Becoming the person you are destined to be in Christ

by

G. A. Lane

Introduction

E-Mail Edition provided by the Foundation for the Advancement of Studies in the Arts, Sciences, and Humanities 30 December, 2013

Becoming the person you are destined to be in Christ Introduction

First Draft August 2006 MMVI, George A. Lane Copyright 2006. All rights reserved.

The English playwright, William Shakespeare, made an astounding observation about the nature of human performance in life, to which he remarked, All the worlds a stage. I was graduated from high school in 1976 and had several years of professional experience working in theatrical environments as a stage technician, a writer, an actor of melodrama and vaudeville, and as a performer in musical combos before this statement came to have a vivid meaning for me. To clarify this meaning and how it came to me it should be know that by age twenty two I was the proprietor of a small business that catered to each of these areas of the theater on a contract basis. The event that brought Shakespeares words to my attention as an explanation of the individual character in life happened in the summer of 1996 when I was nearing age forty. I was attending a regional festival of puppetry artists at the University of Ottawa in Ottawa, Canada as a workshop presenter. At the end of this event as the participants were saying the farewells and loading onto busses to return home one of the event organizers asked me how I had managed to accumulate such a diverse portfolio of talents and to become proficient at so many things. It is hard to be humble sometimes. A question like that, asked in the company of a group of other skilled artists, can be quite flattering. It was this persons intention to pay a compliment, of course, and that was appreciated. However, such an occasion opens a threshold for the entrance of a spirit of egotism and the subsequent expression of selfishness. This would not serve to provide a constructive response to the question. And even less it would not serve to promote a healthy, productive attitude within a person making such a response. The responsibility to pass on some useful information called for a moment of honest reflection before giving an answer. All the worlds a stage, said Shakespeare. The implications of this are, for one, that a story is being told in the course of world events, and secondly, as individuals we each participate in this story by performing character roles. The common cultural attribute of the audience that was gathered at the time this question was asked is that they were all theater artists and familiar with the techniques of character development. Therefore, it was possible to make a metaphor of this activity to provide the answer. When a character participates in a theatrical story its purpose is to fulfill all of the activities required of the part in order to validate not only its own motivations, but also those of the other characters with which it reacts in order that the story line of the play progresses in a logical manner. In theatrical terminology, all of the small actions performed by a character are called the, business, of that specific character. Usually this is taken to be the manner in which the hand and stage props are used as well as the blocking moves, but in the broader sense it involves the inflection of line delivery, body language and gesture, and even the iconic value and particularity of costuming. In

3 order to project the most vivid and realistic character possible, the actor must create a very detailed, score of the role, to outline all of the characters business as a set of actions in progress, and then to perform this business to the letter. When this is done the audience does not read an actor on the stage. Rather, they will only recognize the character as a realistic, logical element of the story that is being told. To say this succinctly, the character becomes real when its business is fulfilled by the actor. Inasmuch as we are all characters on the stage of life, this same rule applies to the business we perform in our daily routines. The person we become in life is the irrevocable result of the business we perform and the level of refinement in detail that is applied to this business. One main difference between the stage of the theater and the stage of life is that theater actors have the chance to be separated from the characters they play once the story is told. As participants in the story of life the attributes of being the actor that performs the business of a role and of being the character who is represented in this activity are juxtaposed within each individual in a manner such that they are not truly separable. This provides a tremendous motivation to pursue the business of life with at least as much diligence and purpose as a good stage performer. Some obvious advantages of the stage play over the stage of life are that; 1). In the actors theater the story of the play has a predetermined starting point, through line of action, and conclusion. Because of this it is easy to identify the nature of a character and its purpose in the story by an analysis of the script, which segues to point two: 2). The playwright has envisioned the story from beginning to end and has made a record in the script of all of the activities and interactions that are logical to the telling of the story. The actor has only to make a score of the individual role for the purpose of refining its business and does not have to guess at how to move and react, what to say and do each time the story is told on the stage: 3). The actors are under the authority of a director who is physically present during rehearsals. There is no doubt that all aspects of the interpretation of the play, from individual character roles to the complete overview of the story, are decided by this director. So stage actors really have many important tasks and details worked out for them in advance by other people, which is a luxurious situation compared to the work of performers on the stage of life. The question remains: how does one become proficient in any area of talent? Once the aspect of a persons aptitude for certain talents is fairly considered the answer becomes reasonably obvious. If we stand in the position of an observer watching another person at work in their profession or hobby we will recognize an entity that is much like a character participating in the story of a play. The world is a stage for this person. If it happens that the work is done with a high level of proficiency, then we cannot help but to quickly realize that this person is a professional in a certain field or very skilled at the talents of a certain hobby. Because of the outward expression of the business performed by this individual we are able to readily identify certain character attributes that announce to us who the person is. Except in the case of a complete act of deception or subterfuge, or a misinterpretation on our part, these characteristics can be acknowledged to be genuine personality traits of this individual. When in life we identify an activity or talent at which we want to become proficient it becomes a logical step to develop ourselves into the character who is recognized as being such a proficient one. Then we come to the point, whether consciously or not, of being motivated to fulfill the business of this character. When a conscious effort to do this is made, then the process becomes a study to identify and practice the attributes and business of this type of character. It is

4 much more efficient to do this than to simply come by talent as a matter of happenstance. In order to become a good salesperson, for example, one must act like a good salesperson; and the conscious person will endeavor to research the characteristics of good sales people and put these into practice until they become personal character traits by nature.

Don Quixote to Sancho Panza

"I say also, that when a painter would become rare and excellent in his art, he procures to imitate the most singular masters of his science; and this very rule runs current throughout all other trades and exercises of account which serve to adorn a well disposed commonwealth." ( Cervantes )

Heb 3:1
Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; KJV
When that question was asked at the puppetry festival I had a genuine desire to give a response that would provide a tool for others to use in the development of their talents. This was a primary purpose of the festival: to exchange ideas and techniques within the art form to facilitate progress in learning and refine presentations. There was something very important that was not included in the answer at that time, however, which I have since made a vow to never circumvent in such a conversation. This point is that we exist and have life in this world for a purpose, (Acts 17:28 for in him we live, and move, and have our being; ASV,) and that purpose is to perform a part according to the will of God in a coordinated effort with others performing in respective roles; (Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God afore prepared that we should walk in them. ASV.) In scripture, we are referred to as the members of the body of Christ and in this it is noted that we do not each play the same role; Rom 12:4-5 4 For even as we have many members in one body, and all the members have not the same office: 5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and severally members one of another. ASV

5 1 Cor 6:15 Know ye not that your bodies are members of Christ? ASV 1 Cor 12:12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of the body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ. ASV 1 Cor 12:18-20 18 But now hath God set the members each one of them in the body, even as it pleased him. 19 And if they were all one member, where were the body? 20 But now they are many members, but one body. ASV 1 Cor 12:27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and severally members thereof. ASV Eph 4:25 . . . : for we are members one of another. ASV Eph 5:30 . . . because we are members of his body. ASV Because of this our roles in life are interactive in the same manner as those of the characters in a stage play. The ultimate purpose for our manifested presence in this world is to worship and glorify the Lord, (Matt 5:16 Even so let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. ASV: 2 Cor 9:13 You will be glorifying God through your generous gifts. For your generosity to them will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ. NLT: 1 Peter 2:12 having your behavior seemly among the Gentiles; that, wherein they speak against you as evil-doers, they may by your good works, which they behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. ASV : 1 Peter 4:16 but if (a man suffer) as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God in this name. ASV,) and we do this in concert with the other various members of the Christian body. The many forms of labor we perform in ministry and in our daily walk with Christ, while being works that do not primarily justify us, do indeed represent the justification of our lives by the righteousness we have in Christ. (Rom 3:28 We reckon therefore that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. ASV: Gal 2:16 yet knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we believed on Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the law: because by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. ASV: [and secondly to this] James 2:21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, in that he offered up Isaac his son upon the altar? [But it was by faith that he did this. Hebrews 11:17]: . . . 24-25 24Ye see that by works a man is justified, and not only by faith. 25And in like manner was not also Rahab the harlot justified by works, in that she received the messengers, and sent them out another way? ASV.) These labors are the outward expressions that allow others to identify our characters. The level of detail that is applied to the performance of these characters will determine if others read only the actor pretending to be something that is detached from the true personality or if they will recognize genuine characters participating in the true purpose of the body. The situation of being members of the Christian body, [the cast], performing the work of Christ in the will of God, [the script], puts upon us the responsibility to not only project the true character of our roles but also to promote and preserve the business of our counterparts in this work. Like the character of the stage play the business of the character in the theater of life exists

6 for the purpose of validating not only its own motivations, but also those of the other characters with which it reacts in order that the story line of the play progresses in a logical manner. There is a matter to briefly consider at this point. Not everyone who is manifestly present in the world is a member of the body of Christ. As Christians we are set apart as a peculiar people, (Titus 2:14). We are in the world but not of it, (John 17: 14-16), so our work in the body is uncommon to the world. In fact, this work is contrary to the worlds way of doing things. So not only do our character roles interface with the protagonists who are in the Body of Christ, but also we must interact with many antagonistic characters whose purpose it is to pursue life in the absence of Christ, to disseminate this purpose among others, and even to eradicate the influence of Christ in the world. This is not a real possibility. Never-the-less, the interpretations of our roles in life are influenced by the business performed by others in the course of events. Consider the differences between theater acting and life acting from another perspective. In the theater, the character is predefined by the playwright and the directors interpretations of the story. Except for the possible input of a domineering producer or in the case that an interpretive team is operating under the authority of the director there are few input thresholds for other opinions besides those of the playwright and the director: perhaps some by the costume and set designers. Beyond the actors personal interpretations of the characters business in the score of the role and at moments of spontaneous response to unexpected, accidental situations in performance all of the essential ingredients of the character are given from the beginning of the story to its end by the predetermination of other authorities. From the perspective of an individual human acting out a role in life things seem to be different from the theater. Except for the activity of imagination and the implementation of hope in faith the human mind does not easily comprehend the future as a foreseen place of becoming. Life is eternal, having its dimensions not only in a present moment in time, but also from the moment of creation into the infinity of the future. That represents a field of eventuality that escapes the capacity of human thought to effectively organize into a beginning-to-end overview, as with the script of a stage play. Even more baffling to the mind is the property of life that it is not confined by a linear dimensional flow from the past into the future, but rather it consists of an infinitude of juxtaposed realities.* Consequently, undirected event may flow into any situation that exists within the realm of life. This is something that is not established by the parameters of world events. The world only exists within this structure as a place where we are for a time being. Albeit, we tend to consider and rationalize the parts we play in life as being primarily for the purpose of telling story on the stage of the world. It is easier on the human mind to do this and we have a greater hope of projecting our imaginations into the future of a tangible world in order to predict a script to follow in our business, even if that script is not complete or conclusive as an overview. Essentially, we only tend to consciously act out mini-segments of story line and do not have a true understanding of the super objective of the overall story. ___________________
*

An elaboration of this view of the natural matrix / paradigm is found in the "Supplemental Essays" of the text; Mead, George Herbert. The Philosophy of the Present. Chi / Lon . University of Chicago Press. 1932. Reprint. 1980. Edited by Arthur E. Murphy.

7 It is the aspect of being directed, and more overly properly directed, that provides the difference between progressing into fruitful future environments where our character is not only blessed to be in the will of God, but also where it becomes a blessing to others in the cooperative actions of the body of Christ; or to simply bounce around in life without purpose or hope. There are many opportunities for direction in life: in the theater of the world. Certainly this is ordained by the Creator for a purpose. However, our human capacities for self determination that consist in our will and the right of choice are important factors that determine what we make of external directives and in what manner they are beneficial to us. It does happen in life that we are often under the direction of others. Our parents or guardians are the first authorities we know in this respect. As life progresses we are also directed by our teachers at school, our ministers at church, our employers at work, and the authority of our government. Other systems of direction occur in our relationships with peers, casual associations, fellow employees, teammates and adversaries, and through a myriad of media influences. It also happens in life that we accomplish actions to fulfill the requirements of minisegments of the overall script. These actions occur in our performance at work, participating in academic curriculums, attending to volunteer assignments at church or with other social organizations, or as team members in a competitive game or sport. In situations like these, we usually act under the direction of another person and the authority of a prescribed set of rules: a game plan that is comparable to the script in the actors theater. Certainly the environment of the home and our relations with spouses and other family members provide the most reactive occasions for performance in our lives. Here, the roles of leader follower, and the systems of authority can sometimes be less rigorous or well defined than in other realms of life, but the influences of direction within family units are often the most powerful. For the most part, these types of action and systems of direction represent worldly influences that operate through the sensations of our corporeal bodies and the thoughts of our minds. In the overview, it is apparent that we are not autonomous to determine the business of our lives but that this must conform to some authority that possesses a broader scope of understanding in terms of the script and interpretation of the play. This is the place where we seek a source of direction to fulfill our understanding of the role we are to play in life. It is appropriate for the moment to be directed by St. Paul who wrote, (Rom 12:2 And be
not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. KJV). Pauls thinking in this was most certainly framed in this manner: (Heb 3:1 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; KJV) . Our

work in the body of Christ is a calling, and it is God who has done the calling. And Paul also writes,
(Rom 8:29 For whom [us] he [God] foreknew, he also foreordained (to be) conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren: ASV).

It is also very appropriate to be directed, not just for this moment but at all times, by Christ Jesus and the words that he spoke for our benefit. How would Christ have us find our directions?
(Matt 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and a ll these things shall be added to you. NKJV), and this is also recorded at (Luke 12: 31). There, among the many things that

8 are to be added to us in this are the directions from the authority that possesses the accurate overview and interpretation of the script of life; and this is most surely be the author of life himself, who is God the Creator. How does this happen? It is by our spirit that we make this type of search and offer our supplications. It is by the Holy Spirit of God and through our spirits that we are supplied. This is where we become peculiar and contrary to the worlds method of securing all forms of provisions; be they wealth, shelter, comfort, peace, health, and above all wisdom and the true knowledge of things. As the scripture from Matthew 6:25-33 points out, those of the world busy themselves to find these things in temporal substance. But what we know by faith is that God already knows our needs, for he has designed these in the writing of the script, and he will place the necessary provisions into our hands in the proper moment. (Heb 11:3 Through faith we understand that the
worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. KJV). The things we need in our progress in life exist in the matrix of

juxtaposed realities that are not manifestly present in the world. The foolish mind will design a plan of its own and search at random without proper directions. The wise mind will submit to the authority of Gods script and follow the directions of the leader, who is Christ that speaks by the Holy Spirit. Can we be certain of this? Lets hear St. Paul once again. (1 Cor 3:16 Know ye not that ye are a temple of God, and (that) the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? ASV). We are inherently endowed with a spirit that interfaces with the Holy Spirit, bringing this Spirit into us as the master program for our lives. This interfacing includes our being as a subset of the omniscient mind of God. Because of this those who operate according to the Spirit have an accurate map to travel by in the world: not being without the substance of the world, but rather placing this in a proper perspective in the grander scheme of things. In the Spirit, we fulfill the rightful laws of nature according to Gods way of thinking and not according to the ordinances that proceed from th e desires of corporeal pleasure. (Rom 8:3-11 3For what the law could not do, in that it was weak
through the flesh, God, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4 that the ordinance of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit . 5 For they that are after the flesh mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 6 For the mind of the flesh is death; but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace: 7 because the mind of the flesh is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can it be: 8 and they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 But ye are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you. But if any man hath not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwelleth in you, he that raised up Christ Jesus from the dead shall give life also to your mortal bodies through his Spirit that dwelleth in you. ASV). Those who are of the world,

seeking to be directed by worldly systems of thought and rejecting the direction of the Holy Spirit, are much like battery powered toys that have only one charge to operate by in life. They are continually running down without the hope of being recharged and are disposed of when the battery wears out. As we seek direction in the spirit our contact with the Holy Spirit provides us with a certain help to clarify our vision. (Rom 8:26-28 26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our distress. For we
don't even know what we should pray for, nor how we should pray. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. 27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows

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what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will. 28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. NLT). This is something that can not be done by searching the mind and thoughts of humanity in the world. (1 Cor 2:11 For who among men knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of the man, which is in him? Even so the things of God none knoweth, save the Spirit of God. ASV).

