It's me, mike hillebrecht

“Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.” Matthew 4:17

“The kingdom of God comes not with observation…Behold the kingdom of God is within you.” Luke 17:20-21

Lack. It plagues us. We cannot seem to overcome it.

Desires. We have many which we cannot seem to quench. Rarely will we admit that we lack desire, unless it is as a response to take an action we don’t wish to pursue.

What do these two terms have to do with the kingdom of God you might be wondering. Many people are living without simply because they don’t know what they have within. Even those who know what they have within cannot access it properly, and hence, live without simply because they fail to repent.

Okay, that last thing is a big hang up and red flag for most people. Religious tradition has butchered the true meaning of the term so you cannot even mention it without sending people into a frenzy of moralistic whining. So, I’m not going to play that game with you; I’m simply going to explain what the term means within the context of this writing. (It is valid everywhere too, but that is for another day.)

When I was young, I abhorred liver. The very thought of it not only sent shivers down my spine but caused me to gag uncontrollably. A few years ago, I changed my mind about it. Today, I love it! I discovered how it was prepared when I was a child was the reason for my reactions to it. Yet, today, with a many new alternatives in preparing it, I can enjoy what most of you probably still distaste. My tastes for it evolved and changed.

Repent means to change your mind, the way you think and see things, how they taste and nourish you with a more developed and refined palate. We often get stuck in the bland traditions which fill our heads. Jesus tells us to rethink what true food is all about – it is within your grasp.

The kingdom of God is not some far off event which will happen when the world folds up like a cheap rag. It is a very present reality, right now, all around you. Even better, it is within you. You don’t have to grasp for it as much as reach within to allow it to pour it out. “Out your belly shall flow rivers of living water.”

Notice how Jesus claims that the kingdom of God does not come by observation. You can’t look around and see it with your natural eyes. We’ve been trained to rely on our sight to distinguish the environment we occupy to be favorably or not. This feeds into our sense of lack and produces within us the emotional cocktail which nourishes the perception of lack.

But there isn’t any lack, anywhere, ever! We only think there is. We have conditioned our mind to perceive it as so simply because we don’t “see” the kingdom of God around us. It isn’t around us; it is within us.

“Taste and see that the Lord is good.” Notice the progression. Something must come from within in order to project an outward appearance. You have to develop a new taste for something in order to see, create or revise a thought, or perceived consciousness. Jesus tells us that only God is good. This means that everything which we have categorized as “good” is a misperception because we haven’t “tasted” it properly. We boldly claim to have a discriminating palate for all the things we see, regardless of people, places and circumstances. Truly, we have only developed an appetite for junk food rather than the meat of the kingdom.

So how do we change our desire for a diet of lack? “Be still and know that I am God.” Stillness. Stop looking out for what you desire, look within. Now, recognize this very act will offend many, if not most of you. It is impossible in this day and age to stop everything and be still, right? There are so many things which must be done or pursued, right? Bills to pay; school to finish; work to rush to; family to address; friends to…you get the picture, right? Are you kinda fed up here?

You are living without simply because you refuse to look within. There is a kingdom within you that you carry everywhere you go 24/7. It is the fullness of who sits on the throne of this kingdom that is your source. When was the last time you considered how you are a transporter, a vehicle, a vessel of the living God who is all power, all knowing, all present, all creation, all love, and all peace? The banquet table of this kingdom is always overflowing within, yet we fail to stop, become still, and taste of the goodness within.

Is it time to change your mind, your thoughts, your consciousness about how you see the kingdom of God? Are you fed up with always seeking after things which don’t soothe the hunger burning within you? Have you ever considered your lack as a diet employed to make you look within? What if the kingdom of God IS the desire of your heart that your head just can’t seem to grasp simply because stillness is so counter-intuitive?

There will always be lack without the kingdom of God. It is still entirely within your grasp to manifest the kingdom’s abundance not by what is seen about you but rather by what swirls and boils within you. There is a greatness within you which you know not of. Stillness is the path within.

Therefore they could not believe, because that Isaiah said again, He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them. (Joh 12:39-40)

The single largest roadblock to living in the oneness of the Father is duality, a pair of I’s. Our entire life is a focus upon I and an other I. Our perspective is entirely crafted to distinguish differences in others who are not us simply to determine whether they are a danger to our well-being. We even apply this to our view of God. Let me take a moment to look at these two I’s from a point of view designed to dissolve our dual perceptions.

