"God Made A Mistake!"

"I should have been a man!"

I was born a female in 1961. I was the only girl and the youngest of three. My brothers were much older than I. I would play with my Barbie dolls as easily as I would go out and play in the mud and dirt. I loved toying with makeup and hairstyles as much as I loved playing baseball, kickball, etc.

Yet with all the makeup, Barbies, and girly things I never really felt like a girl.

The Temple Lies In Ruins

Hplease reacquaint yourselves with the book of Haggai

The temple lies in ruins. What, you say?

Is anyone else sick and tired of the "church" wanting "revival"? We need a revival. I said to myself awhile back 'if I hear one more time that we are waiting for the Spirit of God to move here' I will scream. My screams have been silent; up until now, that is.

Two weeks ago I stopped by a local church. I was greeted by an arrogant pastor. There was no smile on his face as he inquired what I was doing there. I was then told that I'm cursed for not tithing to a local church body. It was only after appealing for mercy did he eventually relent and admit that not everyone has the physical capabilities to get to a church without some form of transportation.

Anyway, back to the curse. So I was told I'm cursed. According to Malachi chapter 3, I'm cursed because I haven't been tithing at least 10% to a local church body. Tithing the 10% will cause the Lord to rebuke the devourer on my behalf, which will remove the curse. Then after that there are the required tithes and offerings, but I must first tithe my ten percent.

Consequently, I tithed ten percent to them and - woosh - the curse is gone. Who knew!

After I left him I studied the book of Malachi. Interesting that the people of Israel where supposed to bring their tithes into the storehouse. What was the storehouse? It was the place set aside in the tabernacle and then in the temple for the tithes and offerings. Those tithes and offerings were actually given to the Levite priests so they would have food and drink. Sustenance.

The Levites were the people from the tribe of Levi; one of Jacob's sons. There were 11 other tribes, and each was given an inheritance of land. Levi had no inheritance of land, because they (the males) were set aside as priests and to care for the tabernacle and/or temple of the Lord. Their time was supposed to be devoted to the Lord, so it would have been a real strain, maybe even impossible, for them to care for their priestly duties as well as work the land, etc.

To bring the tithes into the storehouse meant to bring sustenance for the Levites.

The Temple lies in ruins. What temple? There is no longer a viable temple for worship in Jerusalem. There is no tabernacle. Why, there isn't even a verifiable Levitical priesthood. So how can the temple be in ruins, and how can a person truly tithe ten percent and bring it to the storehouse to sustain the priests?

As I was contemplating these truths and wondering about the curse of not tithing, (which, by the way, if it was so important, why wasn't that one of the ten commandments I wondered) I went to another church and we read the book of Haggai.

Haggai pretty much summed up what I've been going through.

The Body of Christ is the temple.Each individual member is said to be a temple for the Holy Spirit. How much more, then, is the body of believers as a whole! And the Body of Christ - The Temple - lies in ruins as long as the Body does not function as a whole.

Revival, true revival, will escape us as long as we neglect the whole body. And there are bodies lying in ruins: real bodies of poor and neglected believers who are veritably shunned by those who 'build their paneled houses'. 

Revival, true revival, will never happen until the missing ingredient is added. What did the first century Christians do that believers aren't doing today? They pulled their resources. There was no lack. Read for yourselves at Acts 3. 

Now is the time to rebuild the temple of the Lord. The time for selfish interest is over. We need to build up the Body of Christ. 

Long Time Coming

'No one who puts his hand to the plow is fit . . .' Luke 9:62

Over the years, as I have aged, I see that for everything in the physical/natural world there is a corresponding truth in the spiritual/supernatural world.

Today I read a meme from a Facebook friend. She posted a chart of the human anatomy and the relationship between physical ailments and negative thinking. For example, I've been having some knee issues. According to the chart, stubbornness, the inability to bend, etc., can manifest themselves physically in a person's knee/s.

I don't recall the author's name and/or name of the book, but a few years ago I watched a television interview of an author who wrote a detailed book about negative thinking and cancer. If you have some time I suggest researching that topic. There is scientific research with hard evidence linking cancer to negative thoughts, stress, etc.

So here I sit at this computer desk, 54 years old, humbled and still in need of humility.

Luke 9:62. What a simple truth. If you put your hand to a plow you don't look behind and expect to plow forward. That is ridiculous! Now think about this: You have a plow. I'm assuming you know what a plow is and what it's used for, so you know that you need to pay attention when you are plowing. In fact, to plow in straight lines it is suggested you have a focal point to help you plow straight; that way you don't end up with a zig-zagged  field, or an angry seed-sower!

