Genesis 1:26-28
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Dominion: Control or the exercise of control; sovereignty.

The Father’s greatest and best has become LOST! When did collective dominion become individualized? What has happened to the huMAN that he believes he is the only ONE in the universe? What happened to the greater good? The huMAN was given dominion because he was the creation most like Him, but we use that power for selfish means. Male has become male, female has become female, and the huMAN no longer exists. Have we not learned from the parents before us?

 
Genesis 11:1-8

And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter. And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.

Jasher 11:1-8

And Nimrod son of Cush was still in the land of Shinar, and he reigned over it and dwelt there, and he built cities in the land of Shinar. And these are the names of the four cities which he built, and he called their names after the occurrences that happened to them in the building of the tower. And he called the first Babel, saying, Because the Lord there confounded the language of the whole earth; and the name of the second he called Erech, because from there God dispersed them. And the third he called Eched, saying there was a great battle at that place; and the fourth he called Calnah, because his princes and mighty men were consumed there, and they vexed the Lord, they rebelled and transgressed against him. And when Nimrod had built these cities in the land of Shinar, he placed in them the remainder of his people, his princes and his mighty men that were left in his kingdom.

And Nimrod dwelt in Babel, and he there renewed his reign over the rest of his subjects, and he reigned securely, and the subjects and princes of Nimrod called his name Amraphel, saying that at the tower his princes and men fell through his means. And notwithstanding this, Nimrod did not return to the Lord, and he continued in wickedness and teaching wickedness to the sons of men; and Mardon, his son, was worse than his father, and continued to add to the abominations of his father. And he caused the sons of men to sin, therefore it is said, From the wicked goeth forth wickedness.

So long ago, yet so present in we continue with this same behavior. Setting men before the Father because they talk a ‘better’ game, wars fought over women, lands, and treasures…all of which were already given…never satisfied with what we have and always wanting more. WE’VE BEEN GIVEN THE WORLD!!

Why is it easier to take more than your share instead of making do with what you have been given? We look to what others have or don’t have and forget there is a reason…a purpose larger than any of us can percieve. We argue about ancient words written instead of the meanings behind them.

We have dominion over madness because WE MADE IT that way. The HuMAN has lost his way and the world has followed suit. The Earth is confused with her seasons, the animals are confused as to where to go and what to eat, and we stand around as if we are not responsible for the confusion.

Deuteronomy 4:25-31

When thou shalt beget children, and children’s children, and ye shall have remained long in the land, and shall corrupt yourselves, and make a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, and shall do evil in the sight of the LORD thy God, to provoke him to anger: I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed.
And the LORD shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the LORD shall lead you. And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.
When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.

 
Its time to return to the Father. STOP BLOCKING BLESSINGS!!!

Susan Kruzan remembers…..

What is the definition of first degree murder? Are extinuating circumstances considered or are they dismissed as sorry excuses for bad behavior? When asked if she felt she should be punished she said, “Yes, but for how long? I don’t know….You just can’t take someone’s life and think it’s ok.”

People have  often asked why I DO NOT SUPPORT the death penalty, and this is why! My Father teaches forgiveness and grace. This girl has grown up in PRISON. Her first warden: MOM, second warden: PIMP, third and final warden: STATE OF CALIFORNIA. This is another example in how the system is set up to CREATE and PUNISH failures. Where do we go from here? How do we call ourselves a CIVILIZED society when we abandon our children and then send them to prison. For what? Breaking the law in places or situations they had NO BUSINESS in the first place!

The time has come for us to wake the hell up and smell the eggs burnin. Roman Polanski sits in a Swiss prison while he tries to scrounge up $4.5 million in bail and the FRENCH PRESIDENT  fights for his release! When a victim tells the court she had NO CHOICE but to kill her abuser, how in the hell can we not believe her when the ABUSER seems to always supercede the VICTIM?

Religion has taught us one story while in school we learn of another. Both seem to contradict each other but is it really a contradiction? Why are we willing to accept the idea of an ultimate creator but deny one of its creations? If God is the creator of everything then that includes science right?

