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VESSEL RECOVERY
  
   
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered,
it keeps no record of wrongs.
(I Corinthians 13:4-5)


How many times have you said “there’s not enough hours in the day,” or “if I only had more time?”  
If you stop to think about it you’ll realize what foolish statements those are.  Everyone has the same
24 hours, yet some people seem to accomplish a lot and others next to nothing.  Some people have
fulfilling successful lives while others are forgotten long before they even die.  All the wheels they’ve
spun and their life has counted for nothing.  I know a lot of people whose lives are negligible.  So do
you.  They talk about nothing important, think thoughts totally in the moment, and spend their lives
entertaining themselves with all kinds of empty pursuits.

It has taken some of us so long to get to a place where we’re walking with God, trusting Him, accepting
whatever state we are in, knowing it will get better - and let’s face it - that came with a lot of bumps in
the road.  All to find that we can drop back down in an instant and we wonder how that could possibly
happen when we knew better.   

The Bible is full gems which are more than little hints to live by - they’re solid truths designed to make
us conform to God’s image.  The world has a lot of mantras which are flippantly recited and are of
course founded in God’s word whether they choose to recognize it or not.  Things like “believe the
best about someone, don’t complain, we reap what we sow.”  These and many more are simply
watered-down versions of the very words of Jesus.

It is important for us to know that we’ve been called to be different, to stand out.  And that’s more often
than not way beyond our comfort zone.  Jesus said that if a tree is bearing no fruit, prune it.  Even
more so, he cursed a tree to death which was fruitless.  So we need to ask ourselves this: has God
lost a vessel He was counting on to work through?  Someone He’s called who’s forgotten their
calling?  If there’s any hesitation in answering, then He has.  And that vessel is you.  

The Apostle Paul could see it.  He said that he, like everyone else, had a thorn in his flesh.  It could
have been anything.  Some people believe he was fighting his gay tendencies.  Some don’t.  So what.  
Irrelevant.  Maybe that’s why he exhorted the Corinthians to be patient and kind and all of the things
mentioned in the Scripture above.  Practicing these things makes us God-like and that’s the point.  
He starts off by saying “love is!”  There it is again.  Love.  If above all else we walk in love, everything
else will fall in place.  It’ll bring us right back to where we’ve wanted to be.  Close to God.  
Loving others the way God loves.  It’s not easy, but we were never promised “easy.”  
What we were promised was eternal life.    

Can you even count the times Satan has given you a bad day?  How about giving him one for a
change?  Walk in love.  Become a vessel again.



________________________________________________________________________________





























The Eleventh Commandment

“Let me give you a new command: Love one another.
In the same way I loved you, you love one another.”
(John 13:34)

Openly loving, unconditionally loving, loving without expectation of receiving the same in return is not
something which comes naturally to any of us.  It takes a deliberate action on our part.  That means
time, patience, and inconvenience; none of which is at all possible without the inner conviction and
strength nurtured in us through an intimate relationship with our Savior Jesus Christ.  
In Him and through Him - period.  

We live in times when all we hear about is “inclusivity.”  Agreed, we all need to be more sensitive to
others’ point of view.  But.....and it’s a big but.....God is righteously jealous and intolerant and allows
no room for other gods.  Indeed, then, God is completely “exclusive.”  God is neither subject to our
interpretations, nor our theories of evolution, nor our man-invented laws of science.  Got is so far
above and beyond the limits that humans have tried to set in place that there is no measuring stick
by which a comparison is applicable.

Without realizing the scope of their own deterioration, people have forgotten how to live in love.  
For God is an all-consuming love, and to walk in that love we must be imitators of God.  That’s very
Biblical, by the way.  In Ephesians 5:1 Paul tells us just that: “be imitators of God.”  Like ancient Rome,
our country is unraveling from within.  We won’t require outside help with our demise.  We’re doing the
job very well ourselves.  If you don’t understand that, then you’re looking through carnal and not
spiritual eyes.  Can we undo the damage?  Don't count on it.   

Hebrews 1:3 explicitly spells it out: “Jesus in the radiance of God’s glory and the exact image of God’s
being.”  And the New Testament is jammed packed with accounts of Jesus’ walking in love.  