In the first book of Genesis, God declares how He will make man in His image and likeness. At no point in this creation narrative are we given any physical description of God. He is incorporeal. Man, therefore, who is made in the image and likeness, must also be incorporeal. We are a mirror of God, and as a far as He is concerned, it is very good.

There is a phrase whipped around in many charismatic circles stating, “God is all in all.” The first creation story of Genesis clearly portrays this. God draws forth all of creation from the exhalation of His breath. Nothing exists without His breath declaring its life. Yet, the term “breath” and “life” are concepts we associate with matter, things of substance, of which God is not.

So, let me reiterate the claim how God caused a vibration which excited the field of all possibilities resulting in some invisible energies to slow down and coalesce into a single locality known as our universe. Mankind, however, was generated into a vibrational pattern which is identical to the pattern of God. It is not a pattern different, similar too, or comparable too – it is identical in image and likeness. There is not one and another, and another for eight billion reiterations. There is one vibrational pattern – God.

From this we should begin to understand that God is. Nothing follows that statement in its purest formation. “All in all,” is a descriptor which allows us to weakly grasp the infinite in our finite concepts of meaning. To declare God as all-knowing, all-present, all-power, love, life, the first and the last, or any other term we have embedded in our mind is simply an attempt to capture the magnitude of grandeur before us. Moses discovered this in the name “I AM.” God is I AM. God is one. The one I. The Father and I are one.

Jesus made this claim, “…if you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father.” Yet, isn’t Jesus a physical being? Yes, of course he is, but Jesus recognized how his vibrational pattern and that of God is identical. God manifesting as Jesus – identical vibrational patterns, one pattern, not two. His seven great “I AM” claims in the fourth gospel are not about the life of a second “I” walking about the earth, they are about the one I inhabiting all lower vibrational patterns living, moving and being in them.

At some point in our evolution as lower vibrational patterns we assumed an identity which caused a second I to dominate our consciousness. This second I began to hamper the one consciousness of our true identity and flooded our thoughts with descriptors we desired to possess on the material plane. Paul would declare how this activity is the result of the carnal mind which holds the first consciousness as an enemy because the carnal mind can only see the lack in a material realm not recognizing the wealth of possibilities in the non-visible realm of God’s kingdom.

Consider how Jesus, when he entered into his ministry declared, “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.” “Repent” does not mean all we have been indoctrinated with over the centuries. It simply means to change your thinking. Change your consciousness back to the kingdom of all unseen possibilities.

This is the first step we undergo in moving back to our first vibrational pattern. It is purposeful intention toward a divine objective. It requires us to dissolve the second I into the will of the One. As John the Baptizer stated, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” The use of “I” here in this declaration is a reference to the second I.

Please understand the carnal mind, or as Freud deemed it, the ego, will not give up its position without a fight. So, while John’s statement, truth-filled as it is, might seem easily attainable, it will require some discipline to achieve. Paul claims that it will require casting down thoughts and imaginations which exalt themselves against the knowledge, or consciousness, of Christ, which is the hope of glory and resides in you. However, he encourages us to recall how we have the mind, or consciousness, of Christ. The original vibrational pattern is still operating within us. These thoughts and imaginations are material desires which can only manifest from the invisible field of all possibilities known as God’s kingdom, not from the power and might of our workings.

Being “born again” is the result of bringing the second I to a daily death through accepting that the Father is one with all of His creation. As we, moment by moment, acknowledge our dependence on the invisible realm of all possibilities, the second I decreases so that the One I resumes its preeminence. There will come a day, when we, like Moses, suddenly discover our true identity. This revelation will resonate out of us, “I am that I AM.” In this moment, heaven will invade earth at the next coming of our Christhood and the God we have been looking for will become the Looker in His mirror. In this day we will finally discover the hidden message of the good news of how God has manifested as us to live, move and have our being as one with, and in Him.

Let me get real with you. This whole world pandemic deal is a freaking mess. However, you’re in luck. I wrote the book on a freaking mess back in 2012, aptly titled, Your Life is a Freaking Mess. I would like to say that I am prophetic in my ability to foresee this moment in history, but that would be a lie. Face it people, this is not the first time that our life has been a freaking mess. I penned that epic when the world was in the last stages of a financial meltdown. It is a guidebook for people who have come to the end of their rope and discovered they haven’t left any slack to hang themselves. I offer some of my life antidotes as examples of how to navigate the shoals of despair. The big take away from the book is this: Breathe.

