Month: January 2014

Solving Problems…The Light Way!

On By Papa TonyIn ThoughtLeave a comment

imagesThink, for a moment, about the definition of a problem. Defined:  A situation, matter or person that presents perplexity or difficulty. The reason you have the problems you have is because you don’t have the answer or cannot find a way to solve the perplexity and/or difficulty. Otherwise you wouldn’t have a problem. It always amazes me about how much time we spend analyzing and rethinking our problems in an often futile attempt to find a remedy. Oh, I get it though! That little scenario you are wrestling with is driving you nutso and it’s hard to think about anything else while it’s occupying your mind. But, have you ever considered that maybe the method the whole world seems to take in problem solving is exactly what the “problem source” intended? If you have ever spent a night or a week or a month brooding and worrying over some potential result, you know exactly what I mean. When you finally get on the other side of it you realize just how much time you wasted in your attempt! In the final analysis, the true source of your problems is smarter than your human logic and deftly introduces situations that will lead you down a dead-end road.  The real problem is trying to rely on your human logic to find the answer, when your human logic is precisely what is being attacked. Roll that around for a minute…So, if you are still reading and haven’t already discounted what I’ve said thus far (smile), there is another way I’d like to introduce you to called, “The Light Way!”

Human logic, though wonderful at times, is flawed. It is flawed because we only know what we know and often what we think we know, we don’t really know. The old adage, “what you don’t know will hurt you” is only partially true. You have to add “what you think you know and don’t really know will hurt you as well!” Our enemy, the one that has done a masterful job of disguising himself, is the source of every problem that ever hit your doorstep. He is the reason for disease, poverty, relationship issues, sadness, depression, suicide, mental illness and on and on and on. Well, everything happens for a reason you exclaim! Yes it sure does, but not everything that happens to you happens for a “good” reason. That is just more of the aforementioned doing a masterful job of concealing himself. Though it seems to provide comfort by thinking “God did it” for some mysterious reason, the reality is that God doesn’t do evil things to people ever, for any reason! I understand that’s not necessarily good news when you have finally come to terms with some awful thing that happened, but it is the truth. So the good news, the really, really, really good news is that there is a solution to EVERYTHING that ever defeated you or hurt you! The solution comes from the Source of all goodness, God, the originator of, “The Light Way.”

If you have ever read the Bible and I mean really tried to understand it as opposed to co-signing with all the naysayers and human wise guys, you can clearly see there is something to it that seems to run counter to how you have learned to think. You think life works this way, the way of the world, but begin to learn it doesn’t work that way at all. The Bible, or the words in the Bible represent the Light. God is His Word and the Word is God. When you put the light of God’s Word in your mind it chases away the darkness, just like lighting a tiny candle runs off a whole room full of night. When you find yourself wandering in the darkness, i.e. stuck in some problem or apparently unsolvable situation, you need to introduce more light. You don’t need to spend another futile second arguing with or pleading against the darkness…You need to introduce the light. The words of God’s Word are perfect. (Side rant – despite the wisdom of men that told you, “men wrote it” or “it’s an ancient book that doesn’t apply to today” or “it’s a myth” or “it’s full of errors and contradictions!” Action item:  The next time someone tells you it is full of errors, ask them to show you ONE…Bring a book though because you will be there awhile) Haha I digress, sorta. So, the Word is perfect and in its inherent perfection has no holes or flaws for the enemy to exploit. Now stay with me people! If you say God’s Word to yourself when you are under attack and even better the words that apply to the attack you are under, and choose to believe them despite what the whole dum dum world says the contrary, you will come out on top, always and forever! That is “The Light Way” to solve your problems. That is how Jesus Christ defeated  the enemy (It is written)! And that is what Big Poppa (Jesus’ Dad) had in mind when He had His people write the words (by revelation). That old dust-covered Bible maybe the greatest treasure you have at your house… 🙂

So (and this is a very big SO), the next time you start running an apparently unsolvable problem through your mind, give yourself a break and stop trying to be so smart! Instead introduce the light, lots and lots of light. We have a small fellowship that meets in our home. Whenever people leave they always say they feel better and have solutions. You know why?  We gave them the light instead of our potentially flawed opinions. Get to light homies! And, how about this one for starters:

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not to thy own thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths… Proverbs 3:5-6

Life doesn’t suck my friends, the enemy sucks and you aint ever going to beat him on your own. Put those wonderful words of light into your noggin! And when that light shines into your heart, you are going to see maybe for the first time, that God called you to win in life, in every situation! You will know exactly what to do and God Almighty is going to back you up. You just cannot lose..

