  Who is this God that we are seeking? Some people proclaiming to be wise and knowledgeable will find a following, which makes for easy money with their spiritual wallowing. Most of us are required to feed the metaphorical Beast if we want to play in the world of luxuries. Very few people stop to pay attention to the stronghold that the Beast has on our spirit, our soul, until it's too late and we're sitting in an old folks home. Until that time we say things that make no sense if we are being honest. "Just believe in Jesus", a mantra we repeat without going too deep. I have been peeking into the deep-seated meaning, however it seems confusing to most that the truth is so simple. Love. That is it, nothing more nothing less. The Bible says that the God of the heavens is not the author of confusion. So, when I go seeking answers and I am left with more questions, I have missed the point. Love. How to love when feeling beat up by a system that breaks us down, this is the challenge of breaking the frown. Loving others is difficult if you don't love yourself, turning the frown upside down. "Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life", a mantra some people repeat while insisting we retreat to a church or maybe a temple. Is this where God is released when feeling incomplete? Is it the Guru of spirituality sitting in a temple in Tibet, or the armchair warrior on a computer smoking a cigarette? Who has the answers to our way, our truth, or our life? What are we hoping will happen when the return of Jesus comes into our minds and/or the minds of many? As I work out MY salvation with fear and trembling, I ponder how many people will understand the true meaning of entering into the kingdom of heaven. "God told me this or that", a mantra that runs deep in the minds of the spiritual left and the religious right. Christ consciousness or Christ out-side-of-us is being debated at an alarming rate, as we forget that it is the teachings of Christ that are the common ground. "Do unto others" should not be up for debate, but the people keep trying to prove they are following the one true God, and it is beginning to exasperate. Seriously, STOP! Did you help the old man or lady across the street? Did you love someone you didn't agree with, your enemy, who just needed a hug or a glass of water? This past weekend I was invited to a spiritual retreat, it was something I had never done before, so everything was new, well, not really. I observed the practices more than partaking, as this is something that my previous peers would see as practicing witchcraft or sorcery. This is a bit of a conundrum, as I was seeing crossover practices that I felt comfortable in, such as prayer and meditation, but was dealing with my own convictions from years of Christian pulpit teachings and bible studies. I decided to try and lose my mind in meditation. Once I felt like I was being hypnotized or manipulated into a trance state, I pulled back my breathing and any euphoric feeling. Was the goal to experience God or escape from the reality of existing in this dimension? What God was rolling around in my head? It was up to me! I was taken back to the days of the Hypnotic Glitch that I experienced 25 years ago, to the books I've read about how mind control works. The biggest question I have to all this spirituality is this, "What are we trying to manifest?" Are we trying to manifest the prophets or the profits? There was no difference between what I experienced on the weekend and the 25 years of pulpit teaching. Nothing. Both the Yogis and many Christian pastors are doing the same thing concerning leading us into prayer and/or meditation. Soft music, methodical speech, repeating chants, etc. with the goal to get closer to or experience God. Was this sorcery? Trying to feel the presence of God? Did I feel anything? Not really, no different than the day that I decided to get baptized in a freezing cold river in the middle of March in Canada. OK, maybe I felt slightly different the day I got wet in a river, due to my internal temperature dropping 20 degrees in a matter of seconds, but no magical enlightenment. What are we doing? What is the purpose of all the spiritual practices from every nation, creed, denomination, and tongue? Why are we trying to find God, or please God? If the spirit of God lives in us (the holy spirit), Luke 17, what are we looking for, Matthew 24: 22-28? It is not my job to convince people that I have the magical formula to experience God, no more than it is someone's job to convince me. There is only one magic formula, LOVE, and we all possess it. It is apparent that most seekers of God are looking outside of themselves to experience a creator, instead of marveling at creation. In the church buildings, the pastor leads a sermon and flips through the bible to prove their point. In Holy temples, spiritual Gurus sit calmly and softly and repeat ancient practices to prove their point. Is one right and the other wrong? Then it hit me... "Acts 2: 46- Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts," Fellowship and meeting together with sincere hearts, and without the intent of monetary gain. Anytime that a group meets together with the intent of making money is not following God. The apostle Paul addresses this early in his ministry, he did take money (or trade), but it was for the full intent of moving on to the next community to help spread the love of Jesus through whom God was manifested. God was/is a free gift. God was/is not merchandise. The book of Acts is all about the first followers of God through Christ, it is a very controversial message in today's environment and very difficult to wrap our heads around. Now, this is a deep subject for sure, and for the sake of your time and the idea of blogs, I will leave it here. With the desire of love, peace, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control to dwell within my heart. By the vessel, William John
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