May my life–despite myself–reflect back into His Name! May it be a radiant whisper into the universe of who He is. That is my highest desire. I always wanted to be a receptor and reflector of God. That is from very young. I thought–what this world needs is true mica–something that unexpectedly shines in the darker places. When all looks like a coal mine, i wanted to be that one shimmer. That is my heart. May it be so, in Jesus Name. Amen

“Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am known.” I Cor 13:12

We are seen by God. And as we join in His Perception, we start to see ourselves, others, our cities and nations as He sees them.

“When you look at the world, what is it that you see?” Bono asks.

God’s perception is higher in form and manner than ours. How He sees things, is
much more multilayered simultaneously. He beholds whole sagas instantly.
He sees things as whole, through His Son. His Son is like His lens. He
shares His Perceptions through His Spirit. So a real ongoing
relationship with The Holy Spirit is essential for a true artist or true Seer.
(I invite The Spirit to come for this clarity of perception. So we
can see clearly).

Yes, we see in part, but we can certainly see much more clearly, for the Holy Spirit brings clarity of vision. The Spirit is a clarifying agent, allowing us to see more purely what is. Through this Spirit we can see more clearly ourselves. For this is part of the role or task of the Spirit to guide us into all truth, including the truth about ourselves. Self insight comes through the Holy Spirit. He guides us into a true sight or vision of ourselves!

This perception-His- brings
healing and deliverance!  Healing is when we see that we have not seen correctly, and we are convicted of our false vision. Deliverance is when the old is displaced by the new Life in Him–including how we see ourselves, others, and the world. We are delivered from the false into the true Perception.

The displacement of our old visions of ourselves is a type of perceptual deliverance. The healing comes as we reconcile our own versions of our lives, with His Perception of who we are. The disparity between our True Image and how we see and thus treat ourselves is the grief of becoming…

To enter God’s Perception of ourselves is to firstly be in pain, at how we have lived as if it were not true. (Again, the Spirit guides us into all truth-starting with the truth about ourselves!) Then we are delivered from these false, or simple “soul-versions” of our own movie, into His eternally magnificent version of who we are, through His Son. We are the brothers and sister of Jesus after all, and what we will become, has not yet fully been revealed. What a wonder each of us is. What a grand poem which God hand wrote in the ink of His Own Blood. We must receive His Perception of ourselves, because it is whole; and move towards the incarnation of this poem of His.

How He sees, is higher than us. His Perception is of another manner. He offers us vistas, leading towards the “face to face” vision.

Seeing it complete and whole and acting towards that vision is a key.

The action towards our becoming whole, is oriented by His Perception. You see it, then you can do it. Vision motivates fuller incarnation!  Throughout scripture, God asked the prophets to see it first, envision it, then, in Him, become it!
If you can’t see it as it truly is, it’s hard to move and act towards it.This is the gift of His Vision to us. How God ministers into and through the imagination! God will first show you how it will be, then we can transform towards this image!  If we cannot visualize our true image of ourselves, we will struggle to move in the steadfast direction towards the incarnation of that full person we are, the one Christ died for.

In short, we need to see who we are, in order to be motivated to become it. He shows us glimpses of who we are, so we can move towards that wholeness. He does not move without first revealing where He is shuttering us towards.
We see a person in/by the Spirit, then we guide that vision into
incarnation. That’s discipleship through His Perception. It’s one way
into True Self which is in Christ. We are what we see through His
Eyes. Let’s start becoming that!

(Pondering, after seeing Marc Chagall’s chapel in Nice, France. What a nice closing prayer to his life–especially the piano, with ascending prophets seen, only as you open it, and it is played–their words came alive as the vibration of the chords were struck! Felt true).

When I see pieces like these, i think ok, there, is an imagination in dialogue. That artist started to enter the “thou” , or soul or being of that subject, and had his or her own language developed enough to enter a saturated conversation.

I like overhearing or overseeing such instances. And when we do, something in us gets awakened to the potential contours of a single dialogue or conversation. There are so many levels to each instant-as the post-impressionist taught us. One sunset is worth a thousand meditations-and uniquely nuanced pondering of the same passing instant.

But then, when an artist turns to the universal and transcendent stories of scripture, and is able to move from the distance of illustration into a direct conversation with the spirit of the thing, you just sense it and know it, and are overwhelmed, by the depth of encounter. The artist pondering the word, symbolizes the human pondering God. And that is a majestically simple but profound sign of who we are as humans.

What is interesting is that you barely notice the technique at that point. The mature artist’s technical skills become concealed or in service to the dialogue with his or her subject. That is not to say technique or medium doesn’t matter, it is as if it is, in the matured artist, hidden from sight, and in service to the higher conversation between the artist and subject. It becomes an act of sheer beholding.

That type of art, signals and even compels one to enter the exchange. This is not just self expression, but self to self interchange; wherein, the I-Thou encounter starts to form a mid-air and mid-medium dance of being. Some portraits are like this, where the true identity of the subject is so honorably beheld, and so tenderly deep, that you feel as if you have met that person, or subject on some level. I have been there, i have seen that field, i have smelled those autumn fields. I have looked into those eyes.

