Facebook Postings 6

by Matthew Cramer

These are the Institute's Facebook postings beginning 28 May 2020 through August 2020. As predicted, our postings have increased notably. We have also run three separate ads in the same period for Ruth Ann's book—Blood Cries From Planet Earth. They have returned consistent response in sales and overwhelming activity at our website.

The Cramer Institute of Minnesota
Published by Matthew J. Cramer • August 7, 2020

We are told that the angels are magnificent creatures whose rectitude is a level of existence far beyond us with a free will. Before they could enter Heaven, they were given an obligation to fulfill. Many of them refused and were cast into Hell.

Enthralled with their magnificent existence and powers, they believed themselves sufficient to enter heaven without obeying their directive. St. Thomas Aquinas defines the “sin of the angels”, as a sin of pride: "Refusing to submit to their rectitude defined by a superior." St. John says, "...the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world."(1Jn 2:16)

I believe many in the last two or three generations have become so enamored of the gratifications and ease offered in life today, that faithfulness to their rectitude is seldom an issue. Their motto seems to be: “I don’t need anything beyond me and mine. I’ll just play these.” Evil appears to be engaged in a full, frontal attack; deceiving us with the Pride of Life so we’ll repeat the sin of the angels, and its result.

Pride of Life is tearing us apart by degrading our values, destroying our shared belief in who we are, where we come from, and what is our intended destiny—in other words, the very core of our being. For more on this, see: https://cramer-institute.com/pride-of-life/ and https://cramer-institute.com/blood-cries/

The Cramer Institute of Minnesota
Published by Matthew J. Cramer • July 30, 2020

The word righteous is too easily thrown around like the candy and trinkets from the Mardi Gras floats. More often than not, those who want to elevate their cause to high priority status, will cloak their pleas and assertions in claims of righteousness—but it's really righteousness-light. That heady feeling, "I'm right about this", is the cause of much division. It sets up an air of certainty in the self-sanctioned individual; those who disagree must be wrong, all of their views and opinions are anathema.

When God creates something, he defines its rectitude; what it will be, what are its capabilities and limits, what is its mission and what are the rules of the road? Righteousness has very little to do with the other guy; mostly, it applies directly to me. It answers the question, "Is this thing I do, consistent with my rectitude?"

Righteousness flips the frequent basis for my actions from the usual suspects: appetite, emotions, desire and evil—to God and his mandate for my existence. A tree's rectitude is to do the tree thing. When it ceases to do that, it is unrighteous and dies. Qualification to enter heaven is certain to be measured by faithfulness to one's rectitude.

Mankind has a broad rectitude that was defined at our creation. Our lives have become more complicated since then because of our fallen nature and unrelenting attacks by evil. We are still discovering our human capabilities and limits. But we have a clear mission and rules of the road that are defined by our Creator in the Scriptures and the Magisterium of the Church.

To be righteous, we must act in ways that are consistent with our rectitude. Life is filled with many competing opportunities and suggestions. In the midst of our struggles, we need a frequent reminder—the Ten Commandments and the teachings of Jesus, trump everything. For more on this, see: https://cramer-institute.com/pride-of-life/

The Cramer Institute of Minnesota
Published by Matthew J. Cramer • July 23, 2020

Image by Victorios2016

The sharp divisions confronting us today in politics, society and our families, are fueled by acquired attachments to ideas, objectives and tactics; all in the pursuit of truth, justice, happiness and other goods. All too often however, those attachments are committed too early, before the full truth becomes evident.

Remarkable changes frequently occur in the kaleidoscope of life's issues. Expanded context and new facts arrive that were not available at the outset. When that happens, the initial attachment is sometimes confirmed, but more often than not, uncomfortable adjustment of the attachment looms.

A quote that expresses this problem quite nicely, was passed on to me recently. It's from a talk about Prv 14:8 by pastor Rick Warren of the Saddleback Churches in California:

"Foolish people try to rationalize. They tell rational lies to justify in their mind what they know in their heart is wrong."

