The Exchanged Life — Warrior of The Presence

Reconciled from Bitterness Apr 4, 2022 There1 is one source of power that is stronger than every disappointment, bitterness or ingrained mistrust, and that power is Jesus Christ, Who brought forgiveness and reconciliation to the world.~Karol Józef Wojtyła (1920–2005) Strive for peace…

Bitter or Better? Aug 19, 2019 We are immortals dreaming the terrible dream of mere mortality. ~Peter Kreeft Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, … And I…

Saved: More Than We Know Oct 17, 2018 Jesus is The Divine Logos made flesh.~ Robert Barron See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and…

My Testimony: Apologetics As A New Creation Oct 2, 2018 May you be encouraged. Christ has set me free to Love and serve.

The Infinite, Living, Quiet Center of Worship Oct 1, 2018 Worship is really about what is the center focus of our being. What is it that we value most?

Emptiness of Soul Is The Beginning of Life in The Spirit May 29, 2018 Tell me not, in mournful numbers, “Life is but an empty dream!” For the soul is dead that slumbers, And things are not what they seem. Life is real! Life is earnest! And the grave is…

The DreamLife of Missionaries Feb 9, 2018 I am afraid of only one thing—that I should become a grain of wheat not willing to die. ~Young Missionary Girl The reason why the crowd went to meet Him was that they heard He had…

Suffering: Warfare in The Hornet’s Nest of Our Mind Jun 25, 2017 When you’re lovers in a dangerous time Sometimes you’re made to feel as if your love’s a crime — But nothing worth having comes without some kind of fight — Got to kick at the darkness…

Dying to Know We Are Loved by G_d Jun 23, 2017 The Christian Life is a continual struggle against the old self. Not just a struggle in the sense of a BATTLE, but a real putting in the tomb… All authentic Christian lives… know these long ‘tunnels’…

The Ten Resolutions of Honor May 30, 2017 These are the resolutions of a man totally surrendered to Christ. These are my resolutions. They are from a sermon by Eric Ludy, at the Church at Ellerslie, Windsor, Colorado on 12 Jun 2011. Other Title…

Princes of The Kingdom: Living ἐν κηρύγματι May 28, 2017 The deeper we grow in the Spirit of Jesus Christ, the poorer we become – the more we realize that everything in life is a gift. The tenor of our lives becomes one of humble and…

Longing for A Certain Death Apr 21, 2017 There is an intimate bond between the sufferings of Christ and the conflict and suffering in each Christian life. The daily dying of the Christian is a prolongation of Christ’s own death. Paul writes in Romans…

The Dying Seed of A Fruitful Life Mar 30, 2017 Deep within us all there is an amazing inner sanctuary of the soul, a holy place, a divine center, a speaking voice, to which we may continuously return. Eternity is at our hearts, pressing upon our…

False Thoughts Made Whole Oct 18, 2016 You’re not supposed to beat the enemy in ministry. You’re supposed to beat him in your relationship with God. Do you know that he is powerless against a man who just stands before God as a…

The Joy in Not Getting What We Want Sep 25, 2016 Sometimes He calms the storm. Sometimes He lets the storm to rage, And calms His child.~ Leslie GouldI will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all…

Nothing But Christ And Him Crucified Sep 19, 2016 It costs God nothing, so far as we know, to create nice things: but to convert rebellious wills cost Him crucifixion.~ CS Lewis And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to…

The Great Letting Go Sep 14, 2016 We have to keep letting go, and slowly and surely the great full life of God will invade us in every part, and men will take knowledge of us that we have been with Jesus. ~Oswald…

His Life Running Through Our Veins Sep 10, 2016 The philosophy of tough love is based on the conviction that no effective recovery can be initiated until a man admits that he is powerless over alcohol and that his life has become unmanageable. The alternative…

The Beautiful Collision of Our Heart with G_d’s Aug 14, 2016 Can we see it? As our heart merges with the character He is inscribing on us and within us… This is the process of sanctification. For, as character and heart merge, we cement our destiny –…

Dead, Freed, Alive – And Loved Forever Aug 13, 2016 There were some who said that a man at the point of death was more free than all others, because death breaks every bond, and over the dead the united world has no power.~François Fénelon (1651-1715)For…

The Reality of Our Suffering, And The Great Exchange Aug 4, 2016 Therefore, my dear brother, learn Christ and him crucified. Learn to pray to him an, despairing of yourself, say: “Thou, Lord Jesus, art my righteousness, but I am thy sin. Thou hast taken upon thyself what…

The Violence of Regeneration: Being Born Again Jul 31, 2016 Define yourself radically as one beloved by God. This is the true self. Every other identity is illusion. ~ Brennan Manning See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be…

