Mystic Toad Press Blog

Asia is constantly filled with festivities, South East Asia looks to have the pick of the crowd. Not surprisingly Thailand is the home of Thai Lanterns and are nowadays gaining in popularity as they hit a bigger audience.One Such Festival by the name of Yee Peng follows the Buddhist Calendar and translates to the twelfth lunar month. November is when this occurs if your waiting on a Western calendar. This Festival goes by the title of Loy Krathong throughout other splits of Thailand.The Thai people observe this religious festival and the traditions it implies. My favorite action is the freeing of ‘Thai Lanterns’ or ‘Khom Loy’. It is truly charming to honor the sky alight with these glowing globes. It is supposed that as the lanterns disappear into th sky so too do your headaches.. The light is said to lead people to a happy and complete life. I am not sure if westerners grasp the same notion but every year see’s many linking in on this fun event. The Thai Lanterns are biodegradable and are manufactured from Rice Paper and Bamboo for structure. There has been a rise in the popularity (excuse the pun) and has even found the Royal Thai Air Force change their air action and make warning to the airport to be cautious of prospective perils should a lantern get lodged in a aeroplane turbine.

Prayer

What has the Lord been saying to me? As I begin to write and
formulate this article, I am faced with the inevitable question.
What is the Lord saying to you. In answer to this question, it
is easy to fall into the trap of presenting a sermon on a topic
that is on my heart and has been for the preceding week.
Instead, I am going to attempt to answer this thought with a
more informal response.

The Lord has shown me that His people were first known as :’The
Ones who called upon the Lord’. In Genesis 4:26 :”And as for
Seth, to him also a son was born and he named him Enosh. Then
men began to call on the name of the Lord.”

In Jeremiah 33:3 we read :”Call to me and I will answer you, and
show you great and mighty things, which you do not know”.

God wants us to call upon Him. In the Book of Acts we read about
how the apostles were all in one accord, in one place. They (the
apostles) had a habit of meeting and praying daily, in one place
in one accord, and thats when the building started to move,
thats when the Holy Spirit descended upon them! Praise God! You
see even the Apostles who had walked with Jesus, talked with
Jesus, ate with Jesus, had to come together in one accord in
prayer, before the Holy Spirit moved. This really ministered to
me. I have seen what happens when a Church gathers in one
accord, in one place in prayer. Mountain moving faith manifests,
people get saved, sick get healed, and the Holy Spirit starts to
move.

If we as a church would come together in one accord, we too can
expect God to show up. Are you ready for the supernatural? The
biggest handicap that the Body of Christ faces today is division
amongst ourselves. Christ will return for a united body of
believers irrespective of doctrinal beliefs and differences. We
find in Acts that the disciples were in one accord , praying
daily for a period of ten days. The preacher (Peter) did not
have any fancy gimmicks, audio visual systems or even any
training (as far as we know) in oratory presentation. What he
did have was the anointing of the Holy Spirit. We read in Acts
2:41 that three thousand were added to their number.

I believe we as pastors have gone off on a tangent looking for
the latest trend in either music or audio visual in an effort to
gain believers into the body. While I do not deny the need to
remain current in our presenting of the Word, I believe we have
lost the urgency to seek the Lord with open hearts, crying out
to Him. This is what brings conviction and revival. Men are
convicted by the Holy Spirit and not man’s words, audio visual
effects or gimmicks.

If we are to study Jeremiah 33:3 the key element in this
scripture (in my opinion) is call upon the Lord. As a body of
Christ today, we need more calling upon the Lord as ONE body of
Christ. We have many parts, but we are one body. Lets unite as
one body, and seek God with a new urgency. Hebrews 11:6 says
that God rewards those that seek Him. We need to get back to a
urgent seeking of God.

There are too many Scriptures to cite here which show that we can pray in faith for our family. Over and over again, we are told that it will go well with our children. These many Scriptures demonstrate the great fact that our families are included in the promises from God to Abraham.

