Freedom in General

05/06/2024

04/28/2024

And away we go! The State of Maine Republican Convention was this past weekend! It was the first state Convention I have been to and it was very interesting, very exciting. The comings and goings, the activity, the energy of the event was amazing.
I spent a very fair amount of time through my College years studying US History and I must say, It is exciting and humbling to be part of this process.
I am most excited to represent you when I get to Augusta as your State Representative. For those of you who do know can attest to the fact that I like meeting new people. Actually looking forward to that as the highlight of my campaign trail. Meeting you and learning about what's on your mind.
Sat down for dinner at the Convention Friday Night and met a new friend, relative maybe, Janice Flynn from Freeport! She's involved in the Cumberland County Republican Committee. What a wonderful lady, and now a friend.
I think I am going to like this campaigning! I am looking forward to meeting many, many more folks in the weeks to come.
Truly, what an amazing endeavor this American journey is.... I'll see you on the campaign trail! Together, along with thousands of other Janice's out there, we will join in a voice that will be certain to be heard! FREEDOM.

04/05/2024

04/02/2024

Hello All! I know I have not used this in quite some time yet FB is sending me some threatening message that they are going to shut down this page. I hope they don't.
Not sure what violations they are referring to...no one has been using it. I
I plan on using it in the months to come as I am going to use it....anyway, thought I would jump on here and ramble for awhile see if I can keep the fb police at bay....
Have a good one friends....talk soon...Paul....in FREEDOM.

08/08/2023

8-8-2023, Tuesday. Yup, I lost another Monday. Wow, they come up fast and furious. Out of no where Monday came and went! I glanced at the time and it was 10am, another quick glance and it was 10pm, and no post done. Actually made me quite mad, angry one could say. Yes, anger that all these "things" and "people" and "news" was making me agitated and candidly, angry.
Interesting to observe what we do with our anger. And why are we even angry in the first place? I guess we could trace those roots to the Original Sin and the fall of Man who is now living in the fallen world we created. And you know them. You know. Those people who are perpetually angry. All the time. Truth be told....some days that is me.
Yup, angry at the world; the politicians, the economy, the people who just don't get it! What "it" is remains to each of us. Nonetheless, that smelly, stench filled, health deteriorating menace called ANGER shows up. For some of us it becomes a moment of being very alone and very misunderstood.
Well, there's a remedy, a cure, a save all, or at least a place to deposit some of this useless emotion called Anger, it is called a relationship with God. You know, the creator of The Universe. The Alpha, The Omega, the omnipotent being called God. All of this available to us anytime through the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ. Yup, that simple, yet that complex...and scary.
Scary because we must surrender our anger, our feelings, our total self to an unseen, and in many cases a completely unknown, entity that we have heard about all our lives, but never edged closer to see what it is that is being offered in this "relationship". But, there is always a choice.
You can harbor these emotions of anger and all of his relatives that cause you to be at dis-ease and conquer each issue on your own in your own way. Guaranteed you will be creating more angst and anger for not just others, but yourself. How about before opening the door to let anger in you simply ask God to take it. And if that's too hard, simply ask God to be with you through it. Yes, a spirit that soothes you, calms you, tells you this is just a point in time. A spirit that does not leave you, that is ever present and available. A spirit friend that has been waiting to meet you on a deeper level for quite some time now.
Clearly, there is plenty to be mad about. I can scarcely leave my house these days without encountering someone, something, that is angry or mad. Me included. Yet, every moment you're feasting at the Anger Buffet, there is a friend who awaits you at the Dessert Table. His name is Jesus. Granted, you will experience long suffering and sadness, we always will with this world as our address, yet the reward of the feast is mouth watering. All you have to do is push away from the anger, move from the thing that is causing the irritation and consciously ask God to help. Your very next thought may be a happy one, or a calm one, or an anticipatory one, yet one that is void of the ingredients for anger.
So, go ahead, get angry. You are going to. No avoiding it. Yet, you can decide what you'll do with it. Act on it, let it sit inside and eat you up, conspire against the perpetrator, or, let it go. And by letting it go feel free to let it fly at God. Yup, tell Him how angry you are. Yell if you want. And then breath. Jesus mission on earth proved that God is incapable of abandoning His children. He came so we would never have to utter those words, ever.
You see, you're a spirit, in a human body. You can live in the spirit while still in this human vessel. And you can exercise all the emotions and feelings that come with this human form while simultaneously releasing the energies that do not serve you. God knows that, so He gave us Himself in the being of Jesus Christ; all human, all God. Pretty impressive resume.
Today, I will do my best to cast my care on Him. Take my anger Lord, as I take it to you in Faith. Give me the discernment to see the origins of my anger and allow me to forgive it by giving it to you. I, then, will carry on in joy as the anger has been buffeted.
And in the event that you feel this is a personal impossibility, take a few of these Blessings with you. They're from God and they are all around you. Go ahead, I dare you, look beyond the anger and madness, and you will find blessings galore....and in that search, you will find pure, undiluted FREEDOM

