Author: Mike Cooney

We are honored today to have a very special visitor with us.  She is the great grand daughter of Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister of England during World War II.  She is so bright and bubbly.  Her face is just shining.  There’s a glow about her.  You can’t help but love her.  She wanted to share something that her grandfather wrote in his memoirs.   “Go ahead, Love.”

  “We are all worms. but I do believe I am a Glow worm.”

An old Mills Brothers song just arrived in my thoughts.  I even have the sheet music with the lyrics.  It’s one of the songs that we’ve sung before at the meeting.  Most of us know the words by heart.  “Yes Lily, we can sing it today.”  It’s one of her favorites.

     “Shine little glow-worm, glimmer, glimmer;  Shine little glow  worm, glimmer, glimmer.  Lead us lest too far we wander, Love’s Sweet Voice is callin’  yonder.  Shine little  glow-worm, glimmer, glimmer;  Hey there, don’t get dimmer, dimmer.  Light the path below, above and lead us on  to Love.”

When poor old Job was overwhelmed with the trials in his life he said, “How can a man be morally clean with God?  How can he be innocent and pure who is born of a woman.  Even the moon and stars that shine are not pure in His eyes.   How much less is man, who is worm. . .and the Son of Man who is a worm.”

I did a little research on glow worms.  They glow in a yellow-green or blue-green  color.  The so-called “railroad”  glow worms have an additional red light at their head.  The purpose of the glow varies.  The adult females that glow do so to attract a male for mating.  Sometimes they glow as a warning signal to predators not to eat them as they are mildly toxic.  But some on the other hand, glow to attract prey into sticky snares.  Jacob had his share of those.

“Fear not O worm Jacob. . . and all of  My flock.  I will help you, says the Lord.  I am your Refuge and Strength.  I am your arms and your legs;  your hands and your feet.  I will protect you in the shadow of My wings.  Whatever work I have given you to do. . . I will do Myself, for you.  I am always, For You.”    Words straight from the Glow of Heaven. . . Jesus, the Son of Man.   And more words,  as He speaks of Himself and His Sacrifice for His sheep.

“But I am a worm, and no man;  I am a reproach of men and despised by the people.  All that see Me laugh at Me and hold Me up to scorn.  They shout disrespect and ridicule from their lips. . .and they shake their heads at Me.”  Psalm 22:6-7

God the Son, taking on the nature of man so the sheep could enter into union with God and be partakers of the Divine Nature.   The Glow of Love is on His face, and His Grace and Mercy shine into the hearts of all the little worms of His flock. He speaks personally to each one and says, ” I serve you Wine that makes your heart glad, and Oil to make your face to glow. . .and I feed you the Bread of Life to strengthen your heart.”   Shining little Glow-sheep, glimmering with the Colors of the Rainbow of His Love and the Fruit of His Spirit.   No longer wandering in the wilderness, but lead by the Light of the World and kept safe by the Power of God.  Glowing with Love, Power and a Sound Mind.

  Glowing Love.   Freely Given.   Freely Received.   Free, My Loves.

It’s been a while since there’s been an update on the health of the Fireman.  My Lily keeps close tabs on the progress of the sheep through their personal social network called, “Fleecebook.”  I check it out pretty regularly myself.  She wants to read the comment he posted  from last evening.

     “Had a Good day today.  I was up and walking a bunch, still painful but getting better.  My appetite returned today and actually enjoy eating.  Tanna and I had a really Good talk about how God will see us through this.  Tanna has been so strong through this and I would be a mess without her.  I start physical therapy tomorrow.  Now I just pray for sleep tonight.”

Good words from the Fireman.  Encouraging words to bring Hope for others.  There’s a special place in my heart for him. . .and for all firemen.  My first real experience with them was in the summer of 1962.  It was the last night of our summer vacation in  Michigan.  We all went to the bowling alley to eat with the other families that we vacationed with every year.  During the meal, my Mom complained about having a headache.  That was a little unusual because she seldom seemed to have headaches or be sick generally.  She was a strong, healthy Swede.  We all went back to the cottages after dinner and at some point the kids went to bed.  All of the parents stayed up to celebrate their last evening of vacation.

The next thing I remember was waking up to the voices of two firemen paramedics, wheeling my mother out of the cottage and into an ambulance.  There was a real sense of urgency in  their voices as they attended to my Mom.  I don’t remember much more about it.  I knew  their mere presence was a sign of a dire emergency.  They were doing what firemen do.  What they seem to be created for.  What their hearts must be pumping through their arteries and veins. . .the need to rescue and to save lives.  . .just like the DIVINE FIREMAN.