The Abrahamic covenant included four great blessings. They were healing, prosperity, and family well being in addition to salvation.

Over four hundred years later, God added the Mosaic Law to the blessing promises in the Abrahamic covenant to deal with their sin problem. Here is how this worked.

When a Jew sinned in the Old Testament period, he was required to make the proper sacrifice for his particular sin. When he did, he maintained the blessings he was born with in the Abrahamic covenant. As we showed above, they were healing, prosperity and family well being in addition to salvation.

Now, the Jew who sins no longer makes animal sacrifices because God no longer accepts them. Now, He only accepts the blood of his son, Jesus. You see, Jesus is now God’s final sacrifice for sin.

Therefore, the Jew who sins must now accept Jesus as God’s final sacrifice for his sins. When he accepts Jesus as the final sacrifice for sin, the sinning Jew maintains what he was born with in the Abrahamic covenant, namely, healing, prosperity and family well being in addition to his salvation.

When you see Scriptures, like the ones we list in this article, that say there are commandments that must be kept to receive well being for our families, this is exactly right. But right how?

You see, part of the commandments in the Mosaic Law were the commands to sacrifice properly when anyone sinned. These commands to sacrifice were, indeed, an inconvenience. Nevertheless, any one could obey these commands to sacrifice properly.

Now that Jesus is the final sacrifice for sin, when a Jew who has accepted Jesus sins, rather than make the animal sacrifice to maintain his blessing of family well being, he tells Jesus what he did and requests cleansing for it. In other words, he claims the blood of Christ as his cleansing. He claims it by faith as having been his once for all sacrifice.

I Jn 1:9
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (KJV)

Furthermore, we Gentile Christians are grafted into this blessing promise of family well being right along with Abraham. Here is just a few of these building scriptures for your family well being. We look at the actual grafting Scripture later but now look at some specific promises of family well being.

Deut 4:40
Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes, and his commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, forever. (KJV)

Above is the classic Abrahamic promise: God promises to make sure that all goes well with us (including prolonged days) and with our children. Remember that in the Old Testament, the commandments they had to keep included the animal sacrifices when they sinned by breaking any of the other commandments. Remember also that God no longer accepts the blood of bulls and goats. He only accepts the blood of Jesus.

Isa 44:3-4
3 For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring:
4 And they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses. (KJV)

Here, both God’s Spirit and his blessings are poured upon his offspring. (These are our children.) In addition, they spring up where it is fertile and safe, as among the grass and the watercourses. These are precious promises and they belong to us Christians today by grafting.

When we Gentiles receive Christ as our savior, we are grafted into every one of the above promises. Our roots go back to Genesis 12 and so do the roots of our children.

Rom 11:17
And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; (KJV)

This is an amazing thing. Our children are right there with us. What benefits there are for Gentile grafted Christians. As a member of the Abrahamic Seed Group, not only us but also our children are promised the very same things that God promised Abraham, namely, healing, prosperity, family being and salvation.

We were and are important to God. He wants us to feel and know the level of importance he has placed upon us beginning in Genesis 12. God has so much in store for our children as the following scriptures plainly state.

Isa 54:13
And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children. (KJV)

Is there any Christian parent today who does not pray and long for peace for their children? Ever since my children were born, one of my main prayers for them has been the prayer for peace. Furthermore, I have wanted them to be taught of God. Here, however, God goes way past being taught about God, he says he will teach my children himself.

Ps 103:17
But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children; (KJV)

The children’s children mentioned here are our children. God says that his righteousness will not only be upon us but also upon our children and our grandchildren. This is almost too good to be true. But it is true!

You see there are sixty promises in the Abrahamic covenant and thirteen of these sixty promises include us Gentile Christians.

We Gentile Christians are grafted into the Abrahamic covenant right along with the Jews. These promises concerning the children include our children also.

