Community

The above quote above is amazing in many respects. Anne Frank knew her chances of being found and killed as a Jew during WWII were high and yet she still chose to see the beauty of the life around her. This was a girl that had everything to live for. She chose to see the bright side of life. (Philippians 2:5-8) “⁵ Make your own the mind of Christ Jesus: ⁶ Who, being in the form of God, did not count equality with God something to be grasped. ⁷ But he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, becoming as human beings are; and being in every way like a human being, ⁸ he was humbler yet, even to accepting death, death on a cross.” I can't help but believe that the spiritual beliefs instilled by the Jewish community she came from had a great deal to do with that. A community cannot impart such a strong sense of faith and belief without a spiritual base. Why would I say that? Religion of and in itself is subject to the interpretation of the people governing the community and therefore it is also subject to the moral foundation of those same leaders. The Hebrews, before the destruction of their homeland by the Romans, were ruled over by the Pharisees and Seduces. The only thing they were interested in was money, position and control of the people. In short they were focused on self not the people. It was all based on strict adherence to the laws passed down through time. Jesus on the other hand was here to set them free from that control and to tell them about God our father and His desire for us. Religion alone is not something God wants for us. A Spiritual community is. This is a place where the spirit can grow and be set free. (Hebrews 3:13-14) "¹³ Every day, as long as this today lasts, keep encouraging one another so that none of you is hardened by the lure of sin, ¹⁴ because we have been granted a share with Christ only if we keep the grasp of our first confidence firm to the end." The spirit of Jesus and Yahweh are not the spirit of control but of freedom. Read scriptures and learn from them. Put aside the cares and troubles of this world. Let the full word of God come into your very being. This is where healing begins. It is the beginning of a spiritual walk and the knowledge and wisdom that God wants to impart to us. That freedom is the place where Christ and the community meld and become one. It is a place where love and caring for God and His people become all that matters.  This is what the spiritual life is. It can only happen in the community of brothers and sisters with the Holy Spirit. {Matt. 11:28; John 7:37; Acts 17:27; Hebrews 4:12; Rev. 21:6, 22:17. (All references are from the Jerusalem Bible and may be slightly different in your version)} 

This post I have two cards to share with you. The first is from Em. She included it with her anniversary card for August 31. This is for my birthday on the 15th of this month. It is a genuine work of art. The picture does not do justice to it. Thank you Em.

Somehow the background got washed out in the flash. I used a ring flash which usually eliminates shadows and enhances the image.

The next card is from my sister in Arizona. 

    
Since I my photo enhancing program stopped working with windows 10 I also lost my ability to correct and enhance images. The programs I am using now lack the feature set I need to do what is needed.

That is about it for this post. Remember to Always Love The Details.