Have you ever found yourself pondering the origins of our connection with the divine, or how our choices shape our existence? Embarking on a narrative voyage with Love Boomerang, we explore these metaphysical curiosities within the realms of an imaginative creation story. In our latest podcast episode, we walk alongside Jeremiah, a representation of humanity's awakening consciousness, as they emerge into a sensory world filled with wonder and the daunting task of understanding identity, purpose, and the divine connection that threads through our very being. By sharing Jeremiah's experience of naming the elements of life and meeting their kindred spirit, Ima, we peel back layers of what it means to truly exist as part of a larger, intricately woven tapestry of life and love.
As the journey unfolds, Ima and Jeremiah's tale takes us through the lush, yet treacherous gardens of temptation and the struggle with choice and consequence. Their story, deeply resonant of timeless allegories, reveals the visceral emotions of fear and shame that accompany disobedience and the loss of innocence. However, the heart of our episode lies in the powerful narrative of redemption, where the figure of Abba's parental love mirrors the unconditional nature of divine compassion. Through the allegory of a generational curse and the redemptive arc that follows, we reflect on the extraordinary lengths to which love will go to protect and uplift, drawing an intimate parallel between our human experiences and the boundless grace that defines our collective journey. Join us as we ponder these profound themes and consider the unwavering bond we share with creation, our creator, and each other.
Have you ever found yourself pondering the origins of our connection with the divine, or how our choices shape our existence? Embarking on a narrative voyage with Love Boomerang, we explore these metaphysical curiosities within the realms of an imaginative creation story. In our latest podcast episode, we walk alongside Jeremiah, a representation of humanity's awakening consciousness, as they emerge into a sensory world filled with wonder and the daunting task of understanding identity, purpose, and the divine connection that threads through our very being. By sharing Jeremiah's experience of naming the elements of life and meeting their kindred spirit, Ima, we peel back layers of what it means to truly exist as part of a larger, intricately woven tapestry of life and love.
As the journey unfolds, Ima and Jeremiah's tale takes us through the lush, yet treacherous gardens of temptation and the struggle with choice and consequence. Their story, deeply resonant of timeless allegories, reveals the visceral emotions of fear and shame that accompany disobedience and the loss of innocence. However, the heart of our episode lies in the powerful narrative of redemption, where the figure of Abba's parental love mirrors the unconditional nature of divine compassion. Through the allegory of a generational curse and the redemptive arc that follows, we reflect on the extraordinary lengths to which love will go to protect and uplift, drawing an intimate parallel between our human experiences and the boundless grace that defines our collective journey. Join us as we ponder these profound themes and consider the unwavering bond we share with creation, our creator, and each other.
Speaker 1:
Welcome and greetings to you. Thank you for joining the Love Boomerang podcast. Today's episode is going to be a little bit longer, so I just ask your patience and that you just hang in there to get through the whole thing. I promise you it will be worth it in the end. Get through the whole thing. I promise you it will be worth it in the end.
Speaker 1:
Recently, I realized that God was the first victim of a dysfunctional family Not by God's own doing, mind you. I mean dysfunctional in the sense that the family was split up. Some went one way and others went another. I'm going to continue on the theme of God's nature and our nature from the last episode, but instead of using scripture as the basis today, I'm going to walk you through a little story, a mini story, if you will. You ready?
Speaker 1:
Jeremiah blinked through filmy gooey, watery eyes. Jeremiah blinked again and again until their vision began to clear. Some Then Jeremiah, shut their eyes and just laid there. Jeremiah saw nothing, felt nothing, heard nothing, smelled nothing, tasted nothing.
Speaker 1:
All of a sudden, a blast of wind blew up their nose like a tornado in the tornado alley. It departed as quickly as it came. Jeremiah started coughing and gagging. They had never experienced this before, but for some reason they couldn't catch their breath. Their eyes began to open and, through a film, jeremiah could see a form, a shape. It wasn't clear what they were seeing form, a shape. It wasn't clear what they were seeing. Jeremiah could smell the sweet scent of honeysuckle. But what is honeysuckle? They wondered. In fact, what is wondering? As Jeremiah blinked and their vision became clearer, they could see this radiance. And their vision became clearer, they could see this radiance, bright and shining. They didn't know what any of it meant. They didn't even know what they were or what they meant either.
