Monthly Archives: July 2020

Nathan Dooley

Weigh The Meaning Of Value In The Balance

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QUESTIONING VALUE

I’ve been thinking A LOT about the significance of “value” for a few weeks now… “what does it mean? How is it defined?“ When I wake up and decide to drink some water, take in sustenance; I don’t naturally think to myself… “why am I doing this?”. I just do it. But thinking about it now, it feels as though I’m a slave to this…“value system”. Things just don’t add up. “Is this our purpose in life?” Wake up and use the restroom, drink water, eat food, calculate your contribution to life and go to work. “Where is the value?”, I wonder. I’ve decided to detach myself from what I think the meaning of value is in the world and take on a different approach. “What if I choose to go to work without earning money?” The idea is to work as though I wasn’t going to receive a paycheck, that may sound stupid but in principle, it’s not. Money is not God, it is a necessary tool of prerogative for not offending the world governed by such a value system (as though it is God). Let me explain.

In the gospel according to Matthew 17:24-27; my understanding from research is that the temple tax collectors came to Capernaum and confronted Peter about Jesus paying the temple tax (that apart from the priests every Jew 20 years and above was required to pay) which is basically contributing to the upkeep of the temple (where God dwells). And seeing how Jesus and the apostles were not considered priests of the temple, they too were required to pay this tax according to the custom of old testament law. However, let’s investigate what Jesus says and does about this temple tax collection considering how Jesus is actually, the ultimate Priest. The power of the priest is found in virtue, not money. Observe…

24 When they came to Capernaum, those who collected the two-drachma tax came to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the two-drachma tax?” 25 He *said, “Yes.” And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs or poll-tax, from their sons or from strangers?” 26 When Peter said, “From strangers,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are exempt. 27 However, so that we do not offend them, go to the sea and throw in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for you and Me.”

Now according to google and the coinmill converter, a shekel today is worth 0.29 cents of the United States Dollar. There is so much I want to dive into with this idea of currency, but what fascinates me presently is the measure of value exchange between the Israelite’s and their temple priests collecting this two-drachma tax at that time. According to my research—specifically amazing discoveries—in Exodus 30 and Numbers 3 we find the reason for this contribution to the temple.

“11 The LORD also spoke to Moses, saying, 12 “When you take a census of the sons of Israel to number them, then each one of them shall give a ransom for himself to the LORD, when you number them, so that there will be no plague among them when you number them. 13 This is what everyone who is numbered shall give: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs), half a shekel as a contribution to the LORD. 14 Everyone who is numbered, from twenty years old and over, shall give the contribution to the LORD.” (Exodus 30:11-14)

44 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 45 “Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the sons of Israel and the cattle of the Levites. And the Levites shall be Mine; I am the LORD. 46 For the ransom of the 273 of the firstborn of the sons of Israel who are in excess beyond the Levites, 47 you shall take five shekels apiece, per head; you shall take them in terms of the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs), 48 and give the money, the ransom of those who are in excess among them, to Aaron and to his sons.” (Numbers 3:44-48)

But why did Jesus make a point to question Peter about the collection of customs? Who are the kings of the earth? And why did Jesus say that the …sons are exempt? It sounds to me like Jesus is clarifying a point for Peter to recall later. Are all Israelites exempt from such customs? The answer is yes, but it was not time for that answer to come into fruition yet. The next phrase from Jesus is of most importance because it gives revelation to the meaning of value. “However, so that we do not offend them…“, but why? Why not offend these collectors with the truth about the pointlessness of this contribution?

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Nathan Dooley

For My Fellow Addicts

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The Unheard Website: by Dallas Fluegel

Introducing The Unheard article by Dallas Fluegel

Click the link above and discover The Unheard where my friend Dallas Fluegel brings a mixture of flavors from the musical world to your ears. Below is a taste of Dallas’s’ work and I pray it moves you as it has moved me. For The Addicts. Enjoy!

Breathe Again by Swingin Hammers

Nashville Tennessee’s Swingin Hammers is Benjamin Rupe, father, husband, and a shockingly authentic human being. Ben describes himself as a fighter by nature and his mission is to “challenge unto life.” What does that mean!? I’m sure we can find out. Swingin Hammers currently sits at 6,473 monthly Spotify listeners making him a prime candidate for our artists spotlight.