Fast forward eight years and here we sit again, hyper-ventilating. The only thing predictable in a freaking mess is that air seems to become a valuable commodity. (Don’t allow toilet paper to dominate your thoughts. Shit happens even in a freaking mess. Breathing, however, is the thing to watch.)

Isolation is creating within many the mental exercise of panic. Fear is the medium of exchange in everything you watch and listen to. Face masks project terror as people are being robbed of their sanity through hyper-sanitization. Conspiracies abound and multiply as days stretch into weeks with no hope of being able to venture into the public domain. We have binged anything worth binging and cleaned everything more times than we want to admit. And yet, there is this still small voice haunting our every moment of isolation, whispering to us, “My grace is sufficient.”

WTF! If you’re offended right now, then you need to screw your head on buttercup, you’re in a pandemic and no body – even the government – knows what the hell to do. They are making this up as they go! Yet, “My grace is sufficient.”

Listen to me for a moment. Breathe.

Do it again, breathe.

If you start to panic, breathe; if your heart starts to race, breathe; if you begin to allow your mind to run through every scenario of your fateful demise, breathe. Close your eyes and keep breathing.

I’m going to assume that that you have opened your eyes now and are willing to continue reading.

In the throes of a freaking mess, the most difficult thing to do is to find a footing which will sustain you throughout the tumult swirling about you. Bible verses don’t mean squat at moments like this simply because the pain – real, spit in your face, twist your nose pain, poke you in the eye pain – is more real than some type on a flimsy piece of parchment. And yet, somehow you keep breathing a grace which is sufficient. WTF is going on?

You need to understand something here. I am not like others who have given the message of grace from the perspective of being a sinner saved by grace. My grace message goes back much further than many want to profess. So, allow me, in our freaking mess, to show you what that still small voice is trying to get across to you.

“The kingdom God is within you.” Stop thinking that the kingdom is coming one day in the future from up there and out there, it is in you right now. Every king sits on a throne and proclaims His rule from that throne. God’s throne is described as a throne of grace. This means that every edict which is uttered from this throne is recognized as being a grace event or grace mandate. In a kingdom which abounds with everything, grace is sufficient. This grace has been sufficient long before the foundations of the world.

“I and the Father are one.” You are not any different from Jesus. You and the Father are one. There actually isn’t even a “you” as much as there is Him being as you. (Image and likeness, people. You are not in His fullness.) Whatever the Father says, as you, is spoken from the same throne of grace as if He spoke it directly.

“Son, you are ever with me and all I have is yours.” God cannot give you anything. So, quit asking for it! I know this doesn’t make sense, right? Consider this: For God to give you something, He would also have the ability to take it away. Love doesn’t take. You already have it. As long as God is, you have everything through the power of the grace of His kingdom.

There are those people who seriously believe that this entire mess is God’s reaction to our Adamic nature, or because of some sexual deviation, or because prayer is no longer in school, or because…yada, yada, yada. You can believe the mythic conjuring of these folks if you want to and the magical cantations they prescribe you follow three times a day until the next holy day. But all that work, genuflecting and purification will not dampen the whisper, “My grace is sufficient for you.”

The truth of this situation which the vast majority of people will never even attempt to decipher is found in their personal mess and just how grace is sufficient in what they face. Now that you’re faced with being at home, unable to go to work or any social functions, even limited in going to the grocery store, your mess is blooming all around you. Yet, “My grace is sufficient.” Do you know what this means? Breathe. There is a voice calling you, but you’ll only hear it between each breathe.

The million of years that this planet has existed and the hundred of thousands of years that humanity has traveled across it, there have been viruses. This one is simple the next in a long chain of evolving viruses. It will be demoted next season by another virus which, those who survive this go around, will have to face just like all the others before.

Regardless, then, now, or whatever follows, the response does not change. “My grace is sufficient.” There is no lack simply because, “My grace is sufficient.” There is nothing missing because, “My grace is sufficient.” All worries and concerns melt away because, “My grace is sufficient.” But what about…“My grace is sufficient.”

So, what is the correct response to this pandemic?

You: Breathe.

God: “My grace is sufficient.”

You: Breathe.

Repeat.

