Session Notes

Shovel Writings: Reality or Psycho-Babble?:

“We are afraid of fear itself. We are afraid because of so many verses taken out of context and used to beat us up with until our hearts are bloody and raw and in agony, and then we fear even more.

It is a very good thing to be secure in our New Identity and realize that MOST fears come from the INsecurity we have been wallowing in and perpetuating for sooo long … fears based on deception and lies that we have fed ourselves and each other.

The GOOD NEWS of CHRIST, which is also OUR GOOD NEWS because of HIM and our NEW IDENTITY in HIM, is the only thing that soothes the pain of so much insanity and insecurity that we endure.
”

This fear feeling is the key difficulty in loving others and God. It is not about the other person at all. Most deep conflicts are not about another. If we do not surrender fears, these feelings reinterpret what we hear. Others feel unloved by distrust. We in turn feel guilty/alone or vice versa. The only solution is consciously resting in Jesus and our new identity on Him based on the true Good News. The basis of our fears is Finished as well.

Shovel Writings: Waiting for God:

“yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.” (Romans 4:18-21)
If this proves anything, it shows that God does not see as a man sees. No, no, it’s not that He IGNORES reality, for He sees past the illusions and into the TRUE reality of the heart.
“In hope AGAINST hope he believed”. Do you not see the tension stated clearly in this man who was “waiting for God” to do what He promised? Somehow he was still believing even though he took matters into his own hands. We can argue it all we want, but it’s right there in our faces.“

This is an excellent article clearly explaining how one walks by faith not sight. We often are so caught up in insanity because we forget who we are in Him and what He has done on the cross.

Life After Miscarriage:

“Don’t blame yourself. The most common reasons women miscarry are missing pieces of genetic information in the fertilized egg or improper implantation of the baby into the uterine lining. Women don’t miscarry because they ate something they shouldn’t have, or didn’t take folic acid or get enough rest. Miscarriage is God’s way of making sure that when you do have a baby, it has the best chance for a healthy life. Though it may feel like it, it’s not a punishment.”

This is an encourging article sharing that women often feel to blame years after it has occurred. It has good suggestions to accept the lass through memorializing.

Shovel Writings: Just Listen (Michael Daniel):

“I kept seeing a glimmer of hope and light
when…you listened to me.

Your penetrating relevant words were evidence
that…you listened to me.

Your tender yet confident words were soothing
to my hurting heart because…you listened to me.

Many times you said not a word, but I knew
without a doubt…you listened to me.

Even in your silence I heard you say ”I love
you“ as…you listened to me.

I saw in your eyes the compassion of Christ
because…you listened to me.

Jesus Himself met me where I was as…you
listened to me.

Then, a miracle began to happen because…you
listened to me.

My own ears began to open because…you listened
to me.”

This is an excellent poem which shows the progression of healing pain. One needs to come to the end of himself/herself like the thief on the cross. By listening one comes to the stillness of rest/trust/love of Him in us.

Shovel Writings: A One-Word Sermon: Paul:

“So I thought I could see and I deep down didn’t care if I could hear
anyone else.  But grace (oh, what a phrase!)…but grace abounded for me
on that dusty road to Damascus where Christ transformed my seeing and
my hearing.  Christ blinded me initially so I could focus on hearing
His strong, yet tender voice.  And He called me by my old name, Saul. 
Imagine that, He called me by my name…my old sin-full, selfish name. 
How could the spotless Lamb of God speak such a dirty word as that? 
How could He love unconditionally like that?  That’s beyond me.  That’s
grace.  
Yes, He called me by my name…He called me by my name…He called me by my
name…I just can’t get over the truth that He called me by my
self-righteous name!  He met me where I was…in my self-righteousness. 
I am so grateful He called me even when I wasn’t willing to listen, and
especially when I didn’t deserve it.  
He called me by my name just as He calls each of His beloved friends by
their personal names…including each of you.  And He called each of us
through questions that only He could answer…and each of us were drawn
to the truth inside those questions…we each were drawn to Truth
Himself.  ”Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?“  ”Peter, do you
love Me?“  ”Philip, don’t you know I am the truth?“  ”Oh Thomas, don’t
you believe Me through my scars?“ ”

