By Benjamin Raven Pressley

     I have seen very few subjects that seem to inflame and divide the Body of Christ (the church) as much as the subject of speaking in tongues. It is probably the single most common practice that divides the church down the middle. All denominations can be classified as either Pentecostal (or charismatic) or non-pentecostal (or non-charismatic). And usually this translates to tongue speaking or non-tongue speaking. It is disturbing to me how quick many are willing to separate themselves from those who practice this gift. And it is just that, a gift, a tool, nothing more. It is not even the most important gift according to Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 14:5. That being said, I am not saying it is not an important gift. Any gift God gives is important. If it weren’t He would not have given it.

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By Benjamin Raven Pressley

He is God of the void. Where we see gaps but he is busy connecting all the dots. I think if we are truthful we all sometimes look at life as a bunch of disconnected events and non-sensical jumbled up elements. I think we see life sometimes as some of us would view a ball of knotted up thread or string or something not worthy of anything but throwing away because it has become such a mess and we don’t have the time or skill to untie it all and make sense of it. In reality there might just be a knot here or there if removed could return a string back to something useful. We see messes and are quick to label something incurable or unworthy of our time and consideration. We see life as a bunch of disconnected events when if we would just look a little closer through God’s eyes we would see he is keeping it all connected and knows exactly what needs to be done to correct the situation. He keeps up with every place we went wrong or went down a trail we shouldn’t have or made a bad decision. He is not surprised or caught off guard EVER! We see life as a dark trail going through some uncharted woods, we hear all the scary sounds around us and just when it seems life can’t get any scarier the big bad wolf jumps in front of us scaring what little courage we have left out of us and we just know we will be devoured and that this is the end. And to some it does end right there because we give up and see no hope. (more…)

The Case for Intelligent Design

by Benjamin Raven Pressley

          Ever since Darwin and his work Origin of the Species, written in 1859, it has been more or less accepted that evolution was the only explanation of where all life originated from and that intelligent design was only a religious belief. However, with the advancement of technology scientists have been able to study life on a molecular level with powerful microscopes not available in Darwin’s time. With the discovery of DNA and the complex molecular machinery of certain bacteria many scientists are challenging the theory of evolution and believe intelligent design is worth reconsidering and should be put back on the table for consideration. (more…)

“I Thank my God”

By Neal Grimes

    Let’s read and examine Philippians 1:3-4.
1:3, “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,” (NAS)
Beginning here in verse three, Paul shares that he Gives Thanks every time he thinks about the body of Christ in Philippi. Every time he thinks about them, talks about them, or is reminded of them his emotions are stirred in such a way that causes him to give thanks to God. I like the way The Message interprets this verse:
“Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God.”

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By Dani’El Garvin

Having dealt with the subject of selfism and the evils of a world under the control of the New Age god of self and god within to make the mistake of throwing out the baby with the bathwater and totally annihilating all aspects of our personality and identities. When some Christians try to crucify self, they often strive to eliminate every part of themselves, including the very core of their being. We were created by God, body, soul, and spirit. The soul is the seat of our mind, will, and emotions. In Galatians 2:20, Paul states that he is “crucified together with Christ,” and then he states “nevertheless I live” and “the life I now live in the flesh, I live by God’s faith operating in me.” How can we resolve this dilemma in everyday reality? (more…)

I want to tell you about a friend of mine, Dani’El Garvin. He is a fellow author and a Micmac elder. He has published several books that I highly recommend that are worth reading. He is a Writer, Poet, Author, Missionary, Native American, Indigenous Counselor, Eagle Dancer, Blowgun Champion and Conference Speaker. He has ministered and counseled all over North America and Indonesia. His spiritual insights are incredible. He bridges the gap amazingly between Native American beliefs and the gospel.  He connects the gospel in Hebraic insights that make many complex issues easier to understand.  He also braves homosexual issues in a loving and non-condemning way. He addresses topics that the church-at-large do not want to tackle in an effort to correct and connect church history and its failures. He explains complex spiritual understanding in an understandable and loving way. Visit his author page and review and order each of his books by clicking below.

  Dani’El Garvin Author Page 

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I AM BUT A MIST

By Benjamin Raven Pressley

“Wake up little one.” I heard the voice say. It was ever so gentle like a loving mother or father would awaken their child.

“Huh, what is it? Who are you?” I responded ever so sleepily.  I was in a deep sleep indeed. It was a sleep like I had been asleep for a thousand years.

“Don’t fret about time. There is no such thing as time except in the minds of those who created such a construct,” The voice responded to my thoughts for I had not spoken aloud. “And don’t fret about thoughts and speech as if they are two different things. This also is a human created construct. Why is it humans rise up every morning and dress in chains as if they were clothing?” (more…)

It always bothers me when people make the Bible so complicated. Recently I had someone post this on social media that claims to be a Christian:

“Calvinists and most other protestants hold to Sola scripture while Catholics hold to scripture, tradition and magisterium, (teaching.)  But, in fact protestants don’t hold Sola scriptura in practice, an example;
“Presbyterians hold to the Westminister Confession, a statment of beliefs that they believe, it is authoritative and influences their interpretation of scripture, this, by any definition is magisterium!  The same is true of all the mainline denominations.
“Fact is Sola scripture is a teaching of John Calvin, again magisterium, (teaching!)  Even in non-denominational churches the pastor-teacher is the “magister,” the teaching authority!” (Person who said this left anonymous out of respect for them as a human being.) (more…)

REFLECTIONS OF A RAVEN is my newest book and is a treasure trove of deep thoughts on many subjects like God, Evil, Freedom, Relationships, The Mind and much, much more. Here is an excerpt from it and what it has to say about God. Be open-minded and you will know they are true.

To order your copy in e-book or paperback just click on the image! (more…)

By Benjamin Raven Pressley

If you wish to be truly spiritual there are two tenets that you must accept and that cannot be violated. The first thing you need to know is what ‘True Spirituality’ is. True Spirituality is not about religion. It is an all-encompassing view of life and not denying that things are more connected than most want to accept. True spirituality carries over into every aspect of your life. It becomes as real as the air you breathe, invisible in many ways but so real and vital to you as an individual. True spirituality is something that comes alongside everything you do, every thought you think and everything you see. It becomes a filter through which you view all things on a level that just makes sense.

Secondly, you need to know what Truth is. If something is truly the truth then no temple made by the hands of any created being will be able to contain it. Real truth is big enough to cover all of creation. To try to contain truth in a temple or to even try to organize it under one roof or one people or one set of beliefs is like caging a wild animal. It is cruel, it is against its natural design and eventually will only weaken as it loses its wild side and conform to its captivity and as a result it would only produce other caged animals. Truth by design should set one free not put one in a cage. (more…)