These poems deal mostly with Biblical issues. Some address our human condition based on the Scriptures. Others deal with unseen influences that many of us are unaware of, but which impact our lives for better or worse. They were written as a result of 21 years of studying the Bible. Originally my journey into the Scriptures began as I sought solutions to my own problems. However over the years it has became a quest for answers to life's deeper issues. When I began reading the Bible I did not believe I would find solutions to my problems. I started reading it out of desperation after I had exhausted books on philosophy and the occult and just about anything else I got my hands on. I read many books promising "the secret" but they disappointed me. It is really astonishing that a book which just about everyone has sitting around really has the answer to every human need. I wrote these poems because I came to the realization that many people like me years ago, do not believe in the spiritual. And yet I believe it is evident that if we disregard Biblical teachings about the spiritual realms, life simply does not make a lot of sense. However it is also my experience that many people who claim to be spiritual do not understand what the Bible teaches about the spiritual realm that operates in the earth. These poems were also written for people who have difficulty reading and understanding the Scriptures. I try to clarify misunderstanding about many important Biblical issues such as Hell and pre-destination. They are written in simple poetic language for the benefit of anyone who is interested in Biblical Truth

Every child of God encounters spiritual warfare on many fronts. To help us to win our battles, the Lord of Hosts gave us the Holy Spirit as our Helper against the forces of hell. Relationship with Him is imperative as He brings with Him all that we will need to become more than conquerors. Every believer needs to manifest the character of Christ in waging war against the enemy. Every believer has a call of God, is anointed and graced, and must be able to function effectively in the Kingdom of God. Every believer must become conscious of the spiritual strategy to wage war against the enemy and be victorious. Every believer must become fully equipped to continue to establish God's Kingdom purpose on the earth. Every believer must discover connection with the Master's vision of the results expected. The Holy Spirit endows us with the capacity for winning every battle. The Holy Spirit equips us with the ability to wage successful warfare. The Holy Spirit encourages us with the strategy of a Kingdom warrior. The Holy Spirit enlightens us with the mentality derived from the wisdom of God. The Holy Spirit enables us with authority as we connect with the Master's vision. The picture that God has of every Kingdom Warrior must become realized in our individual lives. The church must aligned itself with the Vision that God has of it, and not seek to compromise God's vision for His church. We can be all that God said we will be, do all that He raised us up to do, and have all that He has promised us.

What you are about to read began in my heart and found its way to hand written words on 3-ring note book paper. These thoughts that turn into the spoken word I call Reasonings. The words were often spoken to a small group of seekers. Churches often call them sermons or messages, but I call them Reasonings in reference to a biblical passage in Isaiah 1:18: "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord." This infers to me that it is a co-creation experience. I also appreciate the Rasta spiritual perspective that calls this co-creation process Reasonings to understand (or as Rastafarians say, "to overstand") the ways of God.

In life, everyone at some time or another will experience what is commonly referred to as problems. Moving Mountains is a manual of sorts to assist people in the removal of life's problems. This removal process occurs by first looking at some commonly held beliefs and ideas held by our society. Secondly this removal occurs by realizing that a shift in perception is needed. As the reader continues to read and walk through the journey laid out in the pages of the book the task of noticing and in time changing existing paradigms will become the number one mission. This mission allows the reader to realize that the mountains in life (problems, challenges, issues and traumas) are blessings that can be used as stepping stones to greater awareness and increase one's ability to live a sacred life. The book guides the reader through the process of personal transformation by challenging what is believed and what the reader feels is known with various ideas and concepts that the author has found over years of study to be of immeasurable value and use, so that the mountains can be moved just as Jesus the Christ said in Matthew 17:20, "if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

Following Alan Watts' acclaimed book on Zen Buddhism The Way of Zen, he tackles the Chinese philosophy of Tao. The Tao is the way of man's cooperation with the natural course of the natural world. Alan Watts takes the reader through the history of Tao and its interpretations by key thinkers such as Lao-Tzu, author of the Tao Te Ching. Watts goes on to demonstrate how the ancient and timeless Chinese wisdom of Tao promotes the idea of following a life lived according to the natural world and goes against our goal-oriented ideas by allowing time to quiet our minds and observe the world rather than imposing ourselves on it. By taking in some of the lessons of Tao, we can change our attitude to the way we live. Drawing on ancient and modern sources, Watts treats the Chinese philosophy of Tao in much the same way as he did Zen Buddhism in his classic The Way of Zen. Including an introduction to the Chinese culture that is the foundation of the Tao, this is one of Alan Watts' best-loved works.

