A BOOK “REVIEW”: THE MIND OF JESUS by William Barclay
March 5, 2012
A BOOK “REVIEW”: THE MIND OF JESUS by William Barclay
(from The Spirit of a True Champion: A Look into the Mind of Jesus Christ
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007E2WXW0)
Tags: Jesus, Jesus Christ, Books,, The Mind of Jesus, William Barclay, Christianity, Faith, Spiritual Growth
Submitter’s Note:
In my research for my latest Amazon book The Spirit of a True Champion: A Look into the Mind of Jesus Christ…
THE AWAKENED SPIRIT (A New Book by craig lock): A Short Extract
December 1, 2010THE AWAKENED SPIRIT
by Craig Lock
Tags: Books, new books, ‘The Awakened Spirit’, Craig Lock
AN EXTRACT…
A NEW DAWN
An awakening of spirit… a new heart.
Underlying themes (threads) of choices, hope, forgiveness and love.
Craig Lock’s new work is a story of ordinary men and women, whose strong sense of justice and decency led to their making their own unique contribution to the liberation of South Africa. The stories in my new work not only shine a light on South Africa’s turbulent and often dark past, but tell us something about the present and how one man’s freedom fighter, like Nelson Mandela can be another’s terrorist…and to another, a “hero liberator”. (It just depends upon ones perspective). Therefore, it is vitally important to understand the mind of a person. And that is the mindset we are truly going to have to understand to “win this current ‘war against terror’”. So, by only looking to history, we always find something, a ray of hope to illuminate the present and the future.
*
I want to write and share stories that matter a lot to me, in terms of my deepest values. True stories from people’s lives in history, that are worth sharing with others, as they have great meaning regarding the universal human condition. I write about ordinary people in exceptional circumstances and times, that hopefully uplift and impact others through certain people’s great generosity of spirit inherant in the human condition to overcome great obstacles or adversity in their lives!)
In short, I try to write inspirational stories of ordinary people in exceptional circumstances and times; so my writings are about the indomitable and unquenchable strength of the human spirit.
*
Underlying themes (threads) of choices, hope, faith, forgiveness and love, told against the backdrop of a troubled and exciting continent.
Craig Lock’s new work is a story of ordinary men and women (like you and me), whose strong sense of justice and decency led to their making their own unique contribution to the liberation of South Africa. The stories in my new work not only shine a light on South Africa’s turbulent and often dark past, but tell us something about the present and how one man’s freedom fighter, like Nelson Mandela can be another’s terrorist…and to another, a “hero liberator”. (It just depends upon ones perspective). Therefore, it is vitally important to understand the mind of a person. And that is the mindset we are truly going to have to understand to “win this current ‘war against terror’”. So, by only looking to history, we always find something, a ray of hope to illuminate the present and the future.
*
For further info, email craig at
clock@slingshot. co.nz
CONTENTS;
Part One
Chapter One The Film ‘Catch a Fire’
Chapter Two: ‘A Passing Summer’ by Michael Cassidy: the Politics of Love’
Chapter Three: Sharing some Thoughts on the Power of Forgiveness
Chapter Four: A New Dawn
Chapter Five:
The Writer as Bridgebuilder Chapter Six: A New Peace
Chapter Seven: The End
Part Two: The Writer as Bridgebuilder
Appendix:
One: Zimbabwe
Two: “My Conversations with God”
* * *
CHAPTER ONE: ‘CATCH A FIRE’
This film is based on the story of Patrick Chamusso, the personal journey and transformation of an “ordinary” man: from a compliant oil refinery worker and family man, then after being arrested, tortured and deported to his birth country of Mozambique became a radicalised African National Congress guerilla fighter code-named ‘Hotstuff’ – a man fighting for the liberation of his people, and his country.
Eventually Patrick was arrested again and convicted as a terrorist; then served his long and harsh sentence on Robben Island in the chilly waters off Cape Town, until his release in 1991. Now Chamusso, aged 57, runs an orphanage with his wife, Connie, where they tend to Aids orphans in the dusty hills near Kruger National Park. From their modest home the close couple care for 14 children. Already they have found foster homes for a further 90 under-privileged (and often malnourished) youngsters in the village, who visit their house daily for food, bible classes and the shiny bicycles donated by the film’s production company. All done with a great generosity of spirit.