Proverbs 30:5-6

5 Every word of God proves true;
   he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
⁶ Do not add to his words,
   lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.

Believers take comfort in this particular scripture and accept it on faith that man will not add to, change, or tamper with “God’s Word” in any manner.  How do we know it wasn’t placed there by authors who knew all of it was a lie? The thought of this makes some of us extremely nervous. The very foundation of a belief system shaken because of a silly thing called science.

If God is the Creator of All, why does it even matter? People have a problem accepting the practicality of Darwin, but he may have been on to something. He speaks of man evolving physically from Neanderthals, Cro-Magnons, and Homo Sapiens blowing the lid off traditional thought of one source. Could there be elements of Darwin’s theory in Scripture?

Genesis 1:26

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 

According to science unforseen circumstances catapulted man to the top of the food chain. Is it hard to assume then, life didn’t go on as ‘God was creating it’ just as it does today or that we wouldn’t be able to tether a dinosaur to a leash? 

Genesis 2:1-3

¹Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. ²And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. ³So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.

Can Christians accept this particular verse as proof that ‘humans’ were just created in first chapter and not anyone in particular? It would definately explain the gaping hole between the first verse and second verse of chapter 2 and why the story seems to repeat itself.  We have all the proof we need that Earth existed long before man whether it be six days or six millenia, so maybe consideration should be made for the language used instead of depending on a literal translation.

Most of us have depended on the expertise of someone else to translate and interpret various texts so that we may obtain meaning. What needs to be understood is more is involved in the process than matching word for word. What happens to ideas when there is no literal translation from language to language? What about comparative and relative language that is translated literally when an interpretation should be made because of cultural or regional differences? Will our descendants think we have magical powers while reading our texts in the future because of statements like He left in a flash or She appeared out of no where?

Were colloquialisms and regional dialects even considered? Could raining fire and brimstone be interpreted as an active lava flow descending from a mountain into an occupied valley, a pyroclastic explosion with a superheated debis field, or a combination of the two? It was enough to scare the life right out of Mrs. Lot.

Genesis 2:7

⁷ Then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

Ecclesiates 3:18-20

¹⁸I said in my heart with regard to the children of man that God is testing them that they may see that they themselves are but beasts. ¹⁹For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity. ²⁰All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return.

Beast? Did I read that correctly? No advantage over the beasts…vanity? What is the major difference between man and beast?

Isaiah 52

¹Awake, awake, put on your strength, O Zion; put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city;  for there shall no more come into you the uncircumcised and the unclean.²Shake yourself from the dust and arise; be seated, O Jerusalem; loose the bonds from your neck, O captive daughter of Zion.

We can plainly see from Isaiah the meaning of dust is not necessarily dirt from the ground but maybe knowledge of God’s law and the meaning of creation. So what does that say for Eve? Scripture tells us she was created from Adam’s rib. Maybe she was a cousin or from a neighboring tribe, but Eve would have had to been enlightened or well on her way being described as a suitable help-mate for Adam.

Ezekiel 37:1-6

¹ The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. ²And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. ³And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord GOD, you know.” ⁴Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry  bones, hear the word of the LORD. ⁵Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. ⁶And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the LORD.”

This has a familiar tone for fans of the historial novel The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jane Auel. Ayla is a Cro-Magnon five-year old orphaned in the aftermath of an earthquake. Too young to care for herself, she adopted by a Neanderthal tribe driven from their cave by the same earthquake. It maybe fiction, but this story depicts the physical, social, and psychological differences between the species as the child grows to womanhood giving the reader a clue as to how life may have been for an awakening Adam and Eve.

This brings new meaning as to what could have happened in the garden doesn’t it? There is scientific proof the different species of man coexisted together, but is there biblical proof? Adam and Eve were expelled from the garden because they ate of the tree in the midst of the garden. What kind of tree?