Speaker 1:
And then, in the literal blink of an eye, jeremiah became aware, aware of themselves. Jeremiah became aware, aware of themselves, aware of their surroundings, their feelings, their senses, in fact, aware of everything. And exhausting. And then as close as Jeremiah's own breath, even though they had no idea what breath was, they could see the face of the radiant image they had briefly seen before. They didn't even know what it meant to be. A they. The image was right up next to Jeremiah's face. The form, the image began blowing gently into their nose. They wondered what in the world is that, for they didn't know. Jeremiah could hear what in the world is hearing voices and mumbling, talking to each other, saying things like they are made in our image. Do you see the beautiful landscape? Can you smell the wonderful sense of all that we have created? Then the image looked into the eyes of Jeremiah and said you, my child, are very, very good. In fact, you are enthusiastically pleasing, acceptable, favored and loved. Jeremiah was so overwhelmed they closed their eyes and just rested.
Speaker 1:
The next thing Jeremiah was aware of was being lifted up and was told to start naming what they saw. They saw four-legged creatures. They saw tall things growing out of the ground. They saw things creeping so close to the dirt. What is dirt? Again, the image gave instructions. What are those? I hear it, I feel it. What do I do with it? Jeremiah wondered.
Speaker 1:
And without any uncertainty, jeremiah started giving names to everything they saw Deer, elephants, caterpillars, slugs, amoeba, germs, oregano wheat, dolphins, spiders, giraffes, garlic, alpines, maples, kentucky bluegrass, and on and on. It went. For how long? Jeremiah had no idea, but they never got tired, they never rested. Until I'm asleep. Wait, what is sleep? I'm a being. What does that mean? Do I have a name? Like all the other creatures that I just named, everything up to that point, jeremiah questioned what the meaning of them was. But I'm asleep in the depths of whatever is the depth. I know I am, I know I exist, but I don't feel it. I don't experience it, except only through dreams. What are dreams In Jeremiah's dreams? They see the image, bright and shining, from before Before, what is before, in the haziness of waking up, what's waking up again? In the haze, jeremiah sees. And what does he see? He sees another one like him, like him, but different, With arms and legs and a head, hair and feet and toes and fingers, toenails and fingernails and what the heck is all that. But he knows that this is part of him and part of the image of the one who appeared to him in Shining Brilliance and, just like with the other things, he names this one Ema. And Jeremiah explains what is in his heart. This one is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh. They are here as my equal, my mirror image. So I do not have to experience whatever. This is alone.
Speaker 1:
Jeremiah and Emma begin to go about their work. What's work? The brilliant image is with them in everything, showing them everything, teaching them everything. They are in a garden. What's a garden, they ask? A garden is the place where I have planted and established all of my creativity, says the brilliant one. Fantastic, what do we do? Oh, brilliant one, grab that hoe, jeremiah, ema, grab that weed puller. You see that over there. You see that plant. What's a plant, they ask? A plant is a thing that grows from the soil, the brown substance you're standing on. What is standing? You see those things there. The brilliance points to the feet of the two and the brilliance says feet are the structure you stand upon. There is a flat surface with extended branches that help to keep you balanced as you stand and walk. Can you see your feet, what I just showed you? Look at your sister, ema. Can you see her feet? Can you see her legs?
Speaker 1:
The brilliant ones continue to show and teach and relate to Jeremiah and Ema continue to show and teach and relate to Jeremiah and Ema. The brilliant one, at one point, stops and looks at them and says Call me, abba. I am the brilliant one, but I want you to relate to me as I am. Life continues on like this, in glorious, wondrous intimacy of love and sharing. Abba says to the two I want you to stay over here, where it's safe, where I can keep an eye on you. Everything you need is over here, I'm here. All you need to sustain yourself is here, I'm here. Of course, abba. They answer, and life continues to be beautiful.