The Cramer Institute of Minnesota
Published by Matthew J. Cramer • July 14, 2020

This commercial was broadcast by the Cramer Foundation over the year-2000 Christmas holidays, to three large cities and a cable network. There were 144 airings in all to an estimated fifteen million media audience. The statistics in the video are circa 2000, the scourges in society remain nonetheless.

In July of this year we retrieved the video from our files and posted it on Facebook. More information about Cramer Foundation and this video can be found in Chapter 9 of my book Living the New Life.

The Cramer Institute of Minnesota
Published by Matthew J. Cramer • July 7, 2020

D-Keine

We often say "Jesus is Lord" to affirm our belief that Jesus, the son of God, redeemed us from the effects of sin through his death on the cross. Resurrected from the dead, he ascended into heaven as the new paradigm of man, and Lord of all creation.

The meaning of Lord and Master in biblical times is foreign to us. It meant ownership, control, and close involvement with the goods and people in his realm. This meaning is unmistakable in the New Testament proclamations that Jesus is their Lord. Those folks lived a personal relationship with God that few of us seek. Central to their good news, was the proclamation that our Lord offers his hand to all.

We tend to see ourselves as independent, free will actors in life, making our way in an ocean of consequences, hatched from free-wheeling decisions. Many Christians proclaim Jesus as Lord and Savior, but seldom seek a deep relationship with him under his Lordship in their day-to-day life. Yet, there are others who follow Jesus as Lord and Master, practicing the same gifts of the Spirit that were released at Pentecost.

My wife and I spent our 64 year marriage submitting to Jesus as the Lord of our lives. After surrendering to him, we pursued a deep, loving, relationship with him and the gifts of the Spirit. We experienced struggles and pain like everyone else. But all of the promises about the born-again, new-life were fulfilled: overarching peace, discernment, wisdom, healing and much more.

There is a world of difference between navigating our way alone in life, or in a close, personal relationship with God. I call our 64 years a wild ride with God and I wrote a book about it. If you have further interest please see: https://cramer-institute.com/living-the-new-life/

The Cramer Institute of Minnesota
Published by Matthew J. Cramer • July 5, 2020

Cartoon of a royal announcer proclaiming with trumpet and banner

Illustration by Cruz Puga

Over a relatively short period of time recently, a large number of widely diversified individuals requested friendship on my Facebook page. All of you are most welcome. I am greatly encouraged by your zeal and interest. Be assured that more comments and teachings are forthcoming on this Facebook page now that our fourth book, Living The New Life, has been published and available at Amazon.

I urge you to check out our website for the Cramer Institute of Minnesota at: www.cramer–institute.com . There you will find more information about us and over 40 articles in The Sandbox about Christian life at: https://cramer-institute.com/the-sandbox/. The four books we have published are also listed there with links to Amazon for copies. Those of you south of the 23.5°N Parallel might be interested In Grandpa School, a short summary of Christian principles, and Blood Cries from Planet Earth, a prophecy given to Ruth Ann Cramer back in 1960.

The Cramer Institute of Minnesota
Published by Matthew J. Cramer • June 27, 2020

Illustration by Karl Kotas- KK-inc.

How have we have arrived at this point? Anarchy has raised its ugly head. Our cities, traditions, values, history and authorities are being mocked, denigrated, disobeyed and attacked. Training and funding for the agitating, rioting, looting and burning is reported to have occurred earlier; awaiting only the right opportunity to strike.

Before the Covid-19 virus, the country had just achieved record economic and employment levels. Minority integration had achieved ever-increasing record levels in all areas of society. Yet the entire cadre of our law enforcement is accused of being fundamentally racist, requiring defunding and dissolution. Our society itself is added to that list as statues are torn down. Sharp division amongst us, fueled by hate, knifes down from the highest levels of government and business into our families.

Christian principles, solidly rooted in the 10 Commandments and the teachings of Jesus, have been eroded at an accelerating pace since the late 60s and early 70s. One by one, society's tacit acceptance of fornication, adultery and abortion; the pursuit of false gods, drugs, greed, power and lust in many forms; has severely weakened the protective fabric of our Christian society.