Those are just some “perfect” thoughts…

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The Energy Hypothesis…

On By Papa TonyIn God, goodness, knowledge, love, spiritual, Thought, UncategorizedLeave a comment

artworks-000050761535-iurtbh-originalI’ve always found it intriguing how different terminology appeals to different people. When I talk about good and evil, eyes glaze over, but when I talk about good energy and bad energy, oh yeahhhh, now we are talking! So, as not to disappoint, this blog is all about energy.  

All of life is energy! All of life requires energy, uses energy and depletes energy. Obviously working at a physical job takes a lot of energy; physical energy.  Yet interestingly, feeling tired after a long day’s work is more about our mental state than it is about the amount of work we have done (I feel like I should say that again!). Thoughts also require energy and give off energy. Just think about that for a moment… When you hang out with certain people you feel as if your energy levels go down (i.e. drained) and certain folks, just the opposite.  Ever felt a bad vibe (vibration-energy)? Negative attitudes and dreary mindsets represent depleted energy levels and as such need to feed on an energy source, you! And while you nod and smile say it is going to be okay; offering your wonderful advice from your heart, down, down you go! Can you see it? That’s not to say you shouldn’t give what you have, but we all recognize the “depleters” who aren’t interested in solutions, but rather, only in energy feeding!

So, here’s thought to ponder… Imagine that God is pure energy; good energy; love energy. And consider that if you can somehow get your mind in tune with that energy, you can become unlimited in your own energy level. You can tap into an energy source that is unlimited. Good energy reportedly (well, this is my hypothesis) vibrates at a higher rate than bad energy. Good thoughts, positive thoughts, expectant thoughts increase your energy level. Have you ever noticed how good thoughts seem to snowball into more and more good thoughts, and good results? Now, while you are still imagining, imagine that negative thoughts; critical thoughts, angry thoughts, lower your energy levels. Have you ever spent a day angry or frustrated? How much energy did you have at the end of that day? Or maybe, have you ever spent a day complaining about how such and such did you wrong; treated you bad, etc., etc.? Wears you out doesn’t it? (I’m tired just writing about it) And now maybe, the ultimate energy suckers of all time; fear and worry! When you are afraid, your energy levels slow to a standstill. Ever spent a night worrying?  How long was that night? Fear indulged brings your life to a standstill.  And no-one, with all of their intellect and analyzation skills, ever solved anything while they were afraid!  No-one! Instead, they foolishly cooperated with the great opposer of life and suffered as a result.

In life, to accomplish and to produce and to make an impact, we need energy; lots and lots of energy! People often claim that they don’t have as much energy because they aren’t as young as they used to be. And to that I would suggest, being an older fellow, older folks don’t think like young people. Older people, after having lived a few years and gained some life experience, are afraid of every damn thing! It’s sort of like living a few extra years provides more and more evidence about what can go wrong! Okay, I digress! Producing in life requires energy. If we are going to accomplish something we are going to face obstacles; opposing forces, and to beat opposing forces necessitates greater energy levels than the obstacle represents. So we have two choices. We can find ways to tap into a greater power source or we can find ways to stop our own energy levels from being depleted.  Wait, I guess we also have a third choice!  We can succumb to the negativity of the world and decide instead to sit at home, watch TV and bitch about the person we could have been! So, assuming you want to win in the game of life, what should you do?

Surprisingly, number one leads to number two. Tapping into that higher level energy source isn’t complex or arduous. Religion is arduous because trying to make imperfect flesh spiritual is impossible! But tapping into the source of all energy and power is as simple as changing your mind. If All-Power is loving and good and positive, then deciding to think lovingly and positively and well puts you on the same wavelength with that power! And as you become committed to love and thinking (just some) good thoughts it becomes harder and harder to think fearful, angry, frustrated thoughts, which happen to suck the very life out of you and your energy levels! Number one leads to number two!

Are you tired of being tired? Are you sick of feeling frustrated or irritated because life isn’t working out how you planned? Why not learn how to tap into the greatest power source of all time, the One that reflects energy to the sun? And while you are at it, why not learn how much your thinking affects your energy and take yourself to task about what you will and will not think about? If you do this you will find that you will have enough energy to do everything you have always wanted to do! In fact, you will have so much good energy that you will be able to reach out and give it to other people! Nothing works like love does; nothing!

