Interview with Oliver Phipps, Author of "The House on Cooper Lane: Based on a True Story"

Book Title: "The House on Cooper Lane: Based on a True Story"

Author: Oliver Phipps

Genre: Fiction, Teen & Young Adult, Horror, Occult, Ghosts

Available Formats: eBook & Paperback

Kindle link: The House on Cooper Lane: Based on a True Story

Kindle UK link: The House on Cooper Lane: Based on a True Story

Amazon Paperback link: The House on Cooper Lane: Based on a True Story

B&N Paperback link: The House on Cooper Lane: Based on a True Story

Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Oliver-Phipps/613242265417442

Author's website: www.oliverphipps.com

Brief summary:

It's 1984 and all Bud Fisher wants to do is find a place to live in Madison Louisiana. With his dog Badger, they come across a beautiful old mansion that was converted into apartments.

Something should have felt odd when he found out nobody lived in any of the apartments. To make matters worse, the owner is reluctant to let him rent one. Eventually he negotiates an apartment in the historic old house, but soon finds out that he's not quite as alone as he thought. What ghostly secret has the owner failed to share?

It's up to Bud to unravel the mysteries of the upstairs apartments, but is he really ready to find out the truth?

Excerpt:

       A woman screamed somewhere above Bud. Opening his eyes, he looked straight up at the ceiling of the living room. The creaking of ancient floorboards above him indicated someone walking fast towards the direction of the scream. The footsteps followed the same path as before and faded off past the old fireplace.

      Bud struggled to wake up. Badger ran around the living room, growling upwards at the sounds above. Bud stood up, still gazing at the ceiling; he started towards the bedroom to get his club, but stopped in his tracks before taking another step. The double doors to the bedroom were closed. He didn't close them; he was sure he didn't.

      Fear crept up the back of his spine with a cold chill. His hair tingled. He rubbed the back of his neck trying to make it quit. He walked to the doors and attempted to open them. They wouldn’t open. He looked through the glass windows and saw his club beside the bed. He quickly considered breaking the glass as he paced around the living room still rubbing the back of his neck. Someone must be in trouble; a woman must be in danger upstairs. Or was it his imagination? The doors certainly weren't. He should do something. The young man couldn't relax as he felt the need to take action immediately. There may be no time to seek help.

      He grabbed the car keys and the key to the other rooms from the coffee table and jogged out the front door. He opened the trunk of his car and rummaged around for a flashlight. An old one was located and he turned it on. The light worked but not very well. Badger stood close, right next to his leg. The young man dug around some more and found a tire iron. He swung it a little to get a feel for how it handled and then quickly started around to the back of the house.

       The darkness was stifling as Bud moved with caution along the side of the large gloomy old house. The flashlight emitted a weak light but it didn't falter. Bud chided himself in a low voice for not having a better flashlight in the trunk. The steps came into view and appeared threatening in the darkness. He shined the light up the stairs and briefly hesitated.

      Taking a deep breath he glanced down to Badger in an effort to reassure himself of not being alone. He braced himself and slowly made his way up the stairs. His legs felt heavy; sweat trickled down the side of his face. He wiped the sweat off with his right shoulder and looked back. Badger was cautiously following him as he'd hoped. The door now came into view. Shining the light on the door he found the lock was still in place.

THE INTERVIEW:

Why did you write this book? 

It was a frightening, real life experience for me and I've always wanted to share it with others. As I moved further into professional writing, I knew it was one of the first stories I would put together. And it seems a lot of people are interested in the story as it has been my best-seller overall.

How did you come up with the title?

Well, Cooper Street is a real location, and though I'll not disclose too much more, it does have a connection to the actual place represented in the story. That being said, I published the work as fiction and deliberately so. As the real story played out, it may not have been as exciting in the sense that it was over a longer period of time. Basically, as in combat, there were short periods of terror and long periods of boredom. As I mention in the introduction of the book, I arranged the events in a much more compact time frame, to avoid the lengthy "quiet" spells in between.

In this line of thought, the title also has connections to the original house, but I again made some adjustments to avoid compromising actual people or places. In short, the title came about in an effort to keep some real connections, without disclosing actual places.

How did you choose your genre?

I really prefer to write in various genres. Of the eleven titles published under my real name (Oliver Phipps), three are paranormal, two are science fiction, five are historical fiction and one is a non-fiction work.

The choice for this book however was more difficult than one might think. The story is not actually a "horror" story. There's no killing or "blood and guts" as one might find in a horror story. Yet, that might seem an appropriate genre. Also, I initially placed this book in the "ghost" genre, only to change it later to Young Adult, ghost stories. What I found out was that adults don't mind reading young adult books, if they're interested in them. But this book, being about a teenager living in a haunted house, was very interesting to young adults. So, it took a bit of experimentation before getting it in the best genre category.

What inspired you to be a writer?

I've always had an interest in writing. But I suppose the thing that moved me towards writing seriously would be some stories I wrote for a family newsletter. They were sort of silly and fun. But everyone liked them and I still get requests to write more of them. I think the notion that I could do something that made people laugh or simply feel entertained was an inspiration in itself. A few years after these writing efforts, I was embarking on my first book.  

Are you writing another book?

I am. Actually I have several in the works. I tend to produce better if I work on more than one project at a time. By that I mean, I will work on one book for a while and then shift to another while I'm ironing out some plot issues or story line. Then I will move back to the first one for a bit.

If all goes well, I'll have a new novel out by spring of next year.

Author Bio:

Oliver Phipps is an author, entrepreneur and adventurer. He served as a Paratrooper in the United States Army and studied at MSC.

In 1997 Oliver and a good friend put together an expedition plan for traveling to Northern Canada and Alaska in order to prospect for gold.

Leaving in April of 1997 Oliver and company traveled up the historic AL-CAN highway. After exploring the Yukon and Northwest territories of Canada as well as the Arctic Circle the team traveled over the Top of the World highway to Alaska.

1999-2000 Oliver traveled through Asia, visiting Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan among other countries.