The two in our cottage were committed to save my Mom’s life; but in spite of everything they could do, she died in the emergency room at the hospital.   She had suffered a cerebral brain hemorrhage and there was nothing anyone could do.   Yet the fireman’s words today, “God will see us through this,” is a comfort to me right now, even as my heart is sad, reliving the tragedy of losing my Mom.  There’s a scent of flowers in the air.  It’s my Lily, spreading the Fragrance of more knowledge of Him, the Rose of Sharon.

     “Like a crane or a swallow, so did I chatter:  I did mourn like a dove.  My eyes fail so I cannot see Him or   have hope.  O Lord, I am oppressed and I am full of anguish.   Undertake for me. . .You will recover me and make me to live.”

I am oppressed.  I am full of anguish.  So often are the sheep speaking these words. Too often it seems, sometimes.  The word “oppress”,  comes from the archaic Scottish word “oopress”, meaning. . . uniting the heart with a tragedy and binding it to the misery created by it.  And to make matters seemingly worse,  Faith seems to disappear in the darkness and there is no sign of Hope.  All that remains is despair and the utter sense of complete helplessness.

Even though I grew up in a religious world, I was totally unacquainted with the real meaning of words in the Bible.  Others would translate them for me in a sermon or in a book, or through some casual conversation with someone who appeared to be spiritually mature.  . .just a shadow of the Real Thing.  You should see all the donkey smiles on the faces of the lilies and the Dumbos,  and all of the others at the meeting today.  One of the newbie firemen is standing up with the Big Book in his hand, ready to read something  Good to us.

     “When He, the Spirit of Truth has come into your soul, He will guide you into all Truth.  He will teach you the Secrets in My Words.  He will show you everything you need to know.  You will see everything that belongs to Me, that I have now given to you as a gift.”

“Undertake for me”.  The word, “undertake” was written in the Hebrew language of the Old Testament.  The Secret meaning of it is,  “to braid together;  to inter-mix;  to give oneself as security for the fulfillment of the task;  to engage in an activity for another;  to pledge oneself to perform the work at hand;  to undertake for another;  be the substitute.”

     “You have enlarged my feet under me, so that they would not slip into total disaster.  You have surrounded me with Your strength for the battle ahead;  You have subdued under me, those troubles that rise up against me. . .as  we walk through the fires, we will not be burned, for You will carry us safely through them. We will come forth as Gold.

He that dwells in the Secret Place of the Most High SHALL LIVE under the shadow of His wings;  I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and Fortress.  In His Power and Might, I will trust. . .He WILL undertake all things for me.”

“God will see us through this.”   He sees the beginning and the end.  He sees what He has authored for His children.  He has made  sure that all things will serve them.  All things will work together for their good.  All things will prove, in the end, to be Blessings in disguise.  He undertakes all things for the little flock.

Freely given.  Freely received.  Free to all firemen.

Traditionally, recovery groups like to maintain confidentiality.  Today we have made an exception.  The newbie colts had a picnic over the weekend and I was fortunate enough to be invited.  We had the Rancher take a group picture of us so we could show it off at the meeting today.   As they say, “A picture is worth a thousand words.”  So true.  It makes us smile when others dote over our images.  I’m the one in front, leaning on the fence.  It’s okay. . .I know what you’re thinking. And we always know what  my Lily is thinking.  She tells us.

     “For foolish and vain man thinks that he is wise, although he is born like a wild ass’s colt.  Job 11:12

When I was a young “jack” so to speak, I remember my Mom coming home one day from visiting my grandmother who lived near the Museum of Science and Industry.  She walked in the door with a scared and anxious look on her teary-eyed face.  Nothing touched my heart more, nor concerned me more, than her tears.  My Dad was home and they embraced in the kitchen and she began to tell her story.  Keep in mind, that in my eyes, my Mom was very close in pureness and innocence to the very angels in Heaven.

While she was driving home, some guy who was in a big hurry, cut her off and nearly created an accident.  My Mom was so upset with him that she pulled up along side him, gave him the finger and called him an “ass.”  He reacted angrily and tail-gated her for blocks, beeping his horn and making finger and hand  gestures back at her.  Of course she was terrified and shaken up over the whole incident.  She kept saying, “I can’t believe what an ass that guy was.”   I am smiling now,  and a little teary-eyed thinking about the whole moment.  I was shocked over the way she acted. . .and  then my little heart just loved her more, because she was so much like me. . .and I, like her.  It was a defining moment in our relationship.

