Lives 1st

  The Creator created a beautiful, pristine, balanced world. God didn't turn it into a poverty stricken, war ravaged polluted toilet, full of greed and injustice -- HUMANS DID! Even more so, just because those who wrote down the stories, which have been edited and made to reflect one group’s beliefs or viewpoint, does not mean the Creator, God, Whatever, Higher Power, is exactly what they described! They wrote and talked about "God" as THEY understood it. Continue reading at -  http://mailchi.mp/fc0909f3f964/stop-blaming-god-just-do-tov

The scribes of the Temple in Jerusalem were sources of the Wisdom of the Creator of the Skies, the Earth, and Life . It is impossible for a person to obtain an understanding of one’s place in the design and purpose of living without a humble approach to the Creator. The place the Creator designed for each person is called, “ FAMILY ” – a father, a mother, and a child . In our world, “family” seems to begin with a very simple need — a sexual attraction . In the first two stories in Genesis, humans were created by the actions of ELOHIM and Yahweh ELOHIM. The stories in Genesis are all about families. Continue reading at - http://mailchi.mp/7fd0f87ec804/empowering-my-family-and-friends-instead-of-saving-the-world  

  The meaning of the word “ God ” is something I never would have questioned in the church I attended with my family and friends until I graduated from high school. Of course, I would have never questioned the meaning of “ Heaven ,” either. I was taught that “Heaven” was “the place people go when they die.” Back then, if someone had told me that in Genesis 1:1 -- “Heaven is a solid dome-like structure located beneath the surface of deep water, and the earth is inside it!” – I would have thought the person was crazy!!! I had been wrong – “but wrong felt like right!” Continue reading at - http://mailchi.mp/4691753b3b49/navigating-the-matrix-of-divine-names-in-the-bible

  This is a Jewish parable, taught by a Jewish teacher to a Jewish audience – and they all attended synagogues every Shabbat. It was recorded over 100 years before the Mishnah was written – and 400 years before the Talmud. The teacher was a member of Late Second Temple Period Judaism. The Great Day of Judgment and the Kingdom of God are linked together by Jesus in this famous parable (Matthew 25:31-46). His sacred writings were separate Hebrew scrolls, not writings in one book. He spoke Hebrew, not English. His lived in Galilee, not the United States. He never taught any Christian salvation doctrine. He is the reason that Jewish Scriptures are read by over 2.4 billion people around the world and tourism is a major economic factor in Israel. Continue reading - http://mailchi.mp/2d49347474f9/salvation-and-the-great-day-of-judgment-parable

  Soon after sending my previous email, I became aware of new information regarding the October 7 th attack on Israel by Hamas. I could not believe that I haven’t heard anything about it on CNN, Fox, MSNBC, or PBS. If I hadn’t been involved in celebrating Hanukkah, writing these Exploring Jesus emails, and exploring biblical heritages since 1999 -- I might have missed it too! Hanukkah is the beginning of a demonstration on the part of the Jewish people that they would not go down without a fight. It is the first recorded instance in the history of a war conducted purely and solely in defense of religious freedom. On October 7, 2023 Israel was challenged once again by multiple groups at the same time. Continue reading at - http://mailchi.mp/74029fc09204/making-the-invisible-drivers-of-human-behaviors-visible

  In my previous email I asked you to consider the differences between cave dwellers and smartphone users separated by 191,700 years. I pointed out that their DNA would be the same and it would produce identical bodies and organs, including brains. Anything that you can name has a corresponding belief model in your brain. A belief model is like an app on a smartphone. When something that a person can name catches their brain’s attention, the belief model is activated. Their actions were driven by instincts. We are immersed in an invisible Infosphere full of misinformation, propaganda, and weaponized information produced by nations, religions, corporations, criminals, and other individual users. Continue reading at - http://mailchi.mp/9319603e04fd/empowered-to-change-our-crazy-and-conflicting-world

  I want to apologize for not sending emails lately, but after my previous email a longtime friend called. He told me how crazy the current situation looked and how confusing everything had gotten. Then he said something that caught me completely off guard: “ I am sure you know what’s going on. Tell me! ” I told him that I didn’t have that answer, but if I found it, I would let him know. He responded, “I know you know, but if you do want to tell me now, I will wait.” He sounded so sure that I knew, I stopped and reviewed all of the information I had -- using the Exploring the Bible and Biblical Heritages guidelines and models . Two pictures popped into my mind – cavemen and smartphones! Continue reading at - http://mailchi.mp/a1bd98285aee/what-do-cavemen-and-smartphone-users-have-in-common