But then, Patrick and his beloved wife, Conney have always tried to instill in others the importance of serving others through Christian love. They say that their current long battle against HIV (the Aids virus) is like our people’s long and hard struggle against apartheid.
*
Another sub-plot tells a story of how good people can often do bad things and the reader gets inside the soul of a man, who wanted to do good and yet preserve the status quo of the ruling regime – to protect the institutions and history of the country. The plots interweave, the two men living on different sides of the fence – yet both loving their families and their country equally; it’s just that they have a completely different view of their country. The story not only shines a light on South Africa’s past, but tells us something about the present:how one man’s freedom fighter can be another persons’s terrorist. (It just depends upon ones perspective). So, by only looking to history, we always find something, a ray of hope to illuminate the present and the future.
History tells us that Patrick Chamusso, was the ‘good guy’, who finds himself so backed into a corner, that he finds no other way of expressing and achieving his political aspirations, other than through using force. Therefore it’s vitally important to understand the mind of a person. And that is the mindset we are truly going to have to understand to “win this current ‘war against terror’”. And we are certainly not going to do it by eliminating the ‘perpetrators of the state-sanctioned violence’ and his family.
So my work is also most importantly, a story of redemption: of a man trying to regain his humanity…and one eventually does!
I hope that people can relate to Patrick, Griffith’s, David’s and Rick’s stories, as I believe they reveal the humanity in each of us. I don’t think Chamusso is a hero for taking up arms. I think he’s a hero for laying them down. Their story has a message of forgiveness and hope and parallels the miracle of South Africa today. Now if only other countries could offer the kind of leadership South Africa produced at that precarious time in its blood-soaked history…and learn the lessons from the past, then the whole of Africa and even the entire world would be a far better and more peaceful place for all of us.
* *
“While we will not forget the brutality of apartheid, we will not want Robben Island to be a monument of our hardship and suffering. We would want it to be a triumph of the human spirit against the forces of evil. A triumph of wisdom and largeness of spirit against small minds and pettiness;
a triumph of courage and determination over human frailty and weakness; a triumph of the New South Africa over the old.”
Ahmed Kathrada (who was imprisoned for 26 years. Prisoner No: 468/64)
My story not only shines a light on South Africa’s past, but tells us something about the present and how one man’s freedom fighter, like Nelson Mandela can be another’s terrorist. (It just depends upon ones perspective). Therefore, it is vitally important to understand the mind of a person. And that is the mindset we are truly going to have to understand to “win this current ‘war against terror’”. So, by only looking to history, we always find something, a ray of hope to illuminate the present and the future.
Craig is presently working on his latest novel ‘The Awakened Spirit’, based on some true and inspiring stories of the indomitable human spirit, that lies within each one of us.
A NEW DAWN: An awakening of spirit… a new heart.
The story not only shines a light on South Africa’s past, but tells us something about the present and how one man’s freedom fighter, like Nelson Mandela can be another’s terrorist. (It just depends upon ones perspective). Therefore, it is vitally important to understand the mind of a person. And that is the mindset we are truly going to have to understand to “win this current ‘war against terror’”. So, by only looking to history, we always find something, a ray of hope to illuminate the present and the future.
SHARING A FEW NEW SPIRITUAL THOUGHTS (from my notes)
July 4, 2010SHARING A FEW NEW SPIRITUAL THOUGHTS (from my notes)
Tags: Spirit, spiritual, spiritual thoughts, faith
I am part of nature. Spirit is guiding me. My spirit is honoured with my connectedness to the universe.
“There can be no shadows without a sun.”
Whatever He says, just DO IT!
Listen
God, “the Architect of the Universe” responds to desperation.
Gifts are given by grace.
Fulfill your calling.
The divine and the human meet perfectly in Jesus. Serve people and the world.
Be in union with God
Jesus Christ is here today through us. We are His hands and eyes. Yet we can’t doit on our own strength, but through the Holy Spirit.
As soon as you GIVE, you open up the world to possibilities and abundance.
“If you cannot do great things, then just do little things in a great way.”
- Mother Teresa
If you have the will, God has the power.
“I didn’t realise that I had been searching for God for so long. It was an experience I couldn’t deny. And it enabled me to see things in a new light, a new way.”
Using language as paint, like an artist.
Have compassion, a heart for people
Compassion is the absolute test of any spirituality. God uses our suffering to give greater insight… and often through times in deep valleys we draw close to God.