This is an interesting article encouraging the rest in God’s grace. I find it interesting that one can still question with emotion to surrender. It is still abiding/praying with Him in us. I wonder why if traditional Christianity teaches the centrality of confess sins that Paul did not do it in his writings. Only Saul did it before he was made new.

libido-pill.com

It’s funny how sex factors into the way people describe the state of their relationships. Studies show that, when things are going well, sex contributes only 15 percent to the overall satisfaction of a relationship. But if things aren’t going well, it contributes 85 percent to the overall dissatisfaction.

Sex has many advantages to both people involved. Here are just a few.

Strange, a few years ago, only the ancients could be counted on to state the obvious — finally the rest of the human race is waking up. Forget about if it feels good — just do it anyway. Yes, fix it if it doesn’t feel good — but don’t stop.

Shovel Writings: The Peace of Christ – 2:

“ Now, was Paul
teaching us to learn to distinguish the feelings of the Spirit from the
feelings of the world?  Was he then asking us to trust those
feelings of peace we get from the Spirit?  Is this what it means
to be ”led by the Spirit“?  It may be the popular teaching, but if
Paul TAUGHT it where did he WRITE it?  I read his letters and I
see someone who would never establish a practice of making
decisions based on a relative sense of ”peace“.  Instead, he
constantly insisted on basing all things on what Christ had ALREADY
accomplished. ”

This is an excellent article clearly stating that God is leading through His Spirit 24/7. (ROM 8:14) This is a great article for married couples who sometimes have difficulty completely trusting their spouse is in “God’s will.”

Sultan Knish

When we take someone else’s responsibility on ourselves, two things happen.

First by taking responsibility for something we cannot control, we waste our energies and do nothing to address or resolve the problem.

Secondly, we remove responsibility from the only person who can control it, we give him absolute freedom from his responsibilities. He becomes free to rob and kill and do as he likes, because his victims are responsible now, not him.

All totalitarian systems remove individual responsibility, replacing it with obligation. Responsibility requires informed individual judgment. Obligation simply means doing what you’re told.

A very well written comment about why liberal aversion to responsibility ultimately creates oppression.

But I Don’t Feel Like It:

“Decide to take ”divorce“ out of your dictionary. My husband, Bill, and I have counseled couples back to happiness from all kinds of crises: loss of a child, loss of a home, all kinds of addictions, affairs, and a whole lot of ”I’m tired of trying.“ The Bible does give a few allowances for what we call the 3 A’s (Affairs, Abuse, Abandonment) — but just because you feel you can file for divorce doesn’t mean you should! Look at Hosea and Gomer in the Bible. That’s redeeming love, the kind of love God”

This article discusses the biblical reasons for divorce.

His Righteous Judgement

Shovel Writings: John 7:24 Judge with righteous judgment:

“Instead, according to fleshly wisdom we learned
that ”time heals all wounds“, not allowing ourselves to realize that
older wounds get overshadowed and sometimes replaced by newer wounds
making us suppose it just went away. We all know what it is to judge
this way, it is all we knew before.To judge according to Christ
IS to judge righteously. It is the only possibility by which everything
can be seen for what it is. Life is life, death is death. ”

This is a good clarifying article. Maybe it is best to look at appearances to see it as is now. This is so we are not in denial. Yet also determine if one is a believer and accept God’s righteous judgement, that all things are new for a true Christian.

Are We Confused Because We Think We Can Fall Out of Fellowship?

Shovel Writings: Confessing sins to restore fellowship?:

“No wonder we’re so confused — we’re trying to get back into something we didn’t fall out of!  Did you not notice that John NEVER used the phrase ”in fellowship“ or ”out of fellowship“?  If that’s what he meant wouldn’t he have said something like it?  As it is, we talk about ”fellowship“ with God as if it meant that He is happy with us at the moment because we are doing the things neccessary to please Him.  But having fellowship with God means having all things in common with God.  Just how much confession, do you suppose, will bring you such intimacy?  No, my friend, it took Jesus’ death to put an end to the darkness we were in; and in doing so, He passed from death into life, and brought us into that same life.  If confessing sins could restore fellowship, Jesus Christ would not have had to die to make it happen.”