I decided to look up our ancestry on Wikipedia, to find out more about the colts of a wild ass.  The donkey or ass, is a          domesticated member of the horse family.  That may be what my mom meant when she called the guy a “horses ass.”  The donkey has been used as a working animal for at least 5000 years.  It says that there are more than 40 million wild asses in the world (but those present at the meeting today know, that figure is grossly understated) and they are chiefly used as draught or pack animals.  A male donkey is called a jack and the female donkey is called a jenny.

This is a quote:  “Asses were first domesticated around 3000 BC and have spread around the world.  They continue to fill important roles in many places today.”  The lilies and the Dumbo sheep, the eagles and the sailors and every one of the firemen. . .all the jacks and jennys. . .are crying in laughter.  It is pretty funny, and actually very good, to be able to laugh at yourself.

I am the embodiment, the personification of the colt of a wild ass.  An old Scottish minister from the 17th century said that the young colt may be the most stupid animal alive.  When I think of many of the decisions that I have made and still can make,  even to this very day, I can only nod my head.  The article continued to say that the colt has a notorious reputation for stubbornness, which is attributed to a strong sense of  “Self-preservation”.  Once a person has earned their trust and confidence, the donkey can be a  willing and companionable partner. . .a very dependable Jack or Jenny, carrying packs of flowers and fruit.  One of the newbie colts is waving at me.  She has the Big Book in her hand and wants to read something from it.  

     “God shall gather all the sheep to Him.  He will bind the lamb to the Vine and the ass’s colt to the Choice Vine and wash their garments in the blood of grapes.”  Then she turned the page to read, “Jesus told them to go into the village and you shall find an ass tied, with a colt with her.  Loosen them and bring them to Me.  This was done to fulfill the prophecy, ‘The King shall come to you, meek and sitting upon the colt of a wild ass.’  So the disciples brought the colt to Jesus and He sat on him and road him through the streets of the city.”

When God the Son became a man,  He entered into a union with the colt of a wild ass.  He joined Himself to all the children that His Father had given to Him.   It was a Forever Union, always in the heart of God, authored before time and arriving at the perfect moment in time.  He bound every little jack and jenny to Him, like  lambs to the Vine.   He road  the colt into the streets and into the journey ahead for Him.  They were with Him through it all.  On the cross.  In the grave.  Rising from the dead with Him.  They were inseparable.  Nothing could, or can, ever separate the colts from His Love.

Jack and Jenny went up the hill to fetch some Flowers and Fruit.  Lilies of the Valley and Roses of Sharon.  Ripe, Sweet Fruit from the Spirit of Christ.   Love, Wisdom, Power, Patience, Hope, Faith, Self-control.  The Fruit of the Vine.

Freely given.     Freely Received.     All yours, little donkeys.

I was just eating a bowl of Life with some Fruit, while watching a portion of the movie, “The Adjustment Bureau.”  For those of you who haven’t seen it or heard about it, a Supreme Being of  sorts is engineering everyone’s life according to plan, using angels to make sure that everyone is following their prescribed paths in life.  It’s a “life-like” form of predestination, which states that everything that happens in the universe, in every way, shape and form, has been authored by God.  You’ll have to excuse me if I seem a little distracted this morning.  Some of the newbie Lilies are sticking their hands into a small spotlight, making imaginary figures on the wall.   Crocodile mouths and bunny ears.  No big deal.  It’s just harmless fun.   Kids at play.  .  .and I guess it was meant to be.

Everything in the universe, even a movie with an interesting premise, in some way is an image of the Truth. . . but not the Truth itself.  Everything is a shadow, created by the wonderful intellect of man, sticking his hand into God’s business, entering the Light with fingers formed into the shape of an eagle, flying across the wall of his mind.  And it’s all perceived as real, with the sweet ignorance of a  child, energized by a faith that believes in the dark.   The angels call it , “Night Visions.”  It’s a little embarrassing to admit,  but it reminds me of my car rides  on the way to work every morning, back in the 70’s.  My first real experience with shadows on the wall.

I would smoke some weed before my ride downtown.  Just enough to turn the dimmer switch up on the light in my brain.  I can’t tell you how many enlightened thoughts would arrive on the wall of my mind.  Pillars of truth.  I thought I was creating new ideas, unknown to man.   Godly thoughts.  There was a tape recorder kept in the car to preserve it all.  Forgive me Lord for ever thinking I can do what only You do. . .for stealing your thunder.