Ezekiel 31:3-9

³Behold, Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon, with beautiful branches and forest shade, and of towering height, its top among the clouds. ⁴The waters nourished it; the deep made it grow tall, making its rivers flow around the place of its planting, sending forth its streams to all the trees of the field. ⁵So it towered high above all the trees of the field; its boughs grew large and its branches long from abundant water in its shoots. ⁶All the birds of the heavens made their nests in its boughs; under its branches all the beasts of the field gave birth to their young, and under its shadow lived all great nations. ⁷It was beautiful in its greatness, in the length of its branches; for its roots went down to abundant waters. ⁸ The cedars in the garden of God could not rival it, nor the fir trees equal its boughs; neither were the plane trees like its branches; no tree in the garden of God was its equal in beauty. ⁹I made it beautiful in the mass of its branches, and all the trees of Eden envied it, that were in the garden of God.

Tree is an obvious metaphor for a country or city-state within an empire (forest). We learn from scripture the serpent tricked Eve into committing a sin she later shares with Adam. A violation so grave they are immediately evicted from (the empire-forest) Eden. Adam would have build his own nation as did Cain after he murdered his brother.

This new revelation of Adam makes me wonder. What happened to the other ‘trees’ in the garden? Is science our proof that God really does exist?

While you are upon this earth we ask you to practice love and tolerance for beliefs different than your own. By all means, stand in your own sacred center and only allow those behaviors that are right for you into your own life, but please refrain from judging others. Each person upon this earth, no matter, how hateful or how loving is on a quest for love… whether they are aware of it consciously, or completely ignorant of the fact.

When you disagree with someone, that is fine. You were not all meant to agree with one another. Think how boring your earth would be if there were only one kind of tree, only one kind of flower, only one scent, and only a limited range of sound. It is the very differences, the exquisite variety, that makes your planet, and indeed your human race unlike any other. You were never meant to be alike, worship alike, dress alike, look alike, or think alike. You were instead meant to form a beautiful kaleidoscope of of being-ness that in total is created in God’s image and likeness. Even the dark serves a purpose to define the light. You could not easily see a candle flame in the light of the sun, could you? But you can make it out quite clearly in a darkened room. And so even the souls whose behaviors are sadly dark serve a purpose for they help you see, by contrast, your light, your goodness, and your love. Bless them for this role, set clear boundaries, or let them be and move away from them. Refrain from judgment dear ones, for each soul is truly doing the best they can in the moment – certainly not the best they are truly capable of in potential, but the best they can in each moment.

By avoiding judgment you free yourselves up. Rather than having to spend copious amounts of time and energy in defense of your perspective, or teaching another, you simply own what is true for you, express it if need be, and release whether or not the other changes, understands, or even likes what you say. You then, in response, can make healthy choices, because you have communicated and received a response. You now know where you stand. You now know where the other person stands. You can make a new choice. You can express your heart even more. You are creating real movement by embracing this level of honesty and non-detachment.

By contrast, arm-twisting, manipulation, coercion, or any attempt to ‘make’ another soul grow or change is a waste of your precious, loving, time and energy. Offer your gifts of wisdom but if the other does not wish to hear them or make use of the, let it be. They will grow in their own time.

You are all here for the very same reason dear friends – to learn that you are indeed children of God, born of His love, breathing by His will, and striving to clear yourselves of the illusions that you are anything less. Some of you are more conscious of this than others. Do not judge the unconscious ones for they are most in need of your prayers, and your love.

Love does not dictate that you must remain around or give in to these hurting souls, but rather love asks that you be as compassionate and kind as possible – no matter what your choices. You can love and set firm boundaries. You can love and walk away. You can love and ask permission to share your point of view. Love acknowledges the soul within and chooses wisely which behaviors you will support and which you will choose to withdraw from. Love walks hand in hand with truth, clarity, wisdom, and discernment. If you need help finding the healthy way to love an unhealthy person – be it talking with them or walking away from them, pray for help – these prayers are held in high esteem and always answered in their proper time.

We love you so very much.