Running out of Breath Jul 29, 2016 The philosophy of tough love is based on the conviction that no effective recovery can be initiated until a man admits that he is powerless over alcohol and that his life has become unmanageable. The alternative…

No, Is A Complete Sentence Jul 29, 2016 “No.,” is a complete sentence. It does not require justification or explanation. ~ Megan LeBoutillier I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes,…

Indestructible Love Jul 27, 2016 When a Christian or group of Christians dies because they trust that Christ is the faithful revelation of God and of a new humanity, their death is not like Obi-Wan Kenobi’s last words to Darth Vader:…

Just Doin’ My Job Jun 19, 2016 Really great men have a curious feeling that the greatness is not in them but through them.~John Ruskin (1819-1900)The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” And the Lord said, “If you had faith like…

Getting Angry at The Right Target Jun 11, 2016 Whenever I allow anything but tenderness and compassion to dictate my response to life–be it self-righteous anger, moralizing, defensiveness, the pressing need to change others…I am alienated from my true self. My identity as Abba’s child…

Resting, Loving And Living: The Simplicity of The Gospel Jun 3, 2016 The Word we study has to be the Word we pray. My personal experience of the relentless tenderness of God came not from exegetes, theologians, and spiritual writers, but from sitting still in the presence of…

The Exchanged Life May 29, 2016 And yet it may happen in these most desperate trials of our human existence that beyond any rational explanation, we may feel a nail-scarred Hand clutching ours. We are able, as Etty Hillesun, the Dutch Jewess…

The Two Sides of Our Devastation Mar 30, 2016 The very first tear he made was so deep that I thought it had gone right into my heart. And when he began pulling the skin off, it hurt worse than anything I’ve ever felt. The…

Tipping from Soul into The Spirit Mar 20, 2016 O sweetness of my heart! O life of my soul, joyous resting place of my spirit! O bright and beautiful day of eternity, serene light deep within me! Flowering paradise of my heart! When shall I…

Life Breaks Through: Joy Will Find A Way Feb 15, 2016 These things are beautiful beyond belief;The pleasant weakness that comes after pain,The radiant greenness that comes after rain,The deepened faith that follows after grief,And the awakening to love again.~William Shakespeare (1564-1616) Preserve me, O God, for…

Living in The Truth Oct 25, 2015 What a man can be, he must be. This need we call self-actualization.~ Abraham MaslowHe flattered himself on being a man without any prejudices, and this pretension itself is a very great prejudice.~Anatole France (1844-1924)This is…

Power’s Corruption Vs. The Authority in Integrity Sep 15, 2015 Integrity is only found at the moment where the bedrock of self has been shattered, and a new depth of being discovered.~ Makala Barnabas Doulos I am the True Vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.…

Traction, And The Illusion of Control Sep 9, 2015 The life you live can outlive you. What matters in life is not what you accomplish or accumulate but rather what remains for all of time. Today, you may live in this world, but your life…

Wasted, Drained, Done Jul 15, 2015 If Satan cannot distract you with worldliness, he will seek to drain you with weariness.~ Francis FrangipaneAt that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things…

Resting in Our New Past in Him Jun 22, 2015 There is no past we can bring back by longing for it. There is only an eternal now that builds and creates out of the past something new and better.~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) We ourselves…

Last Entry from Indonesia: Where Three Years Can Lead Jun 14, 2015 In a futile attempt to erase our past, we deprive the community of our healing gift. If we conceal our wounds out of fear and shame, our inner darkness can neither be illuminated nor become a…

Failure’s Doorstep: Setting Priorities Jan 4, 2015 If you’re a Christian, here’s the good news: who you really are has nothing to do with you— how much you can accomplish, who you can become, your behavior, your strengths, your weaknesses, your sordid past,…

Actually Experiencing God Dec 16, 2014 Truth divorced from experience will always dwell in doubt.~Henry KrauseFinally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you. Look out for…

Fighting with Dull Weaponry Nov 17, 2014 He who will fight the devil with his own weapons must not wonder if he finds him an overmatch.~Robert South (1634-1716) But, seeing that we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live…

Dawn of The Dead – Four Years of Living The Crucified Life Oct 19, 2014 We have one function in life: to be the manifestors of His life to the world. Only when we are living His life are we truly living our own! This is the reason for our creation.~Malcolm…

Free In Him Oct 14, 2014 We are to be re-made. All the rabbit in us is to disappear—the worried, conscientious, ethical rabbit as well as the cowardly and sensual rabbit. We shall bleed and squeal as the handfuls of fur come…

Total Reconciliation Oct 5, 2014 Only in seeing ourselves as both completely full in Him and, totally desperate for more of Him, can we find the beginning of the infiniteness of our relationship with the Person of Jesus Christ.~Makala Barnabas DoulosHe…