At the beginning of this introduction it was mentioned that the situation in which the question about talents was asked provided the occasion for the entrance of a spirit of egotism and also that responding according to that spirit was unhealthy. The Lord would have us know that while it is not unfruitful to understand and express to others the nature of our talents this should be done in a proper context and without exalting our own works so as to occlude the genuine source of our proficiency. (Prov 3:5-6 5 Trust in Jehovah with all thy heart, And lean not upon thine own understanding: 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, And he will direct thy paths. ASV). By now we should understand that the things God has brought into us are essential to our true characters in Christ for the purpose of performing the good works he has prepared for us. These will be sustained by the Holy Spirit. What we come by through worldly means and the understandings of a human mind alone are strictly temporal and will be separated from us, from the body of Christ, like the chaff from the grain: (Luke 3:16-17 16 John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize
you with water; but there cometh he that is mightier than I, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit and (in) fire: 17 whose fan is in his hand, thoroughly to cleanse his threshing-floor, and to gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire. ASV).

Interestingly, the asking of that question at the puppetry festival in Ottawa was not the first or last time this has happened to me. Neither am I the only person that I have witnessed to stand in the position of having to make a response to this type of question. Many different responses to such questioning have crossed my eardrums over the years. Perhaps one of the most fruitful conclusions on this subject happened in a conversation with the music minister at a church I attended several years ago. This woman1 is an extremely talented person in many respects, so when she began to question me about my own thoughts on the development of talent it was another very flattering situation. She added another dimension to the question by asking what my conception of intelligence is and how this figures into the advancement of skills. By this time in my life it was possible to be more direct in confessing that it is contact with the mind of God by way of the Spirit that causes the growth of genuine talent to happen. There is no seed of learning or of skill that has ever been planted in my earthly walk that matured into a valuable talent except that it was cultivated by the life giving grace of the Lord without the attention of my own corporeal understanding. (Mark 4:26-29 26 Jesus also said, Here is another illustration
of what the Kingdom of God is like: A farmer planted seeds in a field, 27 and then he went on with his other activities. As the days went by, the seeds sprouted and grew without the farmer's help, 28 because the earth produces crops on its own. First a leaf blade pushes through, then the heads of wheat are formed, and finally the grain ripens. 29 And as soon as the grain is ready, the farmer comes and harvests it with a sickle." NLT). Lest it seems that there is some contradiction in this

we should understand that the earth exists within the structure of Gods creation and the crops
1

Sheila Hambrick Rutherford Music Minister, Southwest Christian Fellowship, Jenks, OK & GSL Church, Tulsa, OK

10 produce by virtue of the power of life that is of God, not by any independent action or will exerted by either the earth or the sower of the seed. The idea of intelligence has three basic meanings in common human languages. First of all it denotes a system of coherent signaling for the purpose of conveying a message. Secondly it is taken to mean the capacity to read or receive such signals and to formulate coherent records of the intended message. Intelligence is also taken to be the content of a message that is transmitted from a source to a receptor. In regards to human intelligence, the recordings may consist only of thought patterns in the mind, which are represented as imaginations; or they may elaborate into several types of expressions. To say that a receiving system is intelligent is to say that on a scale of measurement from poor to excellent it is able to comprehend and record signaled messages with a high degree of parity, which is very ood to excellent. Likewise, a message source is considered to be intelligent when it signals in a manner such that the message is easily comprehended by the intended receivers, allowing them to make records of a high fidelity. The conclusion that was derived in the conversation with this music minister is that God is the source of all fruitful knowledge. Therefore, his signaling system, which is the Holy Spirit, is providing the most accurate messages possible. Interfacing with this signaling system by way of our spirits is what brings intelligent information into our being, and this may be considered as the acquisition of wisdom. The person who does this in earnest for the purpose of gaining such wisdom will be satiated in this respect and will also become endowed with all other things that they need according to the knowledge of their spirit, which truly knows them. (James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. KJV). There is another thing that happens when one becomes subject to the authority of the Holy Spirit. They are transformed by the renewing of their mind, enlightened as we say, to become increasingly more competent as receptors of the message of the Spirit. They literally become more intelligent as the influence of the world is put away and that of the Spirit takes precedence. This intelligence enhances the capacity to organize the meaning of sensational stimulation and of thoughts in the mind so that they are under the authority of Gods will. (2 Cor 10:3-5 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh 4(for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the casting down of strongholds), 5 casting down imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ; ASV). In the wink of an eye, the music minister and I realized that we had a common understanding of this fact. I have also most recently heard a broadcast minister express this in this way, The Holy Spirit is Absolute Intelligence. . . , which provides a confirmation that this is not an isolated word of knowledge. ******* This much of a discussion could not have been made at the bus stop at the University of Ottawa when the question was asked of me. But here we are preparing to examine the development of our characters in the body of Christ and the nature of our work in these roles, so it is appropriate to include these insights as an introduction to the body of the text.

11 But the question remains: how does one become proficient in any area of talent? Know the purpose of the role to be played at any moment in life. Become aware of the accouterments that adorn the character as its business. Begin to perform this business; but do this by giving the details up to God, seeking his kingdom by way of the spirit first, so that they may be organized by the mind of the director. In this, there will be a sifting out of activity that has no purpose or a contradictory purpose as well as an enhancement of the activity that does participate in the story. Do not hold onto the chaff or be sorrowful when it is swept away, but rather be focused on what remains when the Holy Spirit has done its work. Use this to express your character, and you will be counted as a truly talented person. (Matt 5:15 Neither do (men) light a lamp, and put it under the bushel, but on the stand; and it shineth unto all that are in the house. ASV)

Matt 25:14-29 For (the Kingdom of Heaven is) as (when) a man, going into another country, called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. 15And unto one he gave five talents , to another two, to another one; to each according to his several ability; and he went on his journey. 16 Straightway he that received the five talents went and traded with them, and made other five talents. 17In like manner he also that (received) the two gained other two. 18But he that received the one went away and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money. 19Now after a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and maketh a reckoning with them. And he that received the five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: lo, I have gained other five talents. 21His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will set thee over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy lord. 22And he also that (received) the two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: lo, I have gained other two talents . 23His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will set thee over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy lord. And he also that had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art a hard man, reaping where thou didst not sow, and gathering where thou didst not scatter; 25and I was afraid, and went away and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, thou hast thine own. But his lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I did not scatter; 27thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the bankers, and at my coming I should have received back mine own with interest. 28Take ye away therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him that hath the ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not, even that which he hath shall be taken away. ASV
29 26 24 20 14

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Part I
Living, Moving, and Being in Him

PREFACE
The Introduction to this series of articles begins by relating an experience that happened at a festival of puppetry artists. The idea of using analogies to the puppet theater in a discussion of personal character development and growth in our walk with Christ may seem unusual. However, the novelty in this provides a system of metaphors that can be pondered with, perhaps, more objectivity than many examples of, been theredone that, situations in the everyday world. Most people have worked with puppetry, maybe as playful skits in the home, in school or with ministry programs, or even in public theatrical venues. Still, the analogy between the relationships among object, manipulator, and story line in puppet theater and the properties of body, soul, and spirit in the human being is a different perspective from the entertainment aspects of the art form.

13 As the author of the articles in this series I confess that for a ten year period during the 1990s I made a concerted professional / semi-academic study of the puppetry arts. This included the technical aspects of the physical apparatus used in performance as well as the theoretical ideas regarding the psychology of iconic representation and the linguistic form of the art. This represents a significant field of event in my personal history. Not every detail of those studies would be of interest to most readers or would necessarily pertain to the topic of these articles, though, so that material has to be sorted in order to weed out the unproductive information. The action of recollection is an important part of that type of analysis. But reminiscence is a time consuming process that can be an encumbering preoccupation if it is not subjected to the discipline of organized method. Fortunately, it was my habit during those ten years to publish a quarterly journal that recorded the most recently studied material. In the overview, that journal became a progressive exposition of the theoretical mechanics of puppetry. Although each article was written in a relatively stand-alone format, there was a contiguous flow from one to another so that they became a mutually illuminating collection. It is much easier to refocus and thin out the material presented in those articles than it would be to draft new studies by memory from scratch. So, some of those previous journals provide the groundwork for this set of articles. The flow from one article to another will characterize this series as well. Because many of those earlier papers on the puppetry arts were rooted in secular academic studies there are references to philosophic works included in this current article that may seem loosely justified by its content; they might seem too excessive for this particular article. Those references do have some participation in the topic of this article, but more-overly the choice to leave them intact without making an abbreviation at this point is based in the fact that the remaining articles in the series move ahead to discuss ideas that make better sense if a discussion of theories and philosophies is made at the onset. I have only a few qualms about using secular philosophical or scientific references in a thesis of this type. To be certain, the primary point of this paper is that the proper script by which we live, move, and have being is the will of God, and we know of this in the Word of scripture and by the Holy Spirit. The matrix found in conformity to the world system and the movements based in self interest that this initiates are contradictory to progressive emergence into the life of eternity, which is our true destiny. Still, in order to see what the differences between these two sources of influence are, the ideas derived in secular doctrines need to be discussed. They illuminate how things are perceived from the human perspective. Seeing the contrasts in a system of analogies facilitates the work of putting away the undesirable deceptions of the world and getting conformed to the Spiritual design of God. Any student of the New Testament in pursuit of a vocation in the body of Christ would be remiss in this work if they did not make a study of the life of the apostle Paul. As the, old person, Saul was a well educated man for his day. He was a Roman citi zen raised from a community with strong Greek / Hellenistic cultural traditions, and he was a dyed in the wool Pharisee. The authority of his work in the persecution of the Apostles and Disciples of Christ testifies to the fact that his degree of education was lofty. In addition to this history as Saul, the apostle Paul spent much time in places such as Corinth, Athens, Thessalonica and Ephesus

14 during the time of his ministry. It is quite possible that Paul had as much knowledge and understanding of the Greek / Hellenistic philosophies and theological traditions as any other person living at that time, and even more than this because he had the tempering of the Holy Spirit to direct his discernment of truth regarding these things. An extremely significant aspect of Pauls writing is that except to point out the corruption that results from the pursuit of the philosophies and theologies of the Greek and Asian cultures, (Acts 17:18-23, Col 2:8), the apostle never derived a lesson based on the authority of secular knowledge. It is clear that he intentionally put these things away and this may be a specific part of what he alluded to at (I Cor 13:10-12 10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. 11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. KJV) Another important aspect of Pauls life and work is that at the time of his conversion, (Acts Chapter 9), he became a turncoat and a dangerous enemy in the eyes of the Sanhedrin: a hunted man, just as he had hunted others. (Acts 9:23 And when many days were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel together to kill him: ASV). The broader consequences of this are not detailed in the Book of Acts and Pauls epistles, except that we know from these that he was harshly punished (Acts 16:19-23), stoned and left for dead (Acts 14:19), and imprisoned for much of the time of his ministry. We dont know for certain if there was a price on his head, but it is a possibility. Rejecting or openly contradicting / defying popular religion, philosophy, scientific dogma, and other social norms seldom leads to great popularity and comfortable living. Harsh persecutions can often result from this. I have to admit that as a matter of conscience and conviction I concur with Pauls purpose in rejecting the popular philosophies and profane religious doctrines of his day, although it wasnt the popular or financially prosperous thing to do. The Gospel news does not derive from these things. But often the circumstances of life in the world are affected by them, so it is good to know something about them. It is my hope that the reader will consider the included secular references by putting them under the authority of the Word in Christ. These things should not become the idols of imagination as the secular world would have us believe they should.

G. A. Lane 4 / 21 / 09

15

Living, Moving, and Being in Him

The basic idea of the question that was raised at the festival of puppetry artists is, in a nutshell, how does one get better at doing the things they need to do to accomplish a task? How does one become diversely talented? Study and practice are two main ingredients, but there are many things in life that can be studied and practiced. Some are fruitful to support progress toward a given objective: some are not. (1 Cor 10:23 All things are lawful; but not all things are expedient. All things are lawful; but not all things edify. ASV.) A resultant of the random pursuit of knowledge, to think in geometrical / mathematical terms, may not amount to much progress in a specific, desired direction. I do believe whole heartedly that all fruitful study must be undertaken by first attending to a routine of devout prayer, conforming to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and being tempered by the Lords Word in scripture. Genuine advancement consists in the transformation that results from this; the renewing of the mind is the substance of true learning. (Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. KJV). This perspective differs from the secular view of learning and departs from the popular approach to instruction in modern education systems. In this perspective, an individual can be recognized as a vehicle operating by the influence of an extraneous, unseen power: a power that is extraneous in the sense that it does not emanate from the tangible things of the world or conventional systems of mundane thinking. The conduit for this influence is by the spirit, which knows the true nature of man. (1 Cor 2:11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? KJV) The source of the power and influence that is accessed by this conduit is the Holy Spirit of God. (1 Cor 2:11 even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. KJV) And since this system of influence cannot be directly seen or defined in rational terms it is very often denied as a realistic source of direction. Here, it would be a great discredit to the reader if it is not noted that there are powers inherent to the world that do recognize the advantages procured by guidance in the spirit by the Spirit but which out of prejudice, spite, jealousy, and tyrannical selfishness operate to corrupt this conduit. These spiritual advantages by nature exceed the authority of the world. They happen in the form of blessings and miraculous occurrence in the eyes of the world. They are the result of unmerited favor by the grace of God and instill the recipients with specific powers to overcome the crippling affects of mundane influences. It is the intent and purpose of the powers and principalities of the world to captivate the souls of humankind, and this is done by some of the most coercively oppressive means imaginable. The imprisonments of pain, illness, poverty, strife, and other forms of affliction are easy to identify as methods that would bend a mind into a rejection of the Holy Spirit. Many people do abandon their access to the cornucopia of God and recant their confessions of faith under such pressures. Unfortunately, the perceived relief of doing this is a deception, and situations inevitably become worse when the grace of God is rejected.