– The Angels

Ann Albers

http://www.visionsofheaven.com/AAngels/newsletter_2009_0919.html#AngelMessages

We wondered what we were getting into because you came out of no where like a shooting star. We were inspired by your willingness to admit you didn’t have all the answers and that you may make mistakes. Some of us have forgotten you said you would work hard to correct them as they came to light. Many have also forgotten you are not a dictator and there are several people with whom you consult, who have a say in the decisions you make and that you just can’t go off on some tangent “all willy-nilly.”

No Mr President, you have to be careful with every step you take and every word you say. You have the weight of the world on your shoulders, and still had time to be a father to this nation.

Sasha and Malia are the luckiest girls in the world, because with everything already on his plate their Daddy took time out of his day to give words of encouragement to millions of kids who may not have had anyone to do that for them. I live in one of the districts where it was decided your message wasn’t important enough to interrupt the school day. Some were given an excused absence so they could be taken out of school and view it off campus, but you had to give them prior notice and I was concerned as to what they would miss.

We’ve been promised it will be made available for the teachers to use at a later time, but with parental permission only. I had to ask myself would my children ever be able to hear your message. What teacher is going to devote a day to a speech if half the parents in the class don’t want them to hear it? I couldn’t take that chance.

I taped it, so we could watch it as a family last evening. My son began kindergarten this year and his attention span wasn’t long enough to hear the entire message, but he was surprised to hear you included the kindergarteners! My girls have been told the importance of getting an education, and given encouragement and the proof they can obtain any star they shoot for! So if no one else will say it I will….

Thank you Mr. President!

Thanks for giving a damn when it seems the rest of the world doesn’t care to.

He spent his life in the service of others at a sacrifice of himself. Regardless of what others may think I was convinced of that today.

A man persecuted for much of his life and whose only joy was that which he could provide to others.

Brother Sharpton said it best: “There’s nothing strange about this man, only strange that he had to go through it!” I hope all of you will pray this with me today:

God I offer myself to you, to build with me and do with me as you will. Relieve me of the bondage of self that I may better do your will. Take away the difficulties. Let victory over them bear witness to those I would help with your power, your love and your way of life.

To the King of Pop:

There will never be another!

Michael Jackson
1958-2009

How do we lose Michael Jackson and Farah Fawcett in one day!? Man!

Rest in peace!

It is also true, if they had not worked together, this country would have never have obtained the status of World Power she now so desperately tries to keep. We are faced with trying to undo things these men and women worked hard to prevent. No one group is supposed to be above another, but those in power suffer from major superiority complexes. Our current president is embarking on a similar struggle, and his constant reminder that ‘we are all in this together’ seems a bit forced. Almost as if it is something he says over and over to convince even himself.

Each generation a new group is isolated from the rest and the results are disasterous to the nation as a whole. A thick line is being drawn between individual freedom versus national freedom under the guise of Conservatism vs. Liberalism. Each person is expected to go out and earn a living to pay their fair share. Some are able some are not. The question becomes what happens to those who are not able? Most people assume the groups are small and will automatically be covered by those that care for them, but it isn’t happening.

Thanks to Brian Milburn for permission to use his video.

First Man: Me? No, I don’t want to be involved at all. Bye.

-Second Man: Politics? No, I don’t get involved in politics. Thank-you, no!

-Young woman on train: What? No, no. I’m neutral.

-Young man with camera: I don’t get involved in politics. I prefer to stay away from it.

-Jamey: I’m deaf. I applied for a job here. They turned me down. I CAN work!

After interaction with deaf and hearing people in bar fails

Amy: It’s not fair!

Micheala: Hey, what grade did you get?
Johanna: I got a B
Micheala: I got an A
Johanna: Really?

After interaction with her hearing friend…

Micheala: I want to learn! I want to improve, but they won’t let me

This is a dramatization of REALITY!!

I would suggest that both Conservatism and Liberalism contribute to the growing numbers of these small groups. Its a balancing act of the greastest proportion. How much is too much? When are we cheating ourselves and others. Dissention comes from those who, for whatever reason, cannot come up with their share. I would like to think most people don’t have a problem giving to the less fortunate, but it is when that giving becomes excessive as people begin to take advantage.