Just some good thoughts (energy)…

 

Wandering in the Darkness…

On By Papa TonyIn bible, God, goodness, knowledge, love, spiritual, Thought, UncategorizedLeave a comment

walking-in-the-light-e1384177504840I remember being an artillery officer assigned to Fort Sill, Oklahoma. During an operation one night, we were operating in almost zero light conditions. We had flashlights, but they had to have red or green lenses on them so that the imaginary enemy there would not be able to detect us. I decided to walk around our position and check it out, as you might expect from any good 1st Lieutenant.  As I walked around, pretending to appear like I knew what I was doing, I suddenly found myself airborn heading towards the ground at a high rate of speed. Apparently I had walked off a small bridge covering a (thankfully) dry gully. It was about a four foot drop, but in the darkness it felt like an unexpected, unplanned free fall. It was embarrassing for sure, but was also too dark for anyone else to see me fall (though they probably heard me grunt!). I learned that night, as anyone who has had to work in darkness knows, that life is very difficult without the light.

When it’s dark we have to slow everything down to a snail’s pace. We cannot be accurate or clear and find ourselves groping around to complete the simplest tasks. And perhaps worst of all, everything is suddenly scary. That shadowy creature that just scurried by is now a source of dread. The noise behind the bushes is probably a grizzly bear that somehow found my driveway in suburban Woods Cross. And that tickle on my face is surely a tarantula that seeks to take my life. Which one of us hasn’t imagined the evil that lurks under our bed or the foul ghoul waiting in the closet? Yet the click of one solitary light switch solves a multitude of imagined problems. Once my wife saw a guy in the hallway of our house smoking a cigarette, apparently planning the right moment to kill her (I was away playing Army in the woods). She clicked on the light to find it was only the red glow of the smoke detector light (haha). Thank God for light switches!

I’m thinking we are all pretty clear on the virtue of adding artificial light to dark situations, right? But there is another type of darkness that is far worse than the absence of physical light. It’s the darkness we experience in our hearts.

“For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.” Romans 1:21

Fear and error and wrong thinking causes our hearts to become dull and obscured. Think of the alcoholic for a moment. What started as a recreational activity became, imperceptibly by the user, a driving force slowly but surely stealing life away from its victims. Darkness indulged produces more and more darkness or if you will, less and less light by which to to see. That’s what is wrong with the world today; error, promoted as truth, leads a multitude of good hearted folks off the bridge and into the gully. It’s not done you on purpose of course, because you can’t see what you can’t see!

Have you ever had an awakening or suddenly found yourself illuminated on some subject? There are things that have been right in front of your face for years and years and you missed them, then all of a sudden you think, “What the hell have I been thinking that for? That’s not true at all!” That’s illumination; that’s the light. People can’t make needful changes in their lives because they cannot see the error hidden in the darkness. Ralph Waldo Emerson said it this way (though it is the same way):

“Punishment is a fruit that unsuspected ripens within the flower of the pleasure which concealed it. Cause and effect, means and ends, seed and fruit, cannot be severed; for the effect already blooms in the cause, the end preexists in the means, the fruit in the seed.”

In reality, darkness is simply the absence of light. Error is darkness, truth is light. So before we get too heavy into our infamous New Year’s resolutions this year, why not make the light a starting point? Otherwise your solution for your problem may not solve your problem because the source of your problem isn’t what you thought at all! Haha Darkness, you see it? (pun intended)

Obviously by now you are literally begging to find out where to get this light! 😉 Well, God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all. Remember that when the world fills your mind with crazy ideas about what God does to people! (Church is no guarantee for truth) Thus, God is the best place and really the only place to start. Otherwise you will just find yourself spitting in the wind; struggling to find but continuing to wander. God hasn’t made this thing hard for us. He just needs a little curiosity on your part; a little desire to learn; a little humility… Try it out this week. Ask God to show you something that has formerly perplexed you and then pay attention. That’s not scary, darkness is scary!

Of all the things that have worked together to save me from myself over the years, the number one thing has always been the light of God’s Word. And like you perhaps, I’ve done more than my share of walking in the darkness, but when I came back (and I always come back) that Light has always been there to show me the problem and even better how to really fix it up. It works every time, how can it not because…the effect already blooms in the cause, the end preexists in the means, the fruit in the seed, and light has no darkness in it at all.

Let’s spend 2014 walking in the light, experiencing all the goodness that God has for us in our lives.  Anybody got a flashlight?

Just some good light thoughts…