Bring this to our modern world. Picture yourself getting in your car and looking behind you as you try to drive forward.

And that is what a lot of us try to do in the spiritual/supernatural world. We go about our physical/natural world duties. We get up, perform daily tasks, go to work, take care of our family, etc. And yet our minds are looking behind. We live in the past. We are obsessed with the past. Or, as in my recent history, we lose focus on our present course of action and try to resurrect some old, bad ideas.

And we wonder why we have issues . . .

Me? I made a spiritual commitment. I uprooted myself from my hometown and moved to an area completely foreign to me. I left everything behind I could not pack into my Chevy van. I was moved by blind faith and trusted God completely.

I took a verbal beating from a handful of people who mocked my decision to leave; this from close family members. Yet I knew I was doing the right thing.

And then, in the midst of my nirvana-type setting, I started to look back. I lost my focus. Instead of moving forward I resurrected some old ideas. Basically, what I did was to leave my new plow for another. Ha! I cheated on my plow!!!

Seriously, though, when you think about that - when I think about that - I recall a scripture from James. James 4:4:

"Adulterers! Do you not know that to be a lover of the world means enmity with God? Therefore, whoever wants to be a lover of the world makes himself an enemy of God."

According to the footnote for this verse at www.biblegateway.com, adulterers is a "common biblical image for the covenant between God and his people is the marriage bond. In this image, breaking the covenant with God is likened to the unfaithfulness of adultery."

Consequently, here I sit at my computer, letting my readers know that I messed up. I lost sight of my spiritual/supernatural goals and pursued my own selfish interests. And I suffered in the physical/natural realm. I ended up homeless and broke. I left my promised land with almost nothing of real value. That was in early December of 2014, and I've been dealing with the aftermath of my "adultery" ever since.

So today, September 3rd, 2015, I officially and publicly repent of my spiritual adultery. I repent of my disobedience to my calling. I repent for walking in pride. I repent for trying to glorify myself. I repent and ask forgiveness for these sins in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. 

I made a mess for myself. I sowed bad seed in another field and I've been dealing with reaping that seed. 

Now it's time for me to return to the plow I abandoned. It's rusty and dirty. It's going to be a challenge, for sure. Even as I write these words I feel my mind rebelling. But then I remind myself of the consequences of rebellion. I have to steel myself against falling back into old, destructive habits. 

The Promised Land awaits!

mtk

Jibber-Jabber Soul Song

July 12th, 2015


Jibber-Jabber Soul Song

Mommy says

Sshhh

But I’ve got a song to sing

Mommy looks cross

As my soul bursts through

I make people smile

A voice – my

Voice echoes

I like it

No!

Another soul-song

lost my real pacifier . . .

 by Marie-Therese Knepper 

My Road (an original poem)

May 11, 2015

My Road
(an original poem by Marie-Therese Knepper)

The road yellow-bricked
Nothing but a trick
Of little girl's braided tales
In Cinemascope.

Don't you ever lie
My father's destined alibi
Gave me whiplash
Sent my head to spinning.

Good news flyers
Suited liars
Hidden demons
- Not really -

Buried not hidden
Unearthed and good riddance
Nothing but a dead end
Hell's U-turn

The big con
Save for One
The White-Horsed Rider
THE Benefactor

Could have been
Road kill sheen
Just a living dog
Who keeps walking

Until we meet again . . .

We Need More Thanks Giving (An Indictment)

We Need More Thanks Giving (An Indictment)

Do ya think there's a Thanks Giving
Judge? Big Brother looking over
your shouldered responsibilities?

Turkeys come from somewhere, right?

The shared meal became the stolen
land, as history repeats like the musket's
report through a New World's wilderness;

skimming the ocean's centuries,

resting at the feet of hungry children
watching you give sacrifice to
the god of your belly;

salivating at your leftovers.

Why do some have more
when others have less?
A hand will level justice's scales . . .

Freely you have received, freely give*

  by Marie-Therese Knepper


*Matthew 10:8

If You Could Read My Heart

If You Could Read My Heart

  If you could read my heart

  Like tea leaves in your china

  Would you mistake the cracks or

  Take them at face value?
 

  This broken heart

  Stress-cracked and reliefed

  Fragile and antiquated waits in

  Faith for hope-filled renewel

 

 by Marie-Therese Knepper