Part I

16

Would one necessarily think of being moved into a life of worldly riches and luxury, fame and popularity, or political / military power as being a form of oppression? Unquestionably, the scriptures of the Bible contain many accounts of faithful servants of the Lord who were blessed in these very things. David, who was a man after Gods heart: Abraham, whose faith and obedience were counted as righteousness: Job: Ruth: Esther: Joshua: Gideon: Samson: Mary: Matthew: Mark: Luke: John: Peter: Paul: James: and a multitude of saints, known and unknown, who have served by grace in opulence and / or to posterity and the benefit of others since the early days of the Church! The situations of wealth, luxury, fame, or power in authority over others are not intrinsically good or bad, but they do provide great temptations that can be the cause of spiritual death. (Mark 8:36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? KJV) There are indeed many who pursue these attributes of wealth, luxury, fame, or power in authority over others with an intention similar to that of Nimrod, the son of Cush, whose kingdom began at Babel and fell with the tower of that name, which he built as a personal edifice. But if we truly consider the Apostle and High Priest of our heavenly calling, even Jesus Christ, then we will note that he rejected this purpose when he was tempted to it. (Matt 4:8-10 8 Again, the devil taketh him unto an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9 and he said unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. ASV) A test can be made in this respect. If tempted into such a situation as a way out of affliction question if, how, and to what extent this detracts from or inhibits your prayer life and worship of God. Will the situation of a high position prevail if you persist to worship the Lord? (See Dan 6:10-24). If this is not the case walk squarely away from this deal that has been made with the devil for it will become an undoing. When a person is undone in this way, then they become the property and tool of the devil. It is for the purpose of making this acquisition that the powers and principalities of the world operate to corrupt the spiritual conduit. Again, the blessings of grace are advantages that exceed the authority of the world. It is indeed irrational to compare the value of transformation by the Spirit and the renewal of the mind to any system of earthly wealth or power. Whereas this confounds the rationale of conventional education programs, what does this matter to the Disciples of Christ when it is their calling as a peculiar people to walk by faith and not by sight: (2 Cor 5:7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. ASV): to perform by the Spirit and not by temporal understanding (Prov 3:5 Trust in Jehovah with all thy heart, And lean not upon thine own understanding: ASV)? Therefore, it is appropriate to be recognized as a vessel operating under the influence of unseen power by way of the Holy Spirit. Once a person is truly submitted to the direction of this authority it is easy to realize that life, and movement, and being are in the Lord. (Acts 17:27-28 that they should seek God, if haply they might feel after him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us: 28 for in him we live, and move, and have our being ; ASV) * * * * *

17 The art form of puppetry provides a relatively unique metaphorical environment among the fine arts, or folk arts if it is found there, that represents the relationship of the human condition to the force of spiritual influence. Because of this the realm of the miniature theater has been used since the earliest times of human presence in the world to demonstrate the rites of worship. In many cases, the performances themselves are regarded as rites of worship and points of contact with the spirit world. There seems always to be a propensity in the work of human tradition to encapsulate the knowledge and understanding of humanitys place in creation, even of creation itself, and to uphold this understanding as the absolute model of how the universe operates. When this tendency moves to the extreme it often happens that such a model will manifest itself in a system of object talismans, icons, graven images, or animated figurines. It is not the fact that these artificial things exist that becomes the obstacle to true knowledge and understanding. It is the purpose for which these things are used that constitutes the deception in many cases. It may be a stretch to express the restatement of the Law at Deuteronomy Chapter 4 in this way, but the meaning of what the Lord is saying to the Jews about their covenant with Him and the absolute importance of leaving the subjugation to Egyptian ritual behind does not get lost in this. The Jews have been given the Law of the Ten Commandments by this time in their history. They are preparing to enter into and to possess a new land that is inhabited by cultures that practice religious forms that are not in covenant with the Lord. It is not only a matter for the Jews to put off the final vestiges of the Egyptian traditions, but also and primarily of becoming instilled with the discipline to not take on the spiritually corruptive practices inherent to the traditions of the cultures they are about to displace. The Law begins, I am the one and only God and Creator of the Universe. You shall have no gods before me, says the Lord. It proceeds from this that, (You shall not makeany graven image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. . . . Ex 20:4-5; Deut 4:14-19). Could this be understood in this way; Do not attempt to describe the Lord in any way, shape, form, or fashion so as t o claim to have identified and represented the manifestation of God: lest you worship and serve such a thing? The Lord is clear about this point, that He is jealous to have our complete attention; so it is not simply a matter that our vision is impaired by a reverence of idols, causing us to fail to obtain Gods blessings, but more importantly Gods favor and grace are upon those who humbly and faithfully keep and attend to His Word. (Josh 1:7-8; 2Chron 20:20; Prov 4:20-27) The prerogative to gift is in Gods hands. So the Law forbids the creation of an image or an idol for the purpose of saying that it has the power to act in the capacity of the Creator in any respect. Common sense under the direction of wisdom should uphold the purpose in this. Consider that the Lords communication to Job in chapters 38-41 of the Book of Job only begins to express the limitations of humanity to define and understand God the Creator, and then it becomes very apparent that the powers of iconic ritual are less than sacred and tend moreover to cripple the growth of spirit if given over to pseudo-sacred purposes. In another context, however, it is clear that the power of iconic representation can be used for a good purpose that does not become a system of worship but rather one of instruction. Our Lord Jesus Christ faced a peculiar challenge as He ministered to the people during the time of His presence in a human body. The nature of Heavenly things cannot be fully expressed in human language forms. (2 Cor 12:4 how that he was caught up into Paradise, and heard

18 unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. ASV). Even something as simple as an angels name is inexpressible by the human tongue; (Judg 13:18 And the angel of the Lord said unto him, [Manoah], why asketh thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret? KJV) The angels name, the signifier of his nature, was wonderful and awesome. Essentially the angel was telling Manoah to leave the matter alone because such a thing cannot be comprehended by a human mind, much less expressed in a language that is comprehensible to that mind. This is why the Spirit intercedes for us with groanings that cannot be uttered. (Ro 8:26). And working with this limitation Jesus never spoke a complete manifestation of the Kingdom of Heaven to those who were hearing Him. Except to say that the Kingdom of God IS at hand the Lord never said that the Kingdom IS this or IS that. Rather, metaphor and analogy were used to indicate that the Kingdom of Heaven is like this situation or that situation. The Lord told stories and made examples in these that would be understandable to His students. Similarly, icons make good representations only of what things are like, and they invoke memories of lessons learned. The art form of puppetry is discussed herein only for this purpose, to make metaphorical analogies that represent the relationship between humankind as the object raised from the dust of the earth and God the Creator as the source of the breath of life. Hopefully, by examining what it takes to make a good puppet play there can also be found ways to refine personal performance in the theater of life in order to become more proficient in Gods service. One reason this art form works well in this capacity is because it is so common to the experience of human expression that there are few people who have not participated in a puppet play at one time or another. One main difference between the hobbyists / armatures and the masters of the art is that up to a certain degree of study most practitioners do not have an elaborate concern for the theoretical mechanics of performance. However, if a concerted study of the art progresses the practitioner inevitably becomes independent of the immediate direction of a mentor and must assume the responsibility of self direction, often becoming an instructor / director and mentor to others. That requires the higher degree of knowledge and practice to be done well. This is the first analogy. It is a similar situation to walking in Christ and functioning in the body of the Church. Although there is always access to the spiritual guidance of others, the pastors, deacons and elders of the Church, there comes a time of no longer being, baby Christians. Then it is time to take up the responsibilities of the elders and perform these duties within the Church. At this point the knowledge of the theoretical mechanics of performance has to be increased and applied. * * * * *

When using puppets as performers, a primary objective is to replace live actors as the principal stage characters and foci of attention. It is usually the intention to have the puppet / object recognized by the audience as being human or some type of animal. Although the anthropomorphosis of the puppet is not complete in some cases, it is still necessary to bring the object to the point of simulated life in order that its story telling capacity can be used in the play. The actions and movements that are involved in the development of these simulations of living animal forms are what constitute the art of animation. The animation of the object by a human manipulator, whether this action is inferred or the result of physical contact between the manipulator and object, is an interactive process that places the living being into a synergistic relationship with material substance, producing as its aim a pretended life through created movement. To better understand the use of pretended life in the puppet theater and the created movement from

19 which it results it is helpful to understand some of the ideas regarding the capacities of objects to become animated. It is a common, periodic debate among theorists of the art form of puppetry whether or not the puppet itself is a living entity. One idea that has generated several discussions and debates is based in the hypothesis or belief that at every level of organization, from the minutest particles to the macrocosmic systems of stellar and galactic interaction, the substance and material from which the physical universe is composed possesses the property of life. The root of this idea is that matter is essentially conscious of its presence in the physical environment and is, therefore, able to stimulate the activity and process of change as time progresses into the future. A very eloquent proponent of this idea was the German philosopher, Gottfried Leibniz, who formalized the Theory of Monads in 1714.1 Therein, Leibniz presented a particulate model of the cosmos, with the physical universe being composed of closed systems called monads. Each of these systems is in cooperation, by virtue of the property of life, with other systems to form larger systems of super monads, which in turn cooperate with systems of the same order to produce a continuous effect at every level of material consciousness from the infinitesimal to the infinite. There are two aspects of the theory of monads to consider for the present topic. First, while it is possible to perceive and establish parameters that allow for the identification of closed systems that can be called monads there is really not an established boundary that separates one area or range of activity from another. The closed systems become hypothetical models in this respect. There is no definite boundary except at the level of the infinitesimal at the one end and the infinitude at the other. Leibniz gives that the sum total of universal activity constitutes the Principal Monad, which is the mind of God, and the purpose for the activity of any sub-class, closed system or individual monad is to affect the desired will of the Principal Monad. By mutual affect, the Principal Monad causes the cooperative association among the composite monads by instilling within them the, Will to Act. This point is emphasized because it is also an important element in the Theory of Method Acting presented by Constantin Stanislovski, which helps explain the movement of objects in the puppet theater. The second aspect of Leibniz theory that illuminates this subject is that at each level of organization, from the small to the large, the monads possess the same basic properties and function in a similar fashion in the interactive process. This is to say that any given monad has the property of conscious, living existence. It is able not only to become infused with the Will to Act by other monad systems, but also it has the capacity to instill the Will to Act in other systems. It is from this type of thinking that the idea derives that ontogeny precedes phylogeny, which is to say that the characteristics of the individual represent the characteristics of the class or phylum to which it belongs. By examining the attributes of a given monad, the attributes of any larger class or system of monads, which may be taken also as a singular yet larger monad, can be realized by way of interpolation and analogy. The main point to note here is that there is a similarity among the properties of monads at every level. The departures from this are seen in that individual monad systems perform differentiated functions in the overall scheme of things, (1 Cor 12:14 For the body is not one member, but many. KJV). Also it is only the Principal Monad that is God and which possesses the sum total of all universal properties and is, therefore, perfect in being. Once a monad is taken as

20 a closed system it becomes isolated from the sum total and does not have the property of perfect, individual will. This type of thinking is not confined to the clipboards of philosopher / mathematicians like Leibniz and other theological scholars who ponder the mechanics of life. The basic precepts of these ideas are reflected in the doctrines of polytheistic religions and philosophies of multiplicity, plurality and dualism which date back to the very origins of human civilization and before. So it is not a line of thinking that is out of order with the way humanity perceives the nature of things to consider systems of monads such as the puppets and objects that are used as the stage characters to have the property of a living consciousness. At Luke 19:40, Jesus responds to the Pharisee critics by saying, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out. This indicates that there is a capacity in the stones to make some form of utterance. It can be useful to consider this type of philosophy when faced with the challenge of animating simple objects and resting puppet forms in order to develop the simulated living animal and human forms that are essential for storytelling on the puppet stage. But it is also important to consider that for the main part, the substances and materials that are used to create puppets for the theater do not exhibit the properties of life which can be recognized and equated to those of biological systems, either botanical or zoological. Certainly, the capacities of reasoning and communication, the emotions, the power of locomotion and other attributes that would characterize life at the human level are not readily found in these materials. The debates among puppeteers on this subject cover a colorfully broad spectrum. At one end of the spectrum it is proposed that puppets have no souls: that they are simply instruments at the mercy of the manipulator's abilities and the imagination of the audience. This is seen by some as one of the greatest limitations of the marionette theater. In contrast to the actors' theater, where the performer has a relative freedom to express emotion and react spontaneously to the circumstances of the play, the puppet is an object and depends for its survival in performance on the action of the manipulator. The noted puppetry / drama theorist, Professor Henryk Jurkowski, makes an elaboration of this perspective in his treatise, The Acting Puppet As A Figure of Speech. He proposes this: "If we keep in mind this perspective, a question arises. Is the puppet a single separated sign [being an object having by itself the capacity to tell the story] or is it the result of interaction between the metaphor generating components [i.e. the operations supplied by the manipulator as well as its native characteristics as a signifier]? The answer cannot be immediate. To make it clear we have to think of the distinction between resting puppet and the acting puppet: between the puppet as possible signifier and as an actual scenic sign. We do not need a long analysis to see that they are not equivalent. "The resting puppet is an object manufactured for theatrical use, meant to represent the stage character but not able to fulfill its task by itself. As a sign, the resting puppet is a passive icon of the stage character but disposes of some motion capacity [having the potential to be moved]. To represent the value of a complete stage character, the resting puppet needs the help of a manipulator as a motor power and generator of gestures and also a speaker as a voice donor. It is only when these helpers, sometimes one person only, come into action that the resting puppet starts to be the acting puppet and at the same time the signifier of the stage character. Thus the acting puppet is not

21 a single separated sign but an effect of the cooperation among three units; its iconic value, movement and gesture, and word delivery."2 Another perspective presented by French puppeteer, Massimo Schuster, is that the puppet has a soul and that it is the life of this soul that brings animation to the object. Such life of the object, perhaps, remains dormant until there is a need for interaction as with the manipulator or in response to the external stimuli presented by the circumstances of the play. When the souls of the puppet and the manipulator are placed in contact or even conflict on the stage, the result is the creation of the character, a third entity which lies somewhere between the identity of either reactant. It is our prejudice that allows us at such times to grant the attributes of soul and life to the human manipulator, but what we do not immediately recognize as qualities of the puppet are also indicated by the life of the character: the third entity. Enno Podehl, German puppeteer and academic, extends this view with the idea that the puppet, constructed from material, has substance. And by nature this substance is not dead but rather waiting only to be found and moved by the manipulator.3 Peter K. Steinmann of Frankfurt, Germany gives a view that expresses the importance of motion in the discernment of life. "As the wrench can only give an idea of pinching, holding on, pulling - it is the same with the technical characters - which are only optical, and are only through movement becoming* a useful tool of the theater."4 In the original German text from which this translation is made, Steinmann used the word "*bewegung." This terminology is taken as a key element to several conversations on the subject of moments of change that are coordinated through the editorial efforts of Robert Hutchens and Mortimer Adler in the Syntopicon of the Great Books of the Western World, presented by the Encyclopdia Britannica, Inc.5 Once the explication of terms is roughly determined, these tend to encompass philosophies regarding the process of the generation and corruption of substance. Among these is Blaise Pascal's Pensees. Pascal writes, Our nature consists in motion; complete rest is death. . . Nothing is so insufferable to man as to be completely at rest without passion, without business, without diversion, without study. He then feels his nothingness, his forlornness, his insufficiency, his dependence, his weakness, his emptiness."6 With the fulfillment of these necessities of the human soul, there is an obvious indication that life is taking place. By making an analogy between the activities of the manipulator and those of the puppet, one might also infer that there is some sense of life in the acting puppet. Pascal was a scientific thinker and inventor. But he is also well known for his investigations of the proximate powers and sufficiencies of substance to exist in a living state independent of extraneous influences. In the development of his scientific and philosophic ideas, he derived some conclusions as to the nature of soul and life. He was not one to regard life as a thing granted solely on the grounds that an object has substance. It was the relationship of objects to God and the motions of objects in a given time span that constituted the fact of life in his opinion. In Aristotle's treatises on Physics, wherein he defines the relationships between substances and time and thereby establishes the basis of his ideas about motion, we find thoughts that tend to describe the manipulator / puppet relationship: the puppet being that which can be moved, and the manipulator being that which has the power to move or set in motion. Aristotle defines motion as, The fulfillment of the movable [potential to be moved] qua movable [capacity to set in motion], the cause of the attribute being contact with what can move. . . The mover or agent will always be the

22 vehicle of a form, either a 'this' [a physical substance or body] or a 'such' [an abstract idea or set of intangible circumstances], which, when it acts, will be the source and cause of the change, e. g., the full-formed man begets man from what is potentially man."7 In the case of the puppet play, it can be said that it is the action of the manipulator that causes the motion of objects and gives them life, although this could not happen if the objects did not possess the potential to be moved, which is an attribute of the resting puppet. There are many ways of looking at this question, and each individual will have a certain perspective about it.8 Still, there is something common to each of the models created by the investigators. This point of agreement is that when the resting puppet as passive icon becomes acting as a part of the play, the atmosphere or ambiance of the theater changes to indicate that there is at least a sense of life on the stage. This sense of life is what is termed as pretended life. To understand pretended life more thoroughly, it is desirable to have a broader definition and understanding of created movement. As the term implies, created movement is a change in state of an object, either a change in position, or a change of identity, or both, that is affected by the action of some motive which is initially external to the object. Aristotle's descriptions of substance and motion become even more applicable here. The first and most obvious condition is the change in position caused by the puppeteer's manipulation of an object. But such a change in state could be random or happen by accident, in which case there is no pretended life. Aristotle allows that the phenomenon of chance occurrence may be taken as a matter of individual perspective: that seemingly random events are not by chance but rather that the elements of cause in certain cases are not anticipated or recognized from one or another perspective. Our purpose in the use of pretended life is to fulfill the expectations of a given story line or plot. As in the process of deriving primary foci from secondary arts that is described in the Nicomachean Ethics,9 the proximate relationship of a source or cause of movement will determine whether or not it is accidental to this purpose. When the change in position is caused for the sake of communicating an idea that is important to the plot of the play, then it is a created movement from which pretended life results. The change in identity of an object is less easily determined because it does not necessarily involve the movement of the object from one area of the stage to another. As an example of this type of change, imagine that a large wooden pole has been set upright in the center of the stage. This pole has some faces carved into it. What could it possibly mean? This is difficult to know this before the play begins. It is through the action of the play, when other characters come onto the stage and interact with, react to, and in turn become changed by the pole that the object becomes identified as a totem or icon of ritualistic value. Whether or not the totem has any real life about it, its life is pretended on the stage for the sake of telling the story. This situation is what is regarded as inferred manipulation, were no direct physical action upon the puppet is required in order to affect a change in state. As indicated earlier, the motion of pretended life is not created without purpose. In nature, motions are usually identified as changes in state for the purpose of correcting some condition of imbalance: like air rushing in to fill a vacuum or electrical current flowing from a cathode to an anode. In the telling of a story, there are also needs that must be met. The disclosure of a plot or story line involves a step-by-step series of actions. The mechanics of this process are described by Constantin Stanislovski in the theory of the Through Line of Action, which is part of the greater disclosure of the techniques of "Method Acting."10 The theory stipulates that there is a logical progression of activities that must be followed in order to get from point A to point B along the