In 2004 Oliver published his first book and continues to write books, articles and short stories. Currently Oliver and family reside happily in the U.S.

Author's website: www.oliverphipps.com

Dalai Lama Attends International Conference on Buddhism and Science

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, 21 November 2016 – The sun was shining this morning as the motorcade carrying His Holiness the Dalai Lama wove its way through the downtown traffic on its way to the hotel that was to be the venue for today’s activities.

His Holiness first met with about 150 members of the Jetsun Dhampa Centre. Reading a report of their activities the Director informed His Holiness of the various community services they provide, such as offering spiritual support to prisoners and terminally ill patients and their families in one of the local cancer hospitals.

His Holiness commended their work and remarked approvingly that in Australia, one of the FPMT Centres similarly runs a hospice.

“In our old society,” he said, “monks did not provide people with such practical service. If they can do so, it is immensely beneficial. Once when I was visiting Arunachal Pradesh, some local people praised the Christians for their practical help. They complained that the Buddhist monasteries gave no such help, but readily accepted donations.”

His Holiness recalled his first visit to Thailand and a meeting he had with the Sangharaja. He raised the question of Buddhist monks engaging in community service as their Christian brothers and sisters did. The Sangharaja responded that a Buddhist monk’s role was to dwell in isolation in order to focus on his practice. His Holiness reported that although he accepted the validity of this, he also felt that extending help to others would also be mutually beneficial.

Advising the centre to take a more academic than religious approach to their study of philosophy and logic, His Holiness related what he has told Buddhists in Ladakh:

“Many people tend to think of monasteries only as places of worship. But if you introduce extensive study of Buddhist science and philosophy, and don’t limit yourselves to performing rituals, people will come to view these institutions as centres of learning where people of any faith or none can acquire knowledge that will be helpful in their day to day life.

“In the past some Westerners referred to Tibetan Buddhism dismissively as Lamaism because of the prominent role accorded to Lamas in the conduct of rituals and prayers. However, I constantly remind people that Tibetan Buddhism derives directly from the traditions of Nalanda University. These days, more and more people are coming to realize that Tibetan Buddhism is a complete form of Buddhism. Many Chinese Buddhists are coming to appreciate the emphasis the Tibetan tradition places on study and that Tibetan Buddhist scholars are accomplished teachers with more to impart than just prayers and rituals. Therefore, increasing numbers of Chinese Buddhists are showing interest in studying Tibetan Buddhism. Even Western scientists have noted that the logical character of Tibetan Buddhism is comparable to science.”

Addressing a conference on Buddhism and Science organized by the Tritiya Dharma Chakra Foundation and the Jetsun Dhampa Centre, His Holiness remarked that having attended such meetings in the West, in India and Japan, he was now happy and honoured to participate in such a conference in Mongolia.

“I sometimes describe myself as half-Buddhist and half-scientist,” he disclosed. “For more than 30 years I have held discussions with scientists focussed mainly on neurobiology, cosmology, physics-especially quantum physics-and psychology. Buddhist literature also has a contribution to make to understanding of these four fields, so our discussions have been immensely beneficial. Buddhist scholars and practitioners have benefited from learning about physics while modern scientists have shown a keen interest in learning more about what Buddhism has to say about the workings of the mind and emotions.”

Referring to historical relations between the two peoples, His Holiness remarked that even before they developed an interest in Buddhism, Tibetans and Mongolians were like brothers and sisters. In due course both came to uphold the pure Nalanda tradition.

After Kabju D. Nyamsambuu of Gandan Tegchenling Monastery had spoken about ethics and living a moral life, His Holiness responded that his interest in science is twofold. On the one hand science leads to a clearer understanding of reality, on the other scientific findings can help promote human values.

Helen Y. Weng, a neuroscientist and a clinical psychologist at the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco spoke about Contemplative Neuroscience and Socially Engaged Buddhism. She presented her findings that training in meditation on compassion not only increases altruistic behaviour but also the neural response to suffering. She also explained how much more accurate measurements of brain activity and different types of mental activity can be achieved using pattern recognition technology. His Holiness commented that although single-pointed meditation may temporarily reduce anger, analytical meditation is also important for helping us understand why we are angry and how compassion can be of benefit in overcoming anger in the long run.

His Holiness was invited by the Indian Ambassador to lunch at the Indian Embassy.

Returning to the conference in the afternoon he explained ways in which Buddhism can relate to modern science.

“I usually divide Buddhism into three parts: science, philosophy—which deals for example with conventional and ultimate truth—and religion which is only of interest to spiritual practitioners. It’s on the basis of Buddhist science and philosophy that we have been able to hold conversations with modern scientists over the last 30 years and more.”

In the first presentation of the afternoon, B. Boldsaikhan from the System Science Research Institute of the Mongolian University of Science and Technology spoke about medicine and logic under the heading Buddhism & Bridging Science. Next, K. Namsrai, a senior scholar in physics gave a talk about relations between Quantum Physics and Buddhist philosophy. He mentioned a profound connection between abstract physical theory and nature. He concluded with a request for His Holiness’s prayers for the welfare of ordinary nomads and herders.

Dr. Fadel Zeidan, Assistant Professor of Neurobiology and Anatomy and Associate Director of Neuroscience at the Center for Integrative Medicine at Wake Forest School of Medicine and a Mind & Life Fellow, spoke about the Neuroscience of Mindfulness, Meditation and Pain. He stressed the importance of developing non-drug remedies to alleviate pain and suffering, mentioning how mindfulness training can contribute to relief of anxiety, depression, elevated blood pressure and other health issues.

Finally, N. Ariun, a biologist, spoke about the Latest Developments in Biological Sciences and Buddhism.

In his concluding remarks, His Holiness mentioned encouraging findings that basic human nature is compassionate and that this quality can be strengthened through education. He spoke of the need to promote a sense of the oneness of humanity based on human beings’ shared compassionate nature. He stressed that promoting this will require vision and determination, but that conferences such as today’s could make a valuable contribution to that goal.

