Casting Art to the Net

Revelations

We are without excuse...

Bible

Nature

Spirit

Ed (Bear)
Casting Art to the Net

Light in Darkness

"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." 1 John 4:18 NIV

Good ultimately prevails over evil...

We Need God

If we reject God, we are spiritually alone and left with only our own designs and conclusions to deal with Satan. And we're no match by ourselves against the Devil. Without God we have to explain away our world so that the universe conforms to our man made rules... And without God our rules are imperfect leaving us with an artificial sense of purpose or no sense of purpose at all. Without God we become our own flawed god and remove ourselves from the great goodness and reward that comes from seeking a relationship with our Creator. see Hebrews 11:6
 

Without God we fall prey to Satan, easily hating and raising ourselves above others since we perceive ourself to be the highest authority. We need God because we cannot grow properly without Him. Without God we are like lost or spoiled children living without supervision pretending to successfully fend for ourselves. see Ezekiel 5:10

We need God so we can more readily overcome evil. All of us need God's love! We need God because without Him we become self-righteous. Even us good intentioned Christians can act with self-righteousness by uninvitedly imposing our own belief doctrine onto non-Christians. We need God's Word to guide us into properly loving others to celebrate that we are all uniquely different. see 1 Peter 3:15

God Loves Us

God communicates with everyone and everything at the same time without blinking an "eye"... which is mind boggling to us... but must be routine for Him. I love God with all my being. It's the easiest thing I do. When you know God, you will agree! Knowing God means that you realize He is beyond our understanding and treasures us when we reach out to Him. see Job 37:5  see Malachi 3:17
 

God disciplines us when we seek Him and listen. Listening is not always easy. Sometimes, I realize there’s a message that He’s been sending me for a long time. I am blown away by His patience and gratefully appreciate His incredibly wonderful sense of humor. I am not able to fully grasp His degree of understanding, but I know it’s there. When I’m actually able to finally listen, I sense unimaginable compassion for all of us. He let’s me know that He loves me deeply and knows I love Him too! see 1 John 4:16

Light Prevails

Problems we face usually work out for the good, even the difficult ones when we persevere. Jesus tells us not to worry about our lives. see Matthew 6:25-34 I know that's a tall order but trusting in His goodness and light is what He wants us to do, especially in trying times. Not all of us are equipped to battle evil at the same level, but all of us can certainly trust in God... Evil can win a battle but it cannot win a war... In time, and most definitely at the end of time, goodness and light will prevail. see Revelation 21:1-8

Warriors

Each one of us has a God given purpose. Some are called for battle. Some are called for teaching or healing. Many are called just to be a good neighbor.

Our military, firefighters and law enforcement warriors are following a high calling. They too often lose their mortal lives, limbs or mental faculties in pursuit of peace, respect, safety and security for the rest of us.

Warriors battling for good must not be taken for granted. Not the good neighbor that lifts us up. Not the media warriors that keep us informed of the truth, not the teaching and healing warriors that help grow and heal us, not the political warriors that honor the people and especially not the military, fire and policing security warriors that physically protect us from evil's many selfish schemes.
 

These good and purpose driven warriors deserve far more reward from society than what they typically get. It's regrettable that we tend to hold various performing artists of stage, screen and sports in higher esteem, especially financially. That tendency is a sad reflection of our culture. We are more focused on entertainment than we are enlightenment and wellbeing. This cultural trend may not end until we reach Heaven. This is a fallen world where wide and well traveled is the road to destruction.

Ed (Bear)
Casting Art to the Net

The Road

Perspective, Path and Purpose...