This book proposes that though Hell seems a God-forsaken place, every scene, character and major image in Dante's Divine Comedy - Hell, Purgatory and Paradise - is associated with one of the Persons of the Holy Trinity, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as it were lurking in the shadows. Thus every one of the hundred cantos has a 'dedication' to a Person, and the cantos form overarching groups which are also so dedicated, making the whole poem like a vast symbolic cathedral, where every action has a secret divine dimension. These presences make it very doubtful that Dante really thinks God tortures people for eternity For readers who may be unfamiliar with Dante, the author has made a translation, abridged, in prose and verse, thus hoping to provide an introduction to Dante for those who do not know him and a new way of reading him for those who do. "The result of decades of reflection on Dante and the Trinity, Dante's Hidden God offers a fresh and challenging vision of the 'Commedia'. Offered as an invitation to read Dante, this inventive presentation of Dante's masterpiece will intrigue readers and gives an accessible account of Paul Priest's highly original ideas about the 'sacrato poema'." Dr Matthew Treherne, Senior Lecturer in Italian, University of Leeds

GET TOUCHED WITH INSTRUCTIONS AND OBEY YOUR WAY TO VICTORY

The Lord's touch is more than an emotional moment experienced during a worship service or private devotional time.
Have you ever asked or wondered, "Lord, why did You touch me?"
In Touched With Instructions, we will learn the Lord's answers to this question.
We'll be led on a journey through the Bible and our lives to discover the purposes, changes and assignments that come with the Lord's touches. We'll learn about the victory of obedience and the devastation of disobedience.
We'll gain insight into how the Lord's instructions help us discern deception and overcome failures. And we'll see how the Lord grants instruction blessings to effective leaders who remain His humble students.
Awaiting us are instructions that will challenge, correct and revive us. We'll have times of prayer, repentance and praise as we surrender ourselves to the Lord's touches of compassion, encouragement, forgiveness and love.

Our instruction topics include:
Going for a Victory Walk through Enemy Situations
The Blessing of Being Second
Boot Camp for the Ears
Homework for the Tongue
Accepting Rejection
Write Right
Outnumbered but Not Overpowered
Final Victory
Intimately Touching the Lord

The Lord's touch is just the beginning. There are lessons to learn and directions to receive. So let's get started and get Touched With Instructions

Alexandria Hodgeman represents a composite of many people I have known, Catholic and non-Catholic, senior citizens and middle-aged. Her search for definition--for the meaning of her life--I intend as the type of search anyone ought to be pursuing, especially someone who is eighty-nine years old. Her wisdom is the concomitant of her advanced years. However, I doubt that she would permit me or anyone else to call her old. Despite the challenges of advanced years, she still thinks like a young person, remaining optimistic while searching for answers.

Alexandria's life has been lived in service to others, despite her lack of total awareness of this. She would modestly protest against anyone offering her thanks or recognition, deserved though they are. Although certainly not a model, Alexandria is intended as a positive example of what one person can do, what one person can accomplish for others while simultaneously serving her God.

Jesus promised He would come again to take us to be with Him to a place He has prepared for us, and scripture states it is an incredible place and life He has for us, beyond our comprehension. We can begin to experience this abundant life and walk in these Kingdom blessings here and now. As we allow the Holy Spirit to work in us, to lead, convict, teach and empower us to live for Christ - we will be prepared for His coming. The real question is not when is He coming, but who is He coming for and will I be among those He receives to Himself? Concerning these end times and His coming, Jesus said though we wouldn't know the exact hour or day, but that we are to be looking for the signs of His coming - to watch, pray and be ready for Him to come at any moment. As we watch, pray, and then do whatever He asks us to do, we will be ready for His coming or our going to be with Him, whichever comes first. The Bride has made herself ready He is coming to take a prepared people to a prepared place, so what does it mean to be ready? In light of the possible imminent return of Jesus, what manner of persons ought we to be/how would we want to be found by Him? What sort of Bride does Jesus desire/deserve and will He accept? Who is He soon coming for? A Passionate Bride - not cold or lukewarm but deeply in love with and devoted to Him; one looking and longing for His coming, preparing for His arrival, and desiring only to spend every minute in His presence. It is the essence and key to everything we are and do for the Lord. Everything comes down to loving God and others.

Travel inside the mind of the man and woman of God who have fallen on the battlefield of sin. Realize the struggles and heartache of each one who has confronted elements of loss, defeat, and death. Delve into the heartbeat of many who loved God, yet found themselves steeped in sin, fighting an unseen warrior and struggling to find their way back into fellowship with the Lord. Discover God's redemptive power and transforming grace that encamps around the fallen, who will once again believe that God loves them, and has a plan for their lives. Learn from Roni Simone about the confusion and social pressures that lead a woman to choose abortion, and walk with her through the trials she endures, in her fight to overcome and choose life. Struggle with Amos, who is enslaved by the temptation of pornography, and watch carefully as the forces of evil horde in to steal, kill, and destroy. Walk through the maze of disillusionment that is spun in Mara's life by the spirit of bitterness. Prepare to change. You may in some way see yourself in the life of one of these characters, and discover there is hope. Steady your heart for the doors that will open as you realize Jesus can set you free. Armor up, as the Holy Spirit prepares you to go in to the battlefield to rescue a fallen warrior, and know that He will bring to mind the need for restoration in your life, or in the life of someone near you.