The Latest Happenings

My brother is a moral man. He does good things. He is a good guy. And he believes that if he does good deeds that he will be rewarded for his good heart. It seems that karma follows those rules. Good deeds will be rewarded because of good karma.

If there were only this physical world, then maybe this philosophy would be right. However, I am convinced that there is more than this physical world. Holy Scripture tells us that God is spiritual and that we also have a spiritual side to us. The Bible tells us that there is the Kingdom of God. This kingdom is a spiritual place. Entry to this place does not depend on good deeds, but instead it depends on faith. Faith that God is real and faith that God is creator, savior and Lord.

Yes living a good and righteous life is a good thing in the spiritual realm as well. However, in the spiritual realm, good deeds themselves do not lead to salvation or redemption. What is needed to receive salvation is the spiritual step of faith and the belief in God as a gracious and merciful King. Is being moral and righteous enough? I don't think so. I think that God, who is Spirit, wants us to engage on a spiritual level. If God is King, then this King wants us to submit to his authority and come to worship him as his subjects.

It requires humility to surrender. The world does not seem to value humility. It values performance, power and money. Conversely the spiritual realm honours humility.

"God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." James 4:6

If there is no spiritual realm, then we work and perform and let the chips lie where they land. But, if there is a spiritual realm, then morality is not enough. Good deeds are not enough in themselves. This issue of moral versus spiritual is one of the big issues with which we need to wrestle.

On July 22nd, I received my Doctor of Christian Counselling degree from Kingdom Covenant Leadership Institute (KCLI), in Mississauga, Ontario. Dr. Pat Francis was responsible for conferring this honour and as we move forward, Agape Healing Institute will partner with Dr. Francis to deliver training for counsellors wherever KCLI has its training facilities around the world. The first place to visit will be California.

The objective is to multiply the knowlege of Christ-Centered Inner Healing so that more people can come to freedom and wholeness.

To show the multiplication factor, one person, who I trained in China, has personally counselled over 900 people and has taught groups of 100 people , at a time, about these processes. She has also written a book sharing a number of personal stories from those people she helped and has freely distributed 5000 of these books.

If you are interested in learning more, check out lovehealstv.com where "Free To Be Me" is available and also, my "Training Manual" can be accessed along with five hours of videos.

Thanks for journeying with me,

Father, Almighty God
In whom I put my faith and trust
You help me know by truth and grace
That Jesus' light is here today
To guide me as I run this race.

Jesus, Prince of Peace
Your saving love now makes me whole
Forgiven, healed, divinely free
Transforming life to serve and bless
In this dark world, I follow thee.

Holy Spirit
Your wisdom lights my path and opens wide my eyes
To see God's gift; a goodness so profound
That life is born in me again
And fruits of growth and love abound.

Children of God
We celebrate Christ's sacrifice for each and every one of us
Now, nothing Satan sends our way
Can overcome the power we have
To champion with bold belief the victory of this present day.

One of our biggest challenges is to have a high self-esteem and a high self-confidence without having arrogant pride. If we are to live full and abundant lives, we need to have good self-images. So, a positive self-esteem is not only healthy, it is absolutely necessary. We are even commanded to think about what is truthfully good about ourselves.

"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things." (Philippians 4:8)

If we are to think about "such things", where is the problem? The problem begins with "comparing." Our minds are slippery. We can so easily move from "I am good at something" to "I am better than you are ... "

Comparing involves: observing, assessing, evaluating differences and it quickly leads to a value judgment that produces one of two outcomes: 1) arrogant superiority, or 2) envious inferiority.

The word that I use to describe this type of thinking is "comparrogance." Comparrogance involves comparing, competing and eventually the arrogance of thinking "I am better than you are." or the envious thinking of "I will never be as good as you are." In my counselling experience, I see comparrogance as the most destructive influence in all human relationships.

Where does it start? It starts with comparing. One of the key aspects of humility is a lack of comparing. If you don't compare, you are safe.

"God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." (James 4:6)

Once we compare, we quickly introduce a value that assesses what we are comparing. For example: a comparison says, "Some people don't smoke and some people do smoke." The introduction of a value says, "It is better to not smoke than to smoke." It only takes about a nano-second for the value to modify the comparison. Then it is a very small step to get to: "I am better than you because I don't smoke." That's when you get to full blown comparrogance.

How often do we do this thing called comparrogance? What do you think? Once a year? Once a month? Once a week? How about many times every day?

So, here is the challenge. Think about what is true and good and valuable and worthy about yourself and do not compare. Just rest in the truth. Become aware of when you start to compare and stop the thinking at that point. Whatever is true about yourself, think about it and accept it. Just don't let your mind slip into comparrogance because that is where you will get yourself into trouble.

A flash light in the night sky
dim now, I have yet to figure out why?
Like blowing out a harmless candle
while I watch gravity fall without a handle.
Now learning to fly with a broken wing
free falling, only left to cry and sing.
Why am I down? I was supposed to be free.
I am stuck in my story with no key to be me.
All around, life's expectations continue to build up
Alone, I am hiking this flat mountain just waiting to erupt
A new better story is all I want to find.
A co-author who brings words that are loving and kind.
His resurrection, the most incredible story ever told
pain that once was, now with no hold.
I want grace to fight alongside the storming truth
To transform my inner-mind and renew my youth.
Living in the beginnings of my new story
forever and ever I will now share of God's glory.
All powerful and changing, not sophisticated or tough
wherever you may stand, his love will always be enough.
Now consciously aware of His power to transform
rowing my boat with ease through the greatest storms
God is my oar, my rock, in whom I will trust.
Sin has no place in me, in truth I cannot be touched.
Through a two way door, I stand with an everlasting invitation
no longer left with the stronghold of sins sensation
Forgiven big, forgiven small, it is truly free for all,
grace and freedom are snowflakes in an infinite snow fall
This gift is a real dream; a shining star in the brightest blue skies,
to one day lay in your arms and gaze into your loving eyes.

Thank you Josh for your creativity and wisdom.