“You don’t have to wait for an enemy to shake your hand – you can stretch out your own hand first.”
Serve God, people and the world.
Nothing in the past can disqualify you from a bright future.
God is a God of another chance and will find another way to bring your wildest dreams to pass.
God wants you to succeed and lead an abundant life.
Where you’ve been is not nearly as important as where you’re going.
God can work miracles out of our biggest mistakes.
God can take our biggest messes and turn it into a (your) message.
Let Him give you a new beginning.
Every end is a new beginning.
Take one step towards God and He comes running towards you.
God looks at your heart (have the spirit of Jesus in your heart).
Endure the shifting sands of tyhe future
Can still make something great out of our life.
Get a new vision, a new dream for your life. God has mercy. Give Him the broken pieces and then watch what the Lord does making a miracle out of my life.
Raise your sight to the Lord.
Nothing is too hard for God.
Faith is not something you acquire. Faith is something you work at (on yourself), so that you find meaning and value in all experiences.
*
Ask yourself this question:
What daily action will I take to reinforce my beliefs?
Shared by craig
STREEP AWED BY SURVIVOR
March 17, 2010STREEP AWED BY SURVIVOR
15th March 2010
Tags: Heroes, Ingrid Betancourt, Meryl Streep, NZ Herald, faith, prayer, spirit, spiritual, religion, Alan Johnson, religion
Ingrid Betancourt, a Colombian-French politician, was kidnapped by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and held hostage for six and a half years.
ON THE WEB
Sourced from nzherald.co.nz
Streep presents award to ex-hostage Betancourt
Actress Meryl Streep presented a leadership award to Ingrid Betancourt at the DVF Awards Saturday, March 13, 2010 at United Nations headquarters in New York. Betancourt, a French-Colombian who was running for president of Colombia when she was kidnapped in 2002 by leftist FARC guerrillas, was one of four women honored at the event.
Betancourt was the former Colombian presidential candidate who endured years of captivity in jungle camps. She was one of four women honored Saturday night at the inaugural DVF Awards, created by fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg to honor women working for change in their countries.
.
Betancourt, 48, was freed in 2008 in a dramatic rescue operation and now lives in France, where she was raised. Of her time in captivity, she told Saturday’s audience that she had learned something important.
“When you have lost everything, when everything that you care about has been taken from you, when you feel your life doesn’t belong to you anymore, there’s something that nobody can take from you: the freedom to choose who you want to be.”
Sadiqa Basiri Saleem, an Afghan women’s rights activist, was another recipient of a DVF Award, receiving her statue from CNN anchor Christiane Amanpour. She said she hoped to use her award money from the Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation — $50,000 — toward building the first Afghan women’s college.
Sourced from New Zealand Herald
From winnipegfreepress.com and
content.usatoday.com/topics/topic/People/…/Meryl+Streep
*
- the words of Ingrid Betancourt
A hostage gives thanks
Ingrid Betancourt plainly thought God had a hand in her liberation, but the signs went unremarked in most news coverage.
http://blog.beliefnet.com/pontifications/2008/07/faith-and-prayer-the-untold-si.html
Faith and Prayer: The untold side of Ingrid Betancourt’s hostage drama
Friday July 11, 2008
Categories: Faith, Catholic, Politics
The dramatic rescue of Ingrid Betancourt and others held hostage by Colombia’s FARC thugs riveted the world for days (which is an eternity of sorts in media years). But a signal aspect of her captivity–and her survival–was her intense devotion. She prayed the rosary on beads she made during her six years in the jungle, and she says God saved her from bitterness during her captivity:
“To be a hostage places you in a situation of constant humiliation,” she told Pelerin, a French Christian weekly. While captive, pronouncing the biblical words “bless your enemy” was “magic,” she said. Now, she is asking Colombia’s leaders to do likewise. “We have reached the point where we must change the radical, extremist vocabulary of hate, of very strong words that intimately wound the human being,” she said in an interview Monday on Radio France International.
On her return to Paris (she is a French native who was running for president of Colombia when she was kidnapped), Betancourt prayed at the Sacre Coeur Basilica in Montmartre, and earlier in the day she prayed at Saint-Sulpice, the great Left Bank basilica (that also figured prominently in “The Da Vinci Code”).
Hers is a remarkable story, only half-told, or heard.