Speaker 1:
Day after day, they venture into all the wonder of creation playing with the animals, feeling the rough, cool skin of the lizards, playing with the fur and mane of the lion, feeling the warmth of the lamb's wool, hearing the joyful snorts of the pigs and roosters crowing every morning until one day, jeremiah and Emma were in the garden, wandering around, talking and laughing, playing and napping. They were eating berries and fruits, eating the vegetables provided by Abba and feeling the warmth of the sun on their faces and bodies. While playing a deep whisper came Nothing that was really that noticeable, it was just barely there, almost to the point they weren't sure that they heard it. Hema said to Jeremiah did you hear that? No, jeremiah responds and goes about exploring all that was surrounding him in the grass. Hema says to him let's go over there. There's a pasture so beautiful that I've heard, I've seen it from a distance and I've wondered what it would be like to be over there. Jeremiah reminds Ema that the place she speaks of is the place that Abba told them to stay away from. But the voice she hears is so persistent, a voice that Jeremiah isn't hearing or at least paying attention to. It whispers in her ear almost so loudly she can't hear anything else. See how beautiful it is over there. Do you see that there are things over there that you don't have over here? Are you sure that Abba isn't holding back on you? Are you sure there isn't more out there than what meets the eye? Ima Ima continues, day after day, to hear this voice in her mind.
Speaker 1:
She tries to hold it in, she pretends that everything is all right, but every day this gray cloud of doubt continues to eat at her, making her constantly question whether the best she's ever going to get is here or over there. Slowly and methodically, she keeps saying to Jeremiah there's more out there. I know it, I can feel it, not realizing that what she is hearing and what she is knowing and feeling is not real. It's doubt creeping into her mind. But the voice is so persistent it never ceases from speaking, ever so one day, tired and restless of hearing Ema poke at him about traveling that distance to go to that pasture, he finally gives in. To appease Ema, he says let's go to go to that pasture. He finally gives in. To appease Ima, he says let's go. So they wander Miles and miles away. They travel.
Speaker 1:
Once they arrive, they notice a tree that they've never seen before. Not a tree where the trunk is nice and thick and full of life, but more like a vine, a sprawling vine. On it there are three leaves glistening in the sun. In the center is a beautiful red bud. They sit and watch it. Over time, the leaves grow, like all the plants and trees they've observed. They can't see the roots, however, but the roots are rotten. However, the roots are supplied water, like all the other plants and foliage in the garden. Jeremiah reaches out to touch it and Ema grabs his hand and pulls it away. Jeremiah, she says I've never seen anything like this plant in all of the garden. Let's watch what it does.
Speaker 1:
Since time does not exist at this point, jeremiah and Ema have literally all the time in the world to see what this curious plant does. As they sit watching this plant, they don't notice that it's alive and moving. They are riveted by the red bud in the center. It goes from crimson to pink, to nearly a white color, and it captures their attention to pink, to nearly a white color, and it captures their attention. Meanwhile, the plant's leaves and vines are growing and moving so slowly it's moving to surround them. As they observe this fascinating plant, ema gets this uncontrollable urge to reach out and touch the ever-changing bud. Jeremiah's attention was on the vines, but not noticing how encircled they had become and how much it was beginning to trap them in bondage. He was just fascinated by the whole thing.
Speaker 1:
Suddenly, ema reached out. She grabbed the fully budded fruit, plucked it from the plant. She examined it not only with her eyes but her hands too, folding it and turning it around in her palms. The soft outer skin of the fruit seemed pleasant to the feel. She lifted it up and sniffed it with her perfectly tuned nose and thought this has such a light, soft, appealing scent to it. As she continued to explore the fruit, she thought this doesn't appear to be so bad. And because it didn't smell bad or look bad, it didn't feel bad. It must be all right. And in spite of what Abba instructed them, she lifted the fruit to her lips and she bit into it deep into its flesh. She tasted the sweet taste of the fruit which she had never tasted with any of the other trees or fruits in the rest of the garden. It was sublime, the best she had ever had. Jeremiah, you gotta taste this.