Swingin Hammers released his self titled album in 2017 and Quite, Vol 1 in 2020. The song that really got my attention was Breathe Again from the Album Swingin Hammers. It is a raw, heartfelt ballad expressing deep, emotional truths. The song is simple, but stunning. It can have me nearly in tears and smiling in the same 4 minutes. There is so much I can say about it, but Benjamin was kind enough to tell me about the song and I will share that with you after you give the song a listen. Lyrics, Meaning, & Commentary below.

LYRICS (Courtesy of jesusfreakhideout.com)

Stepping out into the light
Look around you say it’s alright
It hurts to peel the bandage off
But I see now just what it costs

It’s like I can breathe again
It’s like I’ve got a heart within
It’s like I can feel again
Just learning to breathe you in

When I was clear, oh so honest
About the doubts and confusions in my mind
You did not, no, cast me down to hell
You just looked at me and you kindly smiled

It’s like I can breathe again
It’s like I’ve got a heart within
It’s like I can feel again
Just learning to breathe you in

Oh cause I been runnin’
Away from confession
I been lookin’ for healing
Where it’s not mine to find
Without the pain of a strong love
That loves enough to wound

It’s like I can breathe again
It’s like I’ve got a heart within
It’s like I can feel again
Just learning to breathe you in

It’s like I can breathe again
It’s like I’ve got a heart within
It’s like I can feel again
Gotta learn to, gotta learn to breathe you in

Meaning (according the author)

“Breathe Again is a song about how excruciatingly painful and how unbelievably freeing confession is. It was written with my porn addiction in mind mostly, but also my previous life in alcoholism as well. At least those are the two most tangible ones that I think of. I remember having to confess that sin of porn over and over again and how every single time it felt like a bandage that just needed [to be] ripped off. It was exhausting and TERRIFYING every time, but it would free me of my sin. All of that’s based off of 1 John 1:7-8. Here: 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. All that to say, Jesus is incredibly kind to us.”

Commentary

When the Church is done right it is a breathtakingly beautiful institution. I remember my first taste of confession. I remember being afraid to say what I was going through. I remember being scared of being kicked out of the group. And then I remember my friends responding with a smile and some of the most powerful words in the world, “Me too.”

You did not, no, cast me down to hell
You just looked at me and you kindly smiled

Wow. What a moment. To know that I wasn’t alone in my brokenness meant so much to me. Overtime I have become fully known and fully loved. Being fully known means my church group knows my past and they know my thought life, past and current. They have heard the darkest, most vile thoughts of mine and have welcomed me into their home. It’s crazy. It’s wonderful. It is powerful.

Benjamin says Swingin Hammer’s mission is to ‘challenge unto life.’ I think this means he wants encourage people to not live a life of mediocrity. The life he is imploring us to is one of authenticity and meaning where we can be fully known and fully loved, then fully know and fully love others.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it in all its fullness.” ~ Jesus in John 10:10

If you want to hear Benjamin’s additional commentary on the song you can find it below.

You can find Swingin Hammers on their website or follow them on Facebook, Youtube, or Spotify. You can get a free copy of Swingin Hammers most recent album here. You can buy the self titled album, Swingin Hammers on iTunes or Amazon.

As always feel free to share the music, the website, or maybe even both with your fellow music lovers.

This article from Dallas speaks so much to me because addiction is real, a real problem, and whatever addiction it is… will suffocate the life out of us if we let it. Benjamin is singing to the heart of multitudes that are drowning in addiction, suffocated by the waterlog torture of false satisfaction and pleasure. But when you encounter the truth of Christ! You can, BREATHE AGAIN!

Nathan Dooley

How To Deconstruct False Faith And Transform

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What does it mean to have faith?

Faith means that people function as subjective truth to the God of objective truth. People are subject to their function, and I don’t mean personal ambitions, but quite literally sitting on the toilet to obey the necessary functions of the digestive system. You might not want to take a poo, but that poos’ coming whether you like it or not. So we are required to live in relationship with the objective truth that designed our bodies to function in that truth, subjectively. We didn’t design our parents to subject themselves to their reproductive systems for our birth into this world, yet the information is written into the male and female genetic code.

