Skipping Stones

by Ken Pullen

ACP

Tuesday, June 23rd, 2015

I imagine most people at one point in their life skipped some smooth flat stones across some still dark water. I know I did when I was a child and even at times into my early adult life. See the water and for whatever reason coming into ones head we begin searching for some smooth flat stones and then lean over to whatever hand one favors, cock the arm, let the stone fly and watch it skim over the surface of the water. The stone eventually stops, sinks and disappears from its weight into the dark water it had just been happily skimming along. I wonder if most people pause to watch the ripples emanate from the places the stone they delivered impacted the water, or if they begin searching for another stone, or lose interest altogether.

Most people even if they have never skipped a stone over a still dark body of water in their life live lives of skipping stones. Of being the thrower of the stone as well as the stone which eventually sinks into the abyss once the momentary fun ends.

Most people are surface folk. Not much depth to them. I’m not being mean or judgmental. I write from over 62 years of keen observational experience. I write factually with knowledge of all the times I attempted to engage a person in a real conversation and encountered either a total lack of interest, or a slack jawed empty gaze resembling a person seeing, or hearing something for the first time and it taking an inordinate amount of time to register. Or they just turn and walk away. Living on the surface refusing to dive into that which can refresh and provide life to them. We think as long as we have our jobs, our abodes, our food on the table, perhaps our families, children, relatives, and friends around and we keep busy we’re living life. We’re only among the walking dead if not immersed in the life giving waters of the Word of God and obedient disciples of Jesus Christ the Lord.

Oh, yes, many go to church on Sunday’s although much fewer than in the past. And they imagine getting that gold attendance star for their Sunday appearance (in more and more apostate churches teaching worldly ways and philosophies than the Living Word of God) absolves them from what they do, how they are, where their hearts, minds and priorities lie Monday through Saturday.

Everyone is always so busy! Busy, busy, busy! I see nothing but a sea of people everywhere I go with their busy faces bent downward hypnotically appearing almost paralyzed  into a small glowing electronic screen leading their lives for them. I see them veering in an out of traffic to make it faster to the sale at the local store or wherever they rush along to which more times than not certainly is not an emergency or worth getting a ticket, or causing a crash and hurting themselves or someone else. People don’t even pay attention to where they are walking. Most don’t pay attention to what is going on in the world around them they are so locked into their little bubble worlds blocking everything out while imagining themselves fitting in, belonging, and living life. Everyone is always so very, very busy these days. Doing vain pursuits. Almost everything, everywhere, by everyone pure vanity!

Soccer for the spoiled children not instructed in the ways of the Lord, yoga classes in church now, of course, this that and the next new thing which just must be pursued and given time.

“Oh I can’t stop now I have to be there in forty-five minutes! Honey, you know where the freezer is, pop some food science created overly processed empty calorie mess into the microwave for your supper! Gotta go, gotta go, gotta go!”

“Hey, you, you have a minute?”

“Not really I’m in a hurry I’m running late and just told my kids, husband, etcetera to throw some frozen disease enhancing stuff passing for food in the microwave for their supper, but they’re used to it at this point, this is our life is now, so I can’t stop and talk, sorry! So busy, so busy and running late!”

“I only have one question and you can answer it very simply and quickly.”

“Okay, but hurry, I see I have 3 new postings on my Facebook page, and my sister just Instagrammed something to me, and I have to read the Tweets as I drive my expensive SUV we couldn’t really afford on my latest iPhone I waited in line overnight to buy so make it quick!”

“Are you a Christian?”

“Well, of course I am! What kind of question is that! I’m a Presbyterian/Lutheran/ Assembly of God/Catholic/Episcopalian/Mormon/Jehovah’s Witness/Seventh Day Adventist/Christian Scientist/Methodist/Baptist/Unitarian/Zen Buddhist presently studying Hinduism in one of my churches programs who is on seven different committees at my church I’ll have you know!”

“Okay.”

“If that’s all I really have to go. I have a yoga class at my church to get to, then there’s a meeting I must attend because I’m on the production committee for the new play our church is producing and we just got this new state-of-the-art lighting show for our productions and the company that installed it needs to show us how to operate it all, and my inter-faith committee is having a very important meeting tonight because we are inviting some Muslims, Druids, and Native Americans to partake of our services and share their services so we can all come together as one to worship the earth and work towards peace and harmony among all people of the world, and then before I leave to go home I’m meeting with our alternative lifestyles committee to discuss their upcoming production they are putting on for our church to increase awareness of how important being a homosexual, lesbian, trans-gender, and bi-sexual Christian is in this world today, so I really must be going!”

“Well, being such an involved ‘Christian’ I’m sure you must be exhausted doing all you do and then spending time as well in study and meditation on the Word of God, and spending time in fervent prayer.”

“What? What are you talking about? I have the pastor on Sunday’s to tell me what I need to know, and then the women’s group on Wednesday nights for all that! I don’t have time to read the Bible on my own. I read my daily devotionals from my selected places that appeal to me and I say my set prayers I always say before I go to bed, I pray the same prayer to God every night, so I don’t know why you’re butting in and asking me such things and being so rude since I told you I really must be going!”

