The purpose of the Monthly View is to affect the way we see ourselves in light of God's promises. Our faith is built on the reality of the finished work of Jesus Christ on Calvary's cross, His precious blood and righteousness. Moreover, because of His resurrection, we "...know in ourselves that we have in heaven a better and an enduring substance [reality].1

The Reality of God's Promises

The third Sunday of this month is Easter, when the Body of Christ celebrates the resurrection of our Savior and Lord, which is spoken about in the March 2005 View. But daily, we are to remind ourselves that we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. 2 We are to consider ourselves dead to sin and able to live for the glory of God through Christ Jesus. 3

The purpose of the Monthly view is to affect the way people see God and the way they see His love for them. It is God's desire that you know He loves you so much, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. 1

Childhood Memories

Like many of you, I memorized John 3:16 as a child, never realizing that it would lodge in my mind to be useful to bring me to Christ years later. The verse pricked my heart when I overheard a young lady sharing it with an inmate she was visiting. I turned to my visitor with excitement and said, "That's right, God did so love the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life." She thought I had lost my mind, but in reality, the Lord was opening my eyes to understand God's love for me. 2

The purpose of the Monthly View is to share God's point of view from the Bible. Like the prophet Jeremiah, "God's words are what sustain me. They bring great joy and are my heart's delight." 1 If the Lord can sustain and give joy to my heart after 36 years in prison, He can do the same for your situation.

The Bible Charts Chain Booklet

A few months ago, I shared how my illumination Bible Charts would be distributed as a chain booklet in 2006. These charts have been available in color on this website for some time. Study Charts Galleries.

I am happy to announce that the chain began at the first of the year when my friend Michael sent out copies to my friends who had promised to copy and distribute more. One friend responded by saying, "God bless you for all your hard work. The charts are awesome, keep up the good work brother." (B.J.)

The chart called "God's Orchestrated Plan of Love for Mankind" was introduced last month, as part of The Ezekiel wheel Project, to show the intention of God since creation to connect His heavenly throne to His people. His finished work of grace anchors those who believe in Jesus Christ to His heavenly Sanctuary. May you realize the many creative possibilities, because of your divine connection to God's abounding love this wonderful New Year.

A Heavenly View

One of my purposes is to help you envision the reality of God's love with the aid of charts. It has been said that "a picture is worth a thousand words." They can remain in the mind when all else is forgotten. Be still, people who aren't Christians can't understand these truths form God's Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them because only those who have the Spirit can understand what the Spirit means. 1

In the last Monthly View, "The Ezekiel Wheel Project" helped us to visualize that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. 1 We read about these men of faith in Hebrews, chapter 11. They were men who walked by faith in God, not by sight. 2They dared to believe in the invisible God, Who created them for a personal realization of Him in the Spirit. Today, they are our heroes of faith.

The Throne's Seven Levels

These heroes help us to see the seven levels of God's throne, which are illustrated on the Ezekiel Wheel Project chart. The center core, the first level, is revealed in Revelation 4:2,3 by the Apostle John saying, "...I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne." The invisible God Almighty [El Shaddai] became visible to him, "And He who sat there was like a jasper [red, yellow or brown opaque quartz] and a sardius [reddish brown] stone in appearance, and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald [deep green]." John saw God's throne in its entirety in this one verse, the throne of God on the highest level to the rainbow, or the outer seventh level. Can you see the view from where you sit?

This month is the beginning of The Ezekiel Wheel Project. The prophet Ezekiel saw a vision of the glory of God, which is still visible today. The problem is not with God's
desire to show us His glory, but our willingness to seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand side of God. 1 Click Here

My Chart Booklet

The Lord has given me the ability to illustrate His word by creating over thirty Bible study charts, such as Ezekiel's wheel in the middle of a wheel vision. I have a complete chart booklet, but only a limited number are in print. The charts are available on this website for your viewing and downloading.