The key is making sure people have their basic needs, and trying every option available to make sure they are able to do so on their own. Too often we get in the habit of overstepping in the help department, confidences are lost, and one begins to rely on the assistance instead of making the necessary changes to remove the need. We lose focus and begin to think we know what is best or the opposite affect of not wanting the burden.

It is fair to expect everyone to do their fair share, but only after we level the playing field and give everyone a chance!

I don’t know about you, but I’m thouroughly disgusted with how things are turning out. Companies like Enron, WorldCom and others have been allowed to walk away from the havoc, some have not even got a slap on the wrist.

Why can’t the government require these individuals to payback all the money above their regular income? I don’t advocate taking from the rich and giving to the poor, but as a business owner I don’t get a bonus if the company is in financial trouble.

I am in full agreement with those who believe we cannot spend ourselves out of this mess. Spending is what got us here. I say they go back to all those individuals and collect the golden parachutes! Some of it is taxpayer money right?

All of these companies asking for bailout funds need to give back ALL bonuses. If your salary is $500,000 a year then you need to give back everything above that.

No money should be spent beyond the cost of doing business. All profit should be reinvested into the companies until they are operating in the black for at least 4 quarters.

If this isn’t enough, then ask taxpayers to kick in to help out! We didn’t do this by ourselves and we shouldn’t be expected to foot the entire bill. You want people to sign off these bailouts, then SHOW US how sorry you are instead of just saying it!!

Is this a case of selfishness? Pride? Mental illness? What happens to 14 children while their mother, who clearly has some psychological issues, figures out what to do now? Nadya Suleman is single, has no job, lives with her (older) parents, and now has 14 children. What’s wrong with this picture?

Before the anti-abortionists begin to rally, no one is saying she should have eliminated them. Personally once I had had the six, I would have donated the remaining embryos to other couples who might would have wanted them. There were countless solutions to this particular dilemma, and she ignored all of them.

I guess its not too late for her to put them up for adoption, but that isn’t for us to say. As taxpayers there are many other things to consider when looking at how this supposedly occured. Where did she get the funds to support multiple trips to a fertility clinic?

Suleman said she had saved money and used some of the more than $165,000 in disability payments she received after being injured in a 1999 riot at a state mental hospital where she worked. She also told NBC that she does not intend to go on welfare, though her publicist confirmed Monday that Suleman already receives food stamps and child disability payments to help feed and care for her six other children.

Well this explains her employment status! Money she saved, disability payments from a previous job for the state, disability payments for disabled children (from the previous IVFs), and food stamps. According to this article she went on disability in 1999, and exactly ten years later she’s the mother of octuplets!

State of California wants to know where all their money is going? Investigations have begun into the practice of the doctor, but what about the Welfare Department? Cracks aren’t supposed to be this big! This woman managed to save over $165,000 in income from a state job, and for the bulk of that income she didn’t WORK!!

I don’t know about you, but it sounds like the biggest welfare scam in history to me! She claims she’s fixated on having children, but her mother says she visted a different doctor for this procedure. How were her parents able to convince the other specialist not to treat her again? California is the Vanity Medicine Capitol of the U.S., so we know money talks louder than aging parents.

Angela Suleman said Nadya’s boyfriend was the biological father of all 14 children, but that she refused to marry him. “He was in love with her and wanted to marry her,” she said. “But Nadya wanted to have children on her own.”

What happens to a welfare scheme if there is a man involved? She only wanted a sperm donor?

The State of California has been in fiscal trouble for a long time and the citizens have been fully aware. I know this because of the ramblings of family members who live there. It would seem to me someone who is soley dependent on the state for income for herself and for her children would need to ‘step up their game’.

I don’t know who this woman thinks she’s fooling. but I’m not falling for it…at least not yet. Something is very wrong here. I would suggest a neuro-psychological evaluation to make sure she wouldn’t harm to these children. I don’t mean to sound judgemental, but she herself admitted she put her life and the lives of her children in danger to satisfy this insatiable need for a large family.