07/31/2023

7-31-2023, Monday. The last day of July 2023! What just happened here? Just last week we were ushering in a new year! Or so it seems. Time is moving at a meteoric clip. Information travels faster than it ever has in the history of mankind. Texts have replaced phone calls and the pleasantries of "How are you?" or "How's the family?" have become archaic and in most cases a waste of time as we need to get "right to the point"! We're all moving too fast.
And with the pace of a conqueror we go about our day. What is most disturbing is we're losing our filter. Well, it is not a new phenom but with the rapid exchange of information, happening within real time there is scarcely time to respond to someone let alone thinking of what we say before we say it.
We are reminded in the Book of James that we really would be better served if we learned to harness this thing called the "tongue". Not a quantum leap but we first must place a bit on the thoughts that we let become words.
A horse can be moved in any direction with a simple "bit" in the mouth, indicating in which direction the teamster wants the animal to go. An entire ocean going vessel weighing thousands more pounds than the tiny little rudder is guided on where to go with an elementary turn of a much smaller piece of metal. And the tongue, the mouthpiece of the brain can inflict a tremendous amount of pain and suffering by uttering words that may have been best left unsaid. Equally, the tongue can bring words of comfort, soothing, and hope. The question is, can you "guard" your tongue?
Yes. You can. But it will take work as you will have to first "harness" the mind. Or at least the switch in the brain that flips on when anger, disappointment, or injustice occurs.
A word of evil, a searing comment, a tone of disgust, a mumble of retort and off we go into insult land. To soon be followed by arguing, defending at best, and at worst, a soul that has been stabbed with the sword of the Tongue.
It is really sad and difficult to intermediate these issues but it seems to happen most within families. You know, the ones who love us the most. The ones we love the most. Maybe because we feel we can hit them deep, we go in hard.
So much conflict, internally and externally, can be avoided by simply thinking before we speak. Not only thinking, but what abut offering the thought to God before we open our mouth. Sure, reach inside, ask the Holy Spirit for a bit of guidance. It can be a simple as pausing, think, then put the tongue into action. What could be said to show some decorum, and respect for the receiving party? What word of encouragement could I give?
If it is a gnarly subject, ask God to be part of the conversation. Sure, ask the creator of the tongue, the master architect of your brain what words should be used. Oh, and I know this is not in vogue, but what about consulting the Word of God?
Ya know, take a look at the Book of James, Chapter 3, see what it has to say about the tongue! Hey, it can't hurt. And you just might find sweet somethings coming out of your mouth instead of your shoe going into your mouth. Try it! It is really less painful.
So, guard your words. Bridle the tongue. Leash the beast that is the sword of the soul. You can do it! At the very least, think about it. Ya, think before you speak. Now there's a novel idea!
Remember, information flies quickly. People are on edge and looking for the next bad thing to be said to them. Hit them where they don't expect it; in the ears with words from your tongue. Bless them, even if in silence. Pray for them unceasingly. Then, and only then, should you open you mouth and speak.
I know, it's hard. But here, take these, blessings from God. They'll help you. They will! Trust me. He's ever present. And if you doubt that, doubt the doubt, before you doubt Him. He's a Freedom giver. And He's waiting for you. Think before you speak. Consult your Holy Spirit before you unleash the power of the Tongue! You'll love what it brings you.....FREEDOM