Speaker 1:
Jeremiah was so fascinated with how the garden was so animated and how it just seemed to go where it pleased, with no direction. He didn't pay any attention to what Ema had just asked him or what she was even handing him. He just obeyed and took a bite. How sweet the taste, he wondered. As the vine he was observing began to shrivel, the greenness of the plant began to fade into a grayish brown. The life of the vine, which was so full of vim and vigor, began to fade and it began to wrap itself around their ankles and their feet and their wrists.
Speaker 1:
At this point the plant begins to disintegrate. But when they looked up, everything that was so vibrant and full of life began to turn gray and cloudy. No longer was the sky full of brilliant blues and purples, greens and yellows and oranges and reds. It turned to a dirty white and a heavy feeling came over them both. Before they realized it, they both were succumbing to the deadly poison that was the inherent nature of the plant. Before they could call out to Abba for help, they quickly began to succumb to the poison. No longer did they feel elation or joy, no longer did they feel light and peaceful, they no longer felt like they belonged. All of a sudden, they began to feel things they've never felt before and panic set in. Fear took root and it enslaved them. We don't even know what fear is, but here it is and it's the most unpleasant feeling we've ever felt. They shared with one another. I know what we'll do, said one to the other. We know we're not supposed to be here where this plant is, so why don't we do this? Instead, we'll try to make ourselves like the plants around us. They both agreed with one another.
Speaker 1:
So Jeremiah grabs some branches and leaves from the palm trees that were nearby. Ema grabs some vines from other plants, not the one they weren't supposed to touch. Jeremiah takes a palm leaf. He takes each end and he lifts it between his legs. Something instinctively tells him that this part of his body is meant to be covered. So he holds one end behind his back and he holds the front in front of his stomach, while Ema takes the non-poisonous vines and wraps them around his waist. She has cut holes in the edges of the leaves to hold them in place. Jeremiah knows he is now covered. Why he thinks he is covered is a question to ponder. Only his privates are covered. Why, he wonders. But we'll come back to that.
Speaker 1:
Jeremiah turns to Emma. She's naked too. What does that even mean? But because of the fear and panic they feel, jeremiah grabs some elephant plant leaves and he weaves two of them together and he takes the leaves to her and he covers her breasts with the leaves. She holds the leaves over her breasts and he laces two vines around her neck. He ties those together and he reaches for the vine that is looped at the bottom of the leaves and wraps them around her rib cage and ties it in the back. They both let out the biggest humanitarian sigh of relief the universe has ever heard so far.
Speaker 1:
So there they are, jeremiah and Ema, in their makeshift clothing, hiding, trying to avoid Abba. They tried to make themselves like the rest of nature. They tried to pretend like they were just like everything else. Meanwhile, abba was walking in the cool of the day throughout all the creation they had made, admiring the beauty and smelling the wonderful scents. But then they come to a thought. I don't hear the kids. Where could they possibly be, and what are they doing? So Abba's attention turned and they began to go to the normal places that Jeremiah and Emma always frequented. But they weren't there.
Speaker 1:
Abba spends some time wandering in the garden looking for the kids, but then Abba notices some tracks. They follow the tracks with their eyes. Some tracks, they follow the tracks with their eyes, and as they lift up their eyes, they see that the tracks travel off into the distant land that Abba instructed them not to visit. Abba lets out a sigh of relief. I know where they are.
Speaker 1:
In the meantime, jeremiah and Ema are still hiding in the bushes, keeping their eyes out for Abba. For a while they doze off, and then Ema, jeremiah, jeremiah, abba continued to walk through the garden, but drawing closer and closer to them. Ima, jeremiah, where are you? From a distance, abba hears a faint voice, so they move into the direction the voice came from. Ema looks at Jeremiah, crap Abba's coming. Do you hear him, jeremiah? Ema, I know you're out there. Where are you Now? This is where I'm going to stop for a moment. God knows exactly where they are. So do they? The only two supposed human beings on Earth? Call them husband or wife and brother or sister, doesn't matter At this point. They have wandered off into the woods and gotten themselves in trouble.