We are all traveling a spiritual journey. We are constantly making "steering wheel" decisions. Our final destination is indicated by our interaction with others which is a reflection of our relationship with God.

see Matthew 7

The Road Ahead

In the above BRP photo, we are heading north. North is up. Up is toward Heaven. I can see the shape of a cross in a tree that’s up and around the bend on the horizon. I enjoy finding subtle messages from God like that. It’s affirmation for me because that’s what I choose to see. It's my faith and God's Spirit that enables me. see 1 Corinthians 1:18

Pareidolia

God is reflected in everything. Also in the above BRP photo, the reflection of the sun on the camera lens is another pareidolia that I choose to see... God explains to us in His Word and when we study the intricacies of life and the universe that He is beyond our understanding. God loves us and seeks us when we seek Him and He rewards us infinite times over what we deserve when we do... I see the sun reflecting on the lens (apparently pointing at the pareidolia tree forming a cross) as God beaming with pride in His Son Jesus Christ (God in human form) who died on the cross as spiritual payment for OUR sins. see John 3:35-36

Rapture 

God in Christ Jesus sacrificed His human mortal life so that we would be able to live in His holy presence. see John 11:25 This will physically happen for those of us who are still living our mortal life when Jesus returns for the second time after His resurrection (the Rapture). see Thessalonians 4:17 God's home will be among us. We will live eternally in His incredible, wonderful Holy presence... without pain or sorrow and all things will be new. see Isaiah 65:17 Knowing that helps ease the struggles in this time based life. Those that had already passed will have been with God in Heaven "waiting" for us.

No More Time 

We will live eternally outside the dimension of time after we pass. Jesus demonstrated that for us after He was resurrected. see John 20:26 Therefore, we can surmise that we enter Heaven at our time of passing since the afterlife transcends our space time continuum. see 2 Timothy 1:9

Road to Death

Road to Life

But if we repent, we can overcome the second death by seeking a relationship with Jesus Christ. see Luke 23:38-43 If you have yet to seek a relationship with Christ, I recommend beginning with the Bible book of Job. Some Bible scholars believe Job is the oldest writing in Scripture. Job teaches us a fine lesson in humility, which is a good preparatory introduction into meeting with God. If you want to find God, you will... and you'll be amazed by how loving and receptive He is and at how prominent He is reflected in everything. see 1 John 4:16

The Road Behind

I would love to know more about the writers of Scripture. I expect they would be fascinating people to meet. Much of the Old Testament prophet Isaiah's writing is beautifully and emotionally charged. John had a special relationship with Christ. James grew up with Jesus and although she probably didn't write about it, Mary would most certainly have more stories to tell about Jesus's childhood. I'm looking forward with hope to living outside time constraints.

Omnipresence and Omnipotence 

God exists both inside and outside our space time continuum. That is demonstrated by Christ’s appearance to the disciples in a locked room after His resurrection. see John 20:26 God's ability to be everywhere and anywhere at the same instance is apparent when we realize God's awesome and all encompassing power over all things. After all, God created this universe. Deductive reasoning, Scripture and the study of Nature reveal that His power is beyond our understanding. God knows all that has happened and all that’s going to happen. God loves all of us but it’s up to each one of us to love Him back... we get to decide that for ourselves. Faith in God means we shouldn’t worry and that we should keep a positive eye on the future.

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27 NIV

The Road We Travel

God commands us to treat each other how we want to be treated. We ALL are God's family!
see James 1:19

It is my belief that each of us is inspired daily by what goes on around us. And that each of us have a choice as to how we react to those inspirations.
 

Free Will 

God gave each one of us independent thought. We can choose to be inspired by the abundant miracles in life we encounter or we can pick our inspiration from a perceived single endpoint of death... everything points from and to nothing. If we choose death as an end, we won’t mind lying, cheating and disrespecting others. That destructive road is well traveled. see Matthew 7:13
 

But if we choose to focus on life, then we will want to respect others and take inspiration from even the "simplest" things that God has provided. The living road leads to God’s good, pleasing and perfect plan for us to meet Him in His loving and peaceful presence... for the rest of eternity. Do the research. see Job Chapter 1 > then keep reading... and seeking!