07/24/2023

7-23-2023 Monday, Hope your weekend was a good one. We went to a wedding on Saturday evening. It was beautiful. It was outside in a pasture with a huge tent and the view overlooked the Camden Hills. Rather stunning. There were 400 invited guests! I got to thinking what is far and away the most amazing invitation you’ve ever received? You know, one where you immediately marked the calendar! Picked out a new outfit or made special plans around the special event. Invitations, give us hope, something to look forward to, to celebrate. Of course, there is the occasional not so good invitation, like jury duty, but as a rule they’re pretty positive.
With our human journey there remains a standing invitation. Handwritten by the creator of the Universe, the Alpha, and Omega. God. Yes, etched in your DNA is a tiny little map on how to get home, on how to survive this journey. It’s an invitation. Especially for you. It requires your response. And the really, really cool part of this invitation is that is keeps coming; with every beat of your heart God is knocking at your soul’s door asking for entry. God has extended His Holy Spirit to His children through the redeeming finished work of Jesus Christ. Just say yes! Nothing to be afraid of.
You see, the invitation is actually a reminder. A request for you to remember who you are, where you came from, why you are here, and where you’re going. And the sender is the same entity that has placed the stars over your head, and the grass under your feet, and the last breath you just took. Want to talk about an invitation!
This is one you want to respond to….
So, now you’ve been invited. It really is quite a blessing! Anyway, have a good Monday out there, you’ve been invited to participate….take some blessings for the ride….there’s an abundance here…..from….FREEDOM
AMEN

07/18/2023

7-18-2023, Yup, I lost another Monday. My apologies for not posting. But, I tried. I remember as a kid and young adult we would hear of the marvels of the computer and how it would make us more efficient and that it can do the work of 10 people. NOT. These things have made us more busy, less efficient and whole lot less human! We don't even talk anymore, we text.
Anyway, wow, am I off track already, going to be a long day.....yesterday just got away from me. Before I knew it, it was 5 pm. Ever have those days? And on days like that I find myself praying alot.
Not deep quiet alone meditative prayer, but the prayer of the moment, "God help me in the next few things I have to do", "God be with me as I travel". And when faced with difficulty,
"Jesus, let me feel your presence in this situation". Paul urges us to Pray unceasingly. Why? Because we are made to pray, to reach to Our Creator for help, for comfort. Yet, many times we don't because we think God is distant and this world convinces us that He is.
"He's distant and doesn't care" is something I hear alot. Well, all of that is false. God is near, very near. And He wants us to not only know that but he wants us to enjoy that. God wants to be near us, thus why He came and left us the Holy Spirit of Christ to be with us.
Not just the saving assurance of salvation, and the surety of eternity in heaven, but the here and now, "closer to you than the last breath you took", very alive Spirit of Jesus Christ. He's close!
You see, we've lost the Jesus strength of this moment. The strength that He is is not some distant story in the bible. It's not some prophecy waiting to happen. It already happened! The tomb is empty, He is here and available in the Holy Spirit this moment, and all moments.
We've spent so much time on the forgiveness of our past(what is the past but the present moment gone by), and the longing for the Grace of Heaven to come, that we can't see Jesus in the here and now moment. We've lost the power of Jesus in the NOW. The "this moment" Jesus. The Jesus, the Spirit that never leaves, never left. The Spirit that is with you at the graveside and the Spirit that is with you in the traffic jam. The Spirit that is with you, the Spirit that is you.
You are a child of God. The same God who placed the stars in the sky, placed His love in your heart. He wants you to now that. He has given us His Holy Spirit. Sadly, looking around and one can visibly see and experience a world full of people who have forgotten who they are and the faith that God is close.
This Holy Spirit, Jesus, is for our soul what the Sun is to Flowers. With Him we grow and shine. Without Him, we wilt and die. Look around! With Him we find the real life of being connected to the source of our being. The giver of life. Without Him we are stuck in the tempest that is becoming life on planet earth.
Experience the Jesus of the moment. The real time, 24/7 presence of the Spirit of The God who created and manifested the sun to rise over your world within the last hour, the keeper and giver of the last breath you just took. The designer and creator of the eyes you're using to read this. He's that close, He's that real.
So, feel the closeness. Experience the Spirit of your Creator in this moment, this day. Pray, he's listening. He's waiting. He's close.
And don't forget it's Tuesday. So, here, you can take both Monday's and Tuesday's blessings with you....you may need help, the blessings are heavy! Look around.....FREEDOM....