The Futility of The Flesh Sep 1, 2014 All our salvation consists in the manifestation of the nature, life and spirit of Jesus Christ in our inward new man. This alone is Christian redemption, this alone delivers from the guilt and power of sin,…

Victory in The Rubble of The World Aug 19, 2014 The kingdom of God is a kingdom of paradox, where through the ugly defeat of a cross, a holy God is utterly glorified. Victory comes through defeat; healing through brokenness; finding self through losing self.~Charles Colson…

The Mysterious Exchange Jul 31, 2014 To let my loving Savior work in me His will, my sanctification, is what I would live for by His grace. Abiding, not striving nor struggling; looking off unto Him; trusting Him for present power;… resting…

סְגֻלָּה A Peculiar People Jul 6, 2014 Note the contradictions: The Christian believes that in Christ he has died, yet he is more alive than before and he fully expects to live forever. He walks on earth while seated in heaven and though…

The Resting of Obedience Jun 8, 2014 How shall we rest in God? By giving ourselves wholly to him. If you give yourself by halves, you cannot find full rest; there will ever be a lurking disquiet in that half that Is withheld.…

Growth And Maturation in Christ May 27, 2014 What you are learning in life in every single situation is how to rise up. You are learning how to occupy your rightful place. You are learning how to go through every set of circumstances in…

No One to Blame – No Need Either May 6, 2014 Self-pity… cuddle and nurse it as an infant and you’ll have on your hands in a brief period of time a beast, a monster, a raging, coarse brute that will spread the poison of bitterness and…

Going Over The Edge Oct 20, 2013 From a writer who simply told G_d: “Just do whatever you gotta do.”Simply having good theology, without willingness to obey, is like putting a case of oil in the trunk of our car and calling it…

The Sacrifice of Praise Sep 23, 2013 A sacrifice of praise will always cost you something. It will be a difficult thing to do. It requires trading in our pride, our anger, and most valued of all, our human logic. We will be…

Fully Dead and Completely Alive! Sep 10, 2013 The purpose of Christ’s redeeming work was to make it possible for bad men to become good—deeply, radically, and finally.~A. W. Tozer (1897-1963)Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are…

Sanctification – Learning to Believe Sep 8, 2013 To be another than I am, I must abandon that which I am.~Saint John Chrysostom (c. 347-407)…I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according…

Gotta Serve Somebody Sep 4, 2013 The man who surrenders to Christ exchanges a cruel slave driver for a kind and gentle Master whose yoke is easy and whose burden is light.~A. W. Tozer (1897-1963)And it was not without an oath. For…

Reversing The Flow Aug 22, 2013 This is one radical upside of living fully to the specification of our Design. A believer can, upon full surrender to the Grace of G_d, simply quit being a consumer of the filth of the world,…

The Source And Stance of A Warrior’s Strength Jul 16, 2013 A warrior mindset is always focused on victory. It allows no possibility of defeat. It does not retreat. It stands under extreme pressure. It advances by God’s permission. The Lord has a language of intimidation; it’s…

Expanding Eternity Jul 11, 2013 Winning—for all eternity—is about letting Me have total control. It is admitting that you need Me, and then trusting Me to lead you.~ Sarah Young speaking of JesusNow a discussion arose between some of John’s disciples…

The Danger of The Gospel Jul 2, 2013 Living in the Spirit means that I trust the Holy Spirit to do in me what I cannot do myself. This is completely different from the life I would naturally live of myself. Each time I…

Astounding Righteousness Jun 23, 2013 When the mask of self-righteousness has been torn from us and we stand stripped of all our accustomed defenses, we are candidates for God’s generous grace.Erwin W. Lutzer (1941- )You, however, are not in the flesh…

Seven Jun 18, 2013 To cling to my natural virtues is quite sufficient to obscure the work of God in me.~Oswald Chambers (1874-1917)Then I saw in the right hand of Him who was seated on the throne a scroll written…

Epicenter of The Gospel Feb 19, 2013 And since then, O Kings and Ladies, I have been wandering to find him and my happiness is so great that it even weakens me like a wound. And this is the marvel of marvels, that…

Epic Flow Jan 16, 2013 How dread are thine eternal years, O everlasting Lord!By prostrate spirits day and night incessantly adored!How beautiful, how beautiful the sight of thee must be,Thine endless wisdom, boundless power, and awful purity!~Frederick William Faber (1814-1863) Do…

Practical Mysticism Aug 28, 2012 Mystical means real. It is the intimate quality of the spiritual life.~Henri J. M. Nouwen And you were dead in the trespasses and sins… in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following…

This Guy “Got It.” Read The Secret About Two-Thirds Down Jun 21, 2012 Do we live “for” God? Or, should we instead let Him live His life “through” us? The “flow” is 180 degree different one way or the other… so we gotta choose. Read on believer. This guy…