? The impact, the debris field, the repercussions are beyond anything imagined. This recently happened to me and to say I’m over it is truly just a lie. This explosion has rocked all my prior beliefs (which is a good thing). I’m going to lob the residue of this event at you and let you somewhat experience what I encountered. To some of you this will seem like I’m just throwing mud at your face, while to others it will have the same explosive impact, if not greater, which happened to me. For those of you who feel left out, just wait, this is a slow delay blast.

Let me make this claim right up front: Grace, as we know it, as I’ve taught it, as we’ve experienced it, is not what we think it is. Right now, I’m still trying to figure it out – all over again.

At the beginning of 2018, I read a book written by Cynthia Bourgeault entitled The Wisdom Jesus, Transforming Heart and Mind—a New Perspective on Christ and His Message. I found it very enlightening and it became a springboard for the journey which I have been on since then.

This year (2019) a study group that I am a part of began reading and discussing the same book. While we haven’t gotten very far along in it, I am seeing things in a completely different light from when I initially read it. Which brings me to the blast I experienced recently. I can’t explain it any better than allowing the author to speak to you.

The early church fathers used to speak of a pathway of perception they called epinoia, which meant knowing through intuition and direct revelation, not through the linear and didactic dianoia of logic and doctrine and dogma…

The main difference between the Christianity we’re familiar with through our Western filter and the Christianity coming to us from these new sources can be captured in two words which are not nearly as formidable as they first sound: the difference is between a soteriology and a sophiology. What do these two words mean? “Soteriology” comes from the Greek word soter, which means “savior.” The Christianity of the West has always been savior-oriented. Jesus is seen as the one who died for our sins, who rescued us both individually and corporately from the exile and alienation brought about through the disobedience of Adam and Eve. “Do you believe Christ died for your sins?” is still the core question for Christian orthodoxy: the dividing line between a believer and a nonbeliever. This emphasis entered the theology of the West early, and it entered through the apostle Paul…

The Christianity of the East saw things radically differently. Theirs was not a soteriology, but a sophiology. The word “sophiology” has as its root the word “wisdom.” (Sophia is the Greek word for wisdom.) Christianity was supremely a wisdom path. For the earliest Christians, Jesus was not the Savior but the Life-Giver. In the original Aramaic of Jesus and his followers there was no word for salvation. Salvation was understood as a bestowal of life, and to be saved was “to be made alive.” Entering the waters at the hand of John the Baptist, Jesus emerged as Mahyana, “the Life-Giver.” He came forth also as the Ihidaya, “the Single One” or “the Unified One.” Nowadays we’d call him “the Enlightened One,” a person whose life is full, integrated, and flowing. Jesus’s disciples saw in him a master of consciousness, offering a path through which they, too, could become ihidaya, enlightened ones. A sophiological Christianity focuses on the path. It emphasizes how Jesus is like us, how what he did in himself is something we are also called to do in ourselves. By contrast, soteriology tends to emphasize how Jesus is different from us – “begotten, not made,” belonging to a higher order of being—and hence uniquely positioned as our mediator. At first the sophiological take may seem strange to you: definitely a variant and perhaps even a heretical position. But as the evidence begins to pour in from the other 270 degrees of the Christian circle, we begin to see that it is the West that holds the variant position.

Bourgeault, Cynthia. The Wisdom Jesus: Transforming Heart and Mind–A New Perspective on Christ and His Message (p. 19-21). Shambhala. Kindle Edition.

I recognize that there is a lot contained within this passage and that many of you will simply ignore everything I claim from here on out because you’re lost. That is okay; you can come back later, as often as you need, to digest all that is there. For you valiant and intrepid few, those who grasped a hold of what was said and are trying to figure out how this is such a big deal, sit back and buckle up Dorothy, Kansas is about to appear in your rear-view mirror.