All of you at the meeting today know exactly what I’m talking about.  And those of you who are just observers, I know that it looks and sounds totally nuts.  And you’re right.  But don’t fool yourselves.  We all have our stimulants, don’t we?  Enhancements to better our lives, keep us up at the top of our games, get us over the hump.  . .  turning that light on as bright as possible to create our visions for happiness and success.  Seeing and believing with that faith that just naturally arrives in times of need.  Man’s best.  Lower case f.   Just another day of life in the shadowlands.  My Lily has been studying the Textbook  on the Light and shadows,  and as  always, she can’t contain herself.  “Yes, Love?”

     “My Beloved is mine and I am His.  He feeds among the lilies.  I wait for the break of day and the shadows flee away and the Light appears in all the colors of Truth. . .in Him was Life and this Life is the Light of men.  And this Light shines in the darkness and all the shadows disappear.”

The natural mind of man, no matter how spectacular it is, only creates shadows. . .the lower case letters of the alphabet.  No matter how deep it goes into the ocean of his wisdom and understanding, no matter how high it climbs to the mountaintop of his intellect and logic, even as it soars beyond earth’s horizon to discover new things. . .the Light is always shining on the works of man’s hand. . .  forming shadows on the surface of his earthly mind.   Like shadow-faith.

Over the last couple of days, I have been unable to see faith anywhere.  It will usually show up on one of two surfaces.  It will be displayed on the wall of one’s mind;  or etched deep within the surface of the soul.  The light in my mind had gone out.   My troubled heart had drained the batteries.  And the Light in my soul had disappeared, just like It has so  many times before.  I’ve been waiting for the Adjustment Bureau to explain why the Creator has authored this for me.  Why did He write this in the Book of Life?  I had Hope that if they turned the page, Faith would show up again.

I‘ve been walking  in the dark, feeling my way around, sensing only trouble ahead, waiting for a great fall. . .expecting the worst thing imaginable. . .that my faith is gone.  Then my Lily and a couple of the eagles who had seen my despair,  came over to where I was groping in the dark.  They gently took me by the hand and we all sat at Lily’s feet. . .and she turned the Light on.   She told us this story about Faith.

    “And the Lord said, ‘Simon, Simon, Behold. . .Evil has asked that you be given up to him, out of the Power and Keeping of God,  that he may sift you like grain.  But I have prayed especially for you that your Faith may not fail;  and when you are strengthened and your Faith returns, strengthen and help others. . .I will never leave you or forsake you, or leave you without Faith.”

This story is from the Gospel of Luke.  The word “Faith” means:  being convinced;  reflexively and passively to assent and agree to an inward certainty;  to believe, to trust;  quickened with the very Life of God by the power of His Spirit.”   Like passive, dead Lazarus lying in the tomb, Faith arises in the soul when the Light and Life of the Son shines in the heart.  Lazarus comes forth from the tomb, Alive.  Faith comes forth from the soul, full of the Life of God.

Jesus asked His Father to help Simon.  All of His prayers are answered.  “When you are strengthened and your Faith returns…”  No if, ands or buts. . .always and only, “WHEN“.  And as one of the newbie Dumbos just pointed out, Faith begins with a Capital letter, signifying that this Faith is what God alone possesses and is given as a Gift to all the sheep.  They are in union with the Indescribable Gift. . .the Son of God, Who is the Source of all Divine Fruit.

     “He who who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for all the sheep;  will He not freely give us all things?”

All things.  All Divine Things.  All the Fruits of the Spirit.   Love, Joy Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Self-control and Faith.  Yes, Faith.  The Fruit of the Vine, possessed by a branch.   A branch that lies passively and reflexively, waiting for the inevitable to arrive, to energize the sleeping little lamb with the Faith that Shines on the deep surface of the soul.  The Faith of the Son of God.  Not a shadow on the wall of the mind.  Not the imitation.  The Real Thing.  Always a certainty.  Promised by the God Who never, ever breaks one of  His Promises to His little flock.  I can swear to that today.

FAITH.   Freely given.   Freely Received.    Free, to all of the Loves of His Life.    Free to all of the Apples of His Eye.   Unconditional.  Guaranteed.     Free, Love.

I’m still thinking about yesterday.  It was the little Desperado’s day in court.  The outcome was Spectacular.  “Forever, not guilty”.  Who knew?    God knew before He created the universe.  He knew all things then  and wrote them down in the Book Of Life.  Each day that arrives is simply another page turned over, a new day every morning, perfectly matching the story on the page written in Long Hand by God, called  His Eternal Decree.  Each day the Son reads it out loud and it appears Word for word, by the Power of the Holy Spirit.