This is an excellent point as to why there is a lot of depression in Christians. Confessing to friends about everything you think is bad about you does not keep you in relationship. The same illustration can be said for fellowship with God.

Mind Tricks: Do We Still Sin?

Shovel Writings: Walking in the light:

“”I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life. (John 8:12)“ I’ll bet your mind just played a trick on you that changed the whole meaning.  Did you read it this way: ”he who FOLLOWS Me shall not walk in the darkness …“?  Did you think, ”Yeah, but what does it mean to ‘follow’?“  But the emphasis in Jesus’ statement would read like this: ”he who follows ME …“.  It was not about the quality of the following.  Everybody follows somebody.  If that somebody is Jesus, His claim applies.  For if you are IN the light, then everywhere you walk is in the light.”

This is an excellent illustration of how easily/quickly our mind goes off-track. Yet to me, believers still do not sin. Amen.

If We confess Our Sins But There Is No Then

Shovel Writings: What the verse does not say:

“”If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.“  1 John 1:9 (NASB)
Before I get into what the verse IS saying, I think it will help to notice something that it is NOT saying, because most who focus on confession are teaching something that isn’t even there.
Does the word ”if“ automatically imply a corresponding ”then“?  Or didn’t you notice that the verse doesn’t say ”then“?”

This is a traditional argument but haven’t we always believed this verse had a “then” that follows. The meaning is changed.

We Don’t Confess Our Sins Anymore

Shovel Writings: Could it mean something else?:

“If you are familiar with ”confession“ you’ve heard 1 John 1:9 (”If we confess our sins …“).  It has got to be the most exploited verse in the New Testament.  It should come as no surprise since there are NO OTHER VERSES in the N.T. that seem to say we are forgiven and cleansed from our sins because we confess them.  Go ahead and look for them, thou shalt not find them (There are a few verses that seem to support the traditional teaching, but not by themselves.).  ”

This a key article stating that there are no other verses we need to continue confessing our sins for cleansing. Traditionalists may be doing this ritual because they are constantly questioning that Jesus took away all sin. They are looking at external appearance. I pray this shift does not occur for any of us if we have the “Jesus Finsihed It” view.

Doubting Your Relationship to God

Shovel Writings: Introduction:

“First John needs to be read from John’s perspective, not Paul’s.  Ignore this and you may see what John was NOT saying, but you’ll miss most of what he WAS saying.
John wrote this letter to a group of believers who were doubting their own relationship to God.  ”

This is a good reminder of a article. 1 John was written to encourage BELIEVERS not to question their relationship to God with unbelievers. I would also challenge the believers not to compare the depth of fellowship with the Lord with other Christians. This is particularly true of the ones who do not adhere to the KNOWing only the “Finished Work of Christ” Good News. There is a danger with sharing our personal experiences with the Father. However, I feel the benefits are more than the drawbacks.

How Can I Cut My Spouse’s Apron Strings?:

“ Talk about how the two of you would like decision making to work. Would you prefer that the two of you make choices without getting input from either set of parents? Are there some decisions you’d ask one set of parents about, but not the other? Be aware that asking for parents’ advice can be a slippery slope. It may leave them feeling the door is open for them to give you input into other areas, or even to ”correct“ decisions you’ve already made. Credit each other and your in-laws with goodwill toward your marriage”

This is a good article, with the exception where it does not acknowledge conflicts with believers needs to be handled differently. If both couples believe in Jesus’ risenness one needs to approach them as no one party is “right.” Both have the Lord living out His righteousness in them. I like the point that one makes changes themselves and discuss it, if the issue is risen by the other party. This is according to the God’s leading.

Shovel Writings: Those other guys:

“The funny thing is that we really would relate to what these guys wrote about if we weren’t so busy trying to make what they wrote fit into our ”applications“ of our reinterpretations of their words.”

