In understanding the concept of Trinity, It personally helps me to realize that numbers in and of them self are somewhat of an illusion, or rather numbers are a human depiction or model of reality. It is not the numbers that are important but the reality which the numbers depict that are.

Let me give a couple of examples.

You could say that a human being is:

1= human
2= body and soul
3= body, soul, and spirit
4= mind, soul, body, and spirit
5= mind, emotions, soul, body, and spirit
6= mind, emotions, will, soul, body, and spirit
7= heart, mind, emotions, will, soul, body, and spirit
8= intuition, heart, mind, emotions, will, soul, body, and spirit
9= subconscience, intuition, heart, mind, emotions, will, soul, body, and spirit
and on and on, we continue until we had numbered every possible aspect of human life, every fibre, bone, molecule, and atom.

Whether you said that a human being was One or a Million, you would be right. It is not the number that is important but the content of those numbers that are important.

You could say that God is:

1= God Most High
2= Alpha and Omega
3= Father, Son, and Spirit
4= Father, Logos, Son, and Spirit
5= Love, Logos, Father, Son, Spirit
etc. etc.

Notice Isaiah 11:2, “The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.” Here we suddenly have seven Spirits of God.

If you focus is on the number, you might get confused.

But if you understand that numbers are a human construct, depiction and model used to depict a truth or reality, then you look beyond the numbers unto the reality which those numbers are saying something about.

In this post I thought I would share why I have come to appreciate Mythology, even as a Christian.

Let me quote two respected authors: J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis.

On one of their many walks around Magdalen College, JRR Tolkien explained to Lewis that myths were not merely lies because humans are not “ultimately” liars. The very human act of making myths, “mythopeia,” to express truth, was also part of God’s self-expression of eternal truth. Tolkien went on to say that just as God had expressed his truth in the images and poetry of pagan myths, so God had done so in Christianity; the difference being that in Christianity God used “real people and actual history.”

C.S. Lewis goes on to explain: “The heart of Christianity is a myth which is also a fact. The old myth of the Dying God, without ceasing to be myth, comes down from the heaven of legend and imagination to the earth of history. It happens-at a particular date, in a particular place, followed by definable historical consequences. We pass from a Balder or an Osiris dying nobody knows when or where, to a historical Person crucified (it is all in order) under Pontius Pilate. By becoming fact it does not cease to be myth: that is the miracle… God is more than god, not less: Christ is more than Balder, not less. We must not be ashamed of the mythical radiance resting on our theology. We must not be nervous about “parallels” and “pagan Christs”: they ought to be there-it would be a stumbling block if they weren’t. We must not, in false spirituality, withhold our imaginative welcome. If God chooses to be mythopoeic -and is not the sky itself a myth- shall we refuse to be mythopathic… Now the story of Christ is simply a true myth: a myth working on us in the same way as the others, but with this tremendous difference that it really happened.”

The fundamental difference between paganism and Christianity is that one fulfills the other. Paganism’s myths anticipate and prepare the world for the Christ myth: myth becomes reality and fulfills the hopes and expectations of humanity. Lewis wrote, “Myth in general is…at its best, a real though unfocused gleam of divine Truth falling on human imagination.”

Christianity is not borrowing anything from the pagans. Rather it is the pagans that are borrowing from the divine revelation which was soon to be manifested physically in Jesus Christ.

First and foremost God seeks contrite hearts. But once we have yielded our hearts to Him, the next step is to yield our skills, minds, and attitudes, so that we glorify Him by our excellence.

Some confuse professionalism with dead works, when in fact they are unrelated. You can be professional and walk in grace. You can be unprofessional and walk in dead works.

Whether you are professional or not, does not influence the degree of God’s love for you. His love is constantly maxed out. But your professionalism does generally speaking influence to what extent you can impact the world for Him.

Yes, you can cut down a tree with a hammer, but it takes about 30 days. If you trade the hammer for an ax, you can cut it down in about 30 minutes. Skills, know-how and professionalism *DOES* matter. So, seek to be full of grace and full of talent. Grace and professionalism walk hand in hand.

Då Vilniusresan tyvärr blev inställd har jag plockat fram min reservplan, en körresa till Köpenhamn!

Resans pris är 3000 kr. inkl. transport till Köpenhamn, två övernattningar på 3-stjärnigt hotel, guidad rundvisning i Köpenhamn, deltagelse i gospelfestival, och deltagande i stödkonserter, bl.a. Köpenhamns Domkyrka, till förmån för barnarbete i Egypten. Lunch lördag ingår. Men inte annan mat. Ej heller evt. buss transport i Köpenhamn.

För att hänga med på resan följ nedanstående tre stegen.

FÖRST anmäler du dig med namn via e-mail till danhegelund@me.com senast söndag d. 18:e mars. Jag behöver anmäla kören till festivalen måndag d. 19:e, och de måste veta hur många vi blir.

SEDAN inbetalar du 3000 kr. till bankgiro 745-2774. Jag kommer att börja köpa biljetterna fredag d. 30:e mars. Så det är viktig att jag har motagit avgiften innan dess.