Now I know there will be many of you who will dismiss this as trivial because you don’t see how your freaking mess is going to be aided by the simple act of breathing. Look buttercup, you’ve screwed this up yourself through all the actions (and many nonactions) you took. Quit playing god for a moment and let God do what He has always been doing. Until you realize that the very act of breathing is acknowledging your dependence on Him, you are not going to understand a darn thing I’ve been trying to put before you. Breathe, just freaking breathe. And while you’re doing it, listen. Pay attention to the silence, the realm of God. Sure, you’ve got questions, concerns, fears – but shut up. Do you honestly believe that a God who is all powerful, ever present, and all knowing has no clue what a mess you’re in? Why do think He wants you to experience, “My grace is sufficient,” more than chalk it up to one more bible message you’ll file away and forget about in ten days?

So again, what is the correct response to this pandemic?

You: Breathe.

God: “My grace is sufficient.”

You: Breathe.

Repeat.

I’ve had a few people question my actions during this pandemic. They seem perturbed that I somehow feel above the rest of the herd by not solemnly following the dictates which are being handed down from ivory towers of political/corporate structures. There are the shaming tactics of how dare you risk the lives of others during this global crisis. To all of this I shake my head in disbelief – not at what is being said, but how mindlessly gullible the world has become.

Let me be upfront with you. I have a family member who is in the “at-risk” category of this mess. 26 years ago, she came into this world a quadriplegic; unable to breath on her own, she has been kept alive by a respirator 24/7/365. Consider how, ten days after her birth, my wife and I are ushered into a small conference room filled with “experts” who tell us what her condition is, and then, how she won’t live more than two years because she will develop pneumonia from being attached to a vent; how she will need to have her limbs amputated because her skeletal form will not be able to support them as she grows; how there were no care facilities capable to handle her varied medical needs; so our choices were to keep her in ICU for an undetermined time, or take her home and wait for her soon anticipated demise, or pull her life support. WTF do “experts” know?

The late comedian George Carlin was fond of saying, “I have one rule in life: Don’t believe a fucking thing the government says.” At my age, I have lived through the Bay of Pigs fiasco; the assassination of an American president, his brother and the leading civil rights leader of the nation; the Vietnam war and its protests; a drug war; the Iranian hostage crisis; OPEC oil embargo and gas lines; 21% mortgage interest rates; the dot-com bubble; WACO, Ruby Ridge, Oklahoma bombing; the impeachment of a sitting president; a cold war, nuclear proliferation, the fall of communism in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, giving citizens the first breaths of freedom in a generation; I witnessed leaders in Africa, China and Vietnam purge their country of hundreds of millions of people because they were too “intellectual” or “different”; the ten-year cycle of polar ice caps melting because of global warming, which became climate change simply because the caps weren’t melting fast enough; 9/11 and the loss of many of our personal liberties all in the name of a war on terrorism; two Gulf-wars and the illusive hunt for weapons of mass destruction; the NSA, Snowden, Manning, Wikileaks and Julian Assange; the decimation of my IRA because some banks are too big to fail; Benghazi and the rule of politics over power (and don’t get me started on the blackhole of the last three years); but of course let us not forget mumps, measles, chicken pox, walking pneumonia, AIDS, SARS, Ebola, MERS, Bird flu, swine flu, H1N1; and so many more “national events” leading up to this, A NEW VIRUS, out of communist China, no less.

Allow me to be blunt here. The term, NEW, means that experts do not have a clue because they, “have never seen this before.” How many times have you heard or read that line over the past two months? Yet, people seem to think that the government and science has everything under control. WAKE UP! It is quite possible that you know more about this than anyone who claims to an expert. People, they are making this up as they go. The hope is that science will prevail and provide us with a vaccine. WAKE UP! It takes time to create a vaccine, like around 18 to 24 months! You going to stay sequestered in your home that long simply because an “expert” said to?

Their science relies on mathematical models which do not have the ability to factor in the one key element unique to mankind: The ability to independently think. So, what do they do to keep the model working on their behalf? Employ fear. Fear is the most primal human emotion. It shuts down all ability to think rationally. The constant display of daily deaths is no different than when Walter Cronkite displayed the number of soldiers killed in Vietnam every night in the 60’s and 70’s. “Save us, oh save us and our way of life!”

Life, as you have known it, is a ruptured pimple. No matter what the economic “experts” try to spew at you about how soon we’ll be back up and running just like before, it is only puss. Think of the industries which took the greatest hit, you know, the “non-essential” ones. How many of you, when your protectors finally permit you to leave your cage, are going to rush out get you hair cut, nails trimmed so you can go to a restaurant, and then the movies, or have a few drinks, and then see a concert? Honestly, you trust that these venues are now “safe” simply because they told you they are? Welcome to the second wave (of fear) they keep touting. “Stay at home where you are safe, and we can protect you until we get the vaccine to you.”