"My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.” Job 42:5-6 NIV

The Road's End

Revelation 

God teaches us how to behave through the writers of Scripture. see Matthew chapters 5, 6 and 7 God also tells us that He loves us through Scripture (see 1 John 4:16) and His love is also revealed to us by the Natural World/Universe we live in. God's signature "fingerprints" are everywhere. So we are without excuse. see Romans 1:20 He explains through Scripture (see Job 36:26) and we learn through our own scientific study that we cannot fully understand Him nor can we explain life's intricately designed detail without Him. see Job 37:5

Awareness 

God‘s fingerprints are everywhere in nature. If we look at our universe as originating from the miracle of creation, we can more easily see His handiwork in the natural world we observe. Just as faith is required for the hope that we have in Jesus Christ, a little faith is required to see God in a twig. Once we understand this, we begin to see and feel God’s presence in everything... including ourselves.

End of the Road

God lovingly teaches us how we can die or else live renewed in His truth, beauty and goodness for eternity. see Galatians 6:8 No one but God the Father knows when this world will end. see Mark 13:32-33 He has always known... He knows EVERYTHING! We do well to listen. When we listen, we realize that God works everything out in His good and final earthly purpose. see Revelation 21:1-8

Ed (Bear)
Casting Art to the Net

Coloring the Trinity

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes." Ephesians 6:10-11

One of the Devil's schemes is to try and confuse us regarding God's three persons. How can three persons be one... It's not simple so Satan takes advantage.

An Artist's View

God's mentoring  SPIRIT is everywhere in everything. When we study the Bible, we learn that God is not seperate from His creations. His Spirit is inside us and we decide on our own whether to communicate with Him or not.

When our redeemer JESUS was created by God in Mary's womb, God became a human. After Jesus's resurrection, He ascended to Heaven to join his Father and became fully God. Remember, all things are new in Heaven. Christ's purpose was to lead us into Heaven. God had to use Himself and Mary to accomplish that because none of us are perfect and deserving of Heaven.

The FATHER created all things and knows all things. He is wise and powerful beyond our understanding. We do well to humble ourselves before Him. 

As our focus on God becomes clearer in our studies, we realize that the Father, Son and Spirit are one GODHEAD separated only by function. I'm not comparing my wife to God but merely making a simple point... she is a spouse, mother and grandmother... three different major functions in one person.

A typical traffic signal is one thing with three major functions. Color helps us communicate and differentiate. I am using five colors to help symbolize and highlight the Trinity and the three major functions. 

I see the color WHITE as symbolizing the Godhead (Trinity), consisting of the Father, Son and Spirit. since white reflects all of light's colors (God is reflected in everything throughout the universe. He is the Artist with the largest palette and singular divine infinite and perfect skill.) see Isaiah 40:28

I see the color YELLOW as symbolizing the Father as reflected by the sun when photographed through the Earth's atmosphere at certain times of the day. (The Father is the "life source" that sustains us.) see 2 Corinthians 6:18

I see the color RED as symbolizing Jesus's life and purpose as our savior making it a good color for Christian church front doors. (Jesus's blood is our "door" to Heaven.) see John 14:6

I see the colors BLUE and BLACK as symbolizing the Holy Spirit like the beautiful daytime and nighttime sky all around us. (God's mentoring Spirit interacts with us constantly like the atmosphere we breathe. When we are "still", He is readily apparent.) see Psalms 46:10

A Matter of Color

"My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry" James 1:19 NIV

Color is a blessing. Thank God our world is not just black and white... what a bore that would be. — Unless we didn’t know anything about color. I suppose that if God wanted to He could have made us all blind to color. That would solve some problems, but would also limit our potential.

"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets." Matthew 7:12 NIV

Ed (Bear)
Casting Art to the Net

What’s Up

"For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10 NIV

Signs, Space and Hope...

Since childhood, I’ve always felt like I had three messengers in my head... one good, one bad and my own. Mine being the one responsibly in control. I didn't always listen for the good message. Maybe you can relate.

This website reflects me and what I realize about God and Satan. Nothing is more inspiring than God's love. Nothing is more disastrous than succumbing to the Devil's influence.
 

Patience 

When we pursue God, we learn that He is, and always has been, walking with us. He loves us more than we can grasp! He is infinitely communicating with us but we mostly choose to ignore Him. (How great and patient is God!) We get caught up in the daily grind of dealing with life’s stresses and shut Him out. And we sometimes take the miracles of our surroundings for granted.