23 story line. In the course of this progression, there are moments of change that bring about new meaning. The theory roughly derives from the philosophies regarding the generation and corruption of substance. Here, the focus is on the substance of meaning. With the passage of time thoughts once realized begin to decay and corrupt as new meaning is created. This is the nature of temporality. In a manner, the future is an unfulfilled vacuum. It is by nature that this void demands to be filled with new meaning. And from this demand there derives what Stanislovski also calls the "Will to Act." The Will to Act is the primary cause of all motion in the theatrical setting. The sensation of having a void to fill is the result of the passage of time. Because the progression of time is also tied directly to the process of plot disclosure, it is natural that the story line of the play will provide a state of imbalance that can be used by the puppeteer. A good script in the puppet theater will have plotted out the story line so that it leads from the beginning of the play to its conclusion along the least cumbersome pathway. As the play progresses along the story line, the time that has already been spent to reach a specific point will be filled with a series of activities that have some value on their own, but they are also available to work in combination in the next instant to provide another meaningful step into the void of the future. It is the playwright's intention to justify future activity in the meaning of prior events. We can say that it is the condition of imbalance between the set of meaningful activities already created and the need to arrive at the conclusion of the story that empowers the Will to Act and causes the next activity to take place. The pathways and bridges along the through line of action are very important to the telling of a story because without them there is no means of moving ahead. The choice of which ones to take is very important because these define the plot and theme of the play. The animation of the puppet takes on a supreme importance as the potential of the object to perform realistic motions is found and used by the manipulator. With some few exceptions, such as the Wayang shadow puppet shows of Indonesia which can last up to twenty four hours and more, performance in the puppet theater is a brief experience. The need to move through the story line from one point to another along the most direct pathway imposes an imperative to adjust to certain rules of economy. Some of these will be managed during scripting when the through line of action is worked out, but a primary resource for moving the play along exists in the animation process. There are vast numbers of things that can be done to make an object seem real and living, but only certain ones will create a useful series of images and metaphors for the telling of the story. Because of this, it is desirable to eliminate any activity of manipulation, either direct or inferred, that is not a logical step in the progression of the story line. So far, only the most basic ideas that address the potential of objects to fulfill the motion requirements of animation have been presented for consideration. From these the created movement of inert objects can be defined and understood as that which is based on the fulfillment of the Will to Act. The imbalance that empowers this will is pre-determined by an analysis of the script and the formulation of a through line of action. Once there is created movement, then there is pretended life that allows the animated characters to be placed into interaction with one another. There are many potentials for movement that exist as the living form of the acting puppet is approached through manipulation, therefore, a careful consideration of the array of possible actions should be made to insure that the ones that are chosen result in a pretended life that is the most useful in the telling of the story. Granted, these pretended lives may at first seem comical and untrue to the needs of the play, but by reviewing a series of movements in rehearsal it is possible to eliminate the ones that are more accidental [not pertaining to the story line, or even detracting from

24 it] and to accentuate the ones that are more desired. It then becomes a useful tool of the puppeteer in the preparation of a play to analyze the animation of objects at the level of pretended life and created movement. * * * * *

MAKING SOME ANALOGIES When studying the types of movements that can be created with a puppet, a marionette for example, it becomes obvious that the object cannot perform two different actions simultaneously. To be more specific, it is not possible to lift the arm of the marionette in a pointing gesture and also to lower that same arm to rest at the side of the figure at the same moment. One must determine which of these actions participates in the telling of the story at a certain point in time, and then make it happen. The other movement, with all other possibilities, must be excluded in this process. That is a fairly extreme illustration of this phenomenon, but the same principle applies when working with movements that are similar as well: as a matter of refinement. In rehearsal, once it is decided that the character must raise its arm and point the marionette artist will practice this gesture until it becomes the most accurate representation possible of how a living person would do this; and this range of motion will be reproduced as consistently as possible when the play is performed for an audience. There is also a need to discard some subtle, accidental movements in this process of refinement: movements that may be close but which are not quite right. In the theater of life, this same challenge is faced on a regular basis. For instance, does it ever happen that when a person is called to do a particular service in the Church they are encumbered to perform the work because they are preoccupied with and even committed to some other project, some type of business or work that was undertaken essentially as only a time filler or diversionary entertainment? Surely it does. The human character is no more able to perform divergent tasks simultaneously than is the acting puppet. When two such systems of activity are juxtaposed upon each other the result can only be that there is a failing to make a sufficiently accurate representation in one or the other system, or in both. Unfortunately, in some cases, it happens that those preoccupations that encumber proficient work in the Church are of a sort that involves the satiation of self centered desire: i.e. tending to a bad habit or lust. Attempts to drop these activities on short notice or set them aside temporarily in order to undertake the responsibility of service often result in tragedy. In the simplest case, a person may not have adequate time and attention to perform the necessary tasks of a calling, so the work is not done properly. At the extreme, the influence of the self centered desires will corrupt the value of the work and may create damages that require even more work to repair. In either case, hardships are imposed upon those who are depending that the service is performed properly. The service of a calling could be something technical, like managing the sound system, coordinating clerical tasks, or keeping the grounds and other physical properties of a church, but when it involves spiritual mentoring and intercessory duties the situation of inadequate performance becomes more serious. Undertaking the responsibilities of higher callings without the discipline to put away the preoccupations that encumber the most excellent performance possible is a form of giving place to demonic influence. (Eph 4:27) That may sound a bit harsh, but it is much like

25 entering a building on a deep winters evening to become warmed by the fireplace and neglecting to close the door. The icy wind will certainly enter the building as well, and others who are there also to be warmed will be chilled by the wind. So in a manner similar to the marionette artist in rehearsal, those who accept and pursue higher callings must analyze the range of possible activities and preoccupations available to them and willingly discard those that are undesirable so as to enhance those that participate more fully in the business of the calling. It takes a thorough knowledge of the Word and discipline according to the Spirit to do this, so the activity of studying the Word and a consistent routine of prayer in the Spirit should be obvious priorities. In the Old Testament, the principal message regarding, putting away, is a command to Israel, to the people, to put away evil and sin. The second most common reference in this respect pertains to putting away the gods and traditions of Egypt and, as of the time of Joshua, of the cultures encountered in the Promised Land. Under the New Testament Covenant the purpose of this command is not diminished but rather is brought to an enhanced perspective by Paul. Eph 4:20-24 expresses how the things to be put away consist more-overly of our own habits of behavior and attitudes towards others in time that precedes the renewing of mind in the Spirit. (20 But ye did not so learn Christ [as did the reprobates]; 21 if so be that ye heard him, and were taught in him, even as truth is in Jesus: 22 that ye put away, as concerning your former manner of life, the old man, that waxeth corrupt after the lusts of deceit; 23 and that ye be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and put on the new man, that after God hath been created in righteousness and holiness of truth. ASV). Putting off the old person within ourselves is the primary point of this message as Paul teaches it in his epistles. In looking at this verse, it can seem that this is a onetime event, but in reality the renewing and transformation is a continuous process. Therefore, there always exists an old person at the point of the transformation that must be shed in order to become the new person that is created by the Spirit as time flows into the future. It is when we are new in Christ and radically out of step with the righteousness of the New Creation in our manners that this putting off seems to be a total makeover. For those who walk according to the Word in continual worship the changes of transformation are anticipated and welcomed increments of spiritual growth. Usually, movement from a point where we have become in Christ to the next position is not a radical change once we are attuned to this path according to Gods will. (2 Cor 5 . . . 14 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that one died for all, therefore all died; 15 and he died for all, that they that live should no longer live unto themselves, but unto him who for their sakes died and rose again. 16 Wherefore we henceforth know no man after the flesh: even though we have known Christ after the flesh, 17 yet now we know (him so) no more. Wherefore if any man is in Christ, (he is) a new creature: the old things are passed away; behold, they are become new. 18 But all things are of God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and gave unto us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 to wit, that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not reckoning unto them their trespasses, and having committed unto us the word of reconciliation. . . . ASV). We are made righteous in Christ by our faith and confession in Him, (Ro 10:9), and the Lords work in making that redemption never has to be done again. But as for us in the walk of life, the old person must be put off continually because it corrupts by the nature of the flesh. The work of any calling is subject to the phenomenon of progressing into the void of the future in the same

26 way as the disclosure and development of the story line of a puppet play. This phenomenon is called appetition and it results in the activity of emergence. The instructions of the script that constitute the Will to Act exist there in the future, not in presently manifested temporal circumstances; they are the unseen that hope calls for. (Heb 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. KJV). The person must become renewed in order to fulfill the instructions. Jesus tells us that it is like this, (Matt 9:17 Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved." NKJV). When the circumstance of performance in the puppet theater is viewed objectively three main elements appear, which cause the character to become realistic. One of these is an object that has been termed as the resting puppet. This element represents, to an extent, the body of a human person. In the state of being without any cause for activity, without the influence of a soul, the human body is merely a composition of physical substances. Except that there is a propensity for elements in nature to combine into chemical compounds, and as much for these to break apart, there is no specific cause for a body to become composed or remain so without the force of will applied by a non-physical system of power. Likewise, there is no specific cause inherent in a physical body that would affect any organized pattern of movement. That cause is a thing differentiated from the physical substance of the body. The system of power that causes the puppet to move and make utterance is the work of a human manipulator. Humans also have a manipulator element that is built into the package. This is the mind / soul of the person. For a puppet manipulator to simply move an object around does not constitute the telling of a story, even if realistic gestures are being made. To qualify this: an observer of such activity will gather an impression that something is happening, but this will be an image of incoherent chaos. It is when the activities are performed in a contiguous manner for the purpose of conveying a message that a representation of story is created. The human mind has as its most primitive task the maintenance of the composition of the body. Although much of this activity is subconscious and reflexive, there is also a lot of organized conscious thought involved in this. These two types of mental activity are instrumental to the expressive movements and utterances of the body as well. Unfortunately, the mind in itself is only a motivating force in this respect and depends on the analysis of stimulus to determine how to organize its forceful influence over the body. If the sensations of the body are the main source of this stimulus the mind will surely respond and accommodate the needs imposed by these impressions. The mind will work to create a system of maintenance that conforms to the impressions of the physical, temporal world if it does not have any other source of stimulus to analyze. (Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. KJV). Paul would not have written this instruction for our benefit if; for one, the influence and stimulation of the Holy Spirit did not exist in contrast to that of the world; and secondly, the destiny of our calling in Christ did not require of us to be directed by this influence. Now the third element of the marionette play comes into view. The puppeteer has to have some organized directions to follow if the created movements of the puppet would become a

27 pretended life acting to relate a coherent story. That element is the matrix of event created by the playwright and is represented in the script. There is a lot of storytelling in the puppet theater, and likewise on the stage of the world, that is coherently organized according to a matrix of event but which does not prove the good, perfect, and acceptable will of God. These are the secular stories that impress conformity to the world on the minds of the observers. They exist in many forms of entertainment, labor activities, and formal education. Because the influence of stimulation by the Holy Spirit is absent in these matrices they fall, by default, under the direction of the principalities and powers of the world. Regardless of how reasonable this conformity might seem to the individual mind and to society in general the powers that call for it have, and can only have, an objective to steal, kill, and destroy, (Jn 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: . . . KJV). Even if the best intentions of society to accommodate the greatest good for the greatest number of people is the purpose for establishing those secular conventions they will have no ultimate outcome except theft, destruction, and death. Jesus says, (John 10:10 . . . I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. KJV) This is the purpose of Christ and the reason for our redemption in Him. It is also the purpose of the body of Christ, and the labor of the Church is to bring all who will receive it into this life. Every true calling in the Church participates in this work in some way or another. Since the instructions that derive from human conventions do not promote this purpose, and will actually operate to corrupt it or suppress it, it has to happen that they are put away. The good, acceptable, and perfect will of God, which comes by the Spirit, is the instruction that causes true life to happen. There was a point made earlier that when the resting puppet is moved so as to reflect the life attributes of a human person the acting puppet becomes a realistic character by virtue of the pretended life; By making an analogy between the activities of the manipulator and those of the puppet, one might also infer that there is some sense of life in the acting puppet. (pg. 21). It is the same with humans fulfilling character roles in the Church. We should ask, What is reflected in the business of these characters: the motivations and attitudes of the world system, or the attributes of life in Christ? The differences between these two sources of influence can sometimes be hard to discern, but it is a certainty that if a person consistently seeks first the Kingdom of God (Mt 6:33), accepts the renewing of mind and transformation by the Spirit (Ro 12:2), and wisely uses the weapons that cast down the imaginations that come by secular systems of thought (2 Cor 10:3-6) the life of Christ will predominate as the exuded personality of the character. A good exercise to undertake in this business of Becoming is to take the time to locate in the New Testament the attributes of life that we possess in Christ and then to meditate on them regularly. These are the properties of life that will be exhibited in our characters when we are honed according to Gods will. Add to this list the types of miraculous blessings that many received by their faith in Christ as they are related in the Gospels. In terms of performing tasks in the Church, that is the type of power and authority that God wants to be used in the pursuit of a calling. Consider also that when other people observe these attributes on display in the members of the body of Christ, when they witness the miracles of health and prosperity, of stability of mind, and of love in the midst of plague and famine, supernatural strength and persistence to perform tasks against the odds, and death defying favor by grace, then they have an indelible testimony before their eyes that this is real life. *****

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There is a category of activities that could constitute encumbering preoccupations that has not yet been addressed. This is the range of influence that comes against a person by nature in the environment of the world but which is not specifically sought out by the individual in the pursuit of fleshly lusts. These encumbrances can be likened to the accidental movements mentioned on page 22. As forms of adversity and trial it would seem that they come out of nowhere to create obstacles to performance. The encumbrance happens because such problems call for attention and time to be resolved. They consume the energy of the performer and corrupt the story line of the play by introducing undesirable imagery to the flow of activity. Also, they can strike up imaginations that inhibit the capacity to accurately read and act upon Spiritual script, and this is perhaps the greatest encumbrance. Is this type of influence absolutely uncalled for by an individual, or can there be something in patterns of movements and habits of behavior that bring it about? In the discussion on page 22, it is noted that Aristotle derived a qualifying conclusion about the accidental nature of movement: that the phenomenon of chance occurrence may be taken as a matter of individual perspective: that seemingly random events are not by chance but rather that the elements of cause in certain cases are not anticipated or recognized from one or another perspective. One can be certain that Aristotle did not include this qualifier in the context of his discourse without having made a deep, if only empirical, analysis of the causes of movement. This doesnt answer the question, but it allows for an understanding that the causes of such influences have origins that are justified according to some matrix, whether or not they can be recognized as the result of the innate activities of the individual. To answer the question some examples must be considered. Scripture provides two types of examples of how this form of influence enters in to affect the circumstances and performance of an individual. The first type is presented in the story of Job. Here, the corrupting, encumbering circumstances are brought about by the will of Satan. (Job 1:12 And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD. KJV). This was not the product of Jobs imagination, but rather a situation initiated by Satan in an environment that was receptive to the demonic influence: (Eph 4:27). In a second example, Samson was a servant of the Lord whose power to perform the work of his calling was established in a specific covenant, and this was that he would never cut his hair. (Judg 13:5 For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines. KJV). Samson was fully aware of this covenant and yet he consciously moved by activity based in his own desire into a position to have this power taken from him. (Judg 16:19 And she [Delilah] made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and shaved off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him. ASV). The reason that the test fell upon Job was Satan hoped to show that Job was only faithful in reverence for the Lord because of the Lords hedge of favor. The Lord knew that Jobs righteousness was established in faith apart from the blessings of his situation in the world. But to demonstrate the foolishness of Satans opinion the test went forth. That is the purpose of the conversation between the Lord and Satan at the beginning of this incident. However, many arguments proceed from the idea that it was an act of habitual thought on Jobs part that brought the circumstance of affliction upon him. (Job 3:25 For the thing which I fear cometh upon me, And that which I am afraid of cometh unto me. ASV). Having no way to truly conceive of the