Look, I am out there in the public and it looks like a freaking zombie apocalypse has happened. People don’t look at you accept to find the best route to dodge away from you. Masks hide all ability to know if there is a smile behind the sullen eyes, and God forbid you run across a deaf person who reads lips! I refuse to wear a mask simply because I have a beard. Masks don’t work with beards according to OSHA. Besides, if everyone else is wearing one, thank you for keeping the environment safe for me.

But this is what concerns me. I had a small child, joyfully riding her bicycle down the street suddenly stop and call back to her mother for help about whether she should move forward, simply because I came around the yard 30 feet away from her! Gullible adults are infecting the minds of young people simply because an “expert” told some politician this is the “right” thing to do. Imagine how this will affect her life in 10, 20, 30 years.

So here are my parting words. If you are one of those who are at risk, do what you have always done – stay away from nut jobs who can’t, and refuse, to follow proper sanitization protocols. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, stop picking your butt and scratching your manly parts should not have be said, but obviously people are just plain ignorant of decent personal hygiene protocols. There is no need to invade the personal space of someone. If you can smell their deodorant, you’re too close! Get outside and dig around in the dirt. There are all kinds of diseases in the soil which never bothered you when you were growing up. Take the natural course to ward off the vaccine blues; Vitamins B1, C, D and K; Minerals Zinc, Potassium and Magnesium; Oregano Oil and Olive Leaf Extract round out the list. This concoction has kept our “at-risk” family functioning for over 26 years despite what the “experts” say.

And lastly, think! God gave you a brain, use it responsibly. Don’t tell me we are all in this together when everyone is spouting the same party-line BS. Together is not sameness. Everyone is doing their best with what they have available for them. To jump all over anyone who you feel is not living up to some arbitrary standard simply proves to me that you are not doing your best with what you have available. Here is why you are shut in. The intention of keeping people apart is not for health reasons, it is to keep people from interacting in conversation which might expose just how naked the ruler is in his “new” robe of authority. Do your best to ignore what they deem to be best for you so long as they parrot, “we’ve never seen anything like this before.”

PS. Whether you want to admit it or not, a disease that kills old people, like me, isn’t news. People die, every day, in many ways and their departure, while tragic to the families left behind to grieve, doesn’t really make an impact like the MSM wants it to be made. In the last three years I have had my parents, my best friend, and three other great friends die. It comes with being human. It is our greatest fear and it sells. Remember that: it sells.

When I was 19, I began reading, and naturally collecting, Marvel comic books. At 20 cents per edition – which seems like a bargain today – I would stock up on the adventures of Spiderman, The Avengers, X-Men, and Iron Man every month. These stories kept me entertained for years and fueled within me a desire to be…different.

Most superheroes are either born with an innate ability, have their ability inflicted upon them by some outside force or enemy, or create their ability through scientific development. My favorites during those days was Colossus from the X-Men, a Russian mutant who could transform his body into an indestructible metal compound which gave him strength and stamina, and Iron Man, the armored creation of the brilliant millionaire inventor Tony Stark. One born different, one created different.

Deep inside of us is the drive to be…? That is the question and answer we are all pursuing, right? We seek a superpower which will reveal our quest, our destiny. Some believe that there is no “hidden” power within themselves, while others are very vocal how their superpower is making coffee in the morning. We all have a unique gift or ability which helps us navigate through the matrix we call life. If making coffee is the pinnacle for these few, great! I’ll raise a cup to their impact upon the farmers in Columbia.