God gave the Israelites Ten Commandments and they should have been perfectly clear.  But no,
neither they nor the rest of us have been inclined to take them all that seriously.  What we claim and
what we do are two different things.  Every year without exception congress adds more laws.  Why?  
Because no one uses any common sense, and that’s because they’re not walking in God’s love.  If
they were, no laws would be necessary at all.  So Jesus, knowing this well, gave us an eleventh
commandment which concisely sums up all the rest.  Love each other just like I have loved you.   

The story of Jesus washing His disciples’ feet is found in John 13:1-17.  John precedes the story by
stating “Having loved his dear companions, He then shows them the full extent of His love.”  Can you
imagine the shock to His disciples when he put on the servant’s towel and knelt down and washed
their feet?  That job was relegated the lowest servant in any household - the lowest of the lowly.  
The dirty feet which had trekked miles upon miles of dusty roads, the same feet that got caked with
mud after a rain, the same blistered calloused feet.

How about this.....try showing someone love, doing an unexpected kindness.  i.e. - following in the
footsteps of Jesus.  Help someone who in your estimation doesn’t deserve it.  If Jesus is the exact
image of God Himself, and he most certainly is, then the apostle Paul was right in exhorting us to be
imitators of the very One who is able to save us.  There is no other, and yes, it is very exclusive.        




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UNANSWERED QUESTIONS

    
“God does great things beyond our understanding,
way too many for us to even know about”
(Job 9:10)

Jesus told us that the people who walk in faith are the ones who unconditionally believe even though
they have not seen.  Whenever something big happens in our lives, most often there are no hints to
let us know what is about to happen; nothing perceivable on our part.  

The thing is, we don’t need to know.  We’d just screw it up.  If we really believe that God is omnipotent,
omniscient, omnipresent, and all the rest, the last thing we’d want is to know is what’s lying ahead.  
When we come to a place where unanswered questions are okay with us, then we’ve learned to trust.  
Simply put, if you think you have all the answers, you are not walking in faith and God can’t bless
something that He didn’t ordain.  

The Israelites endured forty years in the wilderness trying to find their way for what should have been
an eleven day trip.  Why?  Because they kept asking why, that’s why.  Including Moses -
why me Lord?  That’s not faith, and as you know no progress was made.  They never did reach
their desired destination - not one of them.  They never fulfilled the longing of their hearts.  
They didn’t conquer - they settled.  

Belief is in the heart, not the head.  We’re becoming so used to asking God “what are you doing?”
on so many levels that the trust part has disappeared from our vocabulary.  No way God’s going to
tell us what He’s doing or what His plans are, not to mention it’s none of our business.  The great faith
healer, Kathryn Kuhlman, said that before she stepped out on the stage, laying it all on the line by
totally trusting God to perform miracles, she died a thousand deaths.  But she did it anyway because
she had faith in God.  She knew God had a better plan than what she could come up with.  

Be content, be satisfied that you’re in God’s hands.  Because it’s a fact - you are.

If we don’t know how to do anything but trust God, we’re going to get the prize.  Maybe it’s time to
unlearn the habit of taking charge of everything and start over.  The Scripture verse above tells us
that God’s ways are above and beyond anything we can grasp.  Our minds are limited.  
It also tells us that we don’t need to have all the answers.    





________________________________________________________________________________
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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joy in those pics, and then it all ended
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this side of Brant - Caryn L
seeing Brant in such a relaxed and
easy manner.  My heart just sunk
knowing these vibrant faces have died
of AIDS - Elaine S

Thank you so much for being so open
about yourself and Brant. It means a lot
to me - Hanna T

This is one of the finest web sites on
the net - something for every level of
spirituality and common sense.  
Outrageous, fun, & informative photos
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All encompassing and inspiring, and
with great photos - Bob F

Anxious to know more about your
ministries and can't wait for your books
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Where has this site been hiding?  It's
incredible.....minstered to me.....
really hit the spot - Tim J

I love that picture of you and Brant.
You totally melted my heart.
Your website is truly wonderful
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Thank you for sharing your web-
site.....inspiring writings.  re: Brant.....
we shared the same friend at one time
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Good work and ministry on your site
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continues to get more amazing
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& anointed prose -  thanks - Paul T

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You should read some of the things my
wise and gifted cousin has written -
and you will Believe! - Wendy K

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block, your writings gave me the
inspiration I needed for the devotionals
I send to my congregation in the
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Jesus is the radiance of God's glory,
the exact likeness of God's being.

HEBREWS  1:3   
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