As the prosecutor was reading the exhausting indictment against the little Dumbo lamb yesterday, it reminded me of my early experiences with “making my confession.”  For the first few years, it was mostly “making up my confession”.  What does a little seven-year old lamb know about “sins”. . .except what he’s been told?   It’s way over our heads.  However, we all knew that it was important to “keep a clean slate”, so I confessed my sins regularly and watched the priest pull the plastic sheet up from my soft heart of wax,  and like magic . . all my sins were gone.  My little conscience, clean and clear. . .for a while.  Only for a while.

It got to the point that I had to fabricate them in the confessional.  My favorite was, “I talked and laughed in church ten times.”  I am smiling and chuckling about it right now.  Another trusty sin was, “I was disobedient to my parents seven times.”  My father certainly reacted to me like a was a disobedient son, so there seemed to be some good ground for that one.  And there were others, all too silly to even mention.  My experience with confession changed as I got older and was introduced to the variety of laws that we live under.   “Under” . . .a pregnant word for the sheep.  But Oh,  what a bundle of Joy when the new birth arrives.

In the later years in grade school we all had to memorize the Ten Commandments.  I had the impression from my teachers that memorizing them was going to empower  me to keep them reasonably well, but not perfectly.  In high school,  I remembered the seven cardinal sins by using  the acronym PELAGUS. . .Pride, Envy, Lust, Avarice, Gluttony, Usury and Sloth.   I’m thinking that by the end of my senior year, I had committed every one of them, over and over.

Laws after laws, after laws.    Laws for living right, laws for living wrong, laws for children, laws for parents, laws for partners, laws for driving and most importantly, laws for pleasing God.   Just do the best you can.  Put your best foot forward.  Knuckle down, you little knuckle-head sheep.     My Lily is an expert on the Law.  She’s been through the school of  Life, and graduated from the school of law. . .  and now she has an Advanced Degree to teach others.   Her scent of Heaven is filling the air.  “Yes, Love?”

     “It is written that no one is right-minded, no not one.  There is no one that understands what the Law is really about.  There isn’t anyone who really is pleasing God by trying so hard all the time to keep His rules.  I know that it seems right and that it makes total sense to the sheep, until they are taken to court, bound hand and foot, unable to raise even an eyebrow to keep one of His Perfect rules.  Yes, they are Perfect Rules intended to be kept, Perfectly.    But everyone has gone out of the Way and what they do is unprofitable and imperfect.   What they don’t know is that Perfect God is only pleased with what He does Himself.   Infinite Perfection on display for the universe to see.

     Before they were set free from fear and guilt, the lilies and the Dumbos, the eagles and the sailors, all of the firemen and newbies. . .every one of  the outlaw thieves were stealing His Thunder.  Without knowing, trying to match His Perfection.   Trying hard to get credit or take credit for what He alone Possesses. . .for what He alone has already done for them and in  them, and through them.  He is the Vine.  They are the branch.  In Union with Him, they bring forth much fruit.  Perfect Fruit.  The Fruit of His Spirit.   Apart from Him, like a branch cut off from the vine. . .they can do nothing Good, nothing Perfect.”

The sheep are now under a new law.  The Law of Love.  The Law of a Life that God alone possesses.  The Life of His own Son, in Whom the sheep live and move, and have their very own being.  A branch that bears Divine Fruit. . .Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faith and Self-control.   God, Himself in the sheep’s clothing, keeping the law Perfectly for him.  No more stealing His thunder.  Always giving credit where  credit is due.  To God be the glory for the things He has done, for His little flock of sheep.

All, freely given.     All,  freely received without payment or cost.  All of Grace from God’s Eternal Love.   All free.  .  .even to the worst of sinners.

She was in handcuffs when she came into the meeting yesterday.  It’s so true, what my Lily said the other day.   We all, like sheep have gone astray. . .and it’s time to pay the Piper, as they say.    A couple of officers of the Law brought her over to  say her goodbye’s,  before her arraignment in court.   Without her hands free, she wasn’t able to  do anything but let the rest of us hold her and Love her.  My Lily and a few of the perp’s closet friends, were whispering something into her little Dumbo ears.  She was weeping.

     “Know, little Desperado, that the Lord is God of the Universe.  He made you for Himself and your life is totally in His hands.  You have broken  the law, but His Law of Love is the final Judge. . .and every moment of your life, every decision that you have made, or others have made for you. . .all of it in its entirety, will work together for your Good.  You will know that He has Loved you, for as long as He has existed.  He has loved you with an Everlasting Love.”