In an August 2005 survey of 1004 Americans, NEWSWEEK magazine andBeliefnet found that 67% say the soul goes to heaven or hell when we die. Remarkably, 81% of Protestants and Catholics believed that a good person of another faith can attain salvation or go to heaven, even though their Savior Jesus declares: "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." 1

Myth or Fact?

There are numerous myths deceiving the minds of Christians. One is that you can get to heaven by being good. They believe God weighs your good and bad works, and if your good works outweigh your bad, you get in, otherwise you go to hell. This is not the way God saves. Without faith in Christ, our works will signify nothing but rebellion.

Our lives pass in a moment compared to the time we will spend in eternity. It is a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. 1 I pray the Lord will remind you how brief your time on earth is. Your days are numbered, and your life is fleeing away. 2 And just as it is destined that each person dies only once; after that, comes judgment. 3

The Fear of Death

The fear of death is common and one of the reasons Jesus came to die. Because God's people are human beings, made of flesh and blood, Jesus also became flesh and blood by being born in human form. For only as a human being could He die, and only by dying could He break the power of the Devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could He deliver those who have lived all their lives a slave to the fear of death. 4

Life doesn't have to be a continual struggle. Jesus said, "Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But be of good courage, because I have overcome the world."1 Jesus died and rose from the dead not only to give us an eternal life, but an abundant life here on earth.

This may sound strange coming from a prisoner like myself, but the secret to living a victorious life is to simply abide, trust and rest in the finished work of Jesus Christ. When Jesus shouted from the cross, "It is finished", I believe he was saying we can stop trying to obtain righteousness through the works of the law, because He established the only way to obtain forgiveness, righteousness and life.

Many of our struggles are with guilt and shame resulting from illicit sex, divorce, abortion or other sinful behavior. There will be consequences, but Jesus shed His blood 2000 years ago to provide forgiveness for all sin; past, present and future. 2He rose from the dead to give us an abundant life, regardless of present circumstances. 3

This morning...

I woke up singing the song: "Everybody ought to know, Everybody ought to know, who Jesus is. He's the lily of the valley. He's the bright and morning star. He's the fairest of ten thousands. Everybody ought to know." I can't get that song out of my mind.

People often asked how someone could follow Manson to the extreme I once did? My usual reply is that the crazed Manson we see in interviews is not the person that misled us in the '60s. Things that deceive us often do not appear damaging until later.

Think About It!

The youngster smoking their first cigarette doesn't see it as developing into lung cancer. The alcoholic doesn't see their first drink leading to a life on skid row. Who could have seen those seemingly innocent peaks at pornography leading to divorce? And the person tempted with illicit sex didn't see it leading to unwanted pregnancy or an incurable disease.

The third Sunday of this month is Father's Day. Years ago, we discovered that in prison Father's Day is not as popular a day. Hallmark sent our chaplain thousand's of free cards for the men, but we couldn't give them away. We discovered that only a few of the men were in contact with their fathers.

Our Father's Promise

The Old Testament ends this way: "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse." 1

On the second Sunday this month, we celebrate Mother's Day. One thing we all share in common is that we have a mother. All of us know the importance of this day. We will either be with her, or hold her close in our hearts and minds. She is our love, no matter what!

Our Mom

It would not be right to not mention Eve, who was the mother of all living. 1 Sometimes we forget about her. Some of us blame her or our own mom for our troubles. The Bible says Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. 2

Our goal is to affect the way you see God. We intend to reach the lost, the backslidden, the unchurched and the unproductive, and make them whole through the love of God, thereby launching them into productive, personal service. Our desire is to always have others feel loved, and to help them understand that God loves them.

How Do You See God?

How we see God affects the way we see and react with others. If we see God as creating us in His image, we will value the life of one another. If we perceive God as judgmental and always angry, we will reflect a critical heart. If we know and perceive God as love, we will reflect His love to those around us. Mother Teresa said that the greatest disease of mankind is the absence of love. She hit the nail right on the head.

The last Sunday in this month is Easter Sunday. The whole body of Christians will be celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. With Mel Gibson's film The Passion of Christ still fresh in our minds, we can't help but remember Christ's suffering at Calvary three days prior to His resurrection.