29 purpose and operation of the spiritual influences involved, of the conversation between God and Satan, this is the way Job justified the cause of the afflictions in his own mind. In doing this, Job leaned upon his own understanding. The Lord says, and this is an instruction procured by the Spirit in prophesy, (Prov 3:5-6 5 Trust in Jehovah with all thy heart, And lean not upon thine own understanding: 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, And he will direct thy paths. ASV). It is always the purpose of Satan to disaffect the will of the Lord in our lives, so it is also his desire that we should lean upon our own understandings. That is how strongholds of imagination come about. The capacity to rightly discern the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God is what is suppressed under this type of influence. Surely the things Job feared did come upon him. He was able to recognize that the specific afflictions were things that he had worried about in the past. Scripture does relate that Job had worried and feared over the safety of his family prior to this time. His habit in regards to leaving these burdens of thought with the Lord was to make burnt offerings, which was the prescribed ritual of his day under the Old Covenant. Verse 1:8 suggests that Jobs habits of worship and reverence for the Lord were uncommon in the world. He was also the wealthiest fellow to be found in the land, so although the fears and worries may have crossed Jobs mind they were obviously not sources of failure in his life except for the unanticipated and uncalled for influence of this buffeting. Was there anything Job could have done to keep this event from taking place? It was preordained in the conversation between the Lord and Satan. Therefore, the answer is no. Job did not bring the affliction upon himself because of his fear. The fears only provided a log of reference for Satan to use in casting false imaginations into Jobs mind. (Job 1:20 Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, KJV). Some expositors, remembering that it was usual with the Jews to rend their clothes when they heard blasphemy, conjecture that Job rent his clothes in a holy indignation at the blasphemous thoughts which Satan now cast into his mind, tempting him to curse God.11 What Job did have the authority to do was to maintain his composure in righteous reverence of the Lord throughout this trial. When he was humbled by the Lords reproof in chapters 38-41 the imaginations were overthrown and Jobs stead in prosperity and health was restored. How does Samsons situation differ from this? Samson foreknew the mandate of his covenant with God and also the consequences of allowing his hair to be cut. In spite of this knowledge, he acted according to selfish desires and maneuvered himself into the hands of an enemy of Israel, and of the Lord. His attempt to act in service according to his calling while he was preoccupied in the relationship with Delilah was a disaster. He attempted to accommodate two opposing purposes and there was a failing in both. Not only was he unable to defeat the Philistine soldiers who took him captive and gouged out his eyes, but neither was he thereafter a sufficient spouse to this object of his lust. As a judge of Israel it was Samsons responsibility to act according to the Law of the Covenant because that is where the script for effective service was given. Whereas Job could do nothing to prevent his afflictions at the onset or to repair his circumstance except to humbly rest in the will of the Lord, Samson came to the state of encumbrance by a matter of choices based in personal desire, and he had to be actively removed from the circumstance of his lust and for his hair to grow back out in order for the covenant to be restored. As servants in the body of Christ we are subject to the encumbrance of both of these types of affliction. It is our responsibility and an inevitable consequence of our functional capacities in the human form to make choices that bring us to one place or another. The Word of scripture and the

30 will of God by the Holy Spirit must be know in order to make choices that fulfill the matrix of our callings. Acting in fulfillment of this script eliminates the possibilities of stepping into undesirable circumstances that encumber our performance in the Church. In the other case, where unanticipated afflictions encumber the work of callings, meditating and acting upon the Word by faith in the Spirit is the mechanism that preserves rightful discernment of Spiritual script against aberration by an imagination distressed by demonic influences. (James 4:7-10 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil , and he will flee from you. 8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. 9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. KJV)

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Works Cited
1. Ross, G. MacDonald. Leibniz. Past Masters Series. Oxford University Press. Oxford, NY. 1984. Rescher, Nicholas. The Philosophy of Leibniz. Prentice - Hall, Inc. Englewood Cliffs, NJ 1967. 2 Jurkowski, Henryk. "The Acting Puppet as a Figure of Speech." TPF Quarterly, Volume IV, Number 3. The Tulsa Puppet Foundation. Tulsa, Oklahoma. 1994.

The ideas of Schuster and Podehl were presented during a symposium entitled, "groupe de reflexion," at the Festival Mondial des Thtres de Marionnettes at Charleville - Mzires, France in September of 1991.
Steinmann, Peter K. Puppen Fr "Die Bhne" - Ein Optische Bilanz. Internationale Theater - Buchhandlung. Frankfurt. ( English translation by G. Swenson for the Tulsa Puppet Foundation ) GREAT BOOKS OF THE WESTERN WORLD. The Great Ideas - A Syntopicon. Vol. 2. Chapter 10. "Change." Encyclopdia Britannica, Inc. Chi / Tor / Lon. 1954. Pascal, Blaise. Pensees. GBWW. Vol. 33. See also The Provincial Letters, for the discourse on proximate powers.

4.

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7. Aristotle. Physics. "Book II, Section 3." & "Book III, Section 2." GBWW. Vol. 8.

The quote used in the text at this point comes from Section 2 of Book III, which deals with things movable and the potential to be moved. Book II, Section 3 which deals with the cause of change and alteration adds further insight into the context of the chapter. This section introduces the discussion of "chance occurrence," which proceeds in Section 4. 8. "FIRSTLY, you warned me to remember that it was not actually but merely by a mental fiction that I rejected the claim of bodies to be more than phantasms, in order to draw the conclusion that I was merely a thinking being, so as to avoid thinking that it was a consequence of this that I was really nothing more than mind. . . . je pense, . . . " (Ren Descartes. Reply to Second Objections) "A body in motion or at rest must be determined to motion or rest by another body, which was also determined to motion or rest by another, and that in its turn by another, and so on ad infinitum" (Spinoza. Ethics. LEMMA 3.)

9. Aristotle. Nicomachean Ethics is a work separate from Physics and has only a peripheral relation to the mechanical principles of manipulation. However, as a philosophical referent the concept of primary and subsequent arts will follow as a useful tool in the process of character development in the theater of the puppet. 10. Stanislovski, Constantin. An Actor Prepares. & Building A Character. Theatre Arts Books. NY.

11

From Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition, Electronic Database. Copyright 1991 by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.

33

Part II

Walks of Life Making Choices

34

Walks of Life Making Choices

There is a need to make choices in the process of scripting and character development with respect to what actions in performance produce the briefest yet most thorough disclosure of the story line. It then becomes an interesting exercise to examine some ideas that illuminate the nature of diversity in thought and to consider how the process of choice can lead to one place or another. Making an exercise of this should facilitate the skill of quickly analyzing the fields of random possibilities and of making deliberate selections that enhance the progress of the play. This round of discussion was also inspired by a conversation at a puppetry festival: 1995 P of A National Festival held at Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. The idea was circulated in conversation over dinner one evening that one of the drawing cards of the art form for professional performers and spectators is to be artistically challenged by the performance of puppetry. This seems to be one of the most common goals among the puppeteers and patrons of the art form beyond realizing its value as a tool of entertainment and / or education. One artist commented that it is exciting to watch performances that push the envelope to the edge. To consider what is the edge of experience as it can be presented through the art form of puppetry raises some interesting questions and leads to some thinking of a very abstract order. What is the content of this envelope that is being pushed to the edge? Is it the technical apparatus and method, the acceptable social convention of subject matter or exposition, or some philosophical theory that is being taken to the extreme in this push? Where exactly does one find the edge of an art form such as puppetry? Is it that horizon over there, or is it the one off in the opposite direction? Does the middle look like the edge when you get out there to one edge and look back at it? . . . How is it that we come to perceive an edge of experience in the first place? The Websters New Collegiate Dictionary defines infinity in this way: the quality of unlimited extent of time, space, or quantity: Boundlessness. The notion of infinity is, to the human mind, an abstract. It is a truly unimpeachable abstract because it occurs as a common notion in human thought without any possibility of being verified through the extension of tangible sensory examination or cognizant impression in the mind. If that could be done then the notion would only be a concept from which abstractions are made.1 Rather, the notion regards that which exists once the tangible and cognizant resources are exhausted. An experimentalist, whether a scientist, mathematician, philosopher, artist, etc., working to analyze situations within a closed system and hoping to manifest a practical resolution will not, however, be prone to take up the burden to prove the fact of infinity. Infinity is taken to be an, assumed probability, in the formal laboratory, especially in scientific fields. In lie u of the ability to prove that the universe is limitless, it is simply regarded that the influence of substance and event exists outside the parameters of any closed system. Still, it is not uncommon to include infinity as a factor in the development of a model as a means of designating limitlessness or irrationality. For example, division by zero is not definable, and this causes certain gradients such as tangent or cotangent curves to approach an axis to within an infinitesimal distance but never to contact it. Likewise, until such time as a definite value is determined for them irrational numbers like Pi, (

35 3.1415 . . . . ad infinitum), will be said to carry out to an infinite number of non-repeating decimal places. It would be unusual to find, outside the most rigorous depths of theoretical investigation, a scientist or mathematician who would debate that like quantities are not also found to be equal in proportion. This is to say that a given integer is equal to itself in a quantitative comparison. A given volume, when compared to an exact replication of itself, is equal to the replication in quantity. A given mass equals its exact replication, and so on. The identification of such states of equality is a skill that is possessed by the young and the old: by learned scholar as well as the lay person. So it is not a great stretch to say that the infinite quantity is equal to all other infinite quantities of the same nature. It is in the case where infinity is the coefficient factor in an equation that a state of inequality arises, i.e. an infinite number of oranges does not equal infinity times apples. The factor of infinity equals infinity regardless of what things it is used to multiply. Imagine looking out at the expanse of space from the perspective of a single point. From this point it is possible to look in any direction: up, down, left, right, or through any range of degrees / radians. Suppose that in whatever direction is looked the edge of space is found to be an infinite distance away. If the edge of space is equidistant from the point in all directions it is also found from geometrical definition that the point lies at the center of space. If the observation is made from a different point the value of infinity will not change. Therefore, the new point would also lie at the center of space. If this is true, then a postulation can be made; that which lies at the center of space occupies the same position as that which lies at the center of space. CONTINUUM AND THE PERSPECTIVE OF PLACEMENT When we are speaking of pushing an artistic experience to the edge, pushing the envelope as it were, the expectation is that through some experiment of representation or a new combination of ideas there will derive some sensory or intellectual situation that casts a new, unfamiliar light on our perception of the circumstances of our existence. Whether this happens at a primitive level or at a more complex plateau the same desire to obtain an enhanced perspective is involved. When God created us He built in a governor that limits the mind to comprehend the passage of time in delineation rather than as a singularity: (Eccl 3:11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end. NKJV). So we realize the purpose of incremental things at specific times and do not experience the sum total of universal event at any given moment, not even in the course of a human life. Because of this inability to perceive all things and events at a single instant the previous postulate is not a rational truth. But with some modification of thought it still gives a sense of perspective on how the sensation of central realities occurs. With the limitations of delineated time perception the individual points in nature become scattered in the mind, and the senses distinguish one point from another. The concept of distance is derived, and the necessity of change is realized in the course of time in order to move from one point to another. This is good, however, because it provides the capacity to be at different places, intellectually as well as physically, at different points in time. So it is possible to perceive an edge or horizon that is away from a current situation or experience. It is only after arriving at the point that seems to lie at the edge that the reality strikes home; this place is actually in the middle of things and not at all at the edge.

36 Once again the notion of infinity is interjected in order to see that such horizons or perceived edges can exist in any direction and to an unlimited extent. Moreover, if the extension from any given point is infinity there is a continuum surrounding it that is also boundless, and this applies to points in physical space and time as well as to points in thought. One idea that comes to mind is that an expanding horizon in a continuum does so physically in three dimensions and in the course of time, which is a fourth dimension. The result of this effect is that the edge from one perspective is not necessarily the edge from another. This state of relative perception occurs because the surface of a spherical envelope is not a singularity but is composed of an infinitude of points. Some points are near to each other while others seem to be separated by the extreme limits of the field of perception. This idea brings to bear two good points for reflection. One is that as the envelope expands away from the point of its origin the surface area of this horizon also increases in quantity with the passage of time. The phenomenon of the increasing surface area causes any given point on the surface to seemingly decrease in value by comparison to the whole. The second point is that the envelope is not the boundary of the continuum. It is only passing through the continuum, designating a certain quantity to the inside volume with the expanse of infinity to the outside. While an individual procession is being made along a linear pathway to a new perspective in artistic expression the general experience of experimental advancement is also taking place in a multitude of other directions. These advancements, however, fall away from the individual capacity of perception according to a phenomenon that is known in the physical sciences as the Uncertainty Principle and in the more social sciences such as linguistics and semiotics as Individual Reception. This phenomenon imposes the limitation that only a single perception may occupy the mind at a given time, although the infinite array still exists. This causes thought to proceed in a point by point fashion. The point which one occupies at a given instant is, of course, the central reality for that one, and all other points increasingly diminish in value according to their proximate relation to the central point. This is a principal foundation for Aristotles view of the relationship of primary foci to subsequent arts given in the Nicomachean Ethics.3 Not only do the points that have been left behind lose their close relationship to the new experimental order as time progresses, but also the individual finds it increasingly difficult to maintain a common or familiar identity in terms of a comparison to those other perspectives on the edge of the increasing envelope of the general experience. It is already noted that the individual experience, the experience at a given point, has an increasingly diminished value from the perspective of the increasing scope of the general body of experience. But there is a natural tendency of individual thought to perceive the extent of personal experience as a relative constant. This is to say that one will identify with the surrounding circumstances from the perspective that one's position remains the central reality, even though the individual is progressing to a different point with each successive moment. Although the phenomenon of growth creates a sensation that the personal perspective is expanding, the envelope of personal experiential growth is different from the envelope of general universal experience. Without this adjustment, the individual would become overwhelmed by the increasing proportions of the general domain of experiences. The aspect that the experimental envelope only passes through the continuum of infinite possibilities as it expands rather than defining the boundaries thereof allows the experimentalist at any point on the surface to perceive at any time that the continuum remains infinitely expansive in all directions. So the field of experience from which comparisons are drawn for self identification is

37 not disproportionate at any given time, even though the proximate experiences are different from those once realized. To imagine that there is an edge toward which one can move and to actually be at such a point are two separate things: one is a possibility and the other is not. As the individual moves toward the point of new experience there is a procession along a series of successive points and a linear pathway is plotted. It has been shown that each point that is reached in the progression becomes, in the instant that it is occupied, the center of experience for the individual. From the surrounding continuum may be selected any of the infinitude of immediately proximate points to be occupied in the next instant. Once again, the phenomenon of the Uncertainty Principle, or Individual Reception, dictates that only a single perception may occupy the mind at a given time, so the experimentalist will have the capacity to choose only one next position. Still, it is also true that each of the other possibilities that were not chosen is a reality that possesses the quality of being at the center of things. It is in this manner that the process of an increasing edge is begun anew at each instant in time, with each new point being the center of a new envelope that becomes increasing in dimension within the continuum. This thinking is, of course, not new. There is some pre-existing theory in the physics of light propagation that has a close comparison to this model of the experimentalist in search of new artistic experience. In 1690, Christian Huygens published his Treatise on Light. In it, he put forth some definitive ideas about the wave nature of light. The Huygens Principle, as it applies to optics, states that, All points of a wave front of light in a vacuum or transparent medium may be regarded as a new source of wavelets that expand in every direction at a rate depending on their velocities."4 The effect of this expansion is that the new wave front will propagate from the point source in three dimensions. Under the ideal conditions of a homogenous medium the wave front will form a spherical envelope with the point source at its center. Also, in the models of social theoreticians this propagation away from a central starting point is generally known as the theory of divergent experiences or realities. But it is the idea of Huygens that each new point becomes the source of new emanation that is the closest analogy in this discussion. It is important to come to this point in this article for two main reasons. The first is that the theoretical principles of divergent realities and the selection of points along a course of progression underscore the development of a pretended life through created movement as the fulfillment of the Will to Act. A second reason to consider this idea is to show that when seeking the stimulation of a new artistic experience one is essentially defining a new reality for one's self. This becomes the new self that steps out into the future, and then this new self also becomes the foundation upon which one has to build; it is the reality from which one must proceed. And this phenomenon of emergence is a continuous process. If the progression of emergence is toward one thing that is seen as an edge of experience it is also true that it is away from something else that is perhaps as interesting, exciting and valuable as a means of finding a new sensory or intellectual situation to cast new, unfamiliar light on the perception of the circumstances of existence. It most certainly is a movement away from some point or position that was once held by the experimentalist. The process of divergence continually increases the difficulty of making a comparison of one's own experience to other experiences that are outside the proximate domain of the personal central reality. The situation of the experimentalist in search of a new horizon is similar to the puppet in quest of a new position in the progress of the through line of action. The character is literally a new creation at each moment in the play. For this progression to happen there is not only a necessity