My entire Christian walk has been under the premise that I, nay, all of mankind, is a wretch that needs to be rescued from the demise of the Adamic nature. We, according to Cynthia, needed a savior. Once we had confessed the lordship of Jesus over our life, we were then encouraged, with all means available to the pastor, to go forth and win those fellow lost souls for the Kingdom with our soteriological gospel. Since Constantine, the entire advance of Western civilization and the religion which encapsulates it, has been pushing the good fight for a “savior” into a lost and forsaken people group. This is still the foundation of foreign ministry and evangelism throughout the Western church.

When you mention grace in this type of environment it wildly smacks at the need for a savior who has strict requirements of what you must do to be worthy to be saved. The Grace movement of today is fighting a battle against the proponents of soteriology who believe all man must be saved or face going into eternal damnation. Grace in this battle is your “get out of jail free card.” Grace lowers the minimum standards of soteriology and boldly proclaims, “Jesus saves all!”

I hope you understand that there isn’t anything new with what I’ve just said. This is the norm for all Western Christianity. The language I’ve employed in describing this is quite common to those of us in or out of the Church. That said, I trust that you realize the explosion hasn’t happened yet. So, take moment to collect your thoughts around what I’ve just said and see if there is anything that you feel needs to be added which I missed. Now, let’s get saved all over again!

Jesus claimed in the fourth gospel that he came to give us life and that life more abundantly. This is Jesus, a life-giver, not a savior. This is what sophiology, the wisdom of Jesus, looks like. The book of Proverbs tells us to get wisdom because it is the principal thing; and in all of our getting, to get understanding. Why? Not because we have to lead lost souls to Jesus, but because we have a life to live that requires us to make wise choices; choices which will reveal heaven on earth. Jesus gives us life, a full life, an overflowing life. His influence on the original disciples formed a movement known as The Way. Life is The Way in sophiology.

Consider how the present-day church is losing members by the droves simply because the people do not find any relevance in the message. They are seeking answers to life situations which they believe the church refuses to address. The church can’t help in this life if its only concern is saving the lost. Every Sunday is another alter call for lost souls to come forward, and if there aren’t any to be found, just search your hearts to see if there is something you need saved from. Even grace negates the issue of being lost. But none of that matters if the serious questions which life is throwing at you isn’t being addressed or at least a means being offered to find wisdom.

Speaking of grace, what do you now do with grace in a life-giving wisdom culture? What does a kingdom of Grace, the spirit of grace, and the grace of the Father look like from a wisdom perspective? What does Paul truly mean when we’re told that we’re saved by grace if Jesus is a life-giver rather than a savior? So many questions, so little time…in this life.

What came first: the chicken or the acorn? Or was it the egg or the mighty oak? The juxtaposition doesn’t seem to work and yet you instinctively know what I’m aiming for. Regrettably, the question of creation is one that many scurry from simply because its paradoxical nature confounds us. Why do we hate mysteries so much, particularly those that cause us introspection of our own existence?

Plucking a metaphor from above, who are you: The chicken or the egg? Which came first to this planet? Is your life an incubation chamber warmed by turmoil which surrounds some goop waiting to morph into a super-human chick destined to break out of your shell? Or are you a fully formed cluck hurrying about the world scratching for grains and grubs trying to avoid the thoughts of an eternal rotisserie? Honestly, who are you?

In the New Testament writings which we’ve been told are from Paul, a claim that we were in Christ before the foundations of the world flips any notion of who we really think we are. While we may see through a glass darkly on a variety of issues, the one thing we never want to admit is that the “we” of our public persona is that dark glass which our true soul is trying to look out from the inside. That true soul, the one not considered to possess an ego, is the “You” in Christ before the “you” witnessed today.

There is a memory that I often recall of when, as a young boy, my father would take me into the barber shop to have my hair cut. As you sat in the barber chair, you would look straight ahead into a mirror which ran the entire length of the shop. The reflection in this mirror was the opposite wall which also was a mirror running the length of the shop. I would often sit spell-bound watching the reflection of the barber working on the back of my head in front of me. However, the real magic happened when I would shift my sight just a couple of inches to either side and a cavalcade of reflections would extend into each other deeper and deeper. Then I would try to see just how deep the images went before something wasn’t shown because of the lack of light in the reflection.

