The apostle Paul was inspired by self- glorification.  God told him to stay out of Asia, because they already had the words of God sent by another messenger.  He went anyway.  He said one day the world would worship in accordance with 'His Gospel.'  His gospel has brought death and destruction.  The words of God  bring love, harmony, and peace to the hearts and minds they touch.

Jesus said he did not accept glorification by man.  He sought only to glorify the Father and share those teaching with those who would learn and listen.  He said those who follow the teachings of God, the Father, are his brothers and sisters.  Mankind also has a greater potential than did Jesus for he said we would do greater things than he.  He also said the true scriptures are written within the heart of each individual, each man and woman.  And he warned of those who would come after him, calling him the Christ, the Messiah. He said do not go after what they teach for they will lead many astray from the truth of the Father, the One.

Now, you may pray for my soul, in your own way.  You may worship God in a way that gives you peace. I will pray that you awaken from your dream of separation from God and that you leave the cave of ignorance behind.

You are right God does not change.  It is not I who  has put God in a box, or book, and said that all other ways are wrong.  God is still speaking and caring for the world today.  His words are shared with all mankind in a way they can relate to and understand.

Fortunately for everyone, God will not permit a single soul to be lost.  He will allow us our ways so that we may eventually learn, that our traditions only contain a small fraction of the knowledge of what God is and our relationship to him.  

I know you do not believe - but - there is only One God.  This world is our school house and home, but it is also the home of God.  The human race is One family -- each member being a child of God.  The flame of His Spirit is within each one of us.  To every region and nation a messenger was sent with the same message -- to love one another and to Worship God.  

Within the mind all is said to originate.  Each thought becomes an object or thing in the creation process.  Each spoken word becomes a son of the mind in bringing life to this world.

Beyond the mind is the Spirit and the Reality of the One.  The Mind is called the first created, followed by the Cosmos, and then man.  Man then creates their gods for they do not understand that all is the 'One'.

You are welcome to come and visit our Church, All Souls Unitarian in Miami.  We do use the Gospel of Thomas and other teachings from the Nag Hammadi Library.  Many of our members use the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible with Apocrypha.  You might find the Book of Sirach very interesting.  No, it is not in the King James Version but is in all Catholic Bibles.  Since you are Southern Baptist, I am assuming that the King James is the version you use.  There are more than 250 other English translations of the Bible plus 1,000s of commentaries with every point of view under the sun..  

Now if you come to visit, you may also be exposed to the teachings of the Buddha, the Veda's, and the Qur'an and may get a lesson from the Chumash - the Jewish meanings of the Old Testament verses from 5 authoritative Rabbi. Now I also use the Hermetica that the Eastern Churches wanted included in the Christian Cannon for it filled in the gaps and corrected many of the errors in the adopted cannon.  We use the Dead Sea Scrolls for they provide much of the Hebrew teachings that were left out of their cannon, but then their texts were fluid and changed over time because they believed that God still spoke and was active in the development of life for the Jewish people. I think he is still active in the life of all humanity regardless of their religious affiliations.  

I would recommend a book to you from the Kogod Library of Judiac Studies.  It is called 'Ben: Sonship and Jewish Mysticism' by Moshe Idel.  You will find that in Judaic Studies they are now admitting, in their Rabbinical training, that many of their stories are borrowed from others and from an earlier time.  You will find their accepted texts (Your Old Testament) are not considered history but were compiled and used to show the evolution of the Hebrew faith.

Now if you accept the invitation, I will see that before you leave, you get a copy of my book, 'The Great Tao -- A Commentary'.  It would be a good addition to your library.

In the world today, I guess not the Baptist world, there are basically two types of Christians.  Those who explore the true teachings of Jesus as a son and accept that God is One for all humanity regardless of the form of worship.  Then there are those who think Jesus is God and follow Paul's teachings about Jesus in place of those teachings actually shared by Jesus that He attributed to his Father.

All of you, who have an open mind and heart, anyone here is welcome to visit our church. You are welcome to share your views.  All who seek truth and love are welcomed as part of our family.

Within each man and woman there is a spark of the Divine.  When they tire of the sense of separation and begin to awaken from their slumber, the 'I am' is there.

Most of humanity lives alone in the cave of darkness called this human body.  Only because they think they are alone is this darkness truly there.  When they begin to see with the eye of the heart -- the light within begins to grow.  The mind becomes clear as the heart and mind unite.  The veils are removed from the eyes.  They grow too know they have never been truly alone.  They grow knowing and living as a child of the One.

Yes, it is a marvel that the Spirit is within these frail bodies of ours. The Spirit can be found everywhere when the veils are removed from the heart.  It is a marvel of marvel that the One God chose these forms in which to place the souls of his children so that they can learn and grow.  When we discover this treasure within -- we have found the greatest wealth available to man.