Having a superpower is kind of limiting. Let’s be honest, every superhero knows that there is someone out there trying to defeat them and take over the world. Having one power means you can only select the fights you know you can win. Coffee heroes do not cross Tea heroes. So, what if you could have more than one power, which would you chose? For me the choice is simple, however, for some of you this might seem like foolishness. Consider the following:

1Co 1:22-27
(22) Seeing that Jews demand miracles, and Greeks go in search of wisdom,
(23) while we proclaim a Christ who has been crucified–to the Jews a stumbling-block, to Gentiles foolishness,
(24) but to those who have received the Call, whether Jews or Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
(25) Because that which the world deems foolish in God is wiser than men’s wisdom, and that which it deems feeble in God is mightier than men’s might.
(26) For consider, brethren, God’s call to you. Not many who are wise with merely human wisdom, not many of position and influence, not many of noble birth have been called.
(27) But God has chosen the things which the world regards as foolish, in order to put its wise men to shame; and God has chosen the things which the world regards as destitute of influence, in order to put its powerful things to shame;

Notice the use of power, particularly God’s power, in these verses. You see, God is omnipotent. OMNI = ALL, potent = power. God is ALL power. Not just some here and there, but ALL. There is not a power, any power, greater than the power of God. The single word which defines the use and describes the effect of God’s power is “Good.”

“God is omnipotent. Big deal! I know this or have been told it to me all my life. IF He is so powerful, why doesn’t He do something about…?”

This is a pretty common response from the majority of the people on this planet. There appears to be a power greater than God which keeps Him from working for “Good.” Consider this claim very carefully.

If God is omnipotent, this means He is ALL power. Can there be any other power? No, ALL means ALL. So then, is there a greater power at work here? No. If the effect is not “Good,” is it the power of God? No. Is it some other power then? No, as long as God is Omnipotent, there is no other power capable of occupying the same space or territory which is defined as ALL, simply because God fills ALL in ALL.

Before you write this off as some foolish expression of circle logic, go back to the prior verses and look at the power issue again. If we seem to think that there is a power affecting our ability to experience the “Good” power of God, maybe we haven’t established what “Power” truly is. What if our thoughts of power are merely “our” ideas of what and how we believe power functions? What if we decided to capture every thought of power and made it submit to the “Good” power of God simply be declaring, “…you would have no power unless it came from above.”

What if your superpower was simply being vocal in how grateful you are that God is Omnipotent? What kind of power would that look like? What effect would it create and maintain in your life, your family, your business, your community?

(If you think I left out the issues which aren’t “good” then you better hold on. I’ll tackle them a bit later once you are founded properly on OMNI. Stay tuned!)

In 1939, ol’ blue eyes, Frank Sinatra, recorded a song by this same title, but it didn’t become famous until 1943 when it was reissued by Columbia Records, spending 21-weeks atop the Billboard charts. The original release, sung when Frank was only 23 and beginning in the business, sold only 8,000 copies, which by all accounts, is a flop. However, in 1943 Frank was a hot commodity and Columbia Records wanted to promote Frank. But there was one little problem: A musician strike wouldn’t permit anyone to make any record with a band. Columbia Records made the shrewd move of re-releasing the older version much to the success of all the parties involved.

This little bit of music trivia lays right in line with my previous post regarding the re-introduction of the prefix OMNI back into your vocabulary. According to www.etymonline.com, OMNI is:

“word-forming element meaning “all,” from Latin omni-, combining form of omnis “all, every, the whole, of every kind,” a word of unknown origin, perhaps literally “abundant,” from *op-ni-, from PIE root *op- “to work, produce in abundance.”

Now I wish to make something very clear here before I go forward. I’ll put it plainly: ALL=ALL. There is no room for, “All, except for…” or, “All, but not…” I’m not going to ask you to agree with me on this simply because the definition of the prefix OMNI plainly declares, “…all, the whole, of every kind.” ALL=ALL, the whole, of every kind. OMNI!

Ok, you bible aficionados, here is your question of the day. What is the opening line to the Shema? (faint lilting of the Jeopardy theme song plays in the background as the contestant search their memories for a correct response.) The Shema (hear) is the foundation of all Hebraic thought and theology. It is recited daily and is found in Deuteronomy 6:4-9 with the opening line reading as,

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: (Deu 6:4)

For the most part, the Western religion of the 21st century has no clue what this means even though it was a staple to pretty much most of the religious expressions leading up to this time. Regrettably, the streams of time have a tendency to wear down the spiny edges of foundational truths making them more comfortable to be around. Kinda like the difference between a new toothbrush and an old one. (With arm and hammer, I took aim at the crest before me making no sense of dyin’ from it. Puns…not for the weak of heart.)

When Moses declared before the children of Israel that the Lord God is one Lord, he was simply claiming that God is OMNI. Take a moment to breath here. I know this doesn’t line up with things as you have been told, however, this doesn’t negate the fact that God is ALL; that God is Every; That God is The Whole; that God is of an unknown origin; that God is Abundant. All of these descriptors fall easily and comfortably into, God is One. So, what do you think Jesus meant when he claimed that he and the Father are One? Was he being omni-scient or omni-percipient? (This is just of taste of coming attractions!)

