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I – “You’re familiar with the old written law, ‘Love your friend,’ and its unwritten companion, ‘Hate your enemy.’ I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the supple moves of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. (Matthew 5:43-45 – The Message)

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II – “To show that you are the children of your Father Who is in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the wicked and on the good, and makes the rain fall upon the upright and the wrongdoers [alike].” (Matthew 5:45 – AMPC)

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III – I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all. (Ecclesiastes 9:11 – NIV)

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IV – “Try not to resist the changes that come your way. Instead let life live through you. And do not worry that your life is turning upside down. How do you know that the side you are used to is better than the one to come?” – Rumi

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Jim is doing a rare sit down discussion today with Bec Cranford.

Bec is an author, artist, and advocate from Atlanta, Georgia floating in the mystical world of ecumenism and interfaith conversations. She offers spiritual direction to clergy, Christians, atheists, Jesus people, Buddhists, spiritual but not religious, shamans, witches, and those with spiritual trauma.

“Bec is an engaging, compassionate, and creative force for good. Her story-telling, real-life experience, humor, and authenticity create safe and welcoming space for transformation to happen. We were so fortunate to have her facilitate our faith community in a weekend together. I highly recommend Bec.” -Susan Rogers, Presbyterian Minister at The Well, Jacksonville

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I – “Why are you cast down, O my inner self? And why should you moan over me and be disquieted within me? Hope in God and wait expectantly for Him, for I shall yet praise Him, my Help and my God. O my God, my life is cast down upon me [and I find the burden more than I can bear]; therefore will I [earnestly] remember You from the land of the Jordan [River] and the [summits of Mount] Hermon, from the little mountain Mizar. [Roaring] deep calls to [roaring] deep at the thunder of Your waterspouts; all Your breakers and Your rolling waves have gone over me. Yet the Lord will command His loving-kindness in the daytime, and in the night His song shall be with me, a prayer to the God of my life. Why are you cast down, O my inner self? And why should you moan over me and be disquieted within me? Hope in God and wait expectantly for Him, for I shall yet praise Him, Who is the help of my countenance, and my God.” (Psalms 42:5-8, 11 – AMPC)

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II – “Though the fig tree does not blossom and there is no fruit on the vines, [though] the product of the olive fails and the fields yield no food, though the flock is cut off from the fold and there are no cattle in the stalls, Yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will exult in the [victorious] God of my salvation! The Lord God is my Strength, my personal bravery, and my invincible army; He makes my feet like hinds’ feet and will make me to walk [not to stand still in terror, but to walk] and make [spiritual] progress upon my high places [of trouble, suffering, or responsibility]! (Habakkuk 3:17-19 – AMPC)

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III – “I said to myself, “Relax and rest. God has showered you with blessings. Soul, you’ve been rescued from death; Eye, you’ve been rescued from tears; And you, Foot, were kept from stumbling.” (Psalms 116:7, 8 – The Message)

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13 – “Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, [once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.” (I Peter 5:7 – AMPC)

14 – “I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am [self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency]. (Philippians 4:13 – AMPC)

15 – “Give instruction to the wise, and they will become wiser. Teach upstanding people, and they will learn even more.” (Proverbs 9:9 – The Voice)

16 – “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!” (Lamentations 3:22-24 – NKJV)

17 – “Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].” (Romans 12:2 – AMPC)

18 – “The path we walk is charted by faith, not by what we see with our eyes.” (II Corinthians 5:7 – The Voice)

19 – “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” (Proverbs 4:23 – NIV)

20 – “The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again. But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked.” (Proverbs 24:16 – NLT)

21 – “But ask the animals what they think—let them teach you; let the birds tell you what’s going on. Put your ear to the earth—learn the basics. Listen—the fish in the ocean will tell you their stories. Isn’t it clear that they all know and agree that God is sovereign, that he holds all things in his hand—Every living soul, yes, every breathing creature? Isn’t this all just common sense, as common as the sense of taste? Do you think the elderly have a corner on wisdom, that you have to grow old before you understand life?” (Job 12:7-12 – The Message)