*
Sourced from: http://martininthemargins.blogspot.com/2008/12/alan-johnson-and-ingrid-betancourt-on.html
Martin In The Margins
Saturday, 20 December 2008
Alan Johnson and Ingrid Betancourt on faith and prayer
The BBC News website features a fascinating and often moving conversation between Alan Johnson and Ingrid Betancourt about their experiences of being kidnapped, the former by Islamist militants in Gaza and the latter by the FARC in Colombia. Despite some similarities in the way they coped with the ordeal, they differed in one important way, as related by Johnson:
I am grateful to the many people who I know were kind enough to pray for me when I was lost in Gaza. But actually, I was not praying myself. I would hear on the radio of war and bloodshed in places like DR Congo, and I felt that if God was not intervening to spare the innocent there, I could not see quite why He might intervene for me.
I struggle to believe that God closely manages our individual lives. But Ingrid’s faith seems to have been a huge factor in her survival. She said that I had simply not asked the right questions about God, and that it was our connection with Him that made us human. He was not creating the ills of the world, she said. Mankind had been given free will, and it was to blame.
Johnson is articulating one of the major stumbling-blocks to belief in a personal God. The experience of the Holocaust is often cited in evidence: if God failed to heed the cries of six million, who were surely praying as intensely as it is possible to imagine as they went to their deaths, why should we presume He would listen to our petty prayers for good health or a safe journey?
I remember reading an interview with an Anglican woman priest whose daughter was killed in the 7/7 bombings, as a result of which her Christian faith was deeply shaken. Friends tried to comfort her by reassuring her that, wherever her daughter was now, God would surely be looking after her. But why, the mother responded, wasn’t He looking after her on that terrible morning, on the London Underground?
In the light of God’s apparent silence through the horrors of the past century, the capacity to go on believing in Him depends on the extent to which one finds Ingrid Betancourt’s
response convincing.
Labels: Religion
comments:
I think that the fact that Ingrid Bettancourt was held hostage for much longer explains part of it. I think faith is, above all, a mental strategy that some people use and others, including people who consider themselves as believers, don’t.
*
“THE PRAYER WARRIOR AND THE NEW PROPHET” (from ‘A New Dawn of Endless Possibilities’)
August 9, 2009Submitter’s Note: The following is a short extract from a new work by Craig Lock ‘Endless Possibilities’ (which he’s presently writing): a true story based on the words of one the characters in the story, his “actual” friend, the Prophet. “THE PRAYER WARRIOR AND THE NEW PROPHET” (from ‘A New Dawn of Endless Possibilities’) These are the words of the Prophet.. that he wrote upon the stone at Mount Hikarangi on the isolated East Coast of the North Island of New Zealand (or “Godzone” as it is sometimes called)… The Prophet made a pilgrimage up the coast from his home town, Gisborne, the First City in the World to see the New Day Sun to the imposing mountain. And Mount Hikarangi was a place of great spiritual significance to the indigenous Maori people, the Ngati Porou natives of the area. And on his tablet, his notebook, The Prophet wrote these words… “The deepest yearning of the human heart is to know God , And the Christian faith is not merely a collection of dogma, a series of “do’s and don’ts”; but a LIVING FAITH that TRANSFORMS people’s lives, as they meet a risen Saviour in Jesus Christ. And God’s spirit is LOVE! Don’t limit God. We all have a spirit, but it can be added to, enhanced (without your own unique spirit being replaced). Summon a NEW SPIRIT. The spirit that made the world, the divine spark is within YOU; but it has to be activated through faith. ‘Faith sees the invisible, follows the unfathomable… and achieves the impossible.’ Each one of us is ‘hard-wired’ by God to find meaning and purpose in our lives. The Lord gave me a task for my life…. And God will never tell us to do something that is impossible to do. The Prophet had a ‘divinely inspired’ sense of purpose for his life: preparing the way for the much-prophesised impending return of Jesus Christ on earth. This strong ‘mission’ daily clarified his sense of focus. – to SERVE others in his life and to seek the highest good for the greatest number of people. However, the Lord says that we must remain humble. We are all just ‘ordinary’ (what’s that?) … yet God gives us ‘special assignments’. God does not need to receive, but human beings need to GIVE. And God, Divine Source, will not give to us what will not flow through us, a ‘generosity of spirit’. Get yourself right with Jesus, man. His followers speak for Him today, so that each one of us are His eyes, hands and voice. YOU can become your ministry. A powerful vision, mixed with belief gives me the commitment to continue down this path I’ve chosen for my life. I’ve been through great hardship in my life; yet it has brought me much closer to God… if you let Him. He will give you a strong, resilient spirit. ‘If you can conceive it on the inside, God can bring it to pass on the outside.’ ‘Faith without engagement in the socio-political world is faith without works.’ No-one in hstory has had insight into the human mind and personality like Jesus Christ. Christianity is different to other religions in that God reaches out to us through the infinite power of Christ… and this ‘spark in the soul’ can hugely change lives for the better… and even lead to snow-capped peaks of human achievement. Through Christ, after my mistakes and “mess ups”, I can now truly love myself… at long last. Accepting myself as “A Prophet” to herald in a New Age. The imminent return of Christ as God for a New Age. I have found my passion… to love and serve God (and my neighbour) with all my heart and soul … and of course to love myself… as God has always loved me in a bright new tomorrow. ” With those words the great Prophet paused and put down his pen. Looking up at the high mountain rising above him. Taking a sip of cool water from the bubbling stream beside him, this humble servant thanked the Good Lord for the day, totally surrendering his rather eventful life to the Great Designer of the Universe. The vision was so clear… and as the Great Book says, “without a vision the people perish”. * Refreshed, after a few minutes the Prophet picked up his pen and resumed writing…. and these were his words in his black diary. “‘Pursue excellence. Should you stumble. Let it be on a lofty mountain.’ As Mother Teresa said: ‘Do something beautiful for God’. Through you, Jesus, I have entered into a new, a higher form of existence, with a new wealth of spirit. Christ, you are the beacon for my life, the ‘anchor of my faith’…, guiding me each step along the amazing journey of life. As said Father, ‘My Grace is sufficient for you’. The Highest goal of my life, the deepest yearning of my heart is knowing You, God. Lord, increase my faith and make me, my ‘little’ life a channel for your peace, your love and infinite Grace to flow through to everyone I meet. I’m ready to receive Your Infinite favour.” “I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge will award to me on that day.” – 2 Timothy 4:7 And with those words the Prophet ended the prayer that he wrote in his sacred diary, the one he had specially bought for his trip to Mount Hikarangi. He know that the Lord would speak to him there… and the words were so so clear, a ‘still voice within’ on that early morning on the last day of March in the year Submitter’s Note: The following is a short extract from a new work by Craig Lock ‘Endless Possibilities’ (which he’s presently writing): a true story based on the words of one the characters in the story, his “actual” friend, the Prophet. “THE PRAYER WARRIOR AND THE NEW PROPHET” (from ‘A New Dawn of Endless Possibilities’) These are the words of the Prophet.. that he wrote upon the stone at Mount Hikarangi on the isolated East Coast of the North Island of New Zealand (or “Godzone” as it is sometimes called)… The Prophet made a pilgrimage up the coast from his home town, Gisborne, the First City in the World to see the New Day Sun to the imposing mountain. And Mount Hikarangi was a place of great spiritual significance to the indigenous Maori people, the Ngati Porou natives of the area. And on his tablet, his notebook, The Prophet wrote these words… “The deepest yearning of the human heart is to know God , And the Christian faith is not merely a collection of dogma, a series of “do’s and don’ts”; but a LIVING FAITH that TRANSFORMS people’s lives, as they meet a risen Saviour in Jesus Christ. And God’s spirit is LOVE! Don’t limit God. We all have a spirit, but it can be added to, enhanced (without your own unique spirit being replaced). Summon a NEW SPIRIT. The spirit that made the world, the divine spark is within YOU; but it has to be activated through faith. ‘Faith sees the invisible, follows the unfathomable… and achieves the impossible.’ Each one of us is ‘hard-wired’ by God to find meaning and purpose in our lives. The Lord gave me a task for my life…. And God will never tell us to do something that is impossible to do. The Prophet had a ‘divinely inspired’ sense of purpose for his life: preparing the way for the much-prophesised impending return of Jesus Christ on earth. This strong ‘mission’ daily clarified his sense of focus. – to SERVE others in his life and to seek the highest good for the greatest number of people. However, the Lord says that we must remain humble. We are all just ‘ordinary’ (what’s that?) … yet God gives us ‘special assignments’. God does not need to receive, but human beings need to GIVE. And God, Divine Source, will not give to us what will not flow through us, a ‘generosity of spirit’. Get yourself right with Jesus, man. His followers speak for Him today, so that each one of us are His eyes, hands and voice. YOU can become your ministry. A powerful vision, mixed with belief gives me the commitment to continue down this path I’ve chosen for my life. I’ve been through great hardship in my life; yet it has brought me much closer to God… if you let Him. He will give you a strong, resilient spirit. ‘If you can conceive it on the inside, God can bring it to pass on the outside.’ ‘Faith without engagement in the socio-political world is faith without works.’ No-one in hstory has had insight into the human mind and personality like Jesus Christ. Christianity is different to other religions in that God reaches out to us through the infinite power of Christ… and this ‘spark in the soul’ can hugely change lives for the better… and even lead to snow-capped peaks of human achievement. Through Christ, after my mistakes and “mess ups”, I can now truly love myself… at long last. Accepting myself as “A Prophet” to herald in a New Age. The imminent return of Christ as God for a New Age. I have found my passion… to love and serve God (and my neighbour) with all my heart and soul … and of course to love myself… as God has always loved me in a bright new tomorrow. ” With those words the great Prophet paused and put down his pen. Looking up at the high mountain rising above him. Taking a sip of cool water from the bubbling stream beside him, this humble servant thanked the Good Lord for the day, totally surrendering his rather eventful life to the Great Designer of the Universe. The vision was so clear… and as the Great Book says, “without a vision the people perish”. * Refreshed, after a few minutes the Prophet picked up his pen and resumed writing…. and these were his words in his black diary. “‘Pursue excellence. Should you stumble. Let it be on a lofty mountain.’ As Mother Teresa said: ‘Do something beautiful for God’. Through you, Jesus, I have entered into a new, a higher form of existence, with a new wealth of spirit. Christ, you are the beacon for my life, the ‘anchor of my faith’…, guiding me each step along the amazing journey of life. As said Father, ‘My Grace is sufficient for you’. The Highest goal of my life, the deepest yearning of my heart is knowing You, God. Lord, increase my faith and make me, my ‘little’ life a channel for your peace, your love and infinite Grace to flow through to everyone I meet. I’m ready to receive Your Infinite favour.” “I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge will award to me on that day.” – 2 Timothy 4:7 And with those words the Prophet ended the prayer that he wrote in his sacred diary, the one he had specially bought for his trip to Mount Hikarangi. He know that the Lord would speak to him there… and the words were so so clear, a ‘still voice within’ on that early morning on the last day of March in the year 2008. Totally content, filled with joy and with heart at total peace, the New Prophet slowly put down his pen and looked up at the sacred great mountain. Glistening white snow covered the peak of Mount Hikurangi, shining ever so brightly in the brilliant sunshine . * “People don’t decide to be extraordinary. They decide to accomplish extraordinary things.” – Sir Edmund Hilary (New Zealand conquerer of Mount Everest (1919-2008)2008. Totally content, filled with joy and with heart at total peace, the New Prophet slowly put down his pen and looked up at the sacred great mountain. Glistening white snow covered the peak of Mount Hikurangi, shining ever so brightly in the brilliant sunshine . * “People don’t decide to be extraordinary. They decide to accomplish extraordinary things.” – Sir Edmund Hilary (New Zealand conquerer of Mount Everest (1919-2008)ubmitter’s Note: Submitter’s Note: The following is a short extract from a new work by Craig Lock ‘Endless Possibilities’ (which he’s presently writing): a true story based on the words of one the characters in the story, his “actual” friend, the Prophet. “THE PRAYER WARRIOR AND THE NEW PROPHET” (from ‘A New Dawn of Endless Possibilities’) These are the words of the Prophet.. that he wrote upon the stone at Mount Hikarangi on the isolated East Coast of the North Island of New Zealand (or “Godzone” as it is sometimes called)… The Prophet made a pilgrimage up the coast from his home town, Gisborne, the First City in the World to see the New Day Sun to the imposing mountain. And Mount Hikarangi was a place of great spiritual significance to the indigenous Maori people, the Ngati Porou natives of the area. And on his tablet, his notebook, The Prophet wrote these words… “The deepest yearning of the human heart is to know God , And the Christian faith is not merely a collection of dogma, a series of “do’s and don’ts”; but a LIVING FAITH that TRANSFORMS people’s lives, as they meet a risen Saviour in Jesus Christ. And God’s spirit is LOVE! Don’t limit God. We all have a spirit, but it can be added to, enhanced (without your own unique spirit being replaced). Summon a NEW SPIRIT. The spirit that made the world, the divine spark is within YOU; but it has to be activated through faith. ‘Faith sees the invisible, follows the unfathomable… and achieves the impossible.’ Each one of us is ‘hard-wired’ by God to find meaning and purpose in our lives. The Lord gave me a task for my life…. And God will never tell us to do something that is impossible to do. The Prophet had a ‘divinely inspired’ sense of purpose for his life: preparing the way for the much-prophesised impending return of Jesus Christ on earth. This strong ‘mission’ daily clarified his sense of focus. – to SERVE others in his life and to seek the highest good for the greatest number of people. However, the Lord says that we must remain humble. We are all just ‘ordinary’ (what’s that?) … yet God gives us ‘special assignments’. God does not need to receive, but human beings need to GIVE. And God, Divine Source, will not give to us what will not flow through us, a ‘generosity of spirit’. Get yourself right with Jesus, man. His followers speak for Him today, so that each one of us are His eyes, hands and voice. YOU can become your ministry. A powerful vision, mixed with belief gives me the commitment to continue down this path I’ve chosen for my life. I’ve been through great hardship in my life; yet it has brought me much closer to God… if you let Him. He will give you a strong, resilient spirit. ‘If you can conceive it on the inside, God can bring it to pass on the outside.’ ‘Faith without engagement in the socio-political world is faith without works.’ No-one in hstory has had insight into the human mind and personality like Jesus Christ. Christianity is different to other religions in that God reaches out to us through the infinite power of Christ… and this ‘spark in the soul’ can hugely change lives for the better… and even lead to snow-capped peaks of human achievement. Through Christ, after my mistakes and “mess ups”, I can now truly love myself… at long last. Accepting myself as “A Prophet” to herald in a New Age. The imminent return of Christ as God for a New Age. I have found my passion… to love and serve God (and my neighbour) with all my heart and soul … and of course to love myself… as God has always loved me in a bright new tomorrow. ” With those words the great Prophet paused and put down his pen. Looking up at the high mountain rising above him. Taking a sip of cool water from the bubbling stream beside him, this humble servant thanked the Good Lord for the day, totally surrendering his rather eventful life to the Great Designer of the Universe. The vision was so clear… and as the Great Book says, “without a vision the people perish”. * Refreshed, after a few minutes the Prophet picked up his pen and resumed writing…. and these were his words in his black diary. “‘Pursue excellence. Should you stumble. Let it be on a lofty mountain.’ As Mother Teresa said: ‘Do something beautiful for God’. Through you, Jesus, I have entered into a new, a higher form of existence, with a new wealth of spirit. Christ, you are the beacon for my life, the ‘anchor of my faith’…, guiding me each step along the amazing journey of life. As said Father, ‘My Grace is sufficient for you’. The Highest goal of my life, the deepest yearning of my heart is knowing You, God. Lord, increase my faith and make me, my ‘little’ life a channel for your peace, your love and infinite Grace to flow through to everyone I meet. I’m ready to receive Your Infinite favour.” “I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge will award to me on that day.” – 2 Timothy 4:7 And with those words the Prophet ended the prayer that he wrote in his sacred diary, the one he had specially bought for his trip to Mount Hikarangi. He know that the Lord would speak to him there… and the words were so so clear, a ‘still voice within’ on that early morning on the last day of March in the year 2008. Totally content, filled with joy and with heart at total peace, the New Prophet slowly put down his pen and looked up at the sacred great mountain. Glistening white snow covered the peak of Mount Hikurangi, shining ever so brightly in the brilliant sunshine . * “People don’t decide to be extraordinary. They decide to accomplish extraordinary things.” – Sir Edmund Hilary (New Zealand conquerer of Mount Everest (1919-2008) The following is a short extract from a new work by Craig Lock ‘Endless Possibilities’ (which he’s presently writing): a true story based on the words of one the characters in the story, his “actual” friend, the Prophet. “THE PRAYER WARRIOR AND THE NEW PROPHET” (from ‘A New Dawn of Endless Possibilities’) These are the words of the Prophet.. that he wrote upon the stone at Mount Hikarangi on the isolated East Coast of the North Island of New Zealand (or “Godzone” as it is sometimes called)… The Prophet made a pilgrimage up the coast from his home town, Gisborne, the