Evil, now emboldened, can seduce and threaten with a high expectation of success. Where is the public hue and cry from professing Christians in this country about society's loss of our values? Where is the zeal of the Pentecost converts? Every year, another crop of our young people approaches the door of maturity, partially seduced through our media, entertainment, and educational institutions. We are losing the battle.

It’s time for a game change. We must redouble our efforts to ensure that, in love and without judgment, our children and grandchildren are thoroughly grounded in Christian values. We must emerge from our cocoon and advocate our values publicly and confidently, whether society condones them or not. Pray that Jesus our Lord will embolden us in the Holy Spirit to speak out, hold our ground, and proclaim the truths of Christianity.

The Cramer Institute of Minnesota
Published by Matthew J. Cramer • June 18, 2020

Young girl with surprised face, big eyes

Photo by Ramzi Hashisho

Expanding the Field of View

My grandmother used to tell me, "God created everything; he is everywhere, so you'd better be good." Comments like that contributed to my notion of God hiding behind the bushes waiting to jump out saying, "Aha, I've caught you in sin."

Yet the Scriptures say that God creates each of us out of love, destined to experience the immeasurable joy and complete fulfillment of being with him in heaven. Everything that exists is the result of a unique, intentional act by God.

Before creation there was nothing except God. All creation was fashioned from nothing, however it eventually came to be. All of creation, including us, remains in existence only through God's intentional, specific, loving will. Every blink of my eye, every breath I draw, every sin I commit, every act of compassion I accomplish, can happen only because God holds my unique person explicitly in existence, moment to moment.

These thoughts can easily rattle our confident, free will pursuit of life's adventures. But they can also provide a game change in the way we approach life. Our existence depends on both God’s specific creative will and His faithfulness. For our part, we bring nothing to the party. For more on this see: https://cramer-institute.com/pride-of-life/

The Cramer Institute of Minnesota
Published by Matthew J. Cramer • June 15, 2020

Married early because of family problems, two teenagers run into acute financial crisis and serious medical issues. Yet they have an encounter with God that takes them on a 64-year wild ride that never stopped. Blessed with the precious gifts of tongues, prophecy and healing, they travel to places, survive situations and accomplish things that cause jaws to drop, including their own.

Living The New Life is written with empathy, humility and a rare sense of humor, it is rich in tender moments, hilarious anecdotes and the modern-day miracles the couple were called to perform. If you're interested, a stirring summary of the book, written by the editor, is on the book's webpage at https://cramer-institute.com/living-the-new-life/. Links are provided there to the Paperback and Kindle versions available for sale at Amazon.

The Cramer Institute of Minnesota
Published by Matthew J. Cramer • June 12, 2020

Whose Point of View?

Illustration by MasaruHorie

Buying a chocolate bar involves decisions about taste, cost and the point of view, or its importance to the person. But points of view are usually flexible. The decision to buy a chocolate bar may have an entirely different outcome if I’m late on the way to a meeting.

The notion of a freewheeling self, that denies responsibility for the results of our choices, has affected many of us. There is nothing larger beyond us, only more of life's cornucopia to imbibe. Disagreement, no matter how pleasant, takes on the appearance of a personal affront or even judgment, because our point of view does not rise above us.

Two parties in critical conflict can’t see possibilities for a solution while they remain attached to their point of view. The participants must seek a broader point of view so their minds can open to alternatives. Agape, God's perfect love— a point of view in which the lover puts the needs of the beloved above his own. “...whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave;” (Mt 20:26,27 NRSV)

Agape; a servant’s, foot washing point of view, is a workable, effective policy in all situations even if you have no faith in God at all. It works. It's about time we used a lot more of it.

The Cramer Institute of Minnesota
Published by Matthew J. Cramer • May 28, 2020

Worried about vicious viruses, entrenched negativity, rage, hatred, and mayhem? Wondering what to do about it, how to cope? Concerned about the troubling direction in which it’s headed?

Check-out this little book. A young, married woman, seriously ill, had an encounter with God. Here’s what He told her.

More information is at https://cramer-institute.com/blood-cries/. Paper back and Kindle versions are available at Amazon.

Facebook Postings 6

by Matthew Cramer

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