22 – “Walking down the street, Jesus saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked, “Rabbi, who sinned: this man or his parents, causing him to be born blind?” Jesus said, “You’re asking the wrong question. You’re looking for someone to blame. There is no such cause-effect here. Look instead for what God can do. (John 9:1-3 – The Message)

23 – “Let your adornment be what’s inside—the real you, the lasting beauty of a gracious and quiet spirit, in which God delights.” (I Peter 3:4 – The Voice)

24 – “Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.” (Philippians 4:6, 7 – The Message)

25 – “Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].” (Hebrews 11:1 – AMPC)

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1. “Don’t let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.” (Romans 12:21 – The Message)

2. “I do not consider, brethren, that I have captured and made it my own [yet]; but one thing I do [it is my one aspiration]: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal…” (Philippians 3:13, 14 – AMPC)

3. “When the Lord brought back the captives [who returned] to Zion, we were like those who dream [it seemed so unreal].” (Psalms 126:1 – AMPC)

4. “Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16 – The Message)

5. “The light for your earthly life is perception. Therefore, if your perception is without fault, your whole life shall be enlightened. If your perception be evil, your whole life shall be darkened by it; if the light for you is darkness, how deep will your darkness become?” (Matthew 6:22, 23 – Khaboris Manuscript)

6. “A person’s spirit is the lamp of the Lord; it searches throughout one’s innermost being.” (Proverbs 20:27 – ISV)

7. “But we all, ourselves – having a face that has been uncovered and remains unveiled – being folks who by a mirror are continuously observing, as ourselves…Christ’s glory (or: being those who progressively reflect – from ourselves as by a mirror – the glory of [our] Owner), are presently being continuously and progressively transformed into the very same image, from glory into glory – in accord with and exactly as – from the Lord’s Breath-effect (2 Corinthians 3:18 – JMNT)

8. “Because of this decision we don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don’t look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life emerges!” (2 Corinthians 5:16 – The Message)

9. “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life].” (Proverbs 18:21 – AMPC)

10. “If no one welcomes you or listens to your words, as you leave that house or town, shake its dust off your feet.” (Matthew 10:14 – ISV)

11. “And we have known that to those loving God all things do work together for good, to those who are called according to purpose” (Romans 8:28 – YLT)

12. “Do not be habitually worried, anxious or overly concerned about anything! On the contrary, in everything (and: within every situation), by thinking and speaking toward having goodness and having things go well and with ease…and in expression of need – together with thanksgiving – repeatedly let your requests be made known toward God” (Philippians 4:6 – JMNT)

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I – (Matthew 1:18-25 – MATTHEW IN THE NOW) “18.

Now, this is how the physical birth of Jesus took place – how the eternal Word in the now became an actual human being who lived and moved on the earth. A young woman named Mary was engaged to be married to a man from King David’s family whose name was Joseph. But before they were married, and before they ever had any sexual relations, she discovered that she was pregnant. But her pregnancy was not a natural occurrence – she had been impregnated by the Holy Spirit. Understandably, Joseph did not believe Mary’s story about the supernatural pregnancy, but because he was a good man and did not want to publicly embarrass her, he decided to quietly call off the wedding and move on with his life. But while he was thinking about the best way to break off the engagement, an angel from the Lord came to Joseph in a dream and said, “Joseph, Mary is telling you the truth; as hard as it may be for you to believe, she is still a virgin, even though she is definitely pregnant. She did not ask for this to happen, and she has not been unfaithful to you…she was chosen by God for this miracle. Go ahead and marry her, because the Holy Spirit did, in fact, impregnate her, and she is going to need your support through this. “She will give birth to a boy, and you, Joseph, are to personally name Him as if He were your own Son; and you are to give Him the derivative of the name Joshua which is Jesus – the name that in Hebrew means Savior, or, literally ‘God saves.’ This name will be prophetic for Him, for He will save His people (all the people who live on His earth) from their sins.” All of this happened to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet “Look for this to happen – a virgin will get pregnant and still maintain her virginity…and she will give birth to a Son; and they will call His name Immanuel which literally means in the Hebrew language ‘God is with us.’” When Joseph awoke from this unusual and profound dream he did exactly what the angel of the Lord had commanded him to do, and took Mary home with him so that he could marry her. But even after their private wedding ceremony they did not physically consummate the marriage until after she gave birth to the promised Son. And when the Son was finally born, Joseph named Him Jesus.” #jimswilleybooks