Isa 49:25
25 But thus saith the LORD, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children. (KJV)

God is a God of War for the Abrahamic Seed Group. Those of our children who might be taken captive by the devil and his strongholds will be delivered. Thank God that the battle is the Lord’s and not ours.

He said above that he will contend with him that contends against us. This is a real encouragement for me. I have had to face some battles in my life. Yet, God always comes through for me.

There is even more. He also says above that He will save out children. Get this well! “I will save thy children.” Do you get this? God will save our children.

He promised over and over in his covenant with Abraham that all would go well with us and with our children. Therefore, God must deliver. He must save our children. He must come through for our little ones. We are grafted into the promises of Abraham.

Start acting on these Scriptures. Speak them out loud. Quit saying how bad things are for your children. Speak over them these promises listed here. God will perform what He has said when you speak them.

Dr. Jay Snell: Author of books concerning the healing, prosperity, family well being and salvation contained in the Abrahamic covenant for Christians. Books presented many times on TBN. www.jaysnell.org

The summer solstice has long been a time of celebration and festivity for cultures dating back to ancient times and stretching through the present day. For those of us on the Northern Hemisphere, this day falls approximately on June 21st. During this time the Earth is tilted closest to the Sun giving us greater exposure to the Sun’s light and, subsequently, the longest day of the year.

The themes of Summer Solstice are sex, love, creativity, energy, luck, health and wishes. “Solstice” comes from the Latin “sol” meaning sun, and “sistere,” to cause to stand still. As the summer solstice draws near, the noonday sun rises higher and higher in the sky each day. On the day of the solstice, it rises an imperceptible amount, compared to the day before, thus appearing to “stand still.” In the magical sense, Summer Solstice brings us to the halfway point of the Wheel of the Year. The sun is in full reign, reaching a peak in the sky and shedding beams of truth. The brilliance of the sun allows us to see things clearly, banishing shadows and releasing the past.

This day has special meaning to all societies. For those who follow Faerie Magik, this is an especially meaningful event as it is said that all the faeries come out to celebrate this day with all the creatures of the forest. An elaborate feast is held with endless goblets of ale, festive music and dancing. If you’re familiar with faerie lore, you won’t be surprised to learn that these Summer Solstice parties are clothing optional and last until the wee hours of the following morning. Shakespeare centered his faerie-packed tale of love and trickery, A Midsummer’s Night Dream, around this mystical day.

Of the modern religions, it is the Pagan & Wiccan societies that celebrate this day with the most passion. This holiday is most commonly known as “Litha” (the ancient Germanic name for Summer) and it is believed to be the time when the Sun God is at his strongest. He is also the God of the Forrest and is often depicted as seated at on a green wood throne. During the time in which Christianity and Paganism was merging, images of the Sun God wearing masks made of leaves were included in the architectural features of many early churches. This God has become more commonly known to modern Wiccans as The Green Man.

Herbs are at their most potent state during this time. Now is the time to gather and dry your herbs for use during the rest of the year. Be sure not to wait too long past Litha or the plants will begin to seed and lose potency. Gather roots as the Moon wanes and leaves & flowers as the Moon is waxing. Thank each plant as you harvest it, keeping in mind our debt to Mother Earth and Her children.

The many sacred stone circles found around the globe (e.g. Stonehenge) were believed to have been built to celebrate this time. On a practical level any agricultural society would hold this time in very high regard. Not only does this longest day of the year offer a welcome break, it also marks the transition from cultivation to harvest. The significance of this day was not only practical but also held a much deeper, spiritual meaning. If you are lucky enough to live near a sacred stone circle plan a picnic and bring whatever supplies needed for your individual spells and rituals.

Alternatively, one can create their own stone circle by selecting stones that you are able to feel a vibration from or are otherwise attracted to and placing them in a circle. Choose eight large stones and place them equidistant at each spoke of the wheel. Fill in the spaces with smaller stones. Cast your circle as you normally do prior to performing any spellcraft.