38 that the metaphor generating components come together to transform the resting puppet into the acting puppet, as suggested by Henryk Jurkowski, Thus the acting puppet is not a single separated sign but an effect of the cooperation among three units; its iconic value, movement and gesture, and word delivery."5; but also there is the need to coordinate the system of meanings that develop in the course of time so as to create a coherent statement at each point in the story line, or at least at major intervals during this progression. This perspective is a bit of a deception because it illustrates the manner in which the script writer, director, and manipulator, which with puppetry can often be the same person, will consider the activity of fulfilling the Will to Act. The performance environment in the puppet theater is a relatively closed system, in contrast to the stage of eternity. The future of every event in the story line of the play is already established within the experience of the human motivator(s) as this is defined in the script. With this type of performance it is the purpose of each characters business in the course of the story to justify movement into the very next situation. The playwright intentionally creates meaning in prior events for the sake of doing this. It is easy to perceive in this type of situation that characters are being pushed forward into new situations as an inevitable result of the circumstances at hand in any moment in time. The theater of eternity differs from this because the nature of future event is not truly known to the mind of a human performer. The human entity in this case is not the true source of the script, so the activity of justifying progression into the matrix of the future by the meaning of prior event and current circumstance is an illusion of the mind. Yet there is still a value in coming to points of coherent statement, or manifested representations, as progress into the future occurs. In the article of Part I, it was stated that the phenomenon of progressing into the void of the future is called appetition, which results in the activity of emergence. Technically, these two terms have a slightly different meaning with respect to this phenomenon. The term appetition derives from the same Latin root as appetite and pertains to the desire to consume or obtain. Most literally it means fulfilling this desire. Emergence is a state of motion away from a given position. The complimentary result of this motion is the arrival at a new position. The main criterion of appetition is that there is something to consume or obtain. Except for this there is no objective to desire. Emergence occurs as a responsive action based on the potential for motion caused by appetition. The Will to Act consists in this potential. It is not truly accurate to say that the future is a void or a vacuum, as was also mentioned in Part I. This provides a good analogy to show how the potential for movement arises in a situation of imbalance. However, the imbalance that exists between the past and the future is not a contrast between things and events that are real and an infinite expanse of nothingness, respectively. The future is every bit as full of events and things as is the past. It is a deception of mental limitation that often prevents this from being acknowledged. If the mind is trained to depend on sensational, corporeal experience to determine what is real and what is not, then circumstances that have not been verified in tangible experience in the course of time will not be thought of as realistic. But the testimony of scripture confirms that the unseen things of the future do exist: (Heb 11:1-3 1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good report. 3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. KJV).

39 (Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.) (Rom 10:14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? ASV). This same principle applies to the calling for anything that is not believed by the mind. That which is not real to the mind will not become an experience for the person; at least the mind does not possess the faith to call for things it does not acknowledge as real. If the appetite of the mind is established by habit so as to satisfy the desires of the flesh, then it will call for and conform to a schematic of operation that satiates the corporeal reality. More literally such a mind will render this system of activity as the place of becoming by virtue of its limited perception of reality. The mental fiction that arises when the mind is confined to recognize only temporal existence is that the circumstances at hand cause the formation of future event and the organization of physical substance. The mind will believe and have faith that it is the presence of preexisting temporal event that pushes the person into future positions. But scripture says that by faith we understanding that things that are seen do not emerge from the preexistent realities. Rather, they come into being, or view, as the mind enters the future. God does not create the worlds from things that have gone before. He calls us forward in time into the worlds He has created but which are not yet manifested. Those worlds, with all the things and events they contain, already exist. The title of this series is Becoming the Person You Are Destined to be In Christ. This destiny is established according to a calling: (Eph 4:1 I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beseech you to walk worthily of the calling wherewith ye were called, . . . ASV). Paul makes eight other references to this calling as the purpose for which we are newly created in Christ, and Peter makes one: (2 Peter 1:10 Wherefore, brethren, give the more diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never stumble: ASV). The Lord is not pushing us into anything; He is calling us into service. God has a definite plan for what he would have us do in this service: (Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God afore prepared that we should walk in them. ASV). It is essential in the pursuit of the calling that each member of the body performs its proper function to support and advance the whole: (1 Cor 7:20 Let each man abide in that calling wherein he was called. ASV). And for this reason Paul entreats us to increase our knowledge and understanding of the calling: (Eph 1:18 having the eyes of your heart enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, . . . ASV). If the mind does not know that the worlds of the future are created by God, or even if one does acknowledge that God has created the unseen worlds but is not able or willing to read and act upon the Spiritual script that leads to these places, it will call for only those things that it is accustomed to realize as experience. (Rom 10:14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? ASV). Circumstances become the data base from which expectations are drawn. The repetition of expectation based in prior experience causes the formation of prevailing circumstances. This means that the same old things will continue to happen in a persons life when the perceived script is generated from preexistent events and meanings. The un-renewed mind is a feeble director in the sense that it recognizes its purpose to consist primarily in the maintenance of the body with respect to physical comfort. It is not the primary focus of mundane mental activity to engage in a routine of labor except to fulfill the needs

40 of that basic function. In the course of its work in that capacity, the mind adjusts to patterns of thought and activity that promote systems of self defense at the primitive level, and more advanced social circumstances to facilitate and perpetuate the gratification of corporeal desire. Unfortunately, the mind is subject to great frustrations in this activity because the conventions found in mundane systems are temporal and have no lasting value to maintain the state of self defense once it is obtained. This is the property of conformity to worldly conventions that causes people to seek out new experimental orders of representation, new combinations of ideas that cast new and unfamiliar light on the perception of the circumstances of existence. Hopefully, we think, prevailing circumstances will change for the better if the mind can imagine them in a different light. This is not an undesirable hope, however. The folly occurs in the dependence upon prior experience in the world as the pattern for progress. It is the intrinsic nature of the temporal world to decay in the course of time. The mind that operates by conformity to the system of the world participates in this process by default. When the situations one seeks to be away from are the template used to design a course of action the destination will be a form of circumstance similar to the prior prevailing circumstances. No habitual patterns of behavior or thought are truly changed in this process. In Christ our destiny is to be New Creations as a peculiar people set apart from the pattern of the world. We are redesigned not according to the template based in the old person, but rather by the foreordained desire of God that we conform to the image of Christ: (Rom 8:29 For whom [us] he [God] foreknew, he also foreordained to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren: ASV). This image is a thing that the human mind cannot compose. It is rendered unto our being as a gift of grace in the Spirit. (1 Cor 2:11 For who among men knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of the man, which is in him? Even so the things of God none knoweth, save the Spirit of God. ASV ). And we receive the gift by faith. If it should be the desire of the mind to seek out the script that is the will of God and act upon it, but this is unknown to the mind, how then will this matrix of event be found as a believable reality? (Luke 11:9-10 9And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. 10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. KJV). The Disciples asked a similar question, and Jesus answered; (Matt 6:9-10 9 After this manner therefore pray ye. Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth. . . ASV). The Kingdom of God is at hand. God has already created all things in the heavens. The request of the mind should be that the things of heaven come to pass in an earthly manifestation: on earth as it is in Heaven. The Spirit makes the first request according to what is required to perform the work of a calling: (1 Cor 2:11-12 11 For who among men knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of the man, which is in him? even so the things of God none knoweth, save the Spirit of God. 12 But we received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is from God; that we might know the things that were freely given to us of God. ASV) The minds business is to act upon the script as it is made known by the Spirit. There is still a process of analysis that has to happen in the mind. The first temptation of the mind is to doubt the validity of any thought that cannot be tested against prior experience or the sensation of corporeal reality. God has given the Holy scriptures as an immutable text of His Divine

41 Word. In order to make truly effective decisions, the impulses that derive from inspiration must be confirmed by scripture. This is different from testing the impulse against the conventions of mundane society or the cravings of the flesh. If an inspired impulse to act does not conform to a prescribed course of action set forth in scripture, then one can depend on the fact that it will not result in a progression toward the calling of God. If it does it is merely a fortunate accident. It sometimes happens that action that is conformed to scripture results in very suitable social behavior. A part of that depends upon what type of society one keeps. In other cases, it stands in stark contrast to what the world says is acceptable. Whereas scripture always provides the correct test pattern for behavioral progress, the conventions of secular society are ambiguous because they are temporal, for one, and also they are established in a system of ordinances that proceed from the desires of corporeal pleasure. One can be certain that conformity to secular convention will most often result in a grand applause on the stage of the world. This is the bait that allures many away from a consistent course according to the plan of life in Christ. Once one has fallen away from the path of life it is not easy to step from there to a place of high calling, but the promise of reconciliation is immutable. ( Deut 4:29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. KJV), (1 John 2:1 And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. NKJV) (Acts 17:27-28 27 His purpose in all of this was that the nations should seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him though he is not far from any one of us. 28 For in him we live and move and exist. NLT) God is near to everyone, and so the Kingdom of God is at hand. John the Baptist proclaimed it, (Mt 3:2): Jesus told it throughout the time of his earthly ministry, (Mt 4:17): and it was an important part of the commission given to the Disciples, (Matt 10:7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. ASV). Life happens because God says it happens in His script. Failing to follow the script is death. There are infinite possibilities for choices in the progression of emergence, but Jesus tells us this truth, (Matt 7:13-14 13 Enter ye in by the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many are they that enter in thereby. 14 For narrow is the gate, and straitened the way, that leadeth unto life, and few are they that find it. ASV). The apostle Paul was concerned in his letters to the churches that the work of their callings would be done well and guarded against the corrupting influence of false doctrines and profane practices. The warning that he often gave in this regard is summed up in the more personal letter written to Timothy: (1 Tim 6:20-21 20 O Timothy, guard that which is committed unto (thee) [your calling in the body of Christ], turning away from the profane babblings and oppositions of the knowledge which is falsely so called; 21 which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with you. ASV). In our times, and in our callings, we are no less in need to be on guard than the members of the early Church. Likewise, it is no less an important part of the commission of our individual callings to go preaching, saying, The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, than it was for Paul or the twelve Apostles. What more did Jesus and John the Baptist have to say? Hey guys! Turn around. The story goes in this direction.

42

Works Cited
1 Berkeley, George. Principles of Human Thought, "Introduction". The Great Books of the Western World, Vol. 35. Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. Chi / Tor / Lon. 1952. This introduction provides discussion of the manner by which a thing is said to be abstract and how such notions arise in human thought: roughly defining the abstract notion and the process of abstraction. 2 Reference deleted from the text.

3.

Aristotle. Nicomachean Ethics. GREAT BOOKS OF THE WESTERN WORLD. Vol. 8. Encyclopdia Britannica, Inc. Chi / Tor / Lon. 1954

4. Huygens, Christian. Treatise on Light. The Great Books of the Western World, Vol. 34. Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. Chi / Tor / Lon. 1952. 5. Jurkowski, Henryk. "The Acting Puppet as a Figure of Speech." TPF Quarterly, Volume IV, Number 3. The Tulsa Puppet Foundation. Tulsa, Oklahoma. 1994.

43

Becoming the person you are destined to be in Christ Part III

Rough Draft October 2012 MMXII, George A. Lane Copyright 2012. All rights reserved.

(Ps 19:14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O Jehovah, my rock, and my redeemer. ASV) * * * * *

As humans we each have a personal history recorded in time past that is unique in many ways. In the process of living, we become individualized by ranges of experience that are not universal among humanity. When the diversity of these types of experience increases over time we also come as individuals to interpret the common, universal experiences in life from a different perspective than those around us do. This inevitably causes us to develop fields of memory, trains of thought, and habits of practice that set us apart from one another in terms of our personal needs, desires, beliefs, and values. And yet there is a function of human society that operates in contrast to this predisposition to become uniquely individualized. This coordinating influence is the organized impression of cultural traditions and group values. Beyond the strictly physiological characteristics of the human biological form that establish the universal and rudimentary reasons for why our bodies function and our minds think it is the impression of culture that causes individuals to reflect the attributes of sameness respective to others. This allows the formation of social units called cultural groups to happen in spite of the tendency within individuals to diversify into unique characters. Each ones personal history, being composed of the individualized experiences as well as the impressed experience of culture, forms a field of occurrence in the temporal environment which we define as the past or background of that individual. Our pasts constitute our existence through time up to a currently present moment. From a human perspective, at least, our personal identities at any given moment would seem to be the composite of all the experiences we have ever had prior to that time. But it is the nature of life in a temporal state to change in a movement away from the past and toward the future with a present moment in time being the only physically tangible and manifested reality to our senses. So we continually find ourselves in a process of emergence in this condition. And it is the place we have come to in a present moment in time from which we must move forward. As we emanate from these fields of the past into the future it is inevitable that we encounter new systems of stimulus that affect the definition of who we are as individuals. Some of this stimulus consists of the lifeless physical substance of which the tangible physical world is

44 composed. The many forms of this type of stimulus range from the basic elements of earth, wind, water, and fire to a multitude of artificial structures that we compose for purposes such as housing, clothing, food, entertainment, medical purposes, and to facilitate our labors, etc., to be brief. In this world, there is also a myriad of life forms with which we interact: not just the forms that we think of as being wildlife, domestic pets, and, of course, other humans, but also the plant kingdom and the microscopic organisms that affect the physiology of our own bodies as well as the mechanics of the overall ecosystem. A third form of stimulus includes the patterns and rules of technical mechanics that dictate the behavior of physical substance in the processes of movement and change. This form is not tangible, but it does exist initially external to the internal form of stimulation, which consists in the process of mental cognition and the activities of thought by which we organize the landscapes of our imaginations. Recall a statement regarding the cause of motion made by Aristotle that was quoted in Part I of this series, The mover or agent will always be the vehicle of a form, either a 'this' [a physical substance or body] or a 'such' [an abstract idea or set of intangible circumstances], which, when it acts, will be the source and cause of the change, . . .2 These patterns and rules of technical mechanics may be categorized as being, a 'such' [an abstract idea or set of intangible circumstances]. The forces caused by the flow of energy are examples of this type of intangible circumstance. But more-overly it is the physical laws that govern these and other types of forces that constitute this form of stimulus by imposing their influence on the manner in which physical substances move and change. The internal form of stimulus resulting from mental cognition and the process of ideation is perhaps the most immediate influence with respect to our minds that affects the course of emanation into the future. Even the abstract idea as a type of such must be visualized and understood in one manner or another in the landscape of the mind before it has the capacity to stimulate movement. This is in contrast to the more direct influence of the physical laws of nature. I.e., gravity causes objects to fall whether or not it is understood or defined in the imagination. Recall from Part I that the mind is recognized as being the manipulator element of the human organism, which causes the motion of the physical body to happen in a meaningful manner. But the mind is dependant upon the presence of stimulus in order to form images of possible pathways for movement. In almost every case where external stimulation is present, this influence is first perceived by way of the senses and is then subsequently analyzed by the mind. This creates a preeminent sort of stimulus in the form of thought impressions. The exception to this system of sensual perception is when stimulus is received as inspiration by way of the spirit. Inspiration of this type is also analyzed by the mind, so it has the same opportunity to influence the pattern of thought impressions as sensual stimulus does. Perhaps the most active source of stimulus we encounter in the temporal world consists in our interactions with other people. This happens not just in the personal contact we make with them at any given moment in time, but also by various remote means including the study of historical accounts, recollections of encounters, and by participating in schemes of circumstance
2 Aristotle. Physics. "Book II, Section 3." & "Book III, Section 2." GBWW. Vol. 8.