What Is Your View?

Easter was originally the name of a pagan festival honoring Eostre, a Teutonic goddess of light and spring. At the time of the vernal equinox (the day in the spring when the sun crosses the equator and day and night are of equal length), sacrifices were offered in her honor.

"Mr. Smith was a man who always clocked in at work on time. He took his job seriously, never missing a day. He always paid his bills on time. He loved his car and was always diligent to change the oil every 3000 miles. His yard was always perfectly manicured. He walked his dog faithfully. He never missed a Sunday at church in all the years we'd known him. He was faithful with his tithes and offerings. He is survived by his wife Betty. They had no children."

How will the eulogy read at your funeral? Will the clergyman talk about all your egocentric exploits, or will he talk of the lives you've touched? What kind of legacy will you leave for others? Will your relatives and friends have anything good to say about you? Or does it really matter, since you will be dead?

What Is "It" That Really Matters?

Many of us take pride in saying, "I don't care what people think!" "It" isn't good to be controlled by the opinions of others, but like "it" or not, "Man is not an island!" We are created to have relationships with others and a big part of healthy relationships is care and concern for one another.

Augustine said, "...the heart of man is restless until it finds its rest in Thee." Augustine spoke of a void that every man has in his heart that can only be filled by God. In other words, the search for the meaning of life is endless until our life is filled with the righteousness, peace and joy of the Holy Spirit.

Many people search throughout the Earth trying to find God in sacred artifacts and relics. They become devoted to religious institutions, never obtaining what they are looking for. Salvation, that comes from trusting Christ, is already within easy reach. In fact, the message is close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart." 1

Searching For Answers

For centuries men have continued to search for the Holy Grail. It is defined many ways, but is usually claimed to be the challis Jesus used at the last supper to serve His disciples the night before His death on the cross. Jesus placed importance on the wine in the challis, not the cup itself. He told His disciples that the wine was a symbol of His blood, which was to be given to forgive the sins of many. 2 There has been investigations, which have taken place over many centuries, into the authenticity of Shroud of Turin. It is thought to be the cloth that covered Jesus in the tomb.

December 2004

The world is experiencing an information overload as radio, television and the Internet battle for our time and attention. These devices provide a vision that dictates how we should look at the world around us. We receive these communications through our physical senses: sight, sound, smell, touch and taste. Similarly, we communicate with God spiritually with our spiritual senses. Whether physical or spiritual, these sensory views not only create the way we see the world, but the way we see God.

This worldview is our life perspective and determines how we interpret events, situations and circumstances, such as our religious and political views or the war in Iraq. It makes up the thoughts and beliefs that shape our lives, and our relationship with God.

A worldview is the way we see, perceive and understand things. The way we look at the world around us. While growing up in the '50s and '60s, my thoughts were very shallow. I did not understand the importance of having a sound worldview. There was a battle going on in my mind between my worldview, based upon modem, liberal culture, and the solid beliefs and views of my parents. I was searching for what I felt was missing in my life. I was led by what felt good physically. I didn't understand what was missing, nor was I willing to listen to those who offered counsel. I felt misunderstood, and began to medicate my pain with illegal drugs, sex and music. I was self centered, trying to fill a spiritual emptiness through external means.

My life began to spin out of control, lacking character, appropriate feelings and sound reasoning. A quality life was within reach, exemplified by my parents and siblings, but my will was bound to follow a path leading to my own destruction. I ignored a productive view of life, falling prey to those who had perfected the art of destroying their own souls. I succumbed to a path that seemed right to me, but whose end was death.1

My Eyes Were Blinded

My parents used to remind me later in life, how as a child, I would talk to my dog "Collie" and tell him all my troubles. I guess I felt he could understand me when no one else could. Though a trained dog can comfort and help guide the blind, "Collie" could do little to help me with the blindness of my heart. Now, I see that I should have been talking to my parents and God, instead of to my dog.