With others you feel the violation or projective seeing. Then you are primarily looking at the artist’s wounds, and how it sees Reality. That is more like reading an autobiography, I think. But, I am most interested in pieces where this level of communion between seer and seen occurs.

Identity beholding identity is the stuff of true communion.

There is a teaching of perceiving itself in great art. How to see unseen layers of meaning in the subject. To see that there is more to even each instant than we imagined; that a simple evening cafe scene can become a universal metaphor of humanity trying to find evening’s sabbath, is one of the gifts of the artist. There is more than immediately meets the eye. Reality is complex and nuanced. And great art makes a portion of that complexity visible to the naked eye.

Even our own act at looking at art, is about us watching perception itself trying to say, this is what I saw. Not all of what I saw, but the part I could translate. That’s art.

I like beholding people on this level of being; other artist, like landscapes, or animals, color itself, texture, patterns. Regardless of what is beheld, it is the act of beholding-and its depth-that we are looking at when we view art.

What of the artist’s being was risked in the gaze? To the degree that it cost the gazer in them, the art is profound. To the degree that we perceive, we engage in the mysticism of seeing. Perhaps, we can only see to the degree that we are seen. Or perhaps, we are trying to see in order to be seen, as in the case of some artist. Either way, the radiance of resonance in a piece of art, has to do with the depth of sight and exchange between who is seeing and what is seen. That is the I-Thou opportunity in art making.

The power of true perception is underrated in terms of the healing of our own eyes or our deeper “I” through which we interpret even ourselves. In this sense, looking at art is truly healing. It is a particular brand of healing, but there is this cleansing of perception which osmotically occurs in beholding great art. This is not a cultural thing. It is a human need. For when we see someone seeing truly, we ourselves are somehow healed.

The plank teaching…

God gave me this week, from Jesus teaching about removing the plank in our own eye (way of seeing or perceiving), before removing the speck in our brother or sister’s eye. We are allowed to remove the plank in our own eye–we are allowed to judge ourselves at a “plank” level–deep insights into our own sin and blocks, and false vision–even areas where we see falsely because we could not see ourselves; and YET, even when it is removed, we are only allowed to remove specks in other’s eyes.

There is a word here about judgement and its laws or how it works. Jesus said, first remove this plank in your own eye, which He will give you insight to do; then you will be able to remove specks in other’s eyes. Judgment begins with ourselves, and His Pleasure is to remove entire planks in our sight and eyes. And then to allow us to help others remove specks in theirs.

Often we reverse this, and try to remove planks in others eyes and specks in our own. But His Way is to allow us to remove huge blocks in our own lives, and then maybe to remove some small blocks in other’s lives. It is God’s way to begin in us, whatever we minister outwards to others. We can only help others to the degree we have allowed Him to form this area of Himself  in us. Our first job is always to judge our own house, and to allow Him to give us self discernment; then if He desires, He may allow us to minister this outwards to others.

This “plank” level means we are given Grace to remove huge sins and blocks in our own lives, and then if He wishes, to help others remove specks in theirs. It’s not that we can’t help others move large stones in their lives, but we start with allowing Him to roll away our own stones, and then if He allows us to help other’s with theirs, fantastic!

But judge ourselves first. Come humbly and correct ourselves, so that He will not have to remove that plank as He did with Paul. It is painful to go entirely blind. He would desire that we remove our own planks in His Power-rather than Him having to yank them out. And then, as He is formed in that area, to be helpful in ministering that part of Him to others!

Another hope point in this, is that Paul continues to remove quite a few specks in the church’s lens throughout her history! So once, that plank was removed, there was a humility and grace to truly serve the whole, and the church got a ravishing and accurate vision of her future!

“THE EYES OF THE LORD ROVE THE EARTH LOOKING FOR THE RIGHTEOUS.” He is looking to discern His Own reflection. something “like” what He created or intended the creation to be. He searches, almost hunts for the “turned souls” etc–throughout history He roves, hovering over, considering, where to gaze into and who to gaze through!  He wants to find things that make Him remember it was a good idea.

He considers the layers of meaning of each event–even in history, like the titanic. To fathom all the layers of what occurred and what that meant; many of the layers only God could know, as His Spirit searched the waters or heard last prayers…

WHEN HIS EYES LAND ON the righteous, HE CAN THEN LOOK THROUGH THEM. This is an image i am seeing, be patient with me. I see the Lord looking over the earth (esp the oceans), and when He comes on a righteous soul or gate of light, He is able to ponder there; then you bring in Jesus who basically allows Him to ponder over the whole earth. Righteous people are like God”s portals through which His Spirit can see- spirit to Spirit; deep calls to deep; His gaze penetrates the oceans in search of the righteous souls who shined and shine forth still.

