These letters are in reverse order with the most recent on top ... (actually the most recent is here)
Jason,
I pointed out you were blind as a precaution, and invitation to get that fixed.
Perhaps it seems mean, or that I might be angry, but when you notice that someone can't see because what they describe makes that clear ... you point it out ... if you care at all about that person's delusions of sight when in-fact it is apparent that they are sightless.Sensory impaired people get good at faking it ... and I wish I noticed your impairment earlier so I could have mentioned it earlier ... so that is my fault ... I guess you are good at faking it.
Imagine a room full of dancing people, and there are deaf people among them and hearing people among them. After a while a deaf person will notice enough about the movement of the hearing, to start to dance even without the music that everybody else hears. And their moves improve until they look like the other dancers that are dancing with hearing. The moves may look the same, but the experience is different. The hearers move because they are hearing, and that is the point. I can imagine how mean it would seem to come along someone who doesn't even know that they can't hear, because they have always been deaf ... and tell them that they are not dancing as the others. It must seem rude to call attention to it, because surely their moves must seem subjectively as normal as anyone else's moves. But, dude ... they really need to hear to dance as the others dance.
All I did, is call attention that you are making it up ... you are not seeing and you are not hearing ... it wasn't obvious before, but now it is clear, Jason.
You have a problem, and I am sorry if it seems rude to you, but I really think you should get off the dance floor or go and get those ears fixed.
Everyone else that can see will see what the others see though their descriptions will vary. The seeing are not aligning themselves with each other as a way to fit in (as deaf people on a dance floor) ... rather we hear the same beat (so to speak.) Faith is this way.
Divine faith is the ears and eyes of the inner man ... receiving that which is from God ... and bearing witness (not inventing witness) to what is apprehended by revelation.
So I was not scolding you, or blasting you ... I was doing unto you as I would want you to do unto me if the rolls were reversed. I am telling you that the blindness of you inner-man, and the deafness of your inner-man ... may seem natural, and normal to you if you have always been that way ... but from where I sit ... something is terribly wrong, and you would be better off if you could see and hear ... and then your witness would be true and authentic ... not derived from others as a cocktail of guess-work and half-truths.
And trust me, I am not singling you out as someone that is especially crippled by blindness. Basically, most of the churchgoers that I have ever met are fakers ... (some more obvious than others.) And my advice that I gave you, would be no different than the advice that I would give them ...
So, I take it that you have made your decision. And you would rather gripe that anybody call attention to the organs of your inner-man that are not functioning ... then so be it. I respect your decision ... and furthermore I will validate it. It is each persons' decision to make, and God upholds it for them.
To choose blindness is to receive it.I would rather all would choose to see, and beg God to reveal Himself authentically to each of them. Nevertheless, I have been around enough to know that such is the rare exception.
So, I'll post this as well as the letter to which you were referring, as you have challenged me to post.Maybe your purpose in all this is to serve as a warning to others ...
Ripening in the light with eyes wide open,
Trent
Ir response to Jason's comment (notice all the "guesses" and "maybe"'s):
[to trent]I am guessing Jesus is very judgmenttal and narrow minded? He has nor room for open ended questioning nor for any un-certainty. Jesus loves some and doesn't love others - based on the the idea of a personal relationship. He also seems to be turning more or less into a denominational entity and not very Jewish in his roots anymore (which to me is odd - but who knows maybe Jesus converted to Catholicism?). /// Hey Trent - why don't you post what you wrote to me in an e-mail concerning this very post - I just wanna know - if you're pulling people closer to Jesus with your e-mail to me? I beg of you - post it - I want to know how judgemental people on this site actually are - I have always wondered - plus we could use a good ole slandering of a fellow believer.[from jason]
Which came in response to what I said here:
Jason,
As somebody that actually knows the Lord ... all I can say ... is .... Wow. You really don't have a clue about Jesus.
No offense, this all reads like a blind person trying to describe a rainbow with a little imagination and a distorted mental picture derived from others descriptions.
Have you ever met Jesus? Do you even know Him? Seems like all you have are theories and notions based on ?who-knows?.
I can't imagine how much of what I know to be true would need to be removed from my mind, to speak as ignorant as your (i) through (v) ... again, no offense (ignorance is not stupidity.)
I can't just curse your darkness without lighting a light for you ... but in this case, personal relationship with the Creator of the universe is not something that is transfer by someone to another. You have to meet Him for yourself. So, if I were you (and I am not kidding in this advise) I would get down on my knees and cry with all my heart "Lord, Why do I not even know You? Why are all my thoughts based on mere notions and not knowing for sure from the certainty that comes from experiencing the Truth!? I'm through guessing, and want to know!"
(i) Nope.
(ii) Nope.
(iii) Yes, but I have little confidence you know what you are talking about.
(iv) Nope.
(v) Not the point.
Your ears or yet stopped and eyes are yet blind. How can you teach others any authentic reality in such a condition? With guesses, and the power of imagination?
Now is the day for you to decide for yourself ... do you really want to know the Lord Jesus?
Decide. All people must decided.
I'll respect your decision.
But please don't try to pass-off your notions about the Lord anymore to people that know the Lord Jesus. Just have the dignity to admit that your not the one to ask about Him, because you don't really know.
Ripening,
Trent
Which came in reply to this:
Hi Trent, I thought about this one - and was tougher than I thought it would be:(i) Jesus was afforded a unique position - at the 'right hand of God' - namely concerning judgment (which actually seems to be one of his strong points in the gospels) - which connotates He was highly approved of by God - and he becomes a 'mediator' on our behalves
(ii) Jesus refers to 'coming back' - even after leaving the first time to be with God - I think this is specific to Jesus
(iii) Jesus is the Messiah/Christ - the fulfillment of certain promises
(iv) His teachings are far and above anyone else's I have ever read (as far as values go) - reformative in nature
(v) Jesus had the power to resurrect - which I think is quite unique
Jason Bird
which came in reply to this:
Jason,
I am collecting some tid-bits of information that would only apply to Jesus ... uniquely to Him alone.
I was wondering if you could tell me some things that are only true of Him, whenever you think of them.
I would appreciate it very much.
Thanks,
Trent
http://gracehead.com/junk/trackback.php/703
Titus 3:10
Warn a divisive person once, then a second time; and after that, have nothing more to do with him.
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