Speaker 1:
Let's put this in present day imagery. Have you ever been camping? If you have kids and you've taken them camping, you can probably relate to the story I've just shared. You're sitting around the campfire, you've trusted the older kids to take care of the younger ones and they wander off to spend time on adventures and exploring the world around them, not in a bad way, but in a wondrous, explorative way. You want them to investigate and to learn about the world around them, but you don't want them to learn in the most life-threatening way.
Speaker 1:
You know things like poison ivy and poison oak and things of that nature are poisonous, but not to the point of death. But what if your kid came across water hemlock? Water hemlock is the most poisonous plant in North America. You have very little time to react when exposed. Your instincts as a parent change. In that moment your life, your spouse's life, anyone else's life no longer matters, except for your child's life. Water hemlock is the most violently toxic plant that grows in North America. Only a small amount of the toxic substance in the plant is needed to produce poisoning in livestock or in humans produce poisoning in livestock or in humans, the toxin, or when a threshold dose is reached after which, grandma, seizures happen and death can occur. This is terrifying to a parent, and this is just something that's found in the natural world.
Speaker 1:
Can you imagine if you were God and you know everything that was created, everything having its own purpose, even the stuff that is poisonous? Because even the poisonous plants have benefits to the human race if treated properly? So now you're God, your kids have wandered off to the place you told them not to go, and not only do they touch which they were instructed not to do the poisonous plant, but they ate it, they ingested it. They are surely going to die because of part of the nature of the plant. So what do you do as their parent when you find out not only have they wandered off, but they have also been exposed to a poison that's so toxic it will cause them to die. Ponder that for a moment. What would you do as a parent? Let's return to our story.
Speaker 1:
Jeremiah ema, where are you? You can hear the panic in abba's voice. Abba, the creator, is actually afraid. Finally, from a distance, there's a weak, faint voice that says here we are when. Where are you Over here? Abba runs, runs in the direction the voices came as the heightened panic sets in Abba's voice becomes desperate.
Speaker 1:
Where are you, my children, over here? Abba distinguishes the direction of the voices of his children and he runs and he finally gets to where they are located. There you are. What are you doing over here and what do you have on? Abba? We're sick. We were ashamed and afraid and naked, so we tried covering ourselves with palm and elephant leaves. What, Wait? Who told you you were naked? Do you even know what naked means? Abba, please, we're sick. Help us. Of course I will. Children, come here, let me hold you. Oh, oh, I see it. The serpent bit you both, didn't it? Jeremiah and Ema didn't realize that the plant was a disguise, a disguise for the serpent that Abba had told them about. Let me heal that. I'll remove the toxin and I will cover you from now on so that you are fully included, accepted, protected and loved from now on.
Speaker 1:
Now that you have seen your own vulnerability, I will protect that too. Don't do it on your own, because your attempt to protect yourselves from the predators out here is weak at best. It may only shield you for a short period of time, like those leaves hid you in the bushes. When you try to cover yourselves, you will leave yourself susceptible to negative influences. If you do, you must trust me, like you did before you wandered off. I will cover you completely and will keep you as my own.
Speaker 1:
I created you and I did so out of love, out of relationship, out of communion and unity. I love you. I will go to the ends of the earth and time to protect you. I promise, and the promise I give you is a sign. That sign is my son. You don't need to know me to see my sign and you don't need to know me to receive my protection. You are my child. No matter how far away you wander, I will go those distances to protect you. You don't need to know me for me to know you. You don't need to try and protect me from your egregious actions for me to protect you. You are mine, from the time I created you until the end of time, forevermore, until the end of time, forevermore.