Original link with photos http://www.dalailama.com/news/post/1494-international-conference-on-buddhism-and-science

The World Seems Obsessed With The Demonic Realm

Hello everybody! I hope ya'll had a blessed Thanksgiving and got to be with your loved ones but most of all I hope everybody got to eat a lot of good food. LOL. Oh you know you agree the food is probably the best part. Lol. I love it.

What is demonic obsession? Opinions do vary on this.. in my opinion it is when somebody is just obsessed wanting to ghost hunt all the time watch nothing but that on TV and on Internet that's 90% of what you're doing. To me this gives legal rights to your life showing this much interest almost obsessed with the paranormal and the movies, TV shows coming out. Some good things are coming out this being more tolerated  but I still think more hurt than good has come from this becoming more popular. Everybody I'm sure has heard of the "dark side of the web" so Satan knows no boundaries as the Internet is a huge tool he uses. These vile creatures don't discriminate either. We're all "potential souls" for demons to torment and create problems for. They hate humans.

I know last week I spoke with somebody long distance and it sounds like there's an attachment going on with this person's situation and it simply came from an innocent walk through a cemetery and just joking around just to see what would happen. This is what this person told me and they were nervous and needed to find some kind a help in their area. It doesn't take much to put you on the radar the last thing you need to do is tempt anything. Remember our mind is the devils playground they know everything they know all our sins.

Don't be surprised if you find yourself dealing with personal attacks being made at you that's just something that's also common when helping somebody find help as well. Do you think they're going to be happy if this person receives deliverance or exorcism? Absolutely not! They are known for saying things to distract from deliverance. All the paranormal things going on like levitation whatever's happening all around you they only do that for one thing... to make you scared. To distract from the deliverance or exorcism to upset you whether it be personal information or whatever. This is very serious you're dealing with your mental health here and your physical health. Leave it to the right people before just trying to go in and give a blessing on the house because you're gonna make it worse if it hasn't been done properly.

Demonic Infestation:

It is believed this is a phenomenon in which a demon possesses a location or place, such as a house or building, or an object. A demon, by possessing a place, can move things at will and cause various noises and smells. Infestation never causes the possession of any of the people who live there. An infestation may occur in a particular place due to some esoteric or satanic rites being performed with frequency. Such infestation may result from a hex, spell, or curse, or from voodoo or witchcraft. To end the infestation of a place, the rite of exorcism lists several specific prayers that need to be prayed. Without the complete cooperation of the family the priests/ministers prayers will not work.

Please think twice when presented with anything like Ouija boards and things to that nature. It's best to just be curious and leave it at that. It's not worth going further. Demons prey on people through those mimicking another like a aunt who passed or parent. It's only to gain your trust to draw you in. Demons are so very tricky and want to remain out of hell because even for them they are suffering its horrible and of course this is an opinion and it too is subjective but demons don't want to go away they hang on for dear life because they don't want to go back to hell because of all the torment they are scared of Satan. And again this is all subjective but they don't want to go back and be punished by Satan for losing a soul. Even demons don't want to be there. Doesn't that just speak volumes?

The Word of God used in Spiritual warefare is our BEST weapon against anything evil. You need to speak it loud with authority and stand your ground. When they do paranormal things such as levitate, cause things to fall, doors open and close, it is only to distract the person from casting out demons. Or they will do it just to scare you even more when you don't have anybody there to help. For example let's say you haven't reached out for help yet they will really start pulling out all the paranormal stuff to put fear in you. Remember what I said fear is not of God that's all that it is just to put fear in you. Even just doing daily protection prayers..ignore anything paranormal and stay focused on Christ the Son Of Man.

If you have Jesus in your heart you know already that you're protected only through Jesus. Again this also depends on your religion. So of course there's going to be different opinions and there's different kinds of demonology as well. Just please know with all the darkness there is light there is hope for us through Jesus Christ who will give us everlasting life in paradise with the father. We do not have to fear these things that reside in the dark and hug the shadows because because they are truly cowards. They will not let you catch them on film. Grrrrr....it is very rare. In the last 25 years it has only been audio that I captured that was impressive. As far as pictures and video it's extremely rare.

Thanks for stopping by Eye On The Paranormal. Thank you for taking the time to read our blogs. Feel free to keep commenting the other two blogs I did on crystal meth and demons. It is still receiving comments, actually both blogs stem people found help from the blog some people felt better they didn't think they were crazy so you never know who could benefit from it. That's just something I wanted to throw in real quick in case you think you have anything to add that would be helpful information on that subject because there's a lot of people struggling to find answers for it. It's definitely something that needs to be known about.

Written By Jennifer L Auld

Dalai Lama: The Potential of Today, The Potential of Tomorrow

Tokyo, Japan, 16 November 2016 - Long lines of junior high-school boys, immaculate in their formal, dark-blue uniforms, and visibly excited, had formed to greet His Holiness as he arrived at the Setagaya Junior High School in Tokyo on a cool, grey morning. The Tibetan flag was flying on every side, and a banner in English above the school’s entrance read, “We are Honored to Welcome H.H. Dalai Lama the 14th to Setagaya Gakuen.” Teachers watched the arrival from a third-floor walkway, under the school’s more than apt motto, “Think and Share.”

His Holiness took pains to greet almost every boy in the lines, tickling some, pulling the earlobes of others, leaning down to hold a small boy on crutches and to ask him what was wrong. Later he would say, “Your young, fresh, bright faces make me feel young again!”

After meeting some of the school’s officials—with three little boys in monks’ robes bringing him tea and cookies—His Holiness stepped into a jampacked wooden gymnasium in which—as on his previous trip to the school, some years before—every last seat in thirty long rows was occupied by silent, attentive young boys. “My English is very poor,” he began, “but I’m often suggesting that Japanese students should try to learn English. That way you can make an even greater contribution for the benefit of other people. And you can get more self-confidence. Traveling, you can realize that your own country’s conditions are really very good.”

