Opening Pandora's Box

In my last missive, which was far longer ago than I ever intended (but equally as bizarre in the time of day it was authored; guess I'm a late night scribbler), I commented as to whether it was okay for a Christian to have a muse other than Jesus Christ, implying as I did so that I wasn't all that worried to have my rather road weary muse, Ralphie, by my side. And that is, in fact, the point. A muse which travels alongside one is one thing; to have any other than Jesus Christ pointing the way, quite another.

Since my last missive, I was considering a ghost writing assignment from a woman who entitled her project "Spiritual Gifts Assessment". From the camp in which I, and many others of similar theological persuasion, find myself, such a title brings to mind many tests given to determine whether a person is "gifted" in certain aspects of ministry to the local church: discernment, speaking in tongues, wisdom, administration, helps, et cetera. So I thought, "Perfect fit!" and immediately launched out a hopefully well-crafted reply, along with my curriculum vitae, listing my various achievements as a Christian writer/editor. (Anyone interested in seeing these and hiring me is welcome to visit my website: www.onwordcommunications.com.)

She responded graciously that, though she respected my viewpoint, she thought I should check out her blog, as we might perhaps not be as harmonious a duo as I had imagined. The title was indeed a bit scary: www.deadgirlsguide.com. Still, I decided to investigate. Generally speaking, the advice she gave in the sampling of blogs I read could not be faulted. It was basically good advice. That doesn't mean it can be trusted, however. The source for her wisdom was gravely in question. According to her own testimony, published at her own site, the woman says her insights for helping others come from conversations she had during a near-death experience with two angels, posing as Gabriel and Raphael. I say "posing" because the Bible clearly tells us that Satan and his horde enjoy presenting themselves as "angels of light", and so I contend were those that contacted her. Why?

1 John 3:24b-4:6 says, "And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit which he has given us. Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit which confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit which does not confess Jesus is not of God. This is the spirit of antichrist, of which you heard that it was coming, and now it is in the world already. Little children, you are of God, and have overcome them; for he who is in you is greater that he who is in the world. They are of the world, therefore what they say is of the world, and the world listens to them. We are of God. Whoever knows God listens to us, and he who is not of God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error."

The angels this woman spoke to never spoke to her of Jesus Christ, at least not that I can tell from any of her blogs. Also, she knew by my own bio that we would not be, shall we say, on the same spiritual playing field, playing by the same rules. If the angels she spoke to had been messengers of the Lord Jesus Christ, they would have told her the path of salvation and perhaps we might be playing on the same field by the same rules and writing that book together today.

Of course, I took the opportunity to share this concern I had about her angels with her in my reply and I pray for her, that she may be set free from these "posers" from the dark side and learn what true spiritual gifts are, the primary one being Jesus Himself.

What about my traveling companion, my muse, Ralphie boy? Let's just say he's a composite of some interesting brothers in Christ I've known, who knew the Master and had tasted and seen that He is good, even when life is not. He reflects intimately the many faces of people I have met on the mysterious road on which the Master has taken me, people whose lives have intersected my own and made my life the better for it. For more information on the Ralphie boys that have changed my life so powerfully, see a blog written by my pal, Steve Kimes, on homelessness here at Google.

Don't Make Fun of My Muse

So, what? You got a nicer looking muse than mine? You think a born-again Christian like me should only have Jesus as her muse? (Oh, boy! That's a blogging land mine I just created for myself. But hey, I didn't create this site to talk into the online ozone.) Well, think again.

You bet I love Jesus, but when it comes to writing, Ralphie Boy here (apologies to the "A Christmas Story" Ralphie; I just loved that movie, at least the first few times I saw it) totally describes me. Sorta haggard, a bit careworn, lived a lot, seen a bunch of stuff and, for the part that is "the muse" in him for me, someone who's perhaps walked some tougher places than I have.

I really like Ralphie Boy. In fact, I respect him. He's had it hard in life. Maybe he's even made it hard on himself sometimes, with various addictions and bad choices, that sort of thing. But who of us hasn't had it rough sometimes. Who of us hasn't been addicted to something or other? (You reality TV fans that don't dare miss one episode of, oh let's pick something at random, perhaps a show that's likely seen its glory days and is soon to pass into TV oblivion, American Idol, you know you're addicted. Fess up!)

But Ralphie Boy keeps pressing on. Keeps pressing in. Keeps moving forward. Just how he does that and why he does that is an interesting story. It's partly my story, too. So stay tuned. Who knows? You may get addicted :-)

Welcome to My Mash

No, not MASH, as in the TV show. "Mash" as in mashed potatoes or, in this case, a mashed consortium of my world, which includes being a writer/editor, a sometime travel agent, a youngish widow experiencing re-entry into the community where she grew up, and a self-described religious fanatic. (Aaahhh! Run away! Run Away! This blog will not be for the faint of heart, or fellow believers who don't like to deal with the gray areas of Scriptural debate or trying to live like a Christian when you don't much feel like one.)

Ready to join me for a walk through my personal labyrinth? Then sign on...and let's get bloggin'!