07/10/2023

7-10-2023, Monday. Yup, we made it to the second week in July, the fourth has come and gone and one could say that summer is in full swing! Remember summer's as a child? Wake up every morning and there was a certain adventure awaiting! Ahhh, to be a kid again.
How many times a week do you say or think that? To be a kid again; no worries, no schedule, no responsibility, just living and leaving the caring to the responsible ones. Now I am not saying that we should all dismiss our responsibilities and go catch a bunch of Bull Frogs, but maybe we could slow it down a bit, lose a little of the seriousness and maybe see what God thinks about some of this.
In Mark 10: 13-16 we see the children approaching Jesus, parents and adults bringing their children to Jesus. In the heat of the moment, the disciples, attempt to prevent the little ones from coming forward, for there were many people attempting to get to Jesus. Upon seeing what they were doing Jesus became "indignant" with them for preventing the children from coming forward.
We are made to worship and to have faith. You are going to worship something and you are going to have faith in something. In what is the question. Jesus makes it clear, The Kingdom of Heaven is made for such Faith as is found in a child. Unfettered by this world's trauma's a child is trusting and loving. Here, the children, in their innocence are drawn to The Christ. Yet the disciples attempt to stop them.
Jesus is asking you to trust Him, to hold onto the promises of God with childlike innocence and TRUST. To come forward toward Him with the trust and carefree approach that He will care for and protect you in this very broken world. Not saying a relationship with Christ magically turns your world into rainbows and lollipops, but you will have the blessed assurance of never, ever being alone in your travels. Never!
And what of the disciples? Filtering who gets close to God. Well, they meant well, as do many churches today, but Christ is clear, let ALL come to me. Children in age, and children in their walk with Him. Be not hindered by the judgements and religions of Man. Do not. With laser like focus and the trusting heart of a Child, take that step toward Jesus. He's sitting right there, in front of you, hand out, waiting for your next step.
Trust, with the heart of a child. Cast your worry and care on Him. Remember, He is with you and this journey is temporary. He came to guide you home and to show you how to not only survive this journey, but to thrive in the ushering in of The Kingdom to Come.
It begins with a Child Like Heart. And the cool part.....it never ends....so today as you walk to the edge of the pool, go ahead jump in, Jesus is waiting to catch you....you'll be amazed at how it feels when you jump into the open arms of God....pure, undiluted....FREEDOM...stay blessed.

07/03/2023

7-3-2023, Monday, and a Happy 4th of July to all. 247 years ago this concept of self government took tangible form. And all these years later it seems we're still fighting to keep it....which we are. Pretty scary stuff, no King, no Monarch, no one telling us what to do but what we humans simply doing what we want to do....and governing ourselves.
Important to note here that the founding principles of such a grand experiment are based on the tenets of the New Testament of Jesus Christ. Freedom of Consciousness is spawned from the Spiritual Waters of man's reconcilement to His Creator. And a free society is the fertile ground on which to lay such powerful seeds. One nation, under God....hmmmm. Hardly seems it today doesn't it?
Yesterday we spoke of The Prodigal Son. While many of us know this parable told by Jesus in the Gospel of Luke and have focused on the Son and his waywardness and the deep abiding love of the father. While much emphasis has always been on the son, for a moment this morning, let's look at the Father.
Upon seeing his son's form in the distance, the father ran to meet him. The "wayward son" who'd squandered his inheritance living the "High Life". He was overcome with the love for his son and all he wanted has occurred, his son was coming home! The father did not want to hear what he had to say; his apologies falling on the father's ears that were ringing with Joy at the presence of his son in front of him. He instructs all to prepare for a celebration of the event and lavishes his son with an unconditional love that literally stuns the son. How could this be? He had insulted, walked on, disrespected and literally abandoned his father and family. The father ran out to meet him at the sight of his son!!!?
Message here? God loves us deeply, so much so that at the point in time when we, his Prodigal's, turn our Spirit back toward him in humble acceptance that we are loved, that we are broken, alone, selfish, and that we need Him, He takes the next steps, strides actually. He runs to us! We, in our unworthy state, find it too good to be true. But, that's the Truth. Can't be denied.
Debated it will be. We, in our smug attitude of not needing God continue to live the lives of squandered inheritance. We empty the account of Peace and Calm at the alter of the here and now. We trade calm for materialism. We trade love for fellow man for the security of bank accounts and bigger houses. We place our God given imagination and creativity inside the world of electronics and find ourselves living in a world we can only escape from with a screen in front of our eyes and ear buds an inch from our brain. Look around? Read the news? We are lost. We are Prodigal.
So, a crazy thought this Independence Day weekend, let's exercise the Freedom to turn ourselves back toward home, toward Our Creator, The God of the Universe, creator of all, who awaits His children. He not only waits, He's ready to spring forth and run to meet us, anywhere, anytime. All we have to do is to recognize the truly broken state that we are all in and point our soul toward home.
We are all broken. Everyone of us. We have allowed the God given gifts to His children to be hidden and neutralized by the desire to seek our own Kingdom of self, rather than advancing the Kingdom of God.
So, you see, there's always Hope. America was founded on Hope. A deep abiding Hope that man can and will recognize who he really is; an amazing creation, created by an amazing God. As long as there remains a spark of Hope in God for each individual person, there is a fire of Spirit that is ready to run to meet us, to accept us, to love us, to welcome us home.
Hey, what do you say we all simply stop what we're doing, quiet our brains for a couple minutes, and turn our faces back to the peace and security of an eternal spirit, home. Once we do, The Holy Spirit of God, in the form of Jesus Christ will be there, running full speed ahead, arms wide open, welcoming us.
We will then feel the inexplicable joy of the Prodigal as the embrace from the father envelopes us, and the celebration begins. A new robe(new way of living), gifts( Joy in the spirit), and a cook out(abundance) await us....in the father's house!
As for our earthly home in the here and now, the place we do truly love, The United States of America, let's celebrate the independence we do have, see it for what it is, a grand endeavor for FREEDOM.....stay blessed.....