THE RIGHTEOUS ARE MY EYES ON EARTH, THROUGH WHICH MY PERCEPTION POURS FORTH ONTO THE EARTH. GOD PARTNERS WITH HUMANITY IN SEEING WELL. IN PERCEIVING ACCURATELY–AS HE SEES. GOD’S EYES. They rove, then we, as watchers, rove with them. Perceiving is itself a great ministry on the earth. To see with His Eyes, as situation changes everything.  And God perceives through us! through HIs People. He enjoys looking out through us!!! WE are like His lens through which He peers out over all His Creation.

The being of Christ requires all of Reality to constantly encounter Him. For, there is no metaphysical space where He is not. That is what the mystics sang. 

And i would add that true identity is where He is. Whatever is not in Him is not true, real viable, whole. Whatever is in Him is real. Our true image is the part of us that is in Him. 

When we come to the question of who we are, we are asking the implied question of where He is. And He is where we have truly entered into Reality. Even rebellious creatures exist in relation to God–in their case, in reaction against. But that they are reacting proves Him to be the ground of all being. If we exist at all, God does. David’s Psalm 139 is about this metaphysical truth. That God knows and is Lord over all of Reality. He can also be met in an realm region or dimension of what is.

In order to be, or exist, there must be a container for us. For us to be born, there must be a womb. To find our own contours is to push on the walls or edges of this spiritual womb. God is there, so we have edges, contours, ends and beginnings, we have identity.

Christ came that we might have real life. Our true life. And as He incarnates, this true life starts to take shape within us, as if He were birthing Himself into our unique contours. He is offering us through His Own Being, our own being. My old self dies into and with Christ, to find my true self. This is the re-birthing of a spiritual landscape within us. This is the conversion process. We are being converted into His Life, and thereby into more of our own true life.

 We are born again. A new map enters. He is able to shape Himself in us, as if we were both trying on one another as costumes or fashion. We wear Him, and He wears us–our real us. Our eternal us. The us, that is written on white stones in heaven. The us whose name we have heard whispered in dreams. The us that we wish and somehow know we are. The true eternal you, you were meant and born to be. 

To become this eternal you, requires an exchange of clothes metaphysically. The more of Him I wear, the more of me is made visible. So we say, not I but Christ, who is wearing me. But we also mean, when it is not i, it is even more true “I”. That is the mystery of conversion in terms of identity. That is regeneration, spiritual rebirth. That is also what it means to be a Christian i think. For the concept of dying to the old self and being reborn, infers that we are born to a new self, our true self.

It is not to be possessed by God, but to have God incarnate in us, and make us more ourselves. Our forever selves are the ones hidden and shadowed in His Being. So we surrender, and He gives us back the real version of ourselves. It is a one of a kind exchange. I die to live. I give everything, and He gives it back, in its true version. As if, we give him the black and white version of ourselves, and He gives us the full length color version of the same film. 

If we think of ourselves as having a physical body, a soul life, and a spirit; then this conversion looks something like this. His Spirit enters our life and regenerates our spirit; this in turn leads the soul into a new life,  as it expresses and is led by the spirit; and, then, even the physical body, which houses all this activity, follows in this transformation process. So we are promised that even this body will rise anew, completely transformed much as Jesus body was after He resurrected. He could cook, and eat and still had some marks visible from His previous body. My point, here is that the whole being is progressively transformed into the new and true version of who you are. 

People want to know who they really are. They want to be seen, beheld as a whole creatures. I think this is a basic human need. You can see it clearly in early childhood development. There is this need to be seen, to say me, to prove that one exist. What happens with God is that He fully sees you. He searches and knows you, beholds every contour and fold of your being, for He created it, and can know His Own creation. As we come into conversion, what changes, is not God, but us; we enter the dialogue of beholding! Our true “I” is formed as we gaze at God’s Thouness (as the Jewish thinker Martin Buber would put it). That is the eye of our heart is opened to see Him and therefore ourselves. We can now behold back some. We can start to see more face to face. As I behold God, I am gradually transformed, because I am seeing the One who fully sees me. It is like looking in the true mirror, where my true reflection is refracted perfectly off the glass. That is the miracle of the progressive sanctification of the identity. 

In my  study of the book of Daniel, I’m looking at his own identity as a clue to understand the nature of the symbols God spoke to Him through. To understand the nature of the personal and collective symbolic. And ultimately to look at God’s dream life, or symbolic nature. Reading the book as a study of who God is. 

Learning to read predictive prophecy as God’s dream, about Himself. Or, put another way, learning to read the symbolic life of God.  The principles of interpretation are based in God’s symbolic Nature. See how He symbolizes, and go from there. Then we look at the particular symbolic life of each prophet, to see how God communicated to each of them. At times, God uses His Own symbols, and at times, those of the personal life of the prophet–just as in dream. The prophet is one, whose personal imagination has been sanctified for the purpose of communication with God. Although, no prophet was perfect, there is a higher baptism of the imagination in them which allows God’s symbols to broadcast through them. That is the basic spirituality of the prophet–to meet God in his or her imagination. 

 The deeper goal of prophecy is to reveal God’s Nature to humanity. Prophecy is a way to reveal who God is, and what He is like–that is another guiding principle in studying prophecy. We want to come to see His ways through examining prophecy.