A few months ago, my son Ben and his friends rented a ‘fun’ bus, as he put it,  to take them to a concert downtown and bring them home safely afterwards.  We had so  many people going to court today that we rented one too.  We called ours the ‘Joy’ bus.  Every Lily who’s wool had lost it’s Beautiful fragrance, every Dumbo sheep that used to be earthbound, every eagle that could only see his sin and guilt and condemnation… all of them were on the bus.  The sailors navigated for us and the fireman turned on the sirens so we could get there in time.  And yes. . .we each had a glass of His Best Wine and  we were getting High.   We sang all the way there.

     “The Lord is my Light and my Salvation.  Whom then shall I fear.  Whom then shall I fear.  The Lord is the Strength of my life, the Lord is the Strength of my life.  Of whom then, shall I be afraid?  Since He is for me, who or what can be against me?  Neither death nor life, nor powers or anything present, or anything to come. . .shall be able to separate the sheep from the Love of God.”

We were the first ones to arrive at the courtroom. We filled up most of the seats.  I recognized the others that were there.  .  .others who stood trial themselves,  in this very courtroom.  Little black sheep whose fleece was now, as white as snow.  And everywhere the Shepherd went they all were sure to go.  The officers escorted the little Desperado into the courtroom.

She was in shackles.  I remembered my own trial. . . I was so helpless when they brought me in.  I  couldn’t move my hands or arms to help myself.  I couldn’t walk a straight line.  My  mouth was shut.  There wasn’t anything left to say.   Nothing good about myself to cop a  plea.  I was at the mercy of the court.   I am teary eyed as I say this.  Just as was true for all of the sheep in the courtroom, she is having a bench trial.  The Judge will decide her case.

The prosecutor presented the indictment against her.  We would have sat here for hours, listening to the list of the accusations, if hadn’t been interrupted by the defendant’s Attorney.  “I call for a mistrial Your Honor!”  This little lamb has been freed from all charges.  Someone else has been found guilty for the offenses and has been convicted for them in this very Court.  He was  sentenced by You, Your Honor.  It was the death sentence, and the sentence has been carried out.    I can Personally attest to it.  I was there. . . instead of her.   The Supreme Court Judge banged His gavel down and pronounced her, “Not Guilty!’    The courtroom erupted.  And her Advocate, Who was also her Substitute,  sang this song for all the sheep who were present, or are yet to come.  Jesus said. . .

     “On this day has salvation and freedom come;  because this little lamb was one of Mine.  My Father gave her to me.  I came to seek her and find her, because she was lost.  And the Lilies and the Dumbos, all of the eagles and sailors, the firemen and the newbies. . .all responded with  “Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound.  To save someone like me.  Once was lost and now I’m found. Was blind, but now I see.”

What a ride home on the Party Bus.  It was a  little out of control.  The Fragrance of His Love and the bouquet of His Wine was intoxicating.  Our little desperado is home, carried on the shoulders of her Love. . . the Eternal, Divine  Desperado.    God, the Son Himself.   He,  for me.

Freely given.     Freely Received.     Free, little outlaws.

When I walked into the meeting this morning, my Lily came running up to me. She had tears in her eyes. “What’s wrong, Love? She took me by the hand over to where a small group of newbies were sitting. They had moved their chairs into a circle. As we got closer, I noticed there was an exceptionally blackened little Dumbo, kneeling in the middle. They were protecting her. I am teary-eyed as I write this. That was me thirty-two years ago. I knew what that look of terror in her eyes meant. She was “on the lamb”. . . running from the law. Condemned by it. You can run from it, but you can’t hide from it. Lily had knelt down next to her and was whispering in her ear.

“We all like sheep, have gone astray. Each and every one of us have gone out of the Way, and turned to his own way.”

Little Desperado, why don’t you come to your senses? You’ve been out riding fences for so long. Your pain and your hunger are driving you Home. And freedom, oh freedom, well that’s just some people talkin’. Your prison is walkin’ through this world alone. It may be rainin’ but there’s a rainbow above you. . .and you’d better let somebody love you, before it’s too late. I thought it would be best this time, just to read the lyrics of the song to you. Lost sheep can only, barely make out the words.

