I don't know how this one got past me. It looks like The National Center for Family-Integrated Churches (NCFIC) came out with this documentary sometime last year. This vimeo video was posted on July 19, 2010. I need to get on their mailing list. Anyway...
Even though they took us off of their church network list because we are Messianic (i.e., Torah observant), I still think that the NCFIC puts out some pretty good stuff. I continue to look to them for information on family integration. This video looks pretty good to me. They've got Kevin Swanson and Voddie Baucham in the trailer. If Jarrod Michel and Mark Fox are in the documentary, then I know it's going to be good.
We will have a screening at FRMC very soon. Stay tuned...
I apologize for taking so long to make this announcement, I know it should have been made sometime ago...
Aaron Michael, former Little Brother
Margaret and I would like to recognize our youngest child, Aaron Michael, for exceeding expectations in his role as Little Brother. When given the opportunity to be the Little Brother and the Baby Of The Family, Aaron stepped up to the challenge with enthusiasm. His hard work and dedication at being annoying to his older siblings while maintaining a high level of cute and cuddliness has earned him recognition in this vital role. He has mastered the art of asking for help with tasks like:
Getting a drink of water
Tying his shoes
Going to the restroom
Buckling his car-seat
Finally, Aaron has worn his brother's hand-me-downs with honor, an accomplishment worthy of recognition.
On June 7, 2011, or in the event that his replacement arrives sooner, Aaron will be officially promoted to the office of Big Brother.
Congratulations Aaron! I know you will make us proud.
Moses Michael, the NEW Little Brother
Aaron's replacement, Moses Michael, is expected to arrive on June 7, 2011. We are looking forward to meeting this new addition to the Gonzales Family.
I was recently introduced to Andrew Strom and his message warning the body of an invasion of false teachings and dangerous practices that come from Kundalini. Kundalini (Sanskrit for snake or serpent power) is a psycho-spiritual energy, the energy of the consciousness, which is thought to reside within the sleeping body, and is aroused either through spiritual discipline or spontaneously to bring new states of consciousness, including mystical illumination. (www.themystica.com)
Some of the physical effect of Kundalini include (en.wikipedia.org):
Involuntary jerks, tremors, shaking, itching, tingling, and crawling sensations, especially in the arms and legs
Energy rushes or feelings of electricity circulating the body
Intense heat (sweating) or cold, especially as energy is experienced passing through the chakras
Spontaneous pranayama, asanas, mudras and bandhas
Visions or sounds at times associated with a particular chakra
Diminished sexual desire or a state of constant orgasm
Emotional purgings in which particular emotions become dominant for short periods of time.
Depression
Pressure inside the skull and headache
Bliss, feelings of infinite love and universal connectedness, transcendent awareness
Watch the series of videos below produced by Andrew Strom and see if you have experienced this in your church. What do you think?
Kundalini Warning Part I
"…this is exactly what is warned about in Scripture."
- Andrew Strom
Kundalini Warning Part II
"We need a revolution in the leadership of the Church."
- Andrew Strom
Kundalini Warning Part III
"A lot of people when they see this stuff they go right over to the other extreme. They don't want any miracles. They don't want any prophecies whatsoever. They want nothing to do with a supernatural God… We can't afford to be doing away with healings and miracles. …we've got to have them in balance, we should have them in abundance…"
This is one of the craziest things I have ever seen. If you can stomach it, watch the whole thing. If not, just watch a couple of minutes to get an idea.
In this video YouTube Prophet, John Crowder, shares his testimony and explains that during an acid trip, he committed himself to Jesus and was immediately sobered from the drug. From that moment on he never did drugs again. He says that the high he was seeking through drugs was actually a valid search. It was just the wrong way to get it. Now he gets high on God. He says using drugs as a metaphor puts the Holy Spirit in a cultural context that people can relate to. Being ‘baptized in the Holy Spirit’ means nothing to the average person; but smoking some ‘Jehovah-juana’ is something that people in our modern society can understand and accept.
This logic assumes that everyone has done drugs and/or has a desire to get high particularly through the use of drugs and drinking. Once these people have found the real high (i.e. God) they don’t need drugs or alcohol anymore but they can still get high. But, what about the people who have never used drugs or drank alcohol? Would they relate to this metaphor? What about young children who are completely ignorant to drug related comments, actions, and behavior? Most importantly, did Jesus send us the Holy Spirit so we could feel the physical effects of a drug induced high? Is flailing around on the floor ‘high on Jesus’ the purpose for being filled with the Spirit?
In his book Unfashionable: Making a Difference in the World by Being Different, Tullian Tchividjian makes a good point. He says that "as believers, being relevant makes us irrelevant." In other words, when believers adopt secular culture* in order to attract non-believers it doesn’t work. In addition, when we look and act like the rest of the world we water down the message of Yeshua. Why would non-believers want to join the ranks of the God’s Remnant if we are essentially just like them? What attracts the non-believer is the fact that we are different. We shouldn’t compromise our beliefs in order to fit in because we are called to be Holy and set apart; we are in the world but not of the world.
The video ends with the narrator/director concluding, “Who am I to judge”. He didn’t see any problems with the message and practices taught by John Crowder and his crew of Christian Mystics. Should their movement continue to spread, it will only be a matter of time before you hear someone referring to their morning devotions as ‘getting whacked up on the Holy Ghost.’
~
* Namely those practices and traditions that go against the very nature of a Torah lifestyle.