EFTER att du har inbetalat avgiften, skickar du en mail till danhegelund@me.com där du anger när du betalade avgiften, samt

1. Passnummer.
2. Datum och ort för utförandet. Samt Giltighetsdatum.
3. Ange ditt Förnamn och Efternamn så som det står i passet, samt
4. Ange Gatuadress, Ort och Postnummer.
5. E-postadress, och Telefonnummer (riktnummer och nummer).
6. Sångstämma (sopran, alt, tenor, eller vet ej).
7. Åker du hellst från Karlstad, Kristinehamn eller Filipstad.

Preleminärt program:

Fredag 15:e Juni. Vi reser på morgonen till Köpenhamn. Jag undersöker för tillfället smidigaste lösning (buss, tåg eller flyg). Indcheckning på hotel. “Turism” på kvällen. Förslag, promenad i Tivoli.

Lördag 16:e Juni. Kl. 09.00: Ankomst og check-in i Köpenhamns Domkyrka. Repetition. Kl. 12.30: – Lunch. Kl. 14.00 – 18.00: Konserter på diverse platser i Köpenhamn. Kl. 19.30 Stödkonsert i Domkyrkan.

Söndag 17:e Juni. Om vi hinner, då lite “Turism” på förmiddagen. Förslag: Nyhavn, Ströget och “den lille havsfrue”. Sedan hem till Värmland.

Vi kommer att börja öva sångerna redan i April månad, eftersom jag får tillskickat noter på de sånger som ska sjungas under festivalen.

Dan Hegelund
www.commonground.se
Common Ground Gospelkör

Teach me Your ways! Such has been the prayer of saints throughout all times.

Moses prayed, Exodus 33:13: “Now therefore, I pray You, if I have found favor in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You (progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with You, perceiving and recognizing and understanding more strongly) that I may find favor in Your sight”.

David prayed, Psalm 25:4-5, 86:11, 119:26-27, 143:10 (NIV): “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground. Teach me Your way, O Lord, and I will walk in Your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear you name. Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long”.

Paul prayed for us, Ephesians 1:17-19 (AMP): “That He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation -of insight into the mysteries and secrets- in the (deep and intimate) knowledge of Him, by having the eyes of your understanding flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you and how rich is His inheritance in the saint -His set-apart ones. And (so that you can know and understand) what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe”.

Let us each have that same thirst that cries out to God: I want to know you! Use those same prayers, that I just quoted, and personalize them – like this: “God, I pray, that You may grant me a spirit of wisdom and revelation -of insight into the mysteries and secrets- in the (deep and intimate) knowledge of You, by having the eyes of my understanding flooded with light, so that I can know and understand the hope to which You have called me and how rich is Your inheritance in me -His set-apart one. And (so that I can know and understand) what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of Your power in and for me who believe”.

Do the same with each of the prayers in this lesson. Make them your own. Become a God Chaser; Let nothing stand between you and His purpose and guidance for your life; the personal knowledge of Him.

God always uses a physical platform for His spiritual blessing. In this case, the physical platform for knowing Him is His Word (The Bible):

“He humbled you, causing you to hunger (for His presence)… to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord” (Deutronemy 8:3 (NIV), also in Matthew 4:4).

“Your Word has revived me and given me life” (Psalm 119:50, AMP)

“ Teach me your decrees. Let me understand the teaching of your precepts; then I will meditate on your wonders. Teach me, O Lord, the way of Thy statutes, And I shall observe it to the end. Give me understanding, that I may observe Thy law; And keep it with all my heart. Make me walk in the path of Thy commandments, For I delight in it. Incline my heart to Thy testimonies, and not to dishonest gain. Turn away my eyes from looking at vanity, And revive me in Thy ways”  (Psalm 119:27, 33-37 NAS)

Dig-in to the Bible. Use these blogs as a helpful tool. Get ready to hear with ears that are dedicated and open to hear what God has to teach you. Hear what the Spirit of God has to say to you. Begin with the prayer: Teach me Your ways!

In fact, if they can get away with it, they will hand pick the nominee. If necessary, by massive voter fraud. Chances are that they WILL get away with it, since so far the main stream media and the GOP establishment seem to have an agreement of going along with this corrupt process. The pattern is clear. The GOP establishment will steal the election if they can get away with it. Only if we the people are made aware of what’s going on, and share it with others, can we have a return to transparency and a true democratic election.

Dear Nevada. The Constitution beckons us to awaken from our slumber, and defend it against a royal government, who has set it’s kingly throne above the people. We need no king besides God. The government’s only authority is to defend and protect our freedom from tyranny. Instead the government has become the tyrant.

Elect Ron Paul for president, because Ron Paul is the only candidate who properly respects and adheres to the Constitution.

Feel free to comment below. As usual, if there are any questions or topics you would like me to address in my blog, feel free to send them to mail@danhegelund.com. God bless you!

Do you sense the urgency? The importance of the hour? Ronald Reagan endorsed Ron Paul with these words: “Ron Paul is one of the outstanding leaders fighting for a stronger national defense. As a former Air Force officer, he knows well the needs of our armed forces, and he always puts them first. We need to keep him fighting for our country.”

Awake, o sleeper! Why do you slumber? Cast your vote for integrity!

Feel free to comment below. As usual, if there are any questions or topics you would like me to address in my blog, feel free to send them to mail@danhegelund.com. God bless you!