45 that have been influenced or arranged by others such as media presentations, the operations of business, educational curricula, religious doctrines / practices, and the political affairs of government, etc. The manner in which we are affected by this stimulus varies from one person to another because of the innate propensity to interpret the stimulation as individualized receptors, but the property of being re-identified in the course of this interaction is a universal phenomenon. An important factor to bear in mind in this process is that the other people with whom we interact are experiencing the re-definition of personal identity as much as we are in this system of contact, reaction, and emergence. They are as much influenced by the many forms of stimulus as we are. The slight exception to this is in the case of an historical figure that is not temporally present at the time of the influential contact. However, insofar as the identity of such a person consists in part in the way they are perceived by others, then they are also redefined in this process of remote contact and interaction. When we interact with other individuals who hold to different cultural traditions and values than our own, who have personalities based in experiences we have not had or which they have interpreted in a very different manner than we have, we tend to engage in an analytical process to determine what our likenesses and differences are in order to locate the interfaces for communication. When these interactions occur we are often compelled to make adjustments in our identities for the sake of forming these interfaces. In doing this, we employ, whether consciously or not, certain techniques such as syncretism, admixture, and assimilation, which tends to render the new identities of the reacting parties as sorts of hybrids of both. This is one of the mechanisms that cause the impression of sameness to occur among cultural group members. However, it is never complete in its operation. This means that these hybrid characters are again unique to the respective reactants. Albeit, such encounters do cause us to become recreated as new participants in the environment of the future so that we are not the same person we were the moment before. This process of mentally organizing the experiences of the past, responding to the circumstances of stimulation in the present, and choosing activities for the future, particularly as pertaining to human interactions, is termed as "sociality." The present is, of course, our prominent point of residence in the progression of life, but it is into the future where we must all eventually become. As mentioned in the series Introduction article, except for the activity of imagination and the implementation of hope in faith the human mind does not easily comprehend the future as a foreseen place of becoming. What it is able to imagine in this respect it can only hope to adjust to, to become, by engaging in a comparative analysis of prior experience. This dependency upon comparative analysis of prior event to current circumstances is, paradoxically, both one of the greatest strengths and also one of the greatest frailties of the mind. The noted education philosopher of the early Twentieth Century, John Dewey, made an elaborate exposition of the process of sociality in his book, Human Nature And Conduct. Dewey proposed that the individuals habits of thought based in the analysis of stimulus become a field of memory3 that acts as a determining force in the process of social emergence. There is, of course, an immediate and seemingly reflexive response to stimulation at any time point of the present while an individual is in the process of choosing an immediate next position in
3

Dewey, John. Human Nature And Conduct * 1922. Southern Illinois 1988.

University Press. Carbondale and Edwardsville.

46 becoming. But still, the memory field, which is the product of the habits of thought, is usually the strongest influence in the decision making process. The memory field comprises a tool box, as Dewey put it, by which we adjust ourselves to a desirable status of comfort and understanding within the circumstances of any given moment. And in a manner we also attempt, to the best of our abilities, to adjust circumstances to be (or become) suitably comfortable and understandable by the use of tools in the box. In doing this, we make comparisons of current circumstances to those we have experienced in the past. We recall and consider what worked or didnt work then: why did it work or not work: how did things happen: is it desirable to repeat that course of action, if not then how to make the change, etc.? It is a natural mental reflex to engage in this process when analyzing stimulus. So it also becomes obvious that it is desirably prudent to load the memory field with the most effective tools possible in the course of habitual thinking. This is the cause of education as a formal, disciplined activity. But as it happens in the human condition the overall education of an individual is comprised as a sum total of experiences, which often greatly exceeds the limited acquisitions of disciplined, organized study. Much of the stimulus that influences thought is not immediately subject to filtration and selection, although through properly disciplined practice preferable circumstances where stimulus is encountered can be sought out and obtained. So whereas the capacity to analyze current circumstances from the perspective of an educated memory field enhances the ability to make better choices, the quality and content of the education (memory field) are crucial factors that affect the proficiency of the decision making process. Another aspect of this perspective of mental analysis that becomes a limiting factor, the greatest frailty of the mind in a manner, is that no one possesses the sum total of possible experiences within their personal memory field. We are only able to make best guesses at the choices we make based on the limited resources of our personal experiences, . . . , that is if we trust only in our own understandings. And it is not without purpose that we are instructed in scripture (Prov 3:5-6) to, (5Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. KJV) And a further elaboration on this process is given at (Matt 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. KJV) When we go beyond the secular view of the response to stimulus and the decision making process in order to truly implement hope in faith things happen in a much different manner: at least events begin to occur in our lives on a scale that is not easy to rationalize from a humanistic perspective. (Heb 11:1-3, 1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good report. 3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. KJV). In doing this we forego the attempt to determine if it is possible to realize a particular future circumstance by way of an understanding based in prior experience. Often it is the rut of prior prevailing circumstances that we hope to get out of or be away from when we apply faith in this way. It remains true in both cases, where faith is applied (on the one hand) and where we trust only in the tool box of memory (on the other), that the

47 adjustments that cause us to have new identity in the course of time occur in the pragmatic implementation of experiential resources. But what the mind does not possess of itself in this is the knowledge of the full extent of resources and experiences available in the Kingdom of Heaven through the Holy Spirit. When we encounter stimulus and adjust to it according to Gods resources in the Spirit, which are incomprehensible to the mind, then we emerge in miraculous ways that can not be conceived of by the mind alone. The concept that we exist as living forms in a universal space / time continuum that exceeds the boundaries of the temporal world is sometimes difficult for the human mind to understand as anything more than a fantasy. The proof of this is not readily found in temporal circumstances, and neither can it be determined as a fact by conventional secular rationale or scientific means. The impressions of the mind tend to confine existence to a present moment in time, viewing the past as no longer existing and the future as not yet existing. Never-the-less, history is rich with examples of philosophers who have attempted to express this phenomenon, or fact of life, whereby we exist in a field outside the present moment. For example, Socrates is one who went to great lengths to enlighten his society in this respect. Also, the idea that we are composed as something more than mere physiological substance in a corporal form is the rudimentary foundation of nearly all of the religions of the world. The awareness that there is a world of spirit separate from the physical world impresses itself upon humanity in a way that causes religious traditions of rational explanation regarding this phenomenon to become established. Unfortunately, the fact of spiritual presence outside the confines of the temporal present does not easily reconcile with the overbearing influence of sensual reception. It is irrational to measure the full range of living potential in the spirit against a presently manifested scheme of circumstances, so the part that does not fit into the minds capacity for rationale is designated as mystique. Not only does this happen at an individual level, but also the cultural traditions of religious practice and theological study acknowledge boundaries between what can be understood and explained in ritualized forms of communication and the mysterious domains of the spirit world. Although the proof of and capacities to fully understand or express the nature of spiritual existence are elusive, it is not realistic to deny that this awareness is a well founded phenomenon. Consider the work of the prophets as they told of things yet to come. At Isaiah 53:5, for example, the prophet expressed the miraculous blessing of our healing in the punishment received by Christ in the present tense: (. . . and with his stripes we are healed. KJV). In this and many other instances, the visions of the prophets are related as if they are present at the time the event is taking place. To be certain, in the spirit they literally were projected to the time and space of the occurrence. It is a tricky bit of doing to transcend the temporally present physical world so as to experience a coherent vision of other places in space and time, but that is exactly what the spirit leads us to. We all experience this type of transcendence whether or not we are conscious of it or if we understand what is happening. Another interesting well-founded phenomenon is that it happens now and then that a certain individual will formulate an expression of an idea or property of natural occurrence that makes clear to many other people something that they are aware of in their minds but which they have not had the capacity to express with such clearness themselves. One person who did this in regards to the concept that we exist as living forms in a space - time continuum that exceeds the boundaries of the temporal world is the noted educator / philosopher of the early Twentieth

48 Century, George Herbert Mead. In his famous book on the nature of temporal experience and human identity, The Philosophy of the Present, Mead proposes the idea that: "The present is to be taken as the locus of reality. This means that to consider anything as real is to consider it as existing in, or in relation to, a present. It is in the present that emergent sociality occurs. . . . A present is a unit of natural becoming; it is the period within which something temporally real can happen. What has been and what may be have their focus and actualization in a present standpoint and it is from such a standpoint that creative intelligence, transforming the novelty of emergence and the fatality of mere repetition into a measure at least of meaningful development, brings to articulate and self conscious expression the pervasive form of natural process. It is as the scene of such process that the present is the locus of reality."4 Before moving on, lets accentuate and briefly consider some statements that have been made here. Although Mead was not composing a theological work or expressly addressing the topic of spirituality, he identified the rudimentary phenomenon that underscores doctrines of faith based hope and the practices that result from these. Mead has pointed out that creative intelligence has the power and authority to break the cycle of prevailing circumstances by way of articulate and self conscious expression. What is indicated as being the, pervasive form of natural process, is the schematic of future event that is hoped for and substantiated by faith. It is by way of articulate and self conscious expression that God creates the things that are seen from the unmanifested. (Rom 4:17 [As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,] before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. - - - Heb 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, . . . KJV) Here, Mead provides a witness that insofar as we are endowed with and implement the faculty of creative intelligence we also are able to do this. This capacity is very important to the process of becoming changed and renewed, to becoming what we are destined to be in Christ, and it will be discussed more thoroughly once this section is drawn to a conclusion. Mead continues that: The field of mind, then, is the larger environment which the activity of the organism calls for but which transcends the present. . . It belongs to the so-called conscious organism to complete this larger temporal environment by the use of characters found in the present. . . . The field of mind is the temporal extension of the environment of the organism, and an idea resides in the organism because the organism is using that in itself which moves beyond its present to take the place of that toward which its own activity is intended. That [property] in the organism which provides the occasion for mind is the activity which reaches beyond the present within which the organism exists. . . Ideation extends spatially and temporally the field within which activity takes place. The presents, then, within which we live, are provided with margins that extend into the future as well as into the past." It is obvious in this explanation that Meads is a secular work, and as is the nature of secular / humanist discourse the achievement of Spiritual influence is not acknowledged. Never4 Mead, George Herbert. The Philosophy of the Present. University of Chicago Press. Chi / Lon 1932. reprint. 1980. Edited by Arthur E. Murphy.

49 the-less, this phenomenon by which the mind occurs and imagination takes place is a realistic function of the temporal environment, and we must all operate according to it in the human condition. It is so much a well-founded phenomenon that its isolation and explanation by noted philosophers like Charles S. Pierce, William James, and Josiah Royce at the end of the Nineteenth Century established the process of pragmatic reasoning as a precursory foundation for the advancement of the modern science of psychology.* What we have to consider as spirit beings operating in a temporal, physical world is whether we merely drift along amid, the novelty of emergence and the fatality of mere repetition, or if we exercise authority and dominion over the process to bring, to articulate and self conscious expression the pervasive form of natural process, according to Gods Divine plan? In the Christian walk, it is our purpose to place the influence of the Spirit above these other influences. The Lord is to be worshipped by way of this conduit: (Jn 4:20-24) . . . 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. (KJV). The fulfillment of our lives comes to us by the Spirit: (Mt 6:33) & (Phil 4:19), and this is truly found when we turn our complete attention to this task: (Matt 22:37 And he said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. ASV) It is by the Holy Spirit that we are transformed to be proficient in this business: (Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. KJV). The true meaning of all the other forms of stimulation is realized when they are placed under the authority of God in the Spirit. (2 Cor 10:4-5 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the casting down of strongholds, 5 casting down imaginations , and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ; ASV) We were created to have dominion over the things of the temporal world: (Ge 1:26 & 28 . . . and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. ASV) (Ps 8:6 Thou makest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; Thou hast put all things under his feet: ASV). But because of Adams act of high treason we no longer posses the independent authority to exercise such dominion: to act in this capacity on Gods behalf. In a manner, this authority is now granted to us by request only, so we pray and make supplications. If we are not diligent to keep the sensual stimulations from directing our thoughts, then we become subject to these influences and are dominated by them rather than dominating them. When we make decisions about what is rightful action in this condition we err. Our senses would tell us that the fruit of the tree of knowledge is acceptable to eat because it provides nourishment to our sustenance, and the rationale of our mind in the absence of spiritual submission will agree with this logic. God must require our earnest request to dominate because as we are prone to err in this manner in the flesh the things we would desire can be very detrimental. To avoid this detriment in our choices it is necessary to have Gods approval. He knows this and only genuinely empowers those who earnestly submit to His authority and obey His directions. (Ps 19:13 Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous (sins); let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be clear from great transgression. ASV) (Ps 119:133 Establish my footsteps in thy word; and let not any iniquity have dominion over me. ASV.)

50 Under the old covenant there were laws that helped to provide proper direction in the matter of making choices, but these were never sufficient to subdue the influence of the flesh. The interpretation of law for application in the human condition is subject to the will of the mind. Because of this the law often becomes a tool of manipulation organized to preserve the ordinances that proceed from the desires of corporeal pleasure. The law does not redeem humanity from the curse of sin established at the time of Adams transgression. It does no t restore the original authority of dominion created in us by God, and it is not intended to do this. (Gal 3:19-25 19 Wherefore then serveth the law ? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.
20

Now a mediator is not a mediator of one [does not represent only one person in the process of mediation], but [however] God is one.
21

Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.
22

But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
23

But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
24

Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
25

But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. KJV).