Then he said simply, “You are the basis of our hope. Past is past; no one can change what happened. But in the future there is still hope, possibility.” Recalling the wars that had broken out throughout his life—since the rise of Nazi Germany and the Sino-Japanese Conflict in his earliest years—His Holiness explained how we can work for peace in an active, concrete way, instead of perpetuating the cycle of violence. “Many of my elder brothers and sisters here and I,” he said, “may not see a more peaceful and happier world. It’s not easily achieved. But in the next thirty or forty years, yours is the generation that can make a significant contribution to a more harmonious world.”

As his answers were translated, His Holiness peered intently into the crowd, making eye contact with some students, smiling at others, observing responses in every corner. “Violence always destroys lives,” he says. “The people who indulge in violence may get some temporary satisfaction; but deep inside they won’t be happy. Perhaps at the end of their lives, they will feel uncomfortable. Nobody wants problems, but we create many problems. Why? Because we can be short-sighted and narrow-minded.” Even trouble-makers, after all, are born to mothers and “raised with the seed of compassion.” Schools should therefore attend not just to material values but to inner values. “Not through religion, but through common sense, common experience and scientific findings.”

When His Holiness opened the session up to questions, the students were shy for a second, and then, almost instantly, lines of forty or more clamorously formed on each side of the gymnasium, reaching almost to the back of the large space. The boys’ questions cut to the heart of things: how can one cure aggression and anger? Must religion involve strictness? What is the meaning of life? His Holiness gave crisp direct answers, handling many questions from both sides of the hall. He stressed motivation—the difference between aspiring to succeed and hoping that others fail. He pointed out, in answer to a question about “destiny,” that “Karma means action. So, till yesterday, you had a certain destiny due to prior karma. Today you’re creating new karma, more forcibly, that can change your destiny.”

And in answer to a question about how a young student can hope to change the world, he said that it was more than possible. “The first thing is to develop peace of mind. And then spread it among your friends and family. And then, slowly and steadily as you grow in your profession, whatever that might be, it will help. Even in politics!”

Having spoken for more than two hours, His Holiness came down off the stage, taking care to greet many of the students in the front rows individually before taking lunch with the leaders of the school. Then he went straight to the Japanese parliament, to deal with real-life politicians. It was as if, having worked to bring meaning and wisdom to the leaders of tomorrow, he was now bringing his vision to the power-brokers of today.

As soon as he got out of his car at the gleaming, glassy, nine-story Front Office Building for the Japanese House of Representatives, in the heart of skyscraper Tokyo, His Holiness was greeted by loud applause from a large group of formally dressed politicians. Members of five different parties had gathered to welcome him, and when he stepped into a meeting hall, it was to be greeted again by spontaneous clapping, and a thronged audience of more than 200 policy-makers, part of the Japan-Tibet Parliament Group. It was the third time His Holiness had addressed Japan’s parliamentarians officially, and, according to a speech from one, each time saw more and more people in attendance.

A few Japanese politicians opened the event by speaking about how the Tibetan leader had touched their hearts, about visiting him in Dharamsala, about how Japan as a whole can and should work to help bring peace to the world and to think about religion and humanity, especially given the many age-old ties between the cultures.

Then His Holiness, speaking from a podium, spoke more about those ties and about his lifelong commitment to democracy. As a human being, he was fully committed to his 7 billion fellow humans. As a Buddhist monk, he was committed to a universal message of love, of tolerance, of forgiveness. And as a Tibetan, though he had retired from political life, he was committed to trying to preserve one of the world’s ancient cultures, a rich heritage of knowledge and the environment.

“Politically,” he stressed, “we are not looking for independence. For economic and other reasons, we want to stay within China.” But the Tibetan issue was not just political. It was about the preservation of Tibetan culture, language and the environment. In answer to a series of questions, he emphasized, as ever, “The Chinese people we really admire, we really respect. They have a 5000 year-old culture, they are a very cultured people, hard-working, realistic.” The fact of so many people attending a Japan-Tibet Parliamentary Group, His Holiness concluded, was part of an almost universal commitment not just to Tibet, but to justice and truth.

As he left the hall, one formal-looking politician after another pushed forwards to say hello, to shake his hand, to thank him for his presence in the world and in the room.

original link and photos: http://www.dalailama.com/news/post/1490-the-potential-of-today-the-potential-of-tomorrow

The Great Evangelical Disaster--Part 2, Loving Confrontation

By Reverend Mark Hunnemann

Continued from Ghosts and the Great Evangelical Disaster, Part 1.


The title, The Great Evangelical Disaster, is borrowed from a book by Francis Schaeffer...my favorite author.  I just finished reading it, and it is the most profound book I have read in a long time. To clarify, an evangelical is a bible believing Christian...specifically, they believe that the bible is without error, including where it touches on matters relating to science and history. In that sense of the word, then I am an evangelical....perhaps you are too.There is a disaster occurring right now in the Body of Christ...a horrible disaster. We are discussing this so that the question of ghosts is set in its proper historical context.

We noted that about 80 years ago there remained a Christian consensus in America. That does not mean that America was a Christian nation, or God's chosen nation, or that it was a golden era...it was none of these, and never has been. In fact, there were three area where Christians did an exceptionally lousy job:  in the area of race relations, the compassionate making and using of wealth (unjust treatment of employees and idolatrous love of money), and the concept and practice of manifest destiny. With some exceptions, the church largely followed the world's lead in these three areas, instead of confronting these evils..

Having stated those qualifications, the American ethos was substantially Christian, and this brought in its wake much beauty and productivity--all across the spectrum of human life. Biblical knowledge was widespread, even amongst non-Christians. Because of this Christian consensus, there was an adequate foundation for meaning and morals.The real existence of the infinite-personal God meant that truth was truth. The source of truth was the unchanging character of God, and found in His loving communication with us--the bible.This held the nation together like supernatural super-glue..And we were blessed...