06/27/2023

6-27-2023, Tuesday...what happened to Monday? Yes, true to the lives in which we are all leading these days, I simply ran out of Monday to get a post done. I know. No excuses. Besides, what could be more important than writing about and spending time with Jesus? Well, nothing really, but the world called and off I went....which leads me to our friend, Legion!
Noted in both Mark and Luke( clearly a character and lesson God wants us to know about) we are introduced to the craziest of crazies; so deep and ingrained are the issues this world heaped on him that he no longer knows his own name and is simply referenced as the "Legion" of problems he is. He is possessed by Demons. The Demon's origins are born within him, within us. What is a Demon? But a human thought made alive in the human imagination. And our pal Legion had a very active imagination.
Jesus heard his cried and demonic howling from a distance and set forth to meet him. Upon seeing Jesus, Legion comes to Him and recoils in the "torment" that Christ would place on him. Christ's response? What is you name? His human name. Christ didn't recognize the maladies associated with him, He saw Him as a child of God, whole and perfect, covered with this world's fallenness. Yes, tis world's menagerie of lies to place the human soul in bo***ge.
The bo***ge of thought. Of we're not worthy of God's unconditional love, we are not worthy of a life of Joy and forgiveness, we're not worthy and we wander the tombs howling for relief, for some break in the mental torment. We move too fast. And don't for a minute think that we're not all Legion! We bask in the tombs of addiction, alcoholism and drugs, the tomb of self pity, of unforgiven anger that festers under the surface, the tomb of grief, the tomb of physical illness, the tomb of aloneness, the tomb of aging. You see, there is a reason that Legion's story is so noted twice in New Testament Scripture, we are Legion.
We all wander the tombs of hurriedness, of attempting to figure out and solve everything on our own. And when we fail to recognize and deal with the thoughts that we should extinguish when they occur, the thought that if not placed at Jesus feet may very well grow into a full blown Demon when nourished in the caverns of the human imagination.
And the people in the town, they knew Legion was there. They knew he was crazy. Yet, as long as he was out there, a truly crazy, demon possessed man, they weren't so bad off. At least they weren't as crazy as him. Don't we do the exact same thing? Look at the marginalized drug addict, homeless person, and keep them at a safe distance, and think to ourselves; at least I am not like him? What is dangerous is that anyone of us could become as dark as Legion. On a deeper level, the danger here is we don't see that when one of us suffers, when one of Jesus' children (which is all of humanity) we truly all suffer in our Spirit.
Christ tells Legion he's going to be ok. He commands the Demons( bo***ge of thoughts) that have enveloped this poor soul to leave him. They did. They had no choice.
Yup, they had no choice at the name of Jesus. News flash, you have the same problems as Legion and you now have the same power of the Holy Spirit to dispel of those problems. Simply call out to Jesus, let Him hear your groans within your Tomb of problems. He will come. Be not afraid. Legion was at first. At times the healing Love of God can be scary because you must say goodbye to the Demons that have become your companions. They don't like it when they're asked to go away. Fear not, give them notice. You're not going to allow them quarter any more.
Oh, and when you encounter a Legion today, or in the near future, look at them with deep love, with your Holy Spirit vision, and see them as a child of God who has been beaten and battered by this world's myriad problems. Look at them with great compassion, with a thought that this was a person who was someone's love song, was once an innocent baby, and look at them now, what happened? Well, this world happened with all it's Legions of thoughts that take on life in the human imagination and spawn these nasty little demons that manifest into big Demons.
Like Legion, place yourself and all these nasty little guys at the feet of Jesus. You may find yourself remarkably at Peace, if even for a moment.
Take time to see yourself as not the sum of your problems, but as a cherished, loved, healed and redeemed child of a very Living God. A God that hears your cries in the wilderness of your life, and who shows up, and kicks the bad guys out.
And while you're at it, take a look at what Mark and Luke wrote about the encounter between Jesus and Legion....somewhere in there, if you look close enough, you'll find you....the blessing that is your life, and you'll find Jesus coming toward you....be not afraid....Jesus is the ultimate....FREEDOM

