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ESHCOL

“That place was called the Valley of Eshcol because of the cluster of grapes”
(Numbers 13:24)


God never leaves us groping in the dark.  True, people of faith put their faith out there, subjecting
themselves to the unknown which in theory would leave anyone in the dark.  That’s part of the deal
which we willingly agree to.  But God supersedes that and wants desperately for us to know He never
leaves or forsakes us, so there are always signs provided along the way, signs which become
intermittent reinforcement substantiating our commitment.  Sometimes the signs are ill-defined, often
invisible, but always there just in the nick time when we need them.  So we can say without any
physical proof that we are doing the right thing.  More often than not, however, God gives us tangible
signs anyway just because He’s God and He loves us.

In Numbers 13 there is the account of God’s people investigating the land which was promised to
them.  They were searching for a physical sign to verify that they were headed in the right direction.  
Same kind of thing we do.  They traversed a lot of desert and found that wasn’t their answer.  It was
no answer at all.  But they didn’t give up and kept going.  Finally they came to the valley of Eshcol
which was rich with natural fruit such as figs and pomegranates.  They cut off a branch with a
succulent cluster of grapes and carried it between them on a pole all the way back to their people as
proof that God did indeed know what He was doing.  No kidding - they could have saved forty days if
they had just believed in the first place and let it be.  But no, they had to have their proof.  They
should have had enough faith to rise above that stage, God 101, but that was rarely the case then
and rarely is now.  

When President Lincoln freed the slaves, the Bible beaters in their attempt to justify their sin, kept
throwing around Paul’s statement about slaves being subject to their masters.  Same thing today -
President Obama has opened the door for gay and lesbian people to have their freedom too, and
once again the Bible beaters are throwing around Paul’s words, lifting his opinions high above
anything Jesus said or did, in their attempt to justify their sin of blatant bigotry.  In the long run will they
win?  Nope - they never do.  We who are oppressed hold before us that cluster of grapes which
represent our hope, our deliverance, and our future of prosperity and untold blessings.

David, who the Bible recorded as the man after God’s own heart, saw it coming.  In Psalm 94:5 he
cried unto God, “they oppress your inheritance.”  It’s centuries later and that’s still what they’re
wanting to do.  We are God’s inheritance.  Make no mistake.  David continued to declare in
Psalm 94:14 that “God will never forsake his inheritance.”  This we know.  And finally, David says in
Psalm 94:22, “the Lord has become my fortress.....the rock in whom I take refuge.”

My exhortation to you today is to cling to that rock.  It is Jesus who is our rock, our salvation and our
deliverer.  We need no other.  Psalm 61:2 “From the end of the earth will I cry to thee, when my heart
is overwhelmed lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”  Isn’t that just the best verse ever?  This,
penned from a gay man born around 1040 BC.  Some things never change.  David won God’s heart
and so have you.  This is our time, the time when we stand and watch in awe at the salvation of our
God.  They’ll be a lot of fighting and the bigotry will come out full force, but God will fight for us, deliver
us, and redeem us unto Himself.

      

________________________________________________________________________________




























(actual photo of caves of Adullam in the Engedi desert)


ADULLAM

“I have learned to be content, whatever the circumstances”
(Philippians 4:11)

Many times over David was forced to take refuge in the caves of Adullam to save his own life.  All the
months of hiding from King Saul, all the months in which he endured hardship and despair.  By God’s
directive the high priest Samuel had already anointed David to be the next king, and Saul felt his only
recourse was to go after David and kill him.  He would have been better off to admit he’d failed as a
leader and simply take a step of faith and submit to the will of God, because God will always have His
way.  That’s why we call him God.  But Saul apparently didn’t have the wisdom to see it that way.  Or
the guts.  More often than not it takes guts to do the right thing.

The caves were as endless as the Engedi wilderness itself, a barren and forsaken land which yielded
no water or comfort.  It was a place for bandits and outcasts to seek refuge because, let’s face it; it
wasn’t on anyone’s top ten list of ‘things to do and places to see before I die’.  At one point 300 of
David’s soldiers hid with him in a series of caves so extensive and so deep that they couldn’t be
detected.  In this remote and treacherous desert, passing caravans were known to have been
swallowed up in sand storms, camels and all.  

Saul pursued David, but he and his men weren’t able to adapt to the Engedi because if you didn’t
know your way around you were dead to rights.  They tried but were unsuccessful.  At one point David
came upon Saul during the night and cut a piece of his garment which he showed to Saul later to
prove that he could have killed him in his sleep.  Talk about returning benevolence for evil.  And
David’s ethics were not only honored by God, but God lifted him up to greatness far beyond his
wildest dreams.  No one can out dream God.  

It was in this hostel and futile land that David came to the same conclusions the Apostle Paul did
centuries later.  David and Paul, the two most outstanding men in the Bible, were both wise enough to
know that whatever God called them to do, whatever direction their journeys took them, that God
would protect them.  And whoever God calls, God enables.           

Here’s David’s quote:  “I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness” (Psalm 17:15).