When I was a sophomore in High School, my dad got me a job working as a helper on a Pepsi Truck. The route that we had, covered a good portion of the stock yards on the south side of Chicago. Each Monday, our first stop was the slaughter house. The old-timers at the meeting have told me stories about it. Some of the tales are hard to believe, especially about the sheep. But not for those at the meeting today. Not for those who are comforting the newbie who was on the run and has arrived at just the right Moment. . .predestined by her Father. The Moment of Love.

The animals start in a fenced in area that narrows down to a ramp, which forces them into a single file. At the end of the ramp is the finish for them. The cattle and pigs have a sense of what’s coming, and it strikes fear into them. Most animals react that way. Not the sheep. They are utterly senseless to the inevitable doom. Merrily they go, down the ramp of life, turning to and fro to their own way. Running from the law. Hiding from it for as long as they can, until it finally catches up with them. . .and they come to their finish. They come to the end of themselves . . .and the beginning of a New Life. The slate is wiped clean. It’s all Good to Go! I knew Lily wanted to share something. Her fragrance was filling the air.

“He has borne our griefs, our weaknesses and distress. . .and carried our sorrows. The penalty and due punishment necessary to obtain peace and freedom was placed on Him so the sheep could be made white, and whole and free. And the Lord has laid, on the Lamb of God. . .the guilt and the blackness of all the little lambs.”

One of the SAILOR SHEEP is a tatoo artist. His name is the Spirit. He imprints Divine Words on the heart. All the Dumbo sheep and eagles, all the fireman and sailors. . .even the precious, gentle Lilies go to him for the same tatoo. The name is written in the Colors of the Rainbow. His name is surrounded on each side with a Lion and a Lamb. It’s the name above all names. . .”Jesus.” In court tomorrow, the newbie is actually represented by Him. He is the Advocate. He is also the Judge and Jury. There is only one possible verdict. It was fixed permanently before time by the Judges of the Supreme Court of Heaven. God, the Father said “Not guilty. God, the Son said “Not Guilty. God, the Spirit said, “Not Guilty.

“I was a wandering sheep, I did not love the fold; I did not love my shepherd’s voice, I could not be controlled. I was a wayward child, I did not love my home; I did not love my Father’s voice, I loved afar to roam. They found me near to death, famished and faint and lone; they bound me with the bands of love; they saved the wandering one.

They spoke in tender love, they raised my drooping head; they gently closed my bleeding wounds, my fainting soul they fed. They washed my filth away; they made me clean and fair. They brought me to my Home in Peace. . .the long sought wanderer.”

We’re all going with the newbie Dumbo tomorrow. It will be a packed courthouse. Everyone is invited. Even His angels will be there. They love to sing with the sheep. They can’t wait for the Truth, the Whole Truth and nothing but the Truth. So help us God.

Amnesty for all the black sheep. Freely given. Freely received. Free, Love

 Some of the Dumbo sheep have come to the meeting today with  their pre-schoolers.  We love to see them.  It’s good  to get them to the meetings when they’re young.  I’m smiling as my Lily is leading them up to the front.  they’ve learned a new song at  school and they’re going to sing it for us.

“Bah bah black sheep, have you any wool?  Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full.”

I’m singing along with the rest of you; but I can only speak for myself.  Until the day that she died, my Mom always thought I was her precious, pure,  wooly white lamb.  I could do no wrong.  However, my eternal destiny was to become the proverbial “black sheep” of the family.  That Lily is really something!  She just ripped off her headphones and jumped right up out of her chair.  “But” she yelled at the top of her lungs.  Then she sat right down again, afraid that her outburst was a little over the top.  “Yes, Love?”

    ” All of the lilies know and are assured, that God is a Partner in the difficult labor of every trial and makes all things that happen, in every way, shape and form. . .work together for the good of those He Loves.  It is part of His Master Plan, written in its entirety before time. . .arriving at just the right time.  Always promising His best for them.  Always proving that He keeps His word.  Plans to prosper them, not to harm them.  Plans to give them hope and a future.”

There’s a story in the Old Testament  about a black sheep who had three bags full of Wool.  Very Special Wool.  Priceless Wool.  The patriarch Jacob had many sons, all of whom become the twelve tribes of Israel.  He loved each son, but He had a favorite, his son Joseph.  Jacob gave him a Gift.  All of the chosen ones receive it.

     “Now Jacob loved Joseph more than all of his other children, because he was the son given to him in his old age.  And Jacob made Joseph a coat of wool, of many Beautiful colors.”

The little pre-schoolers have been very patient, waiting to finish their song.  But now they are getting a little antsy and they’re starting to act out.   It’s pretty typical for little lambs. . .losing their innocence  and getting a little dirt on their coats.  The mothering eagles at the meeting today are smiling.  They remember when their little ones could do no wrong.