06/12/2023

6-12-2013, Monday. I was thinking, is Monday the best morning to do a weekly post? I mean it's Monday. No one likes Monday. Maybe a Wednesday, hump day message? Or Friday? Then I thought, why not Monday? What better day to receive a bit of Spiritual encouragement than the first day of the work week! It really is a blessing, isn't it?
Ya know, maybe we should spend time on the seeing the blessings in and around us, rather than the constant barrage of negative news, nastiness, fighting, tumult, a constant chorus of negative occurrences deluge us every day. In each of these moments there is an equal number of, if not more than, things to be thankful for, simple blessings that abound if only we'd see.
Provided for us each day is a bounty of good, of gifts from God, physical and spiritual.
As I write this there is a glorious sunrise bursting onto the scene. There is food in my kitchen, there is a roof over my head, clothes in my closet, a few dollars for my wallet, and a home and life with people in it who love me. Yes, I could come up with a list of 20 things that are not right or bothersome in less than 20 seconds, yet in spending my time and energy on the things I cannot really change, I am not giving attention to, or even simply recognizing the blessings that are all around me.
The fruit of the spirit comes in the recognition of the gifts and blessings that are around us always. Because? God is with us always.
And, we live in a very fallen world. Yup, fallen, fragile humans going out into a fragile fallen world every day. Hardly a picture of hope. Yet, when you change to a simple function of "counting" the many blessings around you, in you, you begin to change the world in which you live, which changes the world that others encounter.
Let people see the blessed you. The you that has confidence through the Holy Spirit that all will be well, that all is well, that there is a force of justice and righteousness that is alive in each of the blessings that you see and experience.
Yes, today, this morning, this Monday morning, take a few moments, pull out a piece of paper and a pen, start with the things within eye sight that are a blessing in your life, write them down, the list will grow quickly....and guess what? In the moments when you were counting all the blessings you didn't have one thought of the obstacles, or bad news that is force fed us!
Over time, this could develop into a habit! Yes, a habit of "counting your blessings"! Now there's something that might just make a Monday morning a bit more enjoyable.
Hey, here's a thought, go ahead and extend a blessing to someone. Yes, be not afraid. We have become so afraid of what others may say or think that we have lost our power to extend a spiritual blessing of God to someone else. We say "God Bless You" when someone sneezes, why not a God Bless You when you greet someone? Or when we leave their company? A simple God Bless places the giver and receiver in the Spiritual place with the Creator and given from the Holy Spirit, well, it's pretty powerful stuff. You just have to have a little Faith.
Here, I have something for you to take with you today, actually something to write down on your list, a whole heaping helping of Blessings, just for you...Blessings of pure Freedom....from your friends...in...FREEDOM.