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II – “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and HER SEED; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” (Genesis 3:15 – NKJV)

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III – “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, MADE OF A WOMAN, made under the law…” (Galatians 4:4 – KJV)

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IV – “Companionship, love, and support are everywhere and ever-present. They are the natural outflow of divinity. The greater our sense of primary divine connection, the more easily these beautiful life resources will be attracted into our existence.” — – Donna Goddard

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V – “Do not feel lonely, the entire universe is inside you. Stop acting so small. You are the universe in ecstatic motion. Set your life on fire.” —Rumi

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VI – “Beware of what you set your heart upon…for it shall surely be yours.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson

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VII – “Know your magic, trust your magic, use your magic, and know that you are a manifestation of life’s magic.” —Rasheed Ogunlaru

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(Matthew 2:1-11 – MATTHEW IN THE NOW) ”

1. Now when the man Jesus was born as a baby in Bethlehem of Judea during the reign of Herod the king, astrologers from the East came to Jerusalem to inquire about Him. These astrologers, or “Magi” originated from a religious caste among the Persians who were devoted to divination (or the practice of the magic arts) and to the interpretation of dreams. They came from Southern Arabia, where they had long maintained a tradition of Israelite Messianic expectation that had survived in the region since the days of the Queen of Sheba; and this tradition survived alongside their practice of astrology.

2. When they came to Jerusalem, they began to ask around, “Where is He Who has been born King of the Jews? For we have charted His star in the East through our understanding of the zodiac and have come to worship Him.”

3. But when the news about these Arabic magicians got to Herod, it worried him greatly and, in fact, troubled all of Jerusalem with him.

4. So he called together all the people who were experts in the law, and in Messianic prophecy, and asked them where the Messiah was supposed to be born.

5. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” the learned men replied, “for this is what the prophet Micah has written:

6. ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not in any way the least among Judah’s rulers: for out of you will come a ruler who will be the Shepherd of my people Israel.’”

7. Then Herod called for a secret meeting with the Magi in an attempt to find out if what they knew from their astrological charts lined up with what the Scriptures had predicted.

8. But these magicians had no knowledge of the prophetic Scriptures, so he said to them, “Go to Bethlehem and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you locate him, report back to me so that I may go and worship Him.”

9. After they conferred with the king, they went on their way and could actually see the star ahead of them. It literally seemed to move, guiding them to Bethlehem until it appeared to stop over the place where the child was.

10. When they saw the star that they had anticipated for so long, they were absolutely overjoyed. Of all the signs and wonders that they had seen and performed, this was different…this was the most spectacular! And this was proof that the heavens really do declare the glory of God, as David had said, and that even those who were not of the seed of Abraham could see it, even without a knowledge of the Scriptures.

11. On entering the house, they saw the child with His mother Mary and instinctively bowed down and worshipped Him. While everyone else in Israel was oblivious, these Persian magicians were the very first to recognize and worship the King! Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, providing Him and His family with enough wealth to last a lifetime.”

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‘FEAR NOT!: Manifesting the Psychological/Neurological Power of Good Tidings of Great Joy’ Part II

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I – “And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.” (Luke 2:10 – KJV)

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II – “And so the agent (messenger) says to them, “Stop being afraid (or: Do not continue fearing)! Look, and consider this – for you see, I, myself, am now bringing and announcing good news (a message of ease and wellness) to and for you folks: great joy which will progressively be for all the people (or: will continue existing in the entire general public)” (Luke 2:10 – JMNT)