Speaker 1:
Now, the story doesn't end there. The poison that was ingested into Jeremiah and Emma, although it did not change who they were meaning, their nature or their identity, or even whose image they were created in. It did, however, add an element to their lives and the lives of all the generations that would follow them that was not there in the beginning. This generational curse, if you will, was not completely solved in the garden. Completely solved in the garden. Although Jeremiah and Ema were saved immediately, the generations that followed also needed to be saved, and so Abba initiated the plan that he told Jeremiah and Ema about. Abba set about to incarnate themselves into the Son of man and bring about the redemption of the whole human race, to once and for all, eliminate the generational curse that had its genesis in the garden when that serpent bit Jeremiah and Emma. And so Abba starts the journey, a long journey to travel through space and time, to retrieve his children once and for all. And I don't mean that as a cliche, I mean it. Abba traveled through time and space, came into this world, taught his disciples, crawled up on a cross to reconcile the whole human race from the beginning of time to the end of time, and he did it once. So I really do mean once and for all. For now, this is where we'll end the story, but I will continue the message for a minute and I know this is a long podcast, like I said at the beginning, but this is going to set us up for all the future podcast episodes that are going to be coming.
Speaker 1:
So how far would you go to save and protect your children? I asked you a minute ago to ponder the situation that Jeremiah and Emma found themselves in and compared that to your lives as parents or aunts or uncles, sisters or brothers. How far would you go to save and protect your own? Would you travel to the ends of the earth to find a solution? Would you travel through space and time? If that were available to you, would you give yourself up for them? I'm sure the answer to all these questions is a resounding yes. Therefore, if you would go to the ends of the earth to love and protect your children, how much more will God do the same for you and all of the human race, no matter how bad they screwed up? Do you require that your children believe this of you, that you would travel through space and time to rescue them? No, of course not. They can wander off and do horrible things to themselves and others for all of the time that they have on this earth, and you would never leave them or forsake them or abandon them? Would you?
Speaker 1:
Do you realize that God is the very first victim of the dysfunctional family in Adam and Eve? And what did God do? Think about it for a few minutes. Did God abandon them in return, or did God go after them? Of course he went after them, and not only them, but all of the offspring that would be a result of them, and redeemed them from the curse that came about because of all their actions in the garden. God went all the way to come to earth in a specific place and time, to be murdered by the very people God came to save. Jesus died and then showed the whole world that death is nothing, it's an illusion, and to help the rest of us see that what God's nature is and what our nature is and just how important we are to God. So you tell me what's God's nature? Is it that of loving, merciful, forgiving, compassionate and a healing God? Or is God's nature that of a punisher, judge, verdict giver and sentencing dispenser? And sentencing dispenser?
Speaker 1:
I know that many in the Western Christian circles always say things like the platitudes of God is good all the time. All the time God is good. Is that just a platitude or do we really believe it? Is God good? Maybe if we can actually start believing that God is good, then maybe we can start believing that we are good also, since we're made in the image of God. And if we can start seeing ourselves and each other as good, maybe we can give up our differences or, better yet, incorporate our differences to make the world a better place. Maybe we can give up our wars, our selfishness, and maybe we can come together and actually lift each other up, no matter how different we are from one another. Maybe, when we can start seeing the common ground we all stand on, which is our humanity, we can forget the color of our skin. Maybe we can forget gender. Maybe we can forget who we like to share our beds with. Maybe we can forget that we are separate and re-member, meaning to come back together to become one and lift our whole human race up. Maybe we can start being Christ-like, for that is ultimately what God is trying to form us into and we can do what Christ called us to do to become and be one, as Jesus and the Father and the Spirit are one.
Speaker 1:
To add a little bit to the end of this and this is a little impromptu here. I did not write this down. I have often thought to myself when we have natural disasters in this world, it is amazing to me how we drop everything, we drop our biases, we drop our judgments, we drop our differences as one To help those who have been affected by whatever the situation is whether it's floods, whether it's earthquakes, whether it's tornadoes, whether it's terrorist bombing buildings we come together Not just as a nation, but as a world population. Why can't we live like that all the time? Think about it and then ask yourselves what can I do to make my world a better place? Thank you, I hope you've enjoyed this. Have a blessed day and, as a last reminder, please, if you've liked this podcast, please go and like it, comment Like it, comment, rate it, but, most importantly, share it with your friends, please, on your social media pages. I appreciate the support. Look forward to talking to you next time.