Faith is the evidence that proves we didn’t write the language of our existence, yet we exist for a genetic function of sustainable truth, but what’s more is our profound ability to know that science. We’ve come to the age of technology where truth is discoverable at the quantum level. You’d think by stepping on the scale of our intellectual capacity today in caparison to millenniums ago we’d figure out the significance of faith by now—not to insult—but to enlighten us about the meaning of life. That understanding should bring us to an experience of hope. There will hopefully come a time millenniums in the future where our kids will experience truth in the twinkling of an eye, in a moments’ time. Why not hope for such transformation?

Until then though… we have each other right now to make sense of our faith by the truth we have available to us today. Apart from the fact we can think for ourselves, what are we exactly? Are we no more than a species of biological organisms called “human beings”? If we apply the concept of choice and choose not to think beyond what limits us biologically, what is a human being without the consciousness of our knowledge that governs our convictions to educate? Are we not anything more than a species of animal that plays with “fancy” rocks? Or is that the test of our faith? To not give into the experimentation that tempts us beyond the natural responsibility of care for this ecosystem? What is the correct interpretation of the language that preaches the fear of the Lord through faith?

How do we interpret the meaning of faith?

We interpret it by an admittance of the unknown. We are not an objective species in the sense that we created ourselves and breathed life into our lungs for the purpose of being God our Father. We are a species of creature that understands two independent truths that I mentioned before—subjective truth and objective truth—and function in respect to the nature of such truths’ for a purpose. That purpose is to transform from the creature we are into the creature we become. What creature will you become? Will you be an evil devil or a godly person? The relationship you have between the objective and subjective truth will determine the creature you become in the future.

Did you wake up lying to yourself and everyone else around you because of unanswered questions to the meaning of your life? Do you eat whatever you want without care for consequence? Do you think your heart beats and your mind thinks because you formed yourself in your mother’s womb? Can you go without coffee or tea, sugar or cream, whatever that desire is that is impulsive to your creature? Do you abuse the creature you are because you deny the truth about what you are consuming? Is what you consume the interpretation of what you will become unless you accept the help from the objective truth that gives you life and wisdom? The Holy Spirit of God.

It might be that you are raised in a country where your religion is your god? It might be that you refuse to accept the power of God because you are not Jesus Christ, the Son of God? It might be that your desire for “numbers” is to feel valuable by an objectively calculating value system? It might be that you desire to be king, ruler, leader, and administrator of changing peoples lives for the “right” cause? It may be that you want to be worshiped for saving peoples lives as to replace the God who gave you life? It may be that you don’t feel worthy of life and are giving up on the reason to live?

Why we are going to transform?

We are going to transform because it is written in the language of objective truth. Objective truth sets the standard for eternal life and gives inspiration to the creatures willing to subject themselves to that standard. When creatures that live in sin are aligned with the standard of objective truth they are accepting the help of the Holy Spirit for personal transformation. The process is not easy nor simple, but development is not meant for false faith—don’t give into the enticement of your addictions—when you know how strong the Lord of your salvation is! Keep the faith! Don’t be afraid!

The creature that you are now is a body of flesh and blood susceptible to deceit and delusion unless you gear up and accept the necessary discipline for change. Stop looking at pornography and read a book. Stop fantasizing about pleasure and build a table for your office. Stop taking advantage of the innocent and teach wisdom. Stop condemning the sinner and hope for their salvation. Stop lying to yourself and live out the language of objective truth that will save your soul. Look at your metaphorical compass and see what direction your facing, then ask yourself, “Where am I going and why?”.

You have a responsibility to yourself, your family, and those involved on the path you are on. (2 Corinthians 5:16-18) The apostle Paul said, 16 Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. 17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,. Faith is your God given ability to be aware of good and evil for the reason of accepting love through the blood given on the cross of objective truth, life eternal in the kingdom of heaven. Since death is defeated in Christ, what more is there than to behave as ready for the time to live again as the new creature you are in faith?