In the span of 80 years or so, the Christian consensus was lost. Perhaps the best way to illustrate this is in the radical shift in how we view truth. Before the shift, the basic law of non-contradiction was understood by virtually everyone.That simply means that something can't exist and not exist at the same time. The cow is either standing in the field or it's not. Jesus either bodily rose from the dead or He didn't. To say that He rose from the dead and that He didn't rise from the dead at the same time is a flat out contradiction. Right? .....Right?!   As recently as 80 years ago, the answer from the average Joe would be, "of course you're right!"

I say this with tears, but in 2016 the answer would be "wrong"...at least amongst those affected by the anti-Christian consensus--which would be the vast majority of people.. In this short span of time almost everything distinctively Christian has been lost in our culture. Our quest for autonomous freedom (freedom from the restraints of God and His morality) has come at a steep price...we have become irrationalized. In his book The Closing of the American Mind., Professor Allen Bloom states that he knows one thing is certain of 99% of his incoming students--they are subjective relativists. Truth is no longer objective (rooted in God's unchanging holy  character) but has become mere opinion, which changes from individual to individual. "Jesus rose from the dead may be your truth, but my truth is that Jesus did not rise from the dead. He was just a good man.." That is how we think, and it should make us weep. Basic logic is dead...beaten to death by demonic autonomous freedom.

The ethos or consensus of America today is anti-Christian and irrational. If you reject the God of truth, then the truth of God dies. The diabolical dust of death has settled upon our beloved country. Do you grasp the radical nature of this shift in our concept of truth? Man as man is dead, truth as truth is dead, meaning and morals are dead. Everything is now mere opinion, and if that is the case, then who can find fault with Hitler? Do you see the horror of great darkness in which we live?

I spoke with a woman tonight who lives in the southwest. On two occasions I have also talked to the demon/s that have possessed her, as they took over in mid-sentence. (please don't you ever do that....I did it, not because I am a special person,, but because I have a special calling to this field) I have several irrational, texts from her possessing demon/s stored in my cell phone. Tonight she asked me why all of her mirrors are breaking when she looks into them.I could multiply such horrible encounters that I have faced in last few years This is for real.

Once we rejected the truth of God as a nation, then two things happened (there are more): overt demonic activity has increased, and demonic irrationalism has gripped us by the throat.Do you really believe we are in spiritual warfare? Satan walks upon the Earth seeking ways to bend, twist, and demonize culture. A favorite tactic is the destruction of truth.I have never said this before publicly (I don't think), but this may be the beginning of the end.

What brought us to this point in a mere 80 years? Evangelicals did not confront the crucial issues of the day which were attacking our country like an army of suicide bombers. I quote Schaeffer, "Obedience to God's Word is the watershed. And the failure of the evangelical world to take a clear and distinctively biblical stand on the crucial issues of the day can only be seen as a failure to live under the full authority of God's Word in the full spectrum of life." The church is the guardian of culture, because Christ is King. When the guardian is silent, then society crumbles. That is what happened to cause the loss of a Christian consensus, and this disaster continues today.

What he is talking about is confrontation. Truth demands confrontation with error and evil. Yes, loving confrontation, but confrontation nonetheless. Satan never attacks on just one front; there are several crucial issues that Christian leaders are hesitant to be vocal about. Schaeffer also wrote A Christian Manifesto, where he quotes from a document written by myself and two other young seminarians at the time.

While at Covenant Seminary in St. Louis, I had a passion to confront the abortion issue. So, we held an orderly rally at an abortion clinic, and promptly got arrested. The three of us felt the need to write something to explain to the seminary community (especially the president) why we did what did. An acquaintance of mine, who knew Dr Schaeffer well, told us that Schaefffer was excited about what we had done. That made me feel humble and happy. So, he got a copy of our very brief biblical defense of our actions and quoted it.

There are several crucial issues evangelicals are accommodating to the world spirit merely by not confronting them. Not forcefully and publicly confronting them has the same net result as actually believing in the evil or error...the outcome is the same...This is rampant. It is in this context of sinful accomodation and not lovingly confronting evil and error, in which the topic of ghosts is being ignored and dismissed by almost all evangelical pastors and leaders. Hopefully, by now you don't need endless arguments to convince you that the notion of ghosts is is very significant and must be confronted. May the Lord raise up an army of rebels with a righteous cause.
Amen.

Read part 3: http://eyeontheparanormal.blogspot.com/2016/12/obedience-to-lordship-of-christ-and.html

Mark Hunnemann is the author of Seeing Ghosts Through God's Eyes: A Worldview Analysis of Earthbound Spirits. It's also available in eBook format.

The Dalai Lama in Japan -- Clarity in the Mist

Clarity in the Mist

Koyasan, Japan, 14 November 2016 - On a cool grey morning of light rain, His Holiness left Osaka and traveled up, along narrow roads, around winding turns, into the mists and reddening maples of Koyasan, the 1200 year-old mountain of the Shingon sect of Buddhism, founded by Kobo Daishi and given over now to 117 temples.

Passing between tall trees, in an almost Tibetan atmosphere of solemnity and concentration, His Holiness was greeted at the end of the two-hour drive by the head priest of the main temple on the mountain, Keihan Nakanishi-sensei. Led into a quiet room in the radiant temple, Kongobuji, for a conversation with the abbot and other senior priests, His Holiness began by saying, “In this world, everyone want to be free of suffering—to be happy—yet so many of our sufferings come from our own minds.    
   
“If there can be a greater sense of oneness in the world, then violence and killing will end.” He shared with the Japanese priests, arrayed in their rich robes around a series of low tables, an experiment in which it was found that even children of two or three months old lit up when shown an image of a child helping another child pushing a stone up a hill. They grew visibly dismayed when they saw the child blocked in his efforts by another child.

“This proves,” said His Holiness, “that basic human nature is compassion. Therefore, I see great potential in promoting love and compassion through education. I’m not trying to propagate Buddhism; I only want to spread the message of the fundamentally compassionate nature of human beings. Every different religion has different ideas and philosophies, but all of them agree on the importance of love and compassion.”