Read what follows very carefully.

We do not worship, pray to, or even commune, with the same God which Jesus did. I am not talking about Jesus worshiping the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob either. Christ stated, “…before Abraham was, I am.” Jesus was on a whole different plane of reality than we have even considered. Regrettably, we have taken every concept of God handed down to us over these past two thousand years and molded them into the omni-god “of every kind.” We have failed to keep God as One. This means we have failed to see and revere God as ALL. This has affected our ability to pray correctly, to commune freely, to worship whole-heartily; to be our truest self in all seasons, situations and circumstances.

DISCLAIMER

I do not have the answer – yet. I am on the same journey which you are on. We are at varying markers along the trail. Some are further behind while others are further ahead. Location is not important, only the destination is. What unfolds within these various writings over the next few days, weeks, months, and years will merely be my travel log towards One. Hopefully, you’ll benefit from this as much as I do. My motivation is simple: ALL or nothing at all.

We live in an age where language is trying to keep pace with technology and making a very good show of it in many ways. It would appear that the stability of the meaning of words from by-gone eras are being tossed aside to make room for more culturally relevant terms, and/or phrases, in order not to offend certain social groups. Being “all inclusive” has apparently taken the reins of social discourse in our small thinking world.

My hope with this post, and the next few which may follow, is to break you out of your limited, small brain, smaller thinking mind-set by re-introducing to you a vital term which is as inclusive as you can get. Ladies and gentlemen, madams and messieurs, boys and girls of all ages and nations, allow me to introduce you to the one, and the only prefix you will ever need to fit into any dialogue you’re having with those who are so inclined to be inclusive without restraint and reserve. Behold: OMNI.

Please now, keep your hushed talking to a minimum as I embark on the task of bringing this marvel back into the light after having been relegated to the dark wings of antiquity. I know that this prefix appears to have a “retro” vibe to it and might have been prominent in the minds of some of you in an era of free love and psychedelic expression, but the masters of marketing could not curtail or enhance the significance of this simple little prefix.

YES! Employed as a prefix in the course of your speaking, it will add an entirely whole new level of possibilities to any word you attach it to! Imagine the flattering glances you’ll achieve when you slip this little pearl-of-great-price into your lexicon. But I’m getting ahead of myself. You must see what I’m talking about. Prepare yourself to be astounded, mesmerized, even possibly awe struck! Now, for your sincere consideration, let me welcome back from a far and distant time, our prefix of relevance to your every waking life-size moments. If you would, a round of applause for OMNI!

Thank you everyone for your recognition of OMNI as it struts it’s stuff down the corridors of your mind. According to www.etymonline.com, OMNI is:

“word-forming element meaning “all,” from Latin omni-, combining form of omnis “all, every, the whole, of every kind,” a word of unknown origin, perhaps literally “abundant,” from *op-ni-, from PIE root *op- “to work, produce in abundance.”

Talk about an icon of inclusivity! There is none better than the regal, illustrious, sincere, OMNI.

Can I be serious for a moment? I’m a grace guy. If you haven’t ascertained this yet, then you must be new to these postings, to which I can only say, keep reading! For the rest of you, grace is “omni” in its ability to make an affect. I know that saying this possibly caused a number of you to scrunch up your nose and forehead because it goes against everything you have been told. Obviously, no preacher is every going to announce from a pulpit the benefits of omni-grace. However, what if one did? What would it sound like? How would it change your life, your community and your nation?

Alright, it is true that this is simply an exercise of thinking about possibilities using a prefix to change a preconceived idea of a thought. I admit it. Yet, there was a promise conveyed about future writings which would employ this prefix…

Stay tuned, for you haven’t even begun to think out of the box.

Over the years where I have been studying and teaching about the subject of grace, I am often confronted by the “human-ness” of the subject material. Understandably, most people, when they first learn about grace, relate it to themselves and those around them. The notion that God has forgiven them of all their life foibles and fumbles through His grace is captivating in its liberation. Growth and maturity in grace unfolds as we extend grace to those in our life – and this becomes the roadblock to so many.