Most of our lives we spend looking forward at our past, rarely going deep into what is missing. We are so accustomed to seeing the artifacts of our social construct as being genuine that we fail to acknowledge they lack the light of a perennial wisdom designed to aid in living the abundant life. Who you are, the true You, is deep within and can only be accessed in reflective silence. Unlike opposing mirrors, the deeper you push into this silent identity, the brighter the light of its nature and character manifests.

Consider who is the “You” that was before time and creation. How different is the “you” found today from who You have always been? Maybe it’s time to bring the light out you have hidden deep in the recesses of a non-reflective mind. It’s time to look beyond the vapor of past regrets, trauma and dashed expectation toward a clarifying light of a purposeful soul waiting patiently to be seen in all its glory and splendor. Quit seizing the moment and just silently be in the moment as the light for all to reflect.

There are within this universe a set of rules which apply across the board to all people. Gravity is the first. What goes up will come down. Granted the duration between the upside and the down side is not determinable in many cases, however, the effect always comes.

This brings me to another rule: Cause and effect. This is a big one, probably the most important one. In Christian parlance it might be called the law of sowing and reaping, or the Golden Rule. On the streets it’s known as what comes around goes around. In the writings of Paul to the gathering in Galatia he declares it as,

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. (Gal 6:7)

According to Matthew, Jesus taught about it in the following manner,

Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. (Mat 7:12)

I want to step back to Paul’s take on this matter and couple it with another mystic statement made by Jesus in the fourth gospel.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. (Joh 12:24)

There a lot of people who enter into this life as the underclass, the down trodden, the hopeless. How does their station in life align with the law of sowing and reaping if they had no ability to determine the seed? Are these lives the cause or the effect?

Now take the opposite extreme, people like Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Amin and many others who humanity has deemed the cruelest people ever to live. After having wreaked havoc upon humanity through various atrocities, where is the reaping from their sowing? Some would proclaim that their death was the sowing for the works that they accomplished against humanity, as if their death atoned for the millions they killed. According to Jesus, the death of these few should bring forth fruit to be harvested. Since they died, has their reaping been completed?

We fall somewhere between the extremes I’ve mentioned. We live a life of the of the grandest nose-picker, a social pox on the fabric of humanity. Our very existence inflames the emotions of the masses since we appear to have no concept of what is morally acceptable behavior. Day in and day out we flick buggers upon the unsuspecting while we smile at them as they bolt from their path of intention to evade our slimy projectile. Never do we consider that our actions will have a consequence simply because it’s only a bugger, right?

Then a day comes and goes. Suddenly we discover that we too went with the day. No amends made, no reaping for a field of buggers sown. I’m okay; you’re caked in slime. It would appear that sowing and reaping is a fallacy to the nose pickers in the world. But what was Paul’s injunction? God will not be mocked!

Have you ever considered that sowing, reaping, even death, are all actions which occur on earth? While heaven is home base, these laws I am are describing relate to this physical planet. And according to Paul and Jesus, God will see to it that the cycle is completed on this planet. Death, it appears is merely the transition between sowing and reaping. That is something you probably didn’t consider. When Jesus claims that with God all things are possible, you better think he mean “all things.” Yup, there is a reaping coming along after death…on this planet for us – buggers and all. But as dire as this might appear, God, who is love, knows what the harvest will bring. Flick or not to flick. That seems to be the question.

Have you ever considered just how wise you truly are? I’m serious. You have within you a wisdom which is staggering on many levels. Unfortunately, rarely do we ever take time to consider what we know and just how we came to obtain this storehouse of wisdom.

Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. (Pro 4:7)

I will submit that most, if not all of us, ignore the principle behind this injunction. Wisdom and understanding are a lifestyle. Sure, I know that this is something you might expect a teacher, like myself, to say to a pupil, however, the alternative, stupidity and ignorance, is also a lifestyle few, if any, want to follow. It seems most of us walk a very thin line between both worlds of wisdom and ignorance and feel right at home doing so. Therefore, for a brief moment, let’s focus on your wisdom.