And here’s Paul’s:  “I have learned to be content, whatever the circumstances” (Philippians 4:11)

The underlined words would make good mantras.  David and Paul - they both got the big picture.
We need to get it too.



________________________________________________________________________________





























LOVE ALWAYS BELIEVES

“Try to show compassion as your Heavenly Father does.....
never condemn or it will come back on you.”
(Luke 9:36-37)

There have been many songs over the years which have had lyrics regarding turning the world upside
down.  Some light and happy, some spiritual, and a couple vile and disgusting.  The gambit.  Recently
Franklin Graham spoke out about Muslims killing Christians around the world, and predictably his
concern was with how to stop it.  Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.

How about Christians killing other Christians who God happened to create gay, again - around the
world?  “Oh, I’d never kill anyone,” would be a likely response.  Really?  Do gay and lesbian youth
commit suicide for any other reason than pressure from the supposedly Bible believing right?  Nope.  
Do they accept our confession of faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior - the very same thing
they confess?  Nope.  Have they walked in our shoes?  Nope.  They don’t even want to hear it.    

There’s another way, too, in which they kill their brothers and sisters in Christ.  Yes, brothers and
sisters.  Same Lord Jesus Christ whether they find it convenient or not.  They kill our spirits.  I recently
had some correspondence via this website from a man my age who bought into the consistent lies and
bigotry most of his life.  He submitted to a group called “Love in Action.”  Plenty of action, but the love
part was a facade - a boldface lie.  Because of that he’s messed up for life, still under condemnation,
never understanding that God knew exactly what He was doing when He created him.  And....God
called His creation good.  God couldn’t be more pleased.   

The Bible is decisively clear in regard to God’s meticulous, loving, intricate creation of every human
being, not only when in the womb, but perfectly designed even before conception.  Not from scratch -
before scratch.  Even after knowing this they shudder at what God has made, they build hate within
their souls and try to dictate God’s plan for someone else’s life, which is none of their business.  It’s a
false morality.  At one time they were called Pharisees.  They mandate that being gay is a choice; they
try to call into being that which is not and never was.  They exalt misinterpreted words of Paul over
Jesus’ words and cling to a handful mistranslated texts.  They’re not interested in upsetting the status
quo.  They’ve perfected Phariseeism and elevated it to a new level.  

Here’s a fact: if someone isn’t a believer, then the Bible is unbelievable.  To believe it requires faith.  
Faith is God given and produces revelation.  Revelation is given to us via the Holy Spirit.  The Bible
says that each one of us was planned by God and known to God before we were even conceived in
our mothers’ wombs.  To condemn a gay person for being honest about whom they are by nature,
God given nature, and thus who they are in Christ, is a slap in the face of the Creator Himself.  

So we have a situation whereby someone is calling for a stop to the murder of Christians, yet
conversely this is the same mentality that is directly or indirectly responsible for the very same thing -
the murdering of Christians.  Talk about hypocrisy.  What about Jeremiah 1:5?  “Before I formed you
in the womb I knew you.....and dedicated you.....and designated you.”  If it applied to Jeremiah, I
guarantee it also applies to us.  If God is no “respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34), and if you’re a
believer you know that to be absolutely true, then what possible license could you have to commit
such murder, whether physical or psychological, in the name of God?  It is definitely not of God and
there will be consequences.    

Love always believes the best, not sometimes believes the best.



________________________________________________________________________________
Preparing to Fly

This web site has been up and
running for 4 years.  I've
reconnected with old friends, have
made new ones, and people have
been blessed.  That makes it all
worth it.

I am born-again and baptized in the
Holy Spirit.  Jesus is my best friend.
 Background - Word Of Life, Bob
Jones U, Moody Bible Institute,
Samaritan Bible Seminary, MCC,
Shekinah Fellowship.....not exactly
in that order.  Once I did some work
with Campus Crusade, briefly
pastored two churches, and my
writings have been featured in a
number of publications.

I have been a word of knowledge
minister, I continually seek God's
anointing, and I have the rare gift of
revelation knowledge.  That said, I
try to keep this web site simple.    

My first book has recently been
published.  It's a chronological
collection of short stories based on
Biblical people and their
predicaments.  It's colorful and
playful as well as inspirational, and
looks at the Bible through a gay
Christian's eyes.

I don't want to fly away without
making a difference.

___________________________
In Remembrance

My mother went to heaven in June
of 2007 at age 93,  joining my
father.  She was a saint.  I think of
her all the time and miss her
very much.  

I have a lot of her books, and the
one which I read and re-read
constantly is a daily devotional by
CH Spurgeon.  She underlined
things that meant a lot to her,
and with my adding my own
underscoring, there's a lot of
penciling going on.  Good for us!  

She was Baptist; I am charismatic.  
Mother and I had some meaningful
talks and a good mother-son bond.
 We had some conversations that I
will never share with anyone.  She
told me she loved her gay son.  
She approved of my writings; said
she loved them.  That's good
enough for me.  
I to P
.



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