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III – Amygdala The amygdala is an almond-shaped mass of grey matter in the anterior part of the medial temporal region that is concerned with emotional responses (Greek: amygdalum, almond). It lies just in front of the hippocampus, close to the temporal pole, and blends with the medial temporal cortex). Although the amygdala is involved in all types of emotional response (both ‘positive’ and ‘negative’), it is particularly important in situations that elicit anxiety, fear or rage…The amygdala integrates diverse sensory, cognitive and other information to help determine the emotional significance of a particular situation. An important role is the identification of potentially harmful circumstances and triggering appropriate autonomic responses (e.g. a ‘fight or flight’ reaction) via projections to the hypothalamus and brain stem. It has therefore been described as a danger detector. The orbital region of the prefrontal cortex exerts a moderating influence on the amygdala which can alter or inhibit emotional responses based on context or previous experience (e.g. fleeing from a snake encountered on a forest floor, but not in a zoo or pet shop).The amygdala is also involved in implicit learning, particularly during emotionally charged situations (fear conditioning). This may be of relevance in anxiety disorders including phobias and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)…” ScienceDirect.com

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V – “Hallelujah! Blessed man, blessed woman, who fear (honor) God, Who cherish and relish his commandments, Their children robust on the earth, And the homes of the upright—how blessed! Their houses brim with wealth And a generosity that never runs dry. Sunrise breaks through the darkness for good people— God’s grace and mercy and justice! The good person is generous and lends lavishly; No shuffling or stumbling around for this one, But a sterling and solid and lasting reputation. Unfazed by rumor and gossip, Heart ready, trusting in God, Spirit firm, unperturbed, Ever blessed, relaxed among enemies, They lavish gifts on the poor— A generosity that goes on, and on, and on. An honored life! A beautiful life! Someone wicked takes one look and rages, Blusters away but ends up speechless. There’s nothing to the dreams of the wicked. Nothing.” (Psalms 112 – The Message)

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VI – How Does Negative News Coverage Impact Mental Health? Fight or flight response Watching upsetting news footage starts the body’s “fight or flight” response. Adrenaline is then released, and so is the stress hormone, cortisol. When our bodies are in this state, we experience the same symptoms we may experience if we were under threat. These symptoms include rapid heart rate, shallow breathing, upset stomach, etc. Depression and anxiety symptoms The news increases depression and anxiety symptoms. One study found that people showed an increase in symptoms after only 14 minutes of news consumption. These symptoms are made worse when people feel they have no ability to improve the situations they are learning about on the news. Social media and addictive behavior Relying on social media for your news can drive addictive behavior. This is important to note since more than 50% of Americans receive their news via social media. Clickbait headlines and social media algorithms are designed to keep you coming back for more, making it difficult to stop returning to apps for your news.

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‘FEAR NOT!: Manifesting the Psychological/Neurological Power of Good Tidings of Great Joy’ Part I

I – “And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.” (Luke 2:10 – KJV)

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II – “But the angel spoke immediately and authoritatively, saying to them, “Do not be afraid! I am here to announce good news to you…good news of a great and joyful event, and of a new reality! And this good news…this new reality…is for all people everywhere…it is for the entirety of humanity! This very night a Savior has been born in the City of David…a Savior who will perfectly embody the Christ, and will be known as the Lord! If you seek Him you will find Him…and this is what you’re to look for: a baby swaddled in a blanket, and lying in a feeding trough for animals!” As soon as the angel made this declaration, the sky above the shepherds’ heads lit up, and was filled with a seemingly infinite number of angels who formed a thunderous, mass choir, singing God’s praises, and shouting, “GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST PARTS OF THE HEAVENLY REALM…AND IN THE EARTHLY DIMENSION, PEACE…PEACE TO EVERY SINGLE PERSON ON THE EARTH…AND A REVELATION TO THEM THAT GOD’S WILL TOWARD ALL OF HUMANITY IS ONLY GOOD!”” (Luke 2:10-14 – Luke In The Now)

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III – “Bad news sells because the amygdala is always looking for something to fear” -Peter Diamandis