This is the time of year to write down any wishes you have and tossing them, along with a Litha inspired offering into a well, spring, or cauldron. For example, simply hold a small stone along with a special feather or sprig of herbs in your right hand and meditate on the wish (or reasons to be thankful). Once you have filled up the stone with your meditation, toss it with intention into the water. If a cauldron was used, empty the contents into a stream or other body of running water when the spell is complete.

Litha has long been a time for unadulterated joy and pleasure. Lengthy and detailed scripted rituals seem to contradict the spirit of this season. Rather, we should celebrate with intention but with an open heart. Focus on how grateful one should be that the Sun continues His tireless journey each year providing so much to all of us. Pick a few themes (below) and simply set out to have a great time. Rise early with the Sun and plan a bonfire for later that night to further lengthen this day. In other words, party ’till you drop!

The following themes and recipes are utilized in Pagan ceremonies, rituals, and spells:

Herbs - basil, chamomile, daisy, elder, pine, St. John’s wort, tyme, yarrow, frankincense, fennel, lavender, and lily

Essential oils and incense - frankincense, lemon, lavender, sandalwood, lotus, jasmine, rose, wisteria, and myrrh

Colors - yellow, white, red, blue, green, tan

Decoration - anything reminiscent of the sun (yellows, reds, oranges), dried herbs, potpourri, fruits, summer flowers

Gemstones - any green stone (e.g. emerald)

Foods - mead, fresh fruits and veggies, lemonade, cookies and cakes decorated to honor the Sun, and of course plenty of ale

Spellwork - Litha is the perfect time for any magick but is especially good for Animal Protection and Marriage & Vow Renewal spells

Litha Incense - 2 parts Sandalwood, 1 part Mugwort, 1 part Chamomile, 1 part Gardenia petals, several drops of Rose oil, several drops of Lavender oil, several drops of Yarrow oil

Orange Honey Butter - 2 Tablespoons grated orange zest, 3 Tablespoons confectioner’s sugar, cup unsalted butter, softened, 1 - 2 Tablespoons honey, Combine ingredients and chill until ready to eat. Yum!

Easy Honey Mead - This recipe can be considered cheating but if you’ve ever tried to make honey mead at home, you’ll appreciate this recipe’s simplicity. First heat 1 part water with 1 part wildflower honey until the mixture is smooth and the honey’s completely incorporated. Sprinkle some rose petals into the mixture and let it cool. Strain the mixture (optional). Mix 2 parts honey water with 1 part grain alcohol and serve chilled over ice. (Alternatively, mix 1 part honey water with 1 part vodka).

I am not a particularly pious person and I certainly don’t go for the religious ceremony of things like Inaugurations and Graduations. It has always been my belief that we should do our alms in a closet. Whatever you give, keep that info to yourself, is pretty much my policy. In the past few years Christians have taken a lot of heat from liberals and moderates as a result of the Bush administration and mostly because of John Ashcroft and what has been labeled as “The Christian Right”.

That being said and believe me the citations are overwhelming and need not to be mentioned here for the sake of space, I have come wonder if the old saying, “What you do speaks louder than what you say”, should be in play here.

The newest attack on the Christian Right is something about how they have accused SpongeBob Squarepants and his buddy Patrick of being homosexual partners and are pushing the gay agenda down the throats of children. Remember Teletubbies sounds pretty similar.

Here is an example of the liberal critics taken from a letter I received in my email, “I see that once again, the “religious right wing” has found a monster in animated clothing, to wit, “SpongeBob.” This has happened before. I remember the comical furor over “Teletubbies” and aspersions that one of them was “gay.”
Now the target for this same claim is “SpongeBob Squarepants.” I don’t know their supposed grounds for their claims, but to say that I find this ludicrous is an understatement. This has become an obsession with this part of the populace, and obsessions are a fixation on something that one deeply wants but cannot have.
I would suggest to the “religious right” that they look within themselves for their monsters and grapple with their own secret desires, rather than attacking animated figures that do nothing more than amuse children.”