Take a moment to consider all that you’ve been through in this life, the ups and downs, the ins and outs. When you look back on all the lessons you’ve learned, the wisdom these teachings have instilled within you, can you recall and describe what the environment surrounding you was like?

Let me put it another way: Did you gain your wisdom when all hell was coming down around your head, or while you were relaxing on some beach while enjoying your vacation? When the shit hits the fan, the first lesson you learn is to duck! Thereafter, wisdom is recognizing the two components which make for a game of duck, duck, goose.

Suffering. We dread the mere mention of the word. Some of us even wince at the mere thought of it. Humans create it and endure it. It seems almost a part of our nature as occupants of this planet. The degree to which we are inflicted with it, from a stubbed toe, to rape, molestation and dismemberment, is enormous in trying to comprehend. No two individuals encounter suffering in the same predetermined fashion. To some people, not getting the right color of a scarf as a gift has the same affect to them as if they were being led to a gas chamber in a death camp. Suffering, however it comes, is our greatest advocate for learning and the wisdom it produces. It is our greatest teacher!

And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him. (Luk 2:40)

This verse is describing the nature of Jesus as he grew into an adult. “…filled with wisdom…” Did he come with this already impart to him? Did he, like you and me, need to experience suffering in order to be filled with wisdom?

There is the passage from the writings of Isaiah which is commonly known as the suffering servant (Isa 53), which Christians have since the beginning of the church age attributed as a prophetic rendering of the last moments of the life of Jesus. What does this passage teach us about the lessons of suffering? How do these lessons apply to a God who we’ve always thought to be all-knowing?

Let me make a very bold claim which I know will turn many of you away. When you die and go to heaven, school is over. There is no more suffering in heaven. There are no more lessons to learn without suffering. Honestly, why do you think Jesus, as God, came to earth? What couldn’t he learn in heaven he could only experience in his creation? I’m not trying to be crass but consider the lessons which a creation from a of Roman rape to a young Jewish girl* would imprint upon a social bastard for the life of someone who thought themselves to be the first begotten son of the Most High God. The phrase, “How in heaven’s name could anyone endure this?” misses the lesson suffering engenders which heaven could not teach. Ultimately, death becomes the final lesson, the final impartation to a cavalcade of wisdom moments.

“Life sucks and then you die” is a bumper sticker I saw one day. I agree with it, but it could also say, “Wisdom first, then you graduate.” Suffering, in whatever form it apprehends you, sucks. Sometimes you get through it, other times you don’t. The lesson, the wisdom is always there. Always. Don’t miss it the first time around or you’re going to face it again, guaranteed.

What lesson is on your plate today?

(*) According to the writings of Celsus, one of the opponents to the Christian narrative, this was a common understanding among the Jewish community regarding the conception and birth of Jesus.

Are you a human having a spiritual experience, or, a spiritual being having a human experience? Take a moment to consider this because it affects in a number of ways how you relate to your life experiences. In the mystical writings of the fourth gospel, Jesus makes a similar claim to Rabbi Nic:

That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. (Joh 3:6)

Notice the absolute nature depicted in this claim. There are two distinct beings, flesh and spirit. According to this claim they are separate; however, what is not divulged is what the prior verse proclaims:

Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. (Joh 3:5)

These two verses are the follow up to the response Jesus made to Rabbi Nic when asked how it was that Jesus was able to perform the miracles he accomplished. What was his initial response?

Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God. (Joh 3:3)

Now I know that many of you have never encountered this interpretation which is precisely what “born again” means. Yet the proper understanding of this is what is leading us towards the answer to the opening question. There is one more verse I wish to employ in this matter from the opening to the letter addressed to the gatherings in Ephesus.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: (Eph 1:3-4)

There are many people who have been told down through the ages how mankind is a corrupted being unworthy of being in the presence of the living God. These people have been conditioned to believe how their spirit is dead from this corruption causing their soul, the flesh or animal nature, to be the driving force behind all their wicked acts. It isn’t until a person repents from all their wicked ways and confesses that Jesus is the Lord of their life, will they then be filled by Holy Spirit, who will permanently reside within them, allowing them to enter again into the presence of God. This occupation by Holy Spirit does not signify that the human spirit has been revived to life, but due to the death of the human spirit, Holy Spirit has a fresh vessel to inhabit.