This is a good point so we will share our interpretations and not be just silently going along with church/religious culture. It challenges us to go back and receive God’s perception. I find it sad it often silences people for fear they will deceive.

Shovel Writings: A Quick Synopsis:

“This is totally unexplanable since I am innocent in the matter, so I can do nothing but leave it in God’s hands.
To this:
Since I did nothing to bring this on what the hell is God doing!!??

”Then these three men ceased answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes.“

That’s when some young guy by the name of Elihu jumped in to tell Job
that he was tired of listening to Job flaunting his wisdom above God
while justifying himself before God.  Then God made himself known
to Job and also made it known that HE was the one who would speak for
Job.”

This is an excellent illustration of the progression of our thoughts/feelings to God giving His perspective.

Shovel Writings: Disclaimer:

“I’m not saying that you haven’t heard this before, because if you are of God then you ALREADY know the truth.  What I have discovered is that ANYTHING … even good stuff … will demand that you shift your focus from Christ! ”

This is a central message. If we focus on promoting the good things of life the Good News, of the risen Christ, is not clearly recognized. This is the point. It is not about avoiding “the ”world“

Shovel Writings: Inferiority?:

“ I’ve heard some really strange things here from believers who have some fantastic insight into grace, but have threads of legalistic views intwined in the very grace they speak of and cannot see it.  I’m sure that all of my views are not the final say by any means and that God willing (I KNOW that He is) I will become of any worldly fabrications that I myself possess and trust the Lord to remove these stumbling blocks
SHOVEL: For I determined to know nothing among you except Christ and Him crucified.  Remember that?  How simple it is.
FRIEND: YES, I am crucified with Christ daily BUT NEVERTHELESS I live, but not I BUT CHRIST THAT LIVETH IN ME
SHOVEL: Don’t lean upon the daily thing, the tense is that you HAVE BEEN crucified with Christ. Done, finished!  Now, do you see the ”among you“ in the verse I quoted, 1 Cor 2:2?
FRIEND: yes
SHOVEL: Paul said he determined to know nothing among THEM except Christ and Him crucified!!  Why do you suppose he said that?”

This is a intense to the extreme stimulating grace discussion. One is either of the belief we are either alive to Christ/the Spirit of God is in us or it is not the case. “God remove any block I create.”

Shovel Writings: Walking in faith?:

“ He just says, in God’s own way and in His own time He will move us out of the desert and into Life … we ARE in Life now, ‘in Christ … he always stressed about ‘being real’
Shovel: how so?
Friend: ‘being true to yourself and what we feel on the inside … never was our identity in Christ taught
Shovel:   … wow, what a trap … it is amazing how easily our thoughts can be pulled from our true life
Friend: he stressed how all things are lawful … yes, and they are, we can truely live anyway we want
Shovel: and we call that, ”being real“, huh?
Friend: but, BUT we have a New Life in Christ !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Shovel: yes I used to hold to a particular view … about Romans 6 … and walking in Newness of Life … I heard it from a couple other guys … it didn’t seem right. … It was this – that until you come to count upon that fact …. reckoning, it is called … until you ”reckon“ yourself dead unto sin and alive unto God … you cannot walk in newness of Life. ”

This is a stimulating dialogue. When we walk in what is already true, the risen Christ/we are dead to sin, this is walking in faith. May it be so.

Are vitamins good for you?: Sci-Tech: News: News24:

“She saw nothing wrong with people taking a low-dose one-a-day multivitamin and mineral supplement.




There was evidence that people taking low dose supplements had reduced rates of chronic disease.




”It certainly doesn’t do any harm, and could well do you some good,“ she said.




However taking doses many times the recommended daily allowance (RDA) could be seriously harmful.




Collins said she saw four or five people a year whose health was affected by high levels of supplements, and at least one a week who was taking an ”inappropriate“ dose of vitamins or minerals.



The recommended daily allowance (RDA) for vitamin C is 60mg and for magnesium 300mg. – Sapa-dpa”