Rising to his theme, His Holiness mentioned a Tibetan saying that nobility should never undermine learning, nor learning undermine nobility. A great 13th century Tibetan scholar, he said, declared that even if you’re about to die tomorrow, you should keep learning. It’s almost like an investment for your next life.

After an entirely vegetarian lunch to prepare for the day’s empowerment—not even eggs or onions were included—His Holiness went to Koyasan’s main hall, where he sat on a stage, flanked by rows of chanting monks on both sides, with two thankgas behind him and many huge bouquets of flowers, and opened his empowerment for Achala, the deity of protection and unwaveringness, with thirty minutes of chants.

In preparing his audience—maybe 100 of the 600 or so Chinese speakers—for the empowerment, he stressed that the truth of the Buddha is not to be found by faith, but by using one’s intelligence. Theistic religions have always been beneficial and will always remain so, he stressed, but Buddhism has to be practiced with wisdom and intelligence. Even at the earliest stages, when one listens to a teacher and reflects on what the teacher has said. “Taking the Buddha on faith,” His Holiness said, “does not make one fit for following the path of wisdom. One must know what emptiness means.”

He then went into the specifics of the Achala empowerment, explaining what kind of visualizations it would involve—depending on whether you had received full empowerments before or not—and what it should mean depending on your level of preparation. The ultimate aim, he said, was to realize deep selflessness. “As Shantideva pointed out, people don’t want suffering, yet cause their own suffering. They attack their own happiness as if it were an enemy.

“If you devote yourself to serving other sentient beings,” His Holiness stressed, “you will find your own realization.” He outlined the exact meaning of taking refuge in Buddha and sangha and dharma and then said, “Always have the altruistic motivation to help sentient beings. Consider others to be more important than yourself. And remember that until you attain Buddhahood, you can help others only partially.

“So be determined to become Buddhas for the sake of all beings.” When you think about the self, what is it exactly? Is it water or is it mirage? Things exist, but they don’t exist in the way we think they do, or as they appear to be.

With that exacting reminder, he shared the mantras and chants for the empowerment and took his leave of an invigorated audience.

original link with photos http://dalailama.com/news/post/1488-clarity-in-the-mist

Are Ouija Boards A Bad Risk?

I know I mentioned this before in other articles but sadly it continues to be a big problem. It just seems to keep coming up on a daily basis. In my opinion you don't know what you're talking to on the other side. To me that's very dangerous. It could be a very thin veil between our dimensions. We just don't know nor have enough information. But if you do research online I saw and received emails with testimonies of people sharing their story or needing some help and do I know anybody in their area who could help them it seems to be very popular this Ouija board.

Ouija is a combination of the French and German words, oui and ja , which mean yes, yes.

These boards have letters of the alphabet, the numbers 0-9, the words ‘yes’ ‘no’ and ‘goodbye’, and other symbols and words are sometimes also added to help personalize the board. The Ouija board is used to communicate with spirits of the dead. Although nobody knows where the idea for such a device came from, there are records of Ouija-like instruments being used in ancient China, Greece, Rome and many other countries.

"Use of a Ouija has even led to violence and even to murder..." Dr. Marta Prohazka of Fairfax, Virginia, is also convinced that spirits can play terrifying destructive games with human behavior. During her practice as psychotherapist , she realized that many patients she had considered "hallucinating paranoid schizophrenics" might instead  merely be in touch with something invisible to her but visible to them."I came to understand that another plane, or dimension or existence interrelated with our plane or visible manifestation," she said. "By training and expanding consciousness, some individuals gain entrance into that invisible dimension. It seems to some like a window into heaven."

Over 7 million Ouija boards were sold in the last 10 years? I thought that was note worthy. Also it really shows the high interest in the occult and other alike. That is a lot of people owning a possible portal.

One of the many ways the enemy gains control is using our mind and when we place our trust in what many Christians mistakenly call the Holy Spirit. What I'm trying to say is  "God told me to do this." However, what God told them to do is completely contrary to God’s word. Jesus said in John 8:47 "He who is of God hears the words of God." God never, ever, ever leads us contrary to the Word of God. So when we receive anything we think is the Holy Spirit, the first question we must ask is "Does God’s word agree with what I believe is the Holy Spirit speaking to me?" Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 11:14 "And no wonder for Satan transforms himself into an angel of light."

Below are some examples of testimonies found from random searching:
09 Dec 2014 - 06:30AM | By Samar Maguire – MM exclusive
Ouija boards are ‘extremely dangerous’ and could cause mental health issue in children, claims an experienced Manchester psychic.

Eileen-Rose, a professional psychic medium and clairvoyant, warns that children are ‘tempting fate’ after reports that sales of Ouija boards have risen by 300%.

The Ouija board, many manufactured by toy makers Hasbro, is now threatening to become a sell-out Christmas gift after the nationwide release of the film ‘Ouija’ in cinemas on October 24."

'The Ouija board acts as a portal for spirits to come in (via invitation) and for spirit attachment often for maelvolent or mischeivious spirits.  I've   a sudden influx of spirits entering my room while using another method and it was both amazing and frightening, so I have no doubt it would work with this "game".  I also have a friend who used the board and he shared with me that he had a very traumatic and terrifying and very real spiritual attack immediatly after using it with 2 of his friends. He vowed never to use it again.'

Written by Jennifer L Auld

Ghosts and the Great Evangelical Disaster, Part 1

By Reverend Mark Hunnemann

Less than 80 years ago, our country had a Christian consensus.Virtually anyone could have expressed what the basic Christian beliefs were , even if they did not believe it themselves. Let me stop here for a moment, and state that I want to set this debate about the existence of ghosts in a larger context--namely as part of the very rapid cultural decline that has taken place.In order to accomplish this, we must set this debate regarding ghosts within the context of the spirit of our age.What is the prevailing spirit that is driving American culture into a deadly decline? (In my book I set this debate within the context of the clash of differing worldviews and antithetical epistemologies...that is, objective truth versus relatavisitic truth, and how the bible is REALLY true when it speaks about any subject matter--including science and history).