This narrative, and derivatives of it, focus on humanity first. The human is the premier being on this planet and holds the position in all undertakings, good or bad. When the “bad” becomes unbearable, a cry for relief activates a spiritual response. In this scenario, humans have a spiritual experience, through the grace of God, to aid them in their life cycle. Entire denominations are structured according to this belief and to believe otherwise places that understanding as heretical, a term which simply means, “a different belief from what is classified as orthodox.”

The heretical viewpoint

According to the Ephesian letter, we (whatever that means) were in Christ (again, whatever that means) before the foundation of the world. This place where we resided first is a spiritual world, plane, region, consciousness, or whatever term you wish to employ which describes something not biologically natural. In this environment, the kingdom of grace, we are in the presence of God, who is also known as Love, held blameless. We move and function in this setting without corrupt-ability, immersed and showered in love. This is the field, the realm, or the spiritual condition we were born into. When Jesus claims we are born from above, this is what he is referencing towards. Spirit is spirit.

All of mankind has been, is now, and forever will be an amalgamation of the natural biological processes of an earthly being and a spiritual being living in love. “…born of water and spirit…” is the description of this union. The human embryo, womb-wrapped, immersed in the nutrient rich amniotic fluid expelled at birth, is implanted with a love-possessed spiritual identity which each person will carry throughout their entire life cycle. Nothing is capable of breaking this spiritual bond of love, ever.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (Joh 3:16)

Jesus, is the only begotten human son of God according to orthodoxy. The rest of us…we’re the world, loved by God, in Christ found blameless; the perfect union of flesh and spirit just as it has always been and forever will be. To think otherwise would be called heretical. As a good friend of mine was fond of saying, “You’re are greatly loved by God and there isn’t a dag-gummed thing you can do to screw it up.” You are after all, a spiritual being having a…

We’ve all experienced it. Life is going along rather uninvolved in our part and then suddenly…your attention shifts, your body adjusts, your memory kicks in and you recognize that what is happening at this precise moment already, somehow beyond your comprehension, has occurred. Deja vue. Then the veil of the dream evaporates.

Incarnation is the deja vue of the divine. The Creator so loved his creation that He became His creation’s highest achievement – human. Then the veil ripped apart forever affecting all humanity.

Can mankind recall the divine nature it was created as? This question slaps the face of anyone who believes man is anything but divine. Being made in the image in not the same as made in the likeness as history has well documented. When God’s sole description is wrapped up in the word of Love, humanity has fallen far short to such a lowly status. How many times, under so many extenuating circumstances has mankind failed to recognize their true divine calling?

70, maybe 80, years to live a life worthy of… what? Okay, you made a mistake or two, or maybe a helluva lot more, but does that disqualify you from… Grace. Never. Never from grace.

What I’m about to say I cannot prove. There is no evidence to back up what follows. But sometimes you have to make a declaration simply because…

If incarnation is the deja vue of the divine, wouldn’t re-incarnation be the deja vue of those created in the image and likeness of the divine? If the realization of divinity escaped the thoughts of humanity, wouldn’t Love make every effort to secure that realization over however many attempts it required?

Before you make the fundamental claim of Heb 9:27 that man is appointed once to die, recognize that there are example throughout the bible of humans dying more than once (i.e. Lazarus, the son of the widow of Naim, Tabitha). So, let’s not attempt to block any thoughts about the possibilities using one verse when there are more which counter its claim. Obviously, this verse in the book of Hebrews is addressing something entirely different than what I’m looking at.

What do you do when you recognize that you’ve been here before without actually having been here? Is it possible that the incarnation of Christ was simply the prelude to the re-incarnation of Christ across all humanity until we grow up into fullness of the body? Does 70 to 80 year complete a growth cycle or is it merely the pattern of evolving a seed which is planted and grows new fruit? How is it possible to have wisdom beyond our age unless the number of celestial cycles wasn’t the issue?