Benevolence
 

God understands us better than we understand ourselves. But God does not have infinite patience. He has benevolent patience and is always here for us whenever we are ready and willing to listen. God helps us deal with Satan's pursuit when we pray and pay attention. The more intently we pursue God the easier it is to listen and shun Satan.
 

Reward
 

If we choose to pursue EVIL we will die. see Luke 8:12 Satan will perish along with his alive following at Jesus's return to Earth. Jesus's alive following will join our God fearing predecessors and be in Heaven for eternity... Perhaps traversing space exploring new worlds and meeting MORE new and old friends than you can ”shake a stick at”... Imagine conversing with Moses or distant space travelers! When you seek God, you will discover His redeeming Message. The Message is as old as time and has been relayed by countless people. see Job 19:25

Fire and Brimstone

"But it is the spirit in a person, the breath of the Almighty, that gives them understanding." Job 32:8 NIV

When I was a child my parents wanted me to learn about Jesus so they took me to church and enrolled me in Sunday School at Concord Baptist Church in Mableton, Georgia USA. They also took me to hear the Sunday sermons.

Preacher Davis wore glasses and was a heavy set man with thinning grayish white hair that he oiled and combed straight back. He rendered fire and brimstone style of sermons. He would shout, scream and sweat profusely at the pulpit while delivering his messages. He always had a handkerchief nearby. When he preached about Hell, he told us that we must be saved or else burn for an eternity if we weren't baptized. So when he invited the congregation to come down the aisle to be saved and meet Jesus, I quickly did so without fully understanding. I did know however, that I wanted to be saved from that terrifying prospect. 

I know Preacher Davis meant well and I'm not even sure if I am relaying accurately what he preached that day. But the most important lesson I’ve learned since then, is that Jesus loves us. I have also come to realize that God would not burn any one of His creations for an eternity. And that baptism is merely a symbolic act of commitment to Christ, not a key to the safety of Heaven.
 

If we follow Satan instead of God we will DIE... twice. see Revelation 21:8 But if in our mortal life, we repent from our sins with Christ in our heart, we will LIVE a second time eternally in God's presence. see Luke 23:38-43

God knows our heart.

He knows us better than we know ourselves!

see Psalms 139:1

The Plow

A vaccination relatively gently introduces a potentially deadly virus to our body. Upon injection of the scientifically altered virus, our body’s immune system begins to miraculously manufacture antibodies to battle the invading viral enemy. And just as a vaccine helps us physically counter a deadly virus, when we seek knowledge from God's Word, we develop mental armor enabling us to spiritually battle Satan’s deadly schemes. We learn from our Bible study in the pursuit of God that we have a valiant redeeming hero in Jesus Christ.

Satan

"Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." 1 Peter 5:8 NIV

The more we resist  life’s evil temptations and make ourselves aware of Satan and his evil ways, the weaker his influence on us. Satan wants us dead. see Luke 22:31 He was cast out of Heaven and is extremely bitter. Satan is God the Father's most beautiful angel creation, but he has a kink in his get-a-long. He wanted more power to do evil so God kicked him out.

Black Hole of Death

You will notice that God Spirit frequently tells us that He loves us but Satan is always trying to confuse us. Satan is battling me as I write this message. God is helping me as I write this message. God has the greatest sense of humor! He will throw subtle nuggets at you that will make you chuckle with delight. (But you may want to keep those nuggets to yourself.)

Satan is not funny. Beautiful, but not funny. He is deadly like a black hole. And just like a black hole, Satan wants to draw us into his singularity of death. Pray to God and ask Him to help you... He WILL and you will grow stronger in God Christ Jesus! see 1 Peter 4:11

Jesus Christ

God is omnipresent and omnipotent... in simple words He is everywhere and anywhere at the same time and in control. Our free will can make it seem to us that God’s not in control but that is due to our mortal human limited sight distance perspective. As soon as we recognize that God has no limits, we begin to understand how great He is. The more we seek to know God, the more our eyes are opened to His power and compassion. God knows everything... past, present and future. His plan for us has always existed. And God's timing is impeccable. Jesus Christ was born at just the right time to seed Earth's civilization with His Message.