In the last 80 years or so years there has been a mad rush in our society to achieve autonomous freedom-- that is the spirit of the age that is napalming every segment of society. It is the drive to throw of the restraints of the God of the bible.It is search for freedom, but the autonomous aspect means getting rid of the restraints of the God of truth as well as the truth of God. A deliberate rejection of God and His law or morality. Hence, treasured aspects of our culture are destroyed almost overnight. In Romans 1:18f the Lord tells us that, since our country once did know the truth, but willingly rejected it, we are being punished for it. Let me quote my hero Francis Schaeffer, "But if we are looking across the history of the world to see those times when men knew the truth and turned away, let us say emphatically that there is not an exhibition of this anywhere in history so clearly--and in such a short time--as in our own generation." (The Great Evangelical Disaster)

I graduated from high school in 1974, and the changes in our country since then have been enormous...what were once vices are now embraced as virtues.It is a terrible thing for a 60 year old man like me to see how far we have declined in such a short time.It makes me weep.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.(Eph. 6:12) Does the church in the twenty-first century of America really believe we are engaged in this cosmic battle? Again Schaeffer, If we do not believe these things(and we must say that much of the evangelical world acts as if it does not believe these things), we certainly cannot expect to have much success in fighting the battle. Why doesn't the church have more impact on our culture? Because we have not taken the primary battle seriously.And because we don't take this supernatural warfare seriously, we don't use the weapons our Lord has provided (Ephesians. 6:10-18) Without these weapons we have no hope of winning

As a consequence of rejecting the truth, Paul says in Romans 1:18-25 that their (our) thinking or reasoning processes becomes foolish and distorted.The reason I went into such detail in my book about adopting a Christian worldview is that foolish or distorted thinking is flourishing, not only in non-Christians, but in Christians as well. The result has been disasterous. We deserve, and are, under the wrath of God as a country...I say that with tears....

Because we have rejected the one, true God in a manic, depraved quest for autonomous freedom, our nation is now characterized  by foolish thinking (and the long list of degradations Paul mentions)--we are drowning in relativistic reasoning--AND God's anger is being poured out upon America.The last few generations have trampled upon the truth of God as well as the God of truth.We are seeing, right now, the outworking of this depraved thinking and acting. Do you think we can slaughter this many unborn children and not anger the Holy One of Israel?

An indicator of how few Christians think like Christians is the recent election. How many Christians viewed abortion as the primary issue? Very few. As important as the economy is, what can come even close to the significance of protecting human life? LIFE, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?!

We are still made in God's image and have a visceral desire for spiritual reality...even if we have rejected the God whose image we are made in. All of this frenzied quest for unfettered freedom from God and His moral absolutes, has left us in a spiritual void or wasteland. That is where ghosts come into the picture. I will develop this them further next time, but suffice it to say that Satan has developed this scheme masterfully.

Having rejected the true God, we have replaced Him and the bible with the satisfaction of immediate contact with the supernatural. Our Christ-less culture has become irrational. Instead of truth we seek experience with the paranormal  And where is the church?

Martin Luther (or somebody) said, If I profess with loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the truth of God except precisely that little point which the world and the Devil are at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Christ. Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved and to be steady on all the battle front besides, is mere flight and disgrace if he flinches at that point.

Preachers preach on everything but that little point where the Devil is attacking.

Where are the sermons on the bible and ghosts? Again, I insist, where are the messages on the bible and spiritism? Because the church has flinched, it is not confessing Christ. It remains dogged in her dismissiveness of this topic (some rare exceptions). It has not engaged the spirit of this age.....again. Yes, of course there are many other important issues and topics. Our culture will become increasingly demonized if we don't bring the truth and light on this subject.I love the church and I love pastors. The Bride is committing adultery with the world. Lord, please have mercy on us. And pastors..... PREACH!

Read The Great Evangelical Disaster, Part 2 Loving Confrontation

Mark Hunnemann is the author of Seeing Ghosts Through God's Eyes: A Worldview Analysis of Earthbound Spirits. It's also available in eBook format.

Dalai Lama & Forum 2000--the Courage to Take Responsibility

Prague, Czech Republic, 18 October 2016 - The overcast skies and cold weather did not detract from the warmth of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s reception by the Minister of Culture, Mr Daniel Herman, and a group of parliamentarians of the Christian and Democratic Union - Czechoslovak People's Party. The Minister and His Holiness first visited a chapel within the Ministry before sitting round a table to exchange views.

His Holiness remarked that human beings have a unique ability to extend their concern to all other beings. Scientists report findings that indicate that human nature is basically compassionate. He suggested that this accords with the idea of being creatures of a creator who embodies infinite compassion.

“Among 7 billion human beings none are free from problems,” he said, “but the best way to keep calm under such circumstances is to cultivate compassion for others. Religion should have a role in reducing violence by fostering a calm mind. Violence springs from anger, hatred and fear. However, in the world today, in addition to those who have no faith, there are those who only pay lip-service to religious belief and practice. If religion is to mean anything to us, we need to be serious about it.”

The Minister thanked His Holiness for his advice and told him he and his colleagues were interested in practical ways to move forward.

“In today’s world we have a quite materialistic culture,” His Holiness remarked, “but material goods only provide us with physical comfort. Compassion, on the other hand, brings inner strength and inner peace. No matter how prosperous or poor you may be, if you have compassion for others you can be a peaceful happy person. However, it seems there are those who attend their places of worship, but whose lives are relatively untouched by the religious teachings involved.”

His Holiness mentioned his admiration for Pope John Paul II and the inter-religious Assisi meeting he organised in 1986. He reported his telling the Pope it should be the beginning of a movement for religious groups to get to know each other and exchange their different experiences with each other. As the gathering broke up, members of the parliamentary group clustered round His Holiness, requesting him to sign books or take selfies with them.