Now let’s put this into perspective. Most of my readers have the opinion that homosexual behavior is wrong because God’s Word says it is wrong. No debate on that one at least not from me. If you are one who sees nothing wrong with homosexual behavior, than you would say that my statement is homophobic or in the current debate of SpongeBob you would call me Christian Right Wing so I pose the question “Should the Christian Right Wing shut up and teach the Bible?”

Most of the so called Christian leaders who make the kind of public statements like the ones that have brought all this SpongeBob wrath down on Christians are simply trying to relate what the Bible says in real life examples of today’s culture.

What comes out is a suspicious and paranoid version of a Christian leader looking to condemn at any opportunity. Is there a homosexual under every rock, around every corner should we be preoccupied with unearthing every homosexual agenda or should we stick to preaching the word and be instant in season and out with the Word of God.

The best way to have our Christian light shine is to not hid it under a bushel basket and speak out with love. Sure teach what the Bible says about homosexuality but don’t point to an evil agenda in every aspect of life. I would agree with the critic, “This has become an obsession with this part of the populace (Christian Right), and obsessions are a fixation” given the current tenor to uncover the homosexual agenda.

Like any other type of non-biblical behavior homosexuality is to be rebuked and rebuffed by the Word. There is no pulpit for the obsessed nor is there a platform for the fixated, we must all teach the Word as we are inspired by God to meet the needs of our Christian brothers and sisters.

When someone asks me if homosexuality is wrong I simply quote: Rom. 1:27
And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet.

If they hear the Word they will be blessed, if not they will not understand, it is that simple. I Cor. 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned.

So maybe the so called Christian Right should back off SpongeBob and teach the Word of God instead. Anyway nothing wrong with a Crabby Patty once in a while I think they are low in cholesterol.

About the Author

Paul Griffitts has been a Bibical Researcher for over 30 years
Currently Paul is the Editor of The Good News Letter for Believer.com
Click here for a Free eBook The Two Natures in the Child of God.com

In light of the fact that Homeland Security agents in Toledo,
Ohio have arrested and indicted three local Arab Muslims this
past week on terrorism charges, making international news, this
letter originally published October 1, 2001 in The Press (Millbury,
Ohio) takes on even greater meaning:

Reality & peace

To the editor: I applaud Gov. Bob Taft for his efforts to dispel
misguided animosity against every Arab or Muslims because of the
vile terrorist acts of some who share their faith.

However, I would hope that many would take this opportunity to
learn what Islam believes. We must face reality and not try and
bury our heads in the sands of political correctness. In
America, for the most part, it is still possible to agree to
disagree on politics and religion without getting abused or
killed.

I wonder if Gov. Taft realized that those same Muslims he was
reassuring would not welcome him in their holiest city of Mecca
in Saudi Arabia.

As a Christian, Gov. Taft would be forbidden to even enter the
city! I wonder if those sincere Christians who recently circled
the mosque in Perrysburg Township, praying for its protection,
realize they would be second class citizens in Muslim countries,
where their non-Muslim status, along with Jews, is known as
dhimmi. Hindus and other “idolater” status is lower and is known
as as kaffir/infidels.

I wonder if Gov. Taft has ever visited the Temple Mount in
Jerusalem, the site of Solomon and Zerubbabel’s temples and
where Jesus and his disciples taught and prayed, where, as a
Christian, the governor would violently be forbidden to pray or
read the Bible because of the Muslims who occupy Judaism’s
holiest site.

I wonder if those concerned Christians realize that the
so-called Mosque of Omar, the Dome of the Rock, has quotes from
the Koran mocking Christians for believing that Jesus is divine.
Christians and Jews are forced to pay an entrance fee to the
Muslims (to upkeep the beautiful abomination) if they want to
see where our father Abraham was prepared to sacrifice his son,
Isaac.