     “One for the Master and one for the Dame, and one for the little boy who lives in the lane.”

Joseph wore a woolen coat of many colors.  And it perfectly filled three bags full.  Are you noticing the ears on the Dumbo sheep?  They always fully open whenever they know that something good is coming.  Sometimes they have flashbacks to that moment when they remember singing, “Somewhere over the Rainbow, blue birds fly.  Birds fly over the Rainbow, why then oh why can’t I.”  That was the first time, their jumbo-jet ears carried them into the many colors of heaven.

Look at Joseph’s new coat.  Fresh apples from the Orchard.  The Fruit of God’s Spirit. Ripe and ready for picking. A whole bag full for the one’s you love.  Fruit to nourish them.  Medicine to make them well. Full of Vitamins to make them Strong.  Comfort Fruit when they are sad, or afraid. . .or depressed or anxious.

And there’s a full bag of Divine Hearts.  The Love of God, the Father when He chose the sheep before time and authored each life in its entirety and taking on full responsibility for everything that needs to happen.  The Love of God, the Son when He dyed his wool with the blackness of the coat of each sheep so they could be covered with His coat of many Colors.  The Love of  God, the Spirit in teaching the lilies and the Dumbos, all the eagles and the sailors. . .everything they will ever need to know about God and making God’s very Presence,  real in their hearts.   Now, I’ll let Lily tell you about the third bag.  It’s filled with her precious things.

    “It’s the necklace made of God’s favorite flowers, the Lily of the Valley and the Rose of Sharon.  The fragrances of Life and Love.  Together they make up the very personal scent of the crucified and risen Lord, the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the flock.”

It’s apparent that the pre-schoolers have had enough for the day.  Now He sends them forth like sheep and guides them in the wilderness like a flock.  And He leads them on safely.  They will fear no evil, because He is with them.  He makes them lay down besides still waters.  Each one has  a new wool coat of many colors, completely covering their blackness.  Always pure and white in their Father’s eyes.  They can do no wrong.

Freely given.    Freely Received.    Free, Love

One of the old sea-dogs showed up for the meeting this morning.  His ship is in dry-dock for repairs. It was good to see him.  He’s pretty “salty” when he talks about his sea voyages.  I asked him if he would mind sharing one with all of us.  Sailors always like to tell their tales.  “My name is Jerry.  I am a recovering sailor.”  Hi Jerry 

     “I have sailed the Red Sea, the Black Sea and the Dead Sea of life.  The SAILOR MAN always sailed with me. As I sail on through more stormy seas, I know that I can sail them in Peace because the SAILOR MAN will sail them with me. . .’I will never leave you or forsake you’, says the SAILOR MAN.”

Coincidentally. . .(whenever I use that word at a meeting, the newbie Dumbo sheep always giggle because they know that nothing is just a coincidence). . .my Lily had gone to her favorite hiding place in the valley early this morning and picked some beautiful flowers with the fragrant bouquet of the Master’s Best Wine.  We were intoxicated when we heard the old sea-dog’s story.  You can never drink too much of the Master’s Spirit.  Lily is so funny!  She always wants to sing when she gets a little High.  All of the sheep are nodding. We’re all that way.   “Yes, Love?”

     “Everyone that You Love, pray to You when they are drowning in trouble and fears  surely when the storms and waves come flooding into the heart, they will not drown you.  You are my Hiding Place.  You shall keep me safe from trouble.  You shall surround me with songs of deliverance.  I sing them all the day long.”

You  know that she’s gotten a little sea-sick whenever you see her with earphones on.  All of the sailors are  music lovers.  It’s their Safe Place to go.  A Hiding Place of Peace and Rest.  We always end our meetings by saying the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy will, will be done on earth; just as it is done in Heaven.”  Then we finish with this song.

     “When we call upon You, Oh SAILOR MAN, you hear us.  You show us your marvelous Loving-kindness and you rescue us with Your Powerful Right Hand.  We take refuge in YOU from the waves and the winds that rise up against us.  Keep us and guard us as the apples of Your eye.  Hide us in the shadow of Your wings.”

The eagles are singing. . .and they are soaring above the waters of trouble.  Kept safe under the wings of THE EAGLE.  A Place to hide from the storms.  A Place to seek and find Power, Love and a Sound Mind.  Peace like a River.  God Himself, their Refuge and Strength.  A very Present Help in all trouble.

Freely given.  Freely Received.  Free to all the sailors.