Minister Herman accompanied His Holiness on the short drive to Manes Hall where they were both due to be panellists in a discussion of the Paradox of Religion as part of Forum 2000. Moderator of that meeting, Shlomo Avineri welcomed them on arrival. He introduced the panellists, who also included Egyptian author and journalist, Tarek Osman to the audience of 150 and invited the Minister to begin. He spoke of being a Roman Catholic with Jewish roots who found, as he grew up in Czechoslovakia, that religion gave him a freedom of heart that remains an inspiration in his work as an active politician.

His Holiness spoke of his own three commitments.

“As a human being I am concerned with encouraging people to be happy, to understand that if their minds are upset mere physical comfort won’t bring them peace. Whereas if their minds are at peace even physical pain won’t disturb their calm. Over the last 30 years I’ve had serious discussions with scientists. I take their finding evidence that basic human nature is compassionate as a source of hope.

“On the one hand, all major religious traditions convey the same message of love and compassion. On the other, more than 1 billion people today have little interest in religion. Therefore, we also need to find other ways to educate people about the importance of inner values, such as compassion.

“In seeking to promote harmony among our religious traditions, it is useful to realise that the once prevalent notion that there can only be one truth and one religion best applies to personal practice. In terms of community and the world at large, there are evidently several truths and a multiplicity religions. When I was still in Tibet, I considered Buddhism was best. But once I reached India and came into contact with people like Thomas Merton and Mother Teresa, as well as wonderful Hindu, Jewish and Muslim friends, I developed a real appreciation and respect for other traditions.”

In discussing a secular approach to ethics, His Holiness remarked that there are different ways to understand the word secular. He prefers to use it as it is understood in India to mean an unbiased respect for all religions and even the views of those who have no faith. He suggested that when Bolshevik and French revolutionaries historically advocate secularism, they were less opposed to religious teachings than to religious institutions.

In his contribution, referring particularly to the Middle or Near East, Tarek Osman spoke of its recent turbulent history. He suggested that in a climate of turbulence, religion has the appeal of providing order. Difficulties arise however when that sense of order becomes control.

Daniel Herman mentioned parallels he has drawn between experience of the collapse of communism and the biblical account of the Jews’ exodus from Egypt and their 40 years in the desert on the way to the Promised Land. A real change in mentality takes more than one generation to achieve.

His Holiness returned to his emphasis that too many problems facing humanity revolve around too great a focus on secondary differences of faith, race, nationality, economic status and so forth. The important thing to remember is that fundamentally we are all the same—we are all equally human beings. Challenges like climate change and upheavals of the global economy require us to acknowledge the oneness of humanity. Because we have to live together, we have to be more realistic.

Shlomo Avineri wound up the meeting by recalling what his friend Edward Said had said about the responsibility of intellectuals to speak truth to power, but added that power has to be open to dialogue.

After lunch at the Zofin Palace, His Holiness walked to the Forum Hall to attend a closing panel on The World and Its Current Challenges. He was joined on the panel by Prof Tomas Halik, President of the Czech Christian Academy and Manal al-Sharif, a Writer and Women’s Rights Activist from Saudi Arabia. She is a recipient of the Vaclav Havel Prize for Creative Dissent.

Moderator, Sociologist Surendra Munshi, took some time to give an overview of the conference so far that touched on issues of leadership, the role of intellectuals, and a sense of truth. He invited His Holiness to speak first.

“I feel that if looked at from a close and narrow perspective our problems can seem intractable. However, if we can step back and view them from a wider perspective and in the longer term, they don’t seem so grave and often reveal positive aspects.

“Since common sense and scientific findings indicate that anger, hatred and fear disturb our peace of mind, our education systems need to pay more attention to inner values like compassion and warm-heartedness. The need is to be more concerned about the whole of humanity, as well as concerned about our planet. I admire the spirit of the European Union in according greater concern to the larger community than to narrow national interests.

“If we can develop inner peace, we can build on it to create world peace. Many experts agree that current education systems are. What we require is a more universal approach to human values that can appeal to everyone. There are grounds for optimism.

He concluded: “I admired President Havel and is struggle for truth. And although he is no longer physically with us, we have a responsibility to carry his spirit forward and to fulfil his vision.”

In his remarks Prof Halik referred to the effects of globalisation and the need for confidence. He expressed the view that globalisation defeated communism, which as a monopoly could not withstand an open society. Today however, we are experiencing a less positive response to globalisation. The world is fragmenting and globalisation may have contributed to the outbreak of religious extremism. Halik added wryly that the invisible hand of the market has given rise to the hidden hand of corruption.

Manal al-Sharif mentioned that realisation has dawned that her country, Saudi Arabia, exports oil, but has also exported a brand of fundamentalist Islam. She reported that despite being informed that God had appointed guardians for them, women were now saying, “I am my own guardian.” She said it takes courage to take responsibility for your situation and it takes courage to take action.

His Holiness added that there are three aspects to religious traditions: basic religious practice of love and forgiveness; philosophical views such as whether or not to believe in a creator and cultural aspects. Cultural aspects relate to customs and ways of life from the past. Many of them are now out of date and so should change.

In answering one or two questions from the floor, Manal al-Sharif observed that there are 1.7 billion Muslims in the world, while ISIS comprises perhaps 4000 fighters. This is an example of the loud minority and quiet majority. In connection with resolving the growing gap between rich and poor, His Holiness stressed the importance of self-confidence in people’s ability to improve their lot. His final remark was that while killing in the name of religion is wrong, to remain indifferent to it is wrong too.

Surendra Munshi brought the meeting to a close with thanks to the panellists for sharing their thoughts. Once again members of the audience converged on the stage clamouring for His Holiness’s attention as they sought his signature, a handshake or the opportunity to take a photograph with him. He steadily met all requests before going into his final meeting of the day with the Forum 2000 International Advisory Board.

original link & photos http://www.dalailama.com/news/post/1477-forum-2000---the-courage-to-take-responsibility