I’m also reminded of the time when I lived in Perrysburg
Township and had “Palestinian” neighbors (from Kuwait, Lebanon
and Jordan) and we were like family, since we were in each
others’ apartments all the time. Every time relatives came from
overseas they would have me go with them to the country to find
a lamb to buy and slaughter for a feast (and I was to keep quiet
about their American girlfriends and hold their liquor for
them). We even had a caravan of three carloads going to see the
Sear’s Tower in Chicago, and I was the only blond American male
amongst them wearing a Jewish star.

One day they purposely showed me a newsletter from the Islamic
Center in Perrysburg that had a story from the Haddith — saying
attributed to Mohammad — that spoke of a war in the last days
between Jews and Muslims, and how Jews would hide behind trees
and the trees would say, “There’s a Jew behind me, kill him!”
except for one tree that would shelter the Jews.

The next month the singles’ club of the Worldwide Church of God
went to the mosque for a dinner-tour, followed by a question and
answer session with the Egyptian imam/religious leader (who
recently died and was praised as one who supposedly sought peace
between different religions). I repeated the “spiritual lesson”
to the imam and asked him if the Muslims had any such saying.

He replied that the Jews create such spurious sayings in order
to discredit Islam and Arabs. I then shocked him, and the
audience, when I asked: “If that’s not a Muslim story, and is
spurious and created by the Jews, then why would you, as leader
of this Islamic community permit that very story to be published
in your newsletter last month?”

He was speechless. So I know, firsthand, how many people can
profess that their religion is “peaceful” to a Western audience
and whistle a totally different tune to their own masses. I’ve
also lived in predominately Arab East Jerusalem, just outside
the Damascus Gate, working for my great American-Israeli Jewish
manager under our Muslim boss (who was exceptionally gracious).
I know from a grassroots level what a farce the lying “peace”
process is, and how such a false peace is based upon lies and
delusions and is destined to crash and burn.

All this is not popular to say, nevertheless it is the plain
truth. Time will surely reveal that peace is possible between
Israel and Ishmael, Christians, Jews and Muslims — as the
Jerusalem-based Root and
Branch Islam-Israel Fellowship reveals — but it must be
based upon the Bible and reality, not lying visions of false
prophets of an empty peace.

So, you had a bad day. Didn’t we all? Well, if not this day then maybe another.

But, maybe you had a chip on your shoulder, too. Perhaps you told someone to ‘kiss off’. Ok, well, maybe you don’t use that expression.

What you might have said is ‘bug off’, ‘leave me alone’, ‘go away’, ‘get lost’, ’suck an egg’, ‘kiss my foot’, or something a lot more unkind.

Maybe you didn’t mean anything by it, you just wanted some time alone. And, sure, you’re probably right. It wasn’t the end of the world. Hopefully, they’ll get over it. The question is, “Will you?”

Of course, next week, you both might have forgotten the incident ever occurred. However, even so, it could come up again. One day, you just might wake up (or be awaken) to realize that your every act of unkindness was actually done to Jesus. Talk about a bad day!

_____________________

… Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? 2 Cor. 13:5

I in them, and thou in me … John 17:23

To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Col. 1:27

Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these (or inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these), my brethren, ye have done it (or done it not) unto me. Matthew 25:40, 45

© 2005 by Joyce C. Lock
http://www.angelslight.org/joycepoem.html
http://our.homewithgod.com/heavenlyinspirations/
This writing may be used in its entirety, with credits in tact,
for non-profit ministering purposes.

About the Author

Joyce C. Lock is a published author, poet, and columnist. In addition, she founded and maintains the email ministries “Heavenly Inspirations” http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HeavenlyInspirations/ and “Share a Smile” http://groups.yahoo.com/group/smilesharing/ . Joyce’s writings encourage us in our relationship with God and each other.