John 7:38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
What we really believe in is who we are.That is our core. How we support our core affects all other aspects of our lives. Our core, our heart, is our mind. Our heart is not just the blood pump, and our mind is not the 3 lbs of grey muscle in our heads, but our very souls. How we think, descisions we make, our spirituality is in our soul, not our brain or machine that circulates our blood.
Since I went to the VA I have had several people encouraging mindfulness in my life. My son Deannie Jr. (kind of humiliating actually), Navy Seal Commander Jon Macaskill, Marc Ivanchack (founder of Wego) among many others. Even the non-Christians recognize that Christ Jesus is my core. My mind (core) is being transformed to the mind of Christ Jesus.
1 Cor 2-16 “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
When I get visibly upset for getting swindled in the market or over some new arbitrary law thrown at me by some governmental official, I am acting contrary to my core, which is Christ. I am reacting to my blood pressure going up, and or my brain screaming that I should react. But I am being conformed day by day into the image of Jesus. Whatever I do contrary to that throws me off.
2 Cor 3:18. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
I find when I am not thinking about the Lord. If I am not in prayer, listening to good teaching, worshipping God, reading the Bible or witnessing, I immediately forget that Jesus is my core. David meditated on the Lord day and night when he talked about the righteous man. Was he righteous because he meditates day and night or did he meditate day and night because he was righteous?
Psalm 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night
We deal with horrifically traumatized kids (and traumatized parents) probably because Winnie and I are traumatized. We would not fit as pastors in a church of blue haired old ladies in the states. God put us here to grow us into His image. It is critical to remember who we are, why we do what we do, and who we serve. I am at my core, being transformed to Christ. I am not a soldier, not a pastor, missionary, not even a husband or dad. My core is Jesus, and to become more like Him.
Philippians 3:10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
I often hear the comment, even more so lately, that Christians on the whole are a pretty cranky crowd. Crankiness, grouchiness, or just plain meanness comes from not being in line with Christ, within you. Church goers, if they are saved, have Christ in them. When they ignore the teaching of the Bible, and are disobedient to the urgings of the Holy Spirit, they get mean, because their life is contrary to whom they are at their core. Be true to your core, don’t loose your bearings over trivial things such as arguments over pre-trib/post-trib or king james only.
Romans 8:10 But if Christ is within you, though the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is life because of righteousness
Here’s a video of us giving out the Christmas presents. 1756 presents this year, and no sign of slowing down! God is so good, I love Him and I love you! Thank you!! https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMFsjTTGc/
Merry Christmas
Love Dean and Winnie