Humans posses a sense of entitlement through victimhood. The subject of grace brings with it the issues of forgiveness and mercy which entitled people resent particularly when there is any perception of having been inflicted by another. Note, I did not say actually being inflicted, only the perception of the act having occurred. There are a multitude of professional studies which will tell you from their findings how your mind does not know the difference between an actual event or one which was imagined. If you believe you are a victim, you re-live life accordingly.

Victims rarely, if ever, will be, or are, capable of offering true grace, forgiveness or mercy to another. Victims live in a conditional frame of mind as a means to protect their status as a victim. Unconditional grace, forgiveness, and mercy are too painful to consider as the means to living a spiritual life. Therefore, a victim will withhold simply to maintain their perception of emotional strength.

Regrettably, victims who withhold find it equally hard to extend true grace, forgiveness and mercy to the one person who desperately needs it the most – themselves. Their efforts to shore up the walls of protection around themselves will not allow the dismantling which occurs from true grace to transform their thoughts and lives. This is why as I’ve claimed that grace is not mortal. Mortal means having a beginning and an end, a birth and a death. Being a victim gives a person the power to determine, or establish self-imposed conditions, to the end, or the death of something or someone. As long as we have the ability to offer grace, forgiveness or mercy to another, particularly on our terms and conditions, we are functioning from this mortal, worldly realm.

Jesus stated that the kingdom of God is within you and me. Within every kingdom, there is a place, a seat, a throne where the King declares his plans and purposes through His spoken word. In the kingdom of God, which resides within us, this seat is called the throne of grace. How did it come to be called this?

In the book of Isaiah we encounter a declaration from God which says, “…For my thoughts are not your thoughts and your ways are not my was, for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts are higher than your thoughts.” When any mortal looks at the throne where God sits, declaring the plans and purpose of His kingdom, the highest human thought, the highest human way which can describe those actions is “grace.” While it is a mortal concept of grace, the reality, the truth of such work is higher than we are capable of conceiving. Grace is beyond our perceptions.

Grace, in the kingdom of God, which is within us, speaks to Paul when he has tried to rid himself of a throne in his flesh three times. It is announced that grace is sufficient for Paul in his weakness because grace is his strength. This claim transforms Paul.

True grace, from the kingdom within us, is transformative, as is forgiveness and mercy. It restores us back to wholeness, harmony, life everlasting. Grace is the power of God to transform mortality into eternal life simply because it does not recognize death or separation as a function of love. This is way above our thoughts! Higher even than we act! Yet it is residing and functioning within each of us this very moment whether you believe it or not.

Now, consider this carefully. Every single person, past, present and future is entitled to, as well as a recipient of, true grace from the victimhood of our own thoughts of who we believed God to be. It flows to us unconditionally, abundantly, yet in proportion to our perception of our weakness. It cannot be turned off or diminished, ever. It is the power of God within us which is higher than our thoughts and ways. Look at yourself and see your neighbor. In transformation, there is no difference with grace.

Seriously, just stop.

Now breathe, through your nose. Slowly, deeply. Let your belly rise with each inhalation.

There is a line from a song by the Police which states, “…every breath you take…” Keep breathing, deeply, through your nose.

In the second chapter of Genesis it states that God formed the man and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and he became a living soul.

Breathe deeply, through your nose. Your soul is being feed.

While you breathe, think about air. What does it look like? How do you know it is around you? Come on, make a mental image of it. It feeds your soul after all.

Breathe deeply, through your nose.

This is difficult, right? Thinking about the act of breathing is not “natural,” right?

Breathe in deeply, through your nose, expanding your belly with each breath.

Have you ever considered that God is like air? You can’t see him or touch him. For all practical purposes, He just doesn’t seem to be evident to our sight or any other sense we possess.

Keep breathing, deeply, through your nose.

You presently have a concept of what God looks like in your consciousness. It could be any of a number of things which have come to you through some form of indoctrination or social precept. While you continue to breath, close your eyes and take a moment to see the images you have fashioned about who God is to you.

Breathe. Again, breathe.

Air. Describe it as it relates to your soul. What does it look like? How does it feel? When do you desire it the most? Where do you think it is not necessary?

Breathe, deeply, ravenously, gratefully.

God. Father. Creator. “…every breath you take…” A living soul. In the image and likeness…

Breathe. Without ceasing. Eternal…

Stop! You can’t. Neither can He.

Breathe, again…and again.

A fight against God is like a fight against breathing. Hold your breath if you seriously believe He doesn’t care about you. It matters not what you believe, it matters who you have been inhaling from. Breathe, again.