The law of the old covenant cannot be fulfilled in all its measure by anyone; (Rom 3:23 for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God; ASV). At its best the law provides a confirmation that the independent authority of humanity to dominate with a rightfully discerning mind is withdrawn. But Christ alone did fulfill the law and conquered the dominions of the world to reestablish the rightful heritage of humanity: (Dan 7:14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. KJV). It is in Christ that we become joint heirs in this new covenant: (Rom 8:16-17 16 The Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are children of God: 17 and if children, then heirs ; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with (him), that we may be also glorified with (him). ASV). We are redeemed and restored to righteousness in Christ, and (John 14:6 . . .no one cometh unto the Father, but by me, saith Christ. ASV). Considering once again that we are caused to adjust our paths in the course of emergence by the influence of environmental stimulus, what Mead refers to as, characters found in the present, and that the most active source of this stimulus is usually our interactions with other persons we must at first acknowledge that the one common attribute among us, which is neither

51 caused nor altered by cultural impression or experiential individualization, is that we possess life. Life is a gift conferred upon us by God the Creator and does not result from the mere organization of circumstances. Rather, circumstances are organized to make accommodations for life as it happens. It is the essential business of our characters to perform a part in this task of organization so that the accommodations for life are the most suitable for the journey, not just for ourselves but also for the others with whom we interact. What is life? Why is life? There are many things that can be said about life to indicate what its nature is and how we participate in it, even to explain our purpose for participating in it. But at the end of the day, or of a lifetime, a human mind would never be able to fully comprehend or express any definitive answers to these questions. The very best answer in this regard is to know that life is the activity caused by Gods vocation in the art of creation, and you can take the term vocation in the sense of utterance here: most literally Gods articulate and self conscious expression. (Jn. 1:1. Gen. 1:1-3). And as for why this has been done look to: (Rev 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. KJV). But we can, for a time being think of life as a pool of experience that is surrounding us in the universal continuum. All around is this great pool that contains all the possibilities that represent the experience of life. It may seem at times that we as individuals are separated in our existence, but a deeper consideration will show that we are not disconnected from the greater environment. We are attached to the environment and everything it contains through the ordered arrangement of all the associative aspects of life, what we might think of as a matrix of life in which our personal identities establish by definition our placement in the ordered arrangement much like a set of coordinates in a Cartesian field. When we engage in the activity of investigating the environment that seems to surround us in a separated manner: to study the nature of physical substances, of causes and effects, of forces and the movements of things, of human relations, and of God and His Holy Spirit, etc.: when as individuals we probe the environment seeking knowledge and understanding of any sort it seems the only true purpose for this is to determine our own identities and to know who we are. From the perspective of an isolated entity this probing might seem to be an activity only for the purpose of identifying the other isolated things, this-es and such-es, that exist in the pool of life so that we personally know what they are and how they influence our lives. But for one who acknowledges the contiguousness of life and perceives nature from the perspective of participation in a collective whole it becomes evident that this process of probing outward is more of an attempt to send out feelers through the environment in order to get a clearer picture and understanding of how these extremities work to coordinate the function of the whole. This is much like the use of sonar or radar to locate and identify objects through the action of echo and reverberation. Insofar as we are able to rightly discern the nature of our surrounding environment we are able to identify our relationship to it. In this manner, we come to understand our placement in the ordered arrangement of life and can affect adjustments that move us to new positions in life: in the words of Mead, to complete this larger temporal environment by the use of characters found in the present. When probing the great pool of life and reaching out into the physical environment, reviewing the past and dreaming about the future, the present is the only place where any real

52 expression of this experience can happen. It is at the moment when we reach out and touch someone, when we make contact through verbal communication, or when we interact with the inert objects around us that we gain a new sensation that redefines us as individual beings. We become stretched in this activity to include our response to this stimulus into our field of reference. To put things into the terms of a physical perspective, we identify the environment that is surrounding us by how it rubs against us. And this gives us also some sense of who we are as individuals. "It is the experience of resistance that provides the necessary external reference [for personal identification]. In pushing and resisting things, an organism can regard its own activity as identical in kind with that of the thing upon it. Action and reaction are equal and opposite. Thus in resisting the environment we are behaving toward it as it is behaving toward us. Then what we find on the 'inside', that what we are as individuals, is thus what we find in contact experience, in the 'manipulatory area' ." (Mead, G. H. Philosophy of the Present) Meads reference to a, manipulatory area, here pertains to an immediately proximate environment that consists of the sources of stimulus and influence that are most active in an organisms life at any given moment. It is, of course, easier to find a personal identity from activity in the manipulatory area, from the proximate environment, than at a distance. Since the stimulation gathered through our association with other individuals has an extremely prominent influence over our personal identities group interaction becomes a very important endeavor for the productive growth of the individual. It becomes even more important for those who are earnestly becoming who they are destined to be in Christ to consider the sorts of groups with which they interact and to actively seek out and participate with those which promote the identity of the calling. (Heb 10:24-25 24And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. KJV). Good fellowship is a must in this regard and should be prayed for fervently and effectually. And there is more to this than just to be satiated in our quest for identity. Life and its experiences do not just surround us in the physical sense, where we find representations composed of substance such as the objects we encounter in our daily lives; the chair we sit in, the floor we walk on, the other people who we touch and see and respond to through communications, or even the planets and stars up in the sky. But also life is surrounding us in the field of time, beginning with the very first moment of creation and stretching off into the future to some distant point so that only God can imagine the extent of its dimensions. This is to say that we are not just here at this moment in time in this place, but also we are in the past, probing the things that exist there in the process of finding out what we have been; and even more importantly to the topic of this article, we exist in the future, probing to find out what it is that we will become. And what is true of the individual is also true of the bigger part of our lives that we call our culture. Each culture that is composed of the individual persons acting in their respective positions has a distinct personality of its own. This might be the expression of a particular religious doctrine, the use of a specific language in communication, or a special style of dress or gesture which directs the attitudes and behaviors toward the other individuals within the culture, and / or many other distinctions that establish cultural boundaries amid the general domain of

53 humanity. Each culture has a history that is irrevocable, and like the individual, the culture also probes the environment in many ways in order to find out how big it is, what the nature of its extremities are, how it fits into the matrix of the larger social body, and what it will become in the future. Because life is an infinite pool it does not have its expression as a single point or isolated system which can be defined in simple terms and, therefore, have a common meaning to everyone. We can not point to life and say, "That is life. I know what life is, and then have the satisfaction that everyone will have the very same conception of life. Neither is life confined by the property that it naturally begins in one place then moves along a given pathway to arrive at some specific conclusion that is common to every one. Life does possess this linear dimension, but also life is big in all directions. So it happens that there are exceptionally great numbers of possibilities for experience in life. Unfortunately, as individuals we can not have them all. We must depend on others to have some of these on our behalf. And then we must engage in the probing process in order to take advantage of these experiences as others perceive them. This represents another essential reason for the necessity of assembly together as members in the Body of Christ. We are, after all, members of the Body and do not of ourselves comprise the Body in its totality. That totality is the Church. (Rom 12:4-6 4For even as we have many members in one body, and all the members have not the same office: 5so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and severally members one of another. 6And having gifts differing according to the grace that was given to us, . . . ASV). For all of the probing that we are able to accomplish in a lifetime we will still only ever be able to derive a personal perspective, although this may conform to an acceptable level of cultural agreement, and this is true of every individual. Where the value in this occurs is in the cooperative operations among these perspectives and the activities that result from them. It is in this manner that the foot of the Body is able to step toward a desired destination of the Body because the eye is able to perceive the location of that destination. The eye is indispensable to the foot in this activity. And similarly, the eye would remain immobile and not arriving at its desired destination except for the steeping of the foot. The Body has an ultimate goal to accomplish in life, and this may not be thoroughly understood by any particular member thereof. But in the cooperative action of all the parts working according to the individual callings the overall objective is obtained.

An emphasis has been placed on the phrase, articulate and self conscious expression. In order to elaborate on the importance of this I will begin by relating that in my younger years I worshiped in a traditional Episcopal Church. By traditional it is meant that the congregation practiced a liturgical worship service according to the earlier Book of Common Prayer that was derived from the Latin Serum Rite by Anglican Archbishop Thomas Cranmer in 1549 not adopting the modern conventions of many denominations that have aberrated into the syncretic doctrine of inclusion. In that liturgy, prayers are invoked in unison and in agreement among the members of congregations. These are sincere Prayers and Thanksgivings for; the Church and the unity of Gods people, the governments and their offices, missions and the increase of ministry,

54 those in military service, bountiful agriculture and industry, education programs, for persons in all conditions and circumstances, for social justice, and several other specific concerns. The efficacy of these invocations and the incantations of the also common hymns consists in the fact that those (the majority) who participate in the worship services understand very well the meaning of the prayers and hymns. Because of this there is a tremendous amount of agreement as these are recited in unison. (Matt 18:19-20 Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father who is in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. ASV). Additionally, since the prayers are usually learned by rote from a young age they become a firm base of reference to direct the prayers and meditations of the parishioners when they are away from the regular services during the week. In other words, these parishioners actually know the prayers as they are speaking them. It isnt a situation where a minister says a prayer to which the congregation says an obligatory, amen, then after lunch cannot recall what it was all about. An important point to accentuate is that the prayers are spoken by the worshipers, each one having an understanding of what is said and faith in the efficacy of the prayer. ( James 5:16 . . . The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. KJV) The reason this is important is underscored in several passages of scripture. Perhaps the most significant of these is, (Mark 11:23-24 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. 24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. KJV) Jesus was adamant that saying, What things soever ye desire, is essential to realizing the manifestation of them. (. . . even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. - - - Heb 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, . . . KJV) God was / is speaking when uttering the Word to call things into being, and that is what Jesus tells us we must do also. People speak a lot. So in consideration of what Jesus said about believing what is spoken in prayer the question surely comes up, where do we draw the line between the things we are praying for and the general chit chat and other things we talk about? And the fact the simple truthful answer is that we dont. The things we say at all times are our vocal requests that draw our future circumstances towards us. It is because of this that James wrote: (James 1:26 If any man thinketh himself to be religious, while he bridleth not his tongue but deceiveth his heart, this man's religion is vain. James 3:2-12 For in many things we all stumble. If any stumbleth not in word, the same is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body also. 3 Now if we put the horses' bridles into their mouths that they may obey us, we turn about their whole body also. 4 Behold, the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by rough winds, are yet turned about by a very small rudder, whither the impulse of the steersman willeth. 5 So the tongue also is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how much wood is kindled by how small a fire! 6

55 And the tongue is a fire: the world of iniquity among our members is the tongue, which defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the wheel of nature, and is set on fire by hell. For every kind of beasts and birds, of creeping things and things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed by mankind. 8 But the tongue can no man tame; (it is) a restless evil, (it is) full of deadly poison.
9 7

Therewith bless we the Lord and Father; and therewith curse we men, who are made after the likeness of God: 10 out of the same mouth cometh forth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. 11 Doth the fountain send forth from the same opening sweet (water) and bitter? 12 Can a fig tree, my brethren, yield olives, or a vine figs? Neither (can) salt water yield sweet. ASV) Peter also wrote, (1 Peter 3:10 For, He that would love life, And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips that they speak no guile: ASV). This makes us think, if we truly desire to not stumble in our words and receive the good things of God when we pray / speak, how do we get a bridle on the tongue? Jesus gives us the first clues. (Matt 15:11 Not that which entereth into the mouth defileth the man; but that which proceedeth out of the mouth, this defileth the man.) And the elaboration of this is at (Mark 7:20-23 And he said, That which proceedeth out of the man, th at defileth the man. 21 For from within, out of the heart of men, evil thoughts proceed, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, 22 covetings, wickednesses, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, railing, pride, foolishness: 23 all these evil things proceed from within, and defile the man. ASV). It is from within our hearts that the words we speak originate, even though we may try our best to doctor them up in the mind before making an utterance. So comes a second clue; ( Prov 4:2324 Keep thy heart with all diligence; For out of it are the issues of life. 24 Put away from thee a wayward mouth, And perverse lips put far from thee. ASV ). Obviously in order to keep the mouth it is necessary to keep the heart. In the verses preceding Prov 4:23 the Lord has said, (Prov 4:20-21 My son, attend to my words; Incline thine ear unto my sayings. 21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; Keep them in the midst of thy heart. ASV). It is by doing this that the heart is kept attuned to the things that are within Gods will for our lives and guarded against the corrupt things of the world. When Abp. Cranmer drafted the Book of Common Prayer he was charged with the duty of honing down an elaborate ritual that had been built up in the Serum Rite to accommodate many pagan proselytes during the Dark Ages. The worship services and liturgy of the Church in those days had aberrated into a syncretic doctrine of inclusion. In weeding out the pagan rites, Cranmer and the clerics that worked with him honed the prayers down to be solidly based on the scriptures of the Holy Bible. Each of the prayers and the liturgical rites of the Anglican Church at that time became expressions in the language used in the days of King Edward VI and later King James of what the Word in the Bible said we should pray for the various conditions and circumstances of men, for the Church and its ministers, etc. Cranmer attended to Gods Word and did not let it depart from his mouth, knowing with all faith that it would be kept in this midst of the hearts of those who recited the prayers that were founded on the scriptures.

56 Why would that be so? (Rom 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. KJV). As the prayers and the Word of God are spoken faith the right form of faith in the will of God becomes established in the heart. Now comes the second aspect of this. When we speak we hear what we speak. When we speak the Word of God we hear the Word of God and our faith in Gods Word comes by that he aring. But when we speak vulgar worldly language as James wrote of at Chapter 3: 9-12, humanistic philosophies & religious doctrines, curses and other profane things, then a faith in those things also comes into our hearts. From out of our hearts come the issues of our lives. Speaking Gods Word as it is established in faith in our hearts by hearing causes Gods will to come to pass to become this issues of our lives. However, speaking the profane things that may also be established in the heart - the things that Jesus spoke of at Mark 7:20-23 - causes these profane things to become the issues of our lives. In both cases, we call those things that be not as though they were, just as God does. We are blessed as we call into being (accepting and willingly participating in) the will of God by His Word. We are defiled when we call for profane things. Once again review what G. H. Mead wrote, What has been and what may be have their focus and actualization in a present standpoint and it is from such a standpoint that creative intelligence, transforming the novelty of emergence and the fatality of mere repetition into a measure at least of meaningful development, brings to articulate and self conscious expression the pervasive form of natural process." I understand and firmly believe that God designs and creates the universe by His Word spoken in His language, and this includes a schematic for our lives that is fully blessed. Gods Word creates life, and death is the absence of the Word. As we are fully attuned to that Word and flowing into our futures according to its design, then we are fully blessed having life and more abundantly (Jn 10:10). When we flow out of the pattern of that design by an articulate and self conscious expression of things that do not pertain to that design, then we begin to decay into death. The first part of John 10:10 tell us that The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: and it is true that this thief, which is the ruler of the principalit ies and powers of the world, operates to plant into our hearts the seeds of iniquity. But once those seeds are planted by various worldly influences, if they grow to the point of flowing out of our mouths then it is by the words we speak that the iniquities become realities in our lives by our own calling them into being. How do we stop that from happening? (2 Cor 10:4-5 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the casting down of strongholds, 5 casting down imaginations , and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ; ASV). James wrote of horses bridles and ships rudders and how these simple devices are able to control the direction of relatively large bodies the horse even against it own will to go where it might want to go and the ship against the power of the wind and waves. But neither of these devices have any certain power to provide proper direction to those bodies unless they are also operated by someone at the reigns or at the helm. In a manner, that which constitutes the person at the reigns and at the helm in authority over our bridles and rudders is our creative intelligence, but more overly it is our hearts from whence come the issues of our lives that performs this work.

57 The prayers of the Book of Common Prayer have been used here as examples (good examples) of how to use proper utterances to instill within the heart the Word of God directed toward an appropriate objective in time according to Gods will. Building up faith by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God! The ways of the world and the many conditions and circumstances of men are not different today from what they were in 1549. Well, we do speak a different dialect of language and there are different technologies that we use to do our work, etc. But these things do not change the things that pertain to life and godliness, (2 Peter 1:3 seeing that his divine power hath granted unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that called us by his own glory and virtue; ASV ) No, these all things have not changed. They had not changed from the time of Jesus ministry to the time that Cranmer did his work. . . . An example has been made of those prayers, but there are also many other aspects of Gods Word in the Holy Bible that could never be compressed into a volume such as the Book of Common Prayer. It happens that we also have various personal issues in our lives that are not essentially common at a particular moment in time. In consideration of this, it is also important for us to attend to Gods Word and keep it our hearts at a very personal level. Then we have the capacity to utter a specific Word what is called a Rhema Word of confession of Gods will over the circumstances of our lives. These words are not necessarily based in common prayers but are found in the Holy Bible. We will, however, find that they do not contradict the prayers in the Book of Common Prayer. Usually we will not find our personal prayers confirmed in the prayers or more overly expectations of others, but the confirmation that these words are the will of God for our lives will come by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in a language which is, as Paul wrote (2Cor 12:4 . . . and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. ASV). Truly this is a communication that happens by the Spirit / spirit, (Rom 8:26-27 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. KJV) To close this section and finish this article let it be accentuated that we should keep our selves disciplined to seek and study Gods Word in the Holy Bible as well as by prayer. ( 1 Cor 14:15 15 What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also. ASV). In regards to our relationships with other people and the circumstances of life that we seek out, which in a large part constitute our educational environments, we must also pray that we are led into those that build us up in our knowledge and understanding of Gods Word and will. In doing these things, our most effective method is to use our creative intelligence to bring to articulate and self conscious expression What things soever ye desire, . . . , believing that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. If at first you wonder what to pray, do as Jesus instructed His disciples to do.

URE father, whiche arte in heauen, hallowed by thy name. Thy kyngdom come. Thy wyll be

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done in earth af it if in heauen. Geue uf thif daye oure dayly bread. And forgeue vf oure trepaffef, af we forgeue them that trepaffe agaynft vf. And leade vf not into temptacion. But deliuer vf from euell. Amen.
Then lykewye he hall aye,

O Lorde, open thou my lippef.

Aunwere.

And my mouthe hall hewe forth thy prayfe.

Prieft.

O God, make pede to aue me.

Aunwere.

O Lorde make hafte to helpe me.

Prieft.

Glory be to the father, and to the onne, and to the holye ghoft. Af it waf in the begynning, if now, and euer halbe world without ende. Amen. Praye ye the Lorde.
All Bible quotations except the Lords Prayer above are used from BIBLESOFT, PC Study Bible for Windows V4.

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