First City in the World to see the New Day Sun to the imposing mountain. And Mount Hikarangi was a place of great spiritual significance to the indigenous Maori people, the Ngati Porou natives of the area. And on his tablet, his notebook, The Prophet wrote these words… “The deepest yearning of the human heart is to know God , And the Christian faith is not merely a collection of dogma, a series of “do’s and don’ts”; but a LIVING FAITH that TRANSFORMS people’s lives, as they meet a risen Saviour in Jesus Christ. And God’s spirit is LOVE! Don’t limit God. We all have a spirit, but it can be added to, enhanced (without your own unique spirit being replaced). Summon a NEW SPIRIT. The spirit that made the world, the divine spark is within YOU; but it has to be activated through faith. ‘Faith sees the invisible, follows the unfathomable… and achieves the impossible.’ Each one of us is ‘hard-wired’ by God to find meaning and purpose in our lives. The Lord gave me a task for my life…. And God will never tell us to do something that is impossible to do. The Prophet had a ‘divinely inspired’ sense of purpose for his life: preparing the way for the much-prophesised impending return of Jesus Christ on earth. This strong ‘mission’ daily clarified his sense of focus. – to SERVE others in his life and to seek the highest good for the greatest number of people. However, the Lord says that we must remain humble. We are all just ‘ordinary’ (what’s that?) … yet God gives us ‘special assignments’. God does not need to receive, but human beings need to GIVE. And God, Divine Source, will not give to us what will not flow through us, a ‘generosity of spirit’. Get yourself right with Jesus, man. His followers speak for Him today, so that each one of us are His eyes, hands and voice. YOU can become your ministry. A powerful vision, mixed with belief gives me the commitment to continue down this path I’ve chosen for my life. I’ve been through great hardship in my life; yet it has brought me much closer to God… if you let Him. He will give you a strong, resilient spirit. ‘If you can conceive it on the inside, God can bring it to pass on the outside.’ ‘Faith without engagement in the socio-political world is faith without works.’ No-one in hstory has had insight into the human mind and personality like Jesus Christ. Christianity is different to other religions in that God reaches out to us through the infinite power of Christ… and this ‘spark in the soul’ can hugely change lives for the better… and even lead to snow-capped peaks of human achievement. Through Christ, after my mistakes and “mess ups”, I can now truly love myself… at long last. Accepting myself as “A Prophet” to herald in a New Age. The imminent return of Christ as God for a New Age. I have found my passion… to love and serve God (and my neighbour) with all my heart and soul … and of course to love myself… as God has always loved me in a bright new tomorrow. ” With those words the great Prophet paused and put down his pen. Looking up at the high mountain rising above him. Taking a sip of cool water from the bubbling stream beside him, this humble servant thanked the Good Lord for the day, totally surrendering his rather eventful life to the Great Designer of the Universe. The vision was so clear… and as the Great Book says, “without a vision the people perish”. * Refreshed, after a few minutes the Prophet picked up his pen and resumed writing…. and these were his words in his black diary. “‘Pursue excellence. Should you stumble. Let it be on a lofty mountain.’ As Mother Teresa said: ‘Do something beautiful for God’. Through you, Jesus, I have entered into a new, a higher form of existence, with a new wealth of spirit. Christ, you are the beacon for my life, the ‘anchor of my faith’…, guiding me each step along the amazing journey of life. As said Father, ‘My Grace is sufficient for you’. The Highest goal of my life, the deepest yearning of my heart is knowing You, God. Lord, increase my faith and make me, my ‘little’ life a channel for your peace, your love and infinite Grace to flow through to everyone I meet. I’m ready to receive Your Infinite favour.” “I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge will award to me on that day.” – 2 Timothy 4:7 And with those words the Prophet ended the prayer that he wrote in his sacred diary, the one he had specially bought for his trip to Mount Hikarangi. He know that the Lord would speak to him there… and the words were so so clear, a ‘still voice within’ on that early morning on the last day of March in the year 2008. Totally content, filled with joy and with heart at total peace, the New Prophet slowly put down his pen and looked up at the sacred great mountain. Glistening white snow covered the peak of Mount Hikurangi, shining ever so brightly in the brilliant sunshine . * “People don’t decide to be extraordinary. They decide to accomplish extraordinary things.” – Sir Edmund Hilary (New Zealand conquerer of Mount Everest (1919-2008)