How does someone grow up into Christ who makes a death-bed confession and passes into the arms of the Lord within the hour? How, pray tell, do any of us grow into Christ in a single life time? We can’t even master the single commandment given to us to love our neighbors and enemies as ourselves. Wouldn’t it seem reasonable, even logical under the nature of Grace, that mankind would be able to achieve his highest potential, ultimately, regardless of a limited duration upon this rock even if it required multiple iterations?

What if every deja vue you’ve ever experienced is merely a graduation ceremony of every incarnation Christ has accomplished within your eternal life? Would you seek after another moment if you knew you’ve been here before?

A loose cannon. Nut case. Bucking the system. A heretic.

I don’t know of a single person who finds any of these terms flattering. In a world of conformity, to color out of the lines is tantamount to being branded as a troubled child with a learning disability. Anti-social behavior of this caliber will not be tolerated around the common core of people who have mastered their sensibilities.

Then there was Jesus; trailed by a whole host of followers, many of whom decided on their own that maybe they couldn’t bear the stigma of being seen as different, so they renounced their following and returned to the status quo leaving twelve. Yet even these intrepid few didn’t start out as fearless as we count them to be today. They were quite full of fear. It wasn’t until they encountered the death-defying reality of Jesus that they too could claim the title of…blasphemer.

Does that sound like you? No! Of course not! You’re a good follower. A sheep following the master; one of the ninety-nine, right? Only trouble is that sheep don’t follow, they have to be led. Apparently, you have been led, by someone you thought was a shepherd, to follow, not to find a path on your own. But how did this happen?

Since the vast majority of humanity has lost the fine art of tending to sheep, allow me a brief moment to breath some ancient wisdom into our modern lifestyles. Sheep are stupid. (If you’re offended here, stop for a moment and realize that I’m not speaking of people.) The shepherd leads from the rear, pushing the sheep forward. This position allows him to watch their movements and spot any danger ahead. If you’ve thought that a shepherd leads his flock from the front, you are greatly mistaken. In this position, he could walk completely away from the herd and they would NEVER follow simply because they don’t know he left them. This is partly the reason the shepherd has a staff. The hook is to rescue a sheep who has gotten trapped in the brush or in the stream, yet on many occasions it is to provide a blunt reminder that the sheep is supposed to be moving forward.

Doctrines, dogma, and creeds defined by men, like a shepherd’s staff, are used to control followers. The people delivering these statements of faith always incite their prowess with admonitions of, “Beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing.” This is a claim made by someone at the head of the pack ignorant of how a wolf suddenly appeared in its midst. Since no one in the group really knows any differently, it sounds right, and insures that anyone who steps out of lockstep gets taken to the shed…

Consider the case of one of the original fathers of the church, Origen. Born in Alexandria, Egypt about 150 years after the death of Jesus, his prolific writings would form the basis of all Christian thought. However, 300 years after his death, he would be declared a heretic and most of his writings were burned by the church! The establishment he defined deposed him.

Today, to be declared a heretic brings images of being burned at the stake, thanks to the glories of the Inquisitions carried out over 600 years ago. However, what does it really mean to be a heretic? The term simply means to have another or different thought. Different from what? Whatever is deemed to be “orthodox”. In the case of Origen, he was orthodox until others declared him to be unorthodox. This change in status, as with all heretics, was due to the inability of the power structure to maintain control over the sheep because of what the “other” thought could produce.

What was the thought that resulted in Origen being cast as a heretic? There were a variety of things, but the main one was that he believed, and taught, how the soul of man, originally created by God and deemed good, could change from its fallen state and be reborn to its original purpose. Consider how his thought ran counter to the thought prevalent during the time of his judgment, and even still to this day: Once a sinner, always a sinner. So much for grace!

Now I recognize that there are a number of theologians who will dismiss this writing as being far too simplistic an account of events which occurred well over 1500 years ago. That’s the trouble with trying to recount history within the church: no one really understands what is the truth and what is the means to preserving control over the sheeple. Orthodoxy is the blue pill for most of the populace, but in keeping with the cinematic effect, the red pill is not un-orthodoxy. “The traditions of man make the word of God no effect.”