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IV – “When we are scared or thrilled, memories are imprinted on our brains with particular vividness. Deep in the temporal lobe of each hemisphere of the human brain is an almond-shaped structure known as the amygdala. Part of the job of the two amygdalas (or amygdalae) is to scan incoming sensory impressions, pattern matching present experience with these vivid past memories to decide “Is this something I fear? Is it something I hate?” If there is even a rough pattern-match, the amygdala instantly triggers the body into a crisis reaction. This match doesn’t have to make logical sense – sensory input reaches the amygdala before it reaches the neocortex, the seat of the conscious mind. As long as the match is close enough, the emotional reaction is triggered. From an evolutionary point of view, this was a safety feature rather than a bug – if there was a genuine threat, our ancestors were more likely to survive if they reacted instantly than if they took some time to think about whether they they should respond or not. The downside, especially nowadays when most of us don’t encounter genuine threats very often, is that once we’ve had a shocking experience, a partial pattern-match from sense impressions can be enough to trigger an overwhelming fear response. What the amygdala is scanning is fragments of sensory impressions, before the brain puts them together into images of perceived objects. So a car backfiring could trigger the pattern match for ‘gunshot’, or a flickering red light could trigger the pattern match for ‘fire’. If you’re walking in the jungle, the sensory impressions of a vine bending in the breeze (it’s long, it’s thin, it’s moving) could trigger the pattern match for “SNAKE!”. By the time the visual centre of the brain has put those sensory impressions together to a recognisable image, the amygdala has already triggered an irresistible fight-flight response. This is known as the ‘amygdala hijack’. The Pathways from the cortex to the amygdala are overshadowed by the pathways from the amygdala to the cortex. Emotional arousal therefore tends to dominate thinking. Although thoughts can easily trigger the fight-flight response, by activating the amygdala, we are not so good at consciously turning it off (deactivating the amygdala once we consciously realise that we’re not actually in danger).” Andy Smith

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V – “Brains distinguish between an Us and a Them in a fraction of a second. Subliminal processing of a Them activates the amygdala and insular cortex, brain regions that are all about fear, anxiety, aggression, and disgust.” – Robert M. Sapolsky

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‘CLIMB EVERY MOUNTAIN: Taking the Metaphysical Journey From Temptation to Transfiguration’ Pt. IV

1. And, as it turned out, just six days later the first three of them actually did, indeed, see that glory, just as Jesus had prophesied. The way that it happened was this: With no warning to them of what was about to occur, or any explanation at all, for that matter, Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John, his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves.

2. And once they had reached the top, almost immediately His appearance began to undergo a complete metamorphosis, right before their very eyes! His visage seemed to literally change from the inside out, causing His face to shine with the intense, blinding light of the sun! Even His clothing began to morph into a surrounding aura that was as white as light!

3. And as this supernatural light continued to emanate and radiate from every part of Him, it seemed to burn off some kind of layer or membrane, which then allowed the disciples to suddenly and literally see into another dimension…and what they saw was two men standing right there with Jesus, holding a conversation with Him. And somehow, inexplicably, they just knew that the two men were Moses and Elijah! They had obviously never seen them before, since both men had lived on the earth centuries before this…and yet, as these two Prophets continued to commune with Jesus, the disciples not only recognized them, they were totally comfortable in their presence…not at all alarmed or surprised that they were seeing living people from another time and era right there on the mountain…in the now!

4. Then Peter, always the first to speak up, regardless of whether or not it was appropriate, said to Jesus, “Lord, this is an amazing and unforgettable moment in time! If You approve, I’d like to put up three booths right here…to build three memorials…one for You and one for Moses and one for Elijah!”

5. But while he babbled on about this notion of memorializing the moment with mere mementos, a shining cloud, completely composed of transcendent light just emerged and sort of overshadowed all of them. And a deep, thunderous voice from within the cloud began to speak, saying, “This is My Son…My Beloved, with Whom I am and have always been delighted! Listen to Him!”

6. And even though the disciples hadn’t been startled by Jesus’ trans-figuration, or the appearance of two people from the distant past whom they had considered long dead, for some reason, when they heard this voice, they fell flat on their faces in fear.

7. But Jesus, now back in His normal, physical form, came and touched them and said, “All right…get up. Stop being so afraid of these things.”

8. And when they opened their eyes and looked around, they not only saw that Jesus was no longer in an altered state, they realized that He wasn’t accompanied by the other two men any longer.

9. So they got up and descended the mountain in somewhat of an awkward silence, which was finally broken when Jesus spoke up and said, “Look, I don’t want you to say anything at all about what just happened here on this mountain to anyone…at least not until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” (Matthew 17:1-9 – Matthew In The Now)