That is Completely UN Scriptural

So I’m going on about 7 days now without smoking. I was up to about three packs a day of menthols. I’ve tried to quit before and though technically I can’t say that I have quit until about 6 months to a year, I think it will be okay once they taste “nasty” again.

Anyway, I used a hypnosis CD from Paul McKenna. I’ll see about putting up a link to the site. I have to comment that I tried his program three times, but I made a slight adjustment.

Someone told me the following: The reason your relationship with your bride is messed up is because his relationship with His bride is messed up. I took my last three cigarettes – created a little fire and burned them on my garage floor and watched the smoke rise up after that. Then I used Paul’s techniques for controlling the urges as they came. His techniques seem to be largely focused on classical conditioning with a twist.

Think of something nasty and associate it with squeezing your left thumb and middle finger together (e.g., drinking from a spittoon).

Think of something awesome to give you a dump of endorphines to fight off the urge to smoke. Squeeze your right thumb and middle finger together for this.

Okay, so I’ve been trying to grow spiritually. Well on the to do list were the following:

Convert to Vegetarian – done since the first of May give or take

Quit Smoking – 7 days now. Will write a separate post on how I did this.

Stop Drinking – Haven’t drank a drop since mid-May of 08.
Start Exercising – Yeah got this started. Been lifting for about a week and swimming about two – three times a week, and walk about 30 minutes a week.

Start Meditation.

I’ve been listening to a number of medidation tracks trying to become better at meditating and what not. Anyway, I’ll post a separate article about this.

So yeah, I got ummmm… directed to  something tonight after praying. The tail end of Jeremiah 23.

Take from http://www.angelfire.com/ca6/sunnysweb/ – seems to offer a good explanation..

^{Now, a burden means a prophecy, which terrifies the despisers of God by threatening them with vengeance. As, then, their minds were exasperated, they called through hatred the word of Yahweh a burden, and used it as a proverbial saying, “It is a burden, a burden.” They ought to have been moved by Yahweh Yahovah’s threatenings, and to have trembled on hearing that he was angry with them. The word burden, then, ought to have humbled them; but, on the contrary, they became exasperated, first, through haughtiness, then through an indomitable contumacy, and thirdly, they kindled into rage.}

Is it really just a big ol’ bear hug of love? Laying on the hands that is? They say that touch has healing powers. Mmmm… makes me wonder.

So here I am doing a little Bible study from precept ministries today about the anger of God. Basically, He just wants us to do the right thing, be humble, help the poor and innocent, etc. We can all talk about doing these things, but sometimes it seems hard. Discipline – self control, etc. are hard for me sometimes – let’s be real a lot of the time.

I mess up, say sorry – bitterly weeping, and He picks me up again.  Anyway, I noticed that in Micah about Ch 5 or 6 or so, it looks like a Messianic prophecy jumps up out of nowhere. The passage that talks about Bethlehem in most English bibles. Well I just happened to be inquiring about this with a pastor friend who then told me about the prayer of Jabez…. this one is really wild. There you are reading along in the Bible in I Chronicles  – Geneology Geneology Geneology – Yawn – Geneology then you hit Ch 4 vs 9-10…. Hello – what in the world is this doing here?

This is from a  “The Scriptures 1998” translation.

1Ch 4:8 and Qots brought forth Anuḇ, and Tsoḇĕḇah, and the clans of Aḥarḥĕl son of Harum.
1Ch 4:9 And Yaḇĕts was more esteemed than his brothers, and his mother called his name Yaḇĕts, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.”
1Ch 4:10 And Yaḇĕts called on the Elohim of Yisra’ĕl saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my border, and that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, not to be my pain!” And Elohim gave him what he asked.
1Ch 4:11 And Keluḇ the brother of Shuḥah brought forth Meḥir, who was the father of Eshton.

My life application study bible seems to imply that this is all about prosperity. Pardon the pun, but I don’t buy it. There is something deeper here. It seems like it is more about doing His will – you know – staying free from evil, doing right, walking humbly, etc and getting better at that with His help. Perhaps even expansion of one’s ministry,  spiritual relationship, etc. Pain can sometimes mean obedience to our God? So Pain’s mother named her child Pain and pain was more esteemed than his brothers? The only question I’ve got here is – who were pain’s brothers?

Man acting like animal – man acting like animal man acting like animal… wait hold up – here’s one who is special – man acting like animal man acting like animal.