To search for Truth is at the core of all that we do.  The truth we find we do our best to live.  We share that truth with those who are willing to learn and listen.  We listen to the truth that others share so that we too may continue the journey of learning and growth.  We modify our views as we grow till we reach the fullness of the Soul.  Love this journey of the Soul for then you will know just who and what you are.

The Creator has many names but is of One Spirit or Essence.  This simple concept is difficult for many to understand.  Ibn al-'Arabi had a good explanation that I will share with you.

"God, although One in His Essence, is multiple in forms and individual parts.....

It is as if the single Essence were a mirror, so that when the observer sees in it the form of his or her belief about God, they recognize and confirm it, but if they should see in the mirror the doctrinal formulation of someone of another creed, they will reject it.  The mirror is single while the forms it reveals are various in the eye of the observer.."

In this matter, faith is very necessary.  It is God that has provided the many religious forms and concepts.  People can only relate to that which they have been taught for this is what they have been exposed to and know.  If their minds are closed, they will not accept a different view.  If the mind is open and the judgment of the intellect is sound, they may search and speculate in a clear and thorough manner. When the heart and mind unite, in knowing that God is greater than all our concepts then more of the fullness of the Essence can and will be revealed.  

When you travel around the world you meet people from all races and religions.  For every one bad person that you meet -- you will meet thousands of good, honest, and hardworking people who love their God and wish the leaders of this world would stop the fighting and the wars.  When we can get past the power struggles and the need to force our beliefs on others -- harmony and peace will follow.

The Spiritually blind are not people like me but those who ignorantly think Satan rules this world and they have an exclusive on God's love, laws, and ways that they want to force on others.  Most people just want to be left alone to follow the traditions of their cultures.  

Just a short story:  I once met a man who personified evil.  Everyone was afraid to go near him even though he was sick and dying.  When the time came for him to choose life or death, he chose to live and let the good people heal him.  Each of us will have to choose life or death -- I think the majority will choose to live and to work together to make this world a better place.

I fell down at the feet of the lamb of God and he said don't do it.... I fell down at the feet of the angel, the messenger, who showed me these things.  But he said to me, "Don't do it!":  I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers the prophets and of all who keep the words of this book. "Worship God!"  And that is the message of Jesus: "Worship God!"

Just tell them 'I am'.  Not this name or that name but all names.  Where there is love --  Where there is life -- Where there is darkness or light -- 'I am' there.

Within and without -- above and below -- in all places, directions, and times -- 'I am' there.

With each thought, word, dream, or action -- 'I am' there. 'I am' with you wherever you are.

End of the world teachings have been around for thousands of years.  Guess what -- each one of them has been wrong.  God is a God of the living -- not of the dead.  

Everyday is the end of the world for someone -- but then it is also a new beginning or a new birth for someone else.  The cycle of life goes on.

Eastern and Western teaching have been merged for more than 7000 years.  Their source is the same -- the One God. Maybe one day the petty power struggles and the intolerance or the just plain ignorance of the followers of the various sects will be over-come.

If you believe in One God -- then there is no equally powerful Satan or Devil..  The belief of Two equally powerful gods is from the Mithra Religion -- the religion of the Roman Legions who merged it with Christianity as they spread their teachings.  A system of religious chaos followed and continues to this day.

I will give my support to those who wish to bring harmony and peace back to this world in a loving way.  The people of the world are one family and need to begin to live as a family before we destroy ourselves and our world with and in ignorant power struggles.  

When we were small we each had an active imagination. When we got a little older and asked questions, we were told: 'O – Its just your imagination.'

The use of the imagination has lead to all the advancements of mankind. The modern era is driven by the imagination. All that we have was once just a thought in someones mind.

Why then are we still telling our children; 'Its just your imagination?' For as long as I remember a person with an active imagination was looked on as someone different and to be feared.

The Bible tells us that 'all' will be in accord with our belief; it will be as we have faith in ourselves and in our God. But then we have blindly followed what we are told about life and about God.

The prophets and leaders of the past told us all we need to know about God and how to worship and relate to him. We are told there is only one way to worship God.

Every creed is a particular path that will lead an individual to realize the Truth and the Wisdom of the Heart.

But often the god of one believer has no validity to another who believes something different. Yes – even individuals within our church may hold many different views of God.

But, what does this have to do with the imagination?

There is but One Essence that people all over the world call God although they use many different names. In each culture a variety of views are held. Words are used to unite the heart and mind. Others are used to control the people.

Yes – We agree to this but what does it have to do with the imagination?

God reveals himself to each person in accord with the view truly held in their imagination. Very rarely will He manifest in a way they do not expect to see. The greater and more inclusive you imagine God to be – the greater will be his interaction with you. The more restricted and exclusive you imagine God to be – the more restricted and less powerful will be his interactions. Such is the power within our imaginations.