“Oh, excuse me, I just thought since you proclaim to be a believer in Jesus, which to me translates to being a disciple of the Lord’s, a genuine, authentic Christian that you would naturally then be more interested in the deeper, inner life than all the surface stuff.”

“Who do you think you are mister! Who are you to judge me!? I said I believed in Jesus years ago and I’ll have you know I’m a Presbyterian/Lutheran/ Catholic/Episcopalian/Mormon/Jehovah’s Witness/Seventh Day Adventist/Christian Scientist/Methodist/Baptist/Unitarian/Zen Buddhist who is on seven different committees at my church while studying Hinduism and I donate money every Sunday, and I hand out turkey’s to the poor people at Christmas and I am the chair person for our annual Easter egg hunt at our church! You know, the Bible says you are not to judge people! Who do you think you are anyway!?”

“I’m just a man. Interested in what those professing to be true believers and disciples of Jesus the Lord actually practice and believe, that’s all. I am inclined to believe, from what I read, not what any pastor or committee or group tells me that when truly renewed of mind and spirit we are to place our priorities on spiritual matters, the things of God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the Word of God. Those things of heaven. As in the Gospel of Luke, chapter fourteen, verses twenty-five to thirty-five instruct us. I am to believe we are to obey God, Jesus, and the Bible and not be conformed to this world. That’s all.”

Where is the zeal, the quest, the interest and work of mining and developing the deeper, inner spiritual life? And not how the world or now so many professed “Christians” think of or define what being “spiritual” is. I write of the deep, inner spiritual life centered in and on God the Father, Elohim, Jehovah, and the Son, Yeshua, Jesus the Lord, Saviour, Redeemer, and Messiah, and the Holy Spirit.

Where is the seeking of the truth of Scripture? The LIVING OF IT!?

Where is the turning from this world and turning to God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit and the Holy Bible?

So many satisfied with the superficial distractions such as skipping stones on the surface and so few available for deep diving into the Living Waters!

So blind to what is taking place in this world right before their eyes.

I do not know the time, and would never declare or proclaim the time of our Lord’s return. But it will be soon.

We are in the Great Falling Away which must come first before His return.

We live in the time of the greatest percentage of false teachers, false teachings, unsound doctrine, perverting and corrupting the inerrant word of God this world has ever known. It will only grow worse.

More apostasy. More apostate churches and pastors arising each week. More unsound doctrine embraced and advanced each week in church after church. Worldly churches not obedient to the WHOLE Word of God churches.

More false teachers.

More itching ears turning to fables.

The time of the drought of finding the Word of God which Scriptures tell us is coming upon us where people will wander east, west, north, and south desiring to find, to hear, to taste the Life Giving Water of the inerrant word of God and they will not find it.

The time is coming freedom of faith, freedom of buying and holding and reading a Bible in our hands will end.

The time is swiftly coming where resources in cities, towns, villages and on the Internet to grow in understanding of the will and ways of God and the pursuit of God and Jesus will end. The governments of the world will pull the plug. Push the off switch and all that will be found is what those in power allow. As we grow closer to the rise of the son of perdition, the Antichrist and his false prophet consuming this world in an unholy fascism the likes of which this world has never seen. Paganism and idol worship like the world has never seen. Abomination and lies like the world has never seen.

This time I write of and which is revealed plainly in the Word of God is swiftly approaching.

Too many wasting time on the superficial surface skipping stones matters of this life and not enough diving deeply into the spiritual matters right in front of us requiring attention. Too few diving into the depths of the Living Waters and content to live fleetingly on the surface learning nothing. Just wasting, filling, consuming time under the allusion of doing something important.

So many eager to skip stones on the surface but refusing to turn to the Cornerstone and put their hands on the stones of a solid foundation in the Word of God. ALL OF IT! BELIEVING EVERY WORD!

There isn’t much time left.

Stop playing around.

Get serious. Get real. Take hold of the foundation stones, the Cornerstone which built and holds the structure of eternal life rather than being consumed with the illusions and fables and distractions of this temporary world imagining being a “Christian.”

Ask each day after searching the Scriptures and allowing the inerrant Word of God to instruct completely — is what I am doing, is what I just did, is what I want to do pleasing and acceptable to God and Jesus? Am I imitating Jesus Christ? Or this world?

Stop skipping stones.

Stop skipping time spent in the Word of God.

Stop skipping fervent prayer not amiss.

Time to get wet and go deep into the Living Waters.

And upon coming up for air? Proclaim what you discovered, the treasures you found in the deep things of the Living Word of God to others.

Because this world is rapidly changing and the changes are coming faster and faster. What is coming will forever alter this world and arrange and establish the way for the entrance of the Antichrist and his false prophet.

Time to stop playing around like a distracted child and become mature and prepared in the ways and Word of the Lord. To become strong in the faith for what will soon encompass this entire world in darkness and evil.

Prepare now for the day swiftly approaching.

Prepare now to become closer to God and Jesus tomorrow.