Truth is something which must be sought out. It is there for your discovery. However, once you find it, you are responsible for whether you will utilize it or not. This doesn’t mean that you now are empowered to create a world-wide deliverance ministry. It means that you are a bearer of truth which the majority of people are blatantly afraid to touch. In their eyes, you’re a dangerous person to be around because you think for yourself. This is something the status quo will never cotton to.

All the things which you have been told over the many years of religious indoctrination you’ve been involved in (don’t think being an atheist gets you off the hook here), are simply a means to keep you boxed in and reliant on the system to be your final arbitrator of worthiness. Truth is you were worthy even before your birth. You are loved beyond all comprehension. You have never been a sinner first – you have always been divine. Going rogue is simply following in the footsteps of the one who mastered the technique. Welcome to the family.

There was a saying we always told our newest recruits to recite should a customer ever ask them how long they had been with our company: “I’ve been around construction all my life.” The intention was never to evade the question but rather to bolster the confidence of the consumer that they had selected a company who hired competent workers to build their project. If pressed, then the recruit could honestly say how long they had been with our firm; however, rarely was this ever followed beyond the initial inquiry.

So, let me ask you a question: Can you honestly make the same claim? Have you been around construction all your life? Some of you might profess that you have no clue about construction and couldn’t tell the difference between a left-handed wrench and a right-handed hammer. There may be some of you who dabbled in the industry while going through college or during summer break, but that has been ages ago and your profession of choice has long since replaced the callouses on your hands that hand cream couldn’t soften.

It is possible that the honest answer for those of you I’ve pointed out would be a resounding No! However, honesty has a nasty habit of inflicting second thoughts. Look at the question again, not as what you think it says, but what it factually asks. It is quite possible you’ve thought it asked have you worked in construction all your life, where it actually only asks if you’ve only been around it. Think for moment…who hasn’t been around construction? Just drive down the road, you are bound to pass at least a couple of projects – it might even be the repair of the road itself.

Okay, so we can agree that you, just like me, just like everyone on the face of this planet, has been around construction all their life, right? But is that still the whole truth? Is there ever a time when you might not have been around construction? This is foundational (every pun intended here). If you don’t think so, then take a gander at these writings.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ: even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish before him in love:
(Eph 1:3-4)

According to the grace of God which was given unto me, as a wise master-builder I laid a foundation; and another builds thereon. But let each man take heed how he builds thereon. For other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
(1Co 3:10-11)

Father, I desire that they also whom you have given me be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory, which you have given me: for you loved me before the foundation of the world.
(Joh 17:24)

Who hath saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
(2Ti 1:9)

Before the foundation of the world. Foundations are construction projects of the highest concern. Entire structures, even planets, are supported upon them. Principles are foundations, as are beliefs and values, where entire societies rise and fall on their ability to endure the storms and turmoil which assail their foundation. Regardless of how society is moving, there is a construction project you where around before you were even around. In other words, your life, the eternal life you have, not what you’ll hopefully have one day, but do possess right this very moment, has always been in the foundational love and grace of God, expressed in Jesus, the Christ. Paul even claims that you are still a work in progress. You’re not closed for construction as might be thought by many, you are still opened for construction.

There is a lot of talk these days going around about people being in deconstruction. My take on it is pretty simple: Foundations take time to prepare. Paul was pretty clear, there is only one foundation: Jesus Christ. Jesus’ foundation was pretty clear: God loves him, and he want us to experience it. Deconstruct that. You can’t because it is a foundation laid in grace.

Whatever you’ve been through in this deconstruction process of yours (and I’ve been through a lot myself), you are going to find that the BS you’ve lived in, walk through, and spewed, which may have been for your entire life – all of which now seems like such a total waste of your time and energies – might seem like the structure or edifice, but it’s not. In the foundation business, it is merely loose dirt being excavated to reach solid ground. Your best strength and support will never be seen by anyone. Foundations are always buried. You’re not as built-up in your most holy faith as you might have thought you were, thankfully, you’re just deep – deep in an eternal love. It’s foundational.