Jesus’s death was the greatest tragedy and yet the greatest humanitarian event of all time. Why did He have to die at such a young age. The answer is found in Scripture. Jesus Christ tasted death for us. None of us deserve Christ's sacrifice but it was God's plan to overcome death before this universe existed.

Jesus's Purpose 

God is perfect without sin. God wants us to live with Him for eternity. God made a provision for us by compressing Himself into human form and living a perfect, free from sin, human life. see John 16:33 Jesus provides us a surrogate to live through. His teaching opens our eyes to proper behavior, such as His earthly ministry sample - sermon on a mountainside. see Matthew chapters 5,6 and 7 His crucifixion opens the door for us sinners to enter Heaven. By His blood we are saved through God's grace. Only through Jesus's spotless death can we enter Heaven. see 2 Timothy 1:9 If we are repentant of our sins and have Jesus Christ in our heart, when we die we will live a second time. We will live renewed with God in Heaven where ALL things are NEW and sin, pain or sorrow do not exist. We have the lamp of eternal hope because of Jesus Christ’s perfect life in God’s good, pleasing and perfect plan! Which was in place before time began!

Audience

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." James 1:22 NIV

God has a plan. He loves us all. His plan is proof... His good, pleasing, and perfect plan! He spells His plan out for us many times over. His messaging is broadcast multiple times throughout Scripture and Nature. Sometimes we miss God’s "show" because we are too caught up in producing our own show. 
 

​Communication 

Antagonist

God will wait, but not forever, for us to recognize His good, pleasing and perfect will. But the Devil is strong... it takes a lot of prayer and perseverance to overcome the Devil's influence. Satan does not want us to know God’s good, pleasing and perfect plan because when time terminates... it will be the end of evil, and of course, Satan’s demise. The Devil works hard to confuse us. Satan knows he is doomed but he doesn’t know when. So he's always desperate. Satan knows he is evil and that God rules over him but he is hardened in his purpose. Satan is blinded by his own greed. It would be easier for Satan if he changed heart and followed Jesus's lead... but Satan is the Devil and has no desire to change. Satan accepted his fate when he was cast out of Heaven. He knows and lives up to his purpose. And so should we. see Philippians 2:13

Heaven

What does God reveal to us about Heaven... There’s some key details that, for His own good reasons, He leaves out. For example, God doesn’t let us know what happens to unborn children at the Rapture. He also doesn’t let us know how we will appear physically in Heaven. Jesus wasn't easily recognized by His friend Mary Magdalene or His followers after the resurrection. Perhaps He was a younger version of Himself or could somehow willfully conceal His identity. We’re left to our own faith and imagination for certain detail answers!

God's Children

God does reveal to us that we will be with Him and that ALL things will be new! Those two nuggets of information seed infinite possibilities. So maybe that’s why he leaves out details about our physical state in Heaven. We know that our sins will not come to mind, plus pain and sorrow won't exist. Jesus healed many people suffering physically and mentally during His earthly ministry. God explains enough for us to understand and know that Heaven is where we want to be. see Isaiah 65:17

Remember, we’re mere twigs and toddlers compared to what we're going to be when we live with Jesus. You wouldn’t teach a toddler how to build a rocket, neither would you expect a twig to be able to self-propel. A twig seed needs cosmic engines (sunlight, earth, wind and rain) to transition from an inanimate state and a toddler must learn in degrees of appropriate stages. 

God makes it abundantly clear that we are the apple of His eye. We are all God's toddler children. He created an entire universe so we could experience His great Love for us in this mortal lifetime. His good, pleasing and perfect plan is for us to grow from this tiny finite earthly cradle into His very glorious and beyond beautiful infinite kingdom paradise!

Space [and Hope